### Chapter 100: Taking the Bait

### Chapter 100: Taking the Bait

The storyteller upstairs spoke with a torrent of words, his speech flowing endlessly.

At first, it seemed plausible, but as he continued, it became increasingly far-fetched.

Something about how Su Mo, with a single punch, killed hundreds from the Youquan Cult, and with one kick, another hundred... Su Mo felt so embarrassed he almost wanted to crawl into a hole.

Wei Ziyi laughed and said:

"Don't underestimate the world of martial arts, especially when it comes to information.

"The methods of spreading news in the martial world are varied. Pigeons and eagles carrying messages fly all over the place, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

"Some people investigate openly, others secretly, and there are even those who collect and record information for sale.

"Some obscure news can be sold at a high price if someone is interested.

"In the Eastern Wasteland, the most famous organization for selling information is the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

"Unfortunately, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion is merely built by mortals and cannot truly divine heavenly secrets.

"Selling too much information inevitably leads to resentment. Thirty years ago, some unlucky soul set a fire that burned down the entire Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

"Fortunately, the arsonist only wanted to burn down the pavilion, so the disciples suffered no losses.

"The old leader cried for three days and nights, and after reflecting deeply, became more cautious than before.

"Even the headquarters of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion was hidden away, leaving only the channels for selling information, which the martial world has searched for thirty years without success."

Su Mo marveled, "It seems this old leader has become a frightened bird."

"Indeed."

Wei Ziyi chuckled, "But this isn't the first time an organization like the Heavenly Secret Pavilion has faced trouble. Long ago, there was another organization called the Celestial Academy.

"According to their claims, the Celestial Academy housed millions of books, containing all the world's secrets.

"But what made them most talked about were their weapon catalog and the list of heroes.

"The top ten swords I mentioned earlier were recorded in their weapon catalog, and besides these, they also documented various exotic weapons.

"The list of heroes ranked the world's martial artists and detailed their skills."

Yang Xiaoyun, hearing this, perked up her ears.

The southwest region is small and somewhat isolated, but Cold Moon Palace is a major sect in East City, so its knowledge is different from ordinary people.

However, Wei Ziyi suddenly paused, and Yang Xiaoyun couldn't help but ask, "What happened then?"

"Then..."

Wei Ziyi smiled, "Then nothing. The Celestial Academy was wiped out from top to bottom, and all their books were burned to ashes."

"..."

Yang Xiaoyun was slightly stunned but then nodded, "That's asking for trouble."

Su Mo looked at them, feeling a bit lost, "Why is that asking for trouble?"

"That shouldn't be surprising."

Wei Ziyi glanced at Su Mo strangely, "With your intelligence and strategy, you wouldn't have missed the reason, would you?"

"..."

Su Mo turned to Yang Xiaoyun.

Yang Xiaoyun didn't understand why Su Mo was confused, so she explained, "Think about it. Any accomplished martial artist wouldn't want to reveal their secrets to others. Moreover, there's no first or second in literature, but in martial arts, there's always a ranking. Once the rankings are published, it would stir up endless bloodshed.

"Those ranked higher would face countless challenges.

"Those ranked lower would be unwilling to stay below others.

"A peaceful martial world would descend into chaos, and the Celestial Academy... well, it's simply..."

She couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Wei Ziyi chimed in, "Simply a troublemaker."

Su Mo suddenly lost his appetite.

Yang Xiaoyun sighed, "Miss Wei's words have cursed the entire martial world."

"..."

Wei Ziyi thought for a moment and realized, "My master said it that way, and I didn't notice anything wrong with it."

After Yang Xiaoyun's explanation, Su Mo understood.

He wasn't incapable of thinking of the reason; it was just that he had read too many novels where such rankings were considered normal.

He hadn't given it much thought.

Now, he realized that even if someone could create such a ranking, publishing it would only cause chaos.

A single list would involve the entire martial world, and unless the publisher held ultimate power, no one could withstand the backlash.

Thus, the destruction of the Celestial Academy was inevitable.

Amidst their laughter and conversation, as the storyteller spoke of "the young and valiant Chief Su of the Ziyang Escort Agency, who, seeing the vicious schemes of the Youquan Cult, leaped from Jade Willow Villa with a single step and landed in Profound Theory Valley," the three of them finished their meal peacefully.

Before leaving, however, Su Mo couldn't help but glance at the eloquent storyteller and quietly ask Wei Ziyi:

"Doesn't he fear getting beaten up for all this nonsense?"

"People just listen for entertainment; don't take it seriously..."

Wei Ziyi was both amused and exasperated.

Yang Xiaoyun smiled and said, "In Sunset City, there are teahouses and storytelling venues too. Only one-tenth of what these storytellers say is true. Rumors spread and become truth, and copied prescriptions can kill. Here they tell it one way; by the time it reaches Sunset City, who knows how it will have changed."

"...Not at all accurate."

As Su Mo voiced his dissatisfaction, the waiter led their horses over.

Mounting their horses, they were about to set off.

Suddenly, an eagle's cry echoed through the sky. Looking up, they saw a majestic eagle swooping down directly towards them.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun turned to look at Wei Ziyi, who had already extended her arm.

The eagle circled briefly before landing on Wei Ziyi's arm as it approached them.

Under her clothes, she must have had some protection, as the eagle's sharp talons did not harm her.

She gently stroked the eagle and untied a bamboo tube from its leg, saying to Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun:

"This is my family's messenger eagle, coming from Sunset City...

"Messenger eagles are different from pigeons. Pigeons fly low and can be shot down easily.

"But eagles soar high into the sky, beyond reach. No matter how skilled your hidden weapons, you can only watch in awe. They are also much faster than pigeons."

As she spoke, she opened the bamboo tube and released the eagle back into the sky.

Skimming through the message within the tube, she finished reading it in moments.

When Wei Ziyi looked back at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, a smile played on her lips:

"The fish has taken the bait!"