Chapter 525: 479 Reunion

On the early morning of March 5th, a young man in a green cloth short-jacket entered Zhaoyang Base with a sword on his back.

The guard watching Zhaoyang Base, who was also a former Teaching Assistant at the Training Camp, Pei Renfeng, checked his Token and letter. After verifying them without error, he let him in, though he felt a bit strange in his heart: it had been a while since anyone was transferred in, and suddenly someone was transferred, and it was a transfer order written by Tang Commander himself?

Moreover, while many young people were transferred into Zhaoyang Base, they were generally at least Sword Guests. This person carried a sword, which meant he was just a Sword Student. Given the current situation in the base, he could only watch the door or sweep the floor; why transfer him here specifically? Furthermore, his attire was so simple, and his temperament was so ordinary—he looked neither like a scholar nor an official.

Furthermore... although this was his first time seeing this person, he felt a sense of familiarity, as if they were old acquaintances.

Could it be that the person's appearance was too common, a "public face"? Indeed, except for the strange color of his Eye Beads, his other features and stature were all strictly average, with no distinguishing characteristics at all.

"Wei Se is here."

The young man entered the camp himself and found Tang Zhao in a familiar classroom. Tang Zhao was looking at a file; he looked up and gave a familiar, calm greeting, as if the two had met just yesterday.

The corners of Wei Se's mouth twitched, which counted as a smile; if he didn't deliberately mobilize his muscles, this was as much of a hearty laugh as he could manage.

"Sir."

"Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet."

"That's perfect, let's go eat together. We can chat while we eat."

"Alright."

Zhaoyang Base had a dedicated canteen that could accommodate over a hundred people dining at once. It was slightly past mealtime, so there weren't many people. Tang Zhao found an empty table and ordered steamed buns, spring rolls, and two-colored milk cakes; Wei Se added pickled salted eggs and mixed bean porridge.

The food piled up on the large table, the aroma hitting the nose; eating while chatting was also a form of comfort.

"Is your Sword Enlightenment going smoothly?"

"Smoothly. In three months, I have been able to unsheathe it three inches. If all goes well, I can become a Sword Guest in a little over a year. But it is far less smooth than you were initially, Sir."

Tang Zhao smiled unconsciously and said, "Don't compare yourself to me; I don't even know how I became a Sword Guest in an instant. If you asked me to do it again, I might not be able to... Your progress is indeed not slow. That your Sword Enlightenment is smooth shows it is a good fit. Later, you can go travel outside, see different scenery, and you will be able to enlighten your sword even more. The south has many thunderstorms, especially in summer; as summer is approaching, after this, you can go to the south to take a look."

Wei Se nodded and added, "I don't think I need to look for lightning. The direction of my sword is not thunder."

Tang Zhao was startled and said, "Jingzhe Sword... is not thunder?"

Wei Se said, "Although the Sword Intent has not yet emerged, the direction should be... control."

Tang Zhao was thoughtful and said, "That seems to make sense...? The Jingzhe Sword is the master of all insects; it is reasonable for it to produce a Sword Intent similar to control. If so, there is no need to go to the south; I should think about where it would be appropriate to travel..."

Wei Se then asked, "Where do you plan to go, Sir?"

Tang Zhao was startled and said, "Wangliang Mountain, of course..."

Wei Se said, "I don't mean this time; where will you go in the future?"

Tang Zhao said, "In the future... I should go to the Qianxian. Staying in Yunzhou is useless. Lingzhou doesn't need me to suppress bandits either. In the Suiyu, however, I have a long-term goal."

It is to follow the guidance of the Glasses, to see the situation in the Suiyu, and to see what happened on the day it shattered.

What were the countless echoes heard at that time?

Can the shattered Glasses be repaired?

Can the shattered Suiyu be reborn?

This is a very long-term goal; he has no clue yet and can only move forward one step at a time.

Wei Se said directly, "Then I will go to the Qianxian as well."

