Chapter 177: 170 Each Harboring Their Own Thoughts

Wang Fei called out to Tang Zhao, naturally not wanting the turtle to hear; the turtle heard, let out a cold snort, and turned its head away. Tang Zhao nodded at it and walked a few steps with Wang Fei.

Wang Fei and Tang Zhao walked to a nearby spot where no one was around, and Wang Fei first said apologetically, "My apologies, Brother Tang, I nearly dragged you into mortal danger just now. And I've slowed down your journey to Jianzhou."

Tang Zhao shook his head and said, "No need to mind. On the contrary, because I saved you, I also saved myself. What kind of momentum was that mountain falling from the sky? Moving mountains and filling seas, it was like a Natural Disaster. Even if I were on the shore, wouldn't I have been an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire? Perhaps there were even people specifically sent to silence witnesses. The Jiu Yuan History Museum has been leveled by someone now, hasn't it?"

It was a pity about that Jiu Yuan; although man-made, it could be called a work of exquisite craftsmanship, and just like that, it was gone.

Wang Fei sighed, "Silencing witnesses might not be the case. They chose such a grand and imposing way to harm me, so I fear they had no intention of hiding it; perhaps leaving behind a few more eyewitnesses serves as a better warning to others."

Tang Zhao nodded, and Wang Fei said, "My background is indeed not very ordinary, but it's nothing extraordinary either. As for my purpose, you stated it the first time we met. I am here to investigate the Fierce Trace."

"Kungang is sparsely populated and is naturally a place that easily hides filth. It wouldn't be strange to say there are hundreds or thousands of fugitives hiding on Kungang for years. However, most only seek to remain hidden; no one has dared to make such a big move. Only in the last year or two have many incredibly bizarre Fierce Traces appeared. Not only are they impossible to kill off, emerging one after another, but they also don't bother to hide from people, simply not taking the... Imperial Court seriously. Naturally, we cannot sit idly by."

Tang Zhao asked, "So the Imperial Court sent you to investigate this matter?"

Is that person's hand... a bit too thin?

Wang Fei coughed lightly and said, "Of course, people have been sent to investigate several times already. I can't say there were no clues, only that they were few and far between. These guys are arrogant, but also cautious. They didn't leave behind clues sufficient for us to get to the bottom of it. We suspected Long Yuan—because in order to prepare for the Rune Assembly, Long Yuan has been moving in and out of Kungang for over a year, engaging in major construction; it is very likely they are harboring ulterior motives under the guise of the Rune Assembly. So we split into two paths: some are investigating in secret, and as for me, I infiltrated the Rune Assembly to investigate. After all, since we couldn't find a young Talisman Sword Master who met the criteria, I have fewer flaws."

Tang Zhao sized up Wang Fei and thought to himself: You have fewer flaws? Even the turtle saw through you at a glance.

Wang Fei saw his meaning and said awkwardly, "Relatively fewer, relatively. That's why I kept a low profile the whole way, but I didn't expect to fail before even starting. However, I don't really suspect Long Yuan anymore. If Long Yuan wanted to host this Rune Assembly well, they invested a great deal of manpower and resources; the scale of that Jiu Yuan was also immense, and one look shows it took great effort. It certainly wasn't meant to silence me. If they wanted to harm me, they would naturally choose an opportunity on the road, send some experts to surround and kill me, or at the very least set some trap by the roadside. There was absolutely no need to destroy such a large Jiu Yuan. Doing it this way is less like harming me and more like slapping Long Yuan in the face."

Tang Zhao nodded. He also didn't believe Long Yuan was the one who acted, and reminded him, "Whoever knew you were going to Jiu Yuan, you can investigate them."

Wang Fei said, "As you say, Brother. I also suspect there is an inner ghost. Firstly, there is an inner ghost in my... family, and the enemy knew there was a person like me. Secondly, there is an inner ghost in Long Yuan who leaked my whereabouts. So... this is also what I wanted to tell you, Brother Tang. You know about the split in the Yuangui Clan, right?"

Tang Zhao suddenly realized and said, "You suspect Gui Ye..."

Wang Fei said, "The Yuangui are a rare Spirit Race, yet Long Yuan takes them too lightly. Either you keep them all in captivity, or you abandon them; how can there be any logic in exiling the elders while still driving the juniors? If they were humans, would they dare to treat them like this? Everyone knows that a servant who has been severely beaten and scolded cannot be kept by one's side to serve, for fear of resentment. How could the turtles not feel the same? I wouldn't be surprised at all if Long Yuan invites disaster upon themselves because of this in the future."

