Chapter 200: 193 The Turtle Arrives

Tang Zhao was startled. He closed the door and said, "Old Turtle... you, why have you come?"

Ever since he had set foot in Jianzhou, the turtle's mission as a Spirit Envoy had ended. Like all Spirit Envoys, it had returned to Longyuan to report on Tang Zhao's performance along the way, providing a reference for his final grade. That Tang Zhao could become the top of the rankings without controversy was at least partly because Gui Ye had not held him back.

Gui Ye stretched its neck and let out a long sigh, saying, "Sigh, the incident happened, and I can no longer survive in Longyuan. I had no choice but to come find you."

Tang Zhao asked curiously, "What happened? Was your identity discovered?"

Gui Ye said, "More or less. The Rune Conference is full of trouble these days, and every case is a headless one. It has made Longyuan frantic, so they began to investigate every clue from the beginning, checking everyone from Disciples to Spirit Envoys one by one. But I am a legitimate Spirit Envoy with complete paperwork, and my clansmen covered for me, so I managed to muddle through. But for some reason, yesterday someone suddenly pulled me out for a separate interrogation, insisting that I had a problem."

Tang Zhao laughed, "Then they found the right person; you do indeed have a problem."

Gui Ye said, "What problem could I have... even if I did, it's not the kind of problem they are talking about. The mastermind they speak of has nothing to do with me; who could pin that label on me? But after investigating back and forth, the fact that I belong to that branch at the bottom of the abyss could no longer be hidden."

Tang Zhao said, "And then? What are they going to do to you?"

Gui Ye said, "Originally, they wanted to finish me off... fortunately, our Yuangui Clan still has some influence, and I have friends in the clan who helped. The final conclusion was that I wanted to escape the bottom of the abyss and privately drugged a Spirit Envoy to take their place, which was an individual act. The verdict is expulsion from the clan, never to return. I am now homeless, so I had to come find you."

Tang Zhao said politely, "That can be considered fortunate. They didn't take your life. You should know that if Jiu Yuan hadn't collapsed, you were originally going to spread Longyuan's dark history to ruin their reputation; you were quite the menace."

Gui Ye said, "If Jiu Yuan hadn't collapsed, they wouldn't have investigated me; I would have muddled through long ago."

Tang Zhao remembered something and said, "Since they investigated you, did they also investigate me?"

Gui Ye had traveled with him, and he also knew Gui Ye's identity. They had experienced the events of Jiu Yuan together. Logically, someone should have come to investigate him. He had a clear conscience, and if someone asked, he would naturally tell the truth, but no one had come to ask him. Today, Qi Yuheng's attitude was quite good and he hadn't mentioned this matter at all. Could it be that their suspicions were already deep, and they were afraid of startling the snake?

Gui Ye said, "Of course they investigated you, and they almost arrested you. But you are lucky; someone vouched for you."

Tang Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "Is it... Wang Fei?"

Gui Ye said, "Ah, so you guessed it yourself. It was that kid. He has transformed and become an honored guest of Longyuan. It is said that his words carry a lot of weight. I was able to keep my life because he spoke up for me. Sigh, I actually feel a bit ashamed; I thought he wasn't a good person back then."

Tang Zhao said, "So he came too? I wonder if he brought his reinforcements?"

Gui Ye said, "I don't know about that. He saved me, and I wanted to repay the favor by following him, but after thinking about it, I find it more pleasant to be with you. Besides, I heard that the pond at your Zhuoyu Villa is quite large and it's quite comfortable to live there." It looked at Tang Zhao with its small bean-like eyes, looking a bit nervous.

Tang Zhao smiled and said readily, "We have met once, and we did get along well. If you only seek a pool of water to settle down in, what is the difficulty? Just come with me."

Gui Ye was overjoyed and said, "Sure enough, I didn't misjudge you. You are different from those guys in Longyuan; you aren't a petty person who only uses people when they are useful and discards them when they aren't. Don't think I want to eat for free. Think about it, since Longyuan is wary of us, why do they keep us around? It's because we are useful."

Tang Zhao asked curiously, "What use are you?"

Gui Ye said, "There are too many. I'll just say one thing: once you enter the water, you enter my kingdom. Every situation is under control, and I can fish out any treasure for you." It squeezed its small bean-like eyes and said, "Once I enter your pond, I will secretly fish out good things for you."

Tang Zhao laughed, "I'm afraid there are no good things under the water. At most, there is only sludge."

There probably wasn't anything good in the great swamp of Jiugao Mountain, at most just white cranes and fish. It wasn't even as good as his own water basin, which had a fairy in it.

Gui Ye said again, "Listen clearly, I can fish out anything—have you been to the Treasure Pavilion in Jianzhou? Are there many Dragon Might, Dragon Scales, and Dragon Chants there?"

Tang Zhao said, "Indeed, those specialties..." He suddenly realized, "Were they all fished out by you? Those are Wind-Quality and Fire-Quality Materials; they don't have physical forms."

Gui Ye said, "Exactly! As long as we submerge in water, we can carry out intangible things like Dragon Might. You don't need all that material separation, sublimation, and sedimentation; we can just carry them out. One of our ancestors even carried out the Heavenly Secret Mysteries from the water."

