Chapter 373: The Great Factions

I do not know how much time had passed.

The fireworks had already dissipated, and inside and outside, it was silent and soundless.

Under the setting sun of dusk, the sixty or seventy students inside and outside the valley remained dazed, as if immersed in the dreamlike quality of the fireworks, unable to extricate themselves.

This daze seemed to last only for an instant, and yet it also seemed to persist for a long time.

Finally, Huo Chaoqun came to his senses and spoke: "Is this your Instructor?"

At the same time, Qu Huan spoke: "Awesome, Instructor!"

Huo Chaoqun swallowed a mouthful of saliva and added from the bottom of his heart: "Indeed."

Qu Huan did not hear what he said; he grabbed him and said: "Did you see that? Our Instructor, that is our Instructor! What is called the demeanor of a Sword Guest? What is called a dashing figure? Such a person is actually our Instructor? Our Instructor is actually such a person?"

Hearing his incoherent and rambling nonsense, Huo Chaoqun laughed dryly: "How is it that you seem as if you didn't know his abilities?"

Qu Huan shook his head. At this moment, Tang Zhao's voice came clearly and steadily from the wind, reaching everyone's ears distinctly: "All students, the situation has changed. I order you to put down all fighting and tasks and assemble outside the mountain pass to the east. Those who can walk, walk on your own; those who cannot, have your fellow students help them. Move out immediately."

The order was simple, the tone firm but not stern, yet it was as if a switch had been flipped; all the students ran toward the mountain without hesitation. Their speed was even faster than the Talisman Puppets commanded by the Puppet Charm.

By this time, although there were injuries and casualties, most students had not reached the point of being unable to walk. Even those candidates who looked exhausted and were sitting in corners resting jumped up at this sound, running faster than rabbits. The few remaining who were too severely injured were still helped along by their fellow students.

The eastern mountain pass was not far from the position where Feng Ling and his men had surrounded Yun Zhongyu. Hearing the call to assemble, Feng Ling paused for a moment and immediately warned: "The Instructor is coming! Be on guard so she doesn't run away."

Yun Zhongyu also recovered, lightly smoothed her hair—which was not even messy—and said: "What are you saying? Why would I run? I was just about to find your Instructor to discuss something."

Feng Ling naturally did not believe her and ordered his men to keep the encirclement airtight, but until Tang Zhao came down, Yun Zhongyu indeed did not run.

By this time, the students had abandoned the puppets and had begun to assemble. Regardless of which camp they belonged to, they were all trained in military law, so they were very efficient at assembling.

When Tang Zhao came down from the mountain, he saw that the ranks were already mostly formed.

Moreover, the atmosphere of the ranks was quite solemn. It was as if, even before Tang Zhao had spoken, the students already knew it involved a matter of life and death.

Tang Zhao also saw several familiar students, including the always cold and arrogant Ouyang Zhou, the exceptionally "enthusiastic" Wen Caifei toward him, Qu Huan who liked to act as the boss, and Qin Yongcheng who was closest to him. Although they tried to remain calm, there was something more in their eyes.

Perhaps it was respect?

In fact, they had also respected Tang Zhao before, but that kind of respect should have come more from "gratitude." They were grateful for Tang Zhao's "sincerity" and admired Tang Zhao's character. For an Instructor, in just a few months, being able to harvest so much of this kind of "respect" was already a remarkable achievement.

And the awe and further Revered feelings that went beyond that had to come from absolute strength.

Just like what Tang Zhao had achieved now: destroying enemies alone in the snap of a finger, defeating a hundred with one—these were things that exceeded the imagination of young people. Even those young people who had Sword Guests in their families were still shocked from the bottom of their hearts when facing such a scene.

And young people are most submissive to this kind of shock from strength; once they feel shocked, they will sincerely feel awe.

Awe coming from power, added to the long-standing respect and gratitude, easily rose to "worship."

If Tang Zhao had selfish motives, he could use this now to have the students do some less-than-honorable private matters for him.

Tang Zhao naturally did not have such thoughts; even a fleeting moment of small pride immediately gave way to the major event at hand. He only said with a stern face: "I will keep it brief. A Broken Tide has appeared in front of the finish line area, and the road ahead is now cut off. We can only move to the rear immediately."

The Broken Tide was not something that needed to be kept secret, and the students' mentality was not fragile; they could bear bad news.

And whether the students could understand the so-called "Broken Tide" did not matter; in any case, on the road, there would be people like Qu Huan, who were knowledgeable and fond of playing the teacher, to explain it for Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao only needed to notify them that they needed to relocate.

"Now I order all candidates to line up and relocate toward the Yi Zi Qu intersection. You must arrive before midnight. Now, go back and get your horses."

Compared to horses, people were more important. If the situation were extremely urgent, Tang Zhao would have ordered them to abandon the horses and relocate on foot, but it had not reached that point yet, so they should take the horses with them.

The students went to fetch their horses, and Tang Zhao found Huo Chaoqun and said: "Were you in command just now?"

Huo Chaoqun's expression was serious as he said: "It was this student."

Tang Zhao said: "You did very well; it is not easy to unite everyone. 'Strong winds reveal sturdy grass; times of chaos reveal loyal subjects.' In this kind of chaotic battle, we need talented people like you to stand out. Now I appoint you as the Main Rider to lead all the students toward the mountain pass. You are permitted to act at your own discretion regarding formations and deployments. No matter what happens, the team must keep moving forward. Ouyang Zhou—"

He pointed to Ouyang Zhou, who was also listening to the order with a solemn face: "You come to hold the rear; not a single person is allowed to fall behind."

