Chapter 362: Setting Sail

Chapter 362: Setting Sail

The following days were still devoted to preparations.

For Su Mo and his companions, setting sail was like a maiden’s first visit to the bridal chamber.

Their experience came from what others had told them, and they were always worried about not being prepared enough.

Fortunately, the Fallen Phoenix Alliance never treated Su Mo as an outsider, and all the sailors and crew members on the ship were from the alliance.

The helmsman was especially experienced in navigating the seas.

Though he had never truly ventured deep into the South China Sea, he was still a seasoned veteran.

On one hand, there were matters concerning the ship, and on the other, there were the remaining tasks for the Purple Sun Escort Agency.

Su Mo naturally needed to bring a few people with him on this trip.

Apart from himself and Yang Xiaoyun, he also brought Fu Hanyuan and Yu Shengnu.

The rest, including Xu Lu and Liu Mo, remained at the agency.

Someone had to manage things here.

Xu Lu's martial arts skills had been improving day by day. Although his combat techniques were still lacking, his mastery of the Qiankun Acupoint Technique was quite advanced.

Moreover, his lightness skills were exceptional.

When he struck suddenly, the opponent would be immobilized before they even realized where he was.

During this year, Su Mo also taught him Divine Movement and the first move of Gale God's Leg Technique.

These two martial arts suited him perfectly.

Su Mo also discovered that this person possessed an extraordinary talent for lightfoot techniques.

Whether it was Divine Movement or the first move of Gale God's Leg, he grasped the fundamentals remarkably quickly.

Especially Divine Movement—his progress outpaced Yang Xiaoyun's by thirty percent.

In contrast, his advancement in Gale God's Leg was considerably slower.

In terms of internal energy, Su Mo imparted to him the Radiant Sun Heart Sutra.

However, Xu Lu's progress in this internal art fell short of expectations.

He remained in the Eastern Wastes because his swift movements enabled him to serve as Su Mo’s eyes and legs, traveling across the region.

Moreover, Xu Lu was sharp-minded and perfect for critical missions.

As for Liu Mo, he had become increasingly steady and reliable.

Among the escort bureau's guards, he held immense prestige.

He stayed at the bureau alongside Zhang Biaotou to manage bureau operations.

On the other hand, Hu Sandao... though his martial arts were somewhat mediocre and he wasn’t the sharpest leader,

one reason he remained behind was that his wife was with child, and with family close by, it was hardly practical for him to travel far.

Secondly, he’s now able to hold his own.

He’s fully mastered the complete set of Great Blaze Divine Saber techniques, and wields them with fierce, extraordinary power.

So he mainly stays behind to team up with Lead Escort Li and the others, handling regular escort duties.

As for bringing Fu Hanyuan along, it was to deal with nuisances.

Fu’s martial arts aren’t weak, and although Su Mo didn’t formally take him as a disciple over the past year, he did offer guidance in key martial arts techniques.

Back then, the Three Extremes Sect had specifically trained him to counter the Heavenly Saber Sect.

While this didn’t make Fu Hanyuan a top-tier master, it gave him considerable combat experience.

With occasional advice from Su Mo, he’s really come a long way.

Having him around to handle people not worth Su Mo’s time is just right.

As for Yu Shengnan… she was simply kept under his wing for training.

The girl started late, spending her early years building fundamentals.

Skill thrives through practice, but falters through neglect.

She’s still young, so keeping a close eye on her puts his mind at ease.

In addition, over the past year, Wei Ziyi gave him an unusual gift—

a carrier eagle!

Of course, while it was indeed a carrier eagle, it wasn’t ordinary.

The eagle handlers of the Fallen Phoenix Alliance said it had been brought back by another carrier eagle.

When it arrived, it was a newborn eaglet, fighting for life.

The handlers did what they could before giving up and setting it aside.

Unexpectedly, the eagle fought its way back from the brink of death.

Raised as a carrier eagle, it grew far larger, faster, and fiercer than normal ones.

Recognizing its uniqueness, Wei Ziyi gave it to Su Mo.

Despite its usual ferocity, the eagle became strangely tame around Su Mo, showing unheard-of obedience.

