Chapter 373: Throwing a Brick to Attract Jade

Chapter 373: Baiting the Hook

The hall instantly fell silent.

All eyes instinctively turned to Wang Chaosheng.

Wang Chaosheng avoided everyone’s gaze, his eyes darting furtively toward the ceiling.

If he’d whistled nonchalantly, he’d have looked the perfect old rogue.

Wang Chengying heaved heavy breaths, his finger trembling as he pointed:

"What… did… you… say?"

He spoke word by word, teeth clenched, eyes blazing with fury.

"Heh heh."

Wang Chaosheng grinned, grabbing Wang Chengying’s outstretched hand and squeezing it.

"No need to get worked up, son."

"?"

Wang Chengying nearly rolled his eyes back and almost fainted on the spot.

"Excited? What gave you that idea?"

Do I look excited to you?

Rage left him speechless.

Wang Chaosheng said with a grin:

"As valuable as the *Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture* is, your sister’s life comes first.

"But here’s the thing…

"We can hand over the scripture, but will someone like Yin Xiaoyu really release your sister after getting it?

"Otherwise, who knows what she’s capable of?

"If she gets cocky and bloodthirsty, even Pingyang City might not be safe."

Though Wang Chaosheng was no model elder, he made a good point.

Wang Chengying took a deep breath and shot his father a furious glare:

"Where’s the scripture right now?"

"Aboard your ship."

"...How the hell did you get it on my ship?"

"Ah, that’s a tale for another time."

Wang Chaosheng smirked smugly.

"Didn't you do business along the way?"

"I used my connections through various channels and finally managed to get the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture, stashing it with your goods."

But he didn't specify which shipment it was concealed in.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Wang Chengying asked again.

"With matters like this, the fewer people who know, the safer we are."

"If even you were unaware, then naturally, it would be most secure."

"Even the person who placed the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture on your ship didn't know what they were actually delivering."

"Only this way can complete safety be guaranteed."

"Yet, who would have thought the news still leaked, leading to someone causing problems over it."

Wang Chaosheng let out a long sigh at this point:

"In the end, it was never really ours to begin with. Well, let's set that aside for now. If the news has leaked, the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture is more trouble than it's worth. If Yin Xiaoyu wants it, let her take it."

"But Father, regarding what I just said... what do you think?"

Wang Chengying knit his brows, glancing at everyone present.

For a moment, whether it was Ding Luo or the three black-clad men, their faces showed mixed emotions.

If this task fell to them, it was hard to say whether they could handle it.

Delivering the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture wouldn't be the problem—what they feared was that after obtaining it, the other party might still kill them.

This made complete safety hard to guarantee.

Wang Chengying's gaze lingered briefly on Su Mo, hesitating to speak.

He actually wanted Su Mo to handle this task.

But he always thought things through carefully before acting.

Just like when his ship was raided by the sea snake Ceng Chou, and Su Mo and the others arrived—Wang Chengying and his men never asked Su Mo for help.

Earlier today, he'd already said he wouldn't ask for more than Su Mo's advice.

Now, to ask Su Mo to take such a risk—Wang Chengying couldn't bring himself to ask.

Yet the matter involved his sister...

Leaving him in a tough spot.

All these changing expressions were naturally noticed by Su Mo.

Then Su Mo gave a light laugh:

"Young Master Wang, pardon my boldness."

"This time, I'll go in your place."

"Let's go meet this 'Demoness of the Four Seas'."

"What?"

Wang Chengying froze momentarily before bursting with joy:

"If Chief Escort Su handles this matter, that would be absolutely perfect.

"Wang Chengying is profoundly grateful. The whole Bo Hai Association will be in your debt!"

"You're too kind."

Su Mo's expression turned somewhat peculiar. His sudden offer came because of that letter.

The letter was from Little Situ Taoist.

Her scribbled words conveyed urgency, briefly outlining what happened.

It turned out that while using the privy, Little Situ Taoist had witnessed something extraordinary.

A woman in bridal attire was carrying a girl on her shoulder, bolting away with incredible speed.

She leaped across rooftops as easily as if they were flat ground, her swiftness utterly breathtaking.

Recognizing the abducted girl as Wang Chengying's sister, Little Situ immediately had the four cardinal ladies—East, West, South, and North—hoist her up in pursuit.

The kidnapper bride eventually stashed Wang Chengying's sister at an inn.

There were quite a few others along, none of them ordinary.

Little Situ Taoist didn't dare to act rashly, so she sought out ink and paper to write a letter to Su Mo.

She asked Su Mo for help to rescue the person.

The reason was that she needed the Wang family's assistance with something.

Though Su Mo didn't know why Little Situ Taoist had borrowed a toilet and ended up in the inner courtyard of the Wang residence,

he understood that what she needed was likely the herb she hadn't been able to buy all day.

While it was true that Su Mo had saved Wang Chengying at sea,

if something really happened to this young daughter of the Wang family and they stood idly by, then later asked for help to find medicine, it would be both unseemly and unwise.

Therefore, Su Mo did not hesitate and quickly made his decision.

When he read the letter, he smiled because Little Situ Taoist had explained clearly.

