Chapter 109: 104 Dispersing the Banquet (Chapter One concludes, throw flowers

104 Dispersing the Banquet (Chapter One concludes, throw flowers! Seeking votes!)

A cat has nine lives and can return from the dead.

As the chubby orange cat's form gradually faded, Tang Zhao's body seemed like parched earth being awakened to vitality; his chest rose and fell gently, breathing weakly, and the fatal cut gradually grew shorter and shallower, recovering bit by bit.

At this moment, he looked just like he was asleep.

Peng Yiming saw this scene and couldn't help but swallow hard. Although he had heard of the Li Hua Sword's wonders, seeing it with his own eyes was still hard to believe, and he regretted once again choosing to be a Spirit Official out of greed for a career.

The wonders of the sword are, after all, incomparable.

Fu Xianchan turned and went to where Xing Ji was, watching intently as the Bi'an beside Xing Ji turned from void to reality.

Finally, the Bi'an fully manifested, its tiger head resting gently against Xing Ji's head; Xing Ji opened his eyes, looked at the girl in yellow with a complex expression, and said, "Patrol Envoy."

Fu Xianchan stared at the Bi'an and said, "You aren't really going to keep walking down that path, are you? Look back at the Bi'an—is it still the way you originally wanted it to be?"

Xing Ji lowered his head and said calmly, "The human heart is hard to fathom, and the Sword Heart is just as hard to fathom. Things have reached this point, and there is no turning back. Thank you, Patrol Envoy, for saving my life."

Fu Xianchan looked back at Tang Zhao and mused, "Saving him means saving you?"

Xing Ji nodded and said, "If he died, the crime would be entirely mine."

Looking at the devastation all around, he pulled himself together and shouted, "Old Peng, if you can still walk, go bring the injured over. Everyone else, please help out too."

At present, the one in the best condition to walk was Fu Xianchan; her yellow dress was stained with quite a bit of blood, but she looked very relaxed, and aside from losing her cat, she was almost uninjured. As for the others, only Peng Yiming could barely move, and that youth was the same.

Including Fu Xianchan, everyone went to find the injured children scattered about; later, the youths who were found in better condition also took the initiative to follow and look for others, while some crawled back into the collapsed valley to search for survivors. Searching and moving along the way, they finally found over twenty survivors, most of whom were the children who had come out at the beginning—very few who remained in the valley survived—and there were also the bailiffs who had come with Peng Yiming; one had unfortunately been hit squarely by a rock and died on the spot, and the remaining three also hurried over.

Xing Ji looked at the injured all over the ground and asked strangely, "Where did so many people come from in this wilderness? Are you here for a family picnic?"

The youth who had fought side-by-side with Peng Yiming seemed to have something stuck in his throat, his expression indignant; before he could speak, Xing Ji drew his sword and swung it toward the sky:

"Sword Technique - Amnesty!"

Countless white lights erupted from the tip of the sword, splitting like fireworks into dozens of streams of light that fell into everyone's body; even Tang Zhao, who had just regained his vitality, received a share.

The youth had been full of resentment, but as the white light entered his body, he felt completely comfortable, and there was a faint 'crack' sound, as if some shackles had snapped; he felt light as a swallow, and the injuries on his body vanished completely.

Looking around, the injuries of everyone nearby, old or young, had improved; the light cases were already healed, and the heavy cases had also instantly improved, with their lives no longer in danger. His expression became complex, and he lowered his head, no longer feeling indignant.

Peng Yiming also enjoyed a stream, feeling as if he had been reborn, and couldn't help but cup his hands and say, "Thank you, Town Guardian, and congratulations, Town Guardian!"

Xing Ji laughed twice and said, "Same to you, same to you."

Fu Xianchan glanced sideways and said, "Congratulations my foot! You can still laugh? When we go back and see the Lord, he'll scold you to death."

Xing Ji chuckled and said, "The first step is like this, there will be chances to set things right later. Besides, it's a good thing to be able to become a Knight-Errant."

Fu Xianchan shook her head and said, "The Lord suppressing you from comprehending the Sword Law is because he wants you to think long-term, but you... can your sword technique even stay on the front lines? Just wait to be reassigned when we get back."

Xing Ji scratched his head and said, "Sister Fu, can you say something happy? Didn't this mission end one way or another? Becoming a Knight-Errant is a happy event regardless; if it weren't for the Lord's strict management, I would have held a banquet and collected a huge amount of red envelopes. Ah, you look familiar—is your surname Pei?"

He changed the subject awkwardly, staring at a middle-aged man nearby.

