Chapter 361: Taking the Escort

**Chapter 361: Accepting the Escort**

The visitor was none other than Little Situ.

It had been over a year since they last parted ways at Fog-Forget Forest.

To their surprise, they received word today that Uncle Fu had sent someone to announce the arrival of disciples from the Hanging Pot Pavilion.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun hurried out to meet them.

After such a long time apart, Little Situ hadn’t changed much.

She was still carried in a palanquin—her legs clearly still immobile.

But now she wore women’s clothing: simple white robes highlighting her natural grace.

Her smile was warm and sincere, filled with the happiness of seeing them again.

The four attendants—East, West, South, and North—were just as distant as before.

No—if anything, they were frostier than before.

Especially when looking at Su Mo, their stares weren’t just cold—they practically smoldered with irritation.

When they looked at Yang Xiaoyun, however, there was no special treatment. If anything, they seemed far more welcoming than toward Su Mo.

“Little Situ, it’s been a long time.”

At the news of her visit, Su Mo’s heart skipped a beat.

The memory of that stormy night in the cave flooded back.

He’d told Yang Xiaoyun everything. Before their wedding, he had even planned to visit the Hanging Pot Pavilion—he couldn’t just leave things unsettled.

But with endless distractions piling up, the trip fell through.

Now, a year later, Little Situ was at his door.

Yang Xiaoyun studied the young woman covertly.

From Su Mo’s account, she had expected someone quite different.

Now, seeing her like this, she bore no resemblance to the wronged "young man" of that day.

Not a hint of defeat showed on her face; instead, she radiated a bright energy.

She wasn’t stunningly beautiful—but undeniably lovely.

Her charm was quiet, gentle—a kind of unassuming beauty that made you want to shield her.

As Yang Xiaoyun’s eyes lingered on her, Little Situ pinkened.

“Mrs. Su…”

Yang Xiaoyun laughed warmly.

Yang Xiaoyun chuckled and said:

"No need for such formalities. You and my husband are very close, and we’re both girls.

"Just call me Xiaoyun-jie (Sister Xiaoyun), like he used to—how about that?"

"Xiaoyun-jie."

Little Situ’s eyes lit up. She forgot the steamed buns entirely and nodded eagerly.

Yang Xiaoyun could tell that Su Mo was somewhat embarrassed.

They were deeply in sync, understanding each other’s thoughts completely. Yang Xiaoyun spoke first:

"He’s been constantly on the move this past year, passing by home several times without a chance to visit.

"He originally wanted to go to Xuanyu Pavilion to find you, but it never worked out.

"The Eastern Wilderness Escort Alliance is newly established, with endless tasks requiring his oversight.

"It’s only recently that he’s finally gotten a breather.

"Sister, please don’t blame him."

Su Mo was at a loss for words—since when does a wife have to explain her husband’s actions?

Little Situ was also taken aback, her face flushing red the next moment.

That Yang Xiaoyun would say this meant Su Mo had indeed told her everything.

She knew about what happened in the cave that day.

Was she implying something now? Or… was she sincerely defending Su Mo?

But if she was defending him, as his wife, why would she even need to explain anything to her?

Her mind was in turmoil, wanting to say something but not knowing how.

Flustered, she could only shake her head and say:

"Why would I blame him..."

Yang Xiaoyun found her reaction amusing but held back a laugh.

"That’s good.

"Sister, now that you’re here, you should stay at Ziyang Escort for a while.

"Treat this place as your own."

"Ah…"

Little Situ was momentarily stunned, tempted by the idea.

But then her expression darkened:

"Xiaoyun-jie, you’re too kind, but… I can’t stay.

"This time, I came… to say goodbye."

"Huh?"

Yang Xiaoyun and Su Mo were both startled:

"You're going on a faraway journey?"

If it weren't for a distant trip, why bother coming all this way just to say goodbye?

Traveling from the Xuanhu Pavilion all the way to Sunset City simply to bid farewell to Su Mo seemed unnecessary.

