Chapter 301: 310 Destiny

Tang Zhao did not expect anyone to answer, and was startled. He turned his head abruptly, and upon seeing the person clearly, he was even more stunned, saying: "What are you doing here?"

It turned out that the only old lady at the banquet had walked to his side silently at some point, and was asking him with a smile.

She was so close, yet Tang Zhao had not noticed her at all. His heart gave a jolt: Her movement technique is truly formidable, far above my own! This is an expert!

Recalling the old woman's behavior at the banquet, which could be considered disruptive in every way, he felt there was more to it than met the eye. Her intentions were highly unclear, and her strength was so astonishing that Tang Zhao could not help but feel suspicious and fearful. Although he was surrounded by his own people and unlikely to be taken out by surprise, he still broke into a cold sweat and forced a smile.

The old woman laughed: "I hope the little Sword Master will forgive my rudeness. Listening to others' private conversations is not the act of a gentleman; even if one happens to overhear a word or two, one should turn a deaf ear. But the Sword Master just mentioned that there seems to be someone you cannot find, which made this old woman's hands itch. I have no other skills, but I do have a sharp eye, and I am adept at finding cats and catching dogs. Especially since I have received much care from the villa since coming up the mountain, yet I brought no congratulatory gift, which makes me feel truly ashamed. I wonder if I might be of some help in this matter to make up for that gift?"

Tang Zhao only felt it was absurd. This old woman was truly unreserved in her speech. What does our search for someone have to do with you? Who are you? He said: "This... this is a private matter within my sect, I dare not trouble a guest."

The old woman did not retreat in the slightest, laughing: "Naturally, it is a private matter. Although the Sword Master did not mention a name just now, I guess, are you looking for the whereabouts of that Shi Chunqing?"

Tang Zhao was first startled, then speechless for a moment: Even if you guessed it, it wouldn't be good to say it out loud, would it?

The old woman laughed: "Although I am ignorant, I have heard this person's name. It is said that your villa's hasty Sword Casting was all for him. But this person's figure was not seen at the Sword Casting Assembly, which is indeed contrary to reason. Could it be that you suspect he has already snuck into the villa, waiting for the critical moment to strike and cause chaos? Today happens to be the joyous occasion of a successful Sword Casting; you naturally do not want to spend all your time guarding against thieves and miss the happy, festive moments. I think you probably intend to use bait to lure him out? This plan is good, but then you would be passive. If you could find him actively and go to his door to capture him, wouldn't the timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony all be in your hands, with the overall situation under control?"

Tang Zhao felt a jolt in his heart, thinking to himself: She guessed so much, so those words at the banquet were not unintentional? Hearing her speak more and more realistically, he became curious, saying: "This is our own home, and we cannot find where he is. You are on the mountain for the first time, how can you say you are certain you can find him?"

The old woman laughed: "There is a specialty in every trade. I have relied on this pair of eyes to make a living all these years; perhaps I can find him?"

Tang Zhao met her gaze and felt that the old woman's eyes were bottomless, as if they were the vast, deep starry sky, and he trembled slightly.

At the same time, the old woman was also looking at Tang Zhao, speaking first: "What beautiful eyes, just like a clear sky, clean and bright. These are the brightest eyes I have seen in so many years. Even though this is our first meeting, looking at such eyes, I feel I should do a little more."

Tang Zhao did not know what to say for a moment. He lowered his head to think, then suddenly said: "Are you a Sword Guest... a Sword Hero?"

The old woman nodded with a smile, saying: "If I were a Sword Immortal, wouldn't I already be in the heavens?"

Ordinary people would not dare to speak like this... Tang Zhao pondered for a moment and said slowly: "A long, long time ago, I heard of a sword famous for its clear, illuminating vision. The so-called 'seeing ten thousand miles clearly,' with high aspirations and foresight..."

The old woman seemed not to understand the deep meaning in his words at all, laughing: "Oh? You heard of it a long, long time ago... When did you hear of it? Does it really take a 'long, long time'?"

Her focus was quite peculiar, but Tang Zhao explained patiently: "It really was a long time ago. It was the first... no, it should be the second time I met Chief Xing. Because at that time, I willfully wanted to follow him, but he did not want to take me in, so he took out a gemstone that looked like an eye for me to see. I still remember that when I looked into the gemstone, my spirit was stimulated, and I felt that I could see the world with extra clarity, as if I had grown another pair of eyes. Later I learned that it was a Dharma Artifact, and the Dharma Artifact could distinguish the level of my Spirit Talent, and I could feel the effect of the Dharma Artifact. So, the sword from which that Dharma Artifact originated should also be a sword with eyes like torches."

He could not help but sigh: "If that Dharma Artifact had not identified my Spirit Talent, Chief Xing might have thought it better to avoid trouble and let me go. At that time, my fate would have been completely different from what it is now. Thinking about it now, that was also the beginning of all destiny."

The old woman listened very carefully and nodded slowly: "I didn't expect such a destiny. Truly, every drink and every peck is determined by heaven."

Tang Zhao suddenly said: "You are very familiar with Chief Xing, aren't you?"

The old woman nodded and laughed: "I suppose that counts as familiar."

For some reason, Tang Zhao also laughed, saying: "Then how about this? The matter of finding Shi Chunqing is indeed my family's private affair, and by rights, I should not borrow any outside force. But I really want to borrow your wise eyes, yet I still have concerns. Chief Xing is one of my own; if he can vouch for you, then you are also one of our own, and I can feel at ease and boldly borrow your strength."

