Chapter 190: Creating a Plan from Nothing

Chapter 190: Creating a Plan from Nothing

When Su Mo asked, Steward He didn’t even think before replying:

"These people have been at this old man's small inn for over a month now.

"When I first saw them, they seemed to have come from the northwest. I found it quite surprising at the time, as it’s a rather desolate area.

"I initially thought they had encountered some trouble on the road and were traveling incognito.

"This old man runs this small inn, and I have a few skilled individuals in the courtyard. So, while I wasn’t particularly welcoming to them, I didn’t outright refuse them either."

Steward He spoke to Su Mo with complete openness and honesty.

He had intended to run his business and hadn’t paid much attention to these people.

However, he hadn’t expected that after checking in, they would start causing trouble.

He had encountered similar situations before. He thought they were likely looking to stir up trouble and gain some advantages.

Facing such situations, it was usually enough to demonstrate our strength, letting them know we had capable people and that the inn wasn’t an easy target. More often than not, this would make them back down.

But to his surprise, once the fight started, their true colors were revealed.

Steward He had his people make the first move, revealing our capabilities.

These unknown and formidable outsiders immediately realized that this small inn could be easily taken over.

In no time, they all attacked simultaneously, and within moments, several skilled men lay dead on the ground.

Steward He was captured, and his family was also taken hostage by the enemies.

He feared it was the end, but to his surprise, they planned to settle down here.

They forced Steward He to continue managing the inn, maintaining a facade of peace.

If any merchants came by, they would secretly drug the food, using a 'knockout' powder, the same 'Immortal Knockout' that the burly man had mentioned.

This drug was extremely potent, and as the He Family Inn had been operating for so long, many people knew Steward He.

Initially, he tried to secretly warn the guests, warning them to flee for their lives.

But they thought he was joking, and in the end, they died in the inn. Moreover, his attempts to secretly help them escape were discovered by the bandits.

Rather than taking revenge on Steward He, they targeted his children and wife.

They either took his daughters and daughters-in-law or harmed his grandchildren.

After a few incidents, Steward He no longer dared to try.

For a month, Steward He endured a life worse than death.

These people were also worried that he might not rest well and become suspicious, so when he had to sleep, they conveniently used some Immortal Knockout on him.

Even if he couldn’t eat, they would force-feed him meat and wine by prying his mouth open.

As a result, his appearance and state gave no hint of what he had been through.

By the time this speech was made, Steward He was already streaming with tears and snot.

Just then, the gate of the yard was opened again, and Li the lead escort brought in several escorts from the escort agency, along with Steward He’s family.

However, Steward He’s family was in a terrible state.

Several women, whether daughters or daughters-in-law, were all lifeless in their eyes, filled with a desire for death.

The younger men and half-grown children were covered in wounds.

One of them was being carried by an escort, severely injured, his face pale, and missing an arm.

When Steward He saw this, he broke down sobbing even more loudly:

“My sons!!”

Staggering forward, he reached them.

And these people, upon seeing Steward He, realized they had truly escaped the clutches of danger.

In an instant, cries and wails filled the air for a long time.

Wei Ziyi stood nearby, her brows furrowed, and the veins on her hands stood out.

Su Mo glanced at her and gave her a subtle nod.

They approached the group of bound bandits.

The one whose leg Su Mo had broken was now barely breathing, bleeding profusely.

The rest of them had all been tied up by the escort agency’s men.

Some were seriously injured, also near death.

Su Mo quietly surveyed these people, his gaze sweeping over the blade fighter and the poisoner. Then he pointed:

“Bring these two forward.”

An escort immediately responded and dragged the two out.

“First, cut off one of their arms to repay part of the debt.”

Su Mo’s face showed no emotion.

The escorts from the escort agency did not hesitate, witnessing the miserable state of Steward He’s family. They drew their swords and pinned the two to the ground.

The blade fighter didn’t make a sound, only stared intently at Su Mo, as if trying to etch Su Mo’s face into his memory.

But the poisoner, his face full of panic, said, “Please, I won’t dare again, spare me this once… please, spare me…”

As soon as his words fell, Su Mo ignored him, and with two flashes of the blade, both men’s arms fell to the ground.

The blade fighter remained quiet, while the poisoner’s screams were so loud they could wake the dead.

Su Mo glanced at him: “Gag him and find Little Situ Taoist for some wound medicine to stop their bleeding.”

"Yes."

Immediately, an attendant responded and turned to leave.

Su Mo then asked, "Everyone, where are you from?"

He was not referring to the swordsman or the poisoner.

The swordsman was clearly stubborn, treating life and death lightly.

As for the poisoner... he likely couldn’t speak at all by now.

The bound men exchanged glances. One of them was about to speak when the swordsman sneered:

"If you speak..."

Before he could finish, Su Mo stomped on his face with a bit of force, hearing a crack.

His facial bones were crushed.

The rest of his words died in his throat.

