Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Seven Extremes Hall Chapter 41: Chapter 41 Seven Extremes Hall Editor: Atlas Studios Having such a person relentlessly following behind, no matter how one looks, it’s bound to make one uncomfortable.
But shaking them off is truly not easy.
No matter how Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun disguise themselves or hide, this person always manages to find them like a cat that has smelled fish.
While it is annoying, they are at a loss for what to do with him for the time being.
After all, whether it’s Su Mo or Yang Xiaoyun, they can indeed be ruthless towards evil people.
However, facing someone who neither fights back nor talks back, who just wants to borrow a sword—and not even forcibly… they couldn’t really just slap him dead, right?
After such a deadlock for several days, this night, Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun were delayed by a minor incident on the road, missing the chance to stay at Sutou.
They had no choice but to spend the night in the open by the roadside.
Beside the campfire, the two sat opposite each other, gazing into the deep night. Yang Xiaoyun spoke softly:
“We’re only half a month away from Yuqing Mountain… They still haven’t made any move.”
“Perhaps they’re not prepared yet…”
Su Mo poked at the campfire with a stick: “I suspect they’d rather not confront us directly, fearing that they won’t return. If I were them, I’d probably think of another method.”
“Oh?”
Yang Xiaoyun’s eyes brightened: “If it were you, what kind of method would you use?”
“That’s not easy to say.”
Su Mo pondered for a moment: “For instance, stirring up some trouble… fishing in troubled waters?”
“Fishing in troubled waters?”
Yang Xiaoyun’s brows raised lightly, then she suddenly looked towards the darkness: “Is it that person?”
“It’s not.”
Su Mo shook his head.
The night was silent and deep; it was some time before any sound of a person came through the shadows. A figure emerged only just then, swiftly approaching them.
This person looked travel-worn as if they had come a long distance. Upon reaching the firelight, he first stopped and took several breaths, then turned his gaze to Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun.
With a slight bow and a hearty smile: “Fellow travelers… I come here seeking a bit of firelight to find shelter for the time being; I wonder if it’d be convenient for you two?”
“It’s not convenient.”
Su Mo immediately shook his head.
Yang Xiaoyun glanced thoughtfully at Su Mo and lowered her head, casually gripping the Silver Spear beside her.
The newcomer seemed befuddled, not expecting such a response from Su Mo.
He stood still for the moment, a bit shocked.
After a brief self-deprecating laugh: “I mean no harm; I only wish to warm myself by the fire, please, sir…”
His words were cut short when suddenly a cold laugh was heard not far away.
“How laughable, they’ve already said no, and you’re still shamelessly lingering.”
The voice was clear and cold, subtly threatening.
The face of the person who had just arrived changed suddenly: “You’ve come so quickly…”
Without hesitation, he immediately turned to Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, bowing slightly:
“My apologies for the intrusion, goodbye.”
After speaking, he sprung into the air, showing impressive Qinggong.
However, he did not expect that just as he left the circle of firelight, he would emit an extremely angry and shocked groan: “You…”
The sentence was never completed; how he flew away was exactly how he flew back.
His figure crashed down beside the fire, covered in blood.
He had been pierced through by a sword.
From the darkness on both sides, a person emerged from each, one of them holding a longsword, dripping blood.
The other one simply shook their head, sighing as they walked forward:
“I knew your Qinggong was good, so of course I would not be unprepared. Having tracked you this far, you don’t think I was just doing it for fun, do you?”
“…You… how unreasonable!”
The man on the ground was ghostly pale, his lifeblood draining away, his True Qi erratic, struggling even to speak smoothly.
But now he couldn’t help but glance at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, angrily saying to the two: “Each should take responsibility for their deeds. Today I ended up here by chance encounter with these two, but I didn’t expect it to lead to trouble. You may kill me, but do not implicate others.”
“Others?”
The two glanced at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, shaking their heads slightly: “In the situation today, who among us is an outsider? Having come upon this scene, who can keep themselves entirely uninvolved? If blame must be assigned, then first, blame their ill fortune, and second, blame you… for bringing disaster upon them.”
After saying this, he seemed unwilling to say much more, simply flicking his hand lightly:
“Just kill them all.”
The tone was nonchalant, as if he was not discussing murder, but rather a trivial task.
The one with the longsword showed no expression, the flash of the blade signaling the intent to kill.
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun exchanged a glance, both corners of their eyes showing helplessness.
Just as the swordsman was about to commit murder, the sound of the air being parted swiftly arrived in unison, and in the blink of an eye, the once quiet forest now had over a dozen additional figures.
After these dozen or so figures landed, one stepped forward, eyes quickly sweeping over everyone present.
The man who’d been ready to kill as easily as slaughtering chickens instantly changed his demeanor:
“Subordinate pays respect to the Sword Master, I did not expect this issue to require the personal attention of the Sword Master. It is my incompetence, I ask the Sword Master to mete out punishment.”
“Indeed, punishment is due.”
The Sword Master coldly glanced at him: “You were supposed to retrieve the lost item, yet you quickly resort to killing. The reputation of Seven Extremes Hall is being ruined by people like you.”
Seven Extremes Hall?
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun exchanged looks.
Their expressions carried a hint of strangeness.
Seven Extremes Hall was, relatively speaking, a somewhat peculiar organization.
To call it a sect would not be quite accurate; though there is an inheritance within, it’s not in the format of master-disciple transmission.
Rather, it operates on a merit-based inheritance system, where each task done for Seven Extremes Hall accumulates merits recorded in the Book of Contributions, which can then be exchanged for the internal inheritance.
Seven Extremes Hall claims to excel in seven arts — fist, spear, whip, hammer, knife, sword, and Qi!
Corresponding to seven sets of martial arts and likewise to seven types of weapons.
Each of these seven weapons is managed by one person.
The Great Hall Master of Seven Extremes Hall, Feng Wuxiang, governs from above.
The seven Weapon Masters stand below one, but above ten thousand.
Hence, this organization is less a sect and more a gang.
Yet, it does not interfere in any gang conflicts, so there is no clash with the Luofeng Alliance, content in its place between the cracks of sects and gangs.
Additionally, in recent years, Seven Extremes Hall has garnered an unsavory reputation.
Despite presenting itself as a reputable sect, rumors suggest that its tactics have become more ruthless, earning a level of disdain from the Jianghu’s Righteous Path.
That much seems to be true today.
Just witnessing the previous man’s readiness to kill, one can see that Seven Extremes Hall holds human life cheaply.
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun had not expected to encounter Seven Extremes Hall in this territory…
While they were pondering this, they heard the kneeling man exclaim:
“Your subordinate deserves death a thousand times over, yet I ask the Sword Master to see clearly, the stolen item is no trifle and concerns secrets that cannot allow any survivors!”
“Silence!”
The Sword Master was suddenly furious, pointing a finger: “Our Seven Extremes Hall is a staple of Jianghu, how can we engage in such murders and silencing of voices? If you speak another word, placing no value on human life, I will be the first to take your life!!”