Chapter 356: Su, the Alliance Leader!

Chapter 356: Alliance Chief Su!

He took a white cloth and prepared the inkstone.

Seeing Su Mo’s actions, everyone immediately understood what he intended to do.

The Third Palace Mistress promptly stepped forward to grind the ink for him.

Su Mo then retrieved the Heavenly Saber Token, the Main Hall Token, the Phoenix Call Token, and the Purple Sun Token from his small bundle.

Dipping the tokens into the ink, he first stamped the Purple Sun Token, followed by the Pointing Moon Token, the tokens of the Seven Great Sects and the Buddhist prayer beads, as well as the tokens of the Heavenly Saber Sect, the Fallen Phoenix Alliance, and the Wusheng Hall, connecting them in a circle.

Witnessing this, the crowd couldn’t help but glance at the young monk Xuanyuan Xiaoshan.

Among so many tokens, the designs were largely similar—except for the Buddhist prayer beads in the center, which seemed somewhat out of place.

“The blank space in the middle could be used to write the words ‘Purple Sun Escort Agency,’” Xuanyuan Xiaoshan suggested after observing for a while.

Hearing this, everyone praised the idea.

After a moment’s thought, Su Mo said, “For these four characters, I’ll ask Grandmaster to inscribe them tomorrow morning.”

“That would be perfect.”

“Tomorrow, when Chief Escort Su convenes the Eastern Desolation Escort Alliance meeting, you can summon us to boost your standing.”

“Indeed.”

With that, the banquet ended with everyone in high spirits.

However, upon returning to his room, Su Mo couldn’t help but feel a tinge of melancholy as he gazed at the cloth on the table and the overflowing bundle of tokens in his possession.

After this brief pensiveness, his thoughts turned to certain lingering questions.

The origins of the Great Manager were deeply suspicious, with several inconsistencies standing out.

For instance, what was the true background of the original Great Manager?

Was this person’s history truly so clean?

Yet, given how much time had passed, there was no way to investigate this matter now.

But then again—for example, the relationship between the Da You Bank and the Seven Great Sects was unusually close. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Seven Great Sects held a majority stake in the entire Da You Bank.

Despite such a tight connection, the Da You Bank never employed top martial artists from the Seven Great Sects for escort duties.

Instead, they paid to hire operatives from the Shadowkill Pavilion for protection.

However you sliced it, this seemed downright suspicious.

Lastly, for so many years, the Great Manager’s lineage had claimed a full thirty percent of the profits.

Given the enormous profits of the Da You Bank, even ten percent was enough to satisfy a powerhouse like the Seven Great Sects every year.

The sheer size of thirty percent was almost unimaginable.

As Su Mo sat alone in the dim light, these thoughts swirled in his mind. There was something deeply wrong here—but the trail was cold, and the truth remained buried beneath layers of time.

However, when this Great Manager left, he was able to load up all his gold, silver, and jewels onto a single ship and take them away?

That’s downright impossible!

Even with the lavish spending of previous Great Managers, years of accumulated wealth could never fill just one large ship.

What happened to the rest of the fortune?

The fact that this man built such a large ship clearly shows careful planning—it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision made after offending Su Mo, but rather something he had intended long before.

His identity—or rather, the identities of the successive Great Managers of Da You Bank—must be deeply suspicious.

Yet as Su Mo pondered this, his thoughts inevitably turned to the Reclusive Sword Scholar.

This man had few friends, and the only one he considered truly close was Ji Shuhua.

Ji Shuhua had been killed over the Star Sea Legacy Sand Iron, and merely sacrificing the lives of a few men sent by the Great Manager as payment was nowhere near enough.

Thus, he had planned to avenge Ji Shuhua in his own way.

But now, the Great Manager had disappeared without a trace.

Where could he possibly look for him?

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Su Mo finally let out a soft sigh. Perhaps, as the Third Palace Master had said, the timing simply wasn’t right yet.

