Chapter 65 - Undercurrent
“Mo Family Head, how is my despicable disciple Karu?”
After walking up the Mo family stone tower, Mu Xun asked directly. His voice was not loud, but everyone in the God Stone Square heard him clearly.
Standing on the stone tower of the Mo family, Mo Tuo was in total dismay.
Being bluntly questioned in public by Mu Xun, Mo Tuo was embarrassed. He wanted to deal with him in private, but apparently Mu Xun was having different thoughts.
Being pushed hard, Mo Tuo had to reply loudly, “Mr. Mu, Karu died long time ago. I also don’t know who killed him.”
Mu Xun stood proudly against the railing of the stone tower, and thus his figure could be easily seen once the warriors at the bottom of the tower raised their heads.
“Dead?”
Mu Xun sneered and said sarcastically, “Mo Family Head really has his methods! Knowing that my despicable student stole my treasure map, you invited him to visit the Merchant Union and killed him half way, and so you got the map. Now you pretend to know nothing! What a family head you are! Well, did you earn all the Mo family properties this way?”
“Haha, the whole Merchant union knows Mo Family Head’s methods.”
On the tower of the Shi family, Shi Jian laughed loudly and gloated, “Many of the Shi family properties were snatched under the Mo Family Head’s tactics.”
“Shi Jian!” Two hundred meters away, Mo Tuo stared at Shi Jian angrily, “This is none of your Shi family’s business! Stop spouting nonsense!”
Ignoring him, Shi Jian continued, “Of course it’s none of our business. I was just stating the truth, don’t be overly emotional, Mo Family Head.”
Standing aside Shi Jian, Shi Yan smiled secretly and for the first time, he felt this old man was interesting and knew how to strike a man when he was down.
Not being able to do anything about Shi Jian or be mad at him, Mo Tuo could only smile to Mu Xun modestly and explained, “I didn’t know Karu had stolen your treasure map when we invited him to our home. And considering he is YOUR student, we sent people to pick him up. We really didn’t know that! Mr. Mu, don’t blame the Mo family.”
“Mistake?” Mu Xun’s face turned gloomier, and he sneered, “Your Mo family would have sent people to pick him up if you hadn’t known that he stole my treasure map? The Medicine Valley is thousands of miles away from the Merchant Union. Who would believe that you traveled so far just for Karu’s second rate refining skill, but not for the treasure map? Humph!”
Mo Tuo was helpless, as he explained, “Well, it was for his skill.”
“Mo Family Head, I don’t need any more excuses from you. I don’t care if Karu died or not. Just return to me my treasure map and I will leave at once. I’m not interested in stirring up any trouble.” Mu Xun became impatient.
“The treasure map is really not in my hands.”
“Since you, the Mo Family Head, don’t want to return that map, I have got nothing else to say.” Mu Xun grunted and walked out, as he said coldly, “Though we, the Medicine Valley, don’t get involved in the power struggles in various countries, we won’t be bullied as you like. Mo Family Head, you’d better conduct yourself well.”
At once, Mu Xun walked down the tower directly with his people.
“Mr. Mu, you are welcome to visit the Shi family anytime! We understand everything you talked about.” Shi Jian’s voice came from his tower, the overtone of which could be understood by everyone.
Walking down the Mo family building, Mu Xun looked over at Shi Jian and nodded, “I believe we will have the opportunity to cooperate. Please don’t turn me down if I ask for some help from the Shi family.”
“I, Shi Jian, hate those who always play tricks. It would be an honor to work for Mr. Mu.” Shi Jian laughed loudly and saluted with cupped hands.
“Thank you, Shi Family Head.” Mu Xun nodded and glanced up coldly at Mo Tuo, who had an ugly face, and left the God Stone Square with his people.
On the God Stone Square, the competitions had paused for a long while. Only after Mu Xun left did they continued.
The competition this day became more interesting after Mu Xun’s unexpected visit.
Soon after Mu Xun left, people started discussing noisily and soon learnt the whole story.
As a result, a hint of scorn and loathing could be seen amongst the crowd whenever the Mo family was mentioned.
Many of those who had planned to associate with the Mo family changed their mind, and thus the Mo family lost numerous potential experts.
Ku Luo, the manager of the Misty Pavilion, was also in the competition arena. He saw the conflict between Mu Xun and Mo Tuo.
Before the competition ended, Ku Luo secretly left for the Misty Pavilion, which was not far from the God Stone Square.
---
At dusk.
In a secluded room in the Misty Pavilion, Ku Luo bowed and elaborated the whole story to Xia Xinyan.
After Ku Luo finished his speech, Xia Xinyan frowned and thought for a while, then said, “If it is as Mu Xun says, then the other piece of the fragmented map must be in Mo Tuo’s hands. I came here for the Sky Gate, so I don’t care who I have to cooperate with. Ku Luo, go to the Mo family tonight, and tell them we can share the map with them and work together to explore the Sky Gate.”
