Chapter 59: Chapter 60: Exploring the Sword Tasting Tower Again Chapter 59: Chapter 60: Exploring the Sword Tasting Tower Again Editor: Atlas Studios Su Mo’s eyes swept over each sword mark, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place in this room.
The sword Qi lingering in the sword marks indicated the assailant’s profound mastery; it must have been Yu Liu Sword Heart Liu Suifeng.
But why… why here?
As Su Mo pondered in confusion, he heard Luo Zhen muttering:
“Why would they fight here?”
If someone had come to challenge, they definitely wouldn’t have chosen Liu Suifeng’s bedroom to strike.
If it had been a night-time assassination, the doors and windows wouldn’t have remained intact.
Unless the room was specifically repaired after the battle.
However, with a closer look, one could see that the furniture in the room had not been moved; the sword marks on the windows and walls were connected.
All possibilities ran through his mind, but his frown only deepened.
If Liu Suifeng won the battle, the room surely wouldn’t remain like this.
But if he lost… then where could he possibly be now?
His martial arts are supreme; he certainly wouldn’t have just died.
Moreover, his mission so far was still to deliver the Dragon Roar in the Box to Liu Suifeng.
While the system was somewhat unreasonable, it wouldn’t make sense for him to deliver the Dragon Roar in the Box to a dead man.
Thinking this, Su Mo couldn’t help but sigh.
He had thought the biggest trouble this trip were the hidden masterminds of the Phoenix Alliance lurking in the dark.
Unexpectedly, the Phoenix Alliance turned out to be all thunder and no rain, aside from possibly framing and scheming, there was no further commotion.
Instead, this journey seemed to be heading nowhere.
And as for the whereabouts of Liu Suifeng… naturally, it fell to the Youquan Sect.
Thinking so, Su Mo instinctively looked outside the door.
The various unexpected events of the night swept through his mind, and suddenly he turned and left.
Luo Zhen was startled, “What are you up to?”
After a moment’s thought, he followed.
Su Mo didn’t wait for him, quickly stepped onto the eaves, glanced back at the courtyard’s battle scene, and then headed straight for his residence.
He sprinted all the way, familiar with the route, and quickly reached the door, pushing it open; Yang Xiaoyun was meditating in the room.
She thought the visitor would be someone from Yuliu Manor and was about to rebuke them, but to her surprise, it was Su Mo.
“You’re back already?”
Yang Xiaoyun looked slightly surprised.
“Come with me.”
Su Mo didn’t speak further and turned to leave.
Yang Xiaoyun picked up her spear and followed Su Mo, stepping out only to see Luo Zhen, “It’s you?”
“Hehe…”
Luo Zhen chuckled dryly, unable to help but ask Su Mo, “What exactly are you planning?”
“Going to the Sword Tasting Tower.”
Su Mo answered without turning back.
‘Liu Qingkong’ ventured out late at night, not going anywhere else but headed precisely to the Sword Tasting Tower.
Poisonous Hand Scholar Ye Yichen entered the second floor and then disappeared.
Wang Taiheng was the first to step into the Sword Tasting Tower, only to end up a corpse.
Certainly, there was something strange about the Sword Tasting Tower.
Previously, Su Mo’s attention had been drawn away by ‘Liu Qingkong’ and the disciples of the Heavenly Blade Sect and the Blood Mandarin Duck Saber Ling Hongxia, mainly to see if there was any trace of Liu Suifeng elsewhere.
Thus, although the Sword Tasting Tower was problematic, it was irrelevant to him.
The sword marks in Liu Suifeng’s room now informed Su Mo that the situation had already spread in the direction he least wanted.
Given the battle that took place inside that room, whether Liu Suifeng had won or lost, he probably would not be waiting openly now.
Thus, the strange Sword Tasting Tower naturally necessitated an exploration.
At this moment, ‘Liu Qingkong’ was better entangled with Monk Jing Kong and others, providing the best opportunity.
However, this venture into the Sword Tasting Tower was unpredictable. Although ‘Liu Qingkong’ claimed that he was the only Youquan Sect person in this manor… who could know if that was believable?
Yang Xiaoyun was alone in the room just in case; it seemed safe, but who could predict any sudden mishaps?
Therefore, Su Mo simply decided to first go back and bring Yang Xiaoyun along to investigate the Sword Tasting Tower, so they could watch out for each other in case anything happened.
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Talkative if there’s something to discuss, brief if not; the three of them quickly arrived at the Sword Tasting Tower.
Along the way, Yang Xiaoyun was somewhat surprised: “Why is it so quiet?”
“Humph, Youquan Sect always acts differently. The manor appears quiet, but that’s only if you move within this manor… If you were to leave Yuliu Manor, then you’ll see?”
Luo Zhen sneered, “They plot their schemes here and it’s impossible for them to let any information leak out. Inside the manor, you can roam freely because in their eyes, it’s merely a matter of how soon we die. But if you leave the manor, death would certainly be immediate.”
Su Mo glanced at Luo Zhen: “Senior indeed has vast experience.”
“… Haha, naturally, I, a gentleman as I am, have seen much…”
Luo Zhen was about to continue, but Su Mo had already stepped into the Sword Tasting Tower.
The Sword Tasting Tower looked just as it had before, with the doors still not closed. Stepping inside, Wang Taiheng’s body was nowhere to be seen.
Su Mo’s gaze swept around, his eyebrows slightly raised.
Previously, Wang Taiheng’s name was on that head rack, but there was no head.
Now, the head was there on it.
However, the body without the head had vanished without a trace.
The three did not delay further. Just about to split up and search, Su Mo suddenly extended a finger and made a gesture for silence.
His gaze shifted, pointing towards a particular head rack.
Luo Zhen and Yang Xiaoyun immediately held their breath to listen, indeed hearing the sound of faint footsteps inside.
From faint to loud, it seemed someone had approached near the rack.
But at that moment, it abruptly turned quiet again, and after a moment, gradually faded away…
The three exchanged glances and immediately started searching around that rack. Before long, Luo Zhen pointed to a candlestick and said:
“There’s something odd.”
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun came over to look closely, and indeed, there was something odd.
The inside of the Sword Tasting Tower had been cleaned thoroughly; not even dust to serve as evidence. However, under this candlestick, there were traces of wood being rubbed.
Years and years of accumulation, clearly not the work of a single day.
Su Mo lightly pondered, then took out deer skin gloves, put them on, and gently turned the candlestick. The head rack behind them immediately made a noise.
Seeing this, Su Mo suddenly stopped.
“Huh?”
Luo Zhen was startled, but then immediately realized, “Are you thinking of?”
Su Mo nodded slightly, addressing Yang Xiaoyun, “Sister Yun, I’ll need your help here.”
“Alright.”
Yang Xiaoyun nodded immediately and went to prepare by the mechanism.
Her family’s spear technique, the Canglong Bahuang Dianyun Spear, was suitable for front-line combat and made too much noise so it was not suitable for sneak attacks.
Su Mo and Luo Zhen then hid on either side of the head rack, each concentrating.
Not long after, about half an incense stick’s time had passed, that sound appeared once again.
As the footsteps were about to reach the bookshelf, Su Mo waved to Yang Xiaoyun.
Yang Xiaoyun immediately turned the candlestick, and silently, the head rack opened, revealing a passage inside, and three Youquan Sect disciples dressed like Yuliu Manor’s staff but with clearly sinister faces!