Chapter 359: Rumor

**Chapter 359: Rumors**

One strike was enough to show the difference. The young man was sharp enough to recognize that things weren’t going his way and knew better than to push his luck.

He turned to leave…

But he was still too naive.

This was the Ziyang Escort Agency.

Su Mo ran his business openly, earning his keep in the jianghu.

During today’s apprenticeship ceremony, these two had come to make trouble. If Su Mo ignored them and let them walk away, wouldn’t that undermine his authority in front of everyone present?

But it wasn’t worth making a spectacle over just two people.

They simply didn’t warrant that kind of attention.

So Su Mo merely lifted his hand slightly, and two streaks of force cut through the air.

The two figures, who had been hastily fleeing the Ziyang Escort Agency, suddenly went rigid on the spot, unable to move even an inch.

Only their faces revealed their expressions—one frozen in shock, the other showing a hint of resentment and urgency.

The surrounding crowd immediately realized they had been paralyzed by a pressure point strike.

But how had Escort Chief Su done it from such a distance?

Or perhaps there were hidden escorts from the Ziyang Escort Agency among the spectators?

Their minds raced with possibilities but found no answer, nor did they ponder it further.

Meanwhile, Su Mo had accepted the tea from his disciples, gestured for them to rise, and offered some advice.

Xu Lu already had his own reputation in the martial world.

His nickname, “Fleeting Shadow Unmoved by Falling Snow,” sounded poetic, but a thief’s reputation was still not honorable.

Su Mo exhorted him to stay disciplined and never grow complacent.

As for Zhaodi—

Su Mo studied her briefly; his eyes held a trace of pity.

After a brief pause, he spoke:

“Zhaodi…

“Your history is painful, but I hope you won’t dwell on it constantly.

“Entering my school, you will learn martial arts, but more importantly, the way of conducting yourself.

“The name ‘Zhaodi’ won’t serve you well in the jianghu.

“It is, however, your only tie to your past, so from today onward, let it be your given name.

“Your parents gave you this name hoping for a son to follow.

“As your master, I see things differently.”

"Although your master's wife is a woman, her martial arts skills are second to none."

"Since you have joined my sect, you are certainly no less than others.

"Therefore... I bestow upon you the name 'Shengnan'—will you accept it?"

"Shengnan..."

Zhaodi hesitated briefly in thought before lifting his gaze to Su Mo. "Yu Shengnan?"

Su Mo gave a slight nod.

Without hesitation, Zhaodi deeply bowed before Su Mo.

"Thank you, Master, for granting me this name."

Su Mo nodded, then stood and smiled as he addressed the gathered guests.

"Today, thanks to all of you who have come to witness this occasion, I have formally accepted disciples.

"These two are now officially my disciples.

"In the martial world, one inevitably experiences ups and downs. I hope fellow martial artists here will lend them support when needed.

"I would be most grateful."

With these words, he saluted with clasped hands in all directions.

"Of course!"

"Master Su, you're too courteous."

"These two are clearly exceptional individuals.

"'Soaring Swan, Drifting Snow' has long been known as an extraordinary figure. If anything, I might need his help more than he needs mine."

The crowd warmly chimed in with agreement.

The martial world is not only a place of combat but also of relationships.

When connections matter, they hold great value; when they don't, strength speaks loudest.

In today's jianghu, Su Mo's word carries the greatest weight.

With such words spoken today, Xu Lu and Yu Shengnan will navigate the martial world with a significant advantage—even if life won't always go smoothly.

With nothing further to add, everyone took their seats. Su Mo led Xu Lu and Yu Shengnan to pay respects to the senior martial artists and peers present.

As a junior, Yu Shengnan handled it naturally.

Xu Lu, however, found himself in an awkward position—he had once been considered an equal among them, yet was now regarded as a junior.

Luckily, he had a thick skin and didn’t mind much.

Others wouldn't dare take unfair advantage either, and quickly suggested maintaining informal terms regardless of hierarchy.

The celebration continued until dusk, ending with everyone in high spirits.

Throughout the day, people bustled about the escort bureau, frequently casting glances at a corner of the courtyard.

There, a young man and a young woman had been standing all day.

Now, as groups of people walked past them on their way out, they naturally couldn't help but steal another look.

Some pointed and whispered, while others snickered.

The two so-called “martial artists” from the Southern Sea, who considered themselves superior, were fuming with humiliation.

Yet they were completely immobilized—unable to move even an inch—and could only endure the mockery. Otherwise, they would have long since fought these Eastern Wasteland locals in a fierce battle.

At the same time, however, they couldn’t help feeling growing dread.

Exactly what kind of pressure-point sealing technique had been used on them?

Over the course of the day, they had tried more than a dozen different ways to force open their blocked acupoints through qi circulation, yet none worked.

They couldn’t even tell which points had been sealed…

The more they tried, the more alarmed they became.

Though unable to communicate, they both simultaneously had the same thought:

Don’t tell me… this young chief escort is actually the number one martial arts master in the Eastern Wastelands?

In truth, the two had just arrived in the Eastern Wastelands.

Today was their very first day in Sunset City.

