Chapter 156: The Tiger Has Returned to the Mountain

Chapter 156: The Tiger Has Returned to the Mountain

On the platform, the competition among the disciples of Haoran Academy continued.

On the high dais, Yang Yizhi had a stern face, his eyes fixed intently on Su Mo.

After a long moment, he silently took the contract, brought it close, and as his eyes fell upon it, his pupils suddenly constricted.

He abruptly looked up at Su Mo: "You mean to say that this escort mission was received in Wufangji?"

"Exactly."

Su Mo nodded.

"Do you know where the person who entrusted you with this item is now?"

Yang Yizhi suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question.

When a client entrusts an item for escort, how many escorts would bother to find out where the client is now?

Su Mo glanced at Yang Yizhi and shook his head lightly: "I don't know."

Yang Yizhi quietly looked at Su Mo for a moment before speaking:

"Follow me."

Without another word, he ignored the young man from Xuanhu Pavilion, the high-ranking figure from Purple Sun Sect, and even the head of Haoran Academy.

He walked with a completely self-important air.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun bowed to everyone. The old head smiled and said:

"After we finish our business, don't mind that Mr. Yang. You three should come back and watch the fun.

"Our competition at Haoran Academy is quite entertaining."

The young man from Xuanhu Pavilion nodded repeatedly, agreeing with the old head.

The figure from Purple Sun Sect, however, quietly watched Su Mo, then withdrew his gaze and focused on the ongoing competition.

...

...

Yang Yizhi led the way without a word.

Su Mo, Yang Xiaoyun, and Zhen Xiaoxiao followed behind, equally silent.

They wound their way through the area, leaving the competition venue, and soon arrived at a courtyard.

Yang Yizhi pushed open the gate and stepped inside. The escorts in the yard immediately greeted him.

Lifting their heads, they saw Yang Xiaoyun and Su Mo.

They felt a surge of surprise but, remembering the incident at Iron Blood Escort Agency, dared not cheer aloud.

Instead, they greeted them cautiously.

Su Mo glanced around, feeling somewhat curious.

Yang Yizhi had left with Wu Daoyou, and Cloud-Catching Hand Xu Ruoshen's whereabouts were unknown. Yang Yizhi stayed at Haoran Academy to investigate the matter, but why was Wu Daoyou nowhere to be seen?

This thought crossed his mind but did not linger.

Yang Yizhi then pushed open the door and entered the room, gesturing for Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun to follow.

"Xiaoxiao, wait for us here."

Su Mo instructed.

"Alright."

Zhen Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement, and Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun followed into the room.

Inside, Yang Yizhi, standing with his hands behind his back, suddenly turned and looked at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun: "Close the door."

Yang Xiaoyun instinctively glanced at Su Mo.

Yang Yizhi immediately sneered: "What? Is my word now less effective than your husband's glance?"

"..."

Yang Xiaoyun's face darkened, turned to close the door, and then glared at Yang Yizhi.

Yang Yizhi coldly looked at Su Mo: "Were you lying to me just now?"

"Oh?"

Su Mo smiled: "Why does Chief Yang say that? Is there something wrong with the item?"

Yang Yizhi did not speak, but quietly opened the box, examined each item, and finally took out the scroll of the Mandarin Ducks, holding it in his palm.

His gaze grew even colder:

"Still not going to tell the truth?"

"Su Mo doesn't understand what Chief Yang means,"

Su Mo said with a smile: "This escort mission has been delivered intact to Chief Yang. If anything is missing from the item, please let me know."

Yang Yizhi suddenly turned to Su Mo, his eyes narrowing as he stared intently at him.

Su Mo met his gaze calmly, without the slightest hint of unease.

The two men locked eyes, the tension gradually mounting.

"Enough!"

Yang Xiaoyun suddenly shouted, "What are you doing?"

Su Mo and Yang Yizhi instinctively turned their heads away. After a moment, Su Mo let out a light breath:

"Chief Yang, may I ask if the goods have been counted?"

"Every last bit is accounted for. Chief Su's reputation is well-deserved," Yang Yizhi said coldly.

"Very well."

Su Mo smiled. "In that case, we dare not linger any longer or delay Chief Yang's important matters. We will return to Sunset City. Please leave your seal on this contract."

After a moment of silence, Yang Yizhi took out a seal from his robe, flicked it over the ink pad, and used his inner strength to spread the ink before pressing it down.

"Thank you."

Su Mo extended his hands.

Yang Yizhi watched him silently for a moment before picking up the contract from the table and handing it to him:

"Take the contract and get out of my sight."

"Chief Yang, that's unreasonable."

Su Mo said with a smile. "In the world of martial arts, wherever you, Chief Yang, stand, there is no place for us to stand?"

"Hmm?"

Yang Yizhi suddenly looked at Su Mo. "Do you think you have the right to speak to me like this?"

"Has Chief Yang forgotten the battle within the Iron Blood Escort Agency?"

Su Mo said calmly. "I only want Chief Yang to understand that wherever I am, I can come and go as I please. In the past, you could make decisions for me because I respected you as an elder and Xiaoyun's father. You are the person I called 'Uncle Yang' since childhood.

