Chapter 168: Chivalry

Chapter 168: Chivalry

"Li Siyun initially had reservations about me and your father.

"That caution was far from ordinary; it was the kind that accumulates over many years.

"However, after witnessing our Xuan Shifting Divine Art and the half-mastered Splitting Light Technique, his reservations lessened considerably.

"He repeatedly asked about the location of Shou Xuan.

"We had no choice but to tell him, and upon hearing it, he cried out to the heavens.

"He said that his clan, from this day onward, would be considered extinct.

"Upon further inquiry, we learned that when Shou Xuan left to retrieve the stolen item by the spy,

"unexpectedly, there was still a spy within the clan.

"Taking advantage of the shortage of manpower and the lapse in defense, he led outsiders into the valley to slaughter their clansmen.

"A large clan, destroyed from within, ultimately perished entirely!"

Yang Yizhi gently shook his head. "At that time, Li Siyun said that the black-clad assailants dragged all the clansmen, whether they were martial artists knocked down or ordinary people, and even the elderly, women, and children, to the clan's square.

"They demanded to know where the guarded item was.

"If they refused to speak, they would kill and humiliate their wives and children.

"In an instant, the place was awash with blood, heads fell like rain, and agonizing screams filled the air!

"Li Siyun's clansmen angrily questioned the traitors who betrayed the clan, asking why they did this!?

"The traitors said... the clan's rules were foolish, guarding something nonsensical, living in seclusion for generations in this dark place.

"With great martial skills, they wasted their prime years.

"The jianghu is vibrant; how could they be content to be buried here?

"With their skills, as long as they left, as long as they escaped the confines, the sky is vast and the clouds wide, they would surely make a great name for themselves!

"For this, even if it meant rivers of blood, it was worth it."

"……"

Su Mo gently exhaled, not wanting to comment on the matter.

Yang Xiaoyun, however, was filled with righteous indignation. "For personal desires, they could harm their clansmen? Born and raised here, yet they felt no gratitude?"

"This is the dark side of human nature."

Yang Yizhi glanced at Yang Xiaoyun and smiled lightly. "The jianghu is cruel, often because of some people's personal desires.

"When what is sought must be obtained, without the restraint of conscience and morality, any means necessary are used.

"You cannot expect everyone in the jianghu to be like Su Tianyang."

"……"

Yang Xiaoyun felt a bit like she did when she was young, leaning against her father, listening to stories of the jianghu.

She couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "What happened next?"

"Later... someone, unable to bear seeing his wife harmed, unable to see his young children tortured,

"finally spoke.

"Li Siyun said that this was the item his clan should have guarded the most.

"But when that person spoke, he couldn't bring himself to hate him.

"They had already paid too high a price, and he just didn't want... his wife and children to suffer further humiliation."

Hearing this, Su Mo sighed. "So, even if they spoke, they were still destined to die."

Yang Yizhi had already mentioned at the beginning of the story that the clan's grounds were soaked in blood, bodies piled high; not a single person survived.

Even if they spoke, they were still destined to die.

Only, perhaps they could die with some dignity.

"However, those enemies didn't get their way in the end.

"Following the clues, they found the hidden place, but just as they were about to retrieve the item they sought, the traitors, who had betrayed their clansmen, suddenly turned on them again.

"This was expected."

Yang Yizhi looked at Su Mo.

Su Mo nodded helplessly. "Times change, and in truth, when they led the enemies into the clan grounds, they had already lost their usefulness.

"And when they opened the final hiding place, even the last bit of potential usefulness was gone.

"They knew that turning on them was necessary; otherwise, when the enemies got what they wanted, it would be their death."

Yang Yizhi nodded lightly. "You've indeed thought of this. To scheme with a tiger is not to be taken lightly; their cooperation was based on mutual distrust.

"In this world, how many people who dare to scheme are simple?

"A fool, even if they want to harm others, wouldn't know how."

"In the future, when you navigate the jianghu, remember this: the dangers of the jianghu aren't just about facing opponents whose martial arts are superior to yours.

"What's more important is the heart and intentions!

"These people, although they harmed their own clansmen for personal gain, were trying to use their enemies' hands to eliminate the shackles that had bound them for so long.

"It wasn't that they wanted to get rid of one set of shackles only to put on another.

"To master their own fate, they had to make a choice.

"And their choice was to betray once again at the final moment.

"This change, although not entirely unexpected by their enemies, still caught them off guard.

"It even prompted those clansmen who had already been subdued to make a move again, causing chaos for a time.

"In the midst of the chaos, those traitors actually managed to seize part of the guarded items.

"Although most were intercepted, a few still managed to escape.

"That was all that Li Siyun saw before he lost consciousness."

At this point, Yang Yizhi lightly stretched his muscles and looked at them. "So, do you still want to continue listening?"

"Of course," Su Mo nodded. "So far, we're still far from the crux of the matter."

"Yes..." Yang Yizhi sighed softly. "And what comes next is crucial.

