Chapter 1790 - 658: Zhuge Qianqiu (Part 3)

Su Mo’s words directly turned Zhuge Qianqiu’s eyes cold as ice.

He closed his eyes and let out a breath:

"Although I do not know who you truly are, it’s best if you remain unaware of this matter.

"It’s not that I am unwilling to tell you, but those who know about them... in the future, when traveling the Jianghu, if you investigate in any capacity, there’s a chance they could notice.

"When that time comes, you might find yourself trapped in an unprecedented vortex.

"No matter how formidable your martial arts, it’s difficult to escape from their grasp."

"I am not afraid."

Su Mo said with a smile:

"Feel free to speak directly."

"..."

Zhuge Qianqiu glanced at Su Mo and suddenly gave a cold smile:

"Jinglong Association!"

"Jinglong Association?"

Su Mo’s eyes showed no change, but the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

With a face covered by a mask, his opponent couldn’t see his expression, only the calm gaze and the slightly skeptical voice:

"What is that?"

"You, with such powerful martial arts, have never heard of the Jinglong Association?"

Zhuge Qianqiu gently shook his head:

"This shows how deeply they are hidden.

"To be honest, compared to the Jinglong Association, an Eight Sects and Nine Peaks hall is nothing!"

"Jinglong Hall, Jinglong Association..."

Su Mo’s eyes subtly shifted:

"Master Zhuge, are you deliberately trying to deceive me?

"The names are so alike, are they perhaps the same organization?"

"How could Jinglong Hall qualify... can’t you see the clue in the word ’Jing’ for reverence?

"That reverence is precisely for the ’Dragon’ of the Jinglong Association!"

Zhuge Qianqiu sighed lightly and found a place to sit down.

If we’re going to talk, why keep standing?

In doing so, he even set the corpse aside.

It wouldn’t do to keep holding onto it, would it?

Su Mo glanced at him and suddenly laughed:

"You must not remove the Human Skin Mask on your face.

"Otherwise, I will have to shout."

"...Of course not."

Zhuge Qianqiu chuckled, though his voice was somewhat dry.

Yet, having his intentions revealed caused him not an ounce of embarrassment.

At his level, his skin was incredibly thick.

If Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, he’d remain unfazed, treating it as ordinary.

Then he heard Su Mo say:

"Judging from the three words Jinglong Association, it seems they’re not the dragon, but rather wish to startle the dragon.

"By this logic, saying ’Jing’ reveres the dragon of Jinglong Association seems rather far-fetched, doesn’t it?"

"Do you know how to startle a dragon?"

"Assassinate a king?"

"No, it’s the fish leaping the Dragon Gate!"

Zhuge Qianqiu softly said:

"You and I are both fish in the Jianghu, and if one day, fate and opportunity allow, we swim upstream and leap beyond the Dragon Gate, transforming into a dragon.

"This world naturally becomes a realm where two dragons compete.

"How can the original dragon not be startled?

"The Jinglong Association claims to startle the dragon, but in fact, they wish to transform into dragons themselves.

"Thus, the Jinglong Hall was established."

"Do they plot to conquer the world?"

Su Mo lightly breathed out:

"In that case, is Jinglong Hall just their eyes and ears in Xizhou?"

"No... it’s a decoy."

Zhuge Qianqiu lightly shook his head:

"They are not without adversaries.

"Jinglong Hall is their decoy in Xizhou.

"When their adversaries emerge, unable to locate Jinglong Association, this conspicuous Jinglong Hall naturally falls into their enemy’s sights.

"Whenever they attack Jinglong Hall, Jinglong Association will thoroughly capture their trail.

"Thereafter, the real Jinglong Association will quietly emerge during the conflict, annihilating the intruding enemy completely."

"I see."

Su Mo nodded, then asked:

"But this leaves me somewhat perplexed.

"The Jinglong Association is so high and mighty, unmatched in Xizhou.

"Whether Jinglong Hall acts as a decoy or spies for them.

"Its connection with Jinglong Association is undoubtedly strong.

"Even if you are second to one and superior to thousands, standing atop the multitudes of the Jianghu."

"Why the sudden thought of breaking away today?

"Don’t tell me it’s because you don’t want the young hall master to follow your old path.

"You’ve greatly benefited from this, indicating the path isn’t hard to tread."

"Without cause, a bird raised in the household lacks freedom, but has no worries about food or clothing."

"Why risk delving deep into the Jianghu, living in constant danger?"

This was indeed what Su Mo most wanted to know today.

The previous exchanges were merely to gauge how much this person knew about the Jinglong Association.

Even though the discussion hadn’t been verified by Su Mo, he had some suspicions.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Qianqiu fell into silence.

After a long pause, he sighed:

"The enemies of the Jinglong Association have arrived, bringing with them a catastrophe of destruction.

"I must seek protection.

"Even if I cannot protect myself, I must protect my child."

"A catastrophe of destruction?"

Su Mo slightly raised his eyebrow: "The Jinglong Association is so formidable, yet faces such a threat? Who exactly?"

"Imperial Dao!"

Zhuge Qianqiu’s eyes showed a trace of fear:

"The Jinglong Association was the rebels of the past, while Imperial Dao comprised former top experts of the Imperial Court.

"The two have contended for hundreds of years, both becoming monumental powers.

"Under their collision, my Jinglong Hall is just a small bait.

"Truly insignificant!

"One slight collision, and the Zhuge Family of three generations will become bones by the roadside.

"Thus, for now, we absolutely cannot continue to be the Jinglong Association’s decoy, or it’s a dead end!"

"How did you know about this?"

When Su Mo reached this point, his eyes shimmered with a cold and somber hue.

"A prominent figure within the Jinglong Association told me.

"His words could never be wrong. He’s one of the rare kind-hearted people in the Jinglong Association.

"I haven’t interacted much with this person.

"But my father knew him well, and his words have never missed!

"This advice was a kind reminder due to his friendship with my father.

"Allowing us to prepare ahead of time."

As Zhuge Qianqiu spoke, there was a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes.

Yet he failed to notice Su Mo’s expression turning grim upon hearing these words.