Chapter 177: Chi Lu’s Joy

Chapter 177: Chi Lu's Joy

"Who is so bold as to cause trouble in the residence of the Mayor of Central Mansion City!?"

The voice came from afar. Su Mo was about to mount his horse but stood still upon hearing it.

In just a moment, several people landed in front of him.

One of them immediately noticed Zhou Qingchuan, who was already dead on the rooftop, and his face changed drastically.

Another person, upon seeing Su Mo, had a sudden contraction of their pupils and quickly whispered something into the ear of the leading person.

Before the leader could speak, another message was relayed to his ear.

The consecutive incidents caused the leader's face to change several times.

After a brief ponder, just as he was about to speak, Su Mo preempted him:

"Are you Chi Lu, the Deputy Mayor of Central Mansion City?"

"…Indeed, I am."

Chi Lu did not dare to delay and hurriedly clasped his fists in a salute.

Today, he received news that someone holding the Phoenix Token had come to the Mayor's residence, demanding to see Zhou Qingchuan.

It appeared the visitor was not friendly!

Although they were the Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively, the two had long been at odds with each other.

Seeing that someone had provoked Zhou Qingchuan, Chi Lu was excited and eager to see the spectacle.

Though he had shouted fiercely earlier, he was actually just enjoying the chaos from a safe distance.

However, today's spectacle seemed to exceed his expectations.

The person holding the Phoenix Token was none other than Su Mo from the Ziyang Escort Agency in Sunset City!?

Chi Lu couldn't say he knew much about him, but he had certainly heard plenty.

While the world knew that Su Mo had turned the tide with his martial prowess at Profound Theory Valley,

Chi Lu knew that his martial skills were one thing, but his deep and unfathomable schemes were another.

Feng Wuxiang, the Chief Hall Master of Qijue Hall, had gone to Sunset City to settle a grudge with Su Mo over a hijacking incident.

Unexpectedly, with just a few words, Su Mo not only caused Feng Wuxiang to return empty-handed but also created discord between the Chief Hall Master and the other Hall Masters.

A chaotic battle outside Sunset City led to the disappearance of Qijue Hall from the jianghu.

Although there were rumors that Su Mo was magnanimous and had made a three-strike agreement with Feng Wuxiang, only to strike once…

Chi Lu knew that it was actually the Grand Master who had deliberately spread the news to make peace.

In reality, it was Su Mo's ruthless methods that caused the disintegration of Qijue Hall, allowing him to gain a good reputation while the hall vanished into thin air.

Such a person had suddenly come to Central Mansion City and killed Zhou Qingchuan with a single strike…

If he could kill Zhou Qingchuan with one strike, wouldn't it be just as easy for him to kill me with another strike?

With the Phoenix Token of Grand Master Wei Ruhan in his hand, Su Mo had a justifiable reason for his actions.

Chi Lu felt his heart sinking with a thud.

"Good."

Su Mo nodded: "I was planning to look for you, but I didn't expect you to come."

"Chief Escort Su, could it be that you have come for the Guan Chuan Five Ghosts who have entered the borders and committed crimes?"

Chi Lu hurriedly said: "I have advised Zhou Qingchuan on this matter several times, but he ignored it. I have no capable people at my disposal, and the several experts I sent were all killed by the Guan Chuan Five Ghosts.

"I intended to capture them myself, which led to today's incident.

"Just now, I heard from my subordinates that the Guan Chuan Five Ghosts had caused a great disaster, but alas, I arrived too late… Chief Escort Su, your questioning today is reasonable and justified!

"Chi Lu is guilty!!"

Su Mo raised his eyebrows, not believing a single word of Chi Lu's explanation.

However, sometimes, what he thought was not as important as what he said.

This occasion was special, and Chi Lu's words would inevitably spread throughout Central Mansion City and even the entire Fallen Phoenix Alliance over time.

Su Mo seemed to ponder and suddenly nodded: "Catch this!"

As the words fell, he flung an object with great force. Chi Lu immediately heard the malicious wind and looked up to see a token swiftly approaching.

He hurriedly used both palms to catch it, but the immense force wrapped around the token caused a shock like an electric bite upon contact. He could only channel his internal energy into his palms to barely resist, but the force crushed him, forcing him to retreat.

