Chapter 393: Boarding the Island

Chapter 393: Landing on the Island

If not for the sudden system prompt, Su Mo would have almost forgotten that he, too, was someone with a system.

He immediately reached out to open the system menu.

He was a little rusty.

Looking back, when he had first obtained the system, he would check it every other day.

Now it was so routine, not to mention he had nearly forgotten about it entirely. Pretty ridiculous.

But then again, he couldn’t be blamed. The system was just too low-key.

"Quest: Escort Young Situ Taoist to the mysterious island? (Completed)"

"Reward: Processing…"

"Almost forgot—gotta claim that reward."

Su Mo suddenly felt that forgetting about the system was entirely justified.

Who’d waste time on this laggy, 2G-tier system?

He shook his head—nothing else to see here. Right then, Song Yuanlong came over for orders.

There wasn’t much to say—they were already here, no point delaying.

They were already close to shore, so there was no need to unfurl the sails. They kept sailing like normal.

With the mist gone, the sea was now clear, and the survivors had reappeared, each making their way toward the island.

Behind them, the sea was a mess of jagged boulders.

They had actually navigated through the gaps between these massive rocks.

One wrong move, and they’d have been sunk—ship and all.

The thought made Song Yuanlong shudder.

Soon, the ship arrived near a stretch of beach.

Here, they took it slow.

First, the water depth ahead was unpredictable—hitting shallow water would’ve been bad news.

Second, they had to watch out for hidden reefs.

After some careful steering, they finally docked at the edge.

They dropped anchor, locking the ship down.

Su Mo turned back and saw that those from the smaller boats had already reached the beach, just standing around, confused.

He gave a slight smile, then glanced at the people on board before saying to Song Yuanlong:

"Old Song, get some guys and check the ship’s condition. After getting tossed around and banged up, we need to check for damage—fix what’s busted and clean up the rest."

"This island’s got plenty of trees, so we can use what’s around. But watch your step."

"Once we're finished, we'll rest on the ship with the crew."

"My lady, *Little Situ*, Fu, come with me to the island."

Zhen Xiaoxiao was also on the deck and quickly spoke up upon hearing this:

"Boss, let me go to the island too."

Su Mo glanced at Zhen Xiaoxiao a couple of times before nodding. "In that case, Fu, you stay on the ship. Stand guard with Baihu."

Fu Hanyuan naturally obeyed the order.

Zhen Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, jumped for joy.

Wei Ziyi couldn't help but ask,

"What about me?"

Su Mo looked at her, somewhat hesitant.

Honestly, in her state, staying on the ship would be the safest option.

But if her Yin-Yang imbalance flared up and Su Mo wasn’t nearby, she’d die either from the island’s perils or the imbalance itself.

He sighed. "You’re coming with me."

"...I’m just dead weight."

Wei Ziyi rolled her eyes, though she knew full well that she was indeed a liability right now.

"Who dares to call Wei Ziyi a burden? I’ll be the first to take them down."

Su Mo said solemnly.

"..."

With everything decided, Cheng Suying and Duan Renjie, the siblings, looked confused:

"Um... *Chief Escort Su*, what about us?"

Were they free to go, or did they need to stay below deck?

Having been held captive by Su Mo for so long, they had almost forgotten that their sealed meridians had already been released by him.

Su Mo paused, at a loss:

"You and Miss Zhou are free to do as you like."

Only then did the siblings realize Su Mo had truly set them free.

They dropped into a deep bow:

"Thank you, *Chief Escort Su*."

Su Mo didn’t know how to reply.

Say "Don’t mention it"?

That’d sound... weird.

Shaking his head, he stopped dwelling on it and led the group ashore.

Zhou Wenjing, Cheng Suying, and Duan Renjie shared a look before following behind Su Mo and the others.

Right now, they truly had nowhere else to go.

Since their goals aligned, they might as well follow Su Mo for now.

They’d figure things out once they encountered Zhang Quan or found their master.

Su Mo let them follow without protest.

The group jumped ashore in quick succession, landing on the beach—except for Zhen Xiaoxiao, who could barely take a step.

