Chapter 11: Under the Night Sky

Chapter 11: Under the Night Sky

An escort agency isn't a charity; there's no such thing as working for free.

Therefore, regardless of what conspiracy or vortex this matter entailed, Su Mo, as the head of Ziyang Escort Agency, certainly wouldn't work without getting paid.

Moreover, his behavior further indicated that he had no idea what was inside the brocade box.

Otherwise, how could he give up on a treasure related to the Great Xuanwu Treasury just for some trivial wealth?

Wang Xianglin looked at Su Mo, his eyes flickering, and then said with a half-smile, "Do you know who I am?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know."

Wang Xianglin's lips twitched. "Then do you know what's in this brocade box?"

"The person who gave me this item was on the brink of death. Honestly, if he hadn't died, I would never have taken this job.

"But since it was entrusted to me, I couldn't just keep it. That's why I traveled thousands of miles to this Ji Mingyi and handed it over to you with great difficulty.

"As for what's in the box... people have already lost their lives over it, and I don't want to be the next one. Therefore, no matter how precious the contents may be, they are irrelevant to me.

"But there is one thing... the person said that if I delivered it to Wang Xianglin at Yuquan Inn in Ji Mingyi, there would be a generous reward. I kept that in mind."

Su Mo spoke confidently, "Now, let's cut to the chase. Are you going to pay the escort fee or not?"

Wang Xianglin stared at Su Mo for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Well, I didn't expect someone so young to be so astute. If you survive, you might carve out a place for yourself in the martial world. Of course, I'll pay the escort fee."

As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve and after a moment, pulled out three banknotes and handed them to Su Mo.

"These are banknotes from Da Youqian Bank, redeemable anywhere in Donghuang. Three hundred taels should be enough for your trouble, right?"

"Indeed."

Su Mo grinned and reached for the banknotes.

But Wang Xianglin pressed down on them, glancing at the brocade box in Su Mo's hand, his meaning clear.

"Haha, fair enough."

Su Mo pushed the brocade box toward Wang Xianglin, who then handed over the banknotes.

Money for goods... honestly, this didn't seem like the way an escort agency operated. It felt more like a shady transaction.

Holding the three hundred taels, Su Mo looked at Wang Xianglin, who now held the brocade box, and smiled lightly.

"Payment received, the deal is done. Goodbye."

"Hmm."

Wang Xianglin held the brocade box as if it were precious, paying no attention to Su Mo's departure.

Just as Su Mo was about to leave the room, Wang Xianglin spoke up:

"Let me give you a piece of advice. If you don't want to bring disaster upon yourself, remember to keep today's events to yourself!"

Su Mo glanced back at him but said nothing. He closed the door behind him as he left.

---

Standing outside the door, Su Mo paused for a moment. With a thought, a panel appeared before him.

"Mission: Deliver the brocade box to Wang Xianglin at Yuquan Inn in Ji Mingyi (Completed)"

"Reward: Calculating..."

Seeing this message, Su Mo did not feel relieved. Instead, he frowned slightly, glanced back at the door, and then turned to leave.

...

...

Inside the guest room, the black cloth wrapping the brocade box had been removed, and the box itself was discarded carelessly.

Wang Xianglin sat by the window, which was half-open.

In his hand was no longer a book or a forgotten cup of tea, but a knife.

He gently stroked the blade, his gaze following Su Mo as he left the inn. Not until Su Mo had disappeared from sight, leaving the street and the town, did he exhale softly.

Suddenly, the other half of the window was blown open by the wind.

A figure entered the room and immediately sat down at the table, reaching for the cup of tea.

But a tap on the hand with a scabbard stopped him.

"Pour it yourself."

"..."

The newcomer sighed and poured himself a cup of tea, placing a long sword beside it.

The sword... was seven feet long!

"Just like that, he left?"

"It had nothing to do with him."

"Then I'll be leaving too."

"Run a bit faster, perhaps we can still catch up."

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The swordsman was quite annoyed: "It's already very fast."

"Clearly, it's still not fast enough."

Wang Xianglin's gaze swept the surroundings: "They're here."

"... You wretched creature, really think I'm afraid of you? This is just a sign of respect for the elderly!"

The swordsman casually grasped his sword, leaped into the air, and as he touched down on the ground, he heard the sound of a staff cutting through the air. Looking up, he saw an old man in tattered clothes, wielding a wooden staff, with a red wine gourd hanging from his waist, descending from the sky.

The swordsman had intended to draw his sword, but after a moment of contemplation, he stamped his foot instead and leaped away, fleeing in haste.

The old man with the red gourd glanced almost imperceptibly at the window of the room where Wang Xianglin was, before setting off in the direction the swordsman had left.

One ahead and one behind, in the blink of an eye, they had gone far away.

On that night, Su Mo encountered these two individuals in the woods, and the fight had already reached Ji Mingyi, and judging by the momentum, it seemed like it would continue.

After retracting his gaze, Wang Xianglin let out a soft sigh, glanced at the brocade box that had been cast aside, and his lips seemed to curl up ever so slightly, as if he was contemplating something.

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Night!

Tonight, there is no light, there is wind, and the wind is strong.

A figure on the second floor of the inn silently leaped out of the window.

With a light tap on the ground, a nimble leap carried him to the rooftop in an instant.

He sprinted away, making not a sound.

If one were to close their eyes and not look, it would be hard to imagine that there is actually a person sprinting on the rooftop.

Not only was it running wildly, but it was also swift, as if chasing the wind, yet seemingly propelled forward by the wind itself.

In the span of a breath, we had already departed from Ji Mingyi.

In the blink of an eye, a journey of several miles was already left behind.

Suddenly, he stopped by a lakeside and gently exhaled.

He then reached into his robe and pulled out a brocade box.

After a single glance, he set the box aside and lightly touched his cheek, peeling off a layer of human skin mask.

Revealing a face of exquisite beauty.

He undid his hairpin, and his long hair cascaded down like silk and waterfall.

At that moment, her expression suddenly changed:

"Come out!"

The night was silent, with only the wind howling. After a moment, a young man gritting his teeth emerged from the darkness:

"This night has just begun, and I've already had quite a fright. How did Wang Xianglin suddenly turn into a woman?"

"You didn't leave!?"

The woman looked at Su Mo, who had appeared before her, with utter astonishment in her eyes.