Chapter 410: 384 Game

Xu Siyao's single sentence carried a great deal of information. Tang Zhao raised an eyebrow, and Jin Fusheng, over on the other side, already said, "What insect-fight? Hasn't it not started yet? Why is there some insect-fight down the mountain again?"

Xu Siyao said, "It hasn't started for you here, but it has already begun at the foot of the mountain. When I came up, I happened to see a ring set up at the foot of the mountain, cordoned off with iron railings. The disciples you brought were being circled in one by one, and they said they were going to hold an insect-fight to the death. I suppose only half can survive? Or perhaps even fewer. One match up here, one match down there—it doesn't get in the way of either."

Tang Zhao was both shocked and angry. He stood up and said, "On what grounds? Who wants to do this?"

Before he came, he was only told to let the young disciples wait below; he was never told about such a thing!

Although if there were truly any battle, based on Wei Se's strength, he should be crushing the competition—in fact, Wei Se even had the strength to take a seat here—but this kind of insect-fight sounded like it carried immense risk. Blades and spears have no eyes; who could guarantee a one-in-ten-thousand chance of safety?

There were quite a few people as shocked and angry as Tang Zhao. They might not truly care about the disciples, but since no one knew about this segment before coming, wasn't launching a surprise attack a sign of sinister intentions? Who knew what kind of trick Jingzhe Villa was playing?

The tall Jin Fusheng stood up with a boom. His thin clothing actually emitted a clattering sound like armor plates. He shouted angrily, "What is the meaning of Jingzhe Villa? If there is to be an insect-fight, it should have been explained beforehand. To take our disciples away without explanation, isn't that trying to weaken my wings? Call the Young Villa Master out to explain clearly; it cannot be left so unclear."

Opposite him, Cha Feiyan also stood up and said directly, "Everyone, I suspect Jingzhe Villa has ulterior motives. I am going to take my leave first and go down to take a look."

He had always been known for his speed. Once he got moving, he would be a wisp of light smoke in the blink of an eye, rushing down the mountain ahead of everyone else. Instead, the others could not let him leave, fearing he was using this as a pretext to mix high-level combat power into the low-level battlefield and wipe out the people of other factions. They scrambled to stop him, saying, "Wait—"

Just as things were descending into chaos, a cough suddenly came from behind the main hall.

The hall instantly fell silent, and everyone turned their heads at the same time.

They saw the screen that had been placed in the center suddenly pulled away, revealing an old man sitting upright in the seat of honor.

The old man wore an extremely loose Daoist robe, his wide sleeves hanging as if on a clothesline, making him appear so emaciated he was no longer human in shape. His cheeks were skin and bone, resembling a skull, and his white hair was sparse, unable to support a hairpin. Yet his eyes still burned with a scorching light, as if two bolts of lightning were sweeping across the entire hall.

Wherever those lightning bolts swept, the Knight-Errants there lowered their heads, not daring to even take a full breath.

This old man was none other than the current old Manor Master of Jingzhe Villa, Meng Tiansheng.

The moment his figure appeared, the great hall seemed to be hit by a blizzard of goose-feather snow. The temperature plummeted, and everyone was frozen, not daring to make a sound or move a muscle, literally becoming a room full of ice sculptures.

It was rumored that Meng Tiansheng was already near death, his life like a candle in the wind, and he should have been lingering on his deathbed. Everyone who came here was waiting for him to die so they could inherit his legacy. Just moments ago, they had been swaggering about in his room, shouting and maneuvering as if they were already the masters of this house. But once he appeared, all the noise and clamor ceased in an instant; this was still a place he dominated.

When a tiger dies, its prestige remains.

Not to mention the tiger was not yet dead.

Tang Zhao lowered his head along with Black Widow. In truth, he was not suppressed by the old Manor Master. Firstly, he had never witnessed the old Manor Master's strength or methods, and it was hard to have a sense of reality based solely on data, making it impossible to feel this kind of prestige that seeped into the bones. Secondly, he was also a Sword Guest.

The biggest reason the old Manor Master could still truly suppress everyone present was that he was a Sword Guest.

As long as Meng Tiansheng was alive, even if he was on his last breath, he was a Sword Guest who wielded a sword. He still had the Jingzhe Sword hanging at his waist; the sword would not betray him, and the Sword Essence and Sword Intent all belonged to him.

If his heart stirred and his Sword Art was unleashed, the subtle Spring Thunder would naturally emit a deafening roar, capable of slaying anyone present except for Tang Zhao.

What hung over everyone's heads was not just silent pressure, but a tangible threat to their lives. As long as the old Manor Master's will was clear, he could dictate the life and death of everyone present. If he found any candidate displeasing, he could lightly swing his sword, slice that person's head off, and say, "Now there are only four candidates left." Would the others have any dissatisfaction with that?

The rest would only heave a sigh of relief—it just wasn't me who died.

As a fellow Sword Guest, Tang Zhao was not under a death threat, but he still felt waves of discomfort.

That was the faint pressure of Sword Essence.

Meng Tiansheng was indeed nearing death, and the surrounding Sword Essence was spreading uncontrollably, invading everything and everyone around him. Sword Essence was thicker than Qi, and its pressure was very strong. Tang Zhao would feel uncomfortable all over if he relied only on Qi for Body Protection, unless he also used Sword Essence to resist.

But he did not want to yet. At this moment, he had confirmed that this Sword Essence held no killing intent and was not aimed at him. He decided not to do anything unnecessary, practiced Restraint on his Sword Essence, and pretended to lower his head for the time being. In a fleeting glance, he found the shadow of Meng Yun on the old Manor Master's face and incidentally confirmed the Jingzhe Sword at his waist.

