Chapter 315: Mr. Jun

Chapter 315: Mr. Jun

The sun dipped westward, and the sky slowly darkened.

Now was the time when the lights of countless homes were lit.

The playful laughter of children, the stern scolding of parents, and the protective words of elders played out in every household.

Only this small courtyard remained eerily quiet.

Ever since Su Mo posed the question, 'Wusheng Hall' had been silent.

The first to speak was Bei Zhangzhi, who looked at Su Mo:

"You... Chief Escort Su, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?

"He is, without a doubt, the hall master of our Wusheng Hall. Who else could he possibly be?"

"Oh, really?"

Su Mo smiled:

"Last night, the hall master paid a visit to Madam Wan's small building.

"As it happens, I also wanted to go there last night to look for something.

"When the hall master and Madam Wan arrived, they inadvertently trapped me in the secret room.

"As a result, I overheard some shocking revelations.

"Taking into account what Madam Wan said today...

"Back then, she married Wan Yutang, but because his heart belonged to another, he never laid a hand on her.

"For nearly two years after their marriage, they never consummated their union.

"Doesn't that make the truth glaringly obvious?

"After Madam Wan and the real Wan Yutang were married for over a year, some unforeseen events unfolded.

"Someone took Wan Yutang's place, not only locking away the real Wan Yutang in a secret place called the Endless Prison,

"But also taking control of Madam Wan.

"The two reached an agreement: she would acknowledge you as Wan Yutang, and you would permit her, as the hall master's wife, to retain her original status.

"After all... what Madam Wan truly desired was never to be Wan Yutang's wife.

"What she wanted was simply to be the wife of the hall master of Wusheng Hall.

"As for whether the hall master was named Wan Yutang or Qian Yutang, why would she even care?"

Bei Zhangzhi was left completely speechless.

"How is this possible?

"This... this is impossible...

"He is clearly the Hall Master.

"Chief Escort Su, you... you can't just go around slandering people!"

Su Mo gently shook his head and glanced at 'Wan Yutang':

"Still not willing to talk?"

"Hah..."

'Wan Yutang' lightly shook his head:

"Chief Escort Su, you're just spouting nonsense. What you say is completely false, yet you expect me to respond?"

"Hmm..."

Su Mo nodded: "Speaking of which, your face must indeed be Wan Yutang's. Wearing someone else's face and sitting in such a position for so many years couldn't have been easy.

"I'm curious, where did you learn this disguise technique?"

As he spoke, Su Mo reached out to touch 'Wan Yutang's' cheek, only to find that the skin was real.

There was no mask on his face.

Su Mo frowned slightly. Logically, this person shouldn't know the martial arts of Eternal Night Valley.

Therefore, it shouldn't be the trick of skinning someone and making clothes from their skin.

But just in case, Su Mo pressed several acupoints on his body to test.

That day in Tianqu City, Wan Zangxin exposed the human skin trick by using sword energy to break the acupoints, separating the mask from the body at several crucial points.

Once these acupoints were broken, the mask would naturally fall off.

Since Su Mo was there that day, he naturally didn't miss this technique.

After all, it's always good to have such skills.

Therefore, today's attempt was not at all unfamiliar.

But after following the method, Su Mo reached out again, and what he touched was still real flesh, not someone else's.

"...I told you, I am... I am Wan Yutang!"

'Wan Yutang' looked up at Su Mo; this act had caused him considerable harm.

So much so that his face was somewhat pale, and he grinned:

"Chief Escort Su, what kind of game are you playing now?"

"Impressive."

Su Mo couldn't help but admire: "I sincerely ask, what method did the Hall Master use to change himself into this appearance?"

"I... I actually didn't use any method. I am Wan Yutang... Wan Yutang is me!"

Wan Yutang looked up, his face filled with the fury of being wronged.

Seeing this, even Ji Feiyang couldn't help but doubt:

"Did we really get it wrong?"

Yang Yizhi, however, gently shook his head and said to Su Mo:

"Mo'er, proceed with the technique.

