Chapter 299: 308 Xu Zhongnan

Tang Zhao apologized to Yun Xiyan and followed Xue Yeyu to meet Xu Zhongnan.

When Xu Zhongnan had descended from the ship earlier, Tang Zhao was still inside the Sword Furnace; by the time he came out, Xu Zhongnan had already joined the ranks, so the two had not formally met, and Tang Zhao had not even seen Xu Zhongnan's face head-on.

At this moment, Xu Zhongnan sat at the banquet, holding a wine cup low; his appearance was elegant, his expression cold and detached, and the small mustache on his lip was groomed without a single hair out of place, truly possessing the demeanor of a master from beyond the world, indifferent to the dust of the mundane.

Tang Zhao felt a sense of reverence the moment he saw him and stepped forward to pay his respects, but Xue Yeyu stepped in first and shoved Xu Zhongnan, saying, "Still putting on an act? Why act like this in front of your own people? You aren't setting a good example for your Junior Martial Brother."

Xu Zhongnan was shoved squarely, could no longer maintain his posture, and gave a sheepish laugh, saying, "Stop trying to scare me. The Junior Martial Brother is already like this, does he still need me to be an example? Don't you see there are people from the Imperial Court over there? Save me some face; I absolutely cannot lose the dignity of the Imperial Preceptor."

Xue Yeyu curled her lip repeatedly, and Tang Zhao took the opportunity to bow, saying, "Tang Zhao pays his respects to Second Senior Brother."

Xu Zhongnan examined him carefully and laughed, "Junior Brother, what a talent! This brilliance, this appearance, how were you born? Truly, each generation of newcomers replaces the old. Our Baihewo is flying out more and more golden phoenixes."

Tang Zhao hurriedly offered a few modest thanks, but Xu Zhongnan had already continued, "What are your plans for the future? You will be a Sword Guest soon, right? A Sword Guest and a Sword Smith, two identities—what a dazzling genius! You can't just stay on Jiugao Mountain for your whole life, can you? A Sword Smith can stay away from the secular world, focus on academics, and sit waiting for business to come to the door, but a Sword Guest must walk more, see more, accumulate experience, and be tempered by battle. Moreover, Sword Guests have duties they cannot shirk."

Tang Zhao nodded; he knew that as a top-tier power that transcended the secular world, while Sword Guests were revered, they also had to bear additional obligations, and almost every newly born Sword Guest would be guided to fulfill their share of the responsibility.

Although he was not a Sword Guest and was isolated outside that circle, unaware of the specific details, Tang Zhao had guessed a thing or two—where did the Yin Calamity come from? Whose image was the Phantom? From where did the Heavenly Demons descend?

The answer to everything was not on the ground, but in the sky.

That was another battlefield, a place even more cruel than the Ground Inspection Division. After all, the Ground Inspection Division only managed affairs on the ground, not affairs in the sky. The sky was the most cruel battlefield.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Tang Zhao's plans for now; even if he truly were a Sword Guest, he could only passively wait to be guided, unable to escape and no need to overthink it, which was different from the "future plans" Xu Zhongnan spoke of.

Sure enough, Xu Zhongnan continued, "Are you willing to come to Jingcheng? The Imperial Preceptor is thirsty for talent..."

Xue Yeyu was incensed and said, "Fine, you've even learned to poach your own family's corner for others?"

Xu Zhongnan chuckled, "What kind of poaching is this? In the current situation, going to the sky is fine, but staying on the ground, how many proper places are there to go? The fires of war are everywhere, and the Jianghu is treacherous. Although the Imperial Court is not what it used to be, it can still protect the peace of the Jingji region, which is suitable for enjoying wealth. With the Imperial Preceptor there, how is that not a proper future?"

Xue Yeyu said unhappily, "The Imperial Preceptor only recruits people like you, you old goat; Junior Martial Brother doesn't want to become a monk."

