Wandering Swordsman |

Shen Mo stared intently at the waiter, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if trying to pierce the man's soul. A larger picture gradually formed in his mind. What secrets lay hidden behind Master Ma? And how was Zhao Qingyun's disappearance connected to all of this?

After Shen Mo finished speaking, he fell into thought. At this moment, the surroundings were quiet, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects.

Seeing this, the waiter took a deep breath, as if gathering his courage. He slowly said, "After I joined the Black Wind Gang, I learned from Master Ma's subordinates that Tu Qingyun of 'Yunlai Teahouse' is actually the influential Xuanwu Saint Lord of the Black Wind Gang—Zhao Qingyun."

Shen Mo's heart skipped a beat, and the name flashed through his mind. "Zhao Qingyun..." he repeated softly, a complex emotion welling up inside him. "Besides, everyone in the martial arts world knows him. Perhaps he changed his name to Qingyun just to avoid causing trouble in Liaocheng," the waiter continued to explain.

"So that's it! Tu Qingyun is Miss Zhao's uncle, Zhao Qingyun!!!" Shen Mo suddenly realized, his doubts finally answered. Thinking this, he then asked, "Do you know Zhao Qingyun's current whereabouts?"

The waiter's face turned pale instantly, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes. "This was originally a secret within the Black Wind Gang. But, once when I was drinking with one of Master Ma's men, I overheard him mention in his drunken state that Zhao Qingyun had already been eliminated by Master Ma." His voice trembled slightly, clearly shocked by the news.

Shen Mo remained silent for a moment, a surge of uncontrollable anger rising within him. Zhao Xue's uncle, Zhao Qingyun, was already dead?

Thinking of this, Shen Mo's eyes became even more determined, as if he had made up his mind. He had to find Master Ma, find out everything, and then, while avenging himself, also avenge Uncle Zhao Xue.

"I'll ask you one last question. Just tell me, and I'll let you go back." Shen Mo paused for a moment, his tone carrying an undeniable authority. "I've checked that old house; it's deserted. Where is Master Ma now?"

Upon seeing this, the waiter nodded quickly, his voice carrying a hint of relief: "He led his men to the Black Wind Gang headquarters the day before yesterday."

Shen Mo frowned slightly and pressed for an answer: "Where is the Black Wind Gang's headquarters?"

The waiter was shocked by the question, clearly not expecting Shen Mo to be unaware of the answer. Anyone in the martial arts world should know the answer to this question. Yet, Shen Mo seemed completely clueless.

"The Black Wind Gang's headquarters are in Black Wind Mountain, Yimen County, Yunnan Province," the waiter finally answered truthfully, his voice tinged with a hint of awe.

Shen Mo nodded, already having a plan in mind. He waved his hand gently, signaling the waiter to leave. The waiter immediately stood up, looking at Shen Mo with tears of gratitude: "Thank you, young hero, for sparing my life! Thank you, young hero, for sparing my life!"

Shen Mo didn't say anything, only gave him a cold look. Then the waiter quickly left the forest, afraid that if he was too late, Shen Mo would change his mind. Before long, the waiter's figure disappeared into the dark depths of the woods.

The night was as dark as ink, and an eerie atmosphere permeated the woods outside Liaocheng. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground, adding to the mystery of the quiet forest. At this moment, only Shen Mo stood alone in the woods, surrounded by utter silence.

Shen Mo thoughtfully reached into his robe and slowly pulled out the "Formless Sutra." Gazing at the manual in his hand, his thoughts were in turmoil.

"Master..." Shen Mo murmured softly, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

After a moment of silence, Shen Mo opened the "Formless Scripture" in his hand and, by the moonlight, carefully studied each move and technique in the manual. Every page of text and illustrations was clearly visible, as if telling the secrets of ancient martial arts. Shen Mo's gaze was focused and solemn; he carefully pondered every movement and every mental technique, striving to memorize them.

Before long, Shen Mo had memorized the entire contents of the *Wu Xiang Jing* (Scripture of No Form) and began practicing its moves and internal energy cultivation methods under the moonlight. His figure moved swiftly through the forest, his movements light and fluid, as if he were one with the surrounding nature. Every punch and kick carried an invisible power that inspired awe.

Unbeknownst to them, the morning light and thin mist gradually appeared in the woods. Shen Mo, who had been practicing the "Formless Sutra" all night, steadied himself and stopped his movements. Sweat soaked his clothes, but his eyes shone even brighter and more determined.

Perhaps because he learned of Master Ma's whereabouts from the waiter, Shen Mo already had a clear direction in mind—to go to the Black Wind Gang in Yunnan. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall the message he had entrusted to He Yun when they parted, which he guessed had already reached Jing Tian Pavilion. After all, more than half a month had passed since the December martial arts competition; judging by the timeline, the message should have been delivered.

Then, recalling that his master Luo Wangchen had said he was going to Yunnan when they parted, and considering that his master had asked him to bring the four characters "Qu Duan Hei Feng" to Jing Tian Ge, it's not hard to deduce that his master had gone to the Black Wind Gang to rescue people.

Thinking of this, Shen Mo knew that whether he was going to seek revenge on Master Ma or to find his master, his destination at this moment should be the Black Wind Gang in Yunnan.

However, while it was certainly dangerous for Shen Mo to go to the Black Wind Gang alone, if the "Formless Scripture" were to be stolen by them, it would be a grave betrayal of his master's trust. Thinking of this, a sense of responsibility welled up within Shen Mo. He had to ensure the safety of the "Formless Scripture" and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

Therefore, Shen Mo made this decision: to memorize the entire contents of the *Wu Xiang Jing*, then hide it somewhere before heading to the Black Wind Gang in Yunnan. This way, even if something happened to him, he could prevent the *Wu Xiang Jing* from falling into the wrong hands.

Not long after, Shen Mo returned to the cave. The two monkeys, seeing him return, jumped and hopped excitedly to greet him. They leaped and squeaked merrily at the cave entrance, seemingly expressing their welcome. Shen Mo smiled slightly, a warm feeling welling up inside him. During this time, these two little creatures had become his only companions in this wilderness.

Shen Mo knelt down and gently stroked the heads of the two monkeys, feeling their soft fur and warm body temperature. At that moment, Shen Mo's heart was filled with reluctance.

After entering the cave, Shen Mo carefully found a secluded corner to hide the *Wu Xiang Jing* (Scripture of No Form). He took out a small shovel and began digging a large pit. Every shovelful of soil was done with extreme caution, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the cave. Finally, a pit as high as an adult was dug. Shen Mo carefully placed the *Wu Xiang Jing* inside and then used the shovel to backfill the soil he had just dug.

After filling the soil, Shen Mo stood up, took a deep breath, and used his inner strength to compact the ground. He placed his palms on the ground and slowly pushed his inner strength, making the soil as hard as stone, so that no one could tell that the "Formless Sutra" was buried underneath. Finally, just to be on the safe side, Shen Mo also placed some dry grass on top of the soil to ensure that everything looked natural and without any trace.

After doing all this, Shen Mo turned and left the cave. However, when he stepped out of the cave, the two monkeys were still standing there, their eyes full of longing. They chirped and squeaked, as if trying to persuade Shen Mo not to leave.

Shen Mo stopped and looked back at the two monkeys, a pang of sorrow in his heart. "I'm going to a very far place this time, and I probably won't be able to come back to see you for a while," he said softly, a hint of sadness in his voice. "But I will definitely come back."

The monkeys seemed to understand his words, a hint of disappointment in their eyes. They stood there quietly, watching Shen Mo's figure gradually disappear into the distance.