Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Gathering Together Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Gathering Together Editor: Atlas Studios “Someone approaches.”
At the entrance, Liu Qingkong called out, and immediately two disciples in green emerged.
Liu Qingkong said with a smile, “Guests from afar, I’ll have someone take your mounts to be fed.”
“Thank you.”
Su Mo nodded and, along with Yang Xiaoyun, handed over the horses to the two.
Only then did Liu Qingkong say, “Please come with me.”
He led the two through rockeries and running streams, past pavilions and small chambers, and finally, they arrived in front of a hall.
Yet just as they approached, they heard an ‘aiyo’, and then saw a figure suddenly flying out from the hall’s door.
By some stroke of ill fortune, it was heading straight for Su Mo.
From the person’s posture, it seemed he was likely ejected by someone.
Ordinarily, one would lend a hand in such situations and catching the person would be an easy deed.
However, Su Mo grabbed Yang Xiaoyun’s hand and swiftly sidestepped, showing no intention of catching the person.
As the man flew through the air, he couldn’t help but glance at Su Mo, his eyes full of shock, as if accusing Su Mo of heartlessness…
Then he crashed to the ground, grimacing in pain.
Su Mo did not even spare a second glance for the man, instead turning his gaze silently towards Liu Qingkong.
Liu Qingkong gave a dry chuckle, “Young Hero… sorry for the embarrassment.”
After saying that, he went up to the man who had fallen to the ground: “Hero Wang, are you alright?”
“…Hmph, I’m fine.”
That man scrambled up from the ground, gave Su Mo a fierce glare, and then angrily looked towards the hall: “You scoundrels, resorting to sneak attacks, what kind of heroism is that? If you have the guts, face me in a fair fight for three hundred rounds!!!”
After he spoke, he hurried back into the hall.
Liu Qingkong quickly said, “Everyone, please refrain from violence…”
He wanted to rush in to stop the fight but then remembered Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, promptly adding, “Please, follow me.”
He then hurried into the hall.
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun exchanged glances, both noticing the hall was filled with many people.
Earlier at Pingfeng Town, the waiter had mentioned that some also went to visit Yuliu Manor during this period, could they all be inside here?
As the thought crossed their minds, they stepped into the hall.
They overheard someone sneer, “It’s quite a waste to use that brute strength of yours to wander the Jianghu. If you worked as a laborer at the docks, perhaps you could have made a wealthy family’s fortune and enjoyed riches and comfort. Why bother roaming the Jianghu, risking your life at every turn?”
The speaker was a middle-aged man, thin and wrinkled, with a beak-like nose, beady eyes gleaming light, with a few strands of mustache barely forming two goatees hanging over his mouth.
His hair was sparse and balding, yet he wore a white garment trying to display a carefree demeanor with a domineering gaze.
In his hand, he held a folding fan, opened to reveal four large characters: A gentleman is like jade!
In addition to him, there were several others in the hall.
Monks and laymen, men and women, all gathered together.
As Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun entered, the group shifted their attention away from the surnamed Wang and the ‘gentleman’ and turned to look at them.
However, seeing that they were two young men, he only briefly scrutinized them and did not take them to heart, retracting his attention immediately.
The man surnamed Wang burst into fury upon hearing this: “Screw your mother’s damned fart! If you’ve got the guts, let’s battle for three hundred rounds!!!”
“Gentlemen do not resort to violence at the first disagreement.”
That gentleman-like man merely chuckled lightly, sipping his tea with some smug satisfaction.
“You!!!!”
The anger on Wang’s face intensified, veins on his arms bulging, about to strike.
“Hold your hand, Hero Wang!”
Upon seeing this, Liu Qingkong quickly shouted, “Please be patient and calm within Yuliu Manor.”
“Housekeeper Liu, as you’ve witnessed, it’s not Wang’s intention to incite trouble, but this person is excessively bullying. I seek nothing else but to settle the score with my martial arts, to fight three hundred rounds and pluck his stinking beard.”
Liu Qingkong’s mouth twitched slightly, and he could only say, “Distinguished guests, though you’ve traveled far, Yuliu Manor has always welcomed friends from all walks of Jianghu. However, there is one stipulation; please refrain from fighting within Yuliu Manor, as this is a rule set forth by the manor master. Should you all not comply, and the manor master holds me accountable, I cannot bear the consequences. Therefore, please do not put me, Liu, in a difficult position.”
At first glance, his words seemed to ask not to make things difficult for Liu Qingkong himself, but within his speech, he cited Liu Suifeng.
Indeed, the two individuals who were initially in conflict in the hall immediately calmed down.
The one surnamed Wang sat down angrily, grabbing his teacup and taking a fierce sip.
As for the gentleman-like man, he just smiled gently and said, “What Housekeeper Liu said is very true. We are here as guests today and certainly not to be troublemakers. Naturally, we will not make things difficult for Housekeeper Liu… Hmm, I just wonder when Master Liu will have the time to meet with us?”
“Please be patient and calm, I will go and report to the master and ask him to decide. Please wait here for a moment.”
With this, Liu Qingkong glanced at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, “Please feel free to take a seat, I will be back shortly.”
“Housekeeper Liu, please proceed as you see fit.”
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun naturally went with the flow, sitting down after which Liu Qingkong had someone serve them tea before he turned and left.
After Liu Qingkong had left, the hall became extremely quiet for a moment.
Aside from the two chairs at the head of this hall, there were ten more seats.
Occupying them was a monk, a woman, a gentleman-like man, a pale-faced scholar, two blade users, and a burly rude man surnamed Wang!
Now that Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun had taken their seats, nine out of the ten chairs were occupied.
Su Mo’s gaze swept over everyone. The middle-aged monk had his eyes slightly closed, holding Buddhist beads and seemed to be muttering scriptures.
The age of the woman was indiscernible; she looked young, but there was a hint of world-weariness in her eyes.
The gentleman-like man needed no explanation; he was sipping tea with a grin, while his beady eyes shuffled across the faces of those present.
The scholar was holding a book, but had not read a single word, tilting his head as if he had been asleep for a long time, and the book was upside down.
The two blade users, though looking different, shared a similar demeanor, with stern expressions as if chiseled from stone, devoid of any ripples.
The rude man was furiously drinking tea, with a green-dressed maid from Yuliu Manor standing beside him with a cold face, refilling his cup.
Pouring a cup, downing a cup, it seemed he was drowning his sorrows in tea instead of liquor.
At that moment, Su Mo’s mind fixated on that sentence from the gentleman-like man, ‘we are visiting today’… today?
Hadn’t they already been here for many days? Or did they just arrive today?
As these thoughts whirled in his mind, he suddenly heard the gentleman-like man speak again:
“Ziyang? Is this Young Hero a high disciple of Ziyang Sect?”