“I understand.” Ku Luo nodded.
“Shura King Xiao Hanyi will arrive in half a month, and you still haven’t found the right guy. Hurry up.” Xia Xinyan said casually.
“I will try my best!” Ku Luo was a little astonished as he replied in awe, “I’ve sent people to other cities to search. I believe we will find him soon.”
“Good. Off now.” Xia Xinyan waved her hand casually.
Ku Luo bowed away.
---
That night.
Ku Luo visited the Mo family alone, asking to meet Mo Tuo.
Mo Tuo was too angry, but since Ku Luo came, he had to lift his spirit to meet him. After Ku Luo revealed his purpose, Mo Tuo shook his head with a bitter smile, “The treasure map is truly not in my hands. I can offer you nothing even if I want to cooperate with you.”
“Mo Family Head, my master wants to work with you sincerely. To open the Sky Gate we need the complete map. With our cooperation, we can take action at once. Please think about it!” Ku Luo apparently didn’t believe him as he turned serious. He guessed that Mo Tuo might already have a plan about the Misty Pavilion, so he got a little angry.
“It is absolutely not in my hands. Don’t believe Mu Xun.” Mo Tuo didn’t look happy either, so he talked in an unpleasant way, “Please leave now Mr. Ku Luo. I have to prepare for the Martial Competition. Please excuse me.”
---
At midnight, Ku Luo went back to the Misty Pavilion and told what Mo Tuo said to Xia Xinyan.
“There are two halves of the treasure map, one of which is in my hand. Since the Mo family don’t want to cooperate, they must want to possess it alone. I guess the Mo family will take action soon.” Xia Xinyan’s eyes looked cool as she added, “I’m waiting for the Mo family to grab it. They would not cooperate with us honestly, therefore we must teach them a lesson.”
“Miss, how about we grab that map from the Mo family?” One of the huge men behind Xia Xinyan asked.
A murderous aura came from that huge man, which frightened Ku Luo a lot.
“Nevermind, after all, this isn’t our own home. Follow the rules. If all the five big families allied, it will be much more troublesome. However, when Shura King Xiao Hanyi arrives and the Mo family still doesn’t step back, we will take action.” Xia Xinyan observed indifferently.
“Okay.” The huge man nodded, not saying any more.
“Well, Ku Luo, go and do your business. You can send out the message secretly that I have the other half of the map. And I will wait for them.” Xia Xinyan smiled, “Whoever comes to grab the map, must have the other half.”
“I got it.”
---
At deep night. At the Zuo Family.
Zuo Xu and Chi Xiao were discussing in a secret room in a low voice.
“Shadow has brought the message that the map isn’t in Ku Luo’s hand, but in another girl’s hand in the Misty Pavilion. That girl popped up all of a sudden. No one knows who she is.” Zuo Xu said.
“Wait till the last day. I will go to the Misty Pavilion during the competition among the five big families. It’s just a little girl. No big deal.” Chi Xiao nodded and smiled bitterly, “It’s so strange to fight against a little girl. Nevermind, I will leave one or two pieces of treasure to her as compensation.”
“But pay attention! Don’t expose yourself. The map has been attracting so much attention that once you are exposed, it will be truly troublesome.”
“Ok, I got it.”
---
That night, in the secret rooms of the five families, many were discussing about what had happened in the daytime.
In a secret room of the Shi family.
Holding an envelope, Shi Jian showed a weird smile as he said to Han Feng, who was beside him, “Mu Xun is so quick that he sends a letter in one day. Hehe, now that Mu Xun is to take action against the Mo family, we need to do something to help him secretly, if not publicly.”
“What does Mu Xun plan to do?”
“He wants to kidnap some people of the Mo family and threaten Mo Tuo. Hehe, his targets are just whom we want to give a lesson to.” Shi Jian was very joyful, “Brother Feng, assign someone to follow them and spill their trails to Mu Xun. Haha, I’m excited to watch how Mo Tuo will react.”
That fragmented map from Karu was right against his chest, so no matter how, Mo Tuo couldn’t return it to Mu Xun. Those Mo family hostages would die for sure.
Imagining Mo Tuo’s furious face, Shi Jian was very amused, as he said with a big smile, “Also, go and get me a jar of wine. I want to have a good drink.”
“Family head, all the delicate wine has been drunk by Young Master Yan. The rest is all ordinary wine.” Han Feng lowered his head, as a shallow smile crossed his face.
“That little bastard!” Shi Yan patted the armrest and cursed in laughter, “That bastard is really audacious! How could he drink up my wine! I’m gonna rip his skin if he doesn’t have a good performance in the Martial Competition.”
“With his Petrification Martial Spirit at the second stage, no warrior of the Nascent Realm could beat him. It’s almost fact that Young Master Yan will win the Competition! Definitely!”
“Well, that’s true.” Shi Jian laughed loudly in delight.