It’s easy to imagine that this phrase will spread throughout Jianghu in no time.
Su Mo realized it was now impossible to take back what he had said, so he simply clasped his hands in a salute towards Zeng Youwang:
"Alliance Leader Zeng, I have other urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave.
"If I have spare time in the coming days, I will surely visit you in person."
"I dare not accept such courtesy."
Zeng Youwang snapped out of his reverie, hiding the surging emotions in his eyes, but when he wished to say something more, he found himself temporarily at a loss for words.
All he could do was watch as Su Mo and his companions strutted away.
Wang Dingsheng still wanted to pester them, and as the people passed by him, he used his one unharmed arm to grab hold of Zhen Xiaoxiao’s ankle.
He intended to make the hefty man stop, but in the next moment, he found himself being dragged forward by the hefty man several times.
Already severely injured, this struggle caused him excruciating pain, and it was only through sheer stubbornness that he held on to Zhen Xiaoxiao’s ankle.
Sensing something, Zhen Xiaoxiao looked down, nodded slightly, and suddenly kicked out:
With a whoosh, Wang Dingsheng flew over the crowd and disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye.
Zhen Xiaoxiao looked on with her hand shading her eyes, but with so many people around, she had no idea if she had hit anyone or any flowers and plants.
Sighing inwardly, she was just thankful this place wasn’t Ziyang Escort Agency.
If something was broken, then it was broken; at least Master wouldn’t deduct from her meals.
In the blink of an eye, Su Mo and his party had disappeared from view, but the onlookers’ discussions were still buzzing.
The flattering look on Zeng Youwang’s face faded, and he stood there furrowing his brows tightly, though it was unclear what he was thinking.
Nowadays, Su Mo naturally no longer needed to stay in the modest ’Earth character’ rooms.
With three premium rooms available, he had one to himself, Yang Xiaoyun and Zhen Xiaoxiao shared one, and the last one was for Hu Sandao and Xu Lu.
On their way to the inn, Xu Lu found something to chat about.
He babbled to Hu Sandao for half the way.
Zhen Xiaoxiao simply entered her room and waited for mealtime.
Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun sat down together.
"Today, this Wang Dingsheng seemed rather mystical."
Yang Xiaoyun cut straight to the point, as there were only the two of them in the room, and there was no need for beating around the bush.
Su Mo smiled, not in a hurry to speak, and casually poured tea for two.
He pushed one of the cups towards Yang Xiaoyun, who checked it before taking a sip.
She then heard Su Mo say:
"Today’s incident was certainly no coincidence.
"Zeng Youwang is the fourth hierarch of the Luofeng Alliance and is also the City Lord of Jinyang City.
"He holds a high position and wields great power, not to be underestimated.
"However, his demeanor today was so lowly it was almost comical. He even thought of kneeling down to me on the spot, can you believe that?"
Yang Xiaoyun nodded; she had also noticed Zeng Youwang’s gesture today, hands clasped and nearly kneeling.
But that only made things seem stranger:
"Even though you are now known as the number one martial artist in Donghuang, Zeng Youwang would certainly not degrade himself to such an extent.
"After all, he is also the fourth hierarch of the Luofeng Alliance.
"Even if his martial arts are lesser, it’s far from the point of needing to kneel.
"He represents not only himself but also the whole Luofeng Alliance.
"Unless... you are the Alliance Leader of the Luofeng Alliance, then such a possibility could exist."
"Sister Yun, if Zeng Youwang really knelt today, and the news spread, how would people discuss it?"
Su Mo looked up at Yang Xiaoyun.
Yang Xiaoyun slightly raised her eyebrows, "They would say you’ve taken over the Phoenix Alliance? And achieved a high position. Otherwise, there would be no such possibility."
Su Mo’s fingers lightly caressed the rim of the teacup, and with a faint smile, he raised it and took a sip:
"And with that, who do you think would be most pleased?"
Yang Xiaoyun instinctively thought of this name: "He has always wanted to use your name as a banner to bring you into the Phoenix Alliance’s fold.
"Although we want to rely on the Phoenix Alliance, we definitely don’t want to be indebted to them in this manner.
"Unless you truly marry Wei Ziyi, otherwise, this deal is not worth it.
"Once the world knows you’ve entered the Phoenix Alliance, but in reality, you’re still an outsider with no control over their affairs, yet when they have trouble, they can justifiably use your name to intimidate the petty.
"So, it seems that this move most benefits Wei Ruhan."
"Sister Yun spoke very truly."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaoyun immediately felt a sense of satisfaction but then frowned:
"But... something feels off."
She couldn’t help but look at Su Mo, but saw his face was full of smiles, appearing quite cheeky, which provoked her to glare at him.
Su Mo had to restrain his smile and added:
"The inconsistency lies in your underestimation of Wei Ruhan.
"From the beginning, he has never made a fuss about my relationship with Miss Wei.
"Would he suddenly stage such an act now, to worsen my favorable impression of him?
"Although the outside world is abuzz with rumors about Miss Wei and me, the Phoenix Alliance has deeper knowledge about the matter than outsiders.
"They know it’s not as the rumors suggest.
"At this juncture for Zeng Youwang to suddenly make such a scene is nothing but a strategy to sow discord.
"As long as I take offense to Wei Ruhan, the delicate balance that Wei Ziyi achieved using my influence to establish a three-legged stand would crumble instantly."