By coincidence, they had stumbled upon Su Mo’s disciple-recruitment event.

Still unclear about what was going on, they followed the crowd to join the commotion.

Then they saw Su Mo—a mere twenty-something-year-old—who was being called the greatest martial artist and brazenly accepting disciples right there.

Neither of them were ordinary people; not only were their masters renowned experts, but they themselves were well-traveled practitioners who had wandered through the cutthroat jianghu of the Southern Sea and knew how dangerous the martial world could be. Thus, they dismissed him as a frog at the bottom of a well.

After all, any true expert would never dare claim such a title outright.

But they hadn’t expected their luck to turn this rotten.

On their very first day in the Eastern Wastelands, they had kicked an iron plate—the thickest one in the entire region.

Right now, they felt as grim as mourners.

All they could do was wait with gnawing unease, unsure what fate awaited them next.

As the sky darkened, their anxiety deepened.

Just when they didn’t know what to do, a burly figure suddenly appeared before them.

Before the two could react, the man reached out—

And hauled them up effortlessly under his arms like a pair of scrawny chicks.

Striding with powerful steps, each one shaking the ground violently.

In just a short while, they had passed through halls and rooms, and upon looking up, stood in a grand hall.

The huge figure casually tossed the two men onto the ground.

"Boss, I've brought them to you."

This huge woman was none other than Zhen Xiaoxiao.

Over the past few days, she'd really indulged herself, even happier than Su Mo at his own wedding.

Taking the white tiger to feast everywhere, she experienced a whole new lifestyle.

Though the banquet wasn't enjoyed on a boat, stepping outside meant food—eating wherever they went, which was eye-opening for Zhen Xiaoxiao.

She only realized then that food could be eaten this way, truly flowing like water.

After Su Mo's wedding feast, the girl had put on even more weight, and the white tiger had gotten fatter as well.

Now standing behind Su Mo, she actually gave off an air of being a one-man army.

Su Mo couldn't help worrying as he looked at her. He sighed to himself. With the trip to the South Sea's timing still uncertain, he needed to find a way to help stabilize Zhen Xiaoxiao's condition as much as possible.

Between Zhen Xiaoxiao and Wei Ziyi, Su Mo felt like the only support when trouble came from all sides.

Shaking his head, he dismissed his random thoughts and glanced at the two men on the ground, still poised to flee. With a flick of his sleeve, he sent a subtle pulse of finger energy.

The pressure points they'd failed to unlock all day were quietly released.

Free again, they scrambled to their feet.

Looking at Su Mo, they paused uncertainly.

Should they fight him now?

Or should they turn and run?

Fighting would be pointless.

Escaping was probably impossible.

Finally, they exchanged a glance, then looked back at Su Mo, setting their jaws:

"Thank you, senior, for sparing our lives!"

The response nearly made Su Mo stumble.

Frowning slightly, he hesitated for a moment before confirming that they had indeed said "Thank you, senior, for sparing our lives!" rather than "Do as you will, kill or maim as you please."

If all captured individuals in the martial world had taken some sort of "captivity training course," the expected response would have been the latter, maybe with some "I'll be back in eighteen years as a hero!" thrown in.

But these two seemed to have cut class halfway through.

Su Mo glanced at Yang Xiaoyun, who was sitting nearby.

Yang Xiaoyun was watching Su Mo as well at that moment.

As they locked eyes, Su Mo gave a faint smile:

"It's still too early for you two to thank me for sparing your lives.

I, Su Mo, never promised you’d walk out of my Ziyang Escort unscathed."

The two exchanged glances and immediately grinned nervously:

"Elder, surely you jest. You are a Grandmaster and legend of the martial world.

We’re just a junior sister and brother—utter nobodies. For someone of your stature to soil your blades over us would be beneath your dignity."

"Exactly. We’re not even worth the effort of killing."

The woman also spoke up:

"We’re newcomers to the Eastern Wasteland—ignorant of its ways. Our offense today warrants death.

But staining your hands with our blood? That’s beneath you."

She watched as he gave a slow nod, as if conceding the point.

A flicker of hope sparked in them.

Maybe there was still a way out of this.

In the jianghu, when you screw up, you take your lumps—no complaints.

As long as they could keep their lives, that was enough.

The woman was ready to strangle her junior brother with her bare hands. If not for his big mouth and thinking Su Mo was some pushover, how could they have ended up like this?

But throttling him could wait.

For now, they had to swallow their pride and beg.

Seeing Su Mo nod, it seemed this young man also felt that a Grandmaster like him needn’t soil his blades by killing two insignificant newcomers.

If that raised hand came down lightly, they might just survive this.

Just as they were beginning to relax, Su Mo spoke again:

"In that case, to avoid soiling your blades, do the honorable thing and end yourselves."

Their faces went slack with horror.

They gaped at each other, too stunned for tears.

Their eyes wild, they scrambled for some last desperate play.

Su Mo read them like an open scroll. For all their begging, their spines stayed stiff—not an ounce of true remorse.

Their act was transparent.

No shame in crawling to survive.

Scheming in front of Su Mo was pointless anyway.

