Chapter 355: Congratulatory Gift

**Chapter 355: The Gift**

Su Mo had invited the various sect leaders and officials today not merely to lay out his schemes, but also to bring up the matter of Da You Bank.

Unexpectedly, before he could even speak, Xia Xuanran had already admitted that Da You Bank maintained close ties with the East City Seven Sects.

This did not surprise Su Mo in the least.

After all, the letter from Wei Ruhan had made it clear enough.

Da You Bank had faced two dire straits in the past, and both times, the Seven Sects had bailed them out.

If anyone claimed there was no connection between Da You Bank and the Seven Sects, no one would believe it.

By openly bringing this up in front of them, Su Mo hoped they would give him an explanation. At the very least, they should help track down the whereabouts of the bank’s great manager.

Hearing this, he arched a brow and smiled faintly:

“So that’s how it is. May I ask how Saintess Xuanyuan responded to this man’s plea for help?”

Xuanyuan Xiaoshan straightened slightly, cast a glance at those present, and replied in a low voice:

“There was nothing to discuss. He offended Chief Escort Su—no one could protect him, whether he sought aid from my Heavenly Heart Sect or begged every last one of the Seven Sects.

“I had originally intended to simply cut off his head and present it to Chief Escort Su as a gift in honor of the occasion.

“But first, such a gesture would be too paltry to convey our sincerity.

“Second, regrettably, we currently have no idea where he is hiding.”

“Oh?”

Su Mo raised an eyebrow.

“Even all of you are unaware of the great manager’s whereabouts?”

“Chief Escort Su may not be aware…” Luo Changsheng quickly interjected.

“The origins of Da You Bank are quite complex. Initially, its founder was not affiliated with any of the Seven Sects.

“But the man possessed a shrewd mind and keen business acumen.

“Moreover, he was audacious beyond measure. Alone, he traveled through the Eastern Desolation, approaching representatives of each of our seven sects to broker deals on establishing branches of Da You Bank within their territories.

“That great manager relied solely on his persuasive charm to build Da You Bank’s enterprise.

“However, since the bank rose with the support of the Seven Sects, it naturally sent tribute to us year after year.

“Let’s not mince words—the Seven Sects do not generate income directly. Although levies were collected annually from the towns under our jurisdiction, funds were perpetually tight.

“Since Da You Bank’s founding, over the years, it has indeed provided our sects with substantial financial support.

“But as the bank gradually expanded, leveraging its deep-rooted ties, it eventually spread throughout all of East City.”

"Not even the southwestern region escaped its control."

The founding masters of the seven sects finally realized they had underestimated that individual.

"A bank covering all of the Eastern Wasteland—its actual wealth is beyond imagination."

"Even our seven sects couldn't help but tremble at such wealth..."

"Ultimately, we couldn't stand by while it swallowed the whole realm."

Su Mo poured himself a cup of wine and mused with a slight nod:

"Indeed, if it were me, I wouldn't stand for it either."

"But since Da You Bank still exists today, there must have been further developments."

"Exactly."

Xia Xuanran continued Luo Changsheng's account:

"Right around that time, the great manager of Da You Bank suddenly sent a letter to each of the seven sect leaders.

"Inviting them to a summit...

"He was a financier, while the sect leaders back then were martial artists of the rivers and lakes—they naturally had no reason to fear him.

"On the day of the meeting, they all showed up without a second thought.

"The man was bold—he came with barely any guards and arrived alone.

"And he laid his cards on the table: he would divide Da You Bank into three shares. Two would go to the seven sects collectively, and one would remain his own.

"He claimed that since he had built Da You Bank with his own hands, he couldn't simply hand it all over.

"Keeping one share would be his rightful reward for years of toil.

"The other two shares he'd hand over completely to the seven sects.

"However, the founders of the seven sects refused.

"If they had accepted, wouldn't it have been profiting from another man's sweat?"

Su Mo nodded outwardly while shaking his head inside.

Had the seven sects truly swallowed up those two-thirds of Da You Bank back then, not only would it have looked greedy, but more importantly—who would manage the bank afterward?

Or how would those two shares offered up by the great manager be divided among the seven sects?

How would they coordinate its management?

It was a juicy prize, but one that would burn their fingers. One wrong move could spark a deadly fight over the shares—and far too dangerous, in fact.

The leaders of the seven sects needed not only peerless martial skills but also shrewd minds—faced with such an offer, they couldn't just accept it outright.

Finally, the Third Palace Master picked up the thread:

"Therefore, the three divisions of Da You Bank split by this great manager were left entirely untouched—our seven factions took not a single coin."

Su Mo smiled and nodded: "If I were him, I would do the same."

"Sly fox."

The Third Palace Master gave him a look, almost about to go off-topic. But considering the setting, she thought better of it and continued instead:

"The entire Da You Bank was still entrusted to this great manager, and the founders of the seven factions originally intended to return home after that."

"However, the great manager refused."

"He insisted instead that the seven factions assume control of Da You Bank, taking key roles within it."

"From then on, 70% of the yearly profits would go to our seven factions."

"He would keep the remaining 30%, along with full authority over operations."

