Su Mo’s question would remain unanswered for a time being.
Yet one thing was certain.
Without Yang Yi’s knowledge, Su Tianyang had done many things.
This broken Snake Head Sword was proof of that.
"My father... after returning from the Ziyang Sect, spent the next few years under the guise of escorting, traveling in Jianghu. On one hand, he was in pursuit of the whereabouts of Li Siyun and a group of defectors.
"On the other hand, he must have obtained some clues and traced the owner of this Snake Head Sword.
"However, what exactly happened during that period remains another mystery for us."
Su Mo gently shook his head and placed the Snake Head Sword back into the box.
After a moment, he also put the Mandarin Duck List, the Golden Jade Cone, and two Mysterious Mechanism clasps into the box.
Although the box was not very large, the items were small; after filling it, there was still surplus space.
"Do you plan to hide all these things here?"
Yang Xiaoyun glanced at Su Mo.
Su Mo nodded, "Carrying them around isn’t ideal. It’s troublesome if they bulge out every day and even more so if they get lost.
"This place is safe and hidden, and the table is equipped with a mechanism. Although Duan Song knows about this place, he wouldn’t blabber, and he’s unaware of the additional mechanism within the table.
"This could be a suitable hiding spot for now. If necessary, I can dig a hole in my room later..."
Yang Xiaoyun laughed bitterly, "Maybe you should dig fewer holes. According to Uncle Fu, both Uncle Su and Grandpa Su had their secrets, but who knows if they all had the habit of digging holes in their rooms.
"If it’s the same with you, the entire Ziyang Escort Agency would be riddled with holes after your work."
"That would be perfect for us to live in the holes."
Su Mo held Yang Xiaoyun’s hand, "The hole would shelter us from the storms of Jianghu, let the winds blow from all directions. We could lean against the cave and watch the tides, if a storm comes, we retreat, and if not, we’ll lean on each other’s shoulders and quietly enjoy the spectacle."
At first, Yang Xiaoyun didn’t catch the implication but after careful thought:
"Isn’t that... just like a squirrel? Curious and poking its head out when there’s no danger, surveying the surroundings.
"And withdrawing immediately at the slightest rustle of wind or grass to avoid danger.
"Quite an interesting thought."
"Ah... unfortunately, nature’s storms may be fierce, but sometimes they’re nothing compared to the life-threatening storms of Jianghu."
Su Mo, holding Yang Xiaoyun’s hand, continued out, "Let’s go, for now, let’s leave things be. We’ll have to take care of the person from Xuanhu Pavilion later."
Yang Xiaoyun nodded, "Father’s arrangements were quite bizarre. Commanding Wu Daoyou to resist the Three Extremes Sect, having Duan Song fake his death to perform a golden cicada shedding its skin. Yet these two seem unaware of each other’s involvement.
"The individual from Xuanhu Pavilion seems very obedient to Duan Song...
"From this, it seems that father’s relationship with Wu Daoyou isn’t as deep as we imagined."
"I assume Wu Daoyou is simply following orders."
Su Mo said, "And the young man from Xuanhu Pavilion perhaps truly just set out in Jianghu to witness its thrills."
"He sure has learnt the charm of steamed buns."
Yang Xiaoyun found this person amusing, "Ever since that teahouse incident, he seems to have developed a special fondness for them."
"He seems to have gained quite a bit of weight."
Su Mo could only shake his head.
As they chatted leisurely, the two quietly returned to the Iron Blood Escort Agency.
Inside the mourning hall, the monks continued their sutra-chanting for salvation, unaware that the coffin had already seen the Crown Prince replaced by a commoner.
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun quietly returned to their own rooms.
The night passed without further conversation.
And in the following days, no storm arose.
During the seven days of vegetarian mourning, Wu Daoyou helped organize the search for a Feng Shui master to determine the supreme burial site and calculate the auspicious hour for burial.
Yang Yizhi’s grand funeral was a significant event in Luoxia City.
The last time something this big happened was when Ji Wanli of the Heavenly Gate Escort Agency was buried.
The successive deaths of the Chiefs of the two major escort agencies had everyone in Luoxia City speculating and feeling that the business of Jianghu was a perilous one.
Very few Chiefs managed to come to a peaceful end.
Three generations of the Ziyang Escort Agency, two generations perished in the Jianghu.
Ji Wanli was killed at home, Yang Yizhi died in Dongcheng.
This led to the current situation in Luoxia City, where, besides some minor escort agencies, the most renowned were only the Ziyang Escort Agency and the Yangwei Escort Agency.
Although the Iron Blood Escort Agency did not scatter as the Heavenly Gate Escort Agency did, everyone knew that with Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun’s relationship, the Iron Blood Escort Agency might as well be gone.
Indeed, after the burial, Yang Xiaoyun announced it.
From that day onwards, the Iron Blood Escort Agency and the Ziyang Escort Agency would merge into one.
This was, in a sense, Yang Xiaoyun’s dowry after her marriage to Su Mo.
The Escort Leaders and disciples within the Iron Blood Escort Agency took no surprise and were actually delighted.
Yang Xiaoyun was still deemed too young by many, and even though Yang Yi had purposely built up her escorting experience through the years,
she was still young, and her martial arts, albeit far surpassing her peers, were not enough to make people feel at ease.
Su Mo had established his reputation with the battle at Xuanji Valley, and now with Yang Xiaoyun by his side,