When the time came, they would surely meet.

The night passed, and with the dawn of a new day, another major event unfolded.

Su Mo invited the head escorts of various escort bureaus to hold a grand meeting in Sunset City.

It was only then that the escort bureaus realized why Su Mo had sent them invitations.

They were strangers to each other, yet all ran escort agencies.

They were rivals, and though none could match Su Mo’s abilities, at best they could manage a polite nod when meeting—out of professional courtesy alone. There was no real friendship between them.

So this had been his plan all along.

But now that they had all arrived in Sunset City, how could they possibly refuse Su Mo’s invitation?

By noon, they had all gathered together.

This meeting proved far more complicated than the one the night before.

There were just too many head escorts from various escort bureaus, and with so many people came even more opinions.

Still, there were advantages.

People tend to go with the flow.

Once some agreed, others would follow, and once the majority did, the minority—even if not fully understanding—would also go along.

Therefore, Su Mo didn’t need to convince them all.

But only some of them.

Thus, although this gathering is more complicated than last night's, it doesn't necessarily mean it's significantly more troublesome.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Su Mo cleared his throat lightly, then used his powerful inner force to project his voice:

"Friends and colleagues!"

Two words, not loud, yet they reached the ears of every attendee.

The crowd immediately fell silent and looked up at Su Mo.

Some couldn't even see him due to the sheer number of people, but they could hear his voice clearly.

For a moment, they felt a chill run down their spines.

The Eastern Wasteland's Number One indeed!

Then, they heard Su Mo say gravely:

"Today, I have invited everyone here for this grand assembly for no other reason than to discuss matters concerning us, the escort agencies.

"We are all in the same business, risking our lives on the martial path, earning our keep by the sword's edge.

"We brave the martial world, all seeking nothing more than a place to call home.

"Ziyang Escort Agency rose from humble beginnings and now has earned its place.

"As the saying goes, 'In poverty, one attends to one's own virtue; in success, one benefits all under heaven.'

"Humble as I am, today I invite the head escorts of all Donghuang's escort agencies here with the intention of forming an alliance with all of you!!"

At these words, half of the attending escorts and head escorts went pale.

In their view, this "alliance" was just pretty words.

In reality, this man, now the First of Donghuang, wanted to throw his weight around and bring all escort agencies under his control!

And if they refused... what then?

Many immediately began eyeing the exits.

Others were furious, wanting to rally everyone to take Su Mo on.

But that would be jumping the gun—better to hear what Su Mo had to say next before deciding whether to flee or fight.

Su Mo, with his formidable martial arts, held the stage, words flowing.

First, he explained that his goal was not to take over the agencies, but to collaborate.

Using Ziyang Escort Agency's reputation to keep bandits at bay, any agency joining the alliance could add Ziyang's name behind their company banners and signs.

This would grant them the protection of Eastern Wasteland's Number One.

These words set the crowd abuzz.

Some grasped Su Mo's meaning.

The rest simply went along with the commotion.

Those who understood knew that, to put it plainly, Su Mo's intention was to create an alliance centered on the Ziyang Escort Agency, with numerous escort agencies signing on. These agencies would not belong to Su Mo, but naturally, using the name of Ziyang Escort Agency and Su Mo himself meant sharing a cut of the profits.

This wasn't a big deal—so long as escorts could be carried out more safely, a share of the profits was no big deal. And gaining the protection of the First of Donghuang? That was something most folks would kill for.

Of course, some larger escort agencies might not be too keen on this idea, especially those used to traveling fixed routes with all their dealings already settled, figuring it didn’t do much for them.

But for smaller escort agencies, every job was a life-or-death gamble. Suddenly receiving the protection of Donghuang’s number one expert felt like having a "get-out-of-jail-free" card stuck to their backs.