"In his final plea, he put his own life on the line, telling our founders that if they refused, he would die before them all."

"With no other option, the founders of the seven factions had no choice but to agree."

"From that year onward, the seven factions and Da You Bank became inextricably linked."

"But as time passed, these old stories were forgotten."

"Over the years, Da You Bank has seen more than one change in its great manager—each one a business prodigy."

"But no one can figure out what’s gotten into this current one."

"To be foolish enough to challenge you, the First of Donghuang."

"When he turned to the Heavenly Heart Sect for help, they immediately dispatched agents to look into it."

"Only to find the place completely abandoned."

Hearing this, Su Mo lightly tapped his fingers on the table and suddenly said with a smile:

"Elder, you’re not making this up just to protect the great manager, are you?"

"Chief Escort Su, please don’t misunderstand."

Xuanyuan Xiaoshan quickly replied, "What you’ve done for East City is earth-shaking! Truly an accomplishment beyond measure!"

"The struggle between our Eastern factions and the Cult goes back further than even the founding of Da You Bank."

"It was you who shattered that stalemate. Now, the seven factions have pushed deep into the Eternal Night Valley, scoring win after win."

"All of this is thanks to you. Why would we ever lie to you about something like this?"

"Besides, Sect Leader Li knows this too. Even if you doubt us, how could you doubt Sect Leader Li?"

Su Mo chuckled: "Saintess Xuanyuan, no need to worry—I’m just on edge, that’s all."

"After hearing you say that, how could I possibly doubt you?"

"Still, to be honest, if this person had only spread rumors to turn the martial world against me, it wouldn’t really matter much."

"However, in this matter, they caused the death of a person.

"This person’s name likely means nothing to any of you. Yet he is someone Su Mo genuinely admired...

"Therefore, I must avenge his death.

"Do you know where this great manager is now? Do any of you have leads?"

News of Su Mo possessing the Star Sea Legacy Sand Iron had spread like wildfire through the martial world.

However, the details hadn’t reached East City. All they knew was that many in the martial world sought to seize the Star Sea Legacy Sand Iron.

Their investigation quickly pinpointed the source, though they remained unaware of another layer to the story.

After a shared look, the Third Palace Master was the first to speak:

"As for leads, there is indeed one.

"It is said this person once commissioned the construction of a grand ship, spending extravagantly.

"After his disappearance, this ship also vanished without a trace."

Su Mo was slightly taken aback. "A ship?"

"Mmm."

The Third Palace Master nodded. "He most likely went to sea. He had numerous hidden vaults built into this ship, storing hoards of gold, silver, jade, and rare artifacts. As for his current whereabouts, there's no trace of him."

"If so, his plan to leave East City wasn't spur-of-the-moment, nor was it simply because he offended me, right?"

A thought struck Su Mo, and he asked:

"Everyone, if I may ask, over the years, how much silver did his thirty percent cut come to?

"No matter how lavishly he lived, he couldn’t have spent it all, correct?

"Da You Bank’s notes are useless overseas.

"So he could only carry silver and gold.

"Did this man have any other hideouts within East City?"

"All known hideouts have been turned inside out."

Yuchi Meng suddenly spoke up. A man of few words, his voice was gruff, his brows tightly knit as he continued:

"Here’s the strange part.

"He had hideouts across East City, yet after our searches, we found every single one had been cleaned out—not a copper left."

"..."

Su Mo rubbed his brow and exhaled slowly:

"May I ask, did the seven sects’ founding masters ever investigate the origins of the first great manager of Da You Bank?"

"Of course they did. His record was spotless—nothing suspicious to uncover. Nothing like Chief Escort Su, whose meteoric rise shocked everyone."

The Third Palace Master frowned slightly. "You’re asking so many questions—do you have a theory? Care to share?"

Su Mo glanced at them, paused briefly, then smiled:

"Just making small talk. Nothing important."

"It's just a pity... now that he got away."

"I wanted to help that friend of mine get revenge, but that might be tough."

The Third Mistress looked at Su Mo with suspicion, thinking he was holding something back and had more to say.

But she didn't ask her questions out loud. Instead, she simply nodded and said:

"Try not to worry. When you're meant to cross paths with him, it'll happen."

"If it hasn't happened yet, the timing just isn't right."

"Oh, and we came in such a rush. You didn't give us any warning, so we couldn't prepare."

"So we didn't have time to get you a wedding gift."

Su Mo waved his hand:

"Just having you here means everything. No gifts needed."

"We can't do that," everyone shook their heads in unison.

After looking at each other for a moment, Xuanyuan Xiaoshan finally spoke:

"Actually, we should've given this to you on your wedding day."

"But since we mentioned Da You Bank today, let's just give it to you now."

Everyone turned to look at Xuan Zhen.

The little monk scratched his head: "Mr. Su, please wait a moment."

With that, he took off running.

They all gaped. Moments later, the little monk came back, carrying a box.

Yuchi Meng slapped his forehead:

"You young monk, we trusted you because you're supposed to be above material things."

"You promised to keep it safe, but you weren't even keeping it with you!"

