Chapter 503: 477 Grievances

The subsequent journey was fairly smooth.

Whether Zhang Jiangjun was intimidated by that phrase "bearing of a Sword Immortal," or whether he and the Deputy General needed to focus on the task of sealing off Xishan while also handling the additional affairs of Tongming Hall, finding Tang Zhao of the Land Inspection Division a nuisance—in any case, he no longer obstructed him. Instead, he half-drove, half-sent him off, anxious for him to leave the camp and be on his way. As for the matter of Black Widow that he had mentioned, there was also no obstruction; he let him take the person away directly.

Tang Zhao even mentioned Yue Lai briefly later on. Zhang Jiangjun did not express a stance at the time, but when Tang Zhao left the camp, he was surprised to see Yue Lai had been thrown out of the camp.

It seemed Yue Lai hadn't done anything too excessive; at most, his attitude was a bit annoying, and later, with Tongming Hall as a comparison, he didn't amount to much. Just as Tang Zhao brought it up, he was let go as well.

In the end, the three people and one fox, companions who had originally sat on a cloud together, all walked out of Xishan safe and sound.

This could also be considered a fortunate event.

After exiting Xishan, the group arrived at a fork in the road and saw two paths before them: one leading east, one leading north.

Tang Zhao pointed to the northern road and said, "Brother Yue, if you are returning to Youzhou, you can take this road."

Yue Lai hurriedly said, "I dare not accept the title 'Brother Yue'; just calling me by my name is fine."

After he had been hunted by Meng Huazhou and then saved by Tang Zhao, Yue Lai had become quite polite, completely devoid of the arrogance he had shown on the cloud. Now, having heard Zhang Jiangjun mention Tang Zhao's status as a Sword Hero when leaving the camp, he added an extra ten parts of respect, showing absolutely none of the "arrogance of a large sect" that others had mentioned.

Thinking about it, it made sense; if a Mortal could still be arrogant toward a Sword Hero who had saved them more than once, then not only would their character be questionable, but their brain would also be malfunctioning.

Even if one arrived at the mountain gate of the Yanyun Sword Sect, even the most direct-line Disciple would not be arrogant toward a Sword Hero, especially since this Sword Hero was unusually young and looked to have a boundless future.

Yue Lai continued, "I am not returning to Youzhou, but I do indeed need to head north to pay respects to my family."

He smiled at Tang Zhao and said, "Thanks to your blessing, my grievances are now settled, and I feel a weight lifted; I must go and pay my respects."

Tang Zhao said, "Oh, is it the Meng family father and son's..."

Yue Lai sighed softly and nodded.

Black Widow said, "The Meng father and son had enemies everywhere; dying at the hands of an enemy is just retribution. Back then, the old bastard did everything—killing, arson, rape, and plunder..."

Yue Lai glanced at her, his expression calm, and said, "Killing, arson, rape, and plunder? If it were truly because of that, there would at least be a reason. There are too many such things in the Jianghu; even if it were for money and murder, it could be considered my family being guilty of possessing a treasure. In fact, there was none of that... the old beast just wanted the young beast to learn how to kill."

He had been silent before, not mentioning a word about his grievances, but perhaps because he had finally settled his heart, he felt he had to speak:

"Twelve years ago, our family was traveling by carriage to Youzhou to see my grandmother. Before we even left the borders of Yunzhou, we encountered the two beasts of the Meng family, big and small. The old beast blocked the middle of the road and kicked our carriage over. The carriage overturned, and I fell into a ditch, which is how I saved my life. The old beast dragged our family out one by one and told the young beast to take his sword and kill them. The young beast was only ten, right? He took the sword and killed my parents and sister one by one. When he reached my five-year-old sister, the young beast probably had a soft heart. The old beast cursed him: 'Are you going soft just because she's a child? You really are trash! In two days you will participate in the Insect Fight, and no one will go soft on you because you're young. You might as well die in the Insect Fight and be eaten by bugs; my Meng family has no use for trash like you.' Then he took the young beast's hand and thrust it forward—killing my sister."

His tone was flat as he spoke, his voice sounding as if it came from another world.

Tang Zhao felt a chill run down his spine and a wave of nausea. Recalling the appearance of Meng Huazhou, he suddenly felt that his own game-like teasing had been too lenient on Meng Huazhou—how could one toy with others like that?

Even Black Widow said, "I killed Meng Huazhou; I'm sorry I didn't let you take revenge with your own hands."

Yue Lai said with a calm expression, "No matter, it was my own incompetence. The Sword Hero gave me the chance, and I didn't grasp it. I thank you for not letting him escape; otherwise, if he had a chance to catch his breath, perhaps I would have been the one to die at his hands first."

He finally said to Tang Zhao, "Your Excellency..."

Tang Zhao hurriedly said, "That title is too formal; let's use the old one, just call me Brother Tang..."

Black Widow suddenly laughed, "Don't use 'brother' or whatever; it's too rustic, as if we were bandits sitting on chairs on a mountain. In my opinion, calling you Young Master Tang is always appropriate."

Yue Lai was visibly relieved and said, "I have received the kindness of Young Master Tang on this trip. With my meager self, speaking of repaying you like a gushing spring would be overestimating my abilities, but if there is an opportunity and the Young Master is short of help, please think of me. I hope to be able to offer the labor of a dog or horse."

Tang Zhao said, "You are too polite. I actually have something I would like to ask you."

Yue Lai hurriedly said, "Please ask."

Tang Zhao said, "Does your Yanyun Sword Sect have any branch academies in Yunzhou? The kind with low entry requirements."