The person who had been kidnapped was the very bride Wang Chaosheng intended to marry.

Recalling how Wang Chaosheng had repeatedly asked Wang Chengying if he had incited his sister to abduct the Seventeenth Yiniang,

it turned out the truth was the opposite.

In just a few words, Wang Chengying and Su Mo agreed on a plan.

This left Wang Chaosheng and the others stunned.

This time, Wang Chaosheng couldn’t remain silent. After some thought, he finally spoke:

"Chief Escort Su, your offer to step forward is a kindness we’re deeply grateful for.

"But you should know—the ‘Four Seas Witch’ Yin Xiaoyu is no ordinary foe.

"Tell me, Chief Escort Su… are you confident?"

Su Mo smiled. "We’ll see. The martial world has no shortage of masters, and I’ve got some skills. But until we clash, who’s stronger remains to be seen. Once we fight, it’ll be clear."

"This…"

Wang Chaosheng found the answer shaky.

After a long pause, he suddenly yanked Wang Chengying’s wrist:

"Come with me."

He dragged his son out just as Wang Chengying had pulled him earlier in the hall.

Hard to say who copied whom.

The room fell silent.

The black-clad man studied Su Mo before cupping his hands:

"And you are?"

"You flatter me."

Su Mo returned the gesture. "I’m Su Mo—a small fry in the martial world. Don’t laugh."

"Ah, Brother Su. Your reputation precedes you."

The black-clad man nodded, though inwardly baffled—who *was* this Su Mo?

Never heard of him. Never seen him.

Ding Luo, standing nearby, knew the black-clad man and his companions were no ordinary figures.

As the saying went: *In literature, no undisputed first; in martial arts, no undisputed second.*

They were arrogant. If they dismissed Su Mo as some kid and insulted him, that’d blow everything. He cut in quickly:

"Chief Escort Su isn’t from the Southern Seas.

"He’s a master from the Eastern Desolation—his family runs the Ziyang Escort Bureau, handling security for shipments.

"This trip, we got jumped by Sea Snake Ceng Chou. If not for Chief Escort Su showing up when he did… well, you can imagine."

"Ah."

The black-clad man nodded. "I see. An Eastern Desolation master. No wonder…"

He’d almost said *No wonder I’ve never heard of him*—but that would’ve made him look like a liar after claiming to admire Su Mo.

He cleared his throat.

"Chief Escort Su’s so young, yet he scared off Sea Snake Ceng Chou. Damn impressive."

"However, the Witch of the Four Seas is truly extraordinary.

"Even the three of us together might not be able to contend with her.

"For your own safety, Chief Escort Su, please think twice before acting and don’t recklessly endanger yourself."

These words were well-intentioned, so Su Mo smiled and nodded:

"Thank you for the reminder, brother. I understand."

But he said nothing more.

The three black-clad men exchanged glances and shook their heads slightly.

They felt Su Mo, being young and having just arrived in the South Sea from the Eastern Wasteland, hadn’t faced real martial arts masters yet and was probably overestimating himself.

Still, they had no time to dwell on such matters now.

Wherever the Witch of the Four Seas, Yin Xiaoyu, went, corpses littered the ground.

Once the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture surfaced, it would send shockwaves through the martial world.

Figuring out their place in all this was anyone’s guess.

By all reason, they should advise their master to abandon the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture.

But before they could speak, Wang Chaosheng was already a step ahead of them.

The old man didn’t scare easily, yet he knew when to cut his losses and retreat.

Normally, encountering anyone else wouldn’t have been a problem.

The problem? Yin Xiaoyu was coming.

What came next was anyone’s guess.

No one knew what that lunatic would do after getting what she wanted.

They stole glances at the door, noticing the two still hadn’t come back.

Exchanging looks, they were lost in thought.

Wang Chaosheng had taken Wang Chengying out—no doubt to talk over Su Mo volunteering himself.

He was likely persuading Wang Chengying not to let Su Mo take the risk.

With stakes this high against a foe like Yin Xiaoyu,

it was better to rely on their own trusted men—right?

Facing such unpredictability, better safe than sorry—how could they casually involve outsiders?

One wrong move, and they’d pay dearly.

Worse, their mistress’s life hung in the balance—no margin for error.

Their chests tightened at the thought, the weight landing squarely on them once more.

Here's the edited translation incorporating all expert suggestions:

As they pondered, footsteps sounded from outside the door.

The father and son strode back in, clearly having reached an agreement.

The man in black took a deep breath. The Wang family had shown him great favor, and he couldn't let just the moniker "the Four Seas Witch" make him back down.

After all, he was now considered the foremost martial expert within the Bohai Association.

If he didn't take a step forward now, he would truly be letting down the Wang father and son.

With this in mind, he stepped forward, about to speak, when he saw Wang Chaosheng approach Su Mo in a few strides, executing a deep, reverent bow:

"Then we shall trouble Chief Escort Su with this matter."

The words the man in black was about to utter died in his throat.

He had thought the father and son went out so Wang Chaosheng could persuade Wang Chengying.

Instead, it turned out the old man was the one who had been convinced.

The three of them exchanged bewildered glances, puzzled at this sudden turn.