Several of his accompanying experts immediately came to his aid.

But even with two people, they could not stop the momentum, and the others joined in. A total of five or six people lined up and were pushed back more than three zhang before they could barely catch the token.

When Chi Lu looked up again, the sound of horse hooves had already faded into the distance, with only a voice coming from afar:

"First, immediately send someone to handle the corpse.

"Second, you have seven days to take this token to Sunset City and confess your crimes to Grand Master Wei Ruhan."

"If you don't give an explanation regarding Wei Ruhan, Su Mo will come personally to demand one from you!"

Chi Lu was stunned upon hearing this. He looked at the token in his hand, then at Su Mo and the others as they departed. After a long while, he sighed deeply:

"This... what can be done?"

The people around him looked at each other, realizing that Su Mo had made his intentions very clear.

If you don't go to Wei Ruhan, I will come back to you.

Zhou Qingchuan was approached by him. What was the result?

The recent lesson is still fresh and serves as a warning for future events.

The Fengming Token he casually threw just now was clearly a display of his martial prowess.

A casual throw, yet with such force.

This person's martial skills are truly astonishing and terrifying!

If you don't follow his words, the consequences are self-evident.

But if you do follow his words...

How could Wei Ruhan spare your life?

The contest for the Grand Master of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance has reached this point. It's hard to find a proper reason between them. Now, the reason is right in front of you. How could Wei Ruhan let him go?

As thoughts raced through Chi Lu's mind, someone suddenly whispered in his ear:

"City Lord... great joy!"

The sudden voice startled Chi Lu, and he quickly turned around: "Joy from where? A great disaster is upon us."

"Hehe, fortune follows misfortune; misfortune lurks within fortune.

"For you, whether this situation is fortune or misfortune lies in your thought."

Hearing this, Chi Lu looked at the speaker thoughtfully: "Explain in detail."

The person looked around and said in a low voice: "May I ask the leader, who holds sway over Central Mansion City if Zhou Qingchuan is dead?"

"Naturally, I do."

Chi Lu didn't even have to think. He had been competing with Zhou Qingchuan for so long without a clear winner. Now that Zhou Qingchuan is dead, he is the highest authority in Central Mansion City affairs.

"And may I ask the leader... who is Su Mo working for on this trip?"

"Of course, he is working for..."

Chi Lu paused mid-sentence. He was about to say it was for the villagers.

But the intelligence gathered just now indicated that Su Mo had already avenged the villains.

Only one of the Five Ghosts of Guanchuan remains, and he is half-dead.

His trip to Central Mansion City, ostensibly to demand accountability from Zhou Qingchuan, does not warrant death.

Chi Lu's furrowed brow deepened: "He holds the Wei token, using this as an opportunity to create trouble. The contest for the Grand Master of the Alliance has not yet been settled. The eight leaders of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance check each other, and any move affects the whole body.

"Unless there is a justified reason, none of them dare to act rashly.

"Hua Qianyu used the pretext of Zuo Qiuyang's covert framing to eliminate him, which was just right.

"However, Heavenly Feather City cannot fall into her hands alone. The Grand Master promoted Wei Ziyi, balancing various factions.

"Moreover, Wei Ziyi is the granddaughter of the Grand Master after all, and she must have a place in the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

"Thus, Hua Qianyu couldn't monopolize a city, and after balancing various factions, they acknowledged this.

"But now, it's difficult to make another move.

"However, Su Mo is not a member of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

"Seizing this opportunity under the name of righteousness, others can hardly find any fault."

Upon hearing this, the person next to him nodded and smiled:

"Exactly. Think about it. Once Zhou Qingchuan is dead, the entire Central Mansion City falls into your hands.

"He asks you to see the Grand Master Wei Ruhan after seven days...

"Do you think it's really to plead guilty to the Grand Master?"

"This..."

Chi Lu took a deep breath: "Yes, yes, I almost lost my clarity. He gave me exactly seven days... enough time to consolidate Zhou Qingchuan's faction...

"And then go to Wei Ruhan to plead guilty... this isn't about guilt, it's about presenting a letter of allegiance!

"What a move by Wei Ruhan, this tactic, it's simply..."

