Chapter 182: Playing the Part

Chapter 182: Playing the Part

Su Mo nodded.

The words of the two head escorts, Zhang and Li, were as he had expected.

The Iron Blood Dragon Spear was originally like a towering tree, and beneath it, some of the agency’s escorts and guards were inevitably just trying to make a living by relying on its name.

Now that the great tree, Yang Yizhi, had suddenly fallen, although it wouldn’t lead to immediate disintegration, those who were just trying to make a living would naturally be concerned about their livelihoods.

This was only natural, and Su Mo had already anticipated it.

What surprised him somewhat was that Zhang and Li had come to brief him on this matter.

After a brief moment of thought, Su Mo nodded and said,

"This matter will likely require both of you to mediate extensively. Young Chief Escort Xiaoyun is currently unable to handle these matters and will need everyone's assistance.

"However, we must act with restraint and avoid overreaching, focusing on stabilizing the current situation.

"After these few days, when Young Chief Escort makes an appearance again, it will help calm everyone down."

Zhang and Li exchanged glances and nodded in unison. "We shall follow Chief Escort Su's directives."

"I trouble you both."

Su Mo nodded and turned to go inside.

Alone, the two head escorts exchanged looks. Li, the lead escort, said in a low voice,

"What do you think?"

"Chief Escort Su prioritizes Young Chief Escort in his considerations. He handled this matter without overstepping and took into account the overall situation of the agency. He is indeed extraordinary."

Zhang, the head escort, sighed. "With the rise of Chief Escort Su, the Ziyang Escort Agency’s reputation has been growing daily.

"Now that the Chief Escort has met with this accident, it seems the Iron Blood Escort Agency will soon bear the Su name.

"The last time he came, I recognized his exceptional qualities, and now I am even more convinced."

"What should we do?"

"We’ll follow orders."

Zhang, the head escort, said, "From now on, Young Chief Escort will make all decisions."

"Yes."

Li, the lead escort, nodded.

After a brief discussion, the two turned and left.

Unbeknownst to them, Su Mo, leaning against the wall in the inner hall, had heard every word. He shook his head slightly and walked toward the backyard.

Though Su Mo rarely visited Yang Xiaoyun’s room, he knew where it was.

Seeing Su Mo approach, the maid promptly informed her mistress and then let him in.

Yang Xiaoyun dismissed the maid, and once the door closed, she asked,

"What did Zhang and Li want from you?"

Su Mo didn't rush to answer, first taking a look around Yang Xiaoyun's room.

The arrangement of the boudoir was different from ordinary rooms. The internal partitions had all been knocked down. Near the window, there was a desk and bookshelf, while on the other side were various weapons like axes, halberds, hooks, and tridents.

A space was left in the middle. Although it wasn't too large, it could be used to practice small grappling techniques.

Near the bed, there was a table and chairs, and beside them stood a cabinet. On the wall next to the cabinet, three spears were leaning.

Su Mo grimaced, thinking that this was unmistakably Yang Xiaoyun's room.

Though he had never been in an ordinary woman’s room, he guessed it would usually be filled with things like a guqin, chessboard, calligraphy set, or embroidery, with a few novels on the bookshelf, occasionally leaning by the window, sighing about the difficulty of finding a good match... It would certainly not include weapons like axes and halberds.

Shaking his head, he stopped imagining and came to sit at the table. He poured himself a cup of tea before finally speaking.

"There’s some unrest within the escort agency, and it seems some people are planning to leave."

"That’s somewhat normal," Yang Xiaoyun replied, furrowing her brows slightly before shaking her head.

"But the main intention of these two escort leaders was to test me."

"Hmm?" Yang Xiaoyun was surprised. "How did they test you?"

"Mainly to gauge my attitude towards them..."

Su Mo smiled. "A new leader brings new policies. The loyal veterans in the Iron Blood Escort Agency, who have been with Uncle Yang for years, understand the situation in the agency and both you and Uncle Yang very well.

