Roaming the Four Seas Chapter 128: Island Master Mo

The atmosphere in the attic was tense, poised on the brink of a clash.

"The old gentleman kindly sold you a compass... and you, in return, turned around and murdered him. There is no such justice in this world!"

"A life for a life, a debt for a debt," the burly man bellowed, his eyes blazing with fury as he unleashed his inner strength to block their path. "Neither of you is leaving here alive today!"

The man holding the bronze mirror quietly channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into the artifact.

Sensing the danger, Luo Jinghong summoned the Pixiu token exclusive to the Golden Guard from her jade gourd and shouted, "No one is to move!"

Seeing the Pixiu token, the crowd, which had been on the verge of erupting, was like a bucket of cold water poured over them; they forcibly suppressed their agitated rage.

"You saw with your own eyes that he killed without cause, yet you still protect him out of favoritism! Having a Golden Guard like you in the Great Qian Empire is a disgrace!" the burly man gritted his teeth.

"Who told you... that seeing is always believing?" Su Ye asked with a calm smile.

The moment he finished speaking, the headless corpse lying on the ground suddenly stood up. Under the horrified gaze of the crowd, it reached down, picked up its severed head, and pressed it back onto its neck. The incision made by the sharp blade shimmered with a faint light, healing instantly as if it had never been cut.

"This..." The burly man was struck dumb.

Luo Jinghong, whose heart had been in her throat, still looked pale, but the worry in her eyes had eased significantly.

"Young man, your swordsmanship is truly not bad... If you had aimed three inches lower, this old man's head would have been shorn clean off," a voice emerged from the chest of the disheveled old man.

The burly man turned to look at the disheveled elder, his eyes widening in shock. "Elder... Elder Mo?"

"It seems this old man still commands some reputation on this island."

The disheveled old man’s chest split open, and from within stepped a six-foot-tall elder with a white beard. He wore a gold-threaded, black-trimmed silk robe and an ornate jade crown, though his goatee was somewhat disheveled. He tilted his head slightly, looking at Su Ye with a smile.

"Young man, a compass costs a hundred thousand taels... You owe me a million in gold."

The onlookers, who had just been eager to avenge the "wronged," could not help but become fair-weather friends, immediately taking up the cause for Su Ye.

"Elder Mo, the cost of making one compass is less than a thousand taels of silver..."

"Indeed, even out of gratitude for saving your life, you shouldn't be charging so much."

The white-bearded elder’s face darkened. His nose turned red, and he stood with his hands on his hips. "The most outstanding array master, artifact refiner, woodcarver, and puppet master of Lingxi Island is standing right here... Is it your place, you juniors, to point fingers?"

He was so similar. It was uncanny. Su Ye couldn't help but laugh.

The old man turned to Su Ye, asking in surprise, "What are you laughing at?"

"I know a cultivator from the Cloud Sky Sect whose mannerisms and behavior are cast from the exact same mold as yours."

The old man’s clear eyes scanned Su Ye up and down, as if seeing right through him. "Don't try to fool me with that," the old man sneered. "A million in gold, not a single coin less."

"His name is Mo Chen. I wonder if you have heard of him?" Su Ye revealed the identity of the Cloud Sky Sect cultivator.

The old man’s mouth hung open in astonishment. After a moment, he regained his composure and tilted his head to study Su Ye. "You must have found out who I am from somewhere and are using my dear grandson's name to cozy up to me. Let me tell you, I don't fall for that." He waved a large hand, making his stance clear.

"Your grandson is traveling within the borders of the Great Qian Empire with a team of demon hunters," Su Ye said calmly. "Do you know about this?"

The old man was like a lit powder keg; the redness from his nose spread across his entire face. He looked like an old hen ready to explode.

"What did you say?" the old man’s voice rose an octave. "Those old bastards at the Cloud Sky Sect sent my precious grandson down the mountain to hunt demons?"