The middle-aged man had been keeping his head down, wishing he could crawl into a crack in the ground; hearing himself called, he could no longer pretend and said, "Your Excellency has a good memory, this commoner is Pei Lifeng."

The youth beside him suddenly tensed up, took a few quick steps, and blocked the path in front of the middle-aged man.

Xing Ji acted as if he hadn't seen it and said, "Indeed from the Pei Family, are these all your family members?"

Pei Lifeng said cautiously, "There are also children from relatives' families."

Xing Ji said, "In this cold weather, why aren't you huddled in your high pavilions to spend the winter, but instead running out here to sleep in the open? Sigh, don't speak, let that child speak." He pointed at the youth who had been bristling with anger.

The youth was questioned, and it was like lighting a firecracker; ignoring Pei Lifeng's attempts to signal him, he said, "Weren't you the ones who wanted to catch us? We tried to escape a thousand times but couldn't, and we still fell into your hands. If we die, we die; according to Dajin Law, children under fifteen are exempt from death. You wouldn't break the law, would you?"

Peng Yiming was stunned and looked at Xing Ji; Xing Ji was thoughtful, then smiled and said, "Knight-Errant Pei, what is going on?"

Pei Lifeng stammered, and Xing Ji already understood everything, saying, "Tell me, you did something you felt guilty about, failed to capture the Demon Cave, and were afraid we would settle scores later, so you moved the seeds of your family into the deep mountains to avoid disaster—that's fine, but you should have talked to the children properly! What's with instilling hatred? Ruining our department's reputation is a small matter, but if we hadn't come, you would have all been harmed by the Heavenly Demons, leaving only a few seeds to escape. If one of them had a chance encounter, broke through repeatedly, and became a Sword Immortal in twenty years to take revenge on us and wipe out our entire Land Inspection Department, wouldn't we be wronged?"

Pei Lifeng's muscles twitched, and he laughed dryly.

The youth said, "What? You didn't plan to execute our entire family?"

Xing Ji found it funny and said, "How do people on the outside see us? As murderous maniacs? Even if you don't take Dajin Law to heart, we still have to follow it. A crime that was stopped midway doesn't deserve such a punishment."

The youth said hurriedly, "Then it wasn't you who set up the array to surround us these past two nights?"

Xing Ji frowned and said, "There was someone else surrounding you?"

The youth said, "Of course. We were originally going to the neighboring county and were just camping in the valley to rest. We didn't expect that someone would use an array to trap us that night, and anyone who went outside was eaten by a white fish. We were trapped for two days and two nights."

Xing Ji stood up tall and said, "A white fish? Who saw it?"

Someone nearby said weakly, "I saw it." It was a little chubby boy.

The youth said, "Renhu?"

Pei Renhu approached hesitantly and said, "I saw that white fish, and that person..."

Xing Ji asked sternly, "Who?"

Pei Renhu said, "That little girl with gray hair, I saw her! She was standing on the hilltop staring at us—such a terrifying look, she was even more terrifying than my sister!"

Xing Ji was thoughtful and said, "What happened later? Where did she go when the Heavenly Demons descended?"

Pei Renhu said, "I don't know. When the Heavenly Demons came down, we ran the whole way and weren't eaten by the white fish. She probably ran away first."

Xing Ji and Fu Xianchan exchanged a look, and Fu Xianchan said softly, "It seems this battle has left a tail after all. Xing Ji, you were a jinx saying something about a Sword Immortal taking revenge in twenty years and wiping us all out; it might actually come true."

This little tail was probably nowhere to be found.

Even if she were found, what could be done to her? The Land Inspection Department is not a demonic sect; they do not execute innocent commoners.

Seeing Xing Ji musing, Pei Lifeng said cautiously, "That... Town Guardian, my daughter is with you, can you release her?"

Xing Ji said "Hm?" and asked, "Pei Shoujing? She hasn't returned home yet?"

Pei Lifeng was a bit flustered and said, "No? Isn't she with you?"

Originally, in order to keep this Sword Envoy away from the Demon Cave, Xing Ji had sent her to the furthest place, a full three hundred miles away; it had been three or four days, and if she traveled fast, she should have been able to return, but it couldn't be ruled out that she got lost or something, so it wouldn't be strange if she couldn't make it back.

He said, "Wait a bit longer, she might still be on the road. She is carrying the Authority Sword, so she should be safe. If she hasn't returned home in ten days or half a month, come to the Land Inspection Department to report it, and we will help you find her." This matter concerned him, so he naturally had a responsibility.

