Chapter 229: 222 Returning Home

Tang Zhao said he was in a hurry to return to Yunzhou, which was certainly no excuse; he truly had business. Back on the road to Jianzhou, he had met his old acquaintance, Deputy Envoy Mai of the Land Inspection Division, and had set a date for the end of the second month to return to Yunzhou to handle the Demon Cave. Now, time was already very tight.

Leaving the Silk Road, Tang Zhao and his companion immediately rushed back to Yunzhou at top speed.

When they came to Zhuoyu Villa, the journey had taken nearly a month on foot, crossing several provinces and seeing the local customs and cultures as if on a tour; yet when leaving, they moved like wind sweeping away the last clouds, wishing they could depart in the morning and arrive by evening.

At the time, Tang Zhao had agreed to Deputy Envoy Mai very easily because, by his calculations, the time was quite ample, but he had not expected that plans could not keep up with changes. Matters in Jianzhou had come one after another, and in the end, he could not leave even after the meeting concluded; instead, he was kept by Long Yuan for several days, already far exceeding his schedule. He even felt it was very likely he would not make it, but since he had given his word, he had to try his best to fulfill it, even if there was only a sliver of hope.

Such forced travel was very arduous. Tang Zhao felt that Jiang Shenyi did not need to be dragged into this, and that he could just dash there alone, but after thinking about it, he still did not mention it to him, as it would be too distant. His senior brother was not an outsider; he did not fear troubling himself with his brother's affairs, so why should he fear troubling him with his own?

At that, the two of them—one riding a sword and the other spreading his wings to fly—crossed three provinces and approached Yunzhou in just over two days.

Seeing Yunzhou in sight, which was the hometown of both, the brothers felt happy. Jiang Shenyi suddenly said, "Zhaozi, would you consider this returning home in glory?"

Tang Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Not quite, right?"

Jiang Shenyi said, "Why are you still being humble? You have become famous in one stroke, and the whole world knows it. After this battle, you can be considered a leader among the younger generation of Talisman Sword Masters. Our villa really ought to hang a giant banner for you."

Tang Zhao found it increasingly amusing: "Leader of what? Who would acknowledge that?"

Jiang Shenyi said, "From the younger generation of the Seven Great Factions down to ordinary Talisman Sword Masters, everyone would acknowledge it, right? With your talent, learning, martial arts, and contributions, you excel in every aspect of the current generation. They all admire you; how can you not be a leader?"

He praised him so bluntly that Tang Zhao, even while riding his sword, could not help but get goosebumps and wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, but...

It wasn't as if he didn't feel a secret thrill.

Who doesn't like being praised by others?

Moreover, Jiang Shenyi was actually right. Given Tang Zhao's strength and his kindness toward the many Talisman Sword Masters in Jianzhou, calling him "the one who suppresses the current generation" was no problem; at the very least, in the world of Talisman Sword Masters, he could be called "world-renowned." But a title like "leader"... that had to be publicly recognized by others. For oneself to claim it, or even for one's own senior brother to call him that, was very awkward.

Jiang Shenyi said, "You are still too shy. If I had your ability, I would get gold-inlaid streamers for my wings; the moment I took flight, half the sky would be streaked with gold."

Tang Zhao sighed and said, "Senior brother..."

Jiang Shenyi went "Hm?" and Tang Zhao said, "I didn't expect your aesthetic to be so vulgar."

Jiang Shenyi almost reached out to pull him off his sword, saying angrily, "You're the elegant one, you and that bicycle of yours..."

He suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "How about you drive?"

Tang Zhao was stunned. Jiang Shenyi was excited by his own idea and said hurriedly, "Returning home in wealth, how can one travel in silk at night? Your destination, Xun City, is right before your eyes; are you just going to ride your sword there like this?"

Tang Zhao said, "Then what does senior brother think..."

