Chapter 586: 539 Appearance

Liu Shusheng's eyebrows jumped slightly when he heard "Long Life Society," seemingly surprised by the straightforwardness of the organization's name, then he pondered carefully and shook his head, saying, "Never heard of it."

Fuhu Master said, "That is to be expected; it is very hard for outsiders to know. This Long Life Society is extremely mysterious on the outside; the Third Tier is a shadowy legend, but the Second Tier is no longer much of a secret. By now, their influence is already quite significant; they even tried to recruit me into the society once. However, I didn't join, so I don't know many inside details, only a little information they revealed to me back then. They once said that as long as one enters, there is a way to prolong life; not to mention immortality, but living a few dozen or a hundred years longer is not difficult."

"Since you came looking for me, you naturally know my situation. I am just a wealthy idler; I don't manage affairs, nor do I have any exceptional qualities. Yet they still came to invite me—I suppose they must have searched through all the Second-tier Manors? Who could refuse such a benefit when they hear of it? I imagine there are quite a few members."

Liu Shusheng said softly, "The Long Life Society sought you out... and you refused."

Fuhu Master knew what he was suspicious of just by his tone, and said, "You must be thinking, why refuse such a good thing? Who doesn't want to live a long life? However, I looked into it a little, and that 'long life' cannot be obtained simply by collecting Treasure or using Sword Art and Sword Essence; it also involves things like Sacrifice and life-swapping. As soon as I heard that, I refused."

Liu Shusheng said with a half-smile, "Sacrifice... that does sound sinister. I suppose Fuhu Master is unwilling to get involved with evil paths."

His words were polite, but his tone was very subtle.

Between the lines, it was clearly saying: What are you pretending for? Evil paths? Where else could there be an evil path more sinister than Wangliang Mountain?

As for Sacrifice, the hierarchy of Wangliang Mountain is built layer by layer through Sacrifice; which Sacrifice hasn't been bloody? Fuhu Master hasn't sacrificed fewer people than others; if sacrificing to Wangliang is fine, why is sacrificing to oneself for longevity not? Even the nobles in Jingcheng don't hesitate to sacrifice human lives to live a few more years; why is a manor owner who buys and sells slaves acting so squeamish?

Fuhu Master snorted and said, "It's not that I'm afraid of Sacrifice, but my family has been manor owners for three generations; ever since the Libationer Manor, we have held official posts in the sacrificial rites of my Lord Wangliang. I know Wangliang Mountain deeply; everything, people and objects alike, belongs to my Lord. If they do this outside, so be it, but doing it on Wangliang Mountain is digging at my Lord's foundation. If one wants to prolong life, where does it end? Once it starts, how could it not grow larger and larger? Eventually, it will be leaked. If my Lord ignores it, that's one thing, but once seen, with a casual sweep, how could they resist?"

The meaning he expressed was clear: it was not that he was loyal to Wangliang because of his official post, but that he did not think well of the Long Life Society. For Wangliang Mountain to seize the Sacrifice to prolong one's own life is to snatch food from a tiger's mouth; he did not think well of it and did not want to invite disaster, so he did not get involved.

Of course, this was also because Fuhu Master was not yet very old; as a Sword Guest, he still had at least several decades of life to live, so his desire for longevity was not urgent, and thus he still had his reason. If his end were truly approaching, he would jump into it even knowing it was a path to destruction.

Liu Shusheng was not here to argue with him; the noble behind him only asked him to find out the information, and as for whether the information was evil or not, that was not for him to judge. He said, "Do you know who is in the Long Life Society?"

Fuhu Master said, "The one who intended to recruit me is definitely one. It is my old friend, Jianglong Master."

Liu Shusheng recalled, "Jianglong Master... when I came up earlier, I saw him, didn't I?"

Fuhu Master said somewhat helplessly, "There was a rebellion in his manor, and he went back to clean it up. He should be able to return soon after he finishes."

If he can return after cleaning it up, what if he is the one who gets cleaned up?

It is also possible he won't be able to return.

Liu Shusheng also considered this point and said, "I have noted it down. Besides Jianglong Master, who else?"

Fuhu Master pondered and said, "I am not sure about others... but Sunset Master should be."

Liu Shusheng turned his head abruptly and looked at Sunset Master sitting in the wheelchair below. At this moment, the old man was anxious because Gui Rong was late, his wheelchair twisting in the courtyard; if he weren't unable to jump up, he would already be furious.

After watching for a while, Liu Shusheng suddenly laughed and said, "That's true. This old man has one foot in the grave, and he is paralyzed; how could he not want a long life? His family wealth is so abundant; if the Long Life Society wants to develop, how could they not recruit him? Even if they didn't recruit him, he would sharpen his head to squeeze in."

However, this old man also looked like he was about to die; I wonder if the Long Life Society has extended his life. If the Sword Hero Bureau wins against Sunset Manor in a while, that's fine, but if they lose, wouldn't it be his turn to go on stage?

In this old man's condition, could he come back down once he goes up?

That would be the same problem as Jianglong Master; I wonder if I'll be able to ask him after today?

Liu Shusheng had no choice but to ask again, "Anyone else?"

Fuhu Master was a bit impatient and said, "Isn't this enough?"

Liu Shusheng said with a smile, "I ask Fuhu Master to think a bit more. Thank you for the intelligence provided just now; I haven't reported to the noble yet, so I have a personal favor to offer first." As he spoke, he took a piece of paper from his sleeve and pushed it out.

