Chapter 551: 504 Hiding

Tang Zhao heard this and was stunned, saying, "Anxing Manor and Changfa Manor have traded with each other?"

Wei Zhangle said, "They have. It's very common for manors to trade. Changfa Manor's dyes are quite useful; it's not strange that Anxing Manor would want to use them."

He reached this point and recalled, "Anxing Manor seems to be a major client of Changfa Manor. I've seen several of their transactions since I arrived at Changfa."

Tang Zhao shook his head. If it were anyone else, it might be fine, but given the existence of Xing Cang and the special nature of Dark Star, it made one think more.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps. Continue."

Wei Zhangle continued, "That Mr. Xing San could be considered a good person. The kind of good person who is rarer than a Pearl on Wangliang Mountain. Actually, Changfa Manor itself is also alright; they would keep slaves whose Inspiration had been exhausted. I originally wanted to replace a sword slave who had already been drained, but after Mr. Xing San got off the carriage, he released everyone in our carriage directly. They weren't made into sword slaves; he told us to just go work. This was a bit of kindness he showed because he thought we slaves were too miserable, which also happened to make my work easier."

Wei Zhangle sighed and said, "To be honest, saying Changfa Manor is comfortable or that there are many good people inside is truly an overstatement. But the atmosphere in the manor is relatively relaxed for Wangliang Mountain. Here, they occasionally accommodate some useless people. People don't die often either. It's mainly because that old fellow Xing Cang tolerates it."

Tang Zhao felt a stir in his heart, recalling the Sword Guests of Changfa Manor he had seen. Xing Wu was a somewhat dull and simple person; Xing Twelve was a die-hard loyalist to Xing Cang. Xing Jiu seemed to have read some books and had a scholarly air; Xing Shisan was a bit of a hothead.

And there was Xing Qi, who, although rather slick and prone to flattery, was essentially a Wangliang Mountain version of Zheng Yun.

To say these people were very loyal or pure-hearted would certainly be a stretch, but they still retained relatively normal individual personalities. They weren't particularly twisted, which is rare enough on Wangliang Mountain, indicating that they still had room to breathe after all these years. In any case, if they were locked in cages for a few months, all these personalities would be washed away.

It seems the atmosphere at Changfa Manor is indeed alright. If it is Xing Cang maintaining it, it means this person is not twisted, and perhaps doesn't even have much of the Wangliang Mountain style.

Of course, not being twisted doesn't mean they can't be evil; it's that most common type of evil in the Human World—for the sake of profit.

Tang Zhao said, "When you went there, the old Manor Master was still alive, right?"

Wei Zhangle said, "Yes. Although I never met him, Mr. Xing San was loyal to the Manor Master. According to my observations, that Manor Master was no different from ordinary manor masters in terms of character—extravagant and lustful, wishing to drink the last drop of blood from every slave in the manor. If there was any difference, it was that his control over the manor was lacking. The Grand Steward holds a pivotal position in the manor, and he couldn't do anything about it. That old man would give some slaves a way to survive; among the level of slaves I was mixed in with, many were grateful to him."

Tang Zhao nodded and asked again, "Yet you don't think highly of him, calling him 'old fellow Xing Cang'?"

Wei Zhangle said, "I didn't call him 'old thief,' did I? But the one I followed from the beginning was Mr. Xing San. Not only did he save me, but he didn't treat slaves with much respect, at least he treated them as people. My job was to be an undercover agent, so of course, I had to be careful not to have any real feelings for anyone, but I ultimately had the most affection for him. And he was loyal to the Manor Master, with a devotion that came from the heart."

"For a time, I was quite confused. I followed Mr. Xing San, so I should be considered part of the Manor Master's faction. But I also knew that if the Grand Steward weren't holding things up from above, Changfa Manor couldn't be this relaxed. If the old Manor Master had sole power, I'm afraid I would have trouble even breathing. So what should my stance be? Later, I figured it out—none of my business; I'm here to be an undercover agent."

Tang Zhao smiled and nodded. Being an undercover agent for a long time leads to confused identity, which is a major hurdle. Fortunately, a place as dark as Wangliang Mountain has no appeal, and even the temptation to fall is minimal. No undercover agent would defect to Wangliang Mountain; it's just too oppressive and painful, driving people mad.

Wei Zhangle said, "I originally just thought that if we could successfully destroy Wangliang Mountain, I would save Mr. Xing San's life as a way to repay his kindness. But later, Deacon Xing San was killed by Xing Cang."

Tang Zhao said, "Was it the time the old Manor Master died? Because the old master died, Xing Cang killed all the former confidants to eliminate dissent?"

Wei Zhangle said, "No, it was the exact opposite. Mr. Xing San died first. It was just a few days before the old Manor Master died. One could even say that perhaps it was Xing San's death that triggered the old Manor Master's death. At the time, Mr. Xing San had been assigned a secret mission by the old Manor Master Wucang. Although I couldn't find out the whole picture, I hid and heard one sentence: 'Check why the old thing hasn't died yet?'"

Tang Zhao thought to himself: As expected. Although Xing Cang's white hair wasn't conspicuous among a group of white-haired Sword Guests, everyone wasn't a fool. They could tell the difference between a real old man and a fake one. Living too long is indeed too conspicuous. The old Manor Master had only been in the position of Manor Master for ten years; in these ten years, he had aged significantly, while the old man Xing Cang remained an old man, jumping around for so many years. In a place like Wangliang Mountain, wouldn't that arouse suspicion?

If the old man Xing Cang had really lived long enough, then this shouldn't be the first time he had encountered such questioning. He might have handled it with ease, consistently...