Ouyang Zhou and Huo Chaoqun said loudly together: "Obey the order!"

Tang Zhao had arranged the team, but there were still things to do. Although most of the students were already here, there were still two or three wandering outside, and he had to find them one by one using the map. Therefore, he had to temporarily leave the team and needed reliable students to hold the line. As for Feng Nanming, he did not need to follow; he could just go back with the students.

Just as he was about to leave, Ding Xu next to him was waving at him.

Tang Zhao still remembered him and said: "What is it? I am busy right now. You should also go back with the students for your own safety."

It was not that Tang Zhao looked down on Ding Xu; in the Suiyu, if you are not even a Sword Guest, you really cannot guarantee your safety. If this were not an examination site, even with so many students, Tang Zhao could not rest easy without someone following them.

Ding Xu said: "No, I want to report someone; this woman is that..."

Just as he was speaking, Yun Zhongyu over there had already said in a clear voice: "Sword Guest Tang, let me introduce myself. I am Fan Haiyu from Returning Colorful Clouds."

Ding Xu snorted, and Tang Zhao frowned: "Returning Colorful Clouds... what did you come here for?"

He had heard more than one person mention Returning Colorful Clouds, and not a single person had anything good to say, but they were all vague and did not say how the other party did evil. This made Tang Zhao's impression of Returning Colorful Clouds very blurry; he only knew it was a group of women with decent influence, dressed in colorful clothes, and acting in a mysterious manner.

He remembered that this woman was clearly the person who had been traveling with Ouyang Zhou. At that time, the two were intimate and laughing and talking; they were clearly classmates and traveling companions. How did she suddenly become a person from Returning Colorful Clouds?

It was fortunate that Ouyang Zhou had gone to fetch horses and organize the team; otherwise, if he saw his companion undergo such a transformation, wouldn't he be shocked?

Fan Haiyu was still relatively polite, clearly giving face to the Sword Guest who had just shocked her, and she smiled: "We have no malice. We just came to find this Sun-Holding Envoy."

As she spoke, she pointed at Ding Xu.

Ding Xu acted as if avoiding a snake or scorpion and said loudly: "No! I am not any Sun-Holding Envoy. I am from the Xuanming Archipelago; you can go check and you will know. Madam Ding, the Island Master of Bishui Island in the Xuanming Archipelago, is my mother."

Fan Haiyu smiled: "We are just about to pay a visit to your esteemed mother, what are you in such a hurry for? Being a Sun-Holding Envoy is a supreme honor; your mother knows better than you and will surely permit it."

She faced Tang Zhao and said seriously: "Sword Guest Tang, my master and I sought the Sun-Holding Envoy to this place, but we encountered your city organizing an examination. We naturally know the importance of things and did not disturb you. Especially since my master is a Sword Guest, crossing your defense zone without cause is rude, so she only sent me into the examination site to search."

She looked into the distance, seeing Ouyang Zhou's figure from afar, and said: "We of Returning Colorful Clouds are definitely not unreasonable people. If it weren't for Ding treating us like tigers and wolves, we could have discussed this properly. After I entered the examination site, for the sake of convenience in traveling, I had to use the name of a student, but I did not do anything to disrupt order. Later, I met Student Ouyang; he is a humble and polite gentleman, far superior to any son of an island master. I have no malice toward him, none toward Sword Guest Tang, and even less toward Qianjin City. As long as the Sword Guest allows me to take him out, our Returning Colorful Clouds will even present a gift to express our gratitude."

Hearing this, Tang Zhao wanted to ask: Is this Sun-Holding Envoy actually noble or not? If it is not noble, why go to such great lengths to find it? If it is noble, why do you call the candidate "Ding" (a commoner/stranger)?

However, he thought again: He had nothing to do with Returning Colorful Clouds, so why should he know the meaning of "Sun-Holding Envoy"? Knowing too much would only be a nuisance later.

However, this woman spoke with clear logic and was polite; she was not the "crazy woman" others described. At least, communication was not hindered.

So it turned out her master was the Sword Guest, and she was not, but a small Disciple sent to do things on her master's orders. No wonder Tang Zhao felt the cultivation of the people from Returning Colorful Clouds was a bit low.

Tang Zhao was pressed for time now and had no time to adjudicate the case right under his nose. He also did not know the rights and wrongs of the matter, and the affair involved two of the Six Great Factions; it was not something a Human Realm Swordsman who had just arrived could handle.

He said sternly: "The Broken Tide will arrive soon, and you are all people of the Suiyu, so you should know the severity. Under such major circumstances, there is no time to bicker about your affairs. For the sake of the Xuanming Archipelago and Returning Colorful Clouds, you may relocate with us, and you can handle this matter yourselves once you are outside."

Fan Haiyu said: "That is natural; thank you, Sword Guest Tang."

Ding Xu wanted to speak but hesitated, and Tang Zhao said, "I am going out to do something now. You all cannot stay together, so as to avoid causing trouble for the team."

He thought for a moment and said, "Miss Fan, you come with me."

Originally, he should have taken Ding Xu, but he immediately felt that Fan Haiyu was also not suited to stay with Ouyang Zhou, so as to avoid causing too great an impact, and therefore chose to take Fan Haiyu.

As for whether Ding Xu would take advantage of his absence to run away directly, he could run, but he feared that as a mortal who was not even a Sword Guest, he would not be able to outrun the Broken Tide without following the team.

Fan Haiyu understood his meaning and did not say anything, seemingly letting out a silent sigh.

Then they saw Tang Zhao wave his hand, and the metallic-lustered Six Dragon Carriage suddenly appeared, roaring to life.