The old woman said: "This method is interesting. Alright then. Let's find a private place and have him vouch for me." She said it as a matter of course, as if Xing Ji would definitely vouch for her the moment he arrived, as if he wouldn't be a person if he didn't.

Tang Zhao was not surprised at all, saying: "Then please go to my Sword Hut. I will take you there—"

The old woman waved her hand: "I will go myself. If I let you, the Host, openly invite me away from the banquet, others will think something major has happened. I will go first, and you and Xing Ji can sneak out of the banquet later. Where is your Sword Hut?"

Tang Zhao had no choice but to point out his Sword Hut to her, which was by the water and not hard to find. The old woman nodded and added: "Remember, I am going first, you call Xing Ji. Oh, right, just call Xing Ji, forget about the others."

Tang Zhao asked: "My master, he..."

The old woman said: "I also admire Manor Master Xue, but today's important business is urgent, why call others to complicate things? And this old friend of yours—" She poked Gui Ye's head, and Gui Ye glared at her, "don't bring him either."

Tang Zhao could not refuse her, so he had to agree. He watched her leave quietly, then placed Gui Ye on the seat and went to find Xing Ji himself.

Seeing Tang Zhao leave so decisively, Gui Ye wanted to say something but stopped. It actually wanted to tell Tang Zhao about the matter of Zhu Yang. That old crocodile had been driven to distraction by the kid from the Northern Sea Yuanji Palace recently, and was quite paranoid, asking Tang Zhao how to deal with it?

But there was no opportunity to speak now, so it did not say it. Thinking about it carefully, this matter was a mess caused by Zhu Yang, what did it have to do with Tang Zhao?

Tang Zhao and Zhu Yang had never gotten along; letting him inhabit the swamp was already showing great tolerance. Could it be that he still had to clean up the mess for the enemies he had made in the past?

As for the matter of Young Master Guang, if Zhu Yang could deal with it, he would; if he couldn't, he could seek help from Jiang Shenyi or shed his skin like a cicada again. What Gui Ye should do more is keep an eye on this old crocodile, so he wouldn't use crude methods and really provoke a powerful enemy at the level of the Seven Great Factions for Zhuoyu Villa.

To put it plainly, the turtle and the crocodile were never together anyway; let each go their own way.

Xing Ji was secretly discussing with Wang Fei, and they had already reached a result. He sent Wang Fei away, then heard about Tang Zhao looking for him, and immediately felt a headache, saying: "I say, can't I have a moment of peace?"

Tang Zhao also felt a bit apologetic, saying: "This time it's an accident... it really is the last accident. I didn't expect her to come to me either. Since she has spoken, how can I refuse? Think of it on the bright side, besides this matter, are there any other matters? This counts as solving it once and for all."

Xing Ji said angrily: "Solving it once and for all, my foot! Might as well call it 'ending it all.' Closing one's eyes and kicking one's legs is what you call ending it all. Do you know how much effort I spent just to avoid her? I thought I could find some peace here with you, but I didn't expect to walk right into a trap. Forget it, whether I stretch my head or pull it back, it's just this one time."

Turning his head, he saw Wang Fei looking over curiously. Xing Ji gave a dry laugh and said: "Young Master, please wait a moment, I will go sound her out for you."

Soon, the two of them snuck away from the banquet separately. It was easy for Xing Ji to sneak away, but as the focus of the banquet, it was difficult for Tang Zhao to leave everyone's sight for long. In the end, Tang Zhao simply found Wei Se and asked him to watch the situation; if nothing happened, it was fine, but if someone really needed to find him, he would disguise himself and take his place for a while. After giving instructions, the two met at the boardwalk by the water.

At this time, the liveliness of the entire villa was at the Sword Casting Assembly, and the boardwalk by the water appeared exceptionally quiet. Walking along the boardwalk, even with footsteps as light as Tang Zhao's, one would unconsciously make a "creak, creak" sound.

Tang Zhao's Sword Hut was in the deepest part. Walking from the boardwalk, one could see Shi Chunqing's square Sword Hut, Xu Zhongnan's Taoist temple, Zhu Ying's White Mist Spirit Grass, and Xue Yeyu's Owl Forest along the way...

Thinking back, when he first visited this place, Shi Chunqing's Sword Hut was intact, while Xu Zhongnan's Sword Hut was very desolate. But now, at least within a few days, that Taoist temple would welcome back its old master, and it would inevitably be lively for a few days, while Shi Chunqing's Sword Hut would inevitably fall into long-term desolation.

At that time, Xu Zhongnan left the mountain in a fit of pique, and the mountain preserved his Sword Hut completely. However, Shi Chunqing's situation was completely different from his; how should his Sword Hut be dealt with?

Passing Jiang Shenyi's Wing Sword Hut, Tang Zhao and Xing Ji arrived in front of his Sword Hut.

The Sword Hut had a small attic. Although narrow, it was the place with the best view in the Sword Hut. The old woman was standing on the attic, her white hair drifting slightly. Looking through the railing, she did not look aged, but rather had an extraordinary demeanor.

Xing Ji looked up from below and swallowed lightly, revealing an expression Tang Zhao had never seen on his face before—entangled, uneasy, and a little bit timid.

Finally, he smoothed out the cloth clothes on his body that represented his status as a commoner, then gave Tang Zhao a look that meant "follow me," and walked up the stairs with a serious expression.

Upon reaching the attic, the old woman turned around. Her smile was much shallower than before, almost one could say it was a smile that was not a smile, saying: "You finally came?"

Tang Zhao felt his back stiffen involuntarily. Xing Ji lowered his head and bowed deeply, saying: "Xing Ji, pays respects to the Marquis."