After a quick glance at them, Su Mo suddenly grinned:

"What’s this? Having second thoughts about dying?"

"Fine, I’ll help you along."

Their faces went white in an instant. A second ago, he had said killing them wasn’t worth the effort—now he was doing it himself?

But they saw Su Mo seated motionless, unmoving. A gust of wind surged from his palm, carrying a low dragon's roar, as a massive purple palm imprint shot forth from his hand.

In an instant, it was right in front of them.

They exchanged a look—no time to hesitate now. Even before the palm strike struck, they could feel an intense, scorching heat.

Their skin was already blistering, the stench of burning flesh in the air—what would happen if it actually landed?

Instinct took over—they yanked out their sabers.

One swung sideways, the other chopped downward.

Their blades crossed midair, meeting the Purple Sun Divine Palm head-on.

The clash of forces sent a shockwave tearing through the hall, and stray saber qi sliced several nearby chairs clean in half.

But their faces only twisted further in strain.

Their sabers shook violently, nearly ripped from their hands.

They braced their sword arms with their free hands, but it was no use.

The palm strike blazed like a miniature sun, its Pure Yang energy surging forward unstoppable, like floodwaters breaking a dam.

Within seconds, blood trickled from their lips.

A few more seconds, and that palm strike would finish them.

Their stomachs dropped.

They’d come to the Eastern Wastelands to prove themselves—only to die the second they arrived? What a joke.

But it didn’t matter—their energy was spent, fading fast. With a last, shuddering breath, they shut their eyes—ready for the end.

Yet the next moment, the palm strike vanished into thin air.

"Has he run out too?"

A shared look—was this their chance?

They spun to run, but their legs buckled—the fight had sapped them dry.

Now, they couldn’t move even if they wanted to.

"Not bad. You’ve got some skill."

The next moment, they heard Su Mo’s calm voice speak:

"Mind telling me which master you two serve under?"

"Better speak up now—wouldn’t want you to regret it later."

"This..."

Normally, they’d never believe it. How could Su Mo, at his age, possibly know their master?

But now, shaken by Su Mo’s palm strike, it crossed their minds that if he really did know their master, they might not only escape with their lives today—but gain a powerful backer.

Blurting out almost on reflex:

"Our master is the Canglan Divine Blade. Do you know our master?"

Then they saw Su Mo lightly shake his head:

"I’ve kept to the Eastern Wastes and never set foot in the Southern Sea, so I don’t know this Canglan Divine Blade.

"But since you two mentioned him, I can easily look him up when I make it to the Southern Sea someday."

Hearing this, their hopes crashed.

Now they were done for—not only were they finished here, but their master would probably be dragged into it too.

From the way he carried himself, that earlier palm strike seemed like he hadn’t even tried.

With martial arts like that, even if their master showed up in person, it’d be pointless.

The two hesitated briefly before speaking:

"Honored One, we were wrong to offend you, but this has nothing to do with our master. Please show us mercy."

"We, sister and brother, will accept any punishment without complaint."

Hearing this, Su Mo smiled and said to Yang Xiaoyun:

"My wife, look—now they seem much more sincere."

Yang Xiaoyun lightly shook her head:

"Stop teasing them."

After a moment's pause, she turned to the two and spoke softly:

"You two, our Ziyang Escort Agency is not like other places. My husband commands respect in the martial world of Donghuang."

"Fellow martial artists respectfully call him Donghuang's top martial artist."

"He has never claimed such a title for himself."

"But since it has been earned, we must uphold it."

"And we cannot allow others to disgrace it."

"What you did today has gone too far."

"If we simply let this matter slide, the Ziyang Escort Agency would never be able to live it down."

"But killing you over this isn’t worth it.

"Now, let me ask you two: are you really from the South Sea?"

Yang Xiaoyun laid things out clearly and logically, leaving the brother and sister with no room to argue. They could only nod and say,

"We are indeed from the South Sea."

"Mm."

Yang Xiaoyun gave a slight nod and smiled.

"Then this’ll be easy to sort out.

"My husband runs an escort agency here in the Eastern Wasteland and has long wanted to expand his operations.

"He knows a bit about the South Sea, but not enough—especially when it comes to the martial world there. He only knows the same old stories everyone hears.

"If you can share some of your firsthand knowledge of the South Sea with us,

"I might put in a word for you, and maybe this whole matter will just blow over."

"This… thank you, Madam."

The two saluted in thanks, but when they tried to speak, they hesitated.

"There’s too much to tell—where do we even start?"

"Then just tell us: any interesting rumors lately?"

"Well…"

They exchanged glances before nodding.

"The martial world’s always buzzing with rumors, and in the South Sea, the Dragon King’s Palace, Guixu Island, and the South Sea Alliance never fail to come up.

"But recently, there’s been one juicy—if unconfirmed—rumor..."

At this point, the woman paused briefly before continuing,

"It’s said that a massive ship just docked in the South Sea from the Eastern Wasteland.

"On board are some of the deadliest martial artists around, as well as the most stunning women.

"There are also countless lost martial arts manuals and... treasures beyond imagining!

"Take that ship, and everything on it is yours."