"This is absolutely true," Su Ye said, observing the old man’s tomato-red face. "However, Mo Chen does not fight against evil spirits; he is merely experiencing the mortal world. If he truly encounters danger, he has a way to escape back to the Cloud Sky Sect."

Seeing the steadiness in Su Ye's eyes and the calm of his tone, the old man’s suspicion—that this was just a ploy to haggle—began to waver. "You... have you really seen Chen'er?"

Su Ye tilted his head back, looking down his nose with a devil-may-care attitude. "I entered the inner court of the Cloud Sky Sect with peerless talent in artifact refining... Even my master has to pour my foot-washing water."

"You really have seen Chen'er!" The old man had no more doubts. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting around.

"Rest assured, Elder," Su Ye couldn't help but smile. "The money I owe you, not a single coin will be missing."

The old man immediately beamed with a brilliant smile. "I am not a man who loves wealth... but since you insist on such high moral standing, I can only indulge you."

Su Ye nodded with a smile. The crowd dared not speak, though their hearts leaned toward the generous Su Ye.

The old man turned and picked up the jade pendant hanging from the waist of the puppet skin. A golden light drifted from his hand, and the skin shrank to the size of a grain of rice, flying into the pendant.

"When... when did you realize that I was being..." The old man turned back to look at Su Ye, his tone slightly hesitant. His caution was not born of fear, but of his greed; he couldn't bear to part with a single cent of that million in gold.

Seeing through the old man's thoughts, Su Ye smiled calmly. "Before you sensed that I could control spirits within the puppet, I had already realized that you had been imprisoned by an evil spirit."

The redness on the old man's face faded, only to return with a different color.

"If the Island Master were to ask you to subdue the demons, what kind of price would you... demand?"

The burly man finally couldn't hold back his blunt personality. "Elder Mo, aren't you the acting Island Master right now?"

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes erupted with fury. "Guan Xiong, this is no place for you to interrupt! If you dare speak nonsense again, I will lock you in the Heart-Devouring Dungeon."

Guan Xiong, who had invited Su Ye to sit, immediately bowed his head and retreated to the side, his drunkenness vanished.

The old man then turned to Su Ye, his expression shifting abruptly into a smile. "You and Chen'er are of similar age; you must be close friends... Now that Lingxi Island has been invaded by these anomalies, everyone is in a state of panic..."

Su Ye tilted his face slightly, his smile full of youthful spirit. "Although I am but a rogue cultivator, I do not lack a sense of chivalry. If the skills I have learned are not used to help those in need, what is the point of having them?"

Cheers erupted in the attic. The old man felt a sense of awkwardness and managed a forced smile. "We have talked for so long, and I still do not know your name... One day, the local chronicles may record your virtuous deeds."

Su Ye cupped his hands and said in a clear voice, "I am Su Wuming." He then called Luo Jinghong to his side. "This is my dao companion, Leng Qingxue."

Luo Jinghong glanced at Su Ye in surprise, then performed a graceful bow. "Island Master Mo, I am Leng Qingxue. It is a pleasure to meet you."

The old man looked at the profound expression on Su Ye’s face and then glanced at the woman bowing to him, instantly understanding his intent. It was as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he let out a long sigh of relief. "As long as it's not actual gold and silver, that's fine."

The crowd felt embarrassed, covering their faces with their hands. They didn't want to admit that this money-grubbing old man was their Island Master.

Luo Jinghong tugged on Su Ye’s sleeve and pulled him to a secluded spot. "When did you discover the demon... and how did you exorcise it?"

"I identified the demon by its inner voice and lured it into a trap."

"Weren't you afraid of being caught by a soul-snatching technique?" Luo Jinghong’s tone was half-admiration, half-worry.

Su Ye offered a doting smile and said boldly, "I once used a strategy to counter a soul-snatching technique in the dilapidated Songyang Temple. Back then, I hadn't even reached the Qi Gathering Realm."