Three days later.
On an evening when dark clouds churned across the sky, Su Mo arrived outside Xiong City with Erha. The city gates were already closed, and no one was permitted to enter.
As luck would have it, a few heavy raindrops began to fall, slamming into the ground. The thick, earthy scent of rain on dry soil was almost intoxicating.
He had already been to Huang City and Wu City, where he obtained a transparent crystal and a walnut, respectively.
Unlike the luminous pearl, these two items didn’t merge into his body. They seemed like ordinary objects—aside from glowing when blood was dripped on them, they showed no further reaction.
He kept both items safe, planning to explore their secrets with Ye Qingyi when the opportunity arose.
“Big brother, could you open the gate, please?”
The guard on the wall saw that the person calling out was a stunningly beautiful woman and kindly replied, “It’s past 5 p.m. We’ll need to request permission before we can let anyone in. Please wait a moment.”
Su Mo thanked him and waited where he was.
The rolling dark clouds in the sky seemed to collapse like a celestial invasion, and the rain instantly poured down in sheets.
Even with raincoats, the torrential rain drenched both the person and the dog. They looked at each other, shaking their heads in unison.
Just then, an oil-paper umbrella appeared on the city wall, held by a pale-faced female officer.
She looked down through the curtain of rain, staring for about ten seconds before turning and leaving. As she departed, she said something to the people beside her.
Su Mo vaguely recognized her. After a moment, he remembered seeing her among the Xiong family members who had gone to Yun City that day—she was the only woman in the group.
A long time passed, and no one came to open the gate. Su Mo realized he might have unintentionally offended the female officer. What she had likely said before leaving was probably, “Don’t open the gate.”
How absurd. He hadn’t done anything…
Frowning, he raised his voice and called out, “Su Mo requests an audience with Patriarch Xiong Lin. I humbly ask for the gate to be opened!”
A minute passed, but there was no response. The soldiers on the wall didn’t even dare to glance his way.
Erha sneered, “A mere E-level, and she dares to act so arrogantly? If I weren’t grounded, would we even need to ask for the gate to be opened?”
With that, it moved to kick the city gate.
Su Mo grabbed its tail and shook his head. “I still need something from the Xiong family. There’s no need to antagonize them over one petty individual.”
“Then what do we do? We can’t just stand here getting drenched,” Erha shook the water off its head. The raincoat was practically useless. It couldn’t help but growl, “I’ve never been treated like this before.”
Su Mo patted its head reassuringly. “Who says we need to use the gate to enter the city? This wall is so low, it couldn’t even stop a grasshopper.”
With that, he bent his knees and leaped onto the city wall in a single swift motion.
Erha followed closely behind.
The guards panicked at the sight of the woman suddenly appearing before them, shouting, “Enemy attack!”
The pale-faced female officer was inside the guard tower. When she saw Su Mo on the wall, her face paled even further, and she ordered her subordinates to attack him.
Erha leaped out from behind Su Mo and asked, “Do we fight? Just say the word.”
Noting its agitated expression, Su Mo tilted his head and said calmly, “The rain is too loud. I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
“Message received!” Erha lifted its head and let out a long, thunderous howl.
The female officer had just begun to charge forward when the sonic wave from Erha’s roar hit her with immense force. She spat out a mouthful of blood.
“You…” She struggled to her feet, trembling all over. “You’ve colluded with a demon beast to attack our city!”
Su Mo chuckled coldly. “What nonsense. This is just a personal dispute between you and the beast. What does it have to do with attacking the city?”
He was right. Although Erha’s roar had stunned the guards, leaving them temporarily immobilized, the only one who had actually been injured was the pale-faced female officer.
“I, the Ha King, always settle my debts. That strike was payback for your rudeness earlier.”
Erha couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. It gestured with its head toward the city. “Let’s go. We’ll find Xiong Lin and demand an explanation.”
It was only after they left that the stunned guards regained their mobility, exclaiming in awe, “What a powerful dog! It can stun people and make them lose their senses in an instant.”
Some noticed the female officer’ disheveled state and didn’t dare approach her. Instead, they urged a more bold colleague to ask for instructions: “Commander, what should we do now?”
“A few of you, come with me and keep pursuing them. As we chase, shout, ‘The intruders have colluded with a demon beast to break into the city!’” Wiping the blood from her lips, the female officer’s eyes gleamed with venom.
How dare she win the young master’s affection!
…
On the streets of Xiong City, every household had retreated indoors to avoid the rain. Only Su Mo and Erha walked through the downpour, like two wanderers with nowhere to go.
Behind them, the pale-faced female officer led a group in pursuit, their footsteps splashing through puddles and soaking their clothes.
“The intruders have colluded with a demon beast to break into the city!”
“The intruders have colluded with a demon beast to break into the city!”
The shouts echoed through the streets and alleys.
Seeing the female officer closing in, Su Mo’s expression turned stern, and he took the initiative to strike.
In a single move, his hand closed around the female officer’s slender neck.
“You’re the type who’s all talk but no skill, aren’t you? Today, you might as well make it clear: what grudge do you hold against me? Or is this… your patriarch’s intention?”
“Please show mercy, Fairy Su!” The voice of Young Master Xiong rang out at that moment. The female officer, despite her choking struggle, glanced toward him, her eyes filled with emotions that Su Mo did not miss.
No wonder, no wonder… So it was because of her young master.
Su Mo suddenly understood. She must have resented Xiong Lin for ordering his son, Xiong Zhongwen, to get close to him, and that resentment had led to today’s events.
But he wasn’t to blame for this—it was their family head’s order, and he hadn’t even agreed to it.
This woman’s hatred was utterly irrational. It couldn’t be ruled out that she was jealous because he was more beautiful than her.
Of course, it was also possible she had acted on orders from Xiong Lin.
“Young Master, save me!” the female officer pleaded, her voice pitiful and evoking sympathy.
“Fairy Su, I beg you to spare her life for my father’s sake,” Xiong Zhongwen clasped his hands and pleaded.
“Fine, no problem.” Su Mo tossed her in his direction.
Xiong Zhongwen reached out to catch her, but she deliberately collapsed into his arms, blood still trickling from the corner of her mouth. “Young Master, that vile woman colluded with a demon beast to harm our city’s guards. You must not let her get away with this!”
Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhongwen pushed her away and bowed respectfully to Su Mo. “My apologies. Our Xiong family has failed to discipline our subordinates properly. I hope you can forgive us, Fairy Su.”
At the word “subordinates,” the female officer’s face stiffened. Suddenly, she laughed, a sound that sent chills down the spine.
She muttered to herself, “So, in your heart, I’m just a subordinate… I overestimated my place…”
Xiong Zhongwen’s face darkened, and he slapped her hard. “Shut up! You seduced me before, and now you’re trying to cause trouble for Fairy Su? Do you have any idea she is an honored guest of our Xiong family?”
The slap sent her tumbling to the ground. Half her face swelled instantly, and she lay motionless in the rain.
“Xiong…”
Before Su Mo could speak, Xiong Zhongwen cut in, “She’s just a subordinate who dared to disrespect you, Fairy Su. This is what she deserves.”
Su Mo felt a pang of discomfort. Although this woman had given him trouble, she didn’t deserve this. Seeing her lying disheveled and helpless in the rain, he felt an inexplicable heaviness in his heart.
In a way, she was likely just a pawn in someone else’s game.