Chapter 189: Take Down

Chapter 189: Take Down

The stars and moon hung high.

The night was clear, with a sky full of stars that adorned the heavens.

Under the starry night, lanterns hung around the escort carriages in the courtyard.

Engulfed in the firelight, several guards had fallen asleep, leaning against the carriages.

The courtyard was utterly silent.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard as a dozen men rushed across the rooftops and arrived in the courtyard.

At the same time, the inner gate opened, and Steward He entered first, shuffling in, his neck hunched and trembling.

Behind him followed a burly man, casually playing with a short blade. Under the cover of night, he occasionally glanced at Steward He before kicking him in the back.

The kick sent Steward He flying, causing him to fall to the ground, grimacing in pain.

Yet, he didn’t dare make a sound and could only silently get up.

The man walked forward and glanced at the two escort agency workers beside the carriage, shaking his head slightly.

"Even immortals would fall. After taking this, even immortals would stumble.

"With 'Immortal Fall,' we don’t fear them not falling... What we fear is them not taking it."

As he said this, he glanced at Steward He and said with a smile, "Steward He, isn’t that so?"

"Yes, yes, that’s right."

Steward He replied obsequiously, occasionally glancing at the nearby escort with eyes full of helplessness and despair.

"However, Steward He, your actions today seem rather irrational."

The burly man said calmly, "I’ve said, if anyone wants to go to the kitchen, they can. Youngest Brother’s skill with poison far surpasses what these ordinary escorts can detect.

"Why is it that today, not a single person went to the kitchen?

"What did you tell them?"

At these words, Steward He immediately dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.

"I didn’t, I didn’t dare say anything. Please, you have to believe me.

"Even if I had the greatest ability, I wouldn’t dare lie to you."

The burly man glanced at him and, with a leap, leaped onto the escort carriage, using his short blade to raise the flag on the carriage.

"Ziyang Escort Agency... Su?"

The man furrowed his brow. "Steward He, have you heard of this Su, the escort leader?"

"No, I haven’t heard of him."

"Ah well, forget it."

The burly man waved his hand. "Let's put an end to this, Mr. He. You must remember, this is the last time. I won't allow you to make any more mistakes. And this time... we'll just sever your son's left leg."

After speaking, he ignored the drastic change in Mr. He's expression and his begging for mercy. He simply waved his hand again.

"Go kill the people inside the house, and get a few men to dismantle the carriage."

As he spoke, he kicked at an assistant from the escort agency, knocking him down.

However, just as his foot landed, it suddenly halted.

Surprised, he looked down to see that his leg was tightly gripped by the young assistant from the agency.

In his moment of surprise, he heard the young assistant ask, "Is this your left leg or your right leg?"

He felt a chill run down his spine in that instant.

The burly man was greatly startled. Before he could do anything, it was already too late. He heard the man say calmly:

"It doesn't matter now."

With those words, the man pulled him down with ease.

Though the burly man weighed at least a hundred jin, in the man's grip, he felt as light as a feather. In the blink of an eye, the burly man's bones were nearly rattled apart.

He stepped on his back, and grabbed his wrist, applying force.

A scream like a pig's pierced the night, sending shivers through the air.

The man twisted the burly man's leg like a pretzel and, with a swing of his arm, tore it off.

Covered in blood, the man threw the leg onto the roof.

A flash of silver light appeared as the blade was drawn.

The leg was cut in half, and beneath the blade, a cold, chilling gaze emerged.

Following that, the sound of doors rattling open echoed throughout the courtyard.

The escorts rushed out of their rooms, torches illuminating the area, casting a bright glow over the courtyard.

The screams on the ground continued, and the man who had acted grabbed the burly man by the spine and lifted him up.

"You... you..."

Though this man was considered tough, having a leg torn off—how much pain would that be?

Yet, he was able to endure it, glaring angrily at the man before him.

"Who... who exactly are you??"

"Ziyang Escort Agency, Su Mo."

