Chapter 567: 520 Asking About Pines

Emerging from the tree hole, Tang Zhao and the two Abyss Envoys returned to the manor's courtyard.

The badger was quite disappointed, feeling it hadn't seen anything good, having only crawled through a tree hole once.

The pipa remained silent and pensive; the other Sword Guests, including Xing Cang, were all extremely nervous. Seeing the Abyss Envoys emerge from the Recording Circle and noting that the tree hole hadn't collapsed—and that even Xing Qi was still alive—they finally felt a slight sense of relief.

And Tang Zhao... Tang Zhao was very happy.

Because these two Abyss Envoys had led the way, this reconnaissance mission had been completed very smoothly. All the situations that needed to be probed had been probed, and even things he hadn't held out hope for had been uncovered this time.

There was even an unexpected harvest.

It could even be said that the situation Tang Zhao had probed this time was sufficient; once he went back and organized it properly, he could close the net on Changfa Manor.

With the intelligence in hand, some things he had previously been hesitant to do could now be done.

Having finished with the tree hole, the badger's interest had mostly worn off. It yawned and said, "There's nothing left to see. This place is too small, and it's all pine trees; a sea of green just makes me sleepy. Shall we head back?"

Xing Cang and the others felt as if they had been granted Amnesty, sending them off as if they were sending away a plague god.

Walking through the Huayuan and passing through the pine and cypress barrier, the pipa Manying, which Tang Zhao was still holding, suddenly said, "What Xin Ying said just now was right. Why are there only pine trees here?"

Seeing they were at the entrance, it suddenly spoke up, and everyone felt a chill.

The pipa's strings hummed slowly: "Don't tell me it's because your old Manor Master liked pine trees? I don't think so."

Before Tang Zhao could speak, the badger asked, "What's wrong with that? Some people just like green, don't they?"

The pipa said patiently, "If you say he didn't love pine trees, there are truly many here; everywhere you look are pine trees, even the bonsai in the rooms are pine trees. How much more could he love them? But if you say he loves pine trees, why is the tree for the most important Recording Circle a pagoda tree?"

The badger said, "A change of pace?"

The pipa ignored it and continued: "Look at the pine trees here; they are too many and too chaotic. There is no planning at all. One here, one there; they don't display the vigorous beauty of the pine. And there are branches tangled on the walls and roofs—this is planting the green pine like a climbing vine; this is actually an insult to the green pine. This is not the planting method of someone who loves pine trees. It isn't even the planting method for road shade or Feng Shui. Planting them wherever there is space is like using pine trees as boundary markers to grab territory."

"And there—"

One of the pipa's strings detached from the tuning peg and suddenly pulled taut, pointing forward like a finger.

It was pointing at a pine tree in a flower bed in a corner of the Huayuan.

"That flower bed wasn't originally for planting pine trees, was it? A flower bed is not a place to plant pine trees. I also see traces of freshly turned soil. Flowers were planted there originally, and now only pine trees remain."

The eye on its tuning peg stared at Tang Zhao, then looked at the white-haired people behind him, including Xing Cang.

"If this was requested by your old Master, why plant flowers in the first place? And the soil is too freshly turned; hasn't he been dead for half a year? If it was liked by your New Master, he hasn't even been up the mountain, so where would the request for replanting come from? And the way this soil was turned is very strange; these pine trees don't look like they were dug up and replanted, but rather like they sprouted directly out of the ground."

"What, are the pine trees here... actually made of bamboo?"

Tang Zhao was surprised by its keenness: it hadn't just wandered around in vain like the badger; it had discovered many inconsistencies but hadn't spoken until now.

It felt the pine trees were strange, and Tang Zhao felt the same.

If there was anything strange about Changfa Manor, the decay was one aspect, but the ubiquitous pine trees were even stranger. The further Tang Zhao walked, the more suspicious he became.

But no matter how suspicious he was, since the Abyss Envoy had asked this question, he had to answer. He said, "This..." and looked at Xing Cang, who was following behind.

The sound of the pipa's strings seemed to carry a metallic, murderous tone as it said, "Why are you looking at him? Do you not understand, and need him to explain? Or is it that these pine trees aren't what the old Manor Master liked, but what he likes?"

Tang Zhao once again admired the pipa's sharpness. Not only was its observation extremely detailed, but its guesses hit the mark. Either its intuition was astonishing, or it was particularly good at reading human hearts.

Tang Zhao's intent was actually the second, but on the surface, he claimed the first, saying, "Changfa Manor was planned by the Grand Steward; this humble one does not know. Please let the Grand Steward explain to the Abyss Envoy."

While the pipa was analyzing the suspicious points, the badger had been indifferent, but suddenly said, "Ah, you aren't the Grand Steward?"

Tang Zhao was startled. His thoughts raced, but he still said, "This Xing Cang is the Grand Steward, and I am the Deputy Grand Steward. The Grand Steward is advanced in years and is my senior; it is only right that he is above me. I am just waiting for the Grand Steward to pass on before I take the position of Grand Steward."

Although what he said was blunt, it was still decent; at least he didn't climb the pole and use the Abyss Envoy's authority to replace the Grand Steward on the spot.

He already had a plan and didn't need to create extra complications.

Even Xing Cang was surprised by Tang Zhao's politeness, but then he sneered inwardly: You want to take my position after I die? Keep dreaming. I won't die even if you die ten times.

The badger said, "You have to wait for him to die?" It glanced at Xing Cang and said, "When will you die?"

Xing Cang felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar for a moment, his gaze even flickering toward the pine tree in the flower bed.

Tang Zhao suddenly said, "In half a month."

The badger said, "Half a month? He dies in half a month?"