Tang Zhao paused, then smiled very naturally, "The Qianxian is very dangerous. If you become a Sword Guest, it would be fine, but do not go to the Qianxian if you haven't; otherwise, the Human World will have lost another promising talent prematurely."

Wei Se scooped the salted egg into the porridge, waited for the yolk to soak through, and drank it with the porridge rice, saying, "Then I can only wait and see when the time comes."

After chatting about some idle matters, he turned the topic back to the present. Tang Zhao said seriously, "The situation has been roughly written in the letter, but some trouble has arisen recently, and the plan must be changed."

Wei Se looked up at him, and Tang Zhao said, "Originally, we thought that although the advance team has a limit on the number of people and cannot bring too many, the combat power could be maximized. We would use Sword Guests instead of Mortals, and Sword Heroes instead of Sword Guests. It would be best to set out with a row of Sword Heroes; where could we not go? But the trouble is, Wangliang Mountain is not stupid."

"We just interrogated them and found out that Wangliang Mountain used to be accessible, but a restriction was newly set up in recent years specifically to test the strength of those entering. Anything abnormal will trigger the vigilance of the Wangliang power. Recently, the Deep Shadow Society is going to hold a meeting, and with various flows of people entering and exiting, the checks are even stricter. The number of people accompanying Jian Chenglong has already been reported; although Wangliang Mountain does not know the specific appearance of the people, they have long known the strength. Our people can only match their strength."

Tang Zhao shook his head and said, "And in that group, there is not a single Sword Hero."

Wei Se said, "So... you cannot go?"

Tang Zhao said, "Originally, I was blocked. However, there is a flaw here, which is the old servant sent out from Wangliang Mountain to receive Jian Chenglong. He is an insider and has an identification Token. Through this Token, he can bypass the screening and enter Wangliang Mountain directly. This Token was originally bound to him, bound very deeply; Wangliang Mountain probably thought there was no fear of it being replaced. But it just so happens that we have an expert here who is proficient in Rune Formulas and Soul knowledge, who can confuse the identity of the Token and rebind it to me. Although he is only a Sword Guest, because it directly bypasses the detection, it doesn't matter if there is a difference in strength, so I, a Sword Hero, can also enter. But there is only this one opportunity; everyone else is an outsider and must follow the strength requirements; there is no other way."

He casually took out a light-shadow image: "So I can only disguise myself as this person."

Wei Se took a look and just wanted to say, "Is it an old man?" but then frowned and said, "Is it a white-haired person?"

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "White hair; he shouldn't be very old. Maybe he hasn't even reached thirty, but he already looks aged. He is a typical Sword Guest from Wangliang Mountain who struggled out from being a Sword Slave. Once one has been a Sword Slave, their lifespan is consumed rapidly, and their hair turns white very quickly, so they look particularly old."

Wei Se pondered and said, "Such a character... is difficult for you."

Tang Zhao sighed and said, "Yes. Fortunately, there are at most a few Sword Guests in that manor, and the rest are Sword Slaves. When we get in, we will become the Manor Master and use our power to purge the manor. If we keep our own people and the Sword Slaves who don't know the inside story, we won't have to worry about being exposed day and night."

The manors of Wangliang Mountain are all places that hide filth; except for those Sword Slaves who have no choice, even Sword Guests who come from Sword Slave backgrounds, after staying in Wangliang Mountain for a long time, become twisted like Phantoms and cruel like fierce ghosts. Calling it a purge is not wrong at all.

Wei Se nodded and said, "Play to your strengths and avoid weaknesses; the plan is feasible."

Tang Zhao said, "Except for me, there are no other Sword Heroes in the team. Jian Chenglong only reported two Sword Guests, including himself. So we can only bring two Sword Guests. The rest are Mortals... or other existences."

Besides the fact that people are strictly checked, other existences can be slipped through, providing space for some non-human existences that Tang Zhao knows.

