Chapter 25: 24 The Spider Curtain

24 The Spider Curtain

"You don't need to worry about him," Black Widow said, holding Tang Zhao's hand as they walked along the corridor. Her gait was graceful and elegant, her skirt barely swaying with each step, as if she were duckweed drifting over water.

The two walked slowly, with no one around to disturb them, only the autumn wind stirring fallen leaves to dance in the air.

"He has ways to heal himself; in a moment or two, he'll be as if nothing happened. Although the people of the Land Inspection Division are a pack of mad dogs, they still cherish their lives and wouldn't think of committing suicide."

At this moment, the sun was just right, and the autumn wind was surprisingly gentle. As the Sunlight spilled onto him, he gradually warmed up. Tang Zhao slowly recovered from his panic and said, "You... you all knew early on that this sword strike would wound him?"

Black Widow said, "I guessed. A sword may have all sorts of temperaments, but not one is useless. Since he values that one so much, of course, it wouldn't be either."

Temperament?

A sword?

People have temperaments, and swords have temperaments too?

Tang Zhao pressed, "But why? He knew he would be hurt, yet he told me to strike him?"

Black Widow laughed, "Perhaps it was to test the sword. You are a newcomer, and that sword has been sealed in dust for a long time; it's only natural that it needs to see blood upon returning to the world, isn't it?"

Tang Zhao shook his head and said, "That still doesn't mean he had to..."

"Furthermore, it was likely to make a statement." Black Widow's subsequent words sounded like she was talking to herself, "A show of force to make a statement. He had to win this battle; if he can strike himself without hesitation now, wouldn't it be easy to strike others blocking his path? He set a challenge for me; do you think I'm easily frightened?"

Tang Zhao was half-convinced—Black Widow had been the one to urge him to strike Xing Ji, while Xing Ji had been the one passively receiving the move. If there was a challenge to be set, shouldn't it have been Black Widow setting it first?

If Black Widow's reasoning held water, Tang Zhao had his own reasoning that could also hold water:

Since Xing Ji had admitted with his own mouth that he was wrong, wasn't it only natural to pay the price for his mistake?

Yet, thinking about it closely, this point was also absurd—what kind of person was Xing Ji, and what was his style? How could he possibly punish himself for such a trivial matter? And why would he need to pay such a heavy price?

It was more reasonable to assume he had a lapse in judgment.

However, the sun was very warm, and the voice of this beauty in white was truly gentle; Tang Zhao let his guard down without realizing it and stopped thinking about it.

At this time, Black Widow asked, "Young man, what is your name, and how old are you?"

There was no need to consider this question; Tang Zhao answered directly, "Student Tang Zhao, twelve years old this year."

Black Widow said, "Twelve years old... so young. Even our Five Poisons Society wouldn't use a child this small; we would keep them to teach for a few years before letting them go into battle. The Land Inspection Division, however, has no such qualms. But Tang Zhao—"

She stopped walking, turned to Tang Zhao, and said with a kind yet serious expression, "Since you have picked up a sword, you are no longer an ordinary child. How can a person who wields a sword be so panicked? If you are like this after seeing just a little blood, what will you do when you see mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the future?"

Tang Zhao said softly, "Yes, what will I do?"

This was a question he could not answer for the moment.

Since he was small, he had longed to learn martial arts and swordsmanship, to be a Sword Immortal who could fly through the heavens and escape the earth like the people in stories. But he had never longed for bloodshed, slaughter, or violence...

Because the Sword Immortals in stories did not do these things; even when there were conflicts, they were depicted as ethereal and magnificent, as if a Sword Immortal killing someone would not shed blood, just as the Great Heroes in the pugilistic world did not eat, drink, or defecate.

But in fact, from the very first day they learn the sword, every person who holds one faces confrontation, bleeding, injury, and even death.

He had vaguely sensed these things; he was both secretly resisting them and unwilling to give up.

Seeing him lower his head in silence, Black Widow said patiently, "There is no need to worry too much. You have to pass this hurdle sooner or later. Heaven must rain, and swords must kill; I have yet to see someone who couldn't pass. If you want to pass the hurdle slowly, contemplate it yourself; if you want to be quick, listen more to the guidance of your seniors."

Tang Zhao understood what she meant and said, "Senior, are you also a Sword Guest? How did you pass your hurdle back then?"

Black Widow's smile was light and airy, "I am not a Sword Guest yet. I will be in the future, but I am not one now. Perhaps we will become Sword Guests together. But I have experience in killing. When I have time, I will have someone come find you, and we shall have a good chat."

Tang Zhao cupped his hands in thanks.

Without realizing it, the two arrived in front of a large black building, which was the bathhouse from before. Black Widow let go of Tang Zhao and said, "Go in and wash off the blood; when you come out, you'll be a clean, good young man again."

