Chapter 196: Opening the Skylight

Chapter 196: Opening the Skylight

Su Mo stood on the ship's rail, gazing quietly at the water.

The surface rippled, not because of the night's breeze, but due to the clash that just happened.

From the ripples, a figure suddenly emerged but failed to rise.

Nor did he rise majestically like a deity on the riverbank, looking down with disdain.

Su Mo sighed, "Why go to such lengths?"

We could have talked this over. When talking about an alliance, let's talk about an alliance.

Why engage in a fight for no reason?

Remaining in the water isn't good.

Su Mo was about to step forward to pull this Water Demon Yanluo out of the water.

When he heard the sound of a sword being drawn, a burst of sword energy suddenly tore through the river.

Rolling and surging, it was initially far away, but by the time he realized, it was already close.

In the blink of an eye, it spanned over ten zhang, followed by a thunderous roar, raising a towering water curtain on the surface.

As the water curtain rose, a figure descended from the sky, holding a long sword behind him, tip pointing upward.

He wore a black outfit, and his face was covered with a mask.

Clearly, he had no intention of showing his true face.

He descended in this posture from mid-air and finally landed on the half of Qi Shaoming's body floating on the water.

A voice, carried from a distance, reached Su Mo:

"I have long heard that Chief Escort Su has unparalleled martial skills, and today, seeing it with my own eyes, the reputation is well-deserved."

His voice was clear and bright, sounding quite young. Although he was dressed in black and had his face covered, there was an indescribable sense of righteousness in his voice.

Su Mo lightly raised his eyebrows. "And who might you be?"

"My name is not worth mentioning, and besides, today's encounter is merely an accident.

"If I were willing to reveal my name, why would I go to the trouble of finding a disguise?"

The man stood on Qi Shaoming's body, his tone calm.

Su Mo, however, raised an eyebrow. "If you're unwilling to show your face, why come out?"

"In truth, I came to ask Chief Escort Su for a favor."

The man laughed heartily.

"Qi Shaoming's actions were absurd and offensive. Today's actions were meant to benefit the lands along the river.

"But since the leaders are unwilling and Chief Escort Su has intervened... I will drop this matter. I ask Chief Escort Su to show mercy and let him live."

"Hahaha."

Su Mo laughed heartily, "That's too much praise. I had no intention of killing anyone. Since we've come this far in our conversation, how about coming aboard for a chat?"

The black-clad figure shook his head, "Once I'm on board, it will be extremely hard to get off. I bid you farewell now, Chief Escort Su. There’s no need to see me off."

As his words fell, he tapped his foot, and with a splash, Qi Shaoming was somehow adhered to his feet, almost magically.

In the next moment, the two figures—one above and one below—rapidly retreated.

Su Mo's brows furrowed slightly, "Since you’re here, why hurry to leave?"

Tapping his foot on the boat’s edge, he used his divine movement technique and appeared before the figure in an instant.

The black-clad man merely pointed his sword.

A buzzing sound instantly turned into a torrent of sword energy, scattering over the river.

Wherever Su Mo’s palm struck, the clash of sword energy and palm force caused explosions along the river.

However, despite the formidable display of sword power, it could not hinder Su Mo in the slightest.

He crashed through and reached the figure in an instant, extending his palm, only to find the figure had vanished.

Raising his head again, the two figures had already moved ten zhang away, and with another blur, they were another ten zhang away, as if they had shortened the distance with a mystical stride.

They then merged into the night, vanishing without a trace, blending with the light and dust.

Only a voice echoed over the river, "I have urgent business to attend to today. Next time, I will definitely invite Chief Escort Su for a drink to apologize."

The sound lingered over the river for a long time.

Su Mo's brows knitted together.

The man’s swordplay was noble and majestic, but his lightness skill was strange and elusive, making him hard to pin down.

In a moment of inattention, he had already lost the initiative, and catching up to him now would be extremely difficult.

Sighing, he leapt back onto the boat.

"Chief Escort Su!"

"Are you alright, Chief Escort Su?"

The crowd gathered around.

Su Mo waved them off, "No need to worry. It's just a pity we couldn't keep him here."