In no time at all, plenty of folks were sold on the idea. At the same time, they breathed easier—Su Mo, while clearly looking to make a fortune, wasn’t actually looking to screw them over. Instead, he was offering them a whole new deal—one that might even be more rewarding.

Naturally, not everyone was completely sold.

As people exchanged glances, someone stood up and spoke:

"Chief Escort Su, you're selling us quite the dream—you've spun a mighty fine tale.

"If we could use your good name, our escort business would probably boom.

"But... you're just one man, and there's only one First in Donghuang.

"You're way over in the southwest, while most of us gathered here are from East City.

"Now, if we were local escort agencies in the southwest, like Yangwei Escort Agency from Sunset City, joining this alliance would naturally keep us safe from trouble.

"But if we really ran into danger, the Ziyang Escort Agency—or you, sir—would be too far to bail us out, wouldn’t you?"

"Indeed, you are but one man; how can you protect all the escort agencies under heaven?"

Su Mo laughed heartily and took out the imprint he had made last night.

Of course, this was no longer the original one from last night.

Early in the morning, Su Mo had gone to trouble Li Zhengyuan. The old man had just woken up and was exercising in the courtyard when Su Mo dragged him into the study.

He asked him to inscribe these words on the imprint.

Without hesitation, Li Zhengyuan dipped his brush in ink and wrote the four large characters: "Ziyang Escort Agency."

Then Su Mo ordered someone to make a larger version based on this design.

Now, as it was unfurled, it was immediately presented before everyone.

All of them were seasoned travelers of the Eastern Wasteland, and though they could not recognize every token, the names like Ziyang and Zhizhui were enough to give them a clear understanding.

Immediately, someone drew in a sharp breath.

Among those present was Jiao Wenhao, the young Chief Escort of Yangwei Escort Agency.

He instantly recognized the Phoenix Cry Token and the Grand Hall Token, his face showing astonishment.

The Phoenix Cry Token was one thing, but the Grand Hall Token, which he had only heard about, was something he had never seen before.

He never expected that Wusheng Hall would entrust the Grand Hall Token to Su Mo.

But it was unclear whether only an imprint had been given or if the actual token had truly been presented as a gift.

If it was the latter, then who would dare to block Su Mo within the territory of Wusheng Hall?

Mind-blowing, really!

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly…

How had that carefree troublemaker transformed into the towering presence before them?

After Su Mo saved his life in Guan Yue Ridge, Jiao Wenhao gathered from their talks that Su Mo had designs not just on his own escort agency, but also on those across Sunset City and even the Fallen Phoenix Alliance’s lands.

And before this, Su Mo had already visited Yangwei Escort Agency.

That’s when Jiao Wenhao saw how small-minded he’d been.

He’d figured Su Mo’s sights were set only on the Fallen Phoenix Alliance, maybe at most the southwest.

But he’d never dreamed Su Mo was eyeing the whole Eastern Wasteland.

Now that he had the full backing of all forces from the East City Seven Sects and the Southwest Three Factions, the Eastern Wasteland Escort Alliance was a sure thing.

Once this alliance was formed, Su Mo—who until now had seemed like a towering tree with slightly unstable roots—would instantly take root across every corner of the Eastern Wasteland.

No force in the world could uproot it.

At this moment, aside from Jiao Wenhao’s shock, who in the crowd wasn’t reeling in astonishment?

Most couldn’t identify every token, but they buzzed with speculation.

“This is the Ziyang Token.”

“That’s the Zhiyue Token.”

Hell, even the Tianxin Token’s here!”

“What’s the deal with that bead?”

“To have support from all seven sects—Chief Escort Su’s clout is off the charts!”

“If we sign up, do we get these factions’ protection too?”

Once this last question was raised, it immediately became everyone’s top concern.

Su Mo didn’t beat around the bush—he nodded and spelled out the first phase of cooperation, just as he’d outlined earlier with Yang Yizhi and others.

That wiped away any lingering doubts.