Tang Zhao gasped and said, "The River Map and Luo Book?"

Gui Ye said proudly, "Exactly. A strand of heaven-reaching mystery is hidden in the great river; it cannot be seen or touched. Only after our ancestor carried it out could it be comprehended and transformed into a diagram. Do you know how powerful that is now?"

Tang Zhao found it hard to imagine for a moment; he only had the four words "don't understand, but it feels powerful."

Gui Ye said triumphantly, "Moreover, we can also carry out lost memories and inheritances from the water. One ancestor carried out the memories of the ancient Mirage Race, which Longyuan took and transformed into a series of illusionary Rune Formulas. That is how the Youmeng Pillow was born. Otherwise, why would Longyuan, a sword-casting sect, be so good at playing with dream pillows?"

Tang Zhao exclaimed repeatedly; the Yuangui Clan was indeed an ancient Spirit Race with truly magical aspects.

However...

What if there was nothing in the water? It couldn't just appear out of thin air, right?

A thought suddenly popped into his mind: if he put Gui Ye into the fairy's water, could it carry the fairy out?

Just kidding; it might also be that Gui Ye would turn into a golden turtle or a silver turtle itself.

Gui Ye said, "This Mirage Law is also circulated among our Yuangui Clan. That's why I can manipulate the Youmeng Pillow. By the way, I see you have a dream pillow too; do you want me to help you adjust it or open a back door or something?"

Tang Zhao was startled and said, "Mine is just a library; what back door could there be?"

Gui Ye said, "A library, right? Could it be Xuanji Lou?"

Tang Zhao recalled that Longyuan's library was indeed called that. Gui Ye said, "Xuanji Lou doesn't have a back door? That place hides the most good things. Wait, I'll show you something good." After saying that, it fiddled with the Youmeng Pillow.

Tang Zhao felt a bit embarrassed and said, "If it's dark history, I won't look. Longyuan has risen and fallen for many years; there are sunny days and dark clouds. Whose corner doesn't have some historical dust? I am not a historian, so I won't pry into these privacies."

Gui Ye sneered, "I didn't intend to show you anyway. Although I still dislike Longyuan, they have nothing to do with me now. Releasing their dark history was to disgust Longyuan, and it was actually ordered by our ancestor. Now that the ancestor doesn't want me, I am focused on following you, so naturally, I won't do those petty things."

It blinked its small bean-like eyes and said, "However, I do remember something. Do you want to know some of Longyuan's history? If you know it, it's easy to guess who the mastermind behind the scenes trying to mess with Longyuan is."

Tang Zhao said dismissively, "If you put it that way, doesn't Longyuan know its own history? How can they not guess who the mastermind is?"

Gui Ye retorted, "How do you know they don't know? They have always known."

Tang Zhao let out an 'eh', and Gui Ye said, "You underestimate Longyuan too much. They have always known who the enemy is. They just can't catch the enemy's tail. How did the enemy invade? From the outside or the inside? How could people from the outside kill people on the inside? Who among the people on the inside is a traitor colluding with outsiders? Who is the next target?"

Tang Zhao suddenly understood. Just as Gui Ye said, having sealed the mountain for a hundred years, there weren't many recent grudges, and Longyuan must be aware of the deep hatreds formed in ancient times. He said, "Is it that group of people they expelled?"

Gui Ye shook its head and said, "Not quite. Those people aren't enough to accomplish this. If it were them, Longyuan wouldn't be this nervous, unable to advance or retreat. Now half of them are investigating the mastermind, and half are running the Rune Conference. They are even fighting each other. Some say that since three people have already died, the Rune Conference should be postponed, otherwise, they don't know what killing move the opponent will use next. Others say it must be held urgently, doing three days' work in two, and finishing it quickly. Dragging it out will only lead to more flaws. They are still arguing..."

Tang Zhao said, "Wait, three died? Isn't it two from Iron Furnace Castle? Is Xiao Guangwang confirmed dead?"

The turtle said, "No. A total of three people died last night. Two were on the boat; they were particularly conspicuous when they boarded. The other died in the guest house of the Earth District, and it didn't become known to everyone. They were also pinned with notes. Comparing the two, the mastermind is clear. It's just that there is no strategy to contain them. With the Rune Conference turning out like this, Longyuan has already lost more than half, but they cannot stop holding it; not holding it is a total admission of defeat. Longyuan cannot afford to lose. Now, Beichen, who has been in seclusion, has come out, and brought reinforcements from the Snow Mountain King. With internal and external blockades, it seems they want to suppress the evil spirits and heretics first, insist on holding the conference, and then use the power of thunder to investigate to the end, and fight the forces behind the scenes to the death."

Tang Zhao was silent, then suddenly asked, "Is that Libationer really okay? Isn't he an insider for the mastermind?"

The turtle said, "Him? Didn't he ambush you in Maze City? You counterattacked, he was injured, and it was Ju Tianxuan who saved him. Otherwise, he would have died there."

Tang Zhao snorted, "It really was him?"