Tang Zhao agreed and entered the building.

The manor's bathhouse seemed to have hot water ready at all times. Tang Zhao soaked in the water once more, and amidst the steam, the smell of blood gradually dissipated.

His Spirit relaxed all at once; this pool sealed by white mist was like his spiritual home, bringing him incomparable peace and relaxation.

After soaking for a while, he seemed to hear some faint sounds outside the door.

A rustling, tiny and chaotic.

A chill crept down from the back of his neck. Tang Zhao stood up from the pool abruptly, froze for a moment, and then sank back into the water.

It seemed he was getting used to it.

Outside the courtyard, separated by a wall, it was pitch black.

Spiders!

A swarm of spiders, a sea of spiders!

Thousands of spiders surged out like a tide from cracks in the ground, corners of walls, eaves, and crevices, crawling and wriggling one after another, gathering beneath the hem of a snow-white skirt.

Black Widow, dressed in white, stood alone in the swamp of thousands of furry black spiders, like a narcissus blooming alone in the mire.

Calculating the time, Black Widow turned and left.

Before her, the spiders automatically cleared a path, as if a carpet had been laid out before her, inviting her to move forward.

She walked forward, and all the spiders followed, like a black torrent, or perhaps a train beneath her white skirt.

From beginning to end, she did not issue a single command; there was only the rustling sound of spiders crawling.

There was not a single person along the way, and no living creature dared to spy on the spider march.

It was not until they reached a courtyard that a young girl in black came up to meet her and bowed deeply, "Yuan Qing respectfully welcomes the Manor Master."

Black Widow nodded slightly. At this moment, she was expressionless, dignified without anger; once she put away her smile, her soft and charming features immediately became sharp.

"Yuan Qing, drive these into the Jia Zi Lu to be refined. I want a bottle of Thousand Spider Poison."

Yuan Qing glanced at the spider army behind Black Widow. Even though she was accustomed to these eight-legged monsters, she could not help but change color, and said with a trembling voice, "This servant fears she cannot drive so many treasures."

Black Widow said, "Then let them eat you."

Saying this, she turned and left, and the spider swarm parted again to make way for her.

Not long after she left, although the spider swarm remained in place, they gradually became restless. Yuan Qing's face turned pale; she took a pitch-black whistle from her sleeve and blew it hard—

"Screech—"

The sound was sharp, piercing straight through the eardrums.

The spider swarm seemed to have been struck by a high-voltage current, suddenly paralyzed. Seizing this opportunity, she took a scent bag from her waist, poured some powder into her hand, and blew it with all her might; the pale yellow powder covered the swarm of spiders like a veil.

Black Widow left the spider swarm and returned directly to the main hall.

Entering the inner room, Xing Ji was still sitting on the kang; the room was filled with a pungent smell of blood that the sandalwood incense could no longer mask, but no bloodstains could be seen on his body anymore.

He had actually changed into a new official uniform, perfectly smooth, without even a wrinkle, let alone any damage.

Except for his complexion being slightly worse than before, the serious injury from just a moment ago seemed as if it had never happened.

Black Widow's gaze swept over the long sword at his waist, a look of envy flashing and vanishing; she sat down as if nothing had happened, staring at Xing Ji as if looking at some rare species.

Xing Ji smiled and said, "Not seducing my people, are you?"

Black Widow said, "Your people? What is yours? Has he eaten a single grain of rice from you? He eats the food of my villa; is he not my person?"

Xing Ji raised an eyebrow and said, "So thorough? I remember you detest those who are soft-hearted, kind, and benevolent."

Black Widow said, "That's right—unless he is my person."

Xing Ji laughed and said, "That is true; no one wants to sleep in a viper's nest forever, everyone wants to gather a few trusted people by their side. However, this child cannot be given to you. Firstly, he is a Sword Envoy I specifically sought out, and I cannot do without him. Secondly, I fear you would ruin him."

Black Widow sneered, "Only my Five Poisons Society would ruin talent, but the Land Inspection Department wouldn't?"

Xing Ji said, "It would, but not maliciously; at least not here with me."

Ignoring the change in Black Widow's expression, he continued, "Tang Zhao has extremely high Inspiration and is a rare seedling for a Sword Guest. It is a pity his appearance is not suitable for a Spirit Official, so he must start with martial arts enlightenment in the early stages. His body is too weak, and his aptitude for martial arts will not be above average. If one were to follow the steps and wait for his body to reach perfection, how much material would it cost? Can you afford to waste that effort? Even if you could, where would the sword come from in the end? I am afraid your villa would lose money, get angry, and lose your investment."