"Chief Escort Su, don't say that. If he escaped, he escaped. It's enough that you're safe."

"Chief Escort Su, your martial prowess is unparalleled. Tonight, we truly opened our eyes."

"Indeed, they say a true master doesn't reveal themselves, and when they do, it's not their true form. Chief Escort Su, at such a young age, to have such skill, it's truly astonishing and admirable."

"The man left word that the alliance is off... The crisis on the river has been averted."

"All thanks to Chief Escort Su."

"Indeed, we owe you our gratitude, Chief Escort Su!!"

And with that, they truly bowed in respect.

Su Mo was not about to accept such gestures.

With a wave of his sleeves, everyone felt a heaviness in their knees, preventing them from kneeling.

Lifting their heads, they saw Su Mo smile calmly:

"Alright, everyone, why all the fuss? Today, I merely stumbled upon this situation. If it weren't for the fact that this person mercilessly attacked the chief of Xuanlong Water Village, I wouldn't have intervened.

"I'm just a escort running errands in the jianghu. I hope you won't hold it against me for interfering.

"This is indeed Chief Escort Su's noble character!"

"From now on, if Chief Escort Su passes by this river and sees a ship flying the flag of Ziyang Escort Agency, or even if there's just one person from Ziyang Escort Agency on board, we would never dare to cause any trouble!"

"That’s right, as long as there’s someone from Ziyang Escort Agency on board, we must treat them with the utmost respect and not take a single coin."

"That's right!"

The crowd clamored, and Su Mo could only bow in thanks.

The chief of Xuanlong Water Village waited until the noise had quieted down a bit before approaching Su Mo to apologize.

Su Mo waved his hand and asked, "If they truly retreat, when will this ship formation be disbanded?"

"As soon as they withdraw, we will disband the formation and restore river traffic."

"Good."

Su Mo nodded: "In that case..."

He paused, scanning the crowd. In a moment, he spotted Mr. Zhan and called out, "Mr. Zhan!"

Mr. Zhan had already blended into the crowd, but upon hearing Su Mo’s call, he quickly pushed through and approached Su Mo:

"What do you need, Chief Escort Su?"

"...What orders, Mr. Zhan?"

Su Mo was momentarily speechless: "This is your ship. If anyone should give orders, it should be you."

Mr. Zhan chuckled dryly. Orders? He didn’t dare give any!

The heroes on this river were ready to elevate Su Mo to their leader.

Although Mr. Zhan was the captain of this ship, these people were the true masters of this river.

Su Mo was now in a position of authority, and Mr. Zhan wouldn’t dare make decisions on his own.

But of course, he couldn’t say that. As a businessman, he understood the ways of the world. With a smile, he said:

"Chief Escort Su called me over. Is there something you need to discuss?"

"Indeed, there is something I’d like to discuss with you."

Su Mo said, "As you heard earlier, once we confirm the other side has retreated, the ship formation will be lifted, and river traffic will resume. How about we anchor this ship nearby and spend the night?"

"That sounds fine."

Mr. Zhan did not hesitate for a moment and immediately agreed: "Then we shall follow Chief Escort Su’s instructions."

Su Mo noticed that there was still an issue with the way he phrased it, but requesting a change would seem overly deliberate.

So he decided to leave it for now.

Afterward, when he shared this idea with Zhuge Changtian et al., they immediately invited Su Mo to rest on their ships.

They said that this small, dilapidated boat was truly beneath Su Mo.

Their ships were large and comfortable. Su Mo could bring everyone and all the cargo to rest on their ships. Anyone who dared to covet the goods Su Mo was escorting would have to contend with the tens of thousands of blades along the river!

Wei Ziyi, listening nearby, was thoroughly amazed.

In these riverside lands, the leaders of the strongholds wielded significant influence.

If someone could unite them, it would certainly not be a force to be trifled with.

But how simple was that?

To make these unruly individuals admire someone was an incredibly difficult task.

However, Su Mo seemed to have accomplished this.

Unfortunately, Su Mo runs an escort agency. If he ran a water stronghold or mountain stronghold, he would be unstoppable.