"A wise man knows when to yield."

Su Mo spoke softly, "Speak freely. As the saying goes, the law does not punish the masses. Today, I only intend to punish the leaders. If you tell me what I want to know, I may spare your lives."

Dealing with these people, Su Mo didn’t even bother with the Painful Mantra—they weren’t worth it.

The group exchanged hesitant glances.

Su Mo had already dragged their leader out and cut off an arm each, without hesitation.

With these words, they became even more uncertain.

Seeing this, Su Mo shook his head.

"If you don’t speak, I’ll have to start killing. Hmm... who shall I start with?"

He scrutinized each of their faces, and whoever met his gaze instinctively lowered their head or begged for mercy.

Finally, someone couldn’t help but speak up. "We... we come from the territory of Wusheng Hall..."

"Very well."

Su Mo nodded satisfactorily. "You will live."

Hearing this, he breathed a sigh of relief and was about to continue when someone else quickly added, "We are not bandits. We are wandering freelancers within the territory of Wusheng Hall."

"That's right... we were making our own way in the jianghu, living our own lives. We didn’t eat luxuriously, but we had enough to get by."

"After the incident with Wan Zangxin, someone came to us, saying that by capturing Wan Zangxin, life would be better from then on. There might even be a chance to join Wusheng Hall, standing below only one person but above ten thousand others."

Once one person's psychological defenses collapsed, others quickly followed, eager to speak.

You said one thing, I said another, and though it was fragmented, it still let Su Mo understand the background of these people.

They were originally a ragtag group of soldiers, but were organized by the blade warrior, the strong man, and the poison user to head to the Fallen Phoenix Alliance's territory in search of Wan Zangxin.

However, once they arrived, the story took a sudden turn.

The poison user had poisoned all of them, warning that they would meet a swift death if they disobeyed.

After that, under the guidance of the blade warrior, they found a place to settle down.

The final location was He Family Inn.

According to them, these three had a mysterious background.

They suspected that from the start, they weren’t really there for Wan Zangxin.

But they didn’t know the exact reason.

Once they finished their story, they had nothing else to say and kneeled, begging for mercy.

Su Mo nodded several times and then called over Li the lead escort.

He whispered instructions in his ear.

Li the lead escort hesitated slightly. “Is that appropriate?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Su Mo glanced at him.

Li the lead escort looked uncertain. “It seems a bit irregular.”

“What rules apply to them?” Su Mo said, glancing at Steward He and his family, who were nearly sobbing themselves out.

Seeing this, Li the lead escort immediately nodded. “Chief Escort is wise indeed!”

He waved his hand. “Take them out. We’ll set them free.”

In no time, the men were led away, thanking Su Mo profusely before leaving.

But as soon as they turned the corner, Li the lead escort and his men kicked them to the ground.

Before they could react, they saw Li the lead escort and the escorts raise their blades. In an instant, heads rained down!

However, the execution wasn’t swift enough, and Su Mo and the others could still hear their screams and final cries from the courtyard.

Su Mo leaned forward and shouted:

“Don’t forget to search their bodies, look for any valuables or secret messages!”

“Got it!”

Li the lead escort’s voice matched Su Mo’s volume.

Su Mo pursed his lips and looked at the blade warrior, raising his foot.

“Can you still talk?”

"The prestigious Ziyang Escort Agency and its Chief Escort Su failing to keep his word and breaking promises."

The knight could barely speak, "If this gets out, just wait and see how you can still stand in the jianghu."

Su Mo nodded, "Good that you can still speak. Get someone to chop off his other arm."

Occupying other people's shop, bullying their wives and daughters, and striking their children and grandchildren.

In Su Mo's view, no matter how harshly these people were dealt with, it wouldn't be excessive.

After finishing, Su Mo didn't look at him but turned to the poison user who had already been treated with healing medicine.

With a chuckle, he said, "May I ask for your esteemed name?"

As he spoke, he removed the gag from the man's mouth.

The Little Situ Taoist's healing medicine also had pain-relieving effects, and at this moment, the man had stopped screaming.

However, he had cried so much earlier that he couldn't speak right away.

In the next moment, his eyes widened.

He saw the knight losing another arm, and his heart trembled. He quickly said,

"I, I, my name is Zhou Fang. In the jianghu, I'm known as Ghost-Deterring."

"???"

Su Mo suddenly found the name Ghost-Deterring a bit cheap.

"You... are you from Wusheng Hall?" Su Mo asked.

"No, no!" Zhou Fang hurriedly shook his head, "I wish I could be affiliated with Wusheng Hall, but it's such a prestigious and powerful family. Even if we wanted to join, we wouldn't have the means...

"...No, that's not completely true."

As he said this, he glanced at the knight.

The knight's face darkened, "Shut up!!"

"Boss... I want to shut up, but I can't control myself. They... they are really merciless. My arm, my arm..."

At this point, the man started whimpering.

