Chapter 351: Top Priority

**Chapter 351: The Foremost Matter**

Since Su Mo entered the martial world and took over a failing escort agency,

Yet in just two short years,

First, he claimed the title of Donghuang’s Greatest.

Now, he eyes Donghuang with ambitions of conquest.

And judging from the current situation, success seems all but assured.

In that case, how could Donghuang hold him back?

True, as an escort agency alone, it cannot compare to shadowy factions like the Jinglong Society or the Imperial Office.

But is influence truly what Su Mo lacks?

Certainly not!

What he lacks is whispers on the wind.

If he knew where the Jinglong Society’s headquarters was, and who its leaders were,

he’d march straight there today, and after a bloodbath, return with their heads.

What truly holds Su Mo back is the absence of an intelligence network spanning the realm.

Under the guise of the escort agency, as these “partnerships” grow and wealth accumulates,

Su Mo’s actions will become increasingly numerous—and increasingly covert.

The rewards will surpass all expectations.

Yu Lingxin gazed at Su Mo, genuinely impressed.

Yang Yizhi also let out a long sigh, his heart a swirl of unspoken feelings.

The study lapsed into silence.

Su Mo grinned, deftly shifting the topic, chatting with them briefly before arranging accommodations.

With their need for secrecy, staying at an inn—busy and exposed—was hardly ideal.

Now that they had returned to Sunset City, staying at the Ziyang Escort Agency was the obvious choice.

The night was uneventful. The next morning, as Su Mo limbered up in the courtyard, he heard a rush of wind.

Looking up, he saw a great white tiger swooping down from the sky.

Riding atop it was a figure—

a strangely built figure, yet wearing a face uncannily like Su Mo’s.

As the tiger landed, the figure leapt down and sprang toward Su Mo.

Su Mo chuckled and reached out, peeling away a human-skin mask to reveal Yang Xiaoyun’s breathtaking beauty beneath.

“Xiaoyun-jie…”

Su Mo glanced at her, then at the white tiger.

The white tiger padded over and nuzzled Su Mo's palm before ambling to a corner of the courtyard to lie down and rest.

Su Mo raised an eyebrow. "Where's Xu Lu?"

Ugh, don't get me started..." Yang Xiaoyun let out a frustrated sigh. "Your top disciple could really use some guts."

Earlier, Su Mo had sent Xu Lu ahead to the north to find Liu Mo.

The following day, Zhang Biaotou showed up, saying Liu Mo had sent a message asking for help.

Su Mo left early without hesitation.

That trip was partly for show, but he really was heading north.

It wasn’t until after passing Heavenly Feather City that he spotted Xu Lu hurrying back.

Xu Lu had already seen Liu Mo and knew he was safe, so he had come back to report.

But then Su Mo ordered him to pose as him and ride the white tiger onward toward Hui River.

Su Mo had already talked the tiger into it, reluctantly allowing Xu Lu to ride it for a couple of days.

The tiger wasn’t happy about it, but it obeyed its master.

Now, Yang Xiaoyun continued:

"By the time we got to Hui River, there was Xu Lu.

"He’d booked a room at an inn, and when I walked in, there he was riding the tiger around the courtyard...

"I pressed him for details and found out he wasn’t riding it on purpose—he just didn’t dare get off.

"He swore that if he dismounted, the tiger would tilt its head back and eat him.

"So they were at a stalemate.

"If we hadn’t arrived that night, that guy might’ve been stuck with the tiger in that inn for days.

"Seeing how hopeless he was, I had to step in and impersonate you—even though we’re nothing alike in build—just to throw off anyone tailing us."

Su Mo burst out laughing.

"Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place!"

"You said it!" Yang Xiaoyun rolled her eyes. "Sitting there on the tiger, he kept rambling on about how he’s your disciple and the tiger is your mount, that you two are basically brothers, and that family doesn’t eat family..."

At this, Yang Xiaoyun cracked up too.

"Funny thing is, Hero Xu can meet death pretty calmly when he has to.

"So how’s he such a scaredy-cat?"

"There's no other way, we'll just have to take it step by step."