"Those who achieve great things always have hearts as hard as iron. Even with methods applied, they might not tell the truth, let alone when no action has been taken yet."

"Alright."

Su Mo sighed: "The hall master is no ordinary person. Unless absolutely necessary, I really wouldn't want to apply such a method on you.

"To be frank, I once befriended Master Red Cloud from the Red Cloud Temple and learned some martial arts techniques from the Painful Mantra.

"Later, Master Red Cloud even taught me the entire Painful Mantra.

"After studying it, I had further realizations and combined it with my own pure yang internal energy...

"I combined the burning sensation of pure yang energy with the pain of the Painful Mantra.

"Since mastering this technique, I’ve never used it, imagining it must be quite excruciating.

"Today, I invite the hall master to critique it, to see if my humble technique is worthy of the hall."

As he finished speaking, Su Mo flicked his finger.

By now, Su Mo had moved beyond the three acupoints for one-day, two-day, and three-day pain.

The entire Painful Mantra records a total of thirty acupoints throughout the body.

Each one increases in duration, with the longest causing pain for up to thirty days, though the difficulty of execution also increases over time.

The intricate methods of applying force truly amazed Su Mo.

At that moment, Su Mo flicked his finger, and a faint purple light flashed at his fingertip, directly hitting Wan Yutang's Danzhong acupoint.

The Danzhong acupoint is a vital point on the human body; if struck with internal energy, it could cause severe injury or death.

However, the Painful Mantra's technique can inflict pain without causing injury, even as the pain spreads throughout the body, not a single layer of skin is broken.

This is the marvel of the Painful Mantra.

Su Mo's martial arts skills are exceptional.

By infusing pure yang energy into it, it causes no harm to the person.

But it was agony for Wan Yutang.

When Su Mo's internal energy struck him, he felt as if he were plunged into boiling oil.

Intense pain instantly spread through his body, and in his mind, he felt as if he’d been scorched all over with blisters by a searing force.

Yet, he couldn’t struggle at all.

Even if he wanted to scream and vent, he couldn't.

Yet, his mind remained crystal clear.

No matter how intense the pain, he would not faint from it...

One moment, it felt like he was struggling in a boiling oil pot, and the next, it was as if he had fallen into the mouth of a fiery beast, surrounded by flames and the agony of being torn apart.

Then, it was as if he had plummeted from a height of ten thousand feet into a lake of magma.

In just a few breaths, 'Wan Yutang' felt as though he was frantically struggling in an endless torment.

What is an endless torment?

This is the true endless inferno!!

He looked up at Su Mo, wanting to speak, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Su Mo was also calmly watching him. The Painful Mantra combined with his pure yang internal energy was his first time using it, and he wanted to see how Wan Yutang would react.

For now, he didn't notice much else, only that the moment he struck with it, Wan Yutang's eyes instantly turned blood red.

It was as if he was a beast in agony, struggling and ready to tear someone apart.

Su Mo gave him a few glances, then turned his gaze to Bei Zhangzhi, smiling as he said:

"Northern Hall Lord, your martial arts are incredibly impressive. The techniques you've displayed today in the hall have been truly astonishing.

With six Hall Masters attacking simultaneously, three were effortlessly repelled, and the other three were injured in an instant.

Tell me, what kind of technique is this?"

Bei Zhangzhi did not answer Su Mo's question, instead looking at 'Wan Yutang' with grave concern:

"What exactly have you done to the Hall Master?"

Su Mo thought for a moment, then pointed a finger at him.

In an instant, he had already let him go.

Yet, even so, Bei Zhangzhi felt as though he had endured a thousand cuts, and the blades were red-hot.

Looking at Su Mo again, his eyes were wide with fear:

"You... you..."

"How was that?"

Su Mo smiled: "This was just a flick of my finger. What the Hall Master is enduring now is what you just experienced in that instant."

"Release the Hall Master!"

Bei Zhangzhi's eyes were blazing with fury.

"Oh?"

Su Mo chuckled, glancing at Yang Yizhi and the others before saying:

"The Hall Master is all but abandoned by everyone, yet it seems you remain fiercely loyal to him."

