Chapter 1795 - 660: Making Use of the Situation (2)

"Naive and straightforward, untouched by dust.

"You stay by her side, knowing full well this is her nature, yet you don’t guide her onto the Righteous Path.

"Instead you bring her along to play Mental Eye games with me?"

Su Mo’s fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop.

"Your subordinate admits her guilt, your subordinate admits her guilt."

Mu Shanshan kowtowed again and again.

She knew this time it was no joke.

Su Mo’s temper had always been good; even if someone was somewhat defiant to his face, he would only laugh it off.

But this time he was clearly truly angered.

Zhen Xiaoxiao also sensed that the atmosphere was wrong; even though her belly was rumbling like a drum, she forcibly endured it, carefully stealing a glance at Su Mo:

"Master, you’re angry, huh...

"Please don’t be angry, all right? Xiao Xiao won’t eat pork leg then."

Seeing her expression, Su Mo let out a soft sigh:

"Do you know what I’m angry about?"

"I don’t know, is it because I can eat too much?"

Zhen Xiaoxiao blinked her eyes.

"You’ve followed me for years—have I ever wronged you in food or clothing?"

"Of course not, Master is very generous."

Zhen Xiaoxiao replied at once:

"Even when you occasionally say you’re going to dock my rations, you’ve never really done it."

"So you do have a bit of conscience left."

Su Mo sighed, knowing that trying to explain this to Zhen Xiaoxiao would get nowhere.

He turned his gaze to Mu Shanshan, who was still kowtowing; by now the girl’s forehead was already streaming with blood.

In the main hall, Yang Xiaoyun, Wei Ziyi, Little Situ, Chen Dinghai and the others were all present.

Yet not one dared to plead for her.

In the end Su Mo gently shook his head:

"That’s enough."

Mu Shanshan raised her head to look at Su Mo; the fresh blood on her brow mingled with the tears at the corners of her eyes as they flowed down.

"Supreme Elder isn’t sending me away?"

"Mu Shanshan, remember this.

"Today I raised the rod high and brought it down light, only for the sake of your wholehearted loyalty to Xiao Xiao.

"If there’s a next time...

"It won’t be as simple as just sending you away."

Su Mo’s voice was not loud, yet every word hammered straight into Mu Shanshan’s heart.

Mu Shanshan nodded repeatedly:

"Yes, your subordinate understands.

"I will never dare offend again."

Su Mo nodded slightly, then glanced at Zhen Xiaoxiao and said to Mu Shanshan:

"You’re clever and quick-witted; Xiao Xiao is pure by nature.

"Since you’re so loyal to her, you all the more should guide her onto the Righteous Path.

"Don’t teach her to be sly and underhanded.

"Besides, what happened today is no small matter.

"Though I’m not sending you away,

"I also can’t simply let you off like this.

"With a great battle imminent, I won’t add fresh wounds to your body now.

"Once the Imperial Court Mountain affair is over, you are to come before me yourself and receive thirty strokes.

"Think of it as helping you remember."

"Yes, your subordinate kowtows in thanks to the Supreme Elder."

Mu Shanshan said this and knocked her head against the floor once more.

Her body trembled; she truly had been frightened badly.

Su Mo waved his hand lightly, telling her to rise.

Then he glanced at Little Situ.

Little Situ nodded slightly, took out some ointment from his bosom, and treated Mu Shanshan’s forehead wound.

She had kowtowed extremely hard, terrified that Su Mo would really send her back to Nanhai.

She hadn’t even dared use Inner Strength to protect herself while kowtowing.

So the injury was quite severe.

Even now, though she’d managed to stand, her footing was unsteady, her legs weak beneath her.

Little Situ dealt with the wound on her head, and once he’d finished bandaging it, people from Tianjing Sect happened to arrive with food.

Only they were blocked outside the room by the others from Shunfeng Escort Agency.

Su Mo glanced at Zhen Xiaoxiao and said softly:

"Eat. When you’re done, have a good rest."

"Mm."

Zhen Xiaoxiao nodded; Su Mo had already led Yang Xiaoyun and the others away.

In the room only Chen Dinghai and the two girls were left, staring at one another.

At last Chen Dinghai sighed and had the escort agency lads bring the food in.

In just a short while the table was piled high.

Zhen Xiaoxiao sat down in front, picked up a braised elbow of pork, and was about to bite into it.

But as it neared her mouth, she sighed:

"Could it be that Master’s hungry too, that’s why he’s in a bad mood?"

She turned her head to look at Chen Dinghai.

Chen Dinghai simply shook his head lightly:

"Miss Xiao Xiao, just eat.

"As for the Supreme Elder... even if he’s hungry right now, I’m afraid he still couldn’t eat."

Zhen Xiaoxiao looked a bit bewildered, but still nodded:

"Then I’ll save him a little. He doesn’t eat much, just a bit will do."

As she spoke, she stood up, picked out some of the dishes she liked and set them aside, planning for Su Mo to have something tasty when he got hungry later.

Then she sat down again and started tucking in with gusto.

Chen Dinghai merely glanced at Mu Shanshan and shook his head slightly.

...

...

Inside Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun’s room.

Wei Ziyi and the others had already gone back to rest.

The couple sat at the bedside; Yang Xiaoyun reached out and rubbed Su Mo’s face.

She massaged his stiff features until they softened quite a bit.

Su Mo couldn’t help laughing:

"What are you doing?"

"Seeing your face so tense, I’m not used to it."

Yang Xiaoyun said with a smile:

"Now it’s much more pleasing to the eye."

"Is that so?"

Su Mo raised a brow: "I thought you’d like me no matter what I looked like."

"Hmph, who would like someone who keeps a straight face all day?"

Yang Xiaoyun leaned against Su Mo’s chest and said softly:

"Actually, you’re not really that angry, are you?"

"My Lady knows me indeed."

Su Mo nodded lightly:

"Rather than anger, it was more of using the occasion to make a point.

"You know as well as I do, the Nanhai situation was actually cobbled together in a muddled fashion.

"Gao Tianqi believes I have the ability to unify Nanhai; you could say the whole Nanhai Alliance was handed to me outright.