She was clearly a woman, but her manner of speaking was entirely that of Iron Blood Dragon Spear, Yang Yi.
Her gaze shifted, certainly containing a hint of warmth, but what dominated was an aura of grandeur emanating from her very bones.
Su Mo's lips twitched, feeling as though he had truly hit a streak of bad luck today.
Why did he have to run into this woman of all people...
The woman's name was Yang Xiaoyun.
She was two years older than Su Mo.
They had known each other since childhood, back when Iron Blood Escort Agency was far from its current state, and Ziyang Escort Agency had not yet faced its decline.
Yang Yi and Su Mo's father were sworn brothers.
An oft-repeated saying was naturally that close relations added to close relations.
Hence, from a young age, Su Mo had an unwed wife, and that was this Yang Xiaoyun.
But... in regards to this marriage, whether it was before or after Su Mo's transmigration, he was quite resistant to it.
Mainly because Yang Xiaoyun lacked the gentleness and consideration of ordinary women, preferring martial attire over feminine adornments.
She had no interest in women's work or showing tenderness and care.
Just the mention of swords, spears, swords, and halberds would make her eyes glow.
She was the childhood king of the streets and alleys, her pale little fists making many children bow their heads in submission, 'willingly' offering up their candied haws.
Then, Yang Xiaoyun would share them with Su Mo, both eating their fill with great relish.
Of course, their relationship wasn't entirely harmonious and loving.
Because she was two years older than Su Mo and was his betrothed, Yang Xiaoyun always felt it her duty to manage her good-for-nothing future husband.
Therefore, from a young age, when it came to the matter of urging him to practice martial arts, Yang Xiaoyun was even more attentive than Su Mo's parents.
But when Su Mo was disobedient, Yang Xiaoyun did indeed hit him...
This made Su Mo utterly fearful of Yang Xiaoyun, nearly to the point of running away at the sight of her.
Later on, the Su family fell into decline, Su's father met a tragic end on Jianghu Road, his mother died of depression, and the large escort agency crumbled and fell apart.
Naturally, this had a great impact on their betrothal.
Furthermore, Su Mo was a thoroughly unworthy descendant, who had not striven to improve his lot, instead content to sink into depravity, continuously squandering his family's wealth.
Yang Yi had no desire to let his daughter associate with such a disgraceful youth.
This actually suited the original Su Mo perfectly, who indulged daily in a life of pleasure among the flowers.
But when the Iron Lady heard of it, she stormed straight into the brothel, dragging him out and giving him a thorough beating in the street.
The incident caused quite a stir.
Throughout Luoxia City, everyone knew of the Iron Lady's fury in beating up her own husband, which turned the springtime splendor pale in comparison, and for a while, it became the talk of the town, still recounted with relish to this day.
And Su Mo's reputation spread far and wide because of this, though naturally, it was not a flattering one.
Later, it was said that because of this incident, Yang Xiaoyun was severely reprimanded by Yang Yi, and father and daughter quarreled fiercely for the first time.
The specifics of which, even Su Mo was unable to find out, but since then, the two of them rarely saw each other.
Now that Su Mo had transmigrated, he kept a low profile and seldom interacted with others.
Yet unexpectedly, their next meeting would be on this occasion.
When asked in public if he had any solid-state sprouts or went to the brothel again... Su Mo felt he was somewhat unable to face the situation.
While he was struggling and didn't know how to respond, Yang Xiaoyun had already sat down and looked up at him, "Sit down."
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"..."
Su Mo had no choice but to oblige and occasionally glanced at the other escort masters of the Iron Blood Escort Agency.
Everyone also nodded at him in turn.
It wasn't so much out of respect, which, if it existed at all, was for the sake of Su Mo's father, nor was it disdain, for even if there was any, why would they outwardly show it and needlessly displease the young lady?
Those who have fumbled their way to this point, even if their martial arts are mediocre, are at least no longer hotheads, as those who wear their emotions on their sleeves often die young in Jianghu.
"Have you been well recently?"
After sitting down, Yang Xiaoyun looked at Su Mo, her tone softened by a few notches, and she seemed quite concerned.
"I've been quite well."
"Good, that's good."
Yang Xiaoyun nodded, then put on an almost elder-sister-like motherly expression and said, "I've been away from home recently, and in recent years father has entrusted me with many matters of the escort agency. I've been running around so much that I might have neglected you a bit, but don't hold it against me."
"Not at all!"
Su Mo shook his head firmly.
"Hmm..."
Yang Xiaoyun hesitated, seemingly at a loss for words, and simply slapped the table, "Waiter, bring tea!"
The waiter of the tea house had long been prepared and hurriedly brought over large bowls of tea upon hearing the call.
Yang Xiaoyun, seizing the moment, seemed to have thought of something, and with a smile said, "I heard that you've changed a lot in recent years, frequenting the brothel less and focusing more on martial arts. This is good. The trials and tribulations of Jianghu can sharpen a person. You will inevitably have to shoulder the banner of Ziyang Escort Agency, and it's only right that you gain more experience and practice diligently.
"Your family has a profound martial history, and the martial arts of Ziyang Sect are no trifling matter. Although there have been few disciples from our sect entering Jianghu in the past decade, it still remains a renowned name.
"Now that it's in your hands, you mustn't let this reputation be tarnished."
Although the conversation between the two felt a bit odd, Yang Xiaoyun's words were indeed valuable. Su Mo was not someone who couldn't tell right from wrong; he nodded solemnly:
"Of course."
This response seemed to surprise Yang Xiaoyun a bit, her gaze at Su Mo changed, as if some brightness had sprung from nothingness.
She couldn't help but raise her lips slightly and smiled softly, "You really are different. I knew it, Uncle Su was a remarkable hero, and you, Su Mo, are not meant to be confined.
"Well, if you have time, you could come and visit my family.
"When Uncle Su was still alive, our families often visited each other, and somehow, overnight, many things have changed.
"The people are still the same, the city is still the same, it seems like everything is the same, yet everything is different.
"I assume if you could visit more often, my father would be pleased, right?"
Su Mo was caught between laughter and tears; he remembered Yang Yizhi.
A man of few smiles and words, who, after the Su family's incident, only appeared once at the memorial service and then never set foot in the Su family's home again.
People say that Yang Yizhi didn't want to continue being involved with the Su family.
It even restricted the interactions between Yang Xiaoyun and Su Mo.
Some matchmakers even started to propose matrimonial prospects for Yang Xiaoyun...
Yet strangely enough, Yang Yizhi has not agreed to any of them.
As for the potential marriage agreement between Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, it has also never been addressed.
This left many people bewildered.
Now hearing what Yang Xiaoyun said, Su Mo didn't know how to respond, so he could only manage to say, "When I find the time, I will surely come to visit."
"Let's agree on that, then. I won't be leaving home for a while, so when you come to the escort agency, I will personally oversee your martial arts training."
"..."
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