"Now that Uncle Yang is 'dead,' given our relationship, the Iron Blood Escort Agency would naturally become closely entwined with the Ziyang Escort Agency.

"At that point, although the Iron Blood Escort Agency would still carry the Yang name, you would become part of my Su family.

"Therefore, my attitude is clearly crucial. They have their own views and ideas. If my attitude towards them weren’t friendly or if I didn’t plan to keep them, they would look for other opportunities.

"My response just now was acceptable, so they intend to follow the Deputy Chief Escort's orders."

Yang Xiaoyun sighed upon hearing this. "They are really going through a difficult time. They've spent half their lives in the escort agency business, so it's natural for people's spirits to waver with such a sudden change."

"So, in the current situation, the main priority is to stabilize morale.

"You shouldn’t be the one to step up right now. You should appear dazed, but since you’ve always been strong-willed, you’ll rally yourself and reorganize in two or three days.

"By then, this matter will have largely settled. You can then come forward to rally the people and reorganize, which will be a natural progression. After that, we’ll wait for Uncle Yang’s body to return."

After finishing speaking in one breath, Su Mo poured two cups of tea and handed one to Yang Xiaoyun.

"The most challenging part of the performance has largely been completed."

In the days that followed, as Su Mo had predicted, the unrest within the Iron Blood Escort Agency gradually stabilized with the cooperation of Zhang, Li, and the other escort leaders.

After three days of mourning her father, Yang Xiaoyun also pulled herself together and gathered the escort leaders, escorts, and guards on the training ground for a grand meeting.

The main focus was on winning over public sentiment and stabilizing the overall situation.

By now, any potential upheaval regarding the Iron Blood Escort Agency had been completely stabilized.

There were a few scattered individuals who wanted to leave the Iron Blood Escort Agency to seek their fortune elsewhere.

Yang Xiaoyun went to persuade them personally, but as these individuals had made up their minds to leave, she had no choice but to let them go.

However, there were only a few, and their departure was actually a good thing.

For the days that followed, both the Iron Blood Escort Agency and the Ziyang Escort Agency suspended their business, waiting for Wu Daoyou to return with Yang Yizhi’s ‘remains.’

During this time, Su Mo wrote two letters.

One was to Wei Ziyi, and the other was sent to the Ziyang Sect.

The letter to Wei Ziyi was self-explanatory, but the one to the Ziyang Sect was more important.

Su Mo wanted to visit the Ziyang Sect and couldn’t do so without a legitimate reason.

The connection between the Ziyang Escort Agency and the Ziyang Sect had long been severed, so Su Mo needed to find a suitable pretext to visit.

Using the excuse of escorting a shipment to East City didn’t seem formal enough.

Sending a letter in advance to clarify his intentions was necessary, and once the reply from the Ziyang Sect arrived, he could set off.

By this point, almost everything that needed to be done had been taken care of.

After waiting for several more days, Wu Daoyou finally returned to Sunset City.

However, what Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun didn’t expect was that an uninvited guest had come along unexpectedly...

...

...

On this day, a mourning hall was set up within the Iron Blood Escort Agency, with mourning banners hanging.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, wearing sackcloth and mourning garb, knelt before the hall.

All the influential figures in Sunset City and the businesses that had collaborated with the Iron Blood Escort Agency came to offer their condolences.

They offered condolences, saying, 'Please bear your grief with strength and accept the changes.'

Afterward, Su Mo took charge and hosted the guests, serving them traditional eggs and holding a banquet.

These miscellaneous tasks were quite a hassle for a while.

Yang Xiaoyun knew that the person lying in the coffin wasn’t Yang Yizhi, but she couldn’t help but feel somewhat downcast due to the atmosphere.

Occasionally, she would look up and see the white-clothed young man outside the mourning hall; his expression was somewhat odd.

This person was Little Situ from the Suspension Pot Pavilion.

It was unclear why he had come to Sunset City.

Because of Yang Yizhi’s previous descriptions of the Suspension Pot Pavilion, both Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun were curious and had high expectations.

However, Little Situ seemed completely inexperienced and naive.

