Chapter 959: Search
He eyed the two martial artists guarding the door. They approached, beginning to tell Ye Mo to leave if he wasn't there to buy anything, but before they could finish, he flung them against the shop sign, shattering the luxurious emblem. They landed on the street, clutching their legs and groaning in pain.
Coldly, Ye Mo said, "Tell your manager to come. Any more nonsense, and I'll tear this place apart." Desperation burned within him; he wouldn't resort to calm methods. He needed to find Su Jingwen immediately. She was the first girl he'd met on Earth, and Yimo was with her.
Without a call, a very fat man rushed down, bowing respectfully. "Immortal Master! My apologies for the rudeness. Please, have a seat upstairs." He'd clearly been observing from above.
Ye Mo produced a bracelet. "Did this come from your shop?"
The manager, understanding the bracelet's significance, quickly replied, "Yes, yes, it was sold five days ago by Miss Qin Baihe of the Qin Manor."
"I didn't ask who bought it. Where did you get it?" Ye Mo's tone softened slightly at the manager's cooperation.
The manager, shrewdly realizing the bracelet's dubious origins, knew he couldn't lie to an immortal master. Offending one could mean the shop's destruction, let alone ruin his reputation. Even if they had their own immortal master, it wasn't worth the risk.
He confessed readily, "We got it from the four Pei brothers. They used to control the local martial scene, selling items occasionally. This bracelet—"
"Where are they now?" Ye Mo interrupted.
"They're not in Jian Chuan City. At the Pei family manor, fifty kilometers east," the manager replied, providing precise directions without further prompting. Ye Mo's sudden disappearance intensified his fear. This was no ordinary immortal master.
It was near winter; few people ventured outside the city walls, creating a bustling contrast with the quiet streets outside. The Pei family manor, however, was lively. Four men were drinking, surrounded by serving maids.
"Ma Yanwen really knows how to enjoy life, dual-cultivating with that Lao Shenzi," one man slurred, "Unlike us, stuck drinking and eating!"
"Third brother, jealous we lack spirit roots?" the skinny man opposite retorted, smiling.
The man at the head of the table sighed. "Second brother, while enjoyable, our lives aren't like immortal masters'. Hundreds of years, and all that! I heard the Chang He River is taking disciples next spring. We should apply."
Before they could agree, a voice cut through, "If you live that long."
Four figures leapt up, facing a man who'd materialized silently in their midst.
"Who are you?" the eldest brother asked cautiously, sensing the man's potential immortality.
Ye Mo produced the bracelet. "Where did you get this?"
The fourth brother, sensing trouble, lied, "Never seen it before."
Ye Mo's spirit sense detected the lie. Without warning, he unleashed a wind blade, bisecting the fourth brother before a scream could escape. Blood splattered; the maids fainted.
The remaining brothers, their bond unbreakable, attacked. Ye Mo knew interrogation was impossible. He killed another, then subdued the last two, subjecting their souls to interrogation. Lacking cultivation, their minds were easily accessed.
Fifteen minutes later, Ye Mo left the manor, having learned the bracelet's history. Two months prior, a battle between cultivators from Jiang Chuan City and Fu Mo City had resulted in immense casualties and widespread panic. Many wealthy families fled, some with guards, others in disarray. The Pei brothers had robbed these refugees; the bracelet, they claimed, belonged to "an ugly woman."
Ye Mo pressed them repeatedly, but they insisted she was alone. Yimo was not with her, regardless of whether the woman was Su Jingwen in disguise.
Knowing the refugees ended up in Jiang Chuan City, Ye Mo returned. He activated his spirit sense, discarding Nine Transformations to avoid startling Su Jingwen. He was sure to find her if she were in the city.
Darkness fell, snow began to fall, and soon a thin layer coated the ground. Ye Mo stood above the city; the walls offered limited protection from the wind. If Su Jingwen was there, the snow would restrict her movement.
Despite his desperate search, he couldn't find her. He forced himself to calm down, realizing the futility of searching for one person in a million. He stood in the street, repeatedly using his spirit sense. As the snow intensified, the streets emptied until only he remained, oblivious to the accumulating snow on his person.