Chapter 393: The Third Sword

Tang Zhao used a backhand motion to push Qin Yongcheng back into the room, closed the door, and remained in the courtyard himself.

At this moment, Weise had already engaged someone, but he did not rush to assist; judging by his senses, the newcomer was not powerful and was not a figure like a Sword Guest.

In the Human World, as long as it was not a Sword Guest or Lady Hua Rong, Tang Zhao trusted that Weise could handle it.

He heard someone say: "I want—"

Before the two words were even finished, he heard a soft cry, followed immediately by a great gust of wind, sounding sharp like a shrill whistle.

This was the start of a fight. Weise never wasted words with people; if there was a danger, he eliminated it directly. Tang Zhao saw two shadows from the ground, but it felt like Weise had the upper hand.

However, those short two words just now sounded familiar to Tang Zhao; he recalled them briefly but did not speak out to stop the fight.

A moment later, Weise dragged a person down and said: "Sir, do you recognize this woman? Should we keep her?"

Tang Zhao took one look and saw it was Fan Haiyu, who had been missing for two days. Thinking of Colorful Clouds Return, he couldn't help but feel irritable and said: "You people are like ghosts that won't go away, aren't you? You even chased me here?"

He raised his hand to stop Weise, who was about to strike, and said: "Where is your master?"

Although Fan Haiyu had been captured by Weise and looked somewhat disheveled, she remained calm and said directly: "They didn't come. All Sword Guests are not allowed to descend to the Human World at will, so only I came alone."

Tang Zhao felt slightly surprised; these words sounded as if there were no malice.

After all, most people, in order to survive, would usually resort to empty threats, saying things like "My master is right behind me, my grandmaster is also behind me, try touching me if you dare" to make others wary. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt, which instead made her seem candid.

Tang Zhao said: "Then what did you come for? Do you think you can persuade me with your silver tongue?"

Fan Haiyu lowered her head. In the night, her skin appeared white and slightly translucent like jade, with a few stray locks of hair hanging over her forehead, resembling drooping willow silk or scattered pear blossoms. Her eyes seemed to hold water as she said softly: "My master did not give me a mandatory mission. She only told me to watch you, and if there was an opportunity, to get close to you, accompany you, and be your shadow."

Tang Zhao felt his teeth ache and was about to have Weise throw her out when Fan Haiyu raised her head. The watery light in her eyes vanished in an instant, reflecting the light from the room like sparkling starlight, and she said: "But I don't want that. So I took the liberty of coming to see you. I want to beg you to help me."

Before Tang Zhao could speak, Weise said coldly: "Playing hard to get?"

Fan Haiyu felt a murderous aura rushing toward the back of her neck, and her back went numb. She knew the person behind her truly intended to kill, so she immediately said: "I want to beg you—to help me cast a sword."

Tang Zhao raised an eyebrow. This was truly a case of 'no one plows the barren field, but once plowed, everyone fights for it.' Why hadn't he had so many opportunities to take orders in the past? He said: "You want to cast a sword? And you're asking me? As a direct disciple of Colorful Clouds Return, would you be short of swords?"

Not to mention Colorful Clouds Return, one of the Six Great Factions of the Suiyu, even the Inspection Bureau was only a part of the official forces in Yunzhou of the Human World, and only a small part of Qianjin City. Strictly speaking, the proportion of promising talents who obtained swords was not low. It was not uncommon to become a Sword Guest in one's twenties. Could Colorful Clouds Return really be inferior to the Inspection Bureau?

Or was it that although Fan Haiyu went on missions, she was not actually a core disciple?

Fan Haiyu explained: "My sect has swords, but I don't want them. You also know that our Colorful Clouds Return was born to find the Sun-Holding Envoy. We disciples are also recruited for the Sun-Holding Envoy. The swords of Colorful Clouds Return... of course, all have their own missions; in fact, they are all born to find the Sun-Holding Envoy, and all swords are passed down from generation to generation. Choosing a fixed sword means not only must the Sword Intent and Sword Heart be inherited from predecessors, but even the Sword Art cannot be comprehended at will. Every sword has several Sword Arts that must be comprehended, and even Sword Arts one happens to comprehend on one's own must be forgotten if the sect deems them unhelpful for finding the Sun-Holding Envoy."