Living in luxury with fine clothes and delicious food at home was too comfortable, and after suddenly stepping into the world of martial arts, everything seemed curious.

At that moment, he was seated on something that could be either a sedan chair or a seat, his curious gaze roving over the mourners.

He held an egg in his hand, with only the shell left.

Aware that it was improper to discard it carelessly, he simply inverted it and held it in his palm, finding it no burden.

Which mourner did not recognize him? Yet they did not delve deeper.

After paying their respects, most of the mourners departed, except for the venerable monks invited by Wu Daoyou from the Golden Dharma Temple, who continued to chant scriptures for the soul’s deliverance.

As a daughter, Yang Xiaoyun naturally stayed to accompany them.

As for the young Situ, after watching the commotion, he sat holding a basin filled with large meat buns.

Holding the basin and eating the buns, he was escorted by Su Mo to the side room to rest.

The four girls beside the young Situ remained cool and distant. Though they carried his sedan chair, they seemed to also oversee him.

It was difficult to discern the nature of their relationship.

From that day on, for several consecutive days, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun hardly rested.

Day and night, they stayed by the coffin, and after the seven-day ritual, the coffin would need to be sealed and buried for the final rest.

It was said that on this particular night, Su Mo finally managed to persuade Yang Xiaoyun to go back and rest.

The only ones left in the mourning hall were the monks from the Golden Dharma Temple who continued to chant scriptures.

Suddenly, a sinister cold wind blew from an unknown source, causing the white candles in the mourning hall to flutter wildly.

The older monks, having seen much, were indeed unfazed, their eyes half-open as they continued their chanting.

However, some of the younger monks couldn’t help but feel suspicious and glanced around.

The head monk, without turning his head, hearing the interrupted scriptures behind him, knew the issue and immediately uttered a Buddhist chant:

“Amituofo!”

Just as he was about to calm the rising unease, the cold wind intensified.

The mourning banners swayed with the wind, and the candles, having reached their limit, suddenly extinguished, leaving only faint wisps of smoke that dissipated with the wind.

This time, even the old monk couldn’t suppress his shock and opened his eyes wide.

A rumbling sound echoed.

The younger monks instinctively stood up:

“Master...?”

They couldn’t help but huddle together.

The old monk stood up, holding his prayer beads, his eyes scanning the surroundings:

“Continue chanting! To deliver all demons and evil spirits!”

“Yes!”

At that moment, a group of monks gathered, their chanting becoming even louder.

The rumbling sound became even more incessant. Once their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they realized the source of the noise was the coffin!

The coffin, placed in the middle of the hall without any support, began to tremble on its own. Because the lid wasn't nailed down, it bobbed up and down with a rhythmic tapping sound.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, since you've already ascended to the West, why linger in the mortal world?"

The old monk shouted, "Buddha's mercy!"

As he spoke, he was about to press the beads in his hands onto the coffin.

Suddenly, the coffin lid popped up, rolling several times in the air, with a buzzing sound that wouldn't cease.

Immediately after, a figure sat up from inside the coffin. Its entire body was rotten, yet it opened its eyes and gazed coldly and mercilessly at the monks.

The old monk paused, nodding. "Staying a few more days would be fine..."

He turned around, calmly looking at his many disciples before shouting with composure:

"It's a reanimated corpse! Run!"

With that command, he immediately took the lead and ran. Despite his age, he ran faster than a hare.

The young monks finally came to their senses and hurriedly followed, disappearing in no time.

The figure sitting in the coffin finally breathed a sigh of relief once they were far away.

Wiping his face gently, he found the 'rotten' parts unaffected.

"Paying respects is one thing, but a seven-day ritual is another. And these monks were so diligent.

"Forcing me, an elder of the Purple Sun Sect, to adopt the practices of Yin Mountain, resorting to such tricks."

Muttering to himself, he stretched and climbed out of the coffin.

"It's about time; they should have arrived by now, right?"

As he spoke, figures flashed by, and in the blink of an eye, four girls carrying a sedan chair had crossed the wall and arrived before him.

