Chapter 28: The Dragon’s Roar from the Box

Chapter 28: The Dragon's Roar from the Box

In the martial world, one must own up to their faults.

Ji Shuhua did this very well.

Su Mo now understood why this man could make so many friends.

He probed with restraint and afterward did not pretend to be unaware; he directly apologized.

As the saying goes, one does not hit a smiling face.

Under such circumstances, even if there was some anger, it would dissipate.

Su Mo waved his hand. "Master Ji, what are you talking about? I am young and inexperienced, and the Ziyang Escort Agency is not well-known. It is only natural to be cautious. Please sit down."

"Thank you, Chief Su Mo, for your understanding."

Ji Shuhua smiled and sat back down.

Su Mo then looked at the box in his hands, examining it closely and noticing that the opening was on the top end.

He placed the box on the ground and flicked it open, hearing a long, resonant dragon's roar, revealing its sharpness.

Su Mo focused his gaze and saw that the box contained a sword.

The sword had not yet been drawn, yet its sharpness was already evident, leaving him astonished.

"What is this?"

He looked at Ji Shuhua.

"This sword is called 'Dragon's Roar.'"

Ji Shuhua spoke. "When the sword was forged, its sharpness was too intense, so my friend made this box to contain it. He jokingly named it... 'The Dragon's Roar from the Box'!"

"..."

Su Mo's lips twitched, and for some reason, an image from a game flashed through his mind.

He shook his head and praised, "Indeed a fine sword. This friend of Master Ji must be a master craftsman, truly impressive."

Ji Shuhua laughed. "That's true. I've always thought so too. However, he always says his skills are still lacking. If they were truly refined, how could the sword's sharpness be so overwhelming that it cannot be controlled? Why would there need to be a 'Dragon's Roar from the Box'?"

Su Mo raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued by the friend Ji Shuhua mentioned.

However, this was clearly not the time to inquire further. Earlier, Ji Shuhua had explained that his friend preferred to remain low-profile and disliked being mentioned by name.

Ji Shuhua changed the subject. "Where is this sword destined to go?"

"To Jade Willow Villa!"

Ji Shuhua uttered these four words.

Yang Xiaoyun was surprised. Since she entered the room, she had always deferred to Su Mo, never overstepping her bounds. Now, she couldn't help but ask:

"Is it the Jade Willow Villa by the Jade Crystal Lake on Yuqing Mountain?"

"Exactly! Miss, you have good insight."

Ji Shuhua said, "This sword was commissioned by the master of Jade Willow Villa, Yuliu Jianxin Liu Suifeng."

On Yuqing Mountain lies the Jade Crystal Lake, and beside it stands Jade Willow Villa.

Its master, Liu Suifeng, is a remarkable individual.

Years ago, the Liu family chose a location by the Jade Crystal Lake and built a grand estate.

They intended to gain fame with their "Heavenly Rainbow Heart-Seeking Sword," a ninety-nine-move technique.

However, upon venturing into the martial world, they faced a series of defeats, culminating in a demise steeped in despair.

Their descendants trained diligently for twenty years before venturing out again, but still faced more defeats than victories, remaining relatively unknown.

Despite this, Jade Willow Villa persisted, evolving into a modest fixture within the martial world.

This situation changed only when Liu Suifeng emerged.

Liu Suifeng was both talented and stubborn, training with great dedication.

He began practicing martial arts at five and never stopped, mastering the family sword technique by the age of ten.

It is said that when one reaches a dead end, change is necessary.

Instead of seeking new methods, Liu Suifeng modified the existing technique.

He reduced the ninety-nine moves of the Heavenly Rainbow Heart-Seeking Sword to forty-nine.

Upon his return to the martial world, he encountered triumphs and defeats, and his skills began to refine.

Over the next three years, he returned to Jade Willow Villa and further refined the forty-nine moves into thirty-two.

Upon re-emerging, he achieved more victories than defeats.

And then he went into seclusion for another seven years, claiming upon his emergence that he had condensed the originally eighty-one-form Heavenly Rainbow Heart-Quest Sword into sixteen forms.

Unfortunately, no one has been able to witness the entirety of these sixteen forms of the Heavenly Rainbow Heart-Quest Sword.

For up until now, the majority of people in the martial world cannot withstand even ten of his strikes without being defeated.

This person spent nearly twenty years refining this sword technique, eliminating the superfluous and retaining the essential, ultimately creating an unparalleled sword art.

From then on, Yuliu Jianxin's name spread throughout the martial world.

Jade Willow Villa thus gained great renown.

At this time, he also assumed the position of the master of Jade Willow Villa.

However, he was not interested in dominating the martial world.

Apart from dedicating himself to the study of swordsmanship, he only wished to bring honor to Jade Willow Villa.

After achieving this goal, he settled down at Jade Willow Villa, seemingly uninterested in the conflicts of the martial world.

Yet, despite this, his reputation and prestige continued to grow day by day.

Even the Fallen Phoenix Alliance would hesitate to provoke him lightly.

But who would have thought that Ji Shuhua's escort mission was actually destined for him...

Su Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the chair, while Yang Xiaoyun's expression became somewhat complicated.

Ji Shuhua then spoke:

"This... I am truly short on funds and wish to offer a hundred taels of silver as escort fees for this mission. If Sir Su is willing, I will present it to you."

As he spoke, he took out a brand new banknote from Dàyǒu Bank.

It seemed he had just exchanged it.

Su Mo felt a bit helpless but also glanced at the prompt before him.

"Mission: Deliver the Dragon Roar in the Box to Yuliu Jianxin at Jade Willow Villa by Yuqing Lake on Yuqing Mountain!"

"Do you accept?"

After a moment's contemplation, he chose to "accept."

Then he laughed heartily: "Since Sir Ji trusts me, it would be unreasonable to refuse. I, Su Mo, accept this mission!"

Hearing this, Ji Shuhua visibly relaxed.

"Thank you, Sir Su."

"Doing business means accepting every opportunity. How could I turn away a customer? Thank you, Sir Ji, for your patronage."

After a few more exchanges, they finalized the details of the mission, signed a written contract, and Ji Shuhua left.

The Dragon Roar in the Box remained at Ziyang Escort Agency, along with the hundred-tael banknote.

"Ji Shuhua is indeed straightforward, but there's something sly about him. He handed over all the escort fees without worrying if you would take the money and not do the job. Perhaps he relies on the fact that the sword is meant for Yuliu Jianxin?"

Yang Xiaoyun watched Ji Shuhua leave and whispered to Su Mo with a smile.

Su Mo shook his head gently: "He has a wide network of acquaintances, from all walks of life across the land, yet he still manages to live well. Such a person can't be as simple as he appears on the surface."

"That's true."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded slightly, then looked at Su Mo: "Was it too hasty for you to accept this mission?"