"Letting him go won't be easy, but if you tell me the truth, I might stop tormenting him."

"..."

After hesitating briefly:

"These... these are martial arts taught by the hall master, one is called the Divine Light Splitting Hand, and the other is called the Yixuan Divine Art."

Su Mo nodded and glanced at Yu Lingxin.

"Miss, if you would, bring me some ink, brush, paper, and inkstone."

"Alright."

Yu Lingxin immediately turned and left, returning shortly with the requested items.

Su Mo placed the writing materials in front of Bei Zhangzhi: "Write down the techniques and their corresponding mental cultivation methods."

"You... you're already the First of Donghuang. Yet you still want to steal others' martial arts?"

"You can always learn from others to better yourself. Otherwise, how do you think I became the First of Donghuang?"

"..."

This was clearly a brazen argument, but after glancing at Wan Yutang, Bei Zhangzhi knew he had no choice.

He took a deep breath and started writing.

First, he wrote the Divine Light Splitting Hand, followed by the Yixuan Divine Art.

Once done, Su Mo skimmed through it and handed it to Yang Yizhi.

Yang Yizhi frowned while reading it, then pulled Su Mo aside and said in a low voice:

"The Divine Light Splitting Hand is roughly eighty percent accurate, missing twenty percent.

"Either the teacher held back, or Bei Zhangzhi left out parts on purpose.

"The Yixuan Divine Art only includes the first three levels..."

Su Mo nodded slightly. He also noticed the Yixuan Divine Art only had the first three levels.

The main issue was the Divine Light Splitting Hand. Yang Yizhi feared that if Su Mo and the others learned it, it could do more harm than good, so he didn't teach it and needed Yang Yizhi to verify it.

With the information in hand, Su Mo returned to Bei Zhangzhi:

"Northern Hall Lord, your skills are impressive. May I ask where you obtained such divine techniques?"

"This art was obtained from the ruins of Da Xuan.

"After returning, thanks to the hall master's generosity, he taught me the techniques."

"I see."

Su Mo smiled: "I heard that since the hall master took office, he has led his men to explore the ruins of Da Xuan several times. What other gains have you made?"

"This..."

Bei Zhangzhi hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"The specifics of the harvest are known only to the Hall Master.

"As far as I know, apart from obtaining some medicinal recipes and elixir recipes, one is the martial arts we practice, and the other is a sword...

"However, that sword is incomplete; only half of it remains.

"But its sword energy is extremely strong, not an ordinary item. There are characters inscribed on the blade, reading: 'Dao.'

"You don't seem to know much about the others... why is it that you remember this sword so clearly?"

"...Because, for the others, I only heard about them secondhand.

"Only this sword, I have seen with my own eyes."

Having said this, Bei Zhangzhi had no more to conceal.

After listening, Su Mo seemed to ponder:

"Heard about them secondhand? What exactly did you hear secondhand, Deputy Hall Master?

"Since we still have some spare time, why not start from the beginning?"

Bei Zhangzhi glanced at 'Wan Yutang,' thinking to himself that he could start from the beginning, but the Hall Master might not last.

Seeing Su Mo's demeanor, if he didn't explain clearly, the Hall Master would only endure more hardship.

So he had no choice but to say:

"At that time, I had not yet taken over as the Second Hall Master, just a minor figure in the Second Hall, serving by Hall Master Xiao's side.

"Hall Master Xiao had not yet disappeared and had followed the Hall Master to investigate the Da Xuan ruins several times.

"Most of what I heard was relayed by Hall Master Xiao.

"He said... the Hall Master was good at recognizing talent, truly finding a very capable expert, and made significant gains from investigating the Da Xuan ruins.

"But sometimes Hall Master Xiao appeared troubled, with a furrowed brow.

"At that time, I was of low status; how could I dare to ask more?

"But one day, Hall Master Xiao seemed to have something on his mind, had a few more drinks, and then revealed a few words.

"He said, that 'Mr. Jun' had an unfathomable origin, had an in-depth knowledge of the Da Xuan ruins, which made people uneasy.

