Novel Full Chapter 100 - 101: Hooked
Chapter 100: Chapter 101: Hooked
Editor: Atlas Studios
The storyteller upstairs was like a river of words, pouring out incessantly.
Initially, it sounded plausible, but as he went on, the tales became increasingly far-fetched.
Imagine tales of the Youquan Sect with hundreds of followers, Su Mo killing a hundred people with a single punch, another hundred with a kick… listening to this made Su Mo cringe.
Wei Ziyi said with a smile:
“Do not underestimate Jianghu, especially when it comes to news.
“The methods of spreading news in Jianghu are numerous and varied, with carrier pigeons and Messenger Eagles flying all over, all common topics.
“There are those who observe openly, those who investigate in secret, and those who specifically collect records for sale.
“Some less-known pieces of news, if asked about, might even be sold for a high price.
“In Donghuang, the most famous organization for selling news is Tianji Pavilion.
“Unfortunately, Tianji Pavilion was created by mortals after all, and ultimately they can’t truly pry into the Heavenly Mechanism.
“Selling too much information has inevitably led to grudges; thirty years ago, who knows which unfortunate soul was responsible, a great fire turned the entire Tianji Pavilion to ashes.
“Fortunately, the arsonist only intended to burn down the Tianji Pavilion; the disciples of the Pavilion suffered no losses.
“The old Pavilion Master wept for three days and nights, and after his grief passed, he became much more restrained than before.
“Even the headquarters of Tianji Pavilion was hidden away, leaving only the channels for selling information, which Jianghu people have searched for thirty years without success.”
Su Mo exclaimed in amazement: “It seems that the old Pavilion Master has indeed become a frightened bird.”
“Isn’t that the truth?”
Wei Ziyi chuckled meaningfully: “However, this isn’t the first time an organization like Tianji Pavilion has encountered trouble; long ago, there was another organization called Heavenly Academy.
“According to their claims, Heavenly Academy housed millions of books, claiming to reveal all the secrets of the world.
“Yet, what really excited people the most were their Weapon List and the Hero List of the World.
“The Ten Great Swords of the World I mentioned earlier were recorded in their Weapon List, along with a variety of strange weapons.
“The Hero List of the World recorded the rankings and skills of top martial artists in the world.”
Yang Xiaoyun couldn’t help but perk up her ears upon hearing this.
The Southwest was somewhat isolated; news there was slightly scarce, but Lengyue Palace was an extraordinary sect in Dongcheng, and naturally, their exposure was different from ordinary people.
However, Wei Ziyi suddenly stopped there, prompting Yang Xiaoyun to ask impatiently: “And then what happened?”
“Then…”
Wei Ziyi smiled: “Then there was no more, Heavenly Academy from top to bottom was wiped out, and their books were burned leaving none intact.”
“…”
Yang Xiaoyun blinked, thought carefully, and then nodded: “This is a path to almost certain death.”
Su Mo looked at them, somewhat perplexed for a moment: “Why is it a path to certain death?”
“That shouldn’t be.”
Wei Ziyi looked at Su Mo strangely, “Lord Su of the Ziyang Escort, your intelligence and strategies are exceptional, surely you can see the reason?”
“…”
Su Mo could only look towards Yang Xiaoyun.
Yang Xiaoyun, not knowing why Su Mo was so confused, explained: “Think about it, any renowned master, who would want their secrets revealed to others? Moreover… there’s no first in literature, and no second in martial arts, once these rankings are released, it inevitably sparks violent conflicts.
“Those ranked highly would face countless challenges.
“Those ranked lower would be unwilling to remain beneath others.
“A perfectly good Jianghu has become utterly chaotic, this Heavenly Academy… is truly, truly like…”
She couldn’t think of an appropriate word to describe it momentarily.
Wei Ziyi helped with a phrase: “It’s truly like a troublemaker.”
Su Mo suddenly felt that the food in front of him had lost its savor.
Yang Xiaoyun was also speechless, “Miss Wei, that remark seems to curse the entire Jianghu.”
“…Uh.”
Wei Ziyi thought for a moment, and came back to her senses, secretly sticking out her tongue: “That’s what my master said at the time, I didn’t even realize there was anything wrong with these words.”
But with Yang Xiaoyun’s remarks, Su Mo also came to an understanding.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of it, mainly because he had read too many novels in his previous life, and it always seemed natural for Jianghu to have ranks.
He hadn’t thought it through for a moment.
Now that he thought about it, even if someone was capable of making such a ranking list, making it public was simply asking for chaos.
A single ranking list could involve the entire Jianghu; unless the person releasing it was the order of this world, no one else could bear it.
The fall of the Heavenly Academy was a logical outcome from then on.
As the three of them laughed and talked, they finished their meal amidst the storyteller’s narration: “Speaking of Su, the Chief of the Ziyang Escort, youthful and valiant, witnessing the sinister conspiracy of the Youquan Sect, he leapt up at the Yuliu Manor, ascended into the sky, and upon landing, he had reached Xuanji Valley.”
However, before leaving, Su Mo couldn’t help but look up at the storyteller, who was eloquent and unceasing, and quietly asked Wei Ziyi:
“Isn’t he afraid of being killed for spouting such nonsense?”
“It’s all for the excitement, don’t take it seriously…”
Wei Ziyi was half amused, half exasperated.
Yang Xiaoyun then said with a smile: “Luoxia City also has tea houses and book halls, the words of these storytellers, if one in ten parts is true, that’s already not bad. Rumors become truth after being repeated three times, prescriptions kill someone if copied three times. What’s spread here is like this, who knows what it might turn into once we return to Luoxia City.”
“…Not rigorous at all.”
Amid Su Mo’s somewhat dissatisfied voice, the waiter brought over their mounts.
As they mounted and were about to set off,
suddenly, there came a cry of an eagle from the sky. Looking up, they saw an Eagle Iron Claw soaring, which then swiftly dived towards them.
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun looked towards Wei Ziyi, who at that moment had already extended her arm.
As the eagle was about to reach them, it circled briefly before landing on Wei Ziyi’s arm.
This lady must have some Xuanji under her clothes; the Eagle Iron Claw couldn’t hurt her in the slightest.
She gently stroked the eagle, while untying a bamboo tube from the eagle’s leg, and said to Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun:
“This is a Messenger Eagle raised by my family, coming from Luoxia City…
“Messenger Eagles are unlike carrier pigeons; carrier pigeons fly low and are easily shot down.
“But the eagle is different, soaring ten thousand meters high with a flap of its wings, no matter what hidden weapon techniques you have, you can only look up and sigh, and its speed is far faster than that of pigeons.”
During her speech, she had already opened the bamboo tube, and with a shake of her arm, the Messenger Eagle soared into the sky once more.
Within moments, she had finished reading the secret letter inside the bamboo tube.
When Wei Ziyi raised her head to look at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun again, a smile appeared on her lips:
“The fish has taken the bait!”