Tang Zhao said, "In half a month, we will challenge Sunset Manor. That is a powerful opponent, so every one of us has prepared for the possibility of no return. And the Grand Steward, he is loyal to the Master and has decided to lead the charge!"

He spoke with force and conviction: "Under the rules of a blood battle in the arena, the first person to enter is almost certain to die. We are all inevitably cowardly and dare not go first. But the Grand Steward, disregarding his old age, has resolutely decided to lead by example. He is prepared to die to repay the great kindness of two generations of Masters! I will also fight then, but after the Grand Steward, under his protection. If we all die together, so be it; if I am lucky enough to return, I will naturally be able to inherit the position of Grand Steward."

The badger laughed loudly upon hearing this: "Interesting, interesting! So this old fogey isn't a coward! Good, I want to see how capable he is."

Xing Cang's expression stiffened: strictly speaking, Xing Qi's words were helping him out of a tight spot. The Abyss Envoys were fickle; one wrong word could lead to a change of leadership at Changfa Manor on the spot. By pushing the time back and tying it to an "interesting event," Xing Qi had bought him a half-month reprieve.

In that sense, he should thank Xing Qi regardless.

However...

Wasn't this the same as when he had pressured Xing Qi at the main gate to participate in the blood battle? Both were using the situation to force the other to comply; it was just that the target of the pressure had been reversed.

Instant karma!

Both sides had traded blows, and while others hadn't lost anything, the two of them had ended up hand-in-hand in a death trap.

A classic case of mutual destruction.

Xing Cang gave a dry laugh and answered in the affirmative. He had no way to back out now, because this strange and capricious Abyss Envoy would be there, and he couldn't avoid entering the arena.

At this moment, the pipa said, "So you're saying these pine trees were all arranged by you?"

It still remembered that point?

Xing Cang couldn't shirk this trouble either, so he had to step forward and answer: "Our New Master loves pine trees. Although he hasn't come up the mountain, he has already ordered us to plant pine trees extensively. The flowers here were originally loved by the old Master, but the New Master has long been unable to stand them. He said that chaotic flowers confuse the eyes and are not conducive to self-improvement, ordering us to clear away the vanity of the flower beds and plant only green pines and cypresses to purify the heart."

This sounded plausible at first, but Tang Zhao knew he was spouting nonsense. This, however, confirmed one of Tang Zhao's conjectures.

He had originally thought it was the manor, but now it seemed, perhaps it was the pine trees?

They had toured all three courtyards earlier, and Tang Zhao noticed that besides the courtyard full of pine trees, there were also Nanshan stones, cranes, turtles, and peach trees. Having one or two of these things would be fine, but having them all gathered together could only point to one theme.

Could it be that his Sword Intent is actually...

The pipa's strings moved, and it said nothing more. Compared to the badger, it was calmer, or perhaps it just couldn't be bothered to argue with a guy who only had half a month to live.

Having finally managed to get past this hurdle, Tang Zhao said at the end, "Lord Abyss Envoy, you have protected our Changfa Manor, and my Master will surely be filled with gratitude. I wonder if he might have the honor of meeting the Lord Abyss Envoy?"

The raccoon-dog said, "I'm not interested, though someone who likes pine green... but I suppose it's fine. By rights, he wouldn't be qualified to formally offer sacrifices to me until he reached the second rank, but who told me to leave an image behind voluntarily?" It rubbed its short, thick tail, rolled off three pellets, and handed them to Tang Zhao.

Tang Zhao felt it was rather filthy, but it wouldn't do to not accept them. Upon closer inspection, what had been rolled off its furry tail were neither balls of lint nor grime, but clusters of shadows that felt solid to the touch, with a texture like Incense.

"This is my incense, called Heart Incense according to the rules on the mountain," the raccoon-dog explained. "Light it and you will be able to see me."

It added specifically, "Generally speaking, I will respond. However, we have things to do, especially with the Sacrifice approaching and disasters being frequent; we are very busy, so do not contact me indiscriminately. Contact me three days before the Sword Fighting; I will personally Ask him how his preparations are going. It is rare for me to have the heart to protect him, but if he is a piece of trash, I will destroy him first to save myself from being embarrassed."

Tang Zhao held the rolled incense pellets and said, "Certainly, certainly. I will personally deliver this precious incense into the Master's hands. The Master will naturally enshrine it on the incense table, bathe and fast, keep offerings prepared, and worship you, my lord, with sincerity."

He twisted the incense slightly, thinking: It is clearly an animal, yet it can roll off incense; what kind of existence are they? Creations of Tianwaitian from the Wangliang? Ancient Spirit Race attached to the Wangliang? Or perhaps... a Sword Image?

If it were a Sword Image, wouldn't that be like...

Like whom, again?

Xing Cang listened from the side, feeling great resentment: he had used the opportunity of coming up the mountain to control the traitors Xing Qi and Xing Wu, first forcing them to take action at the Sword Fighting assembly, then imprisoning them under the guise of training, just waiting to prune away the wings of Jian Chenglong bit by bit, and then using the Sword Fighting as an opportunity to advance his own plans.

Everything had been going smoothly, so how could he have imagined that these two troublesome, unavoidable guests would pop up?

This Xing Qi was truly slippery, knowing how to climb the pole as soon as it was offered; he first forced him to participate in the Sword Fighting as well, even making him a vanguard, and now he was scrambling to deliver those few wretched mud pellets into the Master's hands, clearly using this as an excuse to leave the manor and break another one of his schemes.

However, it would be laughable to think that just by accidentally latching onto two mongrel monsters, he could turn defeat into victory or even manipulate him. His true layout was not in the small details.

Just wait and see, the outcome will be clear in half a month!