Tang Zhao laughed, "Many thanks for your kindness, Senior Brother, but I was sent here by the Yunzhou Ground Inspection Division, and I have already settled down. If I don't leave, that's one thing, but if I do leave, I must return to my team. You see, my new superior and my old superior are both here; I can't say too much or they might come to settle accounts with me."

Xu Zhongnan shifted his gaze and sure enough saw Chi Deputy Envoy, Xing Ji, and Feng Zhilie talking about something; as if sensing Tang Zhao's gaze, the three of them looked over here together.

How sharp were the eyes of these three? Although it was just a casual, aimless glance, Xu Zhongnan was actually intimidated for a moment and couldn't speak, then immediately laughed aloud and said with extreme smoothness, "The Ground Inspection Division is good, especially the Yunzhou Ground Inspection Division. That is one of the few places nowadays where one can get things done, where ambitious young men stay. Many government offices look like they have plenty of perks, but they are just wasting time. Yunzhou is a good place; staying in Yunzhou, at least the Gaoyuan Marquis's generation will be safe and worry-free."

Skipping over this topic and chatting casually for a few sentences, Xue Yeyu said, "Senior Brother, have you been to see Father?"

Xu Zhongnan's expression stalled, and he said, "What see or not see? He saw me, and I saw him; hasn't that counted as seeing each other?"

Xue Yeyu said, "Senior Brother, don't try to fool people. You know you can't escape it; since you've already come, why be so coy?"

Xu Zhongnan truly looked bashful, completely lacking his earlier demeanor, and said, "He probably doesn't want to see me."

Xue Yeyu interrupted, "He wants to see you, he just can't bring himself to do it, just like you. If you two keep deadlocked like this, won't the situation be frozen? In my opinion, he is the master and you are the disciple; why don't you take a step back and give him a way out?"

Xu Zhongnan's expression shifted; Tang Zhao naturally chimed in from the side to encourage his Senior Brother. Xu Zhongnan gritted his teeth and said, "Seeing him is fine, but I'll say this first: if the old man just uses his mouth, that's fine, but if he tries to use his hands, I won't let myself suffer."

Xue Yeyu laughed, "Don't worry, I'll watch for you. Since you're the one taking the initiative, he can't go too far." Having said that, she pushed her Senior Brother along.

Seeing Xu Zhongnan being half-pushed and half-willing to leave, he suddenly grabbed Tang Zhao and whispered in his ear, "In a moment, tell Third Junior Sister to go back quickly. It is very dangerous for her to appear in front of people like this. I am not on the mountain and cannot manage it, but since she trusts you, you must protect her well."

Tang Zhao was startled, and when he looked again, he saw that Xu Zhongnan had already left. He was surprised in his heart: I didn't expect Second Senior Brother and Third Junior Sister to have such a close relationship?

Since it was his Senior Brother's instruction, Tang Zhao naturally went to find Zhu Ying first to persuade her to return early. Zhu Ying was silent upon hearing this, but she first poured a cup of wine from the banquet and handed it to Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao understood, drank it in one gulp, and said, "Many thanks, Senior Sister."

Zhu Ying, beneath her veil, smiled lightly, handed him another cup, then picked up a cup of wine herself, clinked glasses with him, and drank together. Then she gave him a thumbs-up before turning and leaving.

Tang Zhao watched her go, smiled lightly, and sighed softly: This Senior Sister is indeed taciturn and never leaves her home, but she was not born this way.

In that dense forest, her smile was also very beautiful and very sunny.

After sending Zhu Ying off, Tang Zhao returned to the banquet to drink; this was his second time attending such an occasion, the last time being the Talisman Assembly.

Compared to the ghostly shadows at the Talisman Assembly, he naturally felt more at ease at his own banquet. Although there were still various calamities waiting to be cleared, Tang Zhao felt happy. Especially when he saw from afar that Xue Xianyun and Xu Zhongnan were finally talking in their awkward way, his mood became even better.