"By now, you understand your father's temperament.

"He's straightforward, open-hearted, and chivalrous. Even though we still don't know what exactly Li Siyun and his people were guarding,

"he had no intention of turning a blind eye.

"Moreover, the atrocities this clan suffered were truly infuriating.

"Even if it weren't your father, if it were me, I'd want to hunt these people down and teach them the 'principles' of Haoran Academy.

"But when we brought this idea up to Li Siyun, he actually refused...

"He said that his clan had upheld their ancestral teachings and clan rules, and that they had guarded those items with their lives.

"Your father and I are outsiders, and being able to save his life was already something he was deeply grateful for; how could he ask for more?

"No matter how we tried to persuade him, he wouldn't listen, so we had no choice but to drop it and wait until his injuries healed before discussing it again.

"But we didn't expect him to be such a stubborn person. Before his wounds had fully recovered, he actually left on his own.

"Fortunately, your father and I discovered it early and tracked him down... only to find that he was surrounded.

"The ones attacking him were clearly those black-clad figures.

"The traces from our previous battle with Shouxuan and the others left some clues, and they followed them to catch up.

"They had been lurking for half a day.

"Besides the Xuan mystic skill and the Lightning Split Hand, Li Siyun's clan had other means, so they had already detected these people beforehand.

"But he didn't tell your father and me. He planned to draw out the pursuers himself, not wanting to involve us further.

"His intentions were good, but his plan was too naive... By then, your father and I were already involved in the situation. How could we simply walk away?

"That night, whether he left or not, we would have faced the ambush together.

"By leaving early, he only triggered it sooner.

"In that battle, there was a formidable expert among the enemies, whose martial arts were extremely impressive.

"Standing on the ground, he was as immovable as a great mountain.

"Your father used his full strength to unleash the Ziyang Divine Palm, but he only took three steps back, took three breaths, and then charged back in.

"Later, we learned that this man was the current leader of the Earth Character Sect of the Three Extremes Sect.

"His Ji Kun Skill was extraordinarily powerful."

At this point, Yang Yizhi looked at Su Mo. "On that day, the leader of the Man Character Sect mentioned that the current leader of the Earth Character Sect was left between life and death by a single punch from you?"

Hearing this, Su Mo felt a bit embarrassed. "Actually, I didn't even know who he was...

"I only found out a few days ago that the masked man from the Heavenly Blade Sect who tried to kill Nangong Yu was the leader of the Earth Character Sect.

"...Unfortunately, our fight was too quick. After just one move, he used the opportunity to escape.

"At the time, he even said he was doing me a favor?

"I didn't expect him to be so severely injured."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yizhi also wore a strange expression. "That leader of the Earth Character Sect was treated by you as if he were a nobody."

Shaking his head, Su Mo finally said:

"However, that night, the battle between your father, myself, and the leader of the Earth Character Sect was far from simple.

"Both of us had already given it our all.

"The Ji Kun Technique is extremely devious; it can absorb the earth's energy to heal its wounds.

"In the end, with all my strength, I speared him through the chest, sending him flying into the air, where your father finished him off with the Three Yang Burning Heart Palm.

"After this battle, your father and I gained a deeper understanding of Shouxuan's words that day.

"These people's martial arts skills were truly beyond our expectations.

"After cleaning up the battlefield, we found some traces, suggesting that our enemy still hadn't fully grasped our origins.

"Or perhaps they only knew half the story, and now that they're all dead here, there might be a gap in the enemy's intelligence.

"After discussing it, we didn't give Li Siyun a chance to argue and simply took him away to find a place to heal our wounds.

"This was made possible by the experience your father and I had gained over the years in the jianghu, and because the enemy was so formidable, we were even more intent on hiding.

"At this point... your father made a bold decision that I wouldn't have dared to think of!"

Su Mo lightly raised his eyebrows and quietly pondered. If it were him, what would he do at this juncture?

There might be issues with the information, or there might not be.

If the leader of the Earth Character Sect hadn't passed on intelligence about Yang Yizhi and the others, what should be done? How could one be sure?

He suddenly looked up at Yang Yizhi: "You... returned to the Ziyang Escort Agency?"

But after saying this, he shook his head again:

"No... you went to the Purple Sun Sect!"

Yang Xiaoyun was confused and looked at Yang Yizhi, then at Su Mo, feeling lost for a moment.

Yang Yizhi, however, looked at Su Mo quietly, his eyes showing no ripples:

"How did you come to such a conclusion?"

"...Because there are traces to follow."

After a brief contemplation, Su Mo finally said, "Before my grandfather passed away, he left something to be given to the Purple Sun Sect.

"My father once trained within the Purple Sun Sect, which shows that the relationship between our Su family and the Purple Sun Sect is unusual.

"At this critical moment, there might be a gap in the enemy's intelligence.

"Verifying this is crucial.

"I originally thought that if we returned to the Ziyang Escort Agency and adopted a stance of being relaxed on the outside but tight on the inside, we could plan early and probe the enemy's true intentions.

