Chapter 334: Separation and Reunion

Having obtained her own sword, Xue Yeyu felt as if she had been reborn. Like all Sword Students, she carried the sword on her back and began her journey of comprehending the sword.

Since it is called a "journey," it implies a trek, both physically and mentally. The Sword Students' comprehension of the sword is extremely arduous, involving every possible method. Sometimes they must travel thousands of miles with their swords to various places to perceive the "sword"; sometimes they must go into seclusion for years, clearing away distracting thoughts as if every day were the same, focusing wholeheartedly on drawing close to the sword; or they may engage in life-and-death battles, seeking a flash of Inspiration within the combat, hoping to move their sword at some moment—"Gold and Stone Open"—and become a true Sword Guest.

Everyone's method of comprehending the sword is different, often choosing the one that comes to mind first, as everyone believes it to be a form of destiny from the unknown.

"I want to go back first and be with my owls."

Upon reaching the ferry outside the city, the very place where Tang Zhao had come to see Xue Yeyu off, she stated her plans.

In the previous few days, she had just obtained her sword and rested for a day. After calming her mind, she had intended to manage the branch business in Zhongtian Prefecture nearby and then organize her Sword Heart through practical work, but she found that Zhongtian Prefecture was under martial law everywhere. Although it was not yet under military control on the surface, the atmosphere was already tense, making it a poor time to open a shop for business.

After discussing it with Tang Zhao, she decided to put the Zhongtian Prefecture plan on hold, leaving only one storefront for now and waiting to see how the wind blew after the new year.

With this, her business in Zhongtian Prefecture was concluded, and she was now free to choose her destination, focusing primarily on her own sword comprehension plan.

"I feel that the sword has a connection with them. I will first spend time getting close to and comprehending the owls, living in the forest for a period, eating and sleeping with them, and resting and waking with them, until I reach a state of unity in spirit. If I cannot comprehend it, I will take the owls on a journey and comprehend the world with them amidst heaven and earth."

Tang Zhao was very supportive and said, "This method is good; Senior Sister will surely become a Sword Guest very soon."

Xue Yeyu smiled and said, "This time, it is all because of you that I have been so smooth and successful. I know you are not a creature of the pond and will surely soar into the blue clouds sooner or later. Once I become a Sword Guest, I will have the strength, and the family will be left to me. You can just spread your wings and fly high with peace of mind."

Tang Zhao said, "Elder Sister has wings too; how can the responsibility be pressed onto just one person? Everyone will take flight sooner or later."

The two parted ways at the ferry, and Xu Zhongnan, who had come with them, also said his goodbyes. Xue Yeyu then walked away with her sword on her back.

Xu Zhongnan watched Xue Yeyu leave, feeling slightly melancholy—he would not be going up the mountain again for a short time, and perhaps it would be years before he saw this Junior Sister he had watched grow up again.

"You all seem certain that Junior Sister's Sword Image must be an owl?"

Tang Zhao said, "It should be, right? The Sword Image is heavily influenced by the person's own thoughts and emotions. As long as the Sword Intent has anything to do with owls, Senior Sister will surely think of owls first, so the possibility of it being an owl is extremely high."

Xu Zhongnan was thoughtful and said, "Speaking of which, how did you confirm that the so-called 'Bu De' sword matches Junior Sister? I heard you once guessed another person's suitable sword out of thin air; do you have some secret method?"

The other person he spoke of was naturally Wei Zhangle. Tang Zhao had requested that Wei Zhangle try the "Bu De" sword at the time, and it had indeed matched. Wei Zhangle therefore chose to take on a dangerous mission; if he could return after performing meritorious service, he would be a Sword Guest in an instant. But if he failed before achieving success, looking into it closely, Tang Zhao was also the source.

Tang Zhao said, "I feel that crows and owls have similarities. Since the Sword Image points directly to the Sword Intent, perhaps there is an essential connection, and the probability of Senior Sister matching is higher."

Xu Zhongnan said, "Crows and owls... what similarities do they have..."

Tang Zhao said, "They are both birds that represent the arrival of disaster and are inauspicious. Not to mention crows, there are folk who call owls 'funeral-announcing birds'."

Xu Zhongnan thought about it carefully and suddenly laughed, saying, "Isn't this just blind guessing? Owls and crows are similar, but are they not similar to cats? Are they not similar to hawks? I heard your Jiandisi also has a Li Hua Sword; does that sword match Junior Sister too? Sigh, I thought you had some secret, so I specifically asked, but it turns out you were just bluffing."

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "It is bluffing, but because my bluffs are accurate, it is not called bluffing; it is called a sixth sense."

In truth, rather than a sixth sense, it was that his ability to analyze Sword Intent from Sword Images was stronger, allowing him to see the essence through the phenomena.

The so-called compatibility is essentially the compatibility of Sword Intent. Tang Zhao had only seen the 'Bu De' sword once, but he had seen the sky-covering flock of crows and felt an ominous sensation. He remembered this feeling and found it in the owls inhabiting Jiugao Mountain, which allowed him to guess Xue Yeyu's direction.

As for previously connecting the Sword Intent of the 'Bu De' sword in the Sword Manual, which was "valuing," to the "Disappearance" of "neglecting," that was nothing; it even felt a bit like cheating.

Tang Zhao asked with a smile, "Senior Brother, do you want to consider your own sword?"

He asked this not to take on the task of casting a sword for his Senior Brother, but to remind him that he could speak to their Master.

Xue Xianyun naturally loved his eldest disciple the most, and besides that, he had a very deep bond with his second disciple, whom he had followed early on, followed by the two youngest disciples. Now that the eldest disciple had rebelled and his daughter had a sword, if he were to cast a sword, to whom would he give it if not the second disciple?