Sure enough, Wei Zhangle said, "Then Mr. Xing San died. I wasn't there when he died, but I always felt he died very abruptly. Just a few days later, the old Manor Master also died inexplicably. Then came the great purge. You say it was to eliminate dissent, but I don't think it can be counted as eliminating dissent. In the entire manor, only the old Manor Master was qualified to be his rival, and he was already suppressed by him; if he wanted to resist, he was killed. What did the others count for? He just used the opportunity to kill the Sword Guests he found displeasing."

"Originally there were twelve Sword Guests in total, and seven died. Only Xing Wu, Xing Qi, Xing Jiu, and the two youngest, Twelve and Thirteen, remained. Xing Wu is a relatively introverted and simple person who keeps to himself; Xing Qi is particularly good at bootlicking and has always considered himself the Grand Steward's lackey. Xing Jiu might be the only bookworm left on Wangliang Mountain. The two young ones had only recently advanced and didn't understand anything, which is why they were left behind."

Tang Zhao immediately said, "Wait—killing so many Sword Guests in one go, how did he kill them? How many helpers did he have? Did he kill them all at once? Wouldn't divide and conquer also cause alarm? Did he set a trap and catch them off guard?"

Wei Zhangle said solemnly, "As expected of Brother Zhao, you hit the key point immediately. I didn't see how Mr. Xing San and the old Manor Master died, but I saw the subsequent massacre. It was almost Xing Cang's own doing, and it was an instant kill at the same time. Hmm, the houses in the manor are like cages; once you go in, you can't get out. Then every table and chair became a murder weapon. The entire manor was helping him, and those Sword Guests had no room to resist."

The White Fox gave a sound of surprise and said, "Just like our Baiyujing?"

Every blade of grass and every tree in Baiyujing is under the control of the Ruyi Sword. Could Changfa Manor be the same?

Of course, a Sword Guest cannot compare to a Sword Immortal, but the principle is the same.

Tang Zhao tapped his hand on the table and said, "So that's it. This is very important information. In other words, that Changfa Manor might originally be the old fellow's Sword Image?"

Thinking of this, Tang Zhao couldn't help but feel some emotion: "Good thing I didn't rush up the mountain."

Of course, with him and the Golden Crow, falling into the Sword Image of a mere Sword Guest or even a Sword Hero wouldn't be much, but it would inevitably cause a commotion and attract attention, which would not be good.

If a Sword Image can last forever, the old fellow is practically a Sword Hero if he isn't one already. Tang Zhao didn't see that he was a Sword Hero; he didn't know if his Sword Image was special enough to be preserved, or if he had hidden his strength?

Wei Zhangle is not yet a Sword Guest; he could only recount what he saw truthfully and could not draw conclusions, continuing:

"Besides the Sword Guests, he didn't even spare the servants. All the sword slaves who had any connection to the Manor Master and those Sword Guests, or were suspicious, all died. Those slaves who had almost no strength to truss a chicken were also slaughtered in a river of blood. Those who came in the same batch as me were all brought back by Mr. Xing San, and everyone was suspicious, so they were all killed. Most of the people I knew in the half-year I was in the manor were people around Mr. Xing San; from top to bottom, almost no one survived. If you say that the old thing Xing Cang's merit in letting slaves catch their breath for so many years is one, then he committed a thousand sins this time."

Doing small good deeds usually doesn't contradict being decisive in major matters; this is what is called being ruthless and decisive. How could Wei Zhangle not understand? But as an insider seeing familiar people being slaughtered, how could he not be gnashing his teeth?

"Fortunately, I had already retrieved my luggage and relied on the sword to erase my own existence, escaping a disaster. I even thought about just disappearing like that. Fortunately... fortunately, I have experienced many setbacks and have gotten used to it; I can always adjust myself. Changfa Manor is in a period of chaos after this, with few hands and many loopholes to exploit. These days I no longer play the same role, but change my identity every few days; each time it doesn't last too long. If it lasts too long, I will go crazy. And I never form emotional connections with anyone. During the intervals of changing people, I disappear, letting the world have no such person as me. I hide outside the world, self-healing, and come out to work when I'm a little better. This time is the same."

"When Xing Cang went down the mountain, I followed him down, hiding by his side to observe. In the middle, I sent a message to the department and restored my existence, but immediately hid again. Although I knew your team was on our side, I didn't know it was you. I didn't want to see people, and I didn't want to see people from the department either. I continued to hide myself. I didn't discover you were here, otherwise I would have come out to acknowledge you long ago. In this world, besides you, who is there that I must see? And who is there that must see me?"

He finally leaned forward and said, "But I didn't expect that you couldn't find me and had to use this method to find me. I almost delayed the important business; it is my sin."

Tang Zhao looked at him steadily, reached out and grabbed his hand, saying, "Zhangle... you've worked hard."

Wei Zhangle lowered his head and pursed his lips.

Tang Zhao finished listening to his experience and only felt it was painful and long. If it were himself, he couldn't imagine it, and he didn't know how to comfort him, saying, "This time I will definitely take you back, back to our hometown! You don't have to go back to Wangliang Mountain; just follow my team. Follow our YoungMaster; your mood will be much better by his side."

Wei Zhangle's mouth twitched slightly, and he said, "By your side, my mood would naturally be much better. But I want to see things through to the end; I want to insist on finishing the first mission. You don't need to give me special care; just give orders if there's anything. With you here, what do I have to fear?"

Tang Zhao gripped his hand tightly and said, "Yes, no need to fear. You are an extremely brave person."

Wei Zhangle remembered one thing and said, "By the way, I brought out all the materials Xing San had investigated on Xing Cang. Do you want to see them?"