Su Mo also took a liking to its noble appearance and decided to keep it.

Over the past half-year, as he traveled across the Eastern Wastes, the eagle stuck faithfully by him.

Carrying messages for the agency, it could even find its way to the Seven Major Sects after just one visit.

However… over these months, the eagle has grown even larger.

Looks like it’ll keep growing.

It's unclear whether it is inherently a celestial anomaly or if it has been influenced by the holy artifact of White Tiger City due to its habit of sleeping on the white tiger’s head every day.

Strange as it may seem.

The tiger’s might is a lethal threat to ordinary animals.

Whenever Su Mo rode out on the white tiger, he could only confine it to a courtyard, letting it sleep there.

Otherwise, any visit to the stables would result in the horses being so terrified that their legs would cramp and they would defecate and urinate uncontrollably.

But this eagle seemed oblivious to the tiger’s might. At first, it was naturally somewhat wary, but later it paid no heed.

Especially, it liked to perch on the white tiger’s head, strutting about proudly, which was both amusing and exasperating.

However, with this eagle, Su Mo’s travels to the South Sea could now be facilitated through communication with the escort agency.

Of course, it’s too early to say how things will go.

At least, they need to see if it gets lost at sea...

All the necessary preparations and provisions have been mostly taken care of.

On this fine day, with favorable winds, it was the perfect time to set sail across the vast ocean.

By the bay of the South Sea, a group approached a large ship.

At the forefront, riding a white tiger with an eagle circling overhead, none other than Su Mo himself.

Yang Xiaoyun sat in his arms.

Yu Shengnan was seated behind them.

Fu Hanyuan followed on horseback, with other members of the escort agency riding alongside him.

Liu Mo, Hu Sandao, Xu Lu, Xiaochuan, and the rest were there too.

Zhen Xiaoxiao lagged behind, her slow, heavy steps shaking the ground.

She held two people in her grasp—a man and a woman. Their clothes were clean, but their faces were shadowed with gloom.

They were the same two who had left the South Sea for the Eastern Wasteland a year earlier.

Su Mo wasn’t just after their knowledge of the South Sea—he’d dragged them along too.

Not that Su Mo was taking advantage of them.

After a year of food and lodging, they’d burned through all their silver.

When Su Mo did the math, not only was there no refund—they actually owed him a hefty amount.

They had no way to pay up.

So he brought them as living maps—their way of settling the debt.

All things considered, those two had it rough.

They originally came to the Eastern Wilds for training.

But they never expected that within less than a day of arriving there—before they'd even been off the boat for twenty-four hours—they were locked up in the Purple Sun Escort Agency.

And they wound up stuck there a whole year.

Just as Su Mo was about to cut them loose, they had no choice but to head back home.

This so-called "training" ended up being a total joke.

Zhen Xiaoxiao hauling two people didn’t actually slow her down.

Back when she wasn’t this heavy, she wouldn’t have run this slowly…

Now, though, she was finding it harder and harder to move.

She knew this was bad news—if things kept going like this, she might not be able to stand at all anymore.

She was growing desperate.

But her constant eating wasn’t just from hunger or craving.

It was because she couldn’t help it.

That craving was unbearable, overpowering every other sensation.

Beside Zhen Xiaoxiao were Little Situ and the others.

As they moved, they couldn’t help glancing over at her again and again.

Their faces were unreadable, their thoughts unclear.

The group assembled, staring up at the massive ship before them.

The ship was built by top-tier shipwrights from the southwest, tweaked and perfected over a year according to Su Mo’s specifications.

Three masts towered over it, with three decks in total—upper, middle, and lower hold.

Inside, besides storing ample food and water, there were plenty of cabins.

On both sides of the hull, two small boats were fixed in place.

If the ship went down, these lifeboats would serve as their last hope in emergencies.

The sea was a minefield of dangers, and not everything was in their control.

Only by planning for every possible disaster could they reduce the risks to a minimum.

Just then, Su Mo glanced around, scanning the area:

"Where’s Leader Wei?"

"Who’s missing?"

A voice rang out from above.

