Chapter 387: 361 The Journey Home

This great battle triggered by the tide finally drew to a close with the victory of Moyun City.

Under the suppression of Cui Yinsheng and the coordination of Tang Zhao, the great battle ended smoothly with a resounding victory for the Sword Guests and the total annihilation of the Xiuluo Tianmo.

Immediately following, before the cheers of the crowd had even faded, the scene began to turn chaotic again.

This was not because Cui Yinsheng's military orders had lost their effectiveness, but rather...

After the last Xiuluo fell, the shadows of a large number of Fire Seed Carriages appeared on the horizon.

It was the main reinforcement force from Moyun City that had finally arrived.

The Sword Guests, who had just been fighting bloodily, immediately had ten thousand mythical beasts stampeding through their hearts.

What the hell?

You didn't come when we were in the midst of a life-and-death struggle and a hair's breadth from disaster, but now that the enemy is wiped out and the spoils are ready for the taking, you show up?

And so many of you coming all at once?

Are there enough Sword Seeds to go around?

With almost this exact thought, the crowd became restless and, as if by unspoken agreement, turned away to leave their formations and search for Sword Seeds. It was thanks to Cui Yinsheng still being above that the scramble wasn't too vicious, but the speed was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, the formation was empty.

Regarding this, Cui Yinsheng also turned a blind eye. He hadn't actually made many moves during the battle, only holding the line and forcibly stopping everyone from looting the spoils at the first opportunity. Now, seeing that reinforcements were imminent and the dust had settled, he did not stop them again.

To put it bluntly, most of these Sword Guests were not troops directly under Moyun City; they did not hold military ranks like Li Yijian, nor were they usually trained by Moyun City, receiving only subsidies rather than military pay. Their military discipline could only be said to barely reach the baseline; they were not some "strong army" or "iron army." It was already good enough that they could do what needed to be done; one really couldn't demand more.

Take Tang Zhao, for example, who had only been pulled in by him temporarily and had never even served on the front lines. It was already quite impressive that he had managed to create tools to bridge the gaps on his own, and his later coordination from the center was done voluntarily. If Tang Zhao wanted to take something at the end, he didn't want to stop him either.

Tang Zhao did not leave to join the scramble; he had already collected his share earlier and had no intention of wanting more. Li Yijian and the other military Sword Guests focused on maintaining order, letting only the ordinary soldiers search the remote and empty areas so that no treasures were left behind.

Cui Yinsheng watched from a high vantage point, monitoring the situation to ensure it didn't spiral out of control, while the Pixiu remained by Tang Zhao's side and said, "Are you a new Sword Guest this year? How many months have you been a Sword Guest?"

Tang Zhao did the math and said, "Three-plus months? Almost four months."

Cui Yinsheng was slightly surprised, then continued, "So fast. I see your Sword Art has already taken shape, and your combat power is decent; you needn't fear anywhere you go. What are your plans? New Sword Guests generally go to the front lines after a full year, but you are different; it would be no problem even if you came to the front lines now. What are your plans, and when will you come?"

Given Cui Yinsheng's decisive nature, these few words asking for an opinion were truly an unprecedented display of "courtesy to the virtuous." However, Tang Zhao did not know his temperament, so naturally, he wasn't "flattered," and said, "I am originally under the jurisdiction of Yunzhou, and also under Moyun City; I should prioritize obeying the front-line deployment. It is just that I have a promise to keep at the end of the year, so it would be best if I could go to the front lines next spring."

The Pixiu nodded and said, "Good. Next spring, I will issue a mobilization order for you. You will serve in Moyun City and stay by my side."

Tang Zhao was startled, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Although the Pixiu was only a mythical beast and its expression could not be read, it could read the expressions of others, and it said, "What, you don't want to stay?"

Tang Zhao said apologetically, "Many thanks to the General for your high regard. It is not that this subordinate is ungrateful, but I still wish to fight as a Sword Guest when I come to the front lines. Moyun City has the pillars of the Ouye family sitting in command; it doesn't really need a mere third-rate Talisman Sword Master."

The Pixiu said, "You don't want to be a Talisman Sword Master? And here I thought I wouldn't need those Ouye masters. Very well, if you don't want to be a Talisman Sword Master, I can keep you as a Personal Guard. You and Lei'er can stay by my side; surely you aren't afraid of not learning anything?"

Tang Zhao was tempted for a moment, but still said, "Since coming to the front lines, what this subordinate wants most is to walk through various parts of the Suiyu, to go to the very front, to see the edge of the Suiyu. This is also my own selfish desire."

This was indeed his selfish desire. Since he had confirmed the responsibility of "repairing" the Suiyu, he naturally had to go to the edge of the Suiyu to see exactly how "shattered" it had become, and then use the broken Glasses to test whether his mission was just his own wild imagination or if it truly had a traceable path.

To reach the edge of the Suiyu, he could not stay in Moyun City; it would be best to travel alone so he could be free.

But Tang Zhao also knew that as a novice Sword Guest, he might be able to run rampant in the Human World, but on the front lines, he was truly just a "mere" Sword Guest. He still needed to find a small team, pair up with a few teammates, and possess a Fire Seed Carriage to be able to roam the Suiyu to perform Qianjin City missions, as well as his own.

If he could form a team of his own people, that would be best.

Unfortunately, he didn't have any particularly suitable candidates for teammates right now. He hoped that when he went back to cast his sword this time, he could add a few trustworthy teammates for himself.

Although Tang Zhao spoke politely, Cui Yinsheng was naturally unhappy at being repeatedly rejected and paid him no more mind. The Pixiu leaped down and returned to the Jiangtai.

After some chaos, the main force finally arrived, though they could only come to clean up the battlefield.

