Chapter 161: The Master of Heavenly Gate!

Chapter 161: The Master of Heavenly Gate!

Because... he was bad?

Yu Lingxin did not hesitate for a moment in answering Su Mo’s question, but her answer left both Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun stunned.

A smile tugged at the corner of Yu Lingxin’s lips:

"Back then, no matter how we look at it now, the incident between the Yu Clan and Profound Theory Valley is inseparably linked to your father and Yang Yizhi.

"My father naturally understood the dangers involved. Since he got entangled in it, he must have been well-prepared.

"I don’t know if he ever considered that this might lead to the entire Yu Clan being wiped out... but given his character, I imagine that as long as it was a matter of righteousness, he would face death without hesitation.

"As children, we should not rashly criticize our parents' actions.

"What they insisted on and understood is something I cannot fully grasp now.

"The only thing I believe is that if I were in their shoes, I might have made the same choice.

"But that doesn’t mean I’m not angry."

She paused, looking at Su Mo intently: "Why should you be so well-protected?

"Ever since Qilin brought back news about Yang Yizhi, I’ve been investigating your affairs...

"What a carefree young chief of the escort service, free from the hardships of life and the torment of hatred.

"Even after your father met a tragic end in the world of martial arts, you still indulged in pleasure, spending all your wealth without a second thought.

"This makes me even angrier...

"Some people have paid with their lives, some have suffered immensely, why should you alone enjoy peace and happiness without knowing anything?"

Su Mo subconsciously touched his nose:

"So, by telling me all this, you want me to stop living in peace and experience the pain and suffering you’ve felt?

"That doesn’t seem very satisfying... after all, according to you, I’m heartless.

"My own father’s death didn’t even faze me, so how could your words move me?"

"That’s what confuses me about you."

Yu Lingxin shook her head lightly: "In the past, you never took anything seriously, but more than two years ago, you suddenly changed.

"Not only did you stop visiting those places, but you also started practicing martial arts again.

"I still vividly remember the punch you threw by the lake.

"In the battle at Profound Theory Valley, you killed three major commanders with a single sword strike. Even among the demons of East City, this has sparked much discussion.

"These demons fear you greatly.

"If you were still the carefree person you used to be, I might have gone to Sunset City to beat you up.

"But since you’ve had an epiphany and gained new insights and ideas, explaining everything to you will naturally make you unable to remain aloof as before.

"By doing so, my purpose is achieved.

"Besides, you and Xiaoyun have followed us all the way here, clearly seeking the truth, haven’t you?"

Su Mo nodded: "So, I should thank you."

"..."

Yu Lingxin fell silent.

The vengeance for her parents and the hatred for the clan’s destruction—she must avenge them.

She didn’t know what exactly tied Su Tianyang and her father together, but she knew it must have been extremely significant.

It might even have been the trigger for the annihilation of the Yu Clan.

However, no matter how much she hated it, it was her father’s decision back then.

She knew that Su Tianyang and Yang Yizhi never wished for the Yu Clan to suffer such a fate.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have traveled far to save her and her brother.

But in the world of martial arts, can everything go as one wishes?

Therefore, the pain in her heart was far from reaching the point of killing to vent her anger, yet it was also hard to swallow it easily.

Thus, she chose this method to let Su Mo know everything he wanted to know.

To render Yang Yizhi’s protection over Su Mo and Xiaoyun ineffective.

This was also a way to vent her anger.

What she didn’t say was that she did this because Su Mo and Xiaoyun had followed them all the way here, clearly wanting to uncover the truth.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have specifically gone to Sunset City to tell Su Mo these things.

But this complex sentiment was truly indescribable.

"Miss Yu, since your plans are set, do you now know where the Three Absolute Sect members are?"

"What are you planning to do?"

Yu Lingxin was taken aback.

After a moment's hesitation, Su Mo spoke:

"The disappearance of the Unstoppable Saber Tong Yun is tied to an old matter from years ago.

"Back then, a certain Overlord Flail challenged Tong Yun and was defeated. He died in depression and, before his death, asked his son to seek revenge on Tong Yun..."

He briefly recounted the details.

Then he continued: "Prior to this, this person, along with Heavenly Blade Sect's Feng Baichuan and Beidi's Fu Hanyuan, formed a group to search for Tong Yun's whereabouts. They captured the Five Tigers of Huai Mountain outside the teahouse and learned about the old matter.

"Therefore... they might also be heading this way right now.

"You have set up a trap here, and everything has been prepared. If they come at an inopportune time... it could disrupt your plans..."

Yu Lingxin listened quietly, looking at Su Mo for a moment before smiling gently:

"I suddenly feel a bit regretful for telling you all this...

"The old you might not have been worth it, but now, you are."

"??"

Su Mo blinked.

"Don't worry."

Yu Lingxin said: "Seasoned Flier Ji Feiyang is also with them. I owe him an explanation for Ji Wanli's death. Therefore, I have some knowledge of their situation. These past few days, I have been guarding outside Blue Wind Valley to prevent this very thing.