Unless Little Situ was heading somewhere even farther than any place in the Eastern Wastes.

Little Situ gave a small smile:

"Yes, I mentioned it to Chief Escort Su before.

"The reason I entered jianghu was to seek an opportunity to heal my legs.

"Unfortunately, the Eastern Wastes didn’t offer the chance I was looking for...

"So, my elders told me to leave the Eastern Wastes to search elsewhere."

"Where will you go?"

Su Mo asked.

"...I don’t have a specific direction."

Little Situ said with a smile:

"I’ll go wherever the road takes me.

"Now that I'm in Sunset City, I thought I’d come to say goodbye to you both, Chief Escort Su, and then set out from South Bay toward the southern sea.

"The sea is vast, with many islands and legends.

"Maybe I'll have some luck there.

"But this journey will be long and difficult, and who knows when we might meet again.

"I just wanted to stop by and thank Chief Escort Su for your protection and companionship during our travels."

Though she tried to keep her voice steady, a slight quiver entered as she spoke.

It was subtle but impossible to completely hide.

Su Mo, however, looked surprised:

"You’re also going to the southern sea?"

"Mm..."

Little Situ nodded without thinking: "Yes, I hope when I return to the Eastern Wastes, I can walk back under my own power."

Meanwhile, the four girls who had been watching silently with cool stares since entering the room finally spoke up.

Hearing this, the girl named Bei Xuan couldn’t help but ask:

"Chief Escort Su, why did you use 'also'?"

Su Mo fell silent for a moment.

Yang Xiaoyun at his side burst out laughing:

"What a coincidence! My man has been planning to head to the South Sea for nearly a year now.

"Over the past year, I've been running all over the Eastern Wilds just to prepare for this journey.

"Now that Little Situ is also heading to the South Sea, why not wait a few days and travel with us?"

"Ah?"

Little Situ blinked in surprise. "Su Da... Chief Escort Su is going to the South Sea too?"

Su Mo nodded gently:

"Indeed, I've wanted to go to the South Sea for a long time.

"And this trip might not be limited to just the South Sea.

"We may even make it as far as Western Zhou...

"I never expected you'd be going too, Little Situ.

"Nobody knows for sure what conditions are like on the South Sea.

"If you girls go by yourselves, it might not be safe.

"If you're not in a hurry, wait a few days... let's go together."

"Wait... is that really okay?"

Little Situ couldn’t help but glance at Yang Xiaoyun.

Yang Xiaoyun immediately nodded. "Silly dear, of course it is! We're all headed the same way—wouldn't it be better to travel together?

"We can watch each other's backs...

"And that's not all—Leader Wei from the Fallen Phoenix Alliance is also heading to the South Sea."

"You mean Wei Ziyi, Sister Wei?"

Little Situ blinked. "She’s going too?"

"That's right."

Yang Xiaoyun smiled. "So, you said goodbye too soon. We’ll probably be stuck on the same boat together for quite some time."

"This..."

Little Situ Taoist wavered.

But before she could get a word in edgewise, Bei Xuan spoke up:

"Perfect!

"My lady actually came here at her elders' request, meaning to ask Chief Escort Su to escort her along the way.

"But she absolutely wouldn't hear of it."

"And they wouldn’t even let us mention it...

"Now that Chief Escort Su is coming along, we might as well speak plainly."

"Hmm?"

Su Mo glanced at Bei Xuan. "Is there more to this? If you're asking me to guard you, then it must mean your journey to the South Sea has a specific destination?"

"That's right."

Bei Xuan nodded and looked toward Little Situ Taoist.

She was puffing out her cheeks, shooting her an annoyed glare, clearly upset about the secret being revealed.

Their trip to Ziyang Escort wasn't just about saying goodbye.

Earlier, Xuanhu Pavilion's elders had given Little Situ Taoist a sea chart, claiming it might hold her ‘destined chance.’