Lost in thought, she heard people eagerly inviting Su Mo to rest on their ships.

In the end, the Red Leaf Gang leader firmly stated her decision, saying that as they had already arrived in the Red Leaf Gang’s territory, how could they allow Su Mo to sleep on a ship?

They should prepare a comfortable room in the Red Leaf Gang’s headquarters for Su Mo to rest properly.

As soon as she spoke, there was an uproar among the crowd.

"Leader of the Red Leaf Gang, your gang has never allowed men to enter."

"Exactly... We traveled all this way to meet with you, but we couldn't even step inside the Red Leaf Gang. Instead, we had to discuss matters on the ship. How boring."

"Now that Chief Escort Su is here, you are breaking the rules. You're allowing him to enter so freely?"

Everyone was speaking over each other, but they were merely teasing.

However, the Red Leaf Gang leader became annoyed and, with one hand on her hip and the other pointing, said, "If you had the skills, the heart, and the temperament of Chief Escort Su, even if I allowed you to enter the Red Leaf Gang, what then?

"But with your pitiful selves, how dare you compare yourselves to Chief Escort Su?"

Hearing this, Su Mo waved his hands. "Alright, alright, everyone, please calm down. I have urgent matters and cannot leave the ship now. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Hearing him say this, everyone quieted down.

Some people tried to persuade him again, but when they saw he was firm, they had no choice but to give up.

However, someone immediately instructed the helmsman of Mr. Zhan's ship to steer it to a certain location, guarded by the many pirate ships.

This was to ensure that no one would disturb Su Mo.

Mr. Zhan watched this scene with great amazement, thinking to himself that in all his years of traveling far and wide, he had been surrounded by bandits many times.

But this was the first time he had been surrounded by bandits for protection.

In the past, I haven’t even heard of it, let alone seen it.

……

……

The commotion finally subsided, and all the leaders had matters to attend to back home.

After seeing them off, Su Mo greeted Mr. Zhan and then returned to his own cabin.

Mr. Zhan immediately suggested swapping cabins with Su Mo, intending to offer the main cabin to Su Mo.

Su Mo firmly declined, stating that doing so would be akin to driving a guest off the ship. Only then did Mr. Zhan give up.

Back in the cabin, Lead Escort Li and the others continued to stand guard diligently. They had a general idea of what had happened outside and realized it wasn’t a robbery, but they remained vigilant nonetheless.

Seeing Su Mo and Wei Ziyi return, they immediately inquired about what had happened.

Su Mo briefly recounted the incident.

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

"The regions along the river have always been somewhat turbulent. Small factions frequently emerge and cause conflicts.

"However, each controls their own territory and adheres to certain rules.

"It’s a relatively stable situation.

"So, why would they suddenly form an alliance now?"

After hearing Su Mo, Lead Escort Li looked puzzled.

Wei Ziyi glanced at Su Mo and inquired, "Do you have any theories?"

Su Mo gently shook his head, "I find this situation rather peculiar. It’s premature to speculate. However..."

As he pondered for a moment, he looked at Wei Ziyi:

"Young Miss Wei, who has seen much of the world, do you have any idea what school of martial arts the swordsman used?"

Wei Ziyi's expression turned somewhat odd. "I can't answer that right away. The man’s lightness skill was quite perplexing.

"There are martial arts that allow for illusionary movement, not many in the world, but not too few either.

"There’s the shadow magic of Evernight Valley, the illusion of separating body and shadow, making it hard to distinguish real from fake.

"And then there’s the Moon-Treading Fairy Steps of Cold Moon Palace, the Sword Shadow Technique of the Distant Mountain Sword School...

"They are all in this category.

"However, the way he blended into the night, I couldn’t quite understand. The martial arts of Evernight Valley are connected to the timing of the sky; they can play tricks with the night, but I’ve never seen such methods.

"On this point, it’s possible that I’m just lacking in knowledge.

"However, his swordsmanship was upright and righteous, which reminded me of someone."

"At this point, she paused for a moment and looked at Su Mo. 'The Old Man of Heavenly Spring.'

'The Old Man of Heavenly Spring… the Heavenly Spring Cleansing Heart Sword?'