"If there are no issues with their information, we might be able to lure them into a trap.

"If we had already shaken them off on the way and the enemy indeed had a gap in their intelligence, the result would give you a significant respite.

"But there is one problem that cannot be ignored no matter what."

"What problem?"

Yang Yizhi continued to look at Su Mo calmly.

"You stayed with Shouxuan for nearly four months and then went to his clan's territory.

"After rescuing Li Siyun, you healed for a few more days, taking at least five months, if not half a year.

"Although the jianghu seems empty, if someone were to investigate carefully, they would eventually find traces and know that you haven't returned to Sunset City for half a year.

"The critical issue is that before this, my grandfather and the experts within the escort agency were lost on a mission.

"If you returned empty-handed, it would be impossible to explain.

"But if you brought out my grandfather's body, you couldn't hide it.

"I believe that with my father's personality, he wouldn't have resorted to killing and disfiguring someone on the road to deceive others.

"So, the best solution... is to use the Purple Sun Sect as a cover.

"Go to the Purple Sun Sect and explain everything that happened.

"Claim that for the past six months, you've been in mourning at the Purple Sun Sect.

"If the enemy truly knows your identity, you still have the Purple Sun Sect as a backbone.

"But if they don't know, it would mean there is indeed a gap in the intelligence.

"This way, you would be in a position to attack or defend as needed."

Yang Yizhi looked at Su Mo for a few moments and then asked, "But if this action brings disaster to the Purple Sun Sect, then what? With your father's personality, would he really lead such a formidable enemy to the Purple Sun Sect?"

"...I believe that even then, you never thought the Purple Sun Sect would be afraid of anyone, right?"

Su Mo looked at Yang Yizhi.

Yang Yizhi finally relaxed his stern expression and smiled helplessly: "Yun'er is right; over these past two years, you've truly transformed.

"You're right; we did go to the Purple Sun Sect."

"At that time, I only felt that we should hide and not show the slightest trace.

"But your father said that if we did, it would confirm our involvement in the matter.

"The best solution was to rely on the Purple Sun Sect. Those who operate in the shadows are necessarily sneaky.

"And the sneaky fear nothing more than openness and righteousness!

"As one of the seven major sects in East City, the Purple Sun Sect may not lead the martial world of East Huang, but it is certainly not a place that can be easily bullied.

"Although this rival is formidable, if they truly had no fears, why would they operate in secret?

"So… we really went.

"However, we hid our tracks on the way, and once we arrived, we moved openly within the sect.

"The Purple Sun Sect was united, and your father thrived there.

"When the sect leader learned of this, he contacted the elders and unified the narrative.

"Thus, we finally smoothed over that six-month gap.

"During this time, we constantly watched for any spies, but found none.

"Another six months passed, and we returned to the Ziyang Escort Agency.

"Except for your mother nagging at your father a bit, the agency was peaceful.

"Only then did we truly relax, knowing that the other side had not discovered our true identities.

"However, at this point, none of us could be content.

"Li Siyun wanted to catch the traitor in the sect and reclaim the guarded object, and how could we stand aside after receiving the benefits of the Yixuan Divine Art?

"Moreover, having witnessed the tragic scene of Li Siyun's clan, we were shocked by the ruthlessness of this shadowy organization in the jianghu.

"Whatever they plan to do, someone must stop them.

"We are all determined to do so!

Hearing this, Su Mo sighed inwardly. The biggest difference between him and Su Tianyang and Yang Yizhi was probably… the lack of this chivalrous spirit.

Though many called Su Mo loyal and righteous, and though he had saved many from the hands of the Youquan Cult,

Most of the time, events pushed him to act.

And when he acted, he mostly considered what benefits he could gain.

How he could turn the situation to his advantage.

Rather than… rushing to help someone in danger, standing up for justice.

At his core, Su Mo felt he was still a selfish person.

As long as it didn’t involve himself, he would remain unmoved no matter what happened around him.

The way of chivalry should actually describe people like Su Tianyang and Yang Yizhi.

They practiced martial arts, cultivated courage, and walked the jianghu.

Not wasting their learning, their youth, or their chivalry.

Yet, this chivalry requires a price.

Yang Yizhi also remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:

"To do this, the first point is to hide ourselves well.

"These people don’t follow the rules, and in our contest with them, we must consider the safety of those around us.

"So, we can hardly use the sect’s martial arts.

"The Light Dividing Hand and the Yixuan Divine Art became the choices.

"But before practicing this martial art, there were some issues…”

He paused and glanced at Su Mo, shaking his head slightly, his eyes showing some displeasure:

"Your father had a good appearance, and so do you.

"He… well, his whole life was full of romantic debts…”

"???"

Su Mo's eyes widened in surprise. Was this real?

Even Yang Xiaoyun perked up her ears.

But just as Yang Yizhi was about to continue, a cold, clear female voice interrupted:

"Yang Wood, do you want to die!?"