Black Widow said, "You underestimate people too much. If I can't do it, there is still the Five Poisons Society, and there is still Jingzhe Villa. If he is truly a one-in-ten-thousand good seedling, where could one not find a sword? Or are you saying that when you raise Sword Guests, you start by hacking at yourselves? In that case, we truly cannot afford it; the cost of a life for a life is too great."

Black Widow leaned close to him, whispering almost right into his ear, "Can you tell me what you are thinking? Is being injured fun? Are you really feeding the sword with blood? Are you crazy?"

Xing Ji did not move his body, narrowing his eyes slightly as if enjoying the hot air she blew into his ear, and said, "Put simply, it is nothing; since he could pick up that sword, I wanted to know, in the eyes of that sword, what do I look like?"

"Oh? And what was the result?"

"I cannot say I am guilty of heinous crimes, only that I am not worth pitying in death."

Black Widow gave an emphatic "Oh," and said, "Very fair. Think about the things you have done. Looking at your expectant expression, could it be that you feel you deserve it?"

Xing Ji said, "Naturally I deserve it. When one commits a mistake, one should be punished."

Black Widow sneered, "But you healed yourself again; shouldn't you be accepting death?"

Xing Ji said, "Because there is sin, there is a need for Remission. If there were no sin, why would there be a need for Remission?"

Black Widow shook her head with a smile and said, "I don't understand the way you people think."

Xing Ji said, "You are not a Sword Guest; you don't understand."

Black Widow's smile dimmed slightly, and Xing Ji said softly, "Over these years, I have walked many wrong paths, walking until I was almost at a dead end myself. But I will not die. I still have many things I must do. I will carry his sword and continue on. So I have no choice but to forgive myself first, until one day, my sins are beyond forgiveness."

He reached out with his backhand to brush Black Widow's hair; Black Widow leaned back, dodging as lightly as a cloud, and said, "Lord Xing, this concubine has just lost her husband. There are many people outside gossiping."

Xing Ji said dismissively, "That is merely petty people jealous of the Manor Master's wealth, beauty, martial arts, and power, finding you flawless, so they concoct vulgar words to slander you. Does the Manor Master really take it to heart? How could they understand the noble and pure comradeship between you and me?"

Black Widow smiled and said, "Oh? So you are my confidant now? What comradeship do we have? We have only fought side-by-side on the outer battlefield once." Even so, there was much more genuine joy in her smile.

Xing Ji said, "Those who can go to the outer battlefield are all heroes, and Manor Master Yin is even more of a heroine who does not yield to men. On the contrary, some self-proclaimed heroes of the Jianghu would rather steal and rob than properly perform a meritorious service and obtain wealth through upright means. These people are not even worth a single hair of yours. That is why when I led my team to Heiyang, you were the first person I thought of. I am delivering this opportunity for success right into your hands. So many people view the Demon Cave as a piece of fat and want to take a bite; I am determined to pull their teeth out. But if you want to eat, I will certainly set aside a large portion for you."

Black Widow said, "If I eat your meat, the stench will be smelled ten miles away in the Jianghu; will I still be able to step out of my door in He Yang County in the future?"

Xing Ji said, "Of course you can. Anyway, you will never see those old acquaintances again, so who are you afraid of seeing?"

Black Widow said, "The Land Inspection Department is so overbearing; is it really 'officials passing by like a razor'? No wonder everyone is treating this like a great enemy. Even a dog will jump over a wall when cornered; don't force a disaster."

Xing Ji smiled and said, "They can try. My greatest trait is..."

Black Widow waited for him to brag so she could continue to mock him, only to hear Xing Ji say, "It is that I have a powerful backer. If I suffer a loss, I will ask the Inspection Envoy to take action. If the Inspection Envoy cannot, I will ask the Commander. Finally, I can even ask the generals under the Gaoyuan Marquis to descend. Is He Yang County some lawless land? It will be sorted out sooner or later."

As Black Widow listened, she gradually could not smile, forcing the corners of her mouth to twitch, and said, "If you have such determination... you certainly have such determination. I saw it back on the battlefield; you are always acting like a madman. It was a stroke of genius for the Gaoyuan Marquis to transfer you to the Land Inspection Department; you are perfectly suited for biting people."

Xing Ji said, "I was originally cultivated by the Land Inspection Department; it is nothing more than returning to my old home. It is best if you are willing to cooperate with me. By the way, help me find a good enlightenment teacher for Tang Zhao first; consider that your contribution to his cultivation. This is a highly profitable deal; if Tang Zhao becomes a talent, he will surely repay your kindness a hundredfold if he remembers even a fraction of it."

Black Widow's thoughts shifted, and she smiled, "Don't take credit for me on his behalf; just take my favor. As for a good teacher, I happen to know one. I am just afraid that what he teaches won't be what you imagine."