Su Mo sighed, "It's good for people to have some flaws—it makes them more human."

"That's true."

Yang Xiaoyun said, adjusting her clothing slightly.

Su Mo was drawn to her movement and couldn't help but glance over. "Too tight there?"

"...I can barely breathe."

Yang Xiaoyun blushed, then shot Su Mo a glare. "No peeking with those eyes. Not exactly presentable right now."

She added, "I’ll go change. Zhang Biaotou and the others are catching up behind us."

"Last night, Liu Mo already arrived at Hui River," she continued.

"The moment he spotted us and learned you were back, he didn’t even rest at the ferry."

"He pushed on all night without stopping, making a beeline for Sunset City."

"But I’d say he won’t arrive until afternoon at the earliest."

"This white tiger moves too fast—it outran them hours ago."

Su Mo nodded. "Want to take a break later?"

"No need," Yang Xiaoyun replied. "I’ve been practicing my cultivation on this tiger all night."

As she spoke, her expression grew subtly strange:

"Not sure if it's just my imagination, but after cultivating my inner energy all night, I feel like my power has increased far more quickly than usual.

"Could it be the holy relic of the White Tiger remnants?"

"Oh?"

Su Mo paused briefly before nodding lightly. "That could be it. But let's talk about it later. If you don't need to rest, get changed and I'll take you to meet a few people."

Yang Xiaoyun looked surprised. "Who?"

"Guess."

Su Mo gave her a wink.

Yang Xiaoyun's eyes went wide.

"They're here?"

"Yep."

"Then I'll hurry."

With that, Yang Xiaoyun zipped into the room, but managed to warn Su Mo before closing the door:

"No peeking!"

Su Mo said nothing.

Su Mo knew that when someone said something like this, the underlying meaning was often... you’d better come take a look!

Of course, Su Mo was a proper gentleman and wouldn’t be misled by such trivial words. Unfazed, he kept practicing in the courtyard.

A short while later, Yang Xiaoyun emerged from the room, and Su Mo instinctively glanced again at her chest, nodding approvingly:

"That’s much better now."

"..."

Yang Xiaoyun blushed and said, "Xiao Mo, you’re being naughty!"

"Am I?"

"Hmph."

She glared at him, took a few steps forward, and grabbed his hand: "If I say it is, then it is."

Su Mo smiled, booping her nose lightly. "Alright, alright, you’re right. Let’s go."

"Mm."

Still holding hands, they headed out, winding through the paths until they soon arrived at Yang Yizhi’s courtyard.

Pushing open the gate, they saw the Qilin Swordsman and others also practicing in the yard.

The gathering sparked another lively exchange.

Soon, everyone settled into the main hall, hosts and guests alike.

Since they hadn’t been apart for too long, there wasn’t much small talk to catch up on.

Their conversation drifted into talking about the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

Yang Xiaoyun had just returned and was out of the loop on recent events, so she eagerly jumped in with questions.

Su Mo gave a quick rundown of what happened the previous day, leaving them all stunned.

Yang Yizhi heaved a sigh:

"Wei Ruhan had long hoped to settle this during the Fallen Phoenix Alliance gathering.

"But who’d have thought the shadowy figure appearing before him would turn out to be his own son?

"At his age... how could he take it?"

The others nodded in agreement.

Ling Hongxia murmured, "Wei Qixiong... I’ve crossed paths with him before.

"Even back then, I sensed he had a shady vibe—hard to get along with.

"Turns out, I was spot-on."

"However, he was able to repent before his death. Though it was too late, we can only hope it brought the old man some peace."

"Miss Wei has turned calamity into fortune this time?"

Yang Xiaoyun suddenly grew eager:

"I’ve always wanted to test myself against Miss Wei’s Cold Moon Palace swordplay.

"But I never had the chance.

"Later, as my martial arts improved, it seemed improper to challenge her.

"Now that she’s gained the internal energy of the Cosmic YinYang Mill Disc, I’m itching to see whether my Azure Dragon Eight Wastes Point-Cloud Spear is stronger,

"or if her Feixing Swordplay is superior.

