Chapter 228: 221 The Choice

On the narrow and long Silk Road, Weise spoke quietly. There were emotions hidden in those unusual eyes, but due to the glare of the Sunlight, his naturally light-colored pupils were washed out, making it hard to see clearly.

"When I arrived at Kungang, I was actually full of anticipation. Li Xiong had long described to me how grand this world-renowned banquet was, how profound the elders there were, and how peerless the young people were. I only waited until I reached the venue, first to visit the miracles of Jianzhou, and then to ask Li Xiong to introduce me to a few promising Talisman Sword Masters. Once a reliable Sword Smith was chosen, he would leave the Kun Yu Lower Court, and I would break away from the Yama Shop. We would follow him together, and after only a few years, we would obtain swords and become Sword Guests. Then we would roam the Jianghu together, no longer bound by others."

"Who would have known that when I arrived at Kungang, he didn't lead me into the Talisman Assembly, nor did he introduce me to any young Talisman Sword Masters. Instead, he dragged me into a secret camp of their Kun Yu Sword Sect at Kungang and introduced me to their leader, Elder Zhang Shousong. He said I was a good assassin from the Yama Shop, best at killing without a trace, and since I was a fresh face, I could infiltrate the venue and work for the Kun Yu Sword Sect. That Zhang Shousong tested my abilities, found them acceptable, and took me in."

Upon hearing this, Tang Zhao couldn't help but say, "How did it turn into joining them? Didn't he tell you before he came?"

Weise said, "He didn't mention it beforehand, so I was stunned for a moment. But at that time, I couldn't hesitate; I had already entered their territory. They were everywhere, their martial arts were higher than mine, and they had many strange methods. How could I not comply? It was fortunate that I reacted quickly and immediately acted as if I were one of their own, already connected by Li Qiongsheng. Otherwise, not to mention dying on the spot, I would have been controlled by all sorts of secret arts. Afterward, Li Qiongsheng explained to me that he had thought it over and the previous plan wouldn't work, so he had to make a temporary adjustment. He said the Kun Yu Sword Sect was going to do something big at the Talisman Assembly, to start a great war, and anyone who stood in the way would be eliminated. Small pawns like us were the most likely to be caught in the crossfire; if we still wanted to stay at the venue and find an opportunity, we had to join them if we couldn't beat them. Moreover, he was a member of the Kun Yu Lower Court and had no choice of stance from the beginning, and since I was his friend, I could only stand on his side. I said at the time, why not just leave? He said, now that we're here, how can we leave? It's easy to leave, but we'll never find another chance to get close to a Talisman Sword Master again. Let's just endure it for now."

Tang Zhao couldn't help but shake his head, while Jiang Shenyi sneered, "What nonsense. You're causing trouble at the venue, and you still want to get close to someone?"

Weise said, "What could I do? Naturally, I had to endure it first. Whether it was killing, enduring, or taking orders, I was used to it at the Yama Shop. But if I wanted to be a thug or an assassin, I could have just done that at the Yama Shop; why run here to do it? However, those who know the times are heroes; I have known since I was a child that one should not refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. I joined the Kungang group, followed them to create panic on the Sword Province Road, killed those who got in the way, and then traveled to Jianzhou to continue killing and creating panic at the venue. This was all familiar territory, no different from the business I did at the Yama Shop. I did well and even received commendations from Zhang Shousong, who transferred me to a more important position. In the end, Li Qiongsheng became less important than me."

"A few days later, Li Qiongsheng found me and said he had already selected a young Talisman Sword Master, and we could defect to this person together. I was surprised; he still remembered this? But he said of course he remembered; the Kun Yu Sword Sect was not a place to stay for long, and one still had to plan for oneself. He would leave the Kun Yu Sword Sect after finishing this task; how could he forget his own affairs? He had already collected information on young Talisman Sword Masters on the Sword Province Road and had carefully selected one."

Tang Zhao didn't need to ask; he naturally knew who it was.

"Of course, it was you, Tang Xiansheng," Weise smiled. "I said it was no lie that I heard Li Qiongsheng recommend you. He told me himself that you were not only talented and had amazing potential, but also had upright character, a stable temperament, and no strange habits, making you the most suitable to follow. Also... your background is not high, so your horizons are naturally not high; you surely have no power of your own, and your sect is not high, lacking deep foundations. Most other Martial Artists would wait and see and would not fully commit. If we approach you as disciples from the start and give you enough face, you are young and vain, and with no one under your command, you should agree. Even if you don't agree, you won't refuse entirely."

Jiang Shenyi suddenly let out a 'hehe'.

The meaning of the 'hehe' was not that he thought what he said was wrong.

