Wandering Swordsman |

Outside the door, Shen Mo and Alice exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

"A noble earl's mansion, yet even an announcement is so difficult?" Shen Mo raised an eyebrow, a ripple of emotion stirring within him. Alice, standing beside him, narrowed her eyes. She had met countless dignitaries as an inquisitor for heretics, but she had never imagined that one day she would be stopped at the door with her delicate features.

Just as the servant was about to turn around and return to the mansion, a sudden inspiration flashed in Shen Mo's mind.

Last year, when we got married, wasn't that brat Hua Tianyou doing the same thing, using the pretext of "collecting debts" to demand to see me at the entrance of the Martial Arts Alliance? At the time, I thought his actions were absurd, but now it seems that this "rogue tactic" is a brilliant move to break the deadlock, and I can also take the opportunity to "get revenge" on Hua Tianyou.

Shen Mo took a deep breath, and his usually cold and aloof face instantly transformed into one of urgency, like a street urchin collecting a debt.

"Wait!" Shen Mo's voice suddenly rose, carrying a tone of "frustration," sounding exactly like a pitiful creditor being cornered by a debtor. "Since the Earl is busy, then I won't see him! Let his grandson Hua Tianyou come out! Tell him I, Shen Mo, have arrived! If he doesn't pay his gambling debts to me today, I'll sleep at his doorstep!"

As Shen Mo spoke, he deliberately adopted a "I'm a rogue, who am I afraid of?" attitude, and even stomped his foot, as if he was really concerned about that fictitious huge sum of money.

Alice, standing beside him, was dumbfounded by the scene. Looking at Shen Mo's handsome face, which clearly screamed "Keep Out" yet was now forcing a "greedy" expression, she almost burst out laughing. 'The master of the Heavenly Demon God Sect, the mighty Heavenly Demon God, is now playing the role of a debt-collecting rogue?' Her heart surged with turmoil, feeling as if her worldview had collapsed and been rebuilt in that instant.

The attendant was taken aback by this sudden turn of events. Looking at the "aggressive" young man in black before him, he was momentarily at a loss for what to do and stammered, "This...this..."

"What the hell?!" Shen Mo feigned anger, his aura intensifying. "Quickly, go and inform them! Tell them an old friend has come to collect a debt! If you're late, the interest will double!"

The servant was intimidated by his "I'm here to collect a debt, and I'm in the right" attitude. Just then, a series of steady footsteps came from inside the Earl's mansion.

"What's all this commotion about?"

His voice was cool, yet it carried a familiar warmth.

Hua Tianyou appeared at the end of the porch. He had come out to investigate after hearing the commotion at the door, and his gaze swept casually across the room, but froze completely the moment it fell upon the beautiful face outside the door.

His gaze was fixed on Alice's face.

In the sunlight, she was a woman with features so exquisite they were almost perfect. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn water, and her skin was whiter than snow. Her face, once covered by scars, was now breathtakingly beautiful, as if it were God's most perfect masterpiece.

"This...this is Alice?" Hua Tianyou's pupils suddenly contracted, and his mind went blank.

The contrast was so stark that even the Heavenly Demon Lord of the Heavenly Demon God Sect was stunned and speechless.

When Shen Mo saw Hua Tianyou appear, his "debt-collecting" street-smart demeanor instantly vanished like the tide.

His face regained its usual depth and composure, as if he hadn't been the one throwing a tantrum just moments before.

But he didn't speak immediately. Instead, he gave Hua Tianyou a dismissive look, as if to say, "We'll settle the score later."

That glance jolted Hua Tianyou awake.

"My lord!" 』

In an instant, all shock and doubt vanished. Hua Tianyou's heart pounded, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. "How dare I keep my lord waiting outside!"

! ]

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head.

He dared not be negligent in the slightest, and immediately knelt on one knee, placed his right hand on his chest, and performed a gesture of submission.

"Greetings, my lord!" His voice trembled slightly, partly from the excitement of seeing Shen Mo, and partly from the lingering fear of his momentary rudeness.

"Get up quickly, it's good to see you." Shen Mo immediately stepped forward and helped Hua Tianyou up. However, this scene made the servant break out in a cold sweat. He never expected that these two young men would have such a deep connection with the young master.

"My lord, please come in with me." With that, Hua Tianyou left the servants aside and personally led the way for Shen Mo.

......

Deep within the mansion, Count Cassio was deep in thought, his brow furrowed, pondering how to deal with the Papacy's subsequent actions.

Just as he was lost in thought, the servant hurried in and whispered a few words in his ear.

"Your Excellency, those two people at the door... they came in led by the young master. And... the young master bowed deeply to the young man in black, addressing him as... 'Lord'."

"What?!" Casio's voice was loud, as if he was stunned and at a loss for words upon hearing the sudden news.

He jumped to his feet and strode towards the door. 'A master? When did Tianyou get a master? Does that young man have such a powerful background that even Tianyou has to bow down to him?'

When Count Casio arrived at the front yard, panting, he saw Hua Tianyou standing respectfully beside the young man in black, who stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an extraordinary aura.

"Grandpa." Hua Tianyou stood up and introduced Casio, "This is my master, the Heavenly Demon God: Shen Mo."

Count Casio's gaze first fell on Shen Mo.

It was a complex look in his eyes, a mixture of awe, curiosity, and lingering fear—was this the unfathomable lord Tianyou had spoken of? Despite being excessively young, he gave this count, who had spent half his life in the world of fame and fortune, a suffocating feeling as if he were facing a deep abyss.

"Shen Mo?!" He hadn't heard the name before, but judging from Hua Tianyou's respectful attitude, he knew this young man was no ordinary person. "Damn it! I actually gave Tianyou's lord the cold shoulder just now?"

Count Casio, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, staggered forward and bowed deeply: "Mr. Shen... Mr. Shen, it is an honor to have you here! I have failed to greet you properly! Just now... it was all a misunderstanding!"

He wiped away cold sweat, inwardly celebrating his good fortune: "Thank goodness! Thank goodness Tianyou came out in time! Otherwise, my Casio family would have lost face because of my stupidity!"

However, when Casio's gaze inadvertently swept over another woman beside Shen Mo, his heart skipped a beat.

She was a woman of exceptional beauty, standing quietly half a step behind Shen Mo. She had a near-perfect face, and her eyes held a hint of naiveté and aloofness, as if she were new to the world.

"Who is this?" Count Cassio's mind was filled with suspicion. "Is she Shen Mo's concubine? Or an accomplice?"

He instinctively wanted to ask, but the words stuck in his throat.

Hua Tianyou did not take the initiative to introduce himself, and the woman remained meek and submissive, as if she did not exist.

Casio, being a seasoned veteran, immediately realized that in situations like this, the less you know, the safer you are. Since Tianyou wouldn't say anything, he would simply treat her as Shen Mo's personal maid.

Just as Count Cassio was struggling with his inner turmoil, he heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Albert rushed in, panting, clearly having heard the butler's report and rushing to check the situation.