Yue Lai felt slightly confused and said, "It seems not... We have three branch academies in Youzhou and one in Yan Prefecture, but in Yunzhou... I remember now, there was one in Yunzhou originally. But the Gaoyuan Marquis here in Yunzhou governs strictly and does not welcome us sects taking good seedlings from Yunzhou to other prefectures, adding many restrictions. Our Elder said she was not the same kind of person as her, so the branch academy was closed."

Speaking of this, his mind turned, and he suddenly said, "Are you perhaps looking to introduce someone to a branch academy? Why mention a branch academy? Entering my Yanyun Sword Sect directly is not difficult."

Tang Zhao waved his hand and said, "Forget it, a 'Qi' is too big for a 'Ou'. Your Yanyun Sword Sect is not a place for just anyone."

Yue Lai said, "It is difficult for others, but not for you. Even without me, if you took someone to any large sect, which one would not accept them? Not to mention those with brilliant talent, even those who are slightly mediocre would definitely be cultivated seriously."

Tang Zhao shook his head and smiled, "Forget it. I will consider it further."

He wanted Liangzi to go to a sect with a clean tradition to learn some principles of being a person and have a good future, not to send him there to rely on a backer to act recklessly.

Yue Lai could not help Tang Zhao and felt disappointed in his heart, so he thanked him again, and the three parted ways at the fork in the road.

After he left, Black Widow chuckled and said, "Young Master Tang, your status hasn't adjusted yet, has it?"

Tang Zhao said helplessly, "Sister Yin, why are you also calling me Young Master Tang? Isn't it awkward?"

Black Widow said somewhat solemnly, "It's not awkward. Because we are familiar, I call you Young Master Tang; otherwise, I really should call you Your Excellency. You shouldn't refuse; a Sword Hero should be addressed as Your Excellency. Everyone is like this. If you refuse to accept such a title, are you trying to show that you are humble and other Sword Heroes are arrogant? You keep lowering your own status, which makes others feel at a loss. Didn't you see that when saying 'brother' or 'brother', Yue Lai was uncomfortable? That's because you have a friendship; him calling you Young Master is considered close. If he had no connection to you, calling you Young Master would be abrupt. Just call you Your Excellency according to the rules; it's not wrong, and everyone is comfortable."

Tang Zhao pondered upon hearing this and said, "Indeed. I have been taught."

He turned and smiled, "Sister Yin speaking to me so directly shows that you are not treating me as an outsider."

Black Widow also smiled, "I said it with great courage, and I'm still afraid now. If you had turned your face, I would have been finished."

This was a joke both knew, and Tang Zhao laughed once. Black Widow continued, "I heard what you meant; you have a child you want to introduce to a large sect, but you don't want to make a big deal out of it and attract attention, right?"

Tang Zhao nodded, "Sister Yin still knows me."

Black Widow smiled, "I know your temperament; you always want to keep a low profile. Unfortunately, with your status, as long as you reveal your identity, it is high-profile; how can you not be taken seriously? If you want to do things quietly, you cannot come forward yourself; you must find a reliable intermediary. You want a proper sect, right? Finding me is better than finding Yue Lai."

Tang Zhao asked in surprise, "Sister Yin knows righteous sects? But..."

Black Widow said, "You think I'm from the black path, so I don't know the white path? How is that possible? How could Black Widow have mixed in the Jianghu for so many years? I was a righteous person on the front lines in my early years; who don't I know? I know many sects, big and small, black and white; I can always satisfy your needs. Perhaps the friendship isn't deep, but introducing one or two people is no problem; it's just that they won't get special treatment."

Tang Zhao said, "No special treatment is needed. I just don't know if there are any sects within Yunzhou with a relatively upright style? They don't need to be too big, and don't be the kind with few people; medium-sized is best. They must have a certain amount of power so they won't be bullied."

Black Widow pondered, "Yunzhou goes without saying; I only know the Jianghu of Yunzhou. If you ask me to find one outside, I don't have any. Relatively upright style... the sects I know all have more or less... oh, I thought of one. The Yangyuan Sect. This is an old sect in our Yunzhou. It was a famous large sect in Yunzhou back then, but later it declined a bit, but it is still one of the best large sects in our Yuxia. I did a favor for one of their Elders and obtained a Recommendation Disciple Note, which has been with me for a long time. If you want it, I can give it to you. No, I will go for you, so you don't have to come forward and make it a 'big fuss' again."

Tang Zhao was very happy, but still confirmed, "How is the style of the Yangyuan Sect? What is the foundation of their martial arts? Why did they decline?"

Black Widow said, "The style goes without saying; although it is a bit old-fashioned, there are no major flaws, and it is definitely not the kind of place that is hypocritical and wolf-hearted. The teaching between master and disciple is also very serious, and the inheritance has continued for generations. The foundation goes without saying; both Internal and External Arts are not bad. The Yangyuan Art was once called one of the three great internal arts of Yunzhou and is still famous today. The only thing is that the sword inheritance is worse. It is said that the head of the Yangyuan Sect back then was a Sword Hero, but he met with a disaster and unfortunately fell. Although they kept the old sword, it was difficult to find a successor, and no Sword Hero has appeared since. The previous head and the current head are only Sword Guests. You know the current situation; everything depends on the sword. Without a Sword Hero, the sect has to be downgraded, which is why it declined. Fortunately, they didn't make any powerful enemies when they were glorious, and now they are retreating from the rapids and causing less karma, so they have managed to maintain their prestige in Yuxia Jun."

Tang Zhao heard the ins and outs and was somewhat satisfied with this sect, but after all, this was a matter related to Liangzi's lifelong future, so he could not decide it based on a few words and planned to investigate their reputation before making a decision.

For now, he put the topic aside and asked, "Sister Yin, where did your sword come from?"