Jian Chenglong brought four servants, one Sword Guest guard, plus four young boys and girls, a group of ten. Tang Zhao originally thought it wouldn't matter to bring a few more, but with the strength restriction, there was no need to bring more people. Because even if Mortals have special abilities, they are extremely dangerous in Wangliang Mountain; bringing one more person is just adding one more point of danger. If it weren't for the fact that it would be too embarrassing for a dignified Young Villa Master to have no servants around him, Tang Zhao would have just wanted to take two Sword Guests and be done with it.

"One of the Sword Guests is Zheng Yun. He is actually not a Sword Guest, but he has the blessing of the Jinwu Spirit and has traces of Sword Essence on him, so his strength cannot be suppressed. Therefore, he will play the Young Villa Master. No one knows this Young Villa Master, so it is easiest to play him. Moreover, when Jinwu Dianxia descends directly, acting as the Young Villa Master also fits its status; it cannot play other identities."

"There is another Sword Guest I will choose from the base. I am quite optimistic about Fang Weiran. His ability is very special and might play a special role."

Because Wei Se did not know Fang Weiran, Tang Zhao did not say much more and continued, "The rest are all Mortals. You will definitely take one spot. The rest will be chosen from the Inspection Division and the Jing'an Division."

In fact, the Inspection Division has many experts with outstanding strength who have never become Sword Guests due to luck. Tang Zhao can choose as he pleases; choosing people from the Inspection Division is choosing his own people, making it smoother to command.

But every trade has its specialty; although the Inspection Division has capable people, they are all good at fighting against Heavenly Demons and Phantoms. Many of their skills in gathering intelligence and undercover operations were only learned in the Training Camp, and after so many years of not using them, they have long since returned them to the Instructor. To fight behind enemy lines, it has to be the Jing'an Division.

In addition, Tang Zhao also considered Jiang Shenyi; his Senior Brother is also an excellent Talisman Sword Master who can help him set up arrays, and his strength is also good. He is currently in the base, so asking him to help is also very good.

In short, except for Wei Se, the other three are also the best of the best, and there are still many choices.

"Now it's the young boys and girls."

Tang Zhao said, "These four are also known inside the manor; that man surnamed Jian had already told them inside that he would bring four top-quality ones back. It would be acceptable not to bring them. But... now both girls are already taken."

And they are both acquaintances with great backgrounds, having more prestige than a few Mortal servants.

One of them was invited to guest star, Aqin; she truly looks like a young girl and is not yet a true Sword Guest. As for the other, he is another old acquaintance of Tang Zhao.

Feng Zhilie.

He is also an experienced deputy assigned to Tang Zhao by the Gaoyuan Marquis; although he is truly old, he appears in the form of a little girl. He is a Spirit Image manifested into a true body, and although his strength is not poor, he should be able to deceive the inspection restrictions. The same applies to Aqin; she is a hybrid of a Sword Image, a special existence that can entrust her power into a Mirror to maintain the state of a Mortal young girl.

Two little girls, yet they are two extra combatants on Tang Zhao's side.

"It's just that there's no way regarding the boys. The Sword Slaves being trafficked cannot be over fifteen years old, and children of this age in the Land Inspection Division have at most just entered the Training Camp; not only is their strength mediocre, but they also have no special skills, so bringing them along would just be a burden. It would be better not to bring them and simply cut these two spots..."

Wei Se thought for a moment and said, "Are you considering hiring people from the Yama Shop?"

Tang Zhao let out an "Ah?" and said, "The Yama Shop?"

Wei Se said, "Children in the Land Inspection Division are still childish at fifteen, but at the Yama Shop, they are already not small and can officially debut as assassins. I was not yet fifteen when I debuted. You also know Lady Hua Rong; ask her to select two outstanding children for you. If you are worried about confidentiality, you don't have to return them to the Yama Shop after this mission; you can keep them by your side or hand them over to the Land Inspection Division. As long as you pay enough, Lady Hua Rong will give you this face."

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "That works, it is also a solution. Let's plan it this way for now."