Xing Ji looked at the youth again and said, "Although this kid has a big temper, he is quite brave. Old Peng, do you like him?"

Peng Yiming gave a chuckle and said, "He has a bit of grit, he's a good seedling, but it's a pity he still can't be a Spirit Official."

The youth's mind was a chaotic mess, but Pei Lifeng was overjoyed; Xing Ji said, "If you have the heart, come to the commandery seat, Ruicheng, and look for the Land Inspection Office, look for Deputy Envoy Peng."

He used his sword to prop himself up, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, everything is finished, pack up!"

————

By the time Tang Zhao woke up, it seemed as if everything had ended.

The Demon Cave had already been sealed, and the Heavenly Demon had been destroyed. The injured had been healed, and those who died in battle had received compensation. The Land Inspection Office was busy and had already left Black Spider Villa, and the villa itself was more than half empty—if you asked, the answer was that they had gone to attack Golden Toad Island.

He still lived in the villa, and Wei Zhangle was responsible for taking care of him. From Wei Zhangle's mouth, he learned about what had happened before, including his own death and resurrection.

This was truly a marvelous experience, although he did not want to recall it at all. But regardless, this unique experience made him love life even more—only by knowing the fear of death could one know the preciousness of life.

Tang Zhao also went to thank Fu Xianchan, and he did find an opportunity to meet this Inspector. This Inspector was followed by a cat, but it was not that fat orange cat, but a gray-furred, black-striped tabby cat. Tang Zhao was puzzled, and Fu Xianchan smiled, "The big orange one traded that life for yours; this is a newborn cat."

In an instant, Tang Zhao's eyes turned red.

He returned to the courtyard feeling lost, only to find that the Grape Courtyard had long been cleared out; Jiao Feng's batch had finished their training, and it would take until the next batch of children arrived for it to regain its vitality. In his small room, there were no more of Ping Jiangqiu's jars. And Guan Lei's small courtyard was already locked; Teacher Guan had completed his mission and resigned from the hall.

For a time, the familiar people from the villa and the Land Inspection Office had all gone far away, with only Wei Zhangle still there, waiting for the Land Inspection Office to officially return to headquarters and take him to the Training Camp. The two had nothing to do in their spare time and practiced martial arts every day; although it was not as urgent as before the Demon Cave, they were diligent and tireless, and they made quite a bit of progress.

Finally, after more than half a month, the people from the villa returned one after another, saying they had returned in triumph, having expelled Golden Toad Island in one stroke and dominated most of the underworld in He Yang County. The villa held a grand celebration and shared a jar of fine wine and a feast with Tang Zhao and Wei Zhangle.

Another day passed, and someone from the Land Inspection Office came to pick them up.

What surprised him was that Xing Ji had changed into casual clothes, brought his luggage, and said he was going to send him to Zhuoyu Villa. Tang Zhao was afraid of delaying his official business, but Xing Ji said, "It's no matter; this trip of mine is also official business. Not only am I sending you there, but I am also acting on behalf of the Lord to discuss important matters with Zhuoyu Villa. And since I am already a Sword Hero, I won't be a Town Guardian when I return; I am about to be promoted."

Tang Zhao asked curiously, "Can one be promoted just by becoming a Sword Hero?"

Xing Ji said, "Not everyone can be promoted. But I have a big backer, so I will definitely be promoted."

Fine, as expected of Xing Ji.

Someone else from the Land Inspection Office took Wei Zhangle away, taking him to the Training Camp for three years of training; he could only officially take up his post after coming out. The two parted reluctantly, agreeing to meet again in the future.

On the day he left Black Spider Villa, Black Widow brought Yuan Qing to see him off. Tang Zhao, feeling grateful for their care over the past month or so, thanked them solemnly.

Black Widow said, "There is no need for thanks; we have the friendship of comrades-in-arms. If I have something to ask of you in the future, you must help me."

Tang Zhao was just about to agree when Xing Ji said, "That also depends on when that matter happens. If it's four or five years later, that's fine, but if it happens in these two or three years, he won't be able to help you."

Black Widow shot him a glare and said, "It won't come to that; that person's body is still sturdy, so he can hold on for three or five years at least."

Tang Zhao was puzzled, as if both of them knew what the matter was, but Xing Ji would never harm him, so he followed Xing Ji's intention and agreed. He also entrusted Black Widow to take care of things if she heard that the Sui Family Acrobat Troupe had come to the county again, and it would be best if she could send him a letter.

With all matters settled, Xing Ji and Tang Zhao went down the mountain, changed to fast horses on the official road, and galloped away.