With Su Mo’s name backing them and the strength of the seven sects and three factions behind them, they’d only fork over ten percent of each job’s profit.

Where else would you get a steal like this?

For smaller outfits, ten percent could sting.

But with Ziyang’s backing in the alliance, not only would they land more jobs than before—they could even take on work they’d never even dreamed of.

Their earnings would blow past what they pulled in now.

Some larger escort bureaus were still on the fence, but once someone made the first move, the rest came rushing in.

The excitement spread like wildfire.

Su Mo was ready—he immediately called for those interested to come forward and sign up.

They just had to jot down their bureau’s name and the chief escort’s name.

If a chief escort couldn’t make it, sending a deputy or another escort to attend the meeting was fine—no worries about being excluded.

This was a long-haul deal; all that was required was for the chief escort to swing by the southwest and register their bureau at Purple Sun Escort Agency to officially join.

Before long, sign-up lines stretched out the door.

Even with some big bureaus and on-the-fence smaller ones holding back for now, the buzz was already huge.

Those who didn’t join? Su Mo still sent them off with a smile.

Next up was the alliance’s big meeting.

Folks got the full breakdown of benefits and obligations, and each person received a handbook detailing the requirements and precautions for deeper collaboration steps.

People thought this was pretty slick—Su Mo’s play was crystal clear.

But only a handful jumped straight into deeper ties.

I mean, the alliance was brand new, operations hadn’t even kicked off yet—nobody could be sure how things would go.

But hey, if this first step paid off and everyone made some money, more agencies would definitely jump onboard.

The place was electric all evening until things finally quieted down.

Finally, someone piped up with the big question:

“Chief Escort Su, what do we call this alliance?”

Su Mo froze—he hadn’t thought of that.

He’d been so busy putting this thing together, he completely forgot to pick a name.

He almost said “Purple Sun Alliance” without thinking—but caught himself before it slipped out.

See, the Purple Sun Escort Bureau rode on the Purple Sun Sect’s reputation, with the old master’s blessing, so there was no issue.

But slapping “Purple Sun” on this alliance? That’d send the wrong message—like the sect was behind it.

Hell, their sigil already screamed “Purple Sun Escort Bureau.” Just using “Purple Sun” alone might confuse folks.

Su Mo shot Li Zhengyuan a look—the guy was clearly thinking the same thing.

Li Zhengyuan’s voice buzzed in his ear:

“This whole show runs on you, Su Mo—not the Purple Sun name.”

"However, naming it after one's surname or given name would inevitably create the misconception that all escort bureaus in the land belong to a single family.

"Constantly bringing this up is hardly necessary.

"Since you now have your sights set on Donghuang, why not name it after Donghuang?"

These words suddenly made everything clear to Su Mo, who nodded and announced with a smile:

"Our alliance is formed by escort bureaus from across Donghuang, with my Ziyang Escort Bureau at its core.

"In that case, let it be called... the Eastern Wilderness Escort Alliance!"

"Eastern Wilderness Escort Alliance!"

"What a great name—Eastern Wilderness Escort Alliance!"

The name swiftly spread through the crowd, until everyone shouted together:

"Greetings, Alliance Leader Su!"

"Greetings, Alliance Leader Su!"

"Greetings, Alliance Leader Su!"

The chants began softly but soon rose to a deafening roar.

On that day—the night before the big wedding—Su Mo, First of Donghuang, established the Eastern Wilderness Escort Alliance within Sunset City of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

Thus began a new chapter for all escort bureaus across Donghuang!

The following morning, before dawn had even broken, Su Mo was already awake.

He had no choice but to get up. Fu Bo, likely having stayed awake all night, arrived early with a group and started banging on his door.

As soon as the door opened, they pushed him into a chair before he could even speak.

They washed his face, fixed him up, dressed him in his wedding attire, and pinned a red flower to his chest. With drums and gongs playing loudly, today was the day he would go bring Yang Xiaoyun home as his wife!