But the seas were wild and unpredictable, and the martial world of the South Sea was rarely ventured into by those from Donghuang.

The risks remained unknown.

So sending them alone would be worrying.

Moreover, the elders knew all about how Little Situ Taoist and Su Mo first crossed paths.

Especially over the past year, Su Mo’s fame had only grown.

Despite Xuanhu Pavilion’s seclusion, villagers at the foot of the mountain often spoke his name.

So the elders hatched a plan.

They decided to recruit Su Mo as their escort.

Hiring a top-tier master like Su Mo—First of Donghuang—was no small feat, but the elders spoiled Si Tu Xiangxiang rotten. They raided their storeroom for rare elixirs to serve as payment.

They hoped Su Mo would accept this personal escort mission out of regard for his friendship with Little Situ Taoist.

Outwardly, Little Situ Taoist agreed, but once she left Xuanhu Pavilion, she changed her mind.

After the cave incident, her heart was already set.

No matter how she tried, Su Mo lingered in her thoughts.

That rash "Eldest Brother Su" she had called out in Wuwang Forest still felt impulsive in hindsight—but she didn’t regret it.

But when word of Su Mo’s marriage reached her ears, she resolved to lock her feelings away.

His heart already belonged to another—what would it mean if she kept clinging to him?

If he returned her feelings, wouldn’t that place him in an impossible position?

And if he didn’t, wouldn’t that make things unbearable?

So, not wanting to trouble him, she only wished for him to thrive—and decided to go to the South Sea alone.

Even if the raging seas claimed her life, it would simply be her fate.

Yet... part of her still clung to the hope that Su Mo might spare her a thought.

Therefore, before leaving, she couldn’t help but come to Ziyang Escort to say goodbye.

She wanted to see Su Mo one more time—even one more look would satisfy her.

Yet, she never expected that Su Mo also planned to go to the South Sea.

Now with Yang Xiaoyun insisting so kindly, she truly didn’t know what to do.

Then Bei Xuan went ahead and brought up what their elders had said—if this made Su Mo uncomfortable, it would hurt her even more than troubling herself.

Thus, she was really angry at the moment.

But Bei Xuan ignored this completely.

Little Situ thought she had kept her emotions hidden well. However, ever since news of Su Mo’s marriage reached Xu Hut Pavilion,

whenever she was alone, she would sigh.

Even when sitting together, her gaze would often drift, lost in thought.

Love strikes without warning, yet once it takes root, it runs deep.

In this world, not everything makes sense.

Little Situ and Su Mo had only known each other briefly, yet unexpectedly, her feelings had grown so deep.

This not only made the four maids pity their young mistress, but they were also a bit angry at Su Mo.

Still, they ultimately understood that marriage was their own business.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun had been promised to each other since before they were born—the engagement had long been decided.

If anything, their young mistress was the outsider here.

Thus, though they didn’t like Su Mo, they couldn’t really blame him either.

After all, they had no right to complain.

But now that both Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun were willing to accompany Little Situ into the South Sea, Bei Xuan gave up worrying about it. She simply thought that if their young mistress could just see Su Mo a few more times, it might soothe her heartache.

So she explained everything clearly.

Finally, she produced a scroll from her sleeve:

"Chief Escort Su, please take a look."

Su Mo nodded lightly and unfolded the scroll. The marked islands on it seemed faintly familiar.

A year ago, Su Mo officially took Xu Lu and Yu Shengnan as students.

That day, two martial artists from the South Sea suddenly arrived, claiming to be disciples of the Canglan Divine Blade.

These two picked a fight for no reason, and Su Mo found an excuse to lock them away until now.

Over the past year, he had repeatedly questioned them, squeezing out every detail they knew about the South Sea.

As a result, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun weren’t completely in the dark about conditions in the South Sea anymore.

Now, as he studied the sea chart, Su Mo frowned slightly:

"This place... Lady Yang, does it look familiar to you?"