Tang Zhao felt his scalp tingle—no wonder people said everyone in Colorful Clouds Return was a lunatic. Being raised like this, if they weren't crazy, what were they waiting for? Moreover, the previous generation were lunatics, and the next generation would inevitably inherit that madness, becoming crazier with each generation.

As long as the Sun-Holding Envoy was not found, such lunatics would be produced continuously.

He couldn't help but shake his head and say: "What does this treat disciples as? And what does it treat swords as? By your account, hasn't the sword become an inheritance? Only when the predecessor dies can it be inherited? If the predecessor doesn't die, the sword can't be vacated?"

Weise was unimpressed, thinking: Why is Sir discussing this with her? He doesn't even know if it's true or false, so why discuss the details? Isn't this person just playing the victim to elicit sympathy? It's just a petty trick.

Fan Haiyu continued: "It is like this: the swords of Colorful Clouds Return are like radishes in holes. Logically, as long as the predecessor is still wielding the sword, the successor can never get a turn. However, Colorful Clouds Return has many swords, so there are many holes, and as for the radishes... radishes don't only leave holes when they die. Anyone who fails to comprehend the corresponding Sword Intent or Sword Art on time, or whose strength cannot keep up, will be required to return the sword and vacate it for others. And the swords of Colorful Clouds Return have many similarities, and everyone is selected with a specific direction, so everyone can match several swords. Thus, if one waits quietly, one can always get one."

Tang Zhao felt more and more that Colorful Clouds Return was unreasonable and simply couldn't understand why such a place existed. He said: "No wonder your master spoke so lightly of people returning their swords; it turns out your own sect does this too. If you don't treat disciples as human beings, can the sect still be called a sect? Can you still recruit disciples?"

Fan Haiyu said softly: "We can. I don't know about others, but as a native of the Suiyu like me, I had actually heard of the reputation of Colorful Clouds Return, yet I went voluntarily. Because I wanted to get ahead." She gave a self-deprecating smile. "I was prepared to lose my freedom in exchange for opportunities. But in fact... what kind of resolve did I have? What talent did I have to endure what others cannot? Now I just want to run; I'm afraid. I just want to grab a rope to save my life; if that doesn't work, a straw will do."

Weise said coldly: "You grabbed a straw and it ended up being the Sir? You want to drag him into the water?"

Fan Haiyu said: "The only way I could think of was to find a sword myself. According to the rules of Colorful Clouds Return, if one obtains a sword privately, one naturally loses the opportunity for inheritance and can only be sent to the periphery to do more trivial and dangerous work. However, firstly, one won't die immediately, and secondly, the restrictions one faces are much fewer. Trading danger for freedom depends on one's own choice."

She said slowly and calmly: "I want freedom more."

"Actually, many senior sisters and even senior aunts want to take this path. But the sect does not allow so many people to exploit loopholes and weaken the sect's inheritance, so they have always guarded against it strictly. We have no chance at all to obtain a Sword Seed. I also searched for many years and could never find one. Fortunately, when I entered the sect, I knew the direction of my Inspiration, so I desperately accumulated materials while looking for opportunities. Until that day... when the Tide Sword Seed erupted, I finally found one."

Tang Zhao was inevitably surprised. That day, the Sword Seed eruption sprayed them all over the sky, and even now, he didn't know if Moyun City had collected them all. At that time, everyone indeed had a chance. Although Fan Haiyu was with her master, it was not strange that she found one or two while acting alone.

What was strange was, was it really such a coincidence that the one she found happened to match her?

This luck was too good, wasn't it?

It was on par with Qin Yongcheng digging his own Sword Seed out of a dilapidated Demon Cave.

Mentioning the events of that day, the starlight in Fan Haiyu's eyes grew brighter, and there was even a hint of happiness on her face: "At that time, the Sword Seed happened to fall right beside me. My master didn't see it, but I did, and at a glance, I recognized it as the Sword Seed I needed. How could it be such a coincidence? That single one fell right beside me, and it happened to be suitable for me, and I just happened to have the opportunity to obtain it. Isn't this Heaven wanting me to make a choice? At that time, I even had the impulse to pick up the Sword Seed and run, never to return to Colorful Clouds Return."