Jiang Shenyi said, "Why don't you drive there? Your car is so cool! And you said you are going to the Land Inspection Division; what is the point of riding a sword there? Could there be a shortage of Sword Guests in the Land Inspection Division? Can you really show off your skills by riding a sword in front of Sword Guests? How would they know your capability? Since you participated as a Talisman Sword Master, you ought to show off the methods of a Talisman Sword Master. Don't say you're embarrassed; you are now a proud son of heaven who transcends the mundane. Being different isn't called grandstanding; it's called being unconventional, or even having excellent taste. If you have good things, others shouldn't reject them; they should be actively chasing after them. So don't hold back, drive there!"

Tang Zhao:...

After a while, Tang Zhao said, "Wouldn't that feel a bit like being arrogant after achieving success?"

Although this was Jiang Shenyi's unique brand of nonsense logic, Tang Zhao was actually somewhat moved. He didn't know if it was because he had achieved success at the Talisman Assembly, but he did indeed feel a bit like being arrogant.

Seeing Xun City already visible in the distance, Tang Zhao could not resist lowering his flying sword and taking out the Six Dragons. Jiang Shenyi did not stand on ceremony, retracted his wings, and sat in the back seat first.

Tang Zhao mounted the vehicle, felt the body sink, and said, "You're quite self-aware."

Jiang Shenyi laughed, "What's wrong with sitting in it? When we get back, I'll borrow your car to drive around; if I go for a few joyrides in the villa, surely you wouldn't refuse to lend it?"

Tang Zhao said, "I can sell you one for cheap. Fifty percent off, that's fair, right?"

Jiang Shenyi said, "I treat you like a brother, and you actually want to earn double the money from me? Fifty percent off? You'd still be making a profit at thirty percent."

The Six Dragons let out a roar and carried the two young men from Zhuoyu Villa along the official road. Tang Zhao did not sprint at full speed but drove the car leisurely for a joyride.

The terrain of Yunzhou was far less open than Kungang, but the official road was straight and flat, and the road conditions were much better than on the plateau. If he wanted to speed, he certainly could, but Tang Zhao was not in a hurry. Xun City was close at hand and would be reached in an hour or two. Within this range, if the Demon Cave had descended, the Yin energy would already be oppressive; since he did not feel it, it meant it hadn't descended, so he didn't need to fight for every second. Besides, he really hadn't seen the scenery of his hometown for a long time.

Though Kungang is good, it is not like home.

He left in mid-spring, and upon his return, it was already near the third month of spring. Although it was cold in the north, it was the season when all flowers were in bloom.

When he left, the new willows on the banks were budding; upon his return, the fields were covered in a brocade of flowers.

Passing by a large tree, he could see smoke rising from the chimneys of a village not far away, wisps of white smoke dissipating into the clear sky. Tang Zhao felt a sense of relief in his heart, as if he could smell the fragrance of rice mixed with the smoke of firewood in his nose.

Even though he knew that under that smoke, the common people's tables only had simple tea and plain rice, Tang Zhao, having returned from a journey, already felt very happy. Compared to the outside world, Yunzhou was truly like a paradise on earth.

It seems Chief Xing was right after all: set a small goal first and protect the simple tea and plain rice of the common people. At the very least, ensuring all the people of the world are well-fed and safe is the first step...

"Stop!"

Two people jumped out onto the main road, blocking the path and shouting loudly.

I just said Yunzhou was a paradise, and I get slapped in the face just like that?

Can highwaymen really pop out on a proper official road?

Could it be that in the month he was away, the public security of Yunzhou had declined?

Tang Zhao was furious. He slammed on the brakes, the tires let out a harsh screeching sound, and he stopped in the middle of the road.

He had just intended to clean up the neighborhood for Yunzhou, but he couldn't help but be stunned.

The two people blocking the road were both young men, one in his twenties and the other in his early thirties. Judging by their clothing and appearance, they were not like wild wanderers of the pugilistic world; instead, they were dressed in Confucian robes, looking more like scholars than Tang Zhao, and the material of their clothes was extremely exquisite—even for the current Tang Zhao, buying such an outfit would make his heart ache.