Tang Zhao was expressionless, and Weise continued, "What he said made sense. I couldn't think of these reasons myself, so I naturally believed him. I also decided to place my bet on you. So the two of us submitted a visiting card to you. Later, you won first place, and your name spread throughout Jianzhou. On one hand, I admired Li Qiongsheng for his ability to recognize talent, and on the other, I worried that you, Tang Xiansheng, would be too popular and it wouldn't be our turn. Fortunately, we had information, so we agreed to meet you a day early to build rapport—that was the first time I met you."

Tang Zhao thought about it; that was the day he was drunk. He couldn't remember the conversation from that day clearly, and it didn't seem special. He only remembered that Weise introduced himself, and also... "At the time, you said you had agreed with Li Qiongsheng to come together, but he broke his promise, so you had to come see me alone. Was that Alie?"

Weise said, "That day we did indeed agree to come see you together. As for breaking the promise... that night I waited in the flower bushes, intending to follow him and climb into the Heaven District as planned to chat with you and leave a good impression. When the time was almost up, he suddenly arrived. As soon as we met, he said: 'The plan has changed; we cannot follow this person.'"

"I was naturally anxious and asked, why another change? Is he not good? Or did you find someone better? He said: 'No, it is precisely because this Tang Zhao is too good, too eye-catching. He made such a big splash at the venue today that big figures have set their sights on him. They want to bring him under their command. So we have a mission: tonight, we will first frame him for murder, ruin his reputation, and then, while he is isolated and helpless, pull him into our group.'"

Tang Zhao's mouth twitched upon hearing this, but Jiang Shenyi, hearing it for the first time, was furious and cursed, "What kind of thing is that? Is it that turtle bandit? No wonder he's called a bandit; isn't this the trick of mountain bandits luring good people to join them?"

Weise said, "I then asked him, what about our plan? Are we not going to follow a Sword Smith anymore? He said, put it aside for now; after all, we are under someone else, so we must put official business first. I said, didn't you say this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? It's easy to give up today, but what if there's no chance in the future? He thought for a moment and said: 'Actually, I have another plan. I think you can see that the employer we are serving this time is not a small force like the Kun Yu Sword Sect, but a truly powerful one. It's just that we haven't found the door and are spinning around on the periphery. If we do this job beautifully, we might use it as a stepping stone and join them directly. Resources in such big forces are much richer; it's better than bitterly chasing after a so-called potential Sword Smith...'"

He paused and said, "When he said this, I killed him."

Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi were silent. After a while, Tang Zhao said softly, "If it were me, I wouldn't kill anyone."

Jiang Shenyi said, "I might not be the same. At the very least, I would jump up and break his head."

Weise was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Jiang Xiansheng understands me, and Tang Xiansheng also understands me."

Whether it was Jiang Shenyi or Tang Zhao, they both knew why Weise acted. Of course, it wasn't a sudden sense of justice, nor was it pity for Tang Zhao, who was about to be framed, but rather that Weise himself could not bear it.

Just as Weise had said before, he hated the Yama Shop; he hated the precarious, aimless life.

And... he also hated the omnipresent, inescapable arrangements of the Yama Shop.

Just as he stabbed Li Qiongsheng through with a blade, whispering through gritted teeth in his ear:

"Do you think you can arrange me?"

Having finally escaped from the suffocating Yama Shop, only to be dragged headlong by Li Qiongsheng into some inexplicable conspiracy of rebels, his only hope was that after "finishing this job" he could be free. He had chosen a suitable target and victory was in sight, but the other party changed their mind at the last minute, not only wanting to destroy his target but also to bundle him up and sell him to this organization...

By what right?

By what right do you act on your own? By what right do you go back on your word? By what right do you claim to be my friend?

Go to hell!

Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi both understood his resentment. Perhaps the two of them would have made different choices in such a situation, but they would feel it was unbearable all the same. Jiang Shenyi would also have acted without a word, and as for Tang Zhao—it would depend on whether he lost his temper.

"After stabbing him, I didn't feel much—I'm used to killing. I just felt very lost, so I left him in the flower bed and stood there in a daze. Just then, I happened to see you, Xiansheng. At that moment, I suddenly felt this was fate. Since I met you, Xiansheng, it was meant to be. I immediately stepped forward and chatted for a bit. I found that you, Xiansheng, were indeed a kind and Friendly person, well-mannered after drinking, and without any arrogance."

Tang Zhao thought about the first time he met Weise; of course, he had no idea that the rough-looking Jianghu man had just killed someone.

Jiang Shenyi sneered, "Did you also think my junior brother was naive, innocent, and easy to fool?"