The turtle said, "It was him. He even has a crocodile by his side now. He's just a bastard who raises crocodiles. But he was injured back then. Beichen came and brought Longyuan's Secret Medicine, which saved his life. So he has a grudge against you, but it has nothing to do with the mastermind. Longyuan still has use for him, so they muddled through and suppressed the matter. They don't intend to give you an explanation either. If you can't stand it and go to question Longyuan, they will likely give you some hush money."

Tang Zhao said, "I won't go. If I take their money, wouldn't that mean I intend to let the matter rest?"

The turtle knew he wouldn't go and said, "Longyuan is in the wrong on this matter; they invited the wolf into the house and then tried to smooth things over, failing you. In the future, if you take advantage of them, it will be only right and proper."

Tang Zhao found it funny and thought: What advantage am I going to take of them? The way you say it, it's as if I'm about to do something bad and need you to fabricate a reason for me.

It is not that I have failed you, but that you have failed me.

Is that what it means?

The turtle finally said, "Now they have put their energy back into investigating those Martial Artists. They think the Martial Artists are a mixed bag and are more likely to have people of unknown origin. They are checking over and over again, and until I ran out, there was still no clue. If you ask me, this path is also useless. The more suspicious they are, the more it is a smokescreen. The mastermind is so strong, maybe the killing move is buried right under their noses, and they still can't see it."

Tang Zhao took a look at the visiting card in his hand.

He alone had received so many visiting cards, with people from all over the world among them; the Disciples of the Seven Great Factions had likely received no fewer. Younger Talisman Sword Masters further down the ranks were not the focus, but they could still receive a fair amount; there were always people casting a wide net in hopes of picking up a bargain. Adding all these up, there must have been several hundred, right?

Among so many people, would it be strange for a few malicious guests to be mixed in?

But Gui Ye was also right; Martial Artists could not approach the central area, so it would probably be difficult to ambush the real culprit, right?

The tortoise continued, "By the time I left, Longyuan was still in chaos, and they were arguing about everything. The investigators said that Martial Artists were the source of the turmoil and could not be allowed into the venue. The organizers said no, without Martial Artists, how could the Talisman Assembly be complete? How could the status of you Talisman Sword Masters be raised? Now Beichen has arrived, and he is a man who loves a grand display; he will certainly let Martial Artists in to make things lively, yet he also wants to ensure safety—in short, he is just making things difficult for everyone."

This was a rough way of putting it, but it made sense. The Talisman Assembly had never been just for the self-amusement of Talisman Sword Masters; it was also a grand event in the martial arts world. If the participation of Martial Artists were removed, the Talisman Assembly would be greatly diminished.

The tortoise glanced at the visiting card in his hand and said, "Look, you've received so many cards, aren't you also planning to socialize a bit? So many people are flattering you, aren't you happy? You can also receive benefits, and perhaps even take on pupils."

Tang Zhao waved his hand and said, "Don't talk nonsense, only Sword Smiths take on pupils. I am still far from that."

Indeed, a Sword Smith and a Sword Guest could have a teacher-student relationship. One is the teacher, the other is the pupil. The pupil carries the sword and serves by the teacher's side, while the teacher assesses their temperament and talent, collects materials, and casts a sword for them. After the pupil becomes a Sword Guest, although they may leave, they must remain respectful to the Sword Smith for their entire life and treat them with the etiquette of a Disciple.

Do you think the title of Sword Master is just an empty name?

Those famous Sword Smiths have pupils like clouds under their tutelage, and one call brings a hundred responses. Moreover, not everyone is qualified to become a Sword Guest; many serve for years only to graduate with a Dharma Artifact, yet even such a position as a pupil is fought over desperately. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that one Sword Smith can establish a faction. A Sword Smith capable of Sword Casting, with several direct-line Disciple Talisman Sword Masters, dozens of Martial Artist pupils, and even Loose Practitioners serving them, is comparable to a respectable Jianghu sect.

Of course, a Martial Artist rarely takes a Talisman Sword Master as a teacher, even if they have impressive potential. After all, a Talisman Sword Master is not a Sword Smith, just as a Loose Practitioner is not a Sword Guest; there is a difference in status, and it is a status gap as wide as a chasm. To apprentice under a young Talisman Sword Master—if they become a Sword Smith, one naturally benefits infinitely, but if they do not, one is a generation lower, subject to ridicule, loses one's own standing, and may even waste ten years of prime time. Therefore, ordinary Martial Artists are not so radical unless they are at their wit's end or are confident in their superior judgment and have spotted a treasure at a glance.

Thus, most Martial Artists who come to the Talisman Assembly are casting a wide net to make friends.

Tang Zhao certainly did not reject the idea of making a few Martial Artist friends at the Talisman Assembly; more friends meant more paths, and he could be considered a businessman—having more Sword Guest and Loose Practitioner friends would make it safer to open branches elsewhere in the future.

But all of this had to be built on the foundation of the Talisman Assembly proceeding safely.

The tortoise retracted its claw, pushed the Youmeng Pillow over, and said, "Alright, Xuanji Lou has finished adjusting. You can go up and take a look."