Chapter 295: 304 Questions

Xing Ji looked thoughtful and said, "The enemy—is it Shi Chunqing? Or that Pillar of State?"

Tang Zhao said, "Both. There might even be other 'old acquaintances.' Shi Chunqing has already appeared, but that cannot be considered the end of it. That Pillar of State, however, has not appeared from beginning to end. He is the highest combat power of the Yunzhou Turtle Bandits; I think he is at least a Sword Hero, right? He did not lead any team to attack, only arranging for his subordinates to appear one by one. He himself should still be lying in ambush, waiting for the right moment, intending to make a grand finale appearance. Or rather, waiting for some opportunity."

When does he intend to appear? Will he even appear at all?

Looking at the bright side, all his subordinates were swept away like dry wood in a gale; has he lost his arms, realized the matter cannot be accomplished, and simply given up?

Tang Zhao felt by intuition that it would not be that simple. The other party should appear; if they are not appearing now, it is just that the time is not yet right, but he could not draw a conclusion. Because he lacks intelligence.

That is to say, he does not know what the essence of this Turtle Bandit raid is.

Why did they come?

Even with an insider like Pei Shoujing, he still does not know what the Turtle Bandits want by attacking their doorstep. This is a secret that even the confidants of the Pillar of State do not know; it must involve quite a lot.

Without knowing this, he cannot judge whether the Pillar of State will actually come. Is the strategic goal still there, so he will never give up? Or has the goal disappeared, and the enemy retreated? Or has the goal not yet appeared, and the other party is waiting for further news to decide whether they need to strike?

In fact, he could ask even more broadly: what is the strategic goal of the series of disruptive actions by the Turtle Bandits?

He has encountered the Turtle Bandits three times, and twice he was clueless. In Jianzhou, he knew the Turtle Bandits wanted the Kun Sword. Under Xun City in Yunzhou, he did not know what the Turtle Bandits wanted, and he still does not know to this day. Now that it is his own home, he still does not know. But in the Turtle Bandits' scattered, erratic strikes, there must be a main thread, right? Striking in Yunzhou was a risk; if not for an immense benefit, why would they act repeatedly and continuously?

It can only be said that if one has to guess, it is not impossible to guess.

The point is that Zhuoyu Villa has been on the mountain for more than a day or two. It was much emptier before than it is now. Not to mention other times, when Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi went down the mountain to Kungang, Shi Chunqing had already defected; how empty was the mountain then? Why didn't they act then? Now, during the Sword Casting Conference, is the time when defenses are tightest; why did they come precisely now?

Is it because after Shi Chunqing defected and went down the mountain, he revealed that Zhuoyu Villa had some treasure, which moved the Turtle Bandits to come in a large-scale raid?

Tang Zhao felt not. If there really were some treasure, Shi Chunqing would have dismantled it when he defected. At that time, he knocked everyone down; what could he not take away? Even if the treasure was the physical body of Xue Xianyun, he could have carried it away.

Then what if it was something that did not exist at that time?

For example...

The sword Xue Xianyun is about to cast?

Tang Zhao had some faint guesses before: if the Turtle Bandits could plot for one sword in Jianzhou, why couldn't they plot for another sword in Yunzhou?

But the problem is... what virtue or ability does the sword Xue Xianyun is casting have to warrant this?

It is not that Tang Zhao is disrespectful to his master; even Xue Xianyun himself would never believe that this sword of his could be mentioned in the same breath as the Kun Sword left behind by the Sword Saint.

Who doesn't know this? Even if the Turtle Bandits don't know, Shi Chunqing should know, and he should have reminded the Turtle Bandits.

But the Turtle Bandits came anyway. Spending such a price and such effort, they must have the intention of winning at all costs, and there must be a goal they cannot give up. This is something Tang Zhao cannot guess no matter how much he racks his brains.

From this point of view, Tang Zhao feels that the Pillar of State will definitely come. It makes no sense to have thrown away so many subordinates and resources, suffered such great losses, and then slink away in embarrassment before the strongest person even appeared, silently swallowing this insult without even daring to surface and shout a word. Although the Turtle Bandits are called "Turtles," they shouldn't be this cowardly.

"Pillar of State, that's really an old term." Xing Ji recalled slightly and said, "It is said that the Turtle Bandits have twelve Pillars of State, inheriting the system from the previous dynasty. The Four Seasons and Eight Directions. In the previous dynasty, they were indeed twelve Sword Heroes, and they were Sword Heroes powerful enough to intimidate a region. Although the Wei Dynasty values Spirit Officials and slights Sword Guests, it cannot violate the iron law that force is king in troubled times. Once it reached a critical moment of survival, these twelve people still controlled the great armies and power, becoming the true enemies of our dynasty. In the founding war of the Great Jin, they caused a great deal of trouble."

Tang Zhao suddenly felt a stir in his heart and said, "Four Seasons and Eight Directions, so these twelve people are East, South, West, North, and Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter?"

Xing Ji said, "Exactly. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter; East, South, West, North; Southeast, Northeast, Southwest, Northwest. Although it may not sound pleasant, it is easy to remember. You can't use the twelve zodiac signs, right?"

Tang Zhao nodded slowly, showing a thoughtful look, as if he had suddenly thought of something.