"But now, Chief Yang has no right to command me."

"Presumptuous!!"

Yang Yizhi roared in anger, his figure flashing as he appeared in front of Su Mo, striking out with a palm.

Su Mo casually returned the blow.

Their palms met with a thunderous crash, the force of the impact causing all the windows in the room to rattle and the doors and windows to fly open instantly.

Yang Yizhi held his ground for less than two breaths before being sent flying backward, landing in a chair against the wall.

He tried to stand but found his breathing labored and his inner strength unable to circulate.

Looking up, he saw Su Mo standing with his hands behind his back, gently taking Yang Xiaoyun's hand and saying calmly:

"Chief Yang, I am not the same person I was today. Please do not... bring shame upon yourself."

"You!"

Yang Yizhi tried to say more, but after uttering one word, he began to cough violently, the rest of his words dying in his throat.

His eyes, however, remained fixed on Su Mo.

Su Mo said no more. He simply looked at him for a moment, then took out the jade pendant he and Yang Xiaoyun had bought for Yang Yizhi and placed it on the table.

Finally, he turned and led Yang Xiaoyun away.

The commotion in the room naturally drew the attention of the surrounding guards, who gathered around.

They did not hear much else, but they heard Su Mo's words and now stood coldly watching him, blocking the door.

"Move aside."

Su Mo spoke softly.

"Chief Su, those words were too harsh."

"Chief Yang is still your elder..."

"Little Chief..."

The guards spoke up, but Su Mo's face darkened, and with a single wave of his hand, a gust of wind swept through.

The guards were thrown off balance, scattering.

"Do you dare to be so presumptuous in front of me?"

Su Mo looked at them coldly. "Xiaoxiao, let's go."

"Okay."

Zhen Xiaoxiao immediately picked up the one-legged bronze man and rushed over. The three of them moved together toward the gate of the courtyard.

The gate, which had been closed by someone, was flung open by a flick of Su Mo's sleeve from a distance.

Outside stood the scholar Liuyun. Seeing Su Mo's face as dark as thunder, he immediately put on a smile and was about to speak.

"Senior Liuyun, I shall take my leave first. For any offense caused, I will personally visit East City another day to apologize."

Before Liuyun could say a word, Su Mo had already spoken up.

"This... sigh... very well, very well."

Liuyun hurriedly said, "Then I'll see you out."

He escorted Su Mo and the two others all the way to the gate of Haoran Academy. As Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun mounted their horses, Zhen Xiaoxiao followed closely behind, and in no time, they were out of sight.

Only then did Liuyun let out a long sigh, "Why... why is this happening?"

He gently shook his head and glanced at a scholar peeking from the gate, watching the commotion.

"Read your books, guard your gate."

With that, he stepped into Haoran Academy.

The scholar chuckled, lowered his head to read, licked his fingers, and scribbled a few lines on the book before tearing out the page and crumpling it into a ball.

He casually threw it far away.

In the distance, a playful child suddenly left his friends, picked up the paper ball without a glance, and tucked it into his chest.

He ran off and turned down an alley in the blink of an eye.

His bones crackled like popping beans, and in an instant, he transformed from an eight or nine-year-old child into an adult about 1.67 meters tall.

As he completed his transformation, he slipped into the alley.

He casually wiped his face, removing a human skin mask to reveal a rather delicate face.

If Su Mo were here, he would surely recognize her identity.

She was the only woman among the four who appeared after Su Mo killed the black-clothed swordsman, the disciple of the Ten Grievances Elder—Hu Piaopiao!

She took out the paper from her chest, unfolded it, and saw the four words neatly printed in the middle of the torn page.

"Tiger has returned to the mountain"

Hu Piaopiao let out a light breath, tore off the child's clothes, revealing a set of green robes underneath.

She removed her hat, tidied her hair, and secured it with a jade hairpin.

Then she slowly walked out of the alley.

At the alley entrance, a child was still peering around, looking for his companions.

A woman approached, holding the child's hand, "Little Death, where have you been running off to?"

"Mother, someone was playing with me just now, but suddenly ran away. I wanted to see where he went..."

"Did you find him?"

"No."

"Don't play with strangers in the future. Go home and study hard. If you do well, we'll send you to Haoran Academy to study. If you excel in both literature and martial arts, your parents will have something to look forward to."

As she spoke, Hu Piaopiao passed by the mother and son, smiling to herself. She rubbed her face and entered a tailor shop.

The shopkeeper looked up and instantly smiled warmly, "Miss, what can I get for you? We have all kinds of samples for you to choose from."

"Two pounds of celestial silk, three bolts of sunset cotton, and find a tailor to make me a robe. Accompany it with five buckets of Red Dust Water, and deliver it to my house at midnight."

The shopkeeper's face changed slightly, and he whispered, "We don't have the sunset cotton, but it's on its way. I wonder where the cart is now."

"It should be almost at the city gate. Shouldn't you go meet it, shopkeeper?"

Hu Piaopiao smiled slyly.

The shopkeeper's face darkened, "Nonsense, are you trying to mock me?"

Hu Piaopiao giggled and turned to leave.