Su Mo looked up again, only to see Wei Ziyi leaning over the railing, grinning down at him:

"You’re the slow ones! I’ve been wasting over an hour waiting up here."

"If you didn’t come soon, I’d have told Song Yuanlong to set sail."

Song Yuanlong was the helmsman of this ship.

"That’s ridiculous."

Su Mo was both amused and exasperated. "This is *my* ship. You don’t get to decide when we sail."

"You’re the ridiculous one."

Wei Ziyi snorted. "Get on the ship already. I can’t wait to see the ocean views."

"Watch you don’t get snatched by a big fish."

Su Mo muttered under his breath before turning to Liu Mo.

"Chief Liu, I’m leaving the escort bureau in your hands."

"Don’t worry, Chief."

Liu Mo clasped his fists solemnly. "As long as I’m alive, I won’t let you down."

"You flatter me."

Su Mo smiled. "If you run into any real trouble, just ask the Purple Sun Sect for help."

"Got it."

Liu Mo nodded firmly.

Then Su Mo turned to Xu Lu and gave him some last-minute advice too.

Finally, he waved his hand.

"Let’s go!"

No more needed to be said—there was no point wasting time here.

As soon as he spoke, his white tiger, long since impatient, took a step forward and leapt onto the deck in one bound.

Proud of its own majesty, it was about to show off with a mighty roar when Yang Xiaoyun lightly tapped its head.

"Knock it off."

"Mrow…"

The roar was stifled in its throat, reduced to a kitten-like whimper.

Its dignity was gone in a flash.

Even so, the sailors on board were startled.

That tiger was downright scary.

Though the jianghu had grown used to Su Mo riding a white tiger over the past year, and people in Sunset City still stopped to stare when the tiger passed by, their initial fear that it might eat them had faded.

But up this close, the skittish ones couldn’t help but feel shaky.

Fortunately, with Su Mo and the others maintaining order, and the white tiger remaining docile, everyone gradually relaxed.

Among those behind, except for Zhen Xiaoxiao, who failed to make the leap, the rest swiftly jumped aboard one after another.

Suddenly, they heard Zhen Xiaoxiao let out a sharp cry:

"Go on, scram!"

With two swift whooshes, the two Southern Sea elites she had been holding were hurled through the air.

As they soared farther away, the two men turned pale with fear.

Seeing this, Su Mo shot out two fingers, unsealing their acupoints.

The two men instinctively channeled their qi and activated their lightness technique, stabilizing their forms. They quickly pulled off a "Weighted Descent" to avoid falling into the water.

But before they could act further, Su Mo resealed their pressure points.

By the time Zhen Xiaoxiao climbed aboard, the ship lurched slightly under her weight.

Luckily, the vessel was massive enough not to capsize from her alone.

Once everyone was safely on board, Su Mo stood at the edge of the ship’s railing, clasped his hands in salute, and said:

"Everyone, take care!"

"Travel safely, Head Escort!"

The people below shouted in response.

Su Mo smiled and turned around to find everyone looking at him.

Slightly taken aback, he asked, "What's the matter?"

"We're waiting for your orders."

Wei Ziyi said, "Although everyone on the ship is from the Fallen Phoenix Alliance, they are now under your command, eating the food you provide. Naturally, they must listen to you. No one dares to move without your word to set sail."

"Ha ha ha."

Su Mo laughed and nodded, saying:

"Very well... Raise the anchor!"

The crew members on the ship immediately responded with a chorus of assent.

They hauled up the anchor and secured it in place.

Without the anchor holding it steady, the ship began to sway slightly. Su Mo then called out:

"Set sail!!"

The sailors immediately took their positions, with Song Yuanlong standing at the helm. The large ship gradually pulled away from the dock and sailed into the South China Sea.

When the time was right, Su Mo waved his hand and commanded, "Hoist the sails!"

A series of swishing sounds followed.

The sails on the three masts dropped down, and with a loud snap, they were filled with wind.

One could see four large characters emblazoned on the sails: *Ziyang Escort Bureau!*

This voyage aimed to carry the name of Ziyang Escort Bureau directly into the South Sea.