Weise seemed embarrassed and said, "I cannot hide it from you; at the time, I did have that intention. Having stayed in the Yama Shop for too long, I instead grew to like people who are naive, innocent, and wear their emotions on their sleeves. An assassin must be composed; if I didn't deliberately disguise myself, it would be hard for me to make expressions naturally. After I met you, Xiansheng, I made up my mind. To hell with those big forces; it's better to seize the present. In for a penny, in for a pound; if I'm going to defect, I should do it thoroughly and make it worthwhile. Therefore, I decided to reveal all the information I knew, including the identities of Zhang Shousong and the others, and their plot to frame Tang Xiansheng. I also used Li Qiongsheng's identity to lure his accomplices to be killed together, and brought their corpses to defect to you, Xiansheng. It was just to cover my identity that I fabricated some of the process. Of course, I was too confident; these fabrications didn't fool you, Xiansheng. As for what happened later, you, Xiansheng, already know."

Tang Zhao was silent after listening. He had guessed the key points of the cause and effect of this matter from the beginning. Weise was just adding some details; rather than clearing up doubts, it was more like a confession. It should be mostly the truth; if Weise were still lying now, then his chasing after him for thousands of miles would have no meaning.

So the key lay in Tang Zhao's decision.

Seeing Tang Zhao silent, Jiang Shenyi said, "You didn't answer what my junior brother asked just now. With so many Talisman Sword Masters, why are you still firmly choosing him? Your personalities are so incompatible; how do you know you won't become enemies in the future? Do you really think he is naive, easy to fool, and has more money than sense?"

Weise said frankly, "I... I hate the Yama Shop."

This sentence came strangely, and Weise immediately added quickly, "When I was in the Yama Shop, I didn't feel it, but after I came out and recalled it carefully, the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt. It was as if I had been eating flies for many years; at the time I chewed and swallowed them slowly, but now the more I think about it, the more disgusting it feels. I don't want to stay in that kind of place at all. I want to find a place as far away from the Yama Shop as possible, preferably the complete opposite of the Yama Shop. People in the Yama Shop are cold, repressed, calculating, and profit-driven; they never do anything without a benefit..."

Jiang Shenyi said with a grin, "You're saying my junior brother is enthusiastic, jumpy, brainless, impulsive, and looks for trouble..."

Tang Zhao interrupted him, "Senior brother, it's one thing for others to say that about me, but you too?"

When it comes to being impulsive, where are you better than me?

Weise said solemnly, "Tang Xiansheng is not brave but brainless; on the contrary, he is meticulous. He could see through my reality and expose all my lies, which shows he has extraordinary wisdom. Yet, such a smart person still has the courage to go forward, transcending his own interests, and the benevolence to save lives regardless of past grievances, which is a hundred times stronger than ignorant fearlessness. Before meeting you, Xiansheng, I didn't believe such a person existed. But since I have met you, I naturally have to chase after you with all my might; if I miss this, I probably won't see a second one in my life."

Jiang Shenyi stroked his chin and said, "That's not wrong. With my junior brother's talent, it's not surprising that people are convinced. However, water that is too clear has no fish; a loach wants to live in a mountain spring, but can it get used to it?"

Weise said, "I want to try—if a loach can't get used to pure water, that's the loach's problem. It means it only deserves to be born in the mud. I feel I am more than that. I still want to crawl to a cleaner place; perhaps if I wash away the filth, I might still have Golden Scales on my body? Please, Xiansheng, ferry me across." Having said this, he bowed respectfully.

Jiang Shenyi said nothing, leaving it to Tang Zhao to decide. Tang Zhao said slowly, "In your bones, you dislike being restrained. Yet you say you want to take me as your master and follow my orders?"

Weise said, "Yes, it is not you, Xiansheng, restraining me, but me restraining myself. This is my own choice. If one day I cannot restrain myself, I naturally have no right to live in a clear canal and should return to the mud to end this miserable life. But no matter what, I swear to you, Xiansheng, if I ever harm you, may I die without a burial place."

Tang Zhao said, "I haven't even started Sword Casting yet, and I have plenty of friends and family around me. When I cast swords in the future, it won't be your turn yet."

Weise said, "Distance tests a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's heart. I believe in you, Xiansheng. If in the future you feel I am not worthy of being a Sword Guest, that must be my problem."

Tang Zhao laughed, "You are truly persistent. I'm not prepared to be a teacher. How about this: I am in a hurry to return to Yunzhou now and cannot travel with you. If you are interested, go to the White Jade Flourishing Shop under Jiugao Mountain in March to find me. Oh, right, Lady Hua Rong also knows the address of that shop. If you run into her and trouble arises, you will have to bear the consequences yourself."

Weise's body tightened, unable to hide his fear, and then he said word by word, "Since I have made up my mind, I will not turn back even after a hundred setbacks. Weise—what is there to fear?"