Chapter 300: 309 The Appointment of Jingzhe

Does Black Widow have business with me?

Tang Zhao was stunned, then looked toward Black Widow.

Black Widow smiled slightly and said, "Azhao, when will you return to Black Spider Villa for a visit? You learned your martial arts there, after all; it counts as half your home. Now that you have grown up to be so outstanding, you should go back and let everyone have a good look. As the saying goes, to be wealthy and not return home is like..."

Xing Ji laughed from the side, "Why must the Manor Master be so circuitous? Among our own, what is there that cannot be said directly? Azhao, do you still remember what the Manor Master said when we parted back then?"

Tang Zhao could not help but recall. Back then... it seemed Black Widow had said that if he achieved success in the future, she might have something to ask of him, and he had agreed readily at the time. He smiled and said, "Of course I remember. I have always kept the Manor Master's affairs in mind. What instructions do you have now?"

Black Widow said, "It is a matter neither big nor small. Come over here and I will tell you."

Tang Zhao nodded, then immediately thought of Wang Fei's matter, so he quietly tugged at Xing Ji.

Xing Ji understood, stepped aside with him for two paces, and said, "What is it?"

Tang Zhao quietly explained what Wang Fei had requested. Xing Ji glared at him and said, "Trouble. Just hearing it, I know it is a big trouble involving many people. Why are you provoking this trouble? That person as well—you don't understand, and he doesn't either? There are specialized channels for military and political affairs; walking private paths has many hidden dangers and should be avoided at all costs. Furthermore, I currently hold no official position, so I cannot even claim to handle both public and private matters. You are not in that position now, and you have never specifically studied the ins and outs of this, so you should meddle less in these things."

Tang Zhao was also a man who had read books; how could he not know that what Xing Ji said was the correct principle? He sighed, "How would I want to meddle? If you were not here, I would have at least written a letter to ask you privately first. If you had refused, I should have refused him flatly as well. However... I always feel that he is someone who fought against the Turtle Bandits together with me, and his current situation is also related to the Turtle Bandits. The matter of the Turtle Bandits is no small thing; it truly concerns the world. It is easy for me to push the responsibility away, but if I delay important business, would that not lead to a great disaster?"

Xing Ji shook his head lightly and said, "You should mention those three words less. By what right do you feel that? What do you understand that makes you dare to feel? Before you take up a post in the future, you must come find me; I must explain it thoroughly to you..."

When he reached this point, he suddenly felt it was meaningless. What understanding or not? If he understood officialdom and politics, why had he not seen himself rising step by step? Had he not spent so many years muddling along until he became a commoner? Tang Zhao had long been in the Jianghu, where the experience was all about the value of friendship; if he were indifferent to a friend's request, he would lose his sense of Daoist righteousness.

He waved his hand and said, "In normal times, I might not be willing to pass the message for you, but today is special, so I will test the waters for you. Whether it succeeds or not, do not worry about it; the follow-up belongs to me, not you. You go find Black Widow first, and I will chat with your little friend."

Tang Zhao thanked him and then asked, "Regarding Manor Master Yin, what advice do you have for me?"

Xing Ji said, "This is a proper Jianghu matter, which emphasizes swift vengeance and gratitude, just like the things you handled before; there is no need to worry too much. However, if you are afraid of being shunned by a group of poisonous insects, you can use a disguise this time. I know a very talented makeup artist, and I can lend you their services when the time comes."

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "No need to borrow; I know one too." Having said that, he went to find Black Widow, while Wang Fei indeed began chatting with Xing Ji.

When Black Widow saw Tang Zhao, she first praised him profusely, complimenting him on his dashing appearance, and only after chatting for a long time did she say, "You also know about our Five Poisons Society; it is just a gathering of a bunch of bugs. Although we bite each other fiercely, there is still an old bug-head who leads everything. Now, our old bug-head does not have many days left to live."

Tang Zhao suddenly understood and had roughly guessed her purpose. This was another classic plot from a storybook.

Black Widow saw his expression and knew he had guessed it, so she did not mince words and said, "When the old bug-head is gone, there must be a new bug-head. The bug-head must be chosen from among the direct disciples. As for me, I won't even mention not allowing enemies to take the opportunity to rise and harm me, nor will I mention fighting for a future for the brothers below; I will just say it directly: I have worked so hard in Heiyang for so many years and made so many contributions to the Five Poisons Society, why can I not take a step further? I want to be the master of Jingzhe Villa."

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "Since someone has to be the master, why not you? If I don't support you, who would I support? But how is this head to be chosen?"

Black Widow said, "It is chosen by Jingzhe Villa, but the selection process is relatively fair. First is the preliminary selection. The preliminary selection will give tasks to everyone qualified to inherit the villa. When the tasks are successfully completed, one can take the token to the villa. There is another round of competition at Jingzhe Villa, and finally, the old villa master designates the new master."

Tang Zhao said, "So that is how it is. Then what can I do? Help you with the preliminary selection tasks?"

Black Widow shook her head and said, "That is not necessary. The preliminary selection tasks do not limit the number of people deployed; one can mobilize all forces that can be mobilized. If I cannot pass the preliminary selection after years of management, then what dreams am I having? It would be better to give up early. After I pass the preliminary selection and am summoned to Jingzhe Villa to participate in the Gu-fight, I will invite you then."

Tang Zhao said in astonishment, "Gu-fight?"

Black Widow said, "Although it is not stipulated, we all call it that. A bunch of bugs killing each other—if it is not called raising Gu, what is it called? We also know what we are. According to the rules, every candidate for the final Gu-fight can bring one helper. I have chosen you."