"He offered some advice, but the Hall Master didn't listen at all.

"But after that, Hall Master Xiao never brought it up again.

"He just said that in the Da Xuan ruins, they found some lethal elixir recipes, and he didn't know how the Hall Master would handle them.

"Also, they acquired a half-page fragment from what seemed to be called the 'Tian Gong Record' or 'Bao Gong Record.'

"The Hall Master wanted to embark on a large-scale construction project...

"But the talk ended there, and for more than a year after, there was no activity within the hall.

"Later, Hall Master Xiao suddenly disappeared, and the Deputy Hall Master met an unexpected death.

"At a time when the Second Hall was in disarray, the Hall Master actually appointed me as the Second Hall Master."

"Northern Hall Lord Bei was well aware of his limited martial arts skills and felt inadequate for the responsibility, but the hall master greatly encouraged him.

"He even offered to take me along to explore the Da Xuan ruins."

"Was that the trip when you found the broken sword called 'Dao'?"

"Exactly."

Su Mo asked, "Besides you, which other Northern Hall Lords accompanied you on that trip?"

"None."

Northern Hall Lord Bei shook his head:

"Among the twelve Hall Masters, I was the only one on that trip.

"Additionally, there were some skilled individuals, found from who knows where, each with extraordinary martial arts, making the entire journey and its outcome remarkably smooth.

"It was after this trip that the hall master taught me two divine skills. Over the years, I have diligently practiced them, which is why I have reached my current level of achievement."

"Northern Hall Lord Bei, have you heard of the Endless Prison?"

Su Mo asked again.

Northern Hall Lord Bei also shook his head:

"I've never heard of it. I swear everything I've said is true. Please, Chief Escort Su, stop tormenting the hall master!"

Hearing this, Su Mo nodded and said, "Thank you, Northern Hall Lord Bei, for clarifying."

At this point, he exhaled softly, glanced at 'Wan Yutang', and then tapped him lightly with his finger.

'Wan Yutang' gasped, instinctively recoiling like a frightened bird.

Su Mo smiled:

"Is the Hall Master still well?"

"...I am not the Hall Master, I am not the Hall Master!"

'Wan Yutang' hurriedly shouted: "Please let me go—no, kill me! Killing me is fine, just stop tormenting me with that method!"

"Hmm?" Su Mo's eyebrow arched:

"Of course, I know you're not the Hall Master, you're that Mr. Jun, right?"

"No, I am not Mr. Jun!"

'Wan Yutang' quickly said: "My name is Cao Ming. I am not Mr. Jun.

"It's...

"It's Mr. Jun...

"It's Mr. Jun, Jun Luo!

"He said he would give me immense wealth and make me the Hall Master."

"From now on, I can control the entire Wusheng Hall, wielding absolute authority over life and death!

"And I can also master peerless martial arts, ruling the world!

"But... but I really am not Jun Luo, Chief Escort Su, please judge fairly, judge fairly!!"

"Cao Ming...?"

Bei Zhangzhi was stunned: "Who is Cao Ming? You... what have you done with the real hall master?"

"It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me!"

Cao Ming hurriedly said: "It was Jun Luo, he imprisoned the hall master in the Endless Prison.

"I had nothing to do with this!"

"...Is there really... an Endless Prison?"

Bei Zhangzhi was completely baffled: "How is this possible?"

Su Mo and the others exchanged glances, all exhaled softly.

Su Mo was right not to act directly last night; now it seems the hall master’s identity hides deeper secrets.

If Su Mo had suddenly acted last night, it would have surely tipped off the enemy.

Su Mo smiled, then said:

"Speak. Tell me everything, from start to finish, clearly and in detail."

"Y-yes... yes."

Cao Ming was utterly terrified of Su Mo’s Painful Mantra.

The suffering he endured in such a short time was beyond imagination.

It was a nightmare worse than hell, and he vowed never to endure it again.

After taking a moment to collect himself, he said:

"My name is Cao Ming. I used to scrape by on the streets of Minghu County..."