Su Mo smiled slightly and, as he looked up at the people on the roof, none of them were in disarray, despite what happened to their leader.

It was clear that someone else was in charge.

Su Mo sighed:

"Friend on the roof, please come down and have a drink or a snack?"

Only a moment of silence passed before a voice came from the roof:

"There’s no need."

Su Mo lightly raised his eyebrows, glanced at them, and smiled again:

"Having traveled the world and made friends everywhere, our ancestors left us this way of life. You’ve tasted everything the world has to offer, so why target our path?"

The people on the roof fell silent again.

Su Mo's eyes narrowed slightly: "Which path do you belong to, friends?"

He used thieves' cant to probe them. The first sentence meant, "Friend on the roof, please come down and have a drink or some tea?"

If they were from the outlaw path, even if they refused, they should have responded in thieves' cant.

However, they simply said, "There’s no need."

Although the response wasn’t entirely wrong, it aroused Su Mo’s suspicion.

Thus, he asked the second question.

This one was more direct, but after asking, the other side fell silent again.

From this, it could be inferred that these people likely weren’t from the outlaw path!

Otherwise, even if they didn’t understand everything, they wouldn’t be completely unable to respond.

Not from the outlaw path, unaware of the Ziyang Escort Agency, and unfamiliar with Su Mo…

These people’s identities were clearly highly suspicious.

As Su Mo pondered these thoughts, he heard hurried footsteps approaching.

They came from outside the door, and in an instant, a group of people rushed in.

Leading them was Fu Hanyuan.

"Chief Escort, your foresight is remarkable. It turns out Steward He had some unspeakable difficulties.

"These thieves captured his family and imprisoned them in a cellar.

"We hid discreetly, and once they arrived, we followed their trail to find Steward He’s family. They have now been safely taken care of."

"Good."

Su Mo nodded gently. Earlier, he had disguised himself as an ordinary escort, pretending to fall for their scheme.

It was because he had noticed something amiss with Steward He.

During the evening’s confrontation, Steward He could have remained inconspicuous but instead revealed himself. His eyes darted around as if afraid that others wouldn’t notice the issue with him.

This obvious behavior led Su Mo to a possible conclusion…

Steward He is asking for help.

Although we cannot be 100% sure, why not give it a shot?

So, tonight he disguised himself as an assistant from the escort agency, waiting near the escort wagon.

He didn’t immediately attack when they entered because he needed to give Li the lead escort and Fu Hanyuan time.

His order was simple: regardless of whether they found anything, someone had to come back to deliver a message.

At that moment, Fu Hanyuan had returned to report, and now it was time to get down to business.

"Fall back, cut, yang, four secret pads, bright blades to shield the wind."

With Su Mo's command, the escorts immediately sprang into action, taking their positions in four directions. Amidst the clattering sounds, silver lights flickered as their weapons were drawn.

Lifting his head again, they saw one of the men holding a single-blade knife suddenly raise his hand:

"Retreat!"

They actually wanted to leave!?

In ordinary circumstances, letting them go would be fine.

But at this moment, Su Mo didn’t want to let them leave.

First, they were ruthless, and Steward He had been thoroughly wronged by these people.

Second, their identities were suspicious.

They were not from the Greenwood Road in the Fallen Phoenix Alliance’s territory, or perhaps they weren’t from the Greenwood Road at all.

Thinking about how the entire village was slaughtered because of Wan Zangxin, leading to Zhaodi’s tragic fate, how could Su Mo let them go so easily?

Immediately, he tapped his toes and leapt forward:

"Good friends, why rush to leave? How about staying to move some mountains with us!"

By the time they had turned around, Su Mo was already behind them.

Upon seeing this, the knife wielder quickly turned back, his blade flashing as it lunged at Su Mo.

The blade technique was fierce and exceptional.

But Su Mo simply reached out, snatching the blade in a flash.

With a swift snatch, he had already disarmed him.