Moreover, atop the ship’s tallest mast stood a lookout post, and above that, at the very tip, another flag fluttered, snapping in the wind.

Now fully launched, the ship rode the wind and waves, heading into the vast ocean.

The first leg of the voyage buzzed with excitement.

Most onboard were landlubbers. Any prior sailing experience was limited to rivers.

The boundless, wind-whipped sea was something they had never seen.

At first, they babbled endlessly, awestruck by the ocean’s immensity.

Above them stretched the heavens, meeting the sea in a perfect horizon—a seamless unity of sky and water.

But soon, dread crept in.

Against the vast sea, the ship shrank to a speck, like a lone vessel adrift.

Adrift on the endless ocean, the lone vessel inevitably stirred unease.

They shrank into themselves—though standing between heaven and earth, only the deck beneath offered any foothold.

Without the ship, they were doomed.

Awe twisted into fear, especially for Yu Shengnan, whose face turned pale.

She clung to Su Mo’s sleeve, unwilling to let go.

But after a while, she gradually relaxed.

To Su Mo’s relief, no one got seasick.

Otherwise, it’d have been a nightmare.

His biggest worry? Finding a doctor onboard.

No ordinary physician would suffice—it had to be someone with seafaring experience.

But such individuals were hard to find.

Who, having mastered medicine, would gamble their life at sea?

But Little Situ Taoist’s arrival solved that.

Now, seeing no one afflicted by seasickness, Su Mo breathed easy.

As he turned to lead Yang Xiaoyun belowdecks for a look around,

he caught sight of the white tiger prowling the deck.

The great ship sailed on, chasing the horizon into the open sea.

Staggering unsteadily, the white tiger’s wide, panicked eyes betrayed its fear.

"..."

Su Mo blinked in surprise and pulled at Yang Xiaoyun’s sleeve:

"Look at this big guy... what’s up with him?"

Yang Xiaoyun studied it for a moment. "Losing its balance?"

"It knows lightness techniques."

"Can it do the Thousand-Jin Drop?"

"..."

Su Mo was at a loss for words.

Who knew if this tiger could pull off the Thousand-Jin Drop?

Even the idea that it knew lightness techniques was just a guess.

Hearing their exchange, the others turned to look at the white tiger, finding the whole thing pretty funny.

Usually so regal, it now looked downright pitiful.

Caught between laughter and frustration, Su Mo stepped forward and patted the tiger’s head.

"C’mon, let’s get you settled."

Not far away stood a large cabin specially built for the white tiger—plenty of room inside, no need to feel cooped up.

Once led in, the tiger immediately found a spot to lie down and heaved an almost human sigh of relief.

Yet every time the ship swayed, it lifted its head nervously to check, making sure everything was still intact before relaxing again.

Its eyes grew heavy with sleep.

Su Mo gently patted its big head, then left with Yang Xiaoyun.

After telling everyone to find their own rooms, he led Yang Xiaoyun to a cabin located high up on the ship.

Opening the door, they entered a space not large but fully stocked—small yet containing everything they needed.

Within the limited area, tables, chairs, and benches were all in place.

Su Mo set down his travel pack and took out several items.

A gold-embroidered map, a jade-tipped awl, the Mandarin Duck Register,

and three Mystical Mechanism Clasps.

Now that he had left the Eastern Wastes, these items couldn’t stay behind at the security bureau.

He had to keep them safe by carrying them himself.

There was another hidden mechanism in the cabin. When he pushed the desk aside, it revealed a hidden compartment built into the wall.

Su Mo gave the wall a series of light, rhythmic taps and immediately opened a concealed door. He placed the items inside and then closed the compartment again.

Unlike Su Tianyang, he didn’t need some fancy tricked-out desk in his cabin.

But he did possess one-third of the *Heavenly Craft Compendium*.

It contained endless clever tricks, and after studying them carefully, he’d whipped up this hiding spot himself without much trouble.

Yang Xiaoyun stood behind him watching the scene and couldn’t help laughing as she said:

“If our ship was truly lost at sea…”

“…then the *Great Xuan Treasury* would be lost forever.”