The knight's eyes were filled with utter despair, a feeling that even losing both arms hadn't caused.

Wei Ziyi, hearing this, narrowed her eyes:

"Wan Zangxin fell in love with the young princess of Wusheng Hall and stole the Great Transformation Life-Returning Heart Sutra. The enraged head of Wusheng Hall, Wan Yutang, issued the Wusheng Order.

"You lot took this opportunity to invade the territory of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance. Could it be that you had other motives?"

"Heh... I'm just a nobody."

The blade warrior no longer pretended to be tough, but instead gave a cold laugh. "How would I know what the head of Wusheng Hall means?"

"Oh? Then tell me, why did you occupy the He Family Store? What are you planning to do here?"

Su Mo asked.

"Naturally... to rule this land and live a comfortable life."

The blade warrior gave a cold look at Su Mo. Despite losing both arms, he didn’t flinch. His pallor was from blood loss.

The sharpness in his eyes hadn’t diminished; it had grown even sharper.

It seemed that even without his arms to wield a blade, he could still find other ways to take down his enemies.

"You want to live a comfortable life."

Su Mo glanced at Steward He. "Is this how you plan to do it?"

"I only care about my own comfort. Who cares about others’ feelings?"

The blade warrior laughed loudly.

Su Mo smiled. "Fair enough... You’re selfish, so naturally, you wouldn’t care about others. Let me ask you again, what exactly is your connection with Wusheng Hall?"

"No connection."

The blade warrior didn’t even think about it.

Su Mo nodded. "Alright... Cut off his arm."

He pointed at Zhou Fang.

Zhou Fang: "???"

Before he could react, he saw the blade rise and immediately shouted, "Wait, wait! He... He didn’t say anything, why cut off my arm?"

"Because I don’t believe him."

Su Mo said. "People in this world are always interconnected. Who can truly be untethered? He said he only cares about himself, and I don’t believe that. Since you’re together, I don’t believe he would be indifferent to your suffering."

Zhou Fang was stunned, never imagining that someone would chop off an arm for such a reason.

As the blade was about to strike, he immediately said,

"Wait... I know something that might be useful to you."

Su Mo glanced at him.

"Every seven days, our leader visits a nearby town. There’s a rice shop in the town called Liu’s Rice Shop..."

"You traitor!"

By the time Zhou Fang spoke, the blade warrior’s face had turned deathly pale. He suddenly lunged forward.

However, Su Mo lifted his foot and stomped him down.

Trapped, he could only shout desperately: "How did you find out? Even if you tell them... Do you think they would let you go?"

"Even if they don't let me go, at least they’ll grant me a swift end!"

Zhou Fang forcefully replied, "It’s better than being chopped limb by limb, left neither alive nor dead."

After finishing his words, he no longer paid attention to the blade warrior, but said loudly:

"He goes to a nearby town regularly.

"In that town, there’s a rice shop where he never buys rice, just speaks in riddles and leaves...

"I know that place is actually a secret outpost of Wusheng Hall within the Fallen Phoenix Alliance’s territory.

"Before we came here, our leader mentioned he knew a high-ranking figure in Wusheng Hall.

"It’s highly likely that this major scheme was orchestrated by that person to plan something significant here.

"If this plan succeeds, we will enjoy endless wealth and glory in the future!!"

Su Mo exhaled softly and glanced at Wei Ziyi.

Wei Ziyi pondered for a moment. "Indeed, there is a small town about thirty miles from here."

"Is it along the route?"

"Yes."

"Very well..."

Su Mo nodded and then looked at the blade warrior again.

"You see, at this point, why bother? If you confess everything, I’ll grant you a swift end."

With his secret revealed by someone beside him, the blade warrior no longer resisted.

He let out a soft breath. "What was said about Wan Zangxin is true, but... it seems Wusheng Hall has another agenda.

"However, I don’t know what exactly they are planning.

"I came here to wait for a message.

"Before the major event arrives, the moment of truth, no one knows what will happen.

"That’s all I have to say. Whether you want to kill or dismember me, proceed as you wish."

Su Mo looked at Wei Ziyi, who frowned. "We can’t kill him yet."

"Oh? Miss Wei, do you have another plan?"

"A gang of vicious bandits holed up in the inn has ties to Wusheng Hall..."

Wei Ziyi gave a cold laugh. "If Wusheng Hall is plotting within the territory of my Fallen Phoenix Alliance, who else could they be targeting? Moreover..."

She paused lightly. "Something’s amiss. They managed to slip past the watchful eyes of Sunset City and establish themselves here..."

Su Mo lightly raised his eyebrows and smirked. "So, why does your Fallen Phoenix Alliance have so many leaders?"

"……"

Wei Ziyi was at a loss for words.

In contrast, Su Mo looked at the knife fighter:

"I wonder, who is that important figure from Wusheng Hall?"

"Ren Xiongfei!"