Two such respectable people, not carrying weapons, were certainly not thieves or robbers.

However, even though the two were not robbers, they were not pleasant to look at. These two were literally "looking at the sky with their nostrils," as if looking at Tang Zhao with their eyes would lower their status.

In fact, when the two first appeared on the road, they still had a hint of panic, as if they were being chased by vicious dogs, but as soon as they saw Tang Zhao and his companion, they immediately stood straight and put on airs.

Tang Zhao maintained his politeness and said, "Gentlemen, is something the matter?"

The younger scholar said, "Greetings, little brother. We are heading to Xun City; I wonder if you could give us a ride?"

Although the two still had a condescending air, their words were reasonably polite. Tang Zhao also replied politely, "Greetings, gentlemen. Normally, one should be accommodating to others on the road, but as you can see, my car is only this big; it fits two people perfectly. Even if we were to squeeze in, at most one more could ride. There is no way both of you can get on. Since that is the case, why not wait for the next carriage?"

Both men across from him showed displeasure and seemed a bit flustered. The younger one was about to lose his temper, but the older one managed to suppress his mood and said, "Can't you make an exception, for instance, by having the person in the back seat make some room? We only need to get to Xun City as soon as possible."

Before Jiang Shenyi could flare up, the man directly took out a token and said, "We are Doctors from Qingtian Temple, here to investigate the matter of the Xun City Demon Cave; this is official business for the Imperial Court. Now that the task is complete, we need to return to the city as soon as possible. This is a serious matter. You two are Talisman Sword Masters, right? Since you study talismans, you should understand the greater good and be reasonable, right? Why not make way for the sake of the country and the people?"

Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi looked at each other and said in unison, "Qingtian Temple?"

The two opposite them tilted their heads, showing a reserved expression, and said, "Exactly."

Tang Zhao was surprised: Qingtian Temple, like the Land Inspection Division, was an office of the Imperial Court dedicated to suppressing Demon Caves, but it was a civil service department. They specialized in using the Heavenly Derivation Technique to calculate the times and locations of the Calamity Moon and Demon Cave descents, and also served to collect intelligence; they were an indispensable central department for fighting against Demon Caves. It could be said that without Qingtian Temple, all combatants would be like headless flies.

However, Qingtian Temple was different from the Land Inspection Division. The Land Inspection Division was rooted in the provinces and counties and belonged to the feudal lords, while Qingtian Temple was only in the central Imperial Court. It was a mysterious department composed of a very small number of elites who understood strange arts, only concerned with strategic planning, and almost never came down to the local level. In any case, Tang Zhao had seen plenty of intelligence provided by Qingtian Temple at the Land Inspection Division, but he had never seen a living person from Qingtian Temple.

Then why did we meet again here? Is it true?

Tang Zhao was half-doubting, but upon reflection, he felt it was not fake. Firstly, ordinary thieves would not think to impersonate people from Qingtian Temple, because the power of Qingtian Temple is neither large nor small, and it is highly specialized, making it actually quite difficult to freeload there. Secondly, when the other party saw his carriage, they were not making a fuss like ordinary mortals; instead, they guessed at a glance that he was a Talisman Sword Master, which showed that the two had discernment and were not those ordinary people.

And if they were truly people from Qingtian Temple, then it was not strange for them to be arrogant, because the rank of Qingtian Temple is extremely high; even the lowest-level Doctor is Fifth Rank—which is the same rank as the Town Guardian that Xing Ji held back then. According to official rules, Tang Zhao, as an Eighth Rank unattached official, was far inferior to them.

If they really were people from Qingtian Temple who had come thousands of miles to Yunzhou for a field investigation, did that mean this Demon Cave was very troublesome?

Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi exchanged a look. Jiang Shenyi pursed his lips, jumped off the carriage, and said, "If you truly have official business, then don't delay. Hurry to Xun City."