Su Mo was slightly taken aback. 'Can it be confirmed?'

'Not completely.'

Wei Ziyi pursed her lips. 'Within Cold Moon Palace, someone had seen the Old Man of Heavenly Spring perform the Heavenly Spring Cleansing Heart Sword before. However, this sword technique emphasizes the heart’s essence. When the will is strong, the sword intent soars. When the will is weak, the sword intent ebbs.

'This is also why the second disciple, who practiced the Heavenly Spring Cleansing Heart Sword, became deranged overnight and entered the demonic path.

'There are even rumors that this sword technique essentially has no fixed movements, and each person's practice differs. The sword movements used by the Old Man of Heavenly Spring's three disciples are entirely different.'

Su Mo nodded thoughtfully. 'I see. So, what you recognized was the sword intent?'

'Yes, but sword intent is hard to gauge. Don't jump to conclusions based on this.'

Wei Ziyi was starting to regret bringing this up.

Su Mo smiled. 'Well, let's put this aside for now. As for this matter on the river, it might not be over yet. When we reach Cold Moon Palace, you should mention this to your Palace Master.

'However, if it really is Wan Zangxin, shouldn't he be heading to Tianqu City instead? What's he doing causing trouble on the river?'

'...How should I know?'

Wei Ziyi rolled her eyes.

Su Mo didn't dwell on it further and simply waved his hand.

'Let's not worry about it for now. Our ship is currently near the Red Leaf Gang. The gang is composed of women who are as brave as men and are worthy of respect.

'Everyone, listen carefully. No one is to leave the ship or enter the Red Leaf Gang’s territory without permission. Anyone who violates this will face severe punishment!'

'Yes.'

The escorts responded in unison at once.

Su Mo nodded. 'Alright, those on duty stay, the rest of you go and rest.'

After the escorts, the Little Situ Taoist from Suspension Pot Pavilion, and the four ladies had left, Su Mo was about to sit cross-legged for meditation when Wei Ziyi tugged at his sleeve.

Startled, he looked up to see the girl winking at him, then stepping out of the cabin ahead of him.

Su Mo sat there for a moment, almost not wanting to deal with her.

Recalling the remarkable skills displayed at Jade Willow Villa—such as writing messages on a head rack and posing as Luo Zhen to deceive everyone—how impressive those were!

But now that she had resumed her true identity, the more he interacted with Wei Ziyi, the sillier she seemed.

Was it distance that made people appear more enigmatic?

Su Mo sat there, sighing deeply, until he saw a head pop up again from the other end of the cabin, still winking at him.

He immediately stood up and followed her out of the cabin.

By the ship's railing, Wei Ziyi leaned against it, casually tapping a folded fan in her hand. She looked up at Su Mo, one delicate eyebrow raised higher than the other, and stared at him with a mischievous look."

"What's up?"

Su Mo checked himself over. Although Qi Shaoming had struck him in the chest, his clothes weren't even damaged. Why was she staring at him that way?

"What did you say to my grandfather that night?"

Wei Ziyi didn't hesitate. She had no ulterior motives toward Su Mo, so she was straightforward and honest.

When she had a question, she just asked directly.

No point in beating around the bush and wasting time.

However, Su Mo felt a thud in his heart upon hearing her question... wondering if this girl had discovered something she shouldn’t.

But then again, even if she had, it didn’t seem to matter much.

If she really knew, she wouldn’t be acting like this.

He paused for a moment and then smiled, saying, "Actually, I’ve been looking for a chance to tell you about that night."

"Huh?"

Wei Ziyi’s eyes widened. "What’s the matter? Why are you being so mysterious?"

"Not really mysterious. It’s just that they probably felt too embarrassed to bring it up."

Su Mo sighed and continued, "That night, your grandfather called me to the backyard to discuss something. And it involves you."

As he said this, he realized... it was a bit difficult for him to say it out loud.

But since he had already come this far, Wei Ziyi naturally pressed him. "It involves me? What is it?"

"Your grandfather wants to find a potential husband for you, and he has his eye on me."

Su Mo shrugged, deciding to just come clean.