Yang Xiaoyun pointed at the map. "This island seems to be Gupiao Island. The Little Divine Blade of Canglan once mentioned it—named for looking like an isolated gourd. And here... where the map is blank, there should be a place called Broken Star Bay. The Broken Star Sect stationed there is not to be trifled with; their signature move is the Twelve Forms of Broken Star Finger.

"The sect leader is someone even the Canglan Divine Blade wouldn’t dare provoke lightly."

Su Mo smacked his forehead. "Right, this is the spot."

"Chief Escort Su is familiar with it?"

The four girls were surprised.

Su Mo immediately called for Xu Lu, telling him to fetch something from the study.

Xu Lu was quick as ever, and within moments returned with a scroll in his arms.

Without hesitation, Su Mo unrolled it on the ground.

It was another map of the Southern Sea—clearly drawn by those two individuals whose identities had been previously established.

After a quick look, he compared the map Bei Xuan held with a section of his own.

The shape of Gupiao Island was roughly similar, but the surrounding details were unclear.

Their map marked many surrounding islands, while Su Mo’s showed nothing there.

Still, overall, there was about a 30-40% match.

Though that might not sound like much, for maps of the Southern Sea floating around, this was already remarkably reliable.

"This area is also the sole path to the Qi Family," Yang Xiaoyun said with a smile. "Seems like fate's hand at play, no?"

"Hmm..."

Little Situ examined the map, realizing that Su Mo truly intended to venture into the Southern Sea.

She hesitated briefly.

Instinctively, she looked at Su Mo, who grinned and replied,

"Since this involves your legs, I won’t just sit idle.

"We’ll go together. As for this job..."

As he spoke, he noticed a sudden system prompt.

He hadn’t seen one in ages.

It felt strangely comforting.

"Mission: Escort Little Situ to the Mysterious Island?"

"Accept it?"

After casually selecting "accept," he continued:

"I've taken the job."

"Thank you, Chief Escort Su!"

Bei Xuan and the other three girls saluted with clasped fists.

Su Mo returned the gesture with a fist salute: "My pleasure. Well then... where are you staying?"

"We just arrived in Sunset City today and haven't looked for lodging yet—we came straight here first," Bei Xuan replied. "Now that Chief Escort Su has accepted this job, we'll take care of the paperwork, pay the deposit, and then go find an inn."

"Now that's just wrong."

Yang Xiaoyun quickly interjected:

"You've already come to Sunset City—you're practically family now. How could you stay anywhere else?

"Would we really let you stay elsewhere?

"It's just for a few days. Stay here for now.

"I already had the staff clean out the rooms.

"It's the same room sister si tu stayed in last time."

"Thank you, Xiaoyun."

With Yang Xiaoyun's words reaching this point, Little Situ Taoist knew that further refusal would be inappropriate.

Moreover, from the bottom of her heart, she also wished to stay at the Purple Sun Escort Agency.

The matter was thus settled. Later, Su Mo also paid the deposit and signed the contract with Dongqing, Beixuan, and the other three young ladies.

However, the amount of the deposit somewhat amused and perplexed Su Mo.

It amounted to no less than ten bottles of "Yijing Ximi Pills."

Since he opened the escort agency, he had encountered people like Ji Shuhua, who were short on funds, and others like Wei Ruhan, who could wave his hand and treat silver as if it were nothing.

But using pills as payment for an escort service—this was truly the first time he had seen such a thing.

Initially, he did not think much of it, but after the young ladies explained, he realized these were indeed valuable items.

Yijing Ximi, precisely the best pill for enhancing one's innate qualities.

Even if a hopeless case ate them every day, they certainly wouldn't turn into a genius.

The effects were ultimately limited.

But in today's world, such things were worth more than gold.

Only a place like the Hanging Pot Pavilion, a secluded retreat, might have the capability to create such legendary pills.

Ten bottles... It must be said, the Hanging Pot Pavilion clearly did not understand the value of wealth in today's martial world; otherwise, how could they afford such generosity?