Reversing the blade, he gripped the blade tip with two fingers, and with a slight exertion, a series of cracks echoed.

The single-blade knife had been broken into several pieces by Su Mo in an instant.

Immediately after, the sounds of slicing through the air were continuous.

The broken blade fragments, each infused with immense internal force, shot straight toward the backs of these men.

Some turned to defend, while others couldn’t turn around.

Those who couldn’t turn back were pierced by the blade fragments, stumbling a few steps before falling from the building below.

Those who turned around, even though they barely managed to block the attack, were still overwhelmed by the tremendous force behind the fragments. They were sent flying back, and with the internal force invading their bodies, they spat out a mouthful of blood.

The man holding the single-bladed sword could never have imagined that his prized blade would one day become a weapon in the hands of his opponent.

Even more unexpected was the fact that Su Mo of the Ziyang Escort Agency possessed such martial arts skill!

His sword was indeed a fine blade, and his sword skills were exceptional.

But now, because of a single mistake, not only was his sword taken, but his tiger’s mouth was also bleeding.

As he looked up again, he saw a palm aiming directly at him.

Though experienced, this man stayed calm despite the danger. He lightly drew a breath from his dantian, and with a single palm formed into a sword, he stabbed directly at Su Mo’s palm.

His fingertips were infused with internal force. Despite using a palm instead of a sword, its sharpness should not be underestimated.

A clink was heard as his fingertips fell into Su Mo's palm, and the two produced a metallic clang.

However, this standoff lasted only a moment. The next second, an overwhelming force surged in, accompanied by a powerful heat akin to raging flames, flooding into his meridians!

His internal force had no chance to resist against this seemingly endless torrent of power.

In the next instant, his entire arm was in Su Mo's grasp.

"My good friend, why the rush to leave?"

With a flick, the man lost his balance and staggered, being dragged down from the roof by Su Mo.

His body slammed onto the ground, and his meridians were already obstructed.

Even if he tried to sit up, several swords were already pressed to his throat.

These events, though seemingly complex, happened in an instant.

After pulling the man down, Su Mo looked up to see the cold moonlight descending. Several bandits trying to escape had already been hit by multiple sword strikes.

It was Wei Ziyi who had leapt out from the room, her long sword dancing through the air, showing her full might.

On the other side, another person concealed in the crowd attempted to flee.

But just as they reached the edge of the roof, they saw a group of people on the opposite rooftop.

Four girls carried a soft sedan chair, on which sat a young white-clad gentleman.

A gentle breeze lightly brushed against him, causing his long hair and sleeves to flutter in the wind. However, the large meat buns in his hand exuded an enticing aroma, forming a stark contrast with the scene.

Several people instinctively looked at the figure in the middle. He simply spoke softly,

"Leave."

These people seemed to trust this individual completely, not considering for a moment whether the people in front of them would try to stop them.

As they approached, the leader in the middle had a sudden whim.

"The ladies look nice. Take two of them."

"Yes."

One of them responded and, in a swift motion, was about to grab the two girls.

At this moment, the sword tips rose, splashing two blooms of blood across the night sky.

The two who had attacked were already dead on the spot.

"This is impossible!"

The man in the middle of the group paled instantly, his face drained of color.

"There's nothing impossible about it... Ah!"

Little Situ exclaimed mid-sentence, as the four girls abruptly set down the sedan chair, completely ignoring whether he would fall off the roof, and charged straight out.

The sedan chair fell onto the roof, tilting and sliding a bit.

Fortunately, it stopped just short of falling.

Terrified, Little Situ leaned back, shifting his weight, and peered over the edge of the roof, glancing down at the base of the opposite wall.

Glancing at the four girls who had just killed with their swords, he didn't dare to voice his anger.

Frustrated, he vented his anger on the meat bun, biting into it fiercely as if seeking revenge.

Meanwhile, the four girls had already plunged into the group of enemies.