"If they do come, I will bring them here."

"Thank you."

Su Mo lightly clasped his fists.

Yu Lingxin waved her hand: "It's my duty."

"Since that's the case, there's one more favor I'd like to ask..."

"Go ahead."

"When the time comes, could you let us know? It would be good for us to follow and see what happens...

"Also, we have many things we want to say to Uncle Yang, but given his temperament, meeting now might cause complications.

"So, it would be better to wait until the matter is settled to reveal ourselves, to avoid disrupting your plans."

Su Mo lightly clasped his fists again.

"Alright."

Yu Lingxin readily agreed, looking at Su Mo once more: "Since that's the case, you can rest here for now. This place is hidden; only I and Qilin know about it. You can rest assured... I'll take my leave."

"Please."

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun clasped their fists to see Yu Lingxin off.

As they looked at each other, Su Mo suddenly spoke:

"What do you think is going on between Uncle Yang and Wu Daoyou?"

The question seemed out of the blue, but Yang Xiaoyun understood Su Mo's meaning.

In their impression, Yang Yizhi and Wu Daoyou were merely allies.

And what they were after was the position of Grand Master of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

But if that were true, why would Wu Daoyou be involved in this?

From the current situation, it seemed Wu Daoyou was just a decoy put forward by Yang Yizhi.

On the surface, they came to East City to pave the way for Wu Daoyou, but in reality, it was to deal with the Three Absolute Sect.

Even Wu Daoyou himself was fully committed, disregarding his status as the Third Master of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

This meant that the relationship between these two was far more complex than they had initially thought.

"...Sigh, I increasingly feel that the father I remember is nothing like the one now."

Yang Xiaoyun sighed: "They've kept so much from us.

"That lady Yu said so much just now, whether she was angry or resentful.

"At least, she wasn't in the dark.

"She saw many things, knew who her opponents were, and knew how to retaliate.

"But for us, if Uncle Su's death had hidden circumstances, if Father really died because of it...

"We wouldn't even know who to seek revenge from."

"After this, Uncle Yang must give us a reasonable explanation."

Su Mo said with a smile.

"...What if he doesn't?"

Yang Xiaoyun glanced at Su Mo.

"Hmm..."

After a moment's thought, Su Mo said, "How about we try the Painful Scripture?"

Yang Xiaoyun's eyes widened in surprise, and then she seemed eager to give it a try:

"Maybe... we should really give it a shot?"

"It looks like your little cotton jacket is really letting in the cold."

Su Mo rolled his eyes.

Then he saw Zhen Xiaoxiao rubbing her belly, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"Xiaoxiao, what's wrong?"

Su Mo asked casually.

"I seem to have lost some weight."

Zhen Xiaoxiao's eyes were brimming with tears. "I worked so hard to gain all this weight, I can't afford to lose it!"

"..."

"..."

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun were speechless for a moment. Then Yang Xiaoyun said, "Should we go out and find something to eat?"

"Blue Wind Valley may seem peaceful, but it's actually a place of hidden turmoil. We should be cautious if we go out now. I think it's best to wait until nightfall."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded in agreement. Although Zhen Xiaoxiao was hungry, she wouldn't cause trouble for Su Mo. She just blinked her small eyes and waited patiently.

However, they couldn't just sit and wait. The cave was cramped, and the surroundings were unclear.

So, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun took Zhen Xiaoxiao and left the cave, finding a high spot from which they could overlook the entrance to the waterfall.

Before long, night had fallen. But before they could go out to look for food, someone else arrived first.

This person walked through the waterfall and into the cave, wiping their face several times:

"To come to such a place in this freezing weather, she must be really desperate."

As they spoke, they entered the cave.

The person was tall and slender, carrying a sword on their shoulder. The sword was long—about seven feet!

At the other end of the sword hung a basket, which contained some food.

He treated the seven-foot black light sword as if it were a pole.

As Su Mo and the others descended from above, this person was looking around the cave with a puzzled expression: "Where is everyone?"

"Right here."

Su Mo spoke up.

The Qilin Swordsman turned around abruptly, his mouth twitching: "Starving, huh? I've brought you some food."

Putting down the basket, Zhen Xiaoxiao, despite her petite figure, displayed an agility that belied her size. In an instant, she was already by the basket, picking up a pancake and taking a bite.

With one bite, a pancake almost as big as her face was reduced to a third of its original size, the remaining part resembling a crescent moon.

The Qilin Swordsman stared in disbelief, instinctively stepping back and glancing at Su Mo:

"Does this hero eat people?"

"It depends on your behavior."

Su Mo raised an eyebrow: "Why did you come here?"

"Why can't I come? Or do you mean only my sister should bring you food for you to eat? I advise you not to be greedy."

The Qilin Swordsman casually twirled his longsword and found a spot to sit: "It was you who said you'd let us know when the time came, so you could watch the show.

"Yu Lingxin then sent me to join you, so I could take you there when the time comes.

"Otherwise, you wouldn't even know the exact location. What good would it do to tell you?"