"Unfortunately, now isn’t the right time."

Su Mo nodded:

"The Fallen Phoenix Alliance’s matters remain unresolved, and the Wei family has a thousand threads to sort out.

"They need time to reorganize.

"If you want to cross blades with her, choose another day.

"Right now really isn’t the time for this—we still have urgent business to attend to."

At this point, he glanced at Yang Yizhi and said with a smile:

"Uncle Yang, have you chosen an auspicious date yet?"

The moment these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Then, the hall burst into laughter—especially the Qilin swordsman, who laughed uproariously:

"Our Chief Escort Su is getting impatient, huh?"

"Rubbish! If you met a woman you loved and wanted to marry, with the wedding date approaching, you’d be just as impatient."

Ling Hongxia scowled at the Qilin swordsman.

The Qilin swordsman chuckled:

"Elder, don’t fool me. I’ve always remained unmoved by beauty—how could I ever fall into the snares of love?"

"Enough of your nonsense!"

Yu Lingxin inexplicably grew irritated upon hearing this and cuffed her younger brother’s head:

"Go find yourself a wife and get married soon—

"Our Yu family now has only us two siblings left.

"The responsibility of carrying on the family line naturally falls on you."

"This…"

The Qilin swordsman’s face fell, and he quickly protested:

"Wait a minute, why mention me when picking a date for Chief Escort Su and the others?"

The others agreed and turned their eyes toward Yang Yizhi.

Yang Yizhi gave a mysterious smile and nonchalantly drew out a slip of paper from his sleeve:

"I had it checked—it’s October 26th today.

A month from now is a lucky day."

As he spoke, he passed the slip to Su Mo.

Su Mo took it and looked at it with Yang Xiaoyun. It listed both of their birth dates.

Clearly, Yang Yizhi had secretly had someone calculate their fates.

Even this old-timer, who never believed in fate or omens, was willing to seek a good sign for such an occasion.

Su Mo asked Yang Xiaoyun,

"What do you think, Xiaoyun?"

Yang Xiaoyun's face flushed crimson—she was too embarrassed to reply.

Yang Yizhi, rarely seeing his daughter like this, chuckled:

"My girl has never been one to back down. Seeing her act so shy today is quite unusual... Well said, Su Mo. If you have any objections, just speak up."

"Daughter..."

Yang Xiaoyun instinctively lowered her head, peeking at the others. She was sure they were all laughing at her.

Suddenly, her defiance flared up. She straightened her spine and announced:

"I’ll do as Father says!"

"Good."

Yang Yizhi beamed with pride.

The crowd burst into laughter and cheered, offering their congratulations to Su Mo.

Normally so composed, Su Mo couldn’t help but let a small smile slip. He returned their bows and was about to say more when footsteps sounded at the door.

Everyone fell silent. A voice came from outside:

"Is the Chief Escort available?"

"What is it?" Su Mo asked.

"Oh, Young Miss Wei of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance is here to see you. We didn’t want to leave her waiting at the gate, so we showed her to the parlor for tea. Your orders?"

"Got it."

Su Mo raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell her I’m on my way."

"Yes."

The messenger acknowledged with a quick bow before leaving.

Su Mo turned to Yang Yizhi and the others, saying, "Young Miss Wei is here unexpectedly. I’ll go greet her."

"Mm."

Yang Yizhi nodded. "Yes, we shouldn’t keep her waiting."

"I’ll go too."

Yang Xiaoyun naturally stood up as well.

The two gave a quick bow to the others before turning to leave, heading straight for the front hall.

In the front hall of the Ziyang Escort Bureau, Wei Ziyi sat quietly drinking tea.

Today, she wore a simple white dress, giving off a cold, untouchable vibe—a look that warned others not to get too close.

Only when she saw Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun did her lips twitch into a small smile:

"Chief Escort Su, Sister Yang."

"What’s with the outfit?"

Su Mo glanced at her attire. "Wei Qixiong?"

"Mm..."

Wei Ziyi nodded.

"No matter what he did, he was still a member of the Wei family.

"His life settled the debt. Death ends everything.