Tang Zhao smiled, "I will naturally not refuse. But does the Manor Master think I am the best among the people you know?" If she could invite everyone she knew as external aid, not to mention others, Xing Ji could also do it; after all, he was a commoner now, and there were fewer concerns. What difficulty could a Sword Hero not handle? Moreover, Black Widow had reserved Tang Zhao four years ago; at that time, why did she think Tang Zhao would definitely achieve something?

Black Widow sighed, "Of course not. If one could invite anyone at will, that would be too terrifying. In the past, the Gu-fight was also unrestricted like that, but the status of the invited external aid quickly rose. Some parties invited senior experts that even Jingzhe Villa could not afford to offend; one could not be slow to serve them, and another had to be respected—what was there to fight for? No matter who was chosen, in the end, one would definitely offend many experts, creating enemies for the Five Poisons Society for no reason. Furthermore, some people, in order to invite external aid, not only spent all their family wealth but even pledged the future income of Jingzhe Villa, emptying the Five Poisons Society to offer to outside sects, greatly damaging the interests of the villa. Later, everyone said it had to be restricted."

"First, it is restricted to only one external aid. Second, they must be people from the Five Poisons Society itself—this item actually has a lot of leeway. As long as they are not famous people clearly belonging to a sect, some lone Loose Practitioners can be given an identity, saying they have long been Guest Ministers of the Five Poisons Society, and with the paperwork complete, who can pick out a fault?"

Tang Zhao smiled. He would probably do the same himself. He was a person from Zhuoyu Villa, but Zhuoyu Villa was only a Sword Casting sect and did not conflict with Jianghu gangs. He could just say he had joined Black Spider Villa four years ago, and with witnesses and evidence, who could refute it?

"Third is the restriction on strength—this is actually very difficult because strength can be disguised. We do not have any foolproof way to test martial arts. If someone shows their fangs in the final round and kills everyone else, it becomes a fait accompli and there is nothing to be done. Finally, an Elder proposed a compromise method—simply restrict the age. Anyway, martial arts and Qi require time to hone, and young people naturally have an upper limit to their strength. Of course, there are exceptions; perhaps someone is young and extraordinarily strong, but those true heaven-favored children are mostly arrogant and have high backgrounds, and they cannot be moved by mere petty interests. Jingzhe Villa is ultimately a shallow pond that cannot contain a true dragon. Relatively speaking, restricting age is restricting strength. For example, the age for this session is restricted to be younger than the villa master's son. That young master just turned twenty this year. Therefore, the external aid cannot be over twenty. Aren't you only sixteen?"

Tang Zhao asked in surprise, "So the Manor Master has a son?"

Black Widow said, "Yes, but Jingzhe Villa is not inherited from father to son; the strong are the kings. And actually, he probably does not want to inherit it either. For us, inheriting Jingzhe is a lifelong dream; I fear the true talents do not even look down upon it." She sighed and said, "My preliminary selection topic has already been issued. After I go back and finish it, I will wait for the summons, which will probably be toward the end of the year. If you have nothing to do, you can head west in October or November and return to Black Spider Villa; I will welcome you then. You can also see your old friends."

Tang Zhao thought for a moment. It was still July, and he figured the matter here would be resolved in a few days. Then he would spend some time on the aftermath. If there was still time, he would go to Zhongtian Prefecture—he had been sent by the Land Inspection Department, and it had been agreed from the start that he would have to take up a post there in the future, even if his recommender and old superior Xing Ji was no longer in the Land Inspection Department, that would not change. Now that he had completed his studies, he had to report to the headquarters of the Land Inspection Department, and perhaps he would even have to meet the Gaoyuan Marquis to determine his future.

After that, there would be no major matters. If there were any long-term goals, it would be to walk the path of the Sword Guest, climb upward to seek transcendence, and develop the business of White Jade Splendor. The Chun City shop could be opened, and branches in other prefectures could also be tried. For example, in He Yang County of Yuxia Jun, he could do it while he was at it.

Then, going to He Yang County would be very cost-effective; he could attend to both public and private matters. If he could find Sui Dage and the others, that would be even better.

Thinking of this, Tang Zhao smiled, "How could I dare to disobey? I will definitely arrive by the end of the year."

Having settled this matter, Black Widow was visibly happier and took him to find Guan Lei, and the three of them had a drink together.

Tang Zhao saw that after a round of drinking, he still had energy—this was not because his tolerance for alcohol had increased, but because he still had unfinished business and did not want to get drunk, so he had been mixing water into his own wine cup. He found a place to sit down, placed his sword across his knees, and watched the still-lively banquet with cold eyes, thinking his own thoughts.

At this moment, he felt a slight movement on his leg. Looking down, he discovered it was Gui Ye, who had appeared from nowhere, poking him.

Tang Zhao nodded slightly, and Gui Ye climbed up along his clothes and lay on his shoulder.

"How is it?" It was actually Tang Zhao who spoke first.

Gui Ye said, "We didn't find him. We searched under the water for a day and a night and had no harvest. Are you sure he is on the mountain?"

Tang Zhao sighed, "How can one be sure about this kind of thing? But if you say he just left like that, I don't believe it either. Otherwise, the two sentences I gave him would have been wasted. Since you can't find him, he is not in the water; could he be on the shore?"

Gui Ye disagreed, "Xue Guniang had the owl search in the forest, but it never found him. Even if the forest is dense, how could he escape so many eyes? If he really used extremely brilliant methods to hide, he certainly wouldn't be found in a short while. You can only use that plan."

Tang Zhao said, "Yes, I have already cast the bait. If he is there, he is bound to take the hook. It is just that waiting for a rabbit by a tree is too passive. Where exactly is he..."

At this moment, he heard someone behind him say, "Oh, does Sword Master Xiao Tang want to find someone?"