Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Sword Tasting Tower Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Sword Tasting Tower Editor: Atlas Studios Exploring Yuliu Manor at night, naturally one must wait until the dead of night when all is still.
At the wei hour, Su Mo quietly opened the window, and with a flicker, he had already leapt out. His toes lightly touched the ground, and he soared up to land on the rooftop.
Gazing into the distance, although he could not take in the entire Yuliu Manor, he could still get a rough idea.
At this moment, the entire Yuliu Manor was deadly silent, not even a sliver of light peeked out.
Su Mo’s brows slightly furrowed, as this was even more unusual than usual.
For a large estate like this, there should naturally be lanterns left alight at night, even if frugal, there was absolutely no reason for such dead silence.
Especially at the periphery of the manor, not even the slightest sound of insects chirping or birds calling could be heard.
As he was pondering, just as he was about to leap away, a light movement caught his ear, and he paused his steps.
Peering around, he saw someone from the neighboring courtyard leaping out, their footsteps light and agile, rebounding in an instant to land on the rooftop.
It was that scholar.
He seemed as if he had finished resting, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Su Mo hid in time and was not discovered by this person.
Following that, the scholar leapt away.
After a short contemplation, Su Mo decided to follow him.
Everyone who visited Yuliu Manor today probably had different intentions.
However, no matter their goal, it likely had something to do with Liu Suifeng.
Since the other party was also traveling late at night, it was possible that he could lead Su Mo to Liu Suifeng.
This scholar’s Qinggong was quite extraordinary, his arms waving as he moved, like a spirit bird soaring through the air. Although not very fast, his footsteps were utterly silent.
The Qinggong that Su Mo practiced was passed down from the Ziyang Sect.
The Ziyang Sect was known for the Nine Purple Fierce Sun Burning Sky Technique, with its martial arts focusing primarily on Inner Strength and supplemented by hand-to-hand combat, but the Qinggong was just average.
If not for Su Mo’s deep Inner Strength from the Longxiang Wisdom Skill, there would be no such marvel today.
Luckily, Su Mo possessed finely controlled Inner Strength at Great Perfection, complemented by his sustained and enduring energy, so as he followed the scholar, even when the latter stopped several times to check, he never noticed a trace of Su Mo.
In the blink of an eye, the two had traveled from the southwest of the estate all the way to the north.
Su Mo, while following the scholar, also paid attention to the motions within the estate.
Yet he discovered that there were not only no lights within the manor.
Not even maids or servants, nor any patrolling disciples, were to be seen.
The vast Yuliu Manor indeed seemed like a dead house.
Initially, the scholar was covering his traces, but after rushing forward for a while, he gradually let loose, no longer bothering to conceal himself and simply dashing forward recklessly.
Caught in confusion, Su Mo suddenly saw the scholar come to an abrupt halt.
It was not to check behind him, but as if he had discovered something, he was hiding and observing.
Su Mo also stopped, and saw where the scholar’s gaze was directed, there was a person walking slowly in the dark night.
After reaching Great Perfection with his Longxiang Wisdom Skill, Su Mo’s senses were sharp; his eyes couldn’t be said to have night vision per se, but as long as there was a little light, there was no difference from daylight to him.
Yet the person walking within the estate held a lantern emitting a faint green glow.
The lantern was a lantern, but what it emitted was not the normal light of a lantern, but a ghostly green light.
Dressed in black, blending into the night, their figure was difficult to discern with just a glance, holding the green-glowing lantern; it looked as if a green flame was floating and bobbing mid-air.
This scene was indeed somewhat terrifying.
However, what truly shook Su Mo was not this act of pretending to be a god, but the identity of the person.
He was Liu Qingkong!
The Yuliu Manor Housekeeper who had led him and Yang Xiaoyun into the manor, the one with a smile on his face and a polite demeanor.
In the dead of night, carrying a lantern like a ghostly fire, he wandered through the eerily silent Yuliu Manor like a lost soul.
“What’s all this mess?”
The information received from Pingfeng Town had already informed Su Mo that strange visitors had called on Liu Suifeng and that there had been significant changes within Yuliu Manor.
But he had not anticipated it would reach this extent.
What had happened to Liu Qingkong?
Was he having a nightmare during sleep? Or drunk on fake liquor?
What was the purpose of causing such a scene in the middle of the night?
While Su Mo’s mind raced with these thoughts, the scholar started moving again, following Liu Qingkong.
Su Mo suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his head and trailed behind the two of them.
Three people, one behind the other, moved slowly within the silent mansion.
Liu Qingkong’s footsteps were not quick, but each step was of equal distance and rhythm, never pausing for even a moment.
After about the time it takes to burn one incense stick, they arrived in front of a courtyard.
With a creaking sound, Liu Qingkong opened the grand door of the courtyard, which revealed a small building inside.
In front of the building were three large characters: Sword Tasting Tower!
The writing was fierce and sharp, penetrating three inches into the wood, faintly exuding the aura of clashing swords.
It was utterly different from the ghostly atmosphere surrounding Liu Qingkong.
Upon arriving at the Sword Tasting Tower, Liu Qingkong pushed the door open with one hand, stepped inside, and then the door slammed shut behind him, leaving no further movement.
Outside the Sword Tasting Tower, Su Mo and the scholar each remained silent.
However… Su Mo knew that the scholar was silent, but the scholar did not know that Su Mo was following behind him.
The scholar’s silence did not last too long, and after another incense stick’s time had passed without Liu Qingkong reemerging, the scholar stirred again.
With a flicker of his figure, he had reached the second floor of the Sword Tasting Tower.
He casually pushed open a window and, with a flash, disappeared inside.
Leaving only Su Mo standing outside the Sword Tasting Tower, the world became utterly silent, as if the entire world contained only this tower and this man.
Of course, this was only an illusion.
“Liu Qingkong, not sleeping in the middle of the night and dressing up like this, definitely isn’t just to pretend to be a ghost and scare people…
“What mysteries lie within this Sword Tasting Tower?
“The scholar went in and there hasn’t been the slightest sound since; even if he died, he should at least scream before dying, right?”
While these thoughts tumbled through his mind, he suddenly turned his head to see a figure heading north, although this behavior appeared somewhat flamboyant.
His brows furrowed slightly, he then heard a loud noise as the doors of Sword Tasting Tower burst open and a figure dashed out, hurtling towards that conspicuous figure.
This was none other than Liu Qingkong.
Su Mo’s eyes flickered slightly, but he did not linger any longer. Taking advantage of the wide open doors, he leapt down and entered Sword Tasting Tower with a toe touch.
No sooner had he entered when the sound of the wind upfront seemed wrong.
Looking up sharply, a figure suddenly approached.
Su Mo stretched out a palm, enveloped with Longxiang Power, his hand ready to strike the intruder’s face, but at that moment, he swiftly retracted his palm, sidestepping, and the figure swept past him before collapsing to the ground.
It was not that Su Mo was soft-hearted, but in that instant, he realized that the comer was not alive.
“Is this that brash fellow surnamed Wang?”
Under the night sky, the door of Sword Tasting Tower remained open, the lifeless body lay before Su Mo’s eyes, shriveled and withered, making it difficult to recognize the features.
But judging by the attire, it was no different from the brash fellow who had boasted about fighting three hundred rounds every day.