Su Mo felt that what this guy had said earlier didn't quite add up.

But he shook his head, not wanting to argue:

"What about Uncle Yang?"

"He doesn't know about your situation."

The Qilin Swordsman looked at Su Mo, his expression rather vivid: "If you ask me, Lao Yang is formidable, whether in martial arts or cunning, with countless tricks up his sleeve. Though I feel a large part of it is out of necessity, it's still impressive.

"But he was still fooled by you.

"Back in the forest, you were indeed there, weren't you?"

"Indeed, we had the fortune to witness Brother Qilin's great display of prowess."

Su Mo smiled.

"... Embarrassing, embarrassing."

The Qilin Swordsman waved his hand. "That Liuyun is very cunning. He was particularly dishonest when fighting me, focusing solely on running away, nearly tricking me."

"But in my opinion, he was too clever for his own good."

"His mind was entirely set on escaping, and he never considered the potential dangers in Lao Yang's martial arts."

"His overconfidence ultimately led him into a trap."

"..."

Yang Xiaoyun’s brows twitched as she listened. This man called Lao Yang so casually, as if it were second nature?

The Qilin Swordsman paid no attention to Yang Xiaoyun’s expression and continued chatting with Su Mo.

They had a long-standing relationship.

Su Mo thought carefully and realized that although, on the surface, he seemed to have no connection with Yu Lingxin and the Qilin Swordsman since entering the martial world, their influence could be found everywhere upon closer inspection.

Through this casual conversation, Su Mo mainly wanted to gather some information from the Qilin Swordsman.

Unfortunately, what he knew was still limited.

Neither Yu Lingxin nor the Qilin Swordsman hid anything about their experiences over the years.

However, regarding what happened twenty years ago, both he and Yu Lingxin were equally puzzled.

Clearly, it wasn’t the time to dwell on this issue now.

With the trap set, they just needed to wait for the prey to fall into it, and any problems could be addressed afterward.

This wait lasted for three whole days.

The Heavenly Gate Master of the Sanjue Sect was extremely cautious, almost matching Su Mo in this regard.

Even after obtaining the Mandarin Ducks Scroll, he waited for three days before the Qilin Swordsman received a message from Yu Lingxin.

Immediately, he led Su Mo and the others out of the Water Curtain Cave, following the mountain path to a secluded spot, and they arrived there in no time.

Their position was high up.

Looking down, they saw a scene of ruins below.

"This is the back of my family’s mountain, where our ancestral hall used to be. Below lies an underground palace, which houses the cenotaphs of the Yu clan’s ancestors.

"Every year during Qingming, we would come here to pay respects.

"After the Yu clan was wiped out, this place remained undiscovered.

"Since learning about the Golden Jade Cone, we modified this underground palace, spending considerable effort. It’s fitting to use the blood of the Sanjue Sect members to honor our ancestors."

As the Qilin Swordsman spoke, his usual carefree demeanor vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

Below, a group of black-clad figures had indeed gathered.

These black-clad figures were not standing still; some had spread out in all directions.

Only a few remained in place.

One of them, the leader, was squatting on the ground, idly poking at the dirt with a stick.

Occasionally, he would look up, his eyes filled with boredom.

Just as he was about to lose interest, he heard a whistling sound approaching.

Looking up, he saw a rather ornate palanquin carried by four men with bizarre makeup and peculiar attire.

Despite their strange appearance, these four men possessed extraordinary martial arts skills.

They carried the palanquin while performing advanced lightness techniques, moving swiftly through the air.

In an instant, they arrived.

The palanquin was set down, and within the pink silk curtains, a figure leaned against the side, reading a book.

The man who had been squatting stood up abruptly.

"Heavenly Master!"

The person in the palanquin was none other than the Tianzi Sect Master of the Sanjue Sect!

Seeing this, the Qilin Swordsman drew a sharp breath.

"…It’s her!?"

"Who?"

From afar, Su Mo felt that there was more than one person in the palanquin.

Yang Xiaoyun instinctively felt a strong aversion to the person in the palanquin, a feeling that was baseless and unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Feeling such revulsion towards someone she couldn’t even see clearly was truly bizarre.

"The Deputy Palace Master of the Paradise Palace… Gu Biyuan!"

The Qilin Swordsman’s lips twitched. "That palanquin is the so-called Paradise Pavilion. In the Paradise Palace, only two people can use it: the two Palace Masters. However, the pavilion tops are either gold or silver. This one is silver, so it must be the Deputy Palace Master."

"Who would have thought that the head of Tianzi Sect, one of the Three Absolute Sects, is actually the deputy palace master of Paradise Palace?"

As he spoke, the gauze curtain rolled aside, and a person was thrown in front of the Paradise Pavilion.

It was a middle-aged man who looked honest and simple, like an old farmer by the roadside.

At that moment, he turned his head to look back at the Paradise Pavilion, his brows furrowed with anger.

This man was none other than Fu Hanyuan!

From inside the sedan chair, the leader of Heavenly Gate spoke softly, their voice indistinguishably genderless:

"Use this person to open the door."