So he went to reunite with old friends one by one. Among them were Black Widow and Guan Lei from Heiyang County, his classmate's mother Lady Hua Rong and her sons, Wang Fei whom he met at the Talisman Assembly, Wusun Tong and Che Sha from the One Hundred and Eight Springs, Ju Tianxuan, Wu Yunfei, and Yue Shen who came from major powers, and even an elder Talisman Sword Master from the One Hundred and Eight Springs. These were all his own people who had come from far away to support him; Lady Hua Rong, Black Widow, and Wang Fei had even taken the initiative to offer help, and Tang Zhao was naturally grateful and thanked them repeatedly.

These people had all witnessed his growth along the way. Now that he had reached a certain node, not to mention achieving success and fame, he had also reached a new level, which could be called a rebirth. Inviting the people from the beginning to witness it together was truly moving. There was no need to hide it; Tang Zhao also felt some of the glory of returning home in fine clothes.

It was just a pity that Sui Dage was not here, and the old and young of the Sui Family Troupe who were the first to help him when he escaped from home were not here either; he didn't know if they would ever meet again in this life.

Looking further back, his parents and the person who influenced his life the most had passed away long ago, separated by life and death, never to be seen again. He wondered if their spirits in heaven could see him?

His parents' spirits in heaven should be able to see him, right? Chen Zong could not; his soul should have returned to his hometown by now, right? In his hometown, he could also meet his own parents. Only the Glasses remained as evidence that he had once been in this world.

Thinking of this, Tang Zhao felt a bit tipsy, with the feeling that it was not the wine that intoxicated the person, but the person intoxicating themselves.

Friends, not only drink, but also have many things to say.

The One Hundred and Eight Springs invited him to visit Liangzhou, Ju Tianxuan invited him to Longyuan, Wu Yunfei invited him to...

These words were polite remarks, but also sincere invitations. Tang Zhao intended to visit these heavenly, wonderful places across the land one by one, just not in such a hurry.

Then there was Wang Fei. Wang Fei quietly told him the purpose of his visit, which was to seek aid for Kungang. Tang Zhao, like Yun Xiyan, was very surprised: "Why not seek aid from the Imperial Court?"

Wang Fei's face darkened slightly, and he said, "Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst."

Tang Zhao found it strange—wasn't Yunzhou also far? Clearly, there was more to his words, especially seeing his expression as if he had encountered something bad, but he still didn't understand court politics, so he said, "Then what do you want..."

Wang Fei said, "I heard you are a man under the Gaoyuan Marquis of Yunzhou, and I want you to help me introduce me to the Hou Mansion. It is best to have a private channel, as it is inconvenient for outsiders to know I have been here."

Tang Zhao nodded. In fact, he had indeed entered the Ground Inspection Division as a child, and from that time on, he was considered a direct descendant of the Gaoyuan Marquis, but he only held a name and had never even seen the Gaoyuan Marquis once. Honestly, did he have any damn private channel? He only knew some channels of channels.

His gaze swept over officials like the Prefecture Assistant and stopped on his current superior, Chi Deputy Envoy, before Tang Zhao finally placed his gaze on Xing Ji.

"Let's go ask Chief Xing and see if he has a way to privately recommend you to the Marquis."

Wang Fei was stunned. He also knew Xing Ji and had even cooperated with him, but previously Xing Ji had not acknowledged his identity from beginning to end. "Didn't he say he was a commoner?"

Tang Zhao laughed, "He is a commoner, but since he keeps saying 'commoner' this and 'commoner' that, he doesn't look like a commoner, does he? Let's ask him first; if it doesn't work, I'll think of other ways."

The two crossed the banquet to find Xing Ji, and Xing Ji... Xing Ji was actually chatting with Black Widow. Seeing Tang Zhao come over, Xing Ji laughed, "You've come just in time, Azhao; Manor Master Yin has something to ask of you."