Fuhu Master took a glance and saw it was actually a land deed. His heart jumped: this was definitely not a land deed for Wangliang Mountain or Yulang City, but property in the outside world, wealth in the bustling world; its value must be immense.

He put on a look of deep thought, and after a while, he said, "Why don't you ask Anxing Manor?"

Liu Shusheng said in surprise, "That newly promoted Second-tier Manor?"

Fuhu Master said, "Yes. Last year, Anxing Manor invaded Sunset Manor and almost broke it. The two of them kept it tightly under wraps, but among those above the Second Tier, who doesn't know?"

Liu Shusheng said in astonishment, "But you just said that Xinglao was an outside helper invited by Sunset Manor from Anxing Manor?"

Fuhu Master said, "Exactly! The two of them should be irreconcilable enemies, yet this time they were able to invite a master from Anxing Manor to help; isn't that suspicious? Thinking about it, the only possibility is the Long Life Society mediating in between. Even last time, Anxing Manor had Wu Shayu cornered under the bed, yet they retreated temporarily; perhaps the old thing received help from the Long Life Society. The Long Life Society is now a behemoth; it can even intervene in such situations."

This was also a guess; he had no solid evidence, only that his guess was reasonably grounded.

He sighed at the Long Life Society's current power, but it wasn't that he regretted not joining; on the contrary, he warned, "If you want to find the Long Life Society, you had best do it in these few days. I am not fear-mongering; they have made themselves so big that they are about to touch the edge. If they go through with this Sacrifice, how could my Lord not notice? Once my Lord finds them displeasing, they will be reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye."

Liu Shusheng was half-believing; as an outsider, he did not have such reverence for Wangliang, so he said politely, "Thank you..."

Suddenly, his body shook, and he actually leaned forward, hurriedly reaching out to support the table.

Everyone in the arena felt the earth shake and the mountains sway, with a giant wind rushing toward their faces. When they looked up, no matter which side the audience was on or which direction they looked, they realized their field of vision was blocked by a behemoth.

This is...

Perhaps outsiders were just shocked, but the group of manor owners and their subordinate Sword Guests immediately reacted to what that was—

Wangliang Warriors.

One after another, Wangliang Warriors, like pillars supporting the sky, had arrived around the spectator stands, lining up shoulder to shoulder in a ring, firmly surrounding the stands and the entire sword-fighting arena, like a circle of skyscraper-high walls.

They were surrounded!

Fuhu Master was startled, thinking only: Could it be that Sunset Manor sees they are about to lose, can't afford to lose, and wants to flip the table?

But immediately after, he felt something was wrong: even if Wu Shayu wanted to flip the table, how could he command so many Wangliang Warriors?

One must know that every manor has a Wangliang Warrior guarding it, but each manor only has one quota.

There were at least ten in front of him...

Wait?

Ten?

There seem to be only ten manors in the Second Tier, which means a total of ten Wangliang Warriors; could they all be here?

Then my family's also...

Fuhu Master was both shocked and furious, gritting his teeth and saying, "That damn Wu Shayu, that damned robber..."

Before he could curse anything worse, Liu Shusheng suddenly exclaimed, "Who is that?"

Without him needing to say it, Fuhu Master saw it too. On the head of the giant directly facing the main stand, a person was standing.

In the black and white Shadow, one could only see that person wearing a cloak, concealing their figure; one could only vaguely make out a tall frame and hair that was half black and half white.

Everyone was standing in Wangliang Mountain, with the Shadow of the Wangliang Warriors pressing down around them, their figures all dim and unclear. That person stood outside the Shadow and above all living beings; even in the world of Wangliang Mountain, they seemed to be placed in a spotlight, naturally eye-catching.

There was a quality about them that made one involuntarily admire them even without seeing their figure, as if looking up at a god or demon.

"Gui Rong... it must be Gui Rong!"

When Fuhu Master saw this person, this name flashed through his mind immediately, and he called out uncontrollably, "He is here! Look at his Momentum! How can that pretty boy compare? He is sure to win this match!"

Previously, he had judged that Gui Rong would win because of his reputation, and now that he had seen the man himself, he was even more convinced that the reputation was well-deserved, and his confidence suddenly increased greatly. Although he had also been amazed when he first saw Tang Zhao of Changfa Manor, that was because of his appearance and temperament, which was completely different from the soul-stirring pressure of Gui Rong.

Between handsomeness and majesty, which one is the temperament of a winner?

It goes without saying.

In the arena, it was not just the master of Fuhu who recognized Gui Rong; the crowd was silent at first, and then erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

The cheers were like ocean waves, one higher than the next. Among those cheering were many manor masters who were originally opposed to Gui Rong, who had killed his former Master, but this man stood above ten thousand people, stepping on Wangliang Power, his demeanor overshadowing everyone for the moment; this instant was worth a heartfelt cheer from everyone.

Of course, the gamblers who had placed bets on Sunset Manor cheered especially loudly.

The shed of Changfa Manor was very quiet; the Sword Guests looked at Gui Rong without worry. Only Jin Wu was very calm, merely muttering that this man was too calculating, bringing ten lackeys along to hold up the scene, and was actually so good at stealing the spotlight.

Tang Zhao was very calm in his heart; at this moment, he had already entered the state, casting all emotions aside, only seeing that tall figure:

Is this my opponent?

At this moment, that figure suddenly turned his head, and his gaze shot over like a sharp sword.

The two locked eyes, and Gui Rong reached out to point at him, saying in a loud voice:

"Are you the one? My opponent?"