Each step left a deep pit in the sand, turning her walk across the beach into a trudge through a swamp.

Zhou Wenjing and the other two were stunned speechless.

Even Cheng Suying and Duan Renjie, who had some understanding of Su Mo’s group, never expected this hulking woman to be so heavy.

Seeing this, Su Mo had to grab hold of Zhen Xiaoxiao’s lower back with one hand and heft her up effortlessly overhead before continuing forward, pulling Yang Xiaoyun along with him.

This act left Zhou Wenjing’s jaw hanging.

Such a giant of a woman, carrying a single-legged bronze statue in her hands…

The weight of that statue alone would be difficult for an ordinary person to lift.

Add to that the woman’s sheer weight—just how heavy was she?

Yet Su Mo lifted her like she was nothing with one hand.

His feet left almost no footprints in the sand as he walked.

The latter feat was far more astonishing than the former, defying belief.

"Unbelievable… utterly unbelievable!" Zhou Wenjing kept muttering.

It hit him why Cheng Suying and Duan Renjie were so terrified of Su Mo.

The group quickly made their way across the beach and arrived at the edge of a woodland.

A group was already gathered there, and upon hearing footsteps, they glanced over at Su Mo and his companions.

Seeing such a strange-looking bunch, they couldn’t help but stare in shock.

One of them immediately stepped forward, cupping his fists and saying,

"Mind telling us where you’re from?"

Su Mo set Zhen Xiaoxiao down before returning the gesture.

"No need for flattery. I am Su Mo, and this is my wife.

"The others are friends of mine. Greetings to you all."

Formalities weren’t really necessary.

These people had previously stayed on Gupiao Island.

They naturally had an impression of this large ship and Su Mo.

Someone immediately clasped their fists and said:

"An honor to meet you."

Just polite talk—even if they'd never heard of him, it wouldn’t be proper to say so outright.

Su Mo then smiled and asked:

"Might I ask your honorable names?"

"You honor us."

The one who spoke first gave a faint smile and was about to reply when Zhou Wenjing chuckled and said:

"Might this senior be the one known in the martial world as 'Heart Concealed in Sleeves,' Duan Wenwu?"

As she spoke, she slightly lowered her head.

It seemed like reverence for a senior’s reputation, but in truth, her lips moved subtly as she whispered covertly to Su Mo:

"Chief Escort Su, be cautious of this man. *'Heart Concealed in Sleeves' implies hidden schemes.*

*"His martial arts are formidable, and his mind is cunning. There are rumors of him having honeyed words hiding daggers. He has had bad blood with my martial uncle—don't take him at face value.*"

Su Mo’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he was secretly pleased.

Zhou Wenjing had an extremely deep understanding of the South Sea martial arts circles and was remarkably well-informed. She could be considered a far more useful resource than Cheng Suying and the others.

However, since there was no enmity or offense between them, it wouldn’t be appropriate to press-gang her aboard the ship as a guest.

Duan Wenwu, on the other hand, was taken aback. He studied Zhou Wenjing's face carefully before finally recognizing her:

"So it’s Miss Zhou of the Shattered Star Sect."

As he spoke, his expression was noticeably strained, and his eyes darted about:

"Is 'Star-Pointing Finger' Zhang Quan here?"

"My martial uncle is nearby and should be along any moment to meet you."

Zhou Wenjing said with a titter.

"..."

Duan Wenwu's brow furrowed as he scoffed:

"Good, very good, Zhou Wenjing. I only hope your Shattered Star Sect gets what it's after this time."

With that, he spun on his heel and stalked off.

Seeing him act this way proved Zhou Wenjing right.

This man truly had some old scores to settle with Zhang Quan.

Thus, upon hearing that Zhang Quan was nearby, he beat a hasty retreat.

The remaining few looked at each other uncertainly, with most following Duan Wenwu's departure.

Only a young man remained, appearing lost.

Su Mo glanced at him—a guileless-looking man in his twenties, who flinched and looked down when met with Su Mo's gaze.

Su Mo, amused, clasped his hands and asked,

"May I ask your name, brother?"

"My name is Shi Cheng."