"However, I still didn't dare. My master was right beside me; as long as she looked at me, I wouldn't dare move at all. I kept struggling in my heart, but fortunately, I immediately waited for an opportunity, picked up the Sword Seed, and then only the step of Sword Casting remained. Actually, Sword Casting is also very difficult. The Sword Smiths in the sect couldn't possibly cast a sword for me, and all the Sword Smiths I know know my master. It is truly dangerous to go to an unfamiliar Suiyu to find an opportunity; I am not a Sword Guest and have no power to protect myself. But it just so happened that she sent me to the Human World to watch Sword Master Tang, and this turned out to be my opportunity for freedom. I want to cast a sword, become a Sword Guest, and change my destiny."

Tang Zhao listened to her finish and said: "I admire your ambition, but why are you asking me to cast a sword? Why should I cast a sword for you?"

Fan Haiyu lowered her head and said: "I only know you, and I admire you very much. You are a very powerful and upright person. I have never seen such a person in Colorful Clouds Return. That's why I thought of you first..."

Just as she said this, she felt a murderous aura as tangible as reality rush from her back almost directly into her throat, as if a blade were slicing her open.

Was she going to die?

This thought flashed through her mind, and her brain went blank.

Why?

Wasn't she saying good things about Tang Zhao? Why would she be attacked by murderous intent?

What kind of lunatic was the person behind her?

At this moment, the murderous intent was withdrawn, the night wind blew over, and the dripping sweat was blown dry, making the chill even more intense.

Fan Haiyu recovered her senses and saw Tang Zhao lower his hand, realizing it was Tang Zhao who had stopped the person behind her from killing her. She breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said aloud: "I am absolutely not here to force you! As long as it is in the Human World, I can find other Sword Smiths. But I am not here to take advantage of you! I have money! I have accumulated a lot of materials; besides what is used for Sword Casting, I will give you everything else. And... and other wealth, I will give all I have, as long as you agree."

Tang Zhao blocked out her voice and pondered alone.

Within this single day, he had received a record-breaking three Sword Casting invitations. In terms of his willingness to cast swords, it was getting weaker, but the preparation and price offered by the other parties were getting more and more substantial.

He most wanted to cast a sword for Weise; this was his duty, but it was still unclear whether Weise could even select a Sword Seed; there wasn't even a start to it yet. Next was Qin Yongcheng; he liked this student very much. Although the two only had a three-month teacher-student bond, they already had a deep affection, and he was willing to cast the sword for free. Qin Yongcheng had already prepared a Sword Seed, but he had absolutely no materials, and it might take several more years of collecting before they could start.

As for Fan Haiyu, Tang Zhao was very annoyed with Colorful Clouds Return, but he mainly hated her master and her entire sect; he had no feelings for this woman. Regarding Fan Haiyu taking the initiative to show weakness and reveal information, he didn't care; he truly didn't care. Whether it was a small trick or even a conspiracy, it didn't matter; he would keep guarding against this person anyway. But Fan Haiyu had enough materials prepared and could start at any time; it was an opportunity for him to practice, not to mention the generous reward.

Seeing him pondering, Fan Haiyu knew he was not opposed, so she immediately said: "It all depends on your time; you can cast the sword whenever you have a moment. I will be in the Human World for a long time and will await your call at any time. I won't bother you; I won't appear usually, and if there is anything in the sect, I will report it to you. If you have any errands, I will naturally go through fire and water..."

Tang Zhao shook his head and said: "That won't be necessary; I have no use for you. If you are sensible, just wait until I have time."

Fan Haiyu was overjoyed and said: "Thank you..."

Tang Zhao said: "You should show your sincerity first. As for that lousy mission of yours... monitoring me or trying to lure me, just stop it. Like you said, not appearing is the best. I don't care how you fool Colorful Clouds Return; don't appear in my sight unless I look for you. As for the Sword Casting... even if I agree to cast the sword, it is quite normal if it fails."

Fan Haiyu repeatedly said she understood. Tang Zhao didn't say more and said: "It's late, my house is small, and there's no place for you to stay. Come back tomorrow."

Fan Haiyu bowed, didn't say more, jumped onto the roof, and left without looking back, looking as if she were fleeing for her life.

Weise stared at her back with an unkind gaze, then heard Tang Zhao say: "Don't worry about her. Did you find a Sword Seed you have a feeling for?"

Wei Se, whose face had been solemn the entire time, finally revealed a smile and said, "Mm, found it."