"Senior Duan," Little Situ called out.

"No time for that, hurry up and get to work," Duan Song replied hastily.

Little Situ nodded and gestured to the girl beside her. The girl stepped forward and took something from her back.

After a few shakes, it rapidly expanded, becoming an exact replica of Duan Song.

After placing it in the coffin, Duan Song closed the lid again.

"There, the substitute body is complete, successfully done, truly the craftsmanship of the Suspension Pot Pavilion."

Duan Song clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"...Senior, on the way here from Haoran Academy, there were many opportunities to switch identities. Why did you choose to do it here?"

Little Situ was a bit puzzled.

Duan Song chuckled: "Don't ask too many questions. It's natural to be curious when first entering the jianghu, but asking too many questions won't do you any good. Your seniors at the Xuanhu Pavilion must have warned you about this."

"Hmm... it was indeed presumptuous of me, this junior."

Little Situ nodded upon hearing this, then took out a bun from her sleeve and asked, "Would you like to eat, Senior? The Seven-Day Dust Binding Technique can indeed keep you in a state of suspended animation for seven days, reducing your body's need for food and water to an extreme minimum."

"But eventually, one will still feel hungry."

"Hmph, with my deep inner strength, going without sleep or food for a short time is no big deal."

Duan Song waved his hand: "Go back quickly, and don't make Yang Xiaoyun and Su Mo suspicious. These two youngsters are also quite extraordinary. If they become suspicious, all of Yang Mutou's plans will be in vain."

"Yes."

Little Situ obediently nodded and said to the four girls beside her, "Thank you, sisters."

The four girls said nothing and left, tapping their feet lightly as they vanished from the courtyard.

Duan Song looked around, leaped onto the beam, and settled into a comfortable position, though he subconsciously rubbed his stomach: "The grace of a senior lies in the virtue of endurance."

"Old Su could endure, which is why he attracted so many admirers. Unfortunately, I haven't learned the slightest bit of that skill in my entire life. I'm really hungry; should I eat some of the offerings?"

As he wrestled with his dilemma, he heard hurried footsteps approaching.

A group of monks brought several people, lit the candles in the hall, and opened the coffin to inspect it.

To their surprise, 'Yang Yizhi' was still lying peacefully in the coffin, showing no signs of reanimation.

The monks looked at each other in confusion, from the elder monk down, all were baffled.

Zhang and Li, the two head escorts, had livid faces, finding it detestable that these monks had disturbed their chief escort's rest.

Fortunately, although Yang Xiaoyun looked upset, she didn't blame them. She only asked the monks to continue chanting in the hall while she and Su Mo left.

The group of monks nervously resumed their scriptures.

Seeing this, Duan Song finally breathed a sigh of relief and carefully slipped away from the hall, blending into the night after leaving.

However, he didn't know that Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, who had just left, were now on the roof.

"Wu Daoyou... it seems he didn't mention our situation to him."

Yang Xiaoyun's expression was strange; if he had, Duan Song wouldn't have gone to such great lengths.

Su Mo raised his eyebrows: "I think Wu Daoyou might not know who is really in this coffin. Duan Song went to such trouble to come to Sunset City; perhaps he has another purpose."

"Where could he be heading at this late hour? And not to see Wu Daoyou, but in this direction..."

"Ziyang Escort Agency!"

Su Mo raised his eyebrows: "Let's go!"

He pulled Yang Xiaoyun along and quietly followed Duan Song.

Duan Song was thoroughly familiar with the environmental layout of Luo Xia City, and indeed, his destination was the Ziyang Escort Agency.

In a few swift movements, he had already arrived.

Standing on the rooftop, he seemed to be reflecting deeply, then he confidently approached the door of a room.

Casually withdrawing a silver needle from his pocket, he slid it into the lock and manipulated it twice. With a soft click, the lock gave way.

This confident demeanor reminded Su Mo of Xu Lu...

The room Duan Song opened left Su Mo momentarily speechless.

This... was Su Tianyang's room.