He hurriedly mimicked the gesture of cupping hands and greeted Su Mo,

"Ah... hello, everyone."

"So it's Brother Shi."

Su Mo smiled. "They all left—why stay behind?"

"Well..."

Shi Cheng hesitated slightly before answering,

"That Senior Duan... doesn’t strike me as trustworthy...

"*Ah*, listen to me—talking behind a man’s back isn’t honorable.

"Um, were you all invited here as well?

"How come there’s no one to receive us?"

He was clearly desperately changing the subject, appearing quite unnatural.

Su Mo, however, was briefly surprised by this, though keeping his face neutral as he smiled and said,

"Indeed, we were also invited.

"We received a letter summoning us to this island.

"Brother Shi, same for you?"

"Ah, not quite."

Shi Cheng replied, "I was adrift at sea when I encountered pirates attacking a merchant ship. I couldn’t just watch, so I jumped in to help.

"After driving off the pirates, the merchant captain told me..."

Here, he rubbed his neck awkwardly,

"He praised my martial skills and asked whether I’d taken a wife...

"My mother, before she passed, often said her biggest sorrow was me not marrying.

"Naturally, I’m still single.

"That merchant captain then told me he knew a good match for me.

"But it’d be up to me to... make it work."

"So he gave me an invitation, telling me to follow the trail.

"He said the daughter of the Island Master of Dragonwood Island was of marrying age.

"But because the island is secluded, she couldn't find a worthy match, hence the open invitations for a martial tournament for her hand.

"He said if I arrived early, I might still be in time.

"If I could best all challengers and claim victory,

"I could become the Dragonwood Island Master's son-in-law..."

By this point, his face was flushed red, and he hastily waved his hands, saying,

"However, I’ve never dared entertain such wild ideas.

"I only came to see the world and get some martial experience.

"You all must be here for the contest as well, right?"

Su Mo was silent for a long moment, feeling that Shi Cheng was clearly anything but honest.

There were too many holes in his story, leaving Su Mo unsure where to begin.

But if Shi Cheng wasn’t lying, the people coming to the island were far more complex than initially imagined.

What exactly was whoever's behind this trying to achieve?

On one hand, they were drawing in many experts skilled in medicine and poison here with the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture as bait.

On the other, they brought young fighters like Shi Cheng using the excuse of a marriage contest.

And it wasn’t just young men either—Duan Wenwu had also arrived on the island for some unknown reason.

Or perhaps Shi Cheng was simply lying?

As Su Mo pondered and was about to respond, his face suddenly changed, and he looked deep into the woods.

Just then, a sharp cry cut through the air—brief and abruptly cut off.

The sound came from the direction Su Mo was staring at.

"Go!"

At Su Mo’s order, he grabbed Wei Ziyi with one hand and Zhen Xiaoxiao with the other, rushing toward the source.

Earlier on the beach, she was so heavy, Su Mo had to carry her.

But now, with the island’s dangers unpredictable, Su Mo couldn't risk Wei Ziyi falling behind.

Since she couldn't use her martial arts, Su Mo naturally had to help her along.

In contrast, Yang Xiaoyun, using her Divine Movement technique, could keep up unless Su Mo went full speed.

Thus, Su Mo, Yang Xiaoyun, Wei Ziyi, and Zhen Xiaoxiao reached the spot first.

Yet the place was completely empty.

Only towering ancient trees loomed overhead, blotting out the sky, casting the forest into pitch-black darkness.

A strange, unidentifiable stench hung in the air.

But whoever had screamed was nowhere in sight.

After a quick glance around, Su Mo suddenly looked up:

"Since you're already here, Senior, why hide?"

"Kid, you always keep me guessing."

An elderly man descended from the treetops.

Scruffy and disheveled, he clutched a half-gnawed chicken leg, greasy and dripping, in one hand, while the other held a severed hand still gripping an unsheathed sword.

This was the infamous Merciless Poison Lord of Chiyan Island—a man known for his brutality.

His eyes flicked over Zhen Xiaoxiao, Wei Ziyi, and Yang Xiaoyun before sneering at Su Mo:

"I took you for a loyal man, but turns out you’ve got room for plenty."