Tang Zhao shook his head and said, "If you suspect the one I have, I don't think it's a big problem. You and I traveling together was purely accidental; how could it have known you were going to Jiu Yuan? Even if it found out on the road, there was less than a day to send word; there wasn't enough time to make such arrangements. You should still suspect your own Spirit Envoy."

Wang Fei heard his slight displeasure and said, "Brother Tang, don't take offense. I meant nothing by it. That Spirit Envoy of mine was dealt with long ago. That Yuangui of yours might not be the one who betrayed me, but it is true that the Yuangui Clan has hidden secrets. Brother Tang still needs to be careful; if you notice anything unusual on the road, please deal with it early."

Tang Zhao knew he meant well and thanked him for the reminder.

Wang Fei did not elaborate on his mission and showed signs of wanting to part ways. Tang Zhao, naturally, would not blindly get involved, so he only asked, "Do you need me to give you a lift?"

Wang Fei had just escaped death, the enemy was still out there, and if he stayed alone in the Snow Mountain, he might be gone in a moment. Upholding the philosophy of saving someone to the end, after saving him, Tang Zhao was willing to take him out of danger.

Wang Fei smiled and laughed, "Haha, no need, Brother Tang, you go ahead."

Tang Zhao said solemnly, "This is a matter of life and death, don't try to be brave..."

Wang Fei said, "It's not being brave—I originally intended to participate in the Rune Assembly with a low-profile identity, but someone wouldn't allow it. So, since I can't go incognito, I'll just have to change my identity to attend. I'm not afraid of anyone when playing with my cards face up, and if they want to flip the table, let them try. Let's just have a fair and square arm-wrestle. You go, I'm calling for reinforcements here."

Right, a real big shot can call for backup.

Tang Zhao asked curiously, "Are reinforcements nearby?"

Wang Fei said, "They are not. They will arrive in an instant."

This sentence was short, but there was a momentum in his words that only a superior accustomed to ordering others around would have, like a different person from before.

However, one couldn't say his previous boisterous Xiaobai persona was fake; perhaps it was just two sides of the same person.

Tang Zhao added, "You just mentioned there was an inner ghost?"

Wang Fei smiled and shook his head, saying, "There are many eyes and ears at home. Since I'm outside, who doesn't have a force that is absolutely reliable? Brother Tang, go first; we can still meet at the Rune Assembly. We can drink and chat then."

Tang Zhao gave a thumbs up and took his leave.

As they parted, Wang Fei hesitated slightly, then suddenly pulled him back and said one more thing in his ear: "Have you heard of the Snow Mountain King?"

Tang Zhao was shocked, and he saw Wang Fei open his collar, revealing the brilliant fine clothing underneath, exposing a corner of a pattern symbolizing his status.

Riding the vehicle and setting off, Tang Zhao's mood was somewhat complex.

The Snow Mountain King... one couldn't say he was world-famous, but he was certainly a household name.

The Snow Mountain King sounds like a nickname for a Grass-Head King in the pugilistic world, but in reality, he is not a Grass-Head King at all; he is a legitimate king, enfeoffed by the Imperial Court, a member of the Great Jin royal family.

The Great Jin is primarily organized by provinces and counties, but there are also royal fiefdoms. In the past, there were even princes who were granted actual control over large provinces, leading the military and political affairs of a province. However, in recent years, after several rebellions, the fiefdoms in the Central Plains have basically ceased to exist; those remaining are kings in name only, who are actually just idlers who do nothing but eat, drink, play, and reproduce. It is only in the border counties that there are still a few powerful kings with real authority, such as the Snow Mountain King.

The Snow Mountain King's fief is located in Kungang, in Hengxi County in the southern part of Kungang. However, Kungang is a barren land, and the provincial and county administrations are merely nominal, unable to collect much in taxes, so in recent years, it has basically been under the supervision of the Snow Mountain King. That is to say, as long as it is a matter in Kungang, the Snow Mountain King has the authority to manage it.

It is just that there has always been nothing happening in Kungang, and even the quadrennial Rune Assembly might not remember the Snow Mountain King. It is said that the Snow Mountain King has always been content with preserving his health and has no presence.

Only when something truly happens in Kungang that draws the Snow Mountain King to act can one see what this king is really made of.

But, who is the mastermind who is not afraid of provoking the Snow Mountain King and is stirring up trouble in Kungang? What is their purpose?

In any case, releasing evil baleful Qi and creating Fierce Beasts or even a Yin Calamity is certainly not a good thing, right?

Although this matter is far away in Kungang, a hundred thousand miles from Yunzhou, the distinction between righteous and evil remains, and Tang Zhao was still very annoyed.

Riding the Six Dragon Carriage at a leisurely pace, Tang Zhao suddenly said, "Gui Ye, was the dream you showed me earlier real?"