He furrowed his brow, intending to call it vicious and ruthless.

But upon careful reflection, the entire situation was justified.

The Five Ghosts of Guanchuan entered the border, they failed to investigate first, and the villagers indeed died.

Su Mo seized the opportunity, perfectly justified.

If it weren't for this incident, Su Mo suddenly coming to slaughter a leader of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance would not hold up in reason, even if he held the Phoenix Cry Token.

But now, the situation is different.

The Guan Chuan Five Ghosts massacred the villagers, and as the mayor of Central Mansion City, Zhou Qingchuan, along with Chi Lu, could not shirk responsibility for this matter.

The choice before Chi Lu is essentially between two paths.

The first path is to follow Su Mo's lead, eliminate the remnants of Zhou Qingchuan's forces, bring Central Mansion City under control, and then head to Sunset City to present a letter of allegiance to Wei Ruhan.

From then on, he would belong to Wei Ruhan's faction, serving Wei Ziyi loyally.

The benefit would be ruling over an entire city, high and mighty.

The second path... if he doesn't go to Wei Ruhan, with Su Mo's words hanging over him, it wouldn't be unjustified if he comes to kill him later.

Judging by this man's martial prowess, even if all the experts by his side were to attack simultaneously, they would likely not be a match.

Moreover, there's no guarantee he would come in a straightforward manner.

He could kill discreetly and leave, and who would be able to stop him?

So, while it seems like there are two paths, in reality, there's only one.

Thinking of this, Chi Lu sighed, "At this point, there's no other way."

"What does the city lord mean?"

The people around him hurriedly asked.

"Hesitation breeds change. Act quickly, take control of everything belonging to Zhou Qingchuan.

"No matter what, Central Mansion City must not fall into chaos!

"Afterwards, prepare the gifts. Once things settle down in Central Mansion City, I will immediately head to Sunset City to seek the Grand Master of the Alliance... to beg for forgiveness!"

Only then did the people around him nod with a smile, "This is how it should be. Wei Ziyi is currently weak in power. Although the Grand Master intends to bestow this great position upon her, she can't do it alone.

"At this juncture, pledging ourselves to the Grand Master's faction, ostensibly to support this young woman.

"With the Grand Master's assistance, we can firmly control this city.

"How things turn out later will depend on our intentions.

"Hua Qianyu previously tried to seize Heavenly Feather City by dealing with Zuo Qiuyang but failed.

"Once Wu Daoyou returns from East City, the situation will change again.

"With Zhou Qingchuan dead, the city lord's advantages will actually increase. Therefore, we should pretend to cooperate for now, to achieve greater results later.

"After all, the contest for the Grand Master's position is far from settled with the passing of the previous Grand Master or someone taking that seat..."

Hearing these words, Chi Lu nodded repeatedly.

Wei Ziyi was placed in Heavenly Feather City and is constantly under the control of Hua Qianyu.

Naturally, joining Wei Ruhan's faction at this time would make him a trusted right-hand man.

Su Mo thought his actions would scare Chi Lu into submitting to Wei Ruhan.

But in fact, it gave him the perfect opportunity!

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile lightly, "The late Grand Master will surely send someone to take over the position of deputy city lord. We'll need to rely on everyone for the negotiations."

"Willing to die for the city lord!!"

Hearing this, Chi Lu laughed heartily, feeling utterly satisfied for the moment.

……

……

On the way to Sunset City, Fu Hanyuan seemed lost in thought.

After thinking for a while, he approached Su Mo and said, "Chief Escort, directly killing Zhou Qingchuan, isn't that a bit too much?

"The Guan Chuan Five Ghosts deserved death for their massacre. But if Zhou Qingchuan truly knew nothing about it... killing him like that seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?"

Su Mo glanced at Fu Hanyuan and shook his head slightly, "The Guan Chuan Five Ghosts traveled from west to east, passing through Central Mansion City.

"As the city lord, how could he not know?

"Knowing yet doing nothing, what do you think that was for?"

Fu Hanyuan was momentarily speechless, but Su Mo's point made sense.

As the city lord, if people like the Guan Chuan Five Ghosts entered the city, how could he not know?

Even if they didn't enter, just passing by, someone would have informed him.