The shopkeeper pretended to chase her with a broom, stopping at the door.

A few customers inside couldn't help but tease, "Seems like a decent person, why would she mock someone for no reason?"

"Probably some crazy woman."

The shopkeeper smiled, "Don't mind her, I'll go attend to other matters. If you need anything, just tell the assistant."

"Alright, alright, we're regulars, we know the drill."

The shopkeeper didn't say more, smiling and entering the back room. His smile vanished as he entered the study.

He casually turned the lampstand next to the bookshelf.

The bookshelf moved aside, revealing a hidden passage.

He descended the winding corridor, and below, lights flickered.

As his footsteps echoed, the room filled with hurried footsteps.

The shopkeeper's lips twitched. At the door, he saw two rows of black-clad figures standing silently, exuding a menacing aura.

However, upon closer inspection, one could see several pai gow tiles still lying on the ground and two pieces of silver forgotten in the corner.

A man in black quietly extended his foot, stepping on the silver pieces, appearing to breathe a sigh of relief.

The innkeeper's expression remained unchanged as he stepped into the crowd and spoke:

"The people from Sunset City have arrived; they should be near the city gates by now. Send five men to check if they're really leaving or just pretending."

"Yes."

The men in black responded in unison.

The innkeeper pointed with his hand: "You... you, you..."

Finally, he pointed at the man who had stepped on the silver: "You!"

The man was taken aback, then straightened his chest: "Yes! Oh... Innkeeper, I, my stomach is a bit, a bit uncomfortable, it hurts, oh, it hurts so much..."

"Stomachache, huh?"

The innkeeper nodded: "Then you can't go on this mission. Come here, let me take a look."

"Innkeeper... no, that's not necessary..."

The man in black was sweating profusely.

But the innkeeper had already pulled him over: "Come on, come here!"

"Oh..."

The man in black let out a cry of pain, not daring to resist as he was dragged behind the innkeeper.

The innkeeper squatted down, picked up the silver, and narrowed his eyes: "Hmm? What's this? You have a stomachache, but you managed to pull out silver?"

"This... this..."

The man in black's eyes darted around, unsure how to lie his way out.

The innkeeper's large palm came down, slapping him repeatedly:

"I told you to stay here and wait...

"I told you to play pai gow...

"I told you not to gamble with silver...

"Do any of you actually listen to me?"

The man in black groaned and hunched over, not daring to dodge. When the innkeeper finally calmed down a bit, he said in a low voice:

"The Door Master said, life is short, enjoy it while you can..."

The innkeeper, who had been calming down, suddenly jumped up and raised his hand to strike again:

"I told you to enjoy it while you can...

"And you listen to him, when the Human Gate is almost gone!

"The Earth Gate Master is severely injured...

"The Heavenly Gate Master has put him in charge of both the Earth and Human Gates, causing unrest among the members.

"And you still follow his lead... follow his lead!"

The innkeeper, who knew no martial arts, was panting heavily after beating the man for a long time, while the man in black, despite being beaten, was fine and even had the audacity to help the innkeeper up.

The innkeeper glared at them: "Hurry up! If you wait any longer, they'll all run back to Sunset City."

"That would be perfect, wouldn't it?"

The man in black blurted out without thinking.

The innkeeper's eyes widened in anger, and he saw the four men he had pointed out already dragging the man away through another door.

The innkeeper stood there, stomping his feet and cursing, unable to vent his frustration.

He glanced at the remaining black-clad men and sighed:

"Try to have some pride!!"

The black-clad men didn't dare to breathe loudly, responding in unison.

The innkeeper shook his head, folded his arms, and walked out of the secret room.

After exchanging glances, one of the black-clad men silently took out the pai gow tiles from his pocket...

"Come on, come on."

"The silver seems to have been taken by the innkeeper."

"Whose was it?"

"Who cares, it's not mine anyway..."

"Who didn't pay just now?"

"On duty, on duty."

"???"

...

...

The night quickly deepened.

Within the Haoran Academy, after the bustle of the day, the night brought a slight desolation.

Since Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun left, Yang Yizhi had locked himself in his room, not stepping out even once.

The guards called out to him for half the night, only to receive a single word from Yang Yizhi: "Scram." However, hearing his voice reassured them somewhat.

They then went off to rest.

The courtyard gradually fell silent.

But someone was now gently knocking on the door.

The guard at the gate opened it and was taken aback: "Why have you come?"

The scholar Liuyun held a tray in one hand and lifted a wine jar with the other:

"Haven't eaten yet, right?"

"No."

The guard, upon seeing him, let out a long breath:

"It's good that you're here. We need you to think of a way to get him to eat something."

"Sure, leave it to me."

Liuyun nodded, letting the guard go to sleep, and then he approached the door and knocked gently:

"Brother Yang, Brother Yang?"

Footsteps echoed from inside the living room, indicating that Yang Yizhi had not moved all day.

He opened the door casually and glanced at Liuyun: "What is this?"

"It's been a while since we last shared a drink. Come, come, let's have a few cups while the night is still young."

"Come in..."

Yang Yizhi sighed softly and turned to walk back inside.