The turtle stretched its head out from the basket in the back seat and said, "You guessed it? Well, I didn't intend to hide it from you either. Of course it's real, I saw it with my own eyes."

Tang Zhao asked in surprise, "With your own eyes? That was hundreds of years ago."

The turtle said dismissively, "It was only two hundred years, is that a long time? I was a Xiao Wugui then, but I remember things; I remember the faces of those guys from Long Yuan clearly."

Right, a thousand-year-old tortoise and a ten-thousand-year-old turtle; a turtle's lifespan cannot be compared to a human's.

Tang Zhao said, "So you are from the branch that was exiled to the bottom of the abyss? The ones who followed those who jumped into Long Yuan?"

The turtle said, "That's not it. I am from the exiled branch, but those who jumped into Long Yuan all disappeared. Except for the Second Ancestor who disappeared with them, we never saw them again. Don't think we can only follow humans, okay? Actually, the two factions of Long Yuan fought until the world was turned upside down; we didn't take sides, we just thought it was annoying that their own people were fighting their own people, and both sides were bothersome. In the end, after they finished fighting, they turned on us, bullied us, took our eggs, and drove us out. I feel like vomiting whenever I see people from Long Yuan."

Tang Zhao said, "Then since you are from the branch at the bottom of the abyss, how can you act as a Spirit Envoy?"

The turtle said, "I swapped with a clan brother. They thought they had separated our two branches, but we have always been in contact. The Yuangui are different from humans; they don't have so much infighting, where three people want to split into three factions. We are all of the same clan, and we can swap positions internally just by talking about it. We came out this time because we heard they were going to hold a Rune Assembly, bragging about their past glory and gilding their own faces, which made us unhappy. We want to expose their true colors."

Tang Zhao thought about it, this wasn't bad either; the dream didn't strongly say which faction was wrong, it just focused on how they fought and killed each other and how they exiled the Yuangui. He said, "But it's useless if only I saw it; I'm not a big mouth who goes around blabbing."

The turtle said, "Who said only you? Since I swapped the dream, all Disciples who enter Jiu Yuan in the future will see the same dream. Of course, they won't tell Long Yuan directly when they come out, and Long Yuan won't be able to discover it for a while. But after the assembly, this matter will surely become known to everyone, and most Talisman Sword Masters will know that Long Yuan's dark history is about to become notorious. Haha... alas, now Jiu Yuan is gone, what a pity, what a pity. I don't know which bastard did it, it made Gui Ye work for nothing. Fortunately, I have other clansmen, they also have their methods; although it won't be a big scene, in any case, we have to make these losers lose face."

Tang Zhao found it amusing; the turtles' methods of revenge were quite childish, at most at the level of a slap in the face. But then again, what kind of bad intentions could a turtle have?

He even felt like helping them.

However, it was better not to be a busybody; the Rune Assembly had already become a troubled time, and he still needed to prioritize his own affairs.

He asked again, "Don't you know who is behind the trouble?"

The turtle said bitterly, "I don't know, but they are a bunch of bastards, they almost killed Gui Ye just now! Damn the wretches, don't let Gui Ye find out who you are!"

The situation just now was clear: the giant mountain collapsed, and when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. Tang Zhao was nearly caught in the crossfire, and the turtle was right beside him, having shared life and death with him; if Tang Zhao had died, it would have been buried along with him.

Therefore, Tang Zhao did not really doubt it. That he and Wang Fei were on the same path was truly a coincidence among coincidences; one must know that if not for his Six Dragon Carriage being fast, and Wang Fei having saved Bao Bao on the way, he would definitely have arrived at Jiu Yuan before him. At that time, if Wang Fei had died and Jiu Yuan had been wiped out, Tang Zhao might not even have known, only wondering where such a large checkpoint had gone.

Tang Zhao laughed and said, "Huh, you use 'bastard' to curse people too?"

The turtle said, "A turtle is a turtle, what does its egg have to do with Gui Ye? I even call people 'turtle grandson'; that means they are Gui Ye's grandson, and I am their ancestor."

Tang Zhao laughed heartily, and after riding for a while, he suddenly said, "Old Turtle, we don't know where we are now, do we? Do you know the way?"

The turtle curled its lip and said, "Know the way? I am a proper Jieyin Envoy, how could I not know the way? It's you kid, you don't know the way yet you're riding so fast?"

Tang Zhao said, "It's not fast at all. You point the way, let's go to Maze City, and I'll let you know what it means to travel at lightning speed!"

His destination remained Maze City; let the great powers fight their dragon-and-tiger battles, he still had to finish his own path first.

---Author's Note---

There will be more this afternoon.