In fact, Xue Xianyun would certainly be willing, but because he and his second disciple were always bickering and awkward with each other, he would certainly not take the initiative to speak. If Xu Zhongnan wanted one, he should just ask directly; it might even ease the surface relationship between the two.

Xu Zhongnan sighed, "You don't know, as long as I am under the Imperial Preceptor, I will not become a Sword Guest. That is a completely different path."

Tang Zhao was curious; how could it be completely different? He hadn't heard that the Imperial Preceptor was a Spirit Official, had he? Good heavens, if the Great Jin's Imperial Preceptor were the Great Wei's signature Spirit Official, wouldn't that turn the world upside down?

Besides that, if not a Sword Guest, what is it? Aren't the different paths in the world just Sword Guest and Spirit Official? The one Zhu Yang was tinkering with himself was still just a mirage. If the Imperial Preceptor had some other path, it should have been known to the world long ago, right?

Moreover, restricting one from becoming a Sword Guest—this should be a form of control over subordinates, right? Could it be that Senior Brother has some unspeakable secret?

Xu Zhongnan sighed and suddenly said, "I still have to go back. I've been away for too long, and I'm afraid someone will take my position if I go back. There is no time like the present; let's set off today."

Tang Zhao wanted to persuade him to go home and rest if he was unhappy, but felt there was no need to dissuade him, only saying, "Senior Brother, visit Master often; he misses you very much."

Xu Zhongnan said, "Naturally. If you have the chance, come to Jingcheng to see your Senior Brother. There are many good things in Jingcheng; it would be good to come and broaden your horizons." He whispered, "If you can't make it in Yunzhou, come to Jingcheng to find me. With my protection, even the Gaoyuan Marquis won't be able to do anything to you."

Tang Zhao nodded with a smile. The two exchanged farewells, and Xu Zhongnan did not delay. Since his luggage was always with him, he left as soon as he said so, immediately hiring a small boat to cross the Tongyang River.

Of the four who had come together, only two remained. Beside Tang Zhao, only Wei Se remained.

Tang Zhao felt a bit sentimental. He had been at Zhuoyu Villa for four years, and only the time he went to Jianzhou was longer, but that was also a journey. Now, he was finally going to leave home for a long time. It wasn't just holding a post at the Training Camp for a few months; there would be more work to do and a longer future to strive for later. Even if he returned to Zhuoyu Villa, it would only be like Senior Brother Xu, a short rest to recharge, but he would eventually have to go out.

He was finally going to start his job.

Returning to his temporary lodging, Tang Zhao changed into his official work uniform—not the general martial official uniform of the Jiandisi, but the instructor's attire, signifying that he had become an official sixth-rank Instructor of the Jiandisi Training Camp.

The rank of the Training Camp is not low; the Mountain Chief holds the title of Deputy Commander, and beneath him are one Teaching Head, four Instructors, a dozen Teachers, and an indefinite number of Teaching Assistants. Among them, the Instructors are all Sword Guests and Spirit Officials, while the instructors are Loose Practitioners and Sword Students.

Tang Zhao was a newcomer and should have started as a Teacher for an internship before being promoted to Instructor. But he was there to hold down the fort, and a low official rank would not be conducive to prestige. At this time, there were still a few Teachers in the Training Camp, but only one Instructor remained, and there was no one above that, so there was a ready-made vacancy that didn't need waiting for. Furthermore, his strength was sufficient, so he became an Instructor directly, equal in rank to the remaining Xingyu, and jointly managed the Training Camp.

At this time, Wei Se also changed his clothes into the appearance of a Teaching Assistant. For convenience, Tang Zhao helped him apply for a Teaching Assistant title. Teaching Assistants are not worth much; they are basically students from the previous batch serving concurrently. Many had been added in the last few days, so one more like Wei Se didn't matter. In fact, with Wei Se's skills, he was no worse than those Teachers, but Teachers must be formal members of the Jiandisi, and Wei Se had no interest in joining, so he just became a Teaching Assistant. At least he could use the testing equipment in the Training Camp.

Wei Se could disguise himself at will. Originally, he wanted to disguise himself as a middle-aged man to help Tang Zhao hold down the fort with his seniority, but Tang Zhao felt it was better not to. The other Teaching Assistants were all young, not even twenty years old; if you were thirty or forty and a Teaching Assistant, you wouldn't seem steady, but rather like a failure.

Therefore, Wei Se also disguised himself as a youth of about twenty. He could have shown his original appearance at this age, but Wei Se was not used to showing his face to strangers, so he made a slight disguise and became a plain-looking young man.

The two arrived at the Training Camp at noon.

The Training Camp was right by the riverbank, occupying a vast area, with a circle of dense bushes outside that could block the line of sight, making it difficult to peek inside from the outside.

However, Tang Zhao could see that no Rune Formula was used for concealment here. It made sense; this was near Zhongtian Prefecture, the headquarters of the Jiandisi. The Training Camp was right under the nose of the Gaoyuan Marquis, so it was safe, and the defense was mainly to prevent idlers, so there was no need to build a large fortress. If there were a real enemy, would one rely on the Training Camp to sit and defend to the death?

Following a path that only their own people knew into the bushes, they arrived in front of an iron gate. Tang Zhao rang the bell hanging at the entrance according to the agreed method.

Before long, a petite woman came out to greet them with a young man.

The woman looked to be twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, with curved eyebrows and phoenix eyes, a quiet demeanor, and full of scholarly air; she must be the Xingyu Sword. And the other young man...

"Ah, you are..." The young man didn't wait for Tang Zhao to speak before exclaiming in surprise.

Tang Zhao smiled; he didn't expect to run into an acquaintance right away.