Su Mo merely smiled:

"President Wang, you flatter me. In that case, there's no time to waste... Shall we proceed to retrieve the *Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture* first?"

"Good."

Wang Chaosheng's face flushed crimson, his enthusiasm palpable.

Just as the man in black had guessed, the old man had indeed intended to persuade his son not to let their guest take such risks.

First, Su Mo was young, and his true capabilities were hard to gauge.

Second, this matter concerned Wang Xiaowan's life—how could they afford even the slightest carelessness, let alone entrust it to someone of unknown background?

Yet, to his surprise, Wang Chengying's earnest argument stunned the old man.

The First of Donghuang?!

What an incredible title!

First came the Four Seas Witch, and now the First of Donghuang.

The heavens truly smiled upon the Wang family.

There was nothing more to discuss—they could entrust everything to him.

Horses were immediately prepared, and the group left the Wang residence, heading straight for the docks.

Old Master Wang rode at the forefront, his old bones rattling on horseback, nearly shaken to pieces by the time they arrived beneath the imposing vessel of the Bohai Trading Company.

The ship showed no signs of trouble, completely calm.

Wang Chengying frowned and couldn't help asking:

"Father, what are we doing on the ship? "Shouldn't we be heading to the shore warehouse instead?"

"Heh."

Wang Chaosheng chuckled again:

"The shore warehouse is the obvious choice, but our Wang family's goods have been stolen for ages now.

"There are always some daring bastards who dare to do the unthinkable.

"Who’s to say there aren’t a few reckless idiots who could swipe something from our warehouse...

"And if luck runs sour, they might just take that very item.

"Wouldn’t that just curse them?

"You unfilial son, always saying I’m harming my karma, when in fact, I’m building up good karma."

"Tch."

Wang Chengying, seeing no strangers around, dropped the act:

"Quit dawdling. I can’t rest easy until little sister’s back."

"Yeah, yeah."

The group dismounted and boarded the ship.

Even Ning Tieqiu and the others were gone now.

Only a few sailors, workers, and guards remained, cleaning up the place.

A deckhand scrubbing the planks nearly jumped out of his skin:

"President, Young Master... What are you doing here so late?"

Wang Chengying glanced at him. The worker, too nervous to look up, kept his head down.

He scanned the deck:

"Where are the others?"

"All guarding the warehouse," the man murmured.

Wang Chengying nodded. "Get back to work. We won’t be long."

Then he glared at Wang Chaosheng.

Wang Chaosheng sucked his teeth, folded his arms behind his back, and led the way.

But his foot slipped, almost sending him sprawling. Luckily, the deckhand—about to bend down and scrub—grabbed him just in time.

Unexpectedly, the old man’s face went white:

"Damn it!!"

The others froze: "What happened?"

"...Threw out my back."

Wang Chaosheng winced in pain as he shifted his waist:

"Old bones can’t keep up. I’m old, really old now. What a shame—all those medicines I’ve stashed away, never even got to take ’em."

Wang Chengying glanced back at the group:

"Any objections if I toss this old rascal into the water?"

Neither the three black-clad men nor Ding Luo reacted, playing deaf.

Su Mo studied Wang Chaosheng, then gave a soft laugh: "President Wang, quit stalling. Let the kid give you a hand, and we’ll move along."

"Ah, yes, yes, of course!"

Wang Chaosheng bobbed his head eagerly and said to the helper propping him up:

"Be a pal and help this old wreck, won’t you?

"Once I kick the bucket, I’ll leave the Bo Hai Association to you instead of that no-good son of mine."

The helper went white:

"No way! I couldn’t—!"

Wang Chengying couldn’t waste breath arguing with the old man.

With Wang Chaosheng leading the way, the group soon reached a room.

Wang Chengying froze: "The study?"

"Exactly."

"But you said it was with the goods..."

Wang Chengying trailed off, suddenly realizing: "You’ve planted spies among my men?!"

He whirled around to glare at Ding Luo.

Ding Luo hesitated, caught between nodding and shaking his head.

Before he could respond, Wang Chaosheng swatted Wang Chengying’s forehead:

"What kind of crap are you spewing?

"Aren’t your men mine too?

"Don’t they follow your orders too?"

Wang Chengying blinked, then hastily bowed to Ding Luo:

"Uncle Ding, I spoke out of turn."

"Young Master, you honor me too much—this humble servant is unworthy."

Ding Luo waved his hands in protest.

While they spoke, Wang Chaosheng had already opened the door. Leaning on the servant, he shuffled to the desk. Clenching his jaw, he hunched over and felt around under it. After a moment, he came up with a wooden box.

The next moment, he spoke abruptly:

"Chief Escort Su, do me this favor."

As he spoke, he tossed the wooden box in his hand toward them.

At the doorway, Su Mo, Yang Xiaoyun, and Wei Ziyi had already slipped past Wang Chengying and Ding Luo into the study.

As the box flew toward them, Su Mo ignored it and instead zeroed in on the young assistant supporting Wang Chaosheng.

In an instant, the assistant lunged forward, streaking like an arrow, and was suddenly right in front of the box—reaching out to snatch it midair!