They used a combined martial arts technique.

Su Mo initially thought of stepping in to help, but after watching for a moment, he dismissed the idea and simply crossed his arms, observing quietly.

Each of these girls was a skilled fighter in her own right. Earlier in the teahouse, they seemed to collapse at the slightest provocation, as the poison used by the leader of the Five Tigers of Huai Mountain was extremely vicious and couldn't be touched at all.

But now, even in single combat, these people might not stand a chance against any of the girls.

And with them attacking together, it was even less likely for the opponents to win.

Su Mo's martial skills and experience were far beyond what they had been at first.

Seeing the four girls position themselves, each guarding one of the four directions—east, west, south, and north—they appeared to fight independently, but their sword movements were interconnected and continuous.

Their swords loomed, and anyone who tried to break out was forced back.

Four people had surrounded seven or eight of the enemy.

Under the sword tips, people fell from time to time, rolling off the roof and being captured by the guards from the security agency.

"The Four Symbols Formation, quite intriguing."

Su Mo nodded slightly, just as the person trapped in the middle suddenly flicked his hand, seemingly using some technique.

But the next moment, they heard Little Situ coughing repeatedly:

"Too pungent, too pungent! Your poison is so crude.

"The flavor is too strong. Even the food tonight is like this. The poison you used didn't even need to be mixed with chili.

"You can't even grasp the balance of yin and yang, the principles of the five elements, and the roles of monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy. How dare you use such poison?"

"You...?"

The person in the middle suddenly turned around, but by that time, the four girls had already subdued everyone around him. The moment he turned his head, four swords were placed at his neck from four different directions, as if a lock made of sword blades had been added around his neck.

"Brilliant!"

The sound of applause came from the side, as Wei Ziyi had already sheathed her sword and stood upright:

"Sisters, your sword skills are truly remarkable. I have also studied this art somewhat. When I have the chance, may I discuss it with you?"

The girls glanced at her but said nothing. They merely pressed the man’s pressure points and then returned to Little Situ's side, lifting his sedan chair once more.

Little Situ let out a long breath:

"I see you still have some conscience."

The moment he finished speaking, the four girls turned to look at him simultaneously, their eyes cold.

His face paled, and he forced a smile: "Sisters, you’ve always been good to me."

The four huffed in unison.

They flew back into the yard.

Su Mo looked at the retreating figures of Little Situ and the others, his brows slightly raised.

"How cold and serious."

Wei Ziyi came to Su Mo's side, casually sheathing her sword, and said with a grin: "Actually, when I was young, I wanted to be a cold-faced female warrior like this. It felt very... very impressive!"

"So why are you always smiling now?"

Su Mo gave her a side-eye.

"Smiling is for certain people, alright? When we first met, I still had a bit of coolness, right?"

"I didn’t notice that."

Su Mo shook his head, put his pinky in his mouth, and whistled.

He then leapt down from the roof.

Steward He stood to the side, watching Su Mo uneasily.

Su Mo smiled: "Steward He, what's the matter? Sit down and take a rest."

"Chief Escort Su, please, don’t bear a grudge against this old man."

Steward He hurriedly said: "This old man had no choice but to assist them in harming others.

"Today, seeing you all come, I felt I had a chance to escape the tiger’s jaws.

"Chief Escort Su... please don’t blame me... please don’t blame me."

As he spoke, he was about to kneel and kowtow.

Su Mo flicked his hand, using his inner strength to lift him up, and gently shook his head:

"Steward He, if it weren’t for you deliberately leaving a hint tonight, I might not have noticed anything unusual, so how could I possibly blame you?"

"Furthermore, I have been privy to all that has transpired tonight and realize that Steward He had no choice but to comply.

"However, there is one aspect that confounds me, and I wish to inquire for your wisdom, Steward He."

"Proceed, please!"

Steward He hastened to respond, "This humble one will share all I know without reservation."

"Can you inform me when these individuals arrived and their origin?"