"The family buried him last night at the foot of Cuifeng Mountain outside the city."

"Not in the family graves?"

"He wasn’t worthy."

Su Mo nodded.

They say death settles all scores.

Even Wei Qixiong wouldn’t dare face his ancestors in the afterlife after what he’d done.

So instead, he was laid to rest at the foot of Cuifeng Mountain—

surrounded by green hills and clear streams, a quiet place to rest.

Still, as a member of the Wei family, wearing white as a simple gesture of mourning was all that was needed.

Su Mo motioned for Wei Ziyi to take a seat.

"So, what brings you by today?"

"Chief Escort Su, you must’ve forgotten..."

Wei Ziyi gave him a look and said:

"I came here for two things..."

"The first thing—when are you and Sister Yang getting married?"

If this question had been asked earlier, Su Mo wouldn't have had an answer.

Now, however, he could provide a definite date.

Wei Ziyi showed little reaction, merely nodding:

"Our family has message eagles. I can use them to help deliver your messages.

"Since you plan to invite all the sects of the Eastern Wastes, relying solely on your own people clearly won't be enough.

"After you finish writing the invitations, I'll have the eagles deliver them."

"Thank you, I truly appreciate it."

"Hmph, it's Grandfather's order. If you really want to thank someone, visit sometime."

Hearing that, Su Mo seized the opportunity to ask:

"How is Wei Damingzhu holding up?"

"...He's managing, but I still can't shake this feeling of unease.

"All that happened yesterday... Wei Qixiong was, after all, his own son.

"A father burying his child—this is already the third time.

"All these years, even though he disappeared, Grandfather still held onto some hope.

"Now, even that is gone. Ah..."

Yang Xiaoyun stepped closer to Wei Ziyi and took her hand:

"Miss Wei, you must stay strong. Wei Damingzhu has endured countless storms—he won't let this break him.

"Right now, the Fallen Phoenix Alliance is in chaos, and you carry too many responsibilities to allow yourself to be overwhelmed.

"If things get too heavy, come find me at the Ziyang Escort Bureau. We sisters can talk things through.

"Although my help may not be much, at least I can help ease your burden."

Wei Ziyi couldn't help but smile:

"Sister Yang, so kind and beautiful—Escort Chief Su is truly fortunate."

"..."

After hearing Yang Xiaoyun's words, Su Mo couldn't help but feel something was off.

But considering the circumstances, it was indeed the right thing to say, so he didn't dwell on it and instead asked:

"What's the second thing?"

"The second thing is this."

Wei Ziyi took a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Su Mo:

"This is from my grandfather to you."

"Oh?"

Su Mo took the letter and glanced up at Wei Ziyi.

"You're forgetful and always seem to lose things from your mind, but I can't afford to forget."

Wei Ziyi continued, "Remember when you first got back? You said you wanted to look into Da You Bank's background.

"I asked about it for you. Grandfather was tight-lipped that night.

"But last night he summoned me and told me to deliver this letter to you.

"All his knowledge about Da You Bank's great manager is in here."

"I see."

Su Mo smiled. "I didn't expect such a small matter would be remembered by the Great Alliance Leader."

Without missing a beat, he opened the letter and read through it.

But soon his forehead creased.

The letter described how Da You Bank was shrouded in mystery. Its history stretched back many years—even predating the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

The letter mentioned two key points.

The first concerned Da You Bank's great manager.

It was clearly not referring to the current manager, but someone from many years ago. For reasons unknown, this person had crossed a martial arts master.

In a rage, the master killed several top-tier fighters who had been handsomely paid by the bank's manager.

The manager himself nearly met his end at the hands of this martial artist.

Eventually, it took the combined might of masters from the Seven Sects to force the attacker to retreat.

Afterward, the manager devoted himself to vanishing and was never found again.

The second incident involved a band of marauders who attacked Da You Bank to plunder its wealth.

The incident caused quite a stir. These attackers were martial arts experts who left a trail of destruction that nearly bled the bank dry.

Ultimately, it was the Heavenly Heart Sect—one of the East City Seven Sects—that intervened to settle the matter.

……

……