Yang Xiaoyun thought for a moment, "At this point, the most pressing matter for him is probably the internal strife within the Fallen Phoenix Alliance and who will ultimately claim the position of Grand Master."

"Yes."

Su Mo nodded. "Who will ultimately claim the position of Grand Master of the Alliance? Isn't this more worthy of Lord Zhou the Great City Master's attention than those few insignificant lives?"

"But what if he really doesn't know?"

Fu Hanyuan asked in a low voice.

Su Mo smiled. "Then he deserves to die even more!

"For ordinary people, ignorance is excusable, but is he an ordinary person?

"As the lord of a city, such negligence—how does he even manage his city?

"In that village, not a single soul was spared, and if not for the child's sheer luck, she would have died too.

"Just a simple 'I didn't know?'

"To turn a blind eye to so many lives—is there such a thing as justice under heaven?

"Today, you can still ask whether killing him is too much.

"But who will ask on behalf of those dead villagers... do they really deserve to die?

"The Fallen Phoenix Alliance controls these four cities, three rivers, and two bays. Given this incident, Lord Zhou Qingchuan bears undeniable responsibility."

Only after hearing this did Fu Hanyuan clasp his fists and say,

"Chief Escort, you speak with reason. In this day and age, it's rare to find someone who would kill a city lord in righteous anger for the sake of ordinary villagers.

"In the past, I feared you more than anything, but now, I truly respect you."

"..."

Su Mo listened and was speechless for a moment, then curled his lip. "So, you really just want to use my Ziyang Escort Agency as a stepping stone to achieve your future ambitions of fame in the jianghu?"

"Ah..."

Fu Hanyuan hurriedly replied, "But I've heard that the Fallen Phoenix Alliance is incredibly powerful. Chief Escort, by killing one of their leaders, won't you provoke their retaliation?"

"You can put your heart back in your chest,"

Liu Mo spoke up at this moment.

Everyone turned to look at him, thinking he might know something, only to see him sitting comfortably on his horse and saying,

"We'll deal with whatever comes our way. What are you afraid of?"

"..."

Fu Hanyuan rolled his eyes.

Just then, Yang Xiaoyun laughed. "You don't need to worry. The Fallen Phoenix Alliance has deep ties with us. The Phoenix Cry Token Xiao Mo used earlier is Grand Master Wei Ruhan's token—seeing the token is like seeing the person. Therefore, this matter cannot be taken lightly.

"But by using the Phoenix Cry Token, Xiao Mo, you've become involved in the internal strife of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance."

"Yes."

Su Mo nodded. "Actually, by the time Wu Daoyou returns to Sunset City, the internal strife within the Fallen Phoenix Alliance will be considered over. The position of Grand Master will be settled.

"However, there is still a period of transition.

"It actually keeps people busier, unable to focus on other matters. During this final transition period, we need to try to gain as many advantages as possible.

"But time waits for no one. Now, with such a disturbance happening within Wusheng Hall,

"Where exactly is Wan Zangxin?

"The person who entered the territory of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance is not just the Guanchuan Five Ghosts.

"Today, by killing Zhou Qingchuan, besides the fact that he deserved to die, I have two other purposes.

"The first is to create an opportunity for the Wei family...

"The second is to remind them that internal strife is one thing, but they must not neglect the people under their rule.

"Otherwise, today I kill Zhou Qingchuan, and tomorrow, if something like this happens again, someone else will eventually step in.

"For the Fallen Phoenix Alliance to maintain long-term stability, they cannot ignore the livelihood of the people."

Yang Xiaoyun watched Su Mo speak with such authority and confidence, her eyes fixed, momentarily lost in admiration.

Liu Mo gently clasped his fists. "Chief Escort, your actions are deeply thoughtful. It's truly admirable."

Fu Hanyuan also nodded repeatedly.

Zhen Xiaoxiao, although she didn't understand much of what they were saying, nodded along as she ran, causing the ground to shake even more.

Yang Xiaoyun snapped out of her reverie and suddenly laughed. "Xiao Mo, do you think that Chi Lu will come to Wei Ruhan to apologize seven days from now?"

"That depends on whether he's smart."

"If he is?"

"Then it won't be an apology."

"What will it be?"

"You'll find out later."