"What if it got lost? Then what would we do?"

Xuan Zhen shot back, "That's exactly why I left it elsewhere. No one would guess what's inside if I treated it like nothing special."

He placed the box on the table:

"Here you go, Mr. Su. Take a look."

He opened the box, revealing piles of banknotes and documents.

Su Mo did a double take. He picked up the contents and looked them over carefully.

His eyes widened. "Wait... Land deeds?"

"That's right."

Everyone nodded in unison.

"What's inside are the land deeds from various parts of East City—not just for houses, but also farmland, and businesses."

"All of these originally belonged to the Great Manager."

"But if he were to leave East City, they'd become mere worthless paper."

"If he continued to cling to them, it might even allow us to trace him."

"So he took nothing. Although he hid them quite well, we still managed to track them down."

"However, we assumed you wouldn't have time to manage his enterprises, so we've converted everything into silver notes and placed them in this box."

"Don't underestimate this small box."

"With it, you'll have a foothold anywhere in East City."

"But once you obtain it, you'll need someone to help manage these holdings."

The Third Palace Master said, "The seven sects can assist you initially in getting them in order. Once you have enough people, we'll step back without taking a single coin."

Su Mo gave a wry smile:

"This is quite the generous gesture."

"Don't be too surprised yet—this is only the first part."

The Third Palace Master waved her hand: "There's a second part. After all, these are just gold and silver matters, which mean little to us."

"As the saying goes, 'To offer charcoal in snowy weather is better than adding blossoms to the embroidery.'"

"Now with your rise in the martial world, we can no longer offer timely help during hardship."

"Therefore, we can only add blossoms to the embroidery."

"Today, we shall offer you a second gift."

At this, she glanced at the Second Palace Master, who nodded lightly and drew a token from within her sleeve, then set it upon the table:

"This is Cold Moon Palace's token—the Moon-Commanding Token."

"Hmm?"

As Su Mo raised an eyebrow, Xuanyuan Xiaoshan also produced her token from her sleeve:

"Heavenly Heart Sect's Heavenly Heart Token."

"True Martial School's True Martial Token."

"Distant Mountain Sword Sect's Distant Mountain Sword Token."

"Leisure Pavilion's Leisure Token."

One by one, each person produced a token from their sleeves, then turned to look at the young monk Xuanyuan.

Xuanyuan wore an expression of utter helplessness.

"Our Serene Zen Temple doesn't have such tokens... however..."

After a slight hesitation, he took out a string of Bodhi Beads from his robe:

"This is our Serene Zen Temple's Bodhi Beads.

"Though not a formal token like those presented by the honored guests here, anyone bearing this within our temple's domain will be treated as an honored guest.

"Today, I shall make a gift of someone else's generosity... Ah, perish the thought!

"Amitabha, how could a monk utter such false words?"

He lightly patted his lips, seemingly reluctant to hurt himself:

"Since all the honored friends here have presented their tokens, I shall offer this as a wedding gift to Benefactor Su as well."

"..."

Su Mo stared at the table full of tokens and prayer beads, wordless for a long moment.

His head was reeling.

He never expected that in just this brief time, so many more tokens would appear.

Faintly, he could already hear the straining protests from his little pouch of tokens—truly a weight too heavy to bear.

Summoning his courage, he spoke:

"Esteemed guests, these tokens... how could Su Mo deserve them?"

"Chief Escort Su has done East City an unmatched service. On this grand occasion of your wedding, how could we merely offer just money?

"Though those things are valuable, they fall short in sincerity.

"Thus, before our journey here, our leaders had us bring our sect tokens.

"Should Chief Escort Su ever visit our domains in the future, just show these tokens for free passage anywhere."

Xia Xuanran snapped open his fan with a flick, swaying his head side to side:

"Not only that, but today we also heard Chief Escort Su state your plans to establish a grand escort alliance.

"That demands something special.

"With the Purple Sun Token already in Chief Escort Su's possession, you now hold all seven tokens of the East City Seven Sects.

"Though the tokens themselves are few and cannot be distributed,

"their images can be copied—

"painted upon the banners of Escort Bureaus collaborating with Purple Sun Escort Bureau.

"This will tell the whole jianghu that these escorts are under the protection of our East City Seven Sects.

"We doubt many would dare attempt robbery."

"An excellent plan."

The crowd nodded in agreement:

"Chief Su, just take them already."

Su Mo sighed. With things at this point, it would be impolite to refuse.

But adding these up—now with these five tokens and a Buddhist prayer bead—it was practically enough to play a card game.

You lay down a Heavenly Blade Token, I counter with a Great Hall Token.

You throw out a Phoenix Cry Token, and I respond with a Purple Sun Token, costing you one health point. You play a Hanging Kiosk Token to heal yourself...

[sarcastically] What the hell is this?

Yet, it must be admitted that Xia Xuanran was right about one thing.

Previously, it was all just empty talk. But now, simply laying this pile of tokens before the heads of other escort agencies would get half the job done for tomorrow.

After thanking them with clasped hands, Su Mo immediately called out:

"Get me some white cloth—and ink with a grinding stone!"

...

...