Xing Ji said, "But although they were strong at the time, the Great Jin was stronger, and there was no shortage of powerful Sword Heroes. After a great battle, ten of the twelve Great Pillars of State died in battle, leaving only the Spring and East Pillars of State to protect a few royal family members as they retreated, and they took away most of the Pillars' swords. This is also the reason why the Turtle Bandits can still be a force today. However, they have been wandering the rivers and lakes for so many years now; the old Sword Heroes should be gone, and the new ones may not be able to gather twelve. Even if they are gathered, they cannot be as powerful as they were back then. If it is just one Pillar of State, even if he is as powerful as the legends of that year, do I fear him? We are both Sword Heroes; do you have the ability to face me one-on-one? He cannot give up halfway, but would I hand over a great situation to others?"

Tang Zhao nodded in agreement, though he was just listening. Both are Sword Heroes, but Sword Heroes are divided into strong and weak, aren't they? For example, Ping Jiangqiu; his sword is indeed magical, and it is no exaggeration to call it a Supernatural Power if used well, but the old man Ping who hid in the Time Jar back then could be called the shame of Sword Heroes, being grabbed around by a Sword Guest. Of course, Xing Ji is different; Xing Ji is also battle-hardened and skilled in combat. But isn't the Pillar of State also battle-hardened? Moreover, the Pillar's sword has an orderly inheritance; although using the old sword of a predecessor will restrict the upper limit of future growth, it also increases the depth of strength, fully enjoying the experience accumulated by predecessors, and has a great advantage in combat. And Xing Ji has only been a Sword Hero for a few years; how many Sword Techniques has he developed? It is better not to face him easily.

Xing Ji did not take everything upon himself blindly and said, "Don't worry, even if I can't beat him, I can call for help. Don't forget I have backing, stronger than what you can call."

Tang Zhao thought to himself, even if he can call for help, distant water cannot quench near thirst, right? If the enemy kills their way here in a moment, can reinforcements fall from the sky? If it is a duel between Sword Heroes, besides Xing Ji, it seems only Ping Jiangqiu is on the scene...

That is not very reliable, is it?

At this time, Tang Zhao naturally could not boost the enemy's morale and destroy his own prestige, so he nodded and said, "If the Pillar of State comes, it will naturally be left to Chief Xing. If Shi Chunqing comes..."

Xing Ji said, "I don't know the result of your battle that day; did Shi Chunqing actually escape?"

Tang Zhao said, "Rather than saying he escaped, it is better to say he played a Flower Spear, teased everyone, and then hid himself. Hua Qian later stated bluntly that he believed Shi Chunqing chose to leave on his own, and he did not go far."

He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them and said, "I believe that when he returned to the mountain, he was not counting on the Turtle Bandits, but had already made up his mind to use this opportunity to hide on the mountain, waiting for the critical moment—which I fear is today—to come out again. To do what he needs to do."

Xing Ji looked thoughtful and said, "You think what he wants to do is different from the Turtle Bandits?"

Tang Zhao said, "At least partially different. As for the Turtle Bandits, I can really only guess wildly, but for Shi Chunqing, I have at least guessed one of his goals."

Xing Ji asked curiously, "What goal?"

Tang Zhao opened his mouth, his expression becoming slightly gloomy, hesitating to speak.

Seeing a trace of sadness in his expression, as if something had touched a chord, Xing Ji casually changed the subject and said, "I will give you a suggestion. If you can grasp the pulse of the Turtle Bandits, it is best to provoke them to strike during this conference. As the saying goes, better early than late, better to be the host than the guest. Don't delay until they don't move, and you become passive instead."

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "I understand what you mean. I have already put in so much effort to invite everyone here; if I don't take this opportunity to concentrate all my strength to crush the enemy, when will I? Not to mention ending the trouble once and for all, at least make them feel heart-wrenching pain, so that once they think of today, they will never dare to covet it again. Otherwise, can we gather everyone again next time? I dare not say about that Pillar of State, but I am confident I can fish Shi Chunqing out."

Xing Ji said, "This is one thing. Furthermore, with the heroes of the world gathered here, you should show off your strength. A true Sword Smith is indeed respectable, but a Sword Smith with powerful strength is truly awe-inspiring, and only then will people be willing to pay a higher price to befriend you. Yunzhou is already a relatively safe place, but you still need strength as the foundation for your foothold; this is a principle that applies everywhere. And... showing off your strength might also have unexpected surprises." Speaking of this, he smiled slightly, quite mysteriously.

Tang Zhao looked at him with some doubt. Xing Ji did not continue, but instead sighed with emotion: "You have really grown up now; not only is your martial arts good and your knowledge good, but your strategy is even more outstanding, already better than I originally thought. I also didn't expect that the child from back then would reach this point in just three or four years. You are already a Sword Smith now, and you have your own sword—it is your sword, right?"

Tang Zhao said, "Of course."

Xing Ji said, "Since you have found your sword, becoming a Sword Guest is also just around the corner. It is time to step onto a bigger stage. Although Zhuoyu Villa is good, it is only your school, your starting point. Now that your wings are full, spread your wings, borrow the east wind, step on the blue clouds; with the vastness of the world, where can you not go? Don't be afraid of showing your edge; only those who face challenges directly and forge ahead can obtain the truly good things in this world."

Tang Zhao nodded. Xing Ji's encouragement was extremely sincere, just like back then. He also received this sincerity from a close mentor, his heart surging secretly, but his face remained as calm as a lake. He immediately added, "I will make my move at the banquet; Chief Xing, you must cooperate with me."