Once the main force took over the battlefield, all the participating Sword Guests could rotate off and return. They boarded the Fire Seed Carriages back to the city, where they would enjoy a period of vacation and a grand ceremony for the rewarding of merits.

Tang Zhao had intended to hitch a ride on Li Yijian's military carriage, but he saw Qiao Hai and Shanye Gang already driving that dilapidated Fire Seed Carriage, waving at him.

Tang Zhao also had a good impression of these two brothers, so he accepted the invitation and boarded the carriage.

On the Fire Seed Carriage, the three of them hurriedly washed up, changed out of their dust-covered battle robes, and went to the top level, where even the reclusive Suxi was present.

The top level was a small operations room, but at this moment, all the equipment had been moved away, leaving only a table piled high with food, and surprisingly, there was even wine.

Qiao Hai immediately pulled Tang Zhao to the table, poured him a cup of wine, and said, "Brother Tang, have a taste. This is Cangyun Wine, the wine we drink most often on the front lines. On the front lines, life is fleeting, so one must enjoy it while one can. Let us drink today while we have wine."

Tang Zhao was very surprised; they were drinking right after coming off the battlefield? Did they not need to rest at all?

Suxi drank a cup first and said in a cold, clear voice, "It is often drunk, yes, but you left out two words. It is the wine the poor often drink. We cannot afford the truly good wine."

Shanye Gang said, "Hey, hey, Daoist nun, you say it like that... even if it's the truth, you don't have to be so direct, right? How is our big brother supposed to continue?"

Tang Zhao tasted it, and it was indeed fierce and potent upon entering the mouth, though it lacked refinement and the taste was average. Hearing this, he said, "What else did Brother Qiao have to say?"

Lao Qiao glared at Shanye Gang and said, "You blockhead, knowing it's hard for me to bring up, you still poke at it?"

After a moment of helplessness, he raised his glass and said, "Sword Guest Tang, you are an outstanding Sword Guest and a versatile jack-of-all-trades. How about it? Would you like to join our team?"

Tang Zhao went "Eh?" He had just been thinking about the team matter, and he hadn't expected Lao Qiao to extend an olive branch. He said, "This... I haven't even served on the front lines yet."

Lao Qiao said, "Isn't that just a matter of time? Do you have friends or family who have promised to take you on the front lines?"

Tang Zhao shook his head. Lao Qiao patted him and said, "Then it's settled. Instead of being completely in the dark when the time comes, randomly teaming up with people or waiting for introductions, it's better to team up with acquaintances. So many Fire Seed Carriages set out from Moyun City, and we happened to meet and travel in the same carriage; that counts as fate, right? Dashan and the Daoist are both my good friends of many years, and everyone is a good person; the team atmosphere is great. Moreover, we don't compete for merit or hold grudges against other teams; we mainly focus on being at ease. Joining our team is good because it's comfortable. And we have two vacancies; if you have other friends, you can bring them in together, and a five-person team will be formed."

"And our team has a big advantage: we have our own Fire Seed Carriage." He patted the old, worn walls of the room. "Don't look at it as dilapidated; it is our own carriage. Unlike some carriages that look brand new but are rented, they are subject to all sorts of rules and restrictions, and they can't even decide where to go for repairs. With our own carriage, we can go wherever we want and drive whenever we want. Like I said, it's about being at ease."

"Think about it some more; there's no rush." After saying this, he drank a cup himself, didn't urge the wine, and just served Tang Zhao some food.

Tang Zhao took a sip and considered it seriously in his heart: it didn't seem like a bad idea?

Lao Qiao and Dashan were both Sword Guests who weren't difficult to get along with, and they were kind-hearted. Although that Daoist rarely stepped out, hadn't Tang Zhao seen women who rarely stepped out before? Getting along wouldn't be difficult.

In any case, building his own team was still too far off, and Lao Qiao's team was not a bad choice.

He thought for a moment and decided that if nothing changed, he would follow Lao Qiao and the others' carriage when he reached the front lines. As for the remaining vacancy, he would deal with it then. Maybe his Senior Sister?

Just as he was thinking, the Fire Seed Carriage suddenly jolted and then stopped in place.

Shanye Gang put down his wine glass and said, "Seriously, we brothers are drinking, who is here to disturb us?" He then opened the door and went onto the roof of the carriage.

Tang Zhao, at the wine table, heard the loud voice of the Sword Guest, saying, "Who are you, why are you blocking our carriage?"

A woman's voice from outside said, "We are old acquaintances of Sword Guest Tang. We heard Sword Guest Tang is on the carriage; may we come aboard to talk?"

Tang Zhao heard this voice and felt it was completely unfamiliar; he couldn't recall ever hearing it before.

Just then, Lao Qiao turned his head, his eyes showing a look of inquiry, and Tang Zhao shook his head.

Lao Qiao then stopped speaking, and after a while, he heard the Mountain Sword Guest say: "There is no Tang Sword Guest or Water Sword Guest here. You have found the wrong person, please move aside."

That woman laughed and said: "Is that so? That is a pity. Then we are going to Moyun City, and since we are heading the same way, why not give me a ride?"

The Mountain Sword Guest refused without hesitation: "This is a troop transport vehicle, not a passenger carriage; we do not carry idlers. It is only half a day's journey to Moyun City, why don't the two of you just walk?"

Only to hear another woman say: "This Sword Guest sir, we are not idlers. My master is a Sword Guest from Returning Colored Clouds. Our Returning Colored Clouds and your Moyun City are allies, and we are supposed to help each other when we meet on the road. Is it really alright for you to leave the two of us, master and disciple, alone on the road?"

Tang Zhao was startled; he was actually familiar with this voice—Fan Haiyu!