"...Senior, watch your mouth."

Su Mo's eyelid twitched.

"This old man’s got no patience for your crap."

The Poison Lord rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful, but before he could speak, footsteps sounded again.

Glancing up, they spotted the four cardinal ladies—East, West, South, and North—carrying Little Situ Taoist.

Trailing behind them were Zhou Wenjing, Cheng Suying, and Duan Renjie.

Bringing up the rear was Shi Cheng.

"...Most wander the martial world with just the clothes on their back.

"But you? Might as well bring the whole damn village."

The Poison Lord tsked, half-amused, half-disapproving.

"...Since you arrived earlier, Senior, do you know what happened here? And where did this severed hand come from?"

Su Mo cut in before the old coot could spout more nonsense.

The Poison Lord frowned deeply:

"This place... something’s off.

"I barely beat you here—by a hair.

"Got here, saw nothing.

"But that scream? Heard it plain as day."

"Why is there no trace of them now?

"All we found was a severed hand, still gripping a long sword.

"Hmm, do any of you recognize this sword?

"This old man’s been out of the martial world for years and knows little about its rising stars."

The forest stood silent, the night thick and dark.

A sharp cry cut through the air—then vanished, leaving only a severed hand.

Su Mo’s brow furrowed as he shot a glance at Zhou Wenjing beside him.

Though wary of the old man and his air of mystery, Zhou Wenjing saw that he was conversing with Su Mo, clearly acquainted, and stepped forward calmly.

Her eyes lingered on the sword, then she frowned:

"This is the River-Splitting Sword!

"It belongs to the 'Sword That Quakes the Northwest,' the legendary Lang Xingkong!"

Her face paled as she said:

"Lang Xingkong’s swordplay is next-level. The lowlifes of the Northwest Isles are so terrified of him they scatter at the first sign of him.

"Who could’ve taken his sword and hand?

"Moreover, from the looks of it... he never even got a chance to draw his sword."

Su Mo had no idea just how formidable 'Sword Shakes the Northwest’s' skills were,

but from Zhou Wenjing’s words, he gathered the guy was a big name in the martial world.

The cut on the severed hand was clean, almost surgical, with no lingering traces of sword or blade energy—no telling what did this.

He gave a slight shake of his head, then sniffed:

"What is this smell?"

"A jumble of herbs," Little Situ cut in. "Though there’s something else mixed in. Can’t place it, but it’s not toxic."

"Herbs, blood, and rot," the Poison Lord chimed in, finishing for her.

"But no medicine vat, no bloodstains, no corpses...

"How these smells mixed is a damn mystery.

"Hell...

"I figured Dragonwood Island would be a goldmine.

"Not just rare herbs or piles of treasure...

"But at least something good."

"Yet, what we wanted hasn't been found. Instead, we picked up a mysterious severed hand."

"The one pulling the strings remains hidden, but there's something undeniably creepy about it..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Xiaoxiao's eyes went wide:

"Boss, you don't think this place is actually haunted?"

"...How should we cook it? Fried or steamed?"

"Let's try steaming it?"

Zhen Xiaoxiao gulped, the words tumbling out before she caught herself:

"I don't do ghost cuisine."

"...Even if you wanted to, there aren't any."

Su Mo rolled his eyes:

"Ghosts? In this world? Fakers pretending to be supernatural? A dime a dozen."

At this point, he glanced at Old Poison with a smile:

"Senior, you should also know that fortune favors the bold."

"Perhaps this 'Sword That Shakes the Northwest' encountered an opportunity but failed to grasp it, and it cost him his life instead?"

"However, since we’re already on this island, we're gonna get to the bottom of this. Whatever the mastermind’s goal, their hand will be forced soon enough."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Zhou Wenjing was especially worried.

By their schedule, Zhang Quan and her senior brother should have arrived on the island by now.

Yet, they hadn’t been seen earlier on the beach.

With the island being so unstable, she couldn't help worrying about their safety.

Moreover, her master had come here earlier but had gone radio silent.

No telling what shape he was in.

Pushing down her worries, she was about to follow Su Mo forward when Old Poison suddenly cut in:

"...We've got company?"