Chapter Fifty-Five: Heads on Display

Chapter Fifty-Five: Heads on Display

Under the cold moon, the gates of Pinjian Tower stood wide open.

In front of the gate lay a corpse, dressed in the same manner as that crude Wang fellow.

However, while that Wang brute was robust and muscular, this one was withered and emaciated, as if all his blood and vitality had been drained away.

Su Mo's brows furrowed as his gaze swept through Pinjian Tower.

This was the first floor, and apart from the corpse before him, there were numerous racks placed around.

Su Mo did not know what these racks originally held.

But at this moment... they were all displaying heads!

The heads were withered and shriveled, and judging by the jagged edges, it was clear they had not been cut off with sharp tools but rather torn off the corpses.

"Southern Fist Master Situ Xiong...

"Thunder Sword Chen Shian...

"Three-Fingered Qing Ping Chu Wanfeng...

"Wolf Ghost Gu Ping..."

Su Mo identified each head, growing increasingly alarmed.

These heads were nearly unrecognizable, and even with his exceptional eyesight, Su Mo found it difficult to identify them.

The reason he could name them so easily was because... beside each head on the rack, there were inscriptions.

Some racks only had inscriptions without any heads.

These inscriptions were recent, likely no more than a month old.

And among these names were some familiar figures to Su Mo.

"I wondered where all those who came to visit Jade Willow Villa over the past half-month had gone... They all died here."

However, from these names, it seemed not all of them were displayed here; some were missing.

Su Mo moved forward step by step, examining each rack. There were many heads and many empty spaces, and gradually, he noticed some names of particular interest.

Abandoned disciple of Heavenly Blade Sect, Jiang Jiuge, Jiang Jiuchou.

"Heavenly Blade Sect..."

Su Mo's heart stirred as he continued reading.

Monk Jingkong of Thien Fo Temple.

Blood Dove Knife Ling Hongxia.

Poisonous Scholar Ye Yichen.

Ugly Gentleman Luo Zhen.

Fist King Wang Taiheng.

Iron Blood Escort Agency Yang Xiaoyun.

Ziyang Escort Agency Su Mo...

When Su Mo saw his own and Yang Xiaoyun's names, he raised an eyebrow, not because of their presence.

If all those who visited Jade Willow Villa truly ended up dead here,

then those who came tonight would naturally meet the same fate.

It made sense for their names to be inscribed early.

What made him raise an eyebrow was the name that followed...

"Cold Moon Palace... Wei??"

Wei Ruhan, the granddaughter of Fallen Phoenix Alliance's Grand Leader, secretly born child of Wei Qifeng, sent to Cold Moon Palace to train since childhood, and returned to reside in Sunset City's Governor's Mansion after mastering her skills.

No one knew her name, nor whether she harbored ambitions for the leadership of Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

But seeing such an inscription here today left Su Mo with much to ponder.

"Could this Wei be..."

As he murmured, his expression suddenly darkened:

"Come out!!!"

With a swift movement, he reached the window, and with a sweep of his palm, the window opened. Outside, someone was peering furtively and listening intently.

Su Mo's swift action caught the person off guard, and as a fist the size of a pot was about to land, the person hastily called out:

"Hold it! Don't hit me!!"

Su Mo's punch stirred the few sparse hairs on the person's head, causing the wrinkles on his face to ripple in the wind.

But the punch stopped just an inch from the person's face: "You?"

"It's me, it's me."

This person was none other than the ugly gentleman who called himself Luo Zhen, the Gentleman of Jade.

As he spoke, he flipped into the Pinjian Tower.

His gaze swept over the racks, and his pupils constricted: "I knew it; this is an outrageous lie!"

"??"

Su Mo glanced at him: "What are you talking about?"

"Of course, I'm talking about Liu Suifeng being severely injured."

"…Liu Suifeng being severely injured?"

"You didn't know?"

Luo Zhen was taken aback.

"I was hoping to seek enlightenment from Senior."

"…Can I not talk about it now?"

"Senior can decide for yourself."

"…"

Luo Zhen was speechless for a moment.

In the main hall, he had already exchanged blows with Su Mo using their inner strength, and he had lost miserably.

If he didn't speak now, there was no telling whether Su Mo, who didn't respect his elders, would give him a beating.

He then said, "Do you know why so many people are visiting the Jade Willow Villa?"

Su Mo silently looked at him, but the energy around him grew increasingly agitated.

Luo Zhen hastily waved his hands: "Calm down first. Why are the young ones in the martial world so impatient these days?"

Seeing that Su Mo had temporarily suppressed his urge to act, Luo Zhen pondered for a moment before continuing:

"About a month ago, a rumor spread in the martial world that Yuliu Jianxin, Liu Suifeng, encountered his nemesis on the road. The opponent's martial arts were extraordinary, and they fought for three days and three nights. In the end, the Rainbow Heart Sword was slightly inferior and received a blow to the chest."

"…"

A "blow," of course, wasn't a literal touch. This blow likely left the Jade Willow Villa in a precarious state for a long time.

"As you know, how powerful is the Rainbow Heart Sword? With this sword technique, Liu Suifeng has made quite a name for himself.

"If he were unharmed, it would be fine. But since he is severely injured, it's natural that some people would have ulterior motives.

"Therefore, for nearly a month, visitors to the Jade Willow Villa have been constant."

After saying this much, he glanced at Su Mo and noticed that the young man's expression remained unchanged, which made him uneasy.

The exchange of blows in the main hall had indeed intimidated him. Seeing Su Mo's calm demeanor, he couldn't tell what he was thinking and continued:

"In itself, this is understandable. The martial world is full of competition and intrigue. Liu Suifeng gave others an opportunity, so it's no wonder these flies came to buzz around the rotten egg.

"But the issue is that some people don't want the Jade Willow Villa to suffer such a calamity. Therefore, they voluntarily came to support Liu Suifeng.

"I have a friend like that… As you know, I am the Gentleman of Jade, a noble and virtuous man. My friends naturally wouldn't be despicable individuals.

"He thought that since Liu Suifeng was in great danger, as fellow members of the martial world, they couldn't let the villains run rampant.

"So he wrote me a letter explaining everything and then came to the Jade Willow Villa to help.

"When I received the letter, according to the timeline, my friend should have already arrived at the Jade Willow Villa.

"Logically, with so many people coming openly or secretly to the Jade Willow Villa, a storm in the martial world was inevitable.

"But… the situation remained calm.

"The only thing is, regardless of their intentions, once they arrived at the Jade Willow Villa, none of them left!

"I waited anxiously at my friend's house for seven days, unable to bear it any longer. That's why I decided to come to the Jade Willow Villa to investigate."