It seemed Meng Huazhou was indeed the son of Meng Tiansheng; it was no mistake.

If even he felt uncomfortable, the others could not even lift their heads. It was fortunate they were all heroes of their time; otherwise, some might have been unable to hold on and knelt down on the spot.

Meng Tiansheng's appearance stunned everyone. He said in a blurred voice, "Everyone, my son has not returned from abroad and will only be back tomorrow. Today is not suitable for an insect-fight. Everyone, just rest in the villa for the night."

You were the ones who set the time, yet the person setting the questions isn't here, and you made us rush over to gather and wait for a greenhorn. Are you playing us?

Although he really wanted to say that...

But how could anyone dare to speak it? Instead, they forced out smiles and bowed their heads in agreement.

The old Manor Master was likely lacking in spirit; after saying one sentence, he fell silent. One hand rested on the armrest, the other supported his forehead, and he closed his eyes to rest, as if he had fallen asleep.

Everyone remained silent along with him, as if sitting in prison.

After a while, he raised his head again and said, "Oh, there's nothing to do tonight anyway. Let's play a game together."

Play a game?

With you? Right now?

Despite all the internal complaints, no one dared to speak. Jin Fusheng forced himself to bow and said, "Please, Manor Master, set the topic."

The old Manor Master said in a more relaxed tone, "I am old and cannot play games that are too stimulating. How about this, let's play—a chatting game."

Regardless of anyone else's expression, Meng Tiansheng said slowly, "I will go to the next room, and you will come to chat with me one by one. Whoever chats well, I will give them a small gift. Although it may not necessarily add points for you, it should be useful when it comes time for the selection."

No points added...

Who would believe that?

Before coming here, everyone believed Meng Tiansheng was on his deathbed, lying in bed unconscious. Therefore, everyone focused their thoughts on each other and the YoungMaster Meng, carefully studying the Young Villa Master's personality and guessing what questions he would ask. But after Meng Tiansheng appeared, everyone suddenly realized that the old man still firmly controlled the situation. Thus, the so-called "Young Master setting the questions and everyone competing freely" was greatly discounted.

Him saying "no points added" was not a statement, but a reminder. A reminder to speak well with him, as it would determine whether you could get points and whether you could step onto the next examination ground.

However, there were also people like Tang Zhao who suddenly thought: Perhaps this old man is just too bored because his son hasn't returned, and he wants to use a condescending attitude to tease a few candidates to pass the time?

Everyone steeled their nerves. The old Manor Master said, "I am in the next room; you all come find me one by one. Beigong, you go first."

Beigong stood up. At this moment, Tang Zhao also stood up and said, "Old Manor Master, let me ask, it is said that an insect-fight is taking place down the mountain, involving all the young disciples. What is going on with that?"

The crowd went quiet. They couldn't help but look at Tang Zhao with strange expressions, all thinking: You're actually asking that?

Is such a thing important?

After the old Manor Master appeared, let alone the disciples fighting below, even if he made them fight each other right here on the spot, they would have no way to resist. Why bother asking for trouble over the affairs of a few disciples?

When he was moving the chair earlier, I thought this kid was sick in the head. Now he's changed to a different kind of sickness?

Black Widow really has "good fortune" to have found such an outside helper!

Meng Tiansheng paused for a moment and asked vaguely, "What insect-fight?"

A Protector waiting behind him stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Manor Master, that is the Young Villa Master's intention. The topics he arranged for everyone are quite special. Those who follow are too weak to be of any use, so he wanted to set up a screening in advance to filter out those who lack ability. It is taking place tonight."

Tang Zhao turned to look at him and said, "Since there were orders long ago, why was it not mentioned in advance?"

The Protector asked in return, "Was it necessary to say?"

Tang Zhao raised an eyebrow. Meng Tiansheng interrupted the conversation and said in an aged voice, "Since that is the case, then this can also count as a game. I will also give a small gift to the person who can win the game." After saying this, he pushed his chair, and the chair turned automatically, carrying him out. The Protector beside him immediately followed.

Tang Zhao was furious, but Black Widow held him down and said, "Our people are fine."

She was not referring to the people of Black Spider Villa, but specifically to Wei Se. As for her own people, it was truly not certain; while Jiao Feng's strength was indeed good, he might not necessarily suppress the others, and the other two Disciples were even less certain. Black Spider Villa was at most on par with the other factions of the Five Poisons Society; even if a genius appeared occasionally, it was impossible for every Disciple to be a guaranteed winner.

However, she did not care much; if a little spider died, so be it, as long as Tang Zhao's people were not lost and the friendship between the two sides was not damaged.

Tang Zhao certainly did not think Wei Se could not handle such a small scene, nor was he particularly worried about Jiao Feng; he was simply repulsed by the Five Poisons Society's style of playing with people's lives at any time and place. Jingzhe Villa and the Five Poisons Society were of the same lineage—pure evil.

Tang Zhao sat down and proceeded to confirm with Wei Se using his Communication Hand Tablet.

Wei Se could exchange messages with him at any time, and soon replied: "No danger. What are your orders?"

Tang Zhao thought for a moment and replied first: "Safety first, no need to take risks."

Wei Se replied with a "Yes," and said nothing more.

Tang Zhao's mood improved slightly, and a thought suddenly arose: what if he killed the old man ahead of time, created a window of time where the villa had no one in charge, and simply seized the sword?

He was startled by his own thought; it was not that it was unfeasible, but why did he suddenly have this idea of killing to seize the sword and ending it all at once?

Could it be that he had been influenced by the atmosphere of Jingzhe Villa?

At this moment, Beigong Qi had not returned, and another Protector called Jin Fusheng to go in. After a while, someone came out and shouted: "Manor Master Yin, the old Manor Master invites you in next."