Chapter 79: Chapter 79 The Bottom of the Valley Chapter 79: Chapter 79 The Bottom of the Valley Editor: Atlas Studios Su Mo, clad in black and wearing a mask, was unrecognizable, which accounted for Cheng Feiyu’s inability to identify him.
At this moment, Cheng Feiyu himself was covered in injuries, clearly having paid a hefty price to allow Lou Jingjing to escape.
“Brother Cheng.”
As Su Mo spoke, he pulled away his face mask.
Cheng Feiyu’s eyes immediately sparkled with recognition, he opened his mouth as if to shout, but hurriedly shut it again. After scanning the surroundings, he then spoke in a hushed, urgent voice:
“Brother Su, why is it you? Weren’t you… didn’t you have an escort task on you? Why come to Xuanji Valley? This place is perilous; you must leave quickly!”
True to his Righteous Path heritage, Cheng Feiyu’s first thought upon seeing Su Mo was not to ask for hurried rescue, but to worry about Su Mo entering dangerous grounds and adding himself to the predicament, urging Su Mo to withdraw promptly.
Su Mo was also quite moved for a moment.
Within Yizhuang, when the Yin Mountain Ghost Lord made his move to capture someone, according to Su Mo’s own will, he indeed had to intervene, but it was out of sheer necessity.
With the Yin Mountain Ghost Lord abducting someone right before their eyes, how could they, being on the scene, stay out of it?
Therefore, after Yang Xiaoyun took action, Su Mo’s sole thought was to make the Yin Mountain Ghost Lord pay there and then, not allowing him any chance to slip away.
The thought of rescue actually took a back seat.
Now, seeing Cheng Feiyu’s sincere plea, it made Su Mo realize that even though Jianghu was rife with deception and danger, the human heart inclined toward goodness, and the Path of Chivalry had never withered.
He took a soft breath, dispelled these thoughts, and whispered, “Brother Cheng, don’t worry. I have my plans for coming to Xuanji Valley. You’re speaking with such caution; did you discover something amiss?”
After all, if there were no guards, why would Cheng Feiyu speak in such a hushed, secretive way?
Upon hearing this, Cheng Feiyu calmed his mind, and speaking in a subdued voice, said, “There are too many wrong things about this place; all around in Xuanji Valley, there’s change and upheaval, and Master Cang Ming might not truly be Master Cang Ming… In short, if Brother Su was able to come in, naturally you can also leave. You must hurry, otherwise, once those few people arrive, it may be difficult for Brother Su to leave.”
“Those few people?”
Su Mo’s eyebrows lifted slightly: “Which few people?”
“I don’t know who they are… I only know one is disguised as Master Cang Ming, another as a Taoist boy, and there’s one without disguise, yet extremely sinister, and fearsome—hardly like one from the Righteous Path.”
As he said this, he looked at Su Mo: “Brother Su, you are highly skilled in martial arts, and once you leave this place, there’s something I must ask of you. My junior sister apprentice Lou Jingjing is currently unaccounted for, and she may still be pursued by the evil people within Xuanji Valley; I implore Brother Su to help save her life.”
“Brother Cheng need not worry about Miss Lou’s safety. In fact, if I hadn’t encountered Miss Lou tonight, I might not have been able to find you.”
“Brother Su has already met my junior sister apprentice?”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Feiyu immediately felt relieved; since Su Mo had seen her, it meant that Lou Jingjing was at least temporarily safe.
Su Mo nodded: “The few people you just mentioned… when did they arrive here? What are they here for?”
Cheng Feiyu, seeing that Su Mo had no intention of leaving, pondered for a moment and then pointed his finger: “Brother Su, look over there.”
Su Mo followed the direction of his finger, which pointed to a low-lying area at the heart of the deep valley.
From there, one could vaguely see a red glow shimmering at the bottom, but due to the obstructing trees and bizarre rocks, it was hard to see clearly at a glance.
“There… someone is being held captive.”
Cheng Feiyu looked at Su Mo: “Brother Su, you must have heard of Yu Liu Sword Heart Liu Sui Feng!”
“…”
Su Mo had done more than just heard of him; his journey thus far was for this very person.
However, at this moment, he was not particularly excited, just asked in a deep voice: “Brother Cheng, are you saying that the person imprisoned below is Liu Suifeng?”
“Exactly.”
Cheng Feiyu nodded: “The several individuals I mentioned before come here every time at the transition from Zi to Chou, the intersection of Mao and Chen, and You Xu. Whenever they arrive, one can feel that within this deep valley, Sword Qi soars and blood light surges sky-high, the two perpetually entwined in conflict.
“At first, I was merely curious. The blood light should be conjured by those of the Demon Path.
“But whose doing is that Sword Qi and Sword Intent?
“Not until they conversed occasionally did I find out, the one emitting that Sword Intent and Sword Qi, is actually Yu Liu Sword Heart Liu Sui Feng!
“These people, by some means, captured Yu Liu Sword Heart, seemingly intending to refine him into something… a Blood Slave?”
Hearing this, Su Mo finally let out a sigh of relief. It seems this trip was not in vain.
But then he heard Cheng Feiyu continue: “However, even Yu Liu Sword Heart, I fear, can’t bear much longer under such torture. When I first arrived, his Sword Qi was still strong. But in the time that followed, it has been weakening day by day, and at this rate, being completely worn out is merely a matter of time.”
“Many thanks, Brother Cheng.”
Su Mo clasped his hands in appreciation: “Brother Cheng, please endure here for a bit longer. It’s still early before evening, I will go and meet with Yu Liu Sword Heart first.”
“Brother Su, please wait a moment.”
Cheng Feiyu hastily called out to him.
“Is there something else, Brother Cheng?”
“Brother Su, I do not know the purpose of your visit here, but if you intend to go below, remember to stay concealed in your movements. Among those who hang here, many are involuntarily here and despise those evil people from the Demon Path to their bones. But there are also some who have already bent their knees, seeking to fall into depravity to escape this predicament.
“If Brother Su were to be discovered by these people, there’s no guarantee they won’t betray you.”
“Many thanks, Brother Cheng.”
Su Mo nodded: “I will be careful. Brother Cheng, please bear with it for a moment longer. I will first go down for a look, and then come back to recount everything to Brother Cheng.”
“Alright.”
Cheng Feiyu nodded, and Su Mo’s figure swiftly departed.
The journey downward was uneventful, needless to say.
Upon reaching the bottom of the deep valley, Su Mo sighed.
At the bottom of this deep valley, there was a man-made, huge stone platform, where intricate patterns were carved.
Blood flowed within these patterns, akin to the circulation of meridians.
At the core of these patterns, a person was trapped with his limbs bound, entwined with iron chains dangling from the surrounding rock walls, seated in a lotus position.
His eyes were tight shut, not speaking or moving, but his body’s Sword Qi was faintly resonating.
Su Mo noticed that there were three steel needles inserted into the man’s head.
It was unclear how deeply the steel needles penetrated his skull, but nearly half a foot protruded outside, and at the end of each steel needle hung a strangely shaped bell, on which was engraved the small characters: Youquan!
Su Mo gazed steadily at the person before him, and after a long while, he quietly chuckled:
“Such a godly deceit and ghostly ruse, I nearly fell for it.”
As he raised his eyes, his pupils gleamed with a playful light.