Chapter 59: 58 Human Favor

58 Human Favor

Tang Zhao hurried back and found Jiao Feng meditating.

He looked to have no external injuries, but his complexion was deathly pale; though in deep meditation, his brows were tightly locked, and the muscles on his face twitched from time to time.

At this moment, there was another person in the courtyard, watching Jiao Feng with a relaxed expression; seeing Tang Zhao return, they even greeted him.

"Sister Yuan Qing," Tang Zhao greeted.

Among everyone in Black Spider Villa, Tang Zhao was most familiar with Yuan Qing; although he disliked the people here, Yuan Qing had been good to him, and he felt grateful.

"This is..."

Yuan Qing said, "He was grazed by a poisoned hidden weapon, and now he is forcing the poison out."

Tang Zhao asked, "Does that work?" He had heard that Internal Energy could force out poison, but he did not know how to perform such an operation.

Yuan Qing lifted her chin slightly and said, "Normally, his shallow Internal Energy wouldn't be enough at all, but the internal arts of my villa are based on first ingesting poison and then forcing it out to increase Internal Energy, so they are extraordinary at expelling poison. It is also thanks to him learning quickly; an average Disciple wouldn't be able to learn internal arts in three years. Without the antidote, he would be dead for sure."

Tang Zhao patted his head and said, "The antidote, I completely forgot about that." Saying this, he prepared to go out to find Wan Biao.

Yuan Qing said, "Save your Spirit; he has already taken it. There are only a few types of poison in the Grape Courtyard, so wouldn't they be kept in stock? However, this poison acts violently, and the residual poison is hard to clear, so he still needs to force it out."

Tang Zhao asked, "Will there be any aftereffects?"

Yuan Qing's expression was strange as she said, "Normally, there wouldn't be."

But...

Yuan Qing did not say "but," but her expression made it clear there was a "but."

Before Tang Zhao could press for an answer, Yuan Qing had already asked him how he was doing, whether his Teacher was responsible, and if he was happy learning martial arts.

Tang Zhao could only reply that everything was fine; as for the friction in the courtyard, he naturally did not mention it. Since Yuan Qing had come today, she naturally would not be unaware of it; she pretended not to know, and Tang Zhao would certainly not bring it up.

And Yuan Qing expressed no dissatisfaction with him "setting rules" in the courtyard or ambushing the Teacher; all of this indicated the attitude of the outside world not to interfere in the courtyard—as long as Tang Zhao did not turn the world upside down, he could do whatever he wanted.

After all, as the date drew near, Tang Zhao was nearly "invincible"; as long as he didn't court death, he could mess around as much as he liked.

After chatting for a while, Tang Zhao saw Yuan Qing out. When saying goodbye, he suddenly asked, "Sister Yuan Qing, if someone's strength was originally more than enough to pass the test, but they were eliminated in the end due to an accident caused by force majeure, can they be given another chance?"

Yuan Qing was not at all surprised that he had realized this, and answered without thinking, "An accident? Then that's just bad luck, isn't it? Luck is also a part of strength. In the Jianghu, licking blood off a blade, to survive one must not only be strong but also lucky. If one is unlucky, one will die sooner or later, so naturally..."

Tang Zhao felt his heart sink, and his complexion gradually grew heavy.

Suddenly, Yuan Qing giggled and said, "You want to plead for someone, don't you? Then you can plead with me."

Tang Zhao was momentarily tongue-tied; he had been about to open his mouth to beg, but with Yuan Qing saying this, he couldn't speak for a moment.

Yuan Qing looked at him with a half-smile and said, "I know you're shy. If you want to plead with me, just nod."

Tang Zhao pursed his lips and nodded.

Yuan Qing said, "Fine then. Since you've asked, I will mention it to the Manor Master. You, just wait for my good news." Saying this, she tapped Tang Zhao on the shoulder like a dragonfly skimming the water, then turned and left.

Tang Zhao knew she was teasing him, but if she could really help Jiao Feng, it would be a great thing, so he thanked her from afar.

Returning to the small courtyard, Jiao Feng had already stood up. Except for his pale complexion, nothing unusual could be seen. He said indifferently, "Do not create extra trouble."

Tang Zhao knew he must have heard. Jiao Feng had long been the leader among his peers and had pride in his heart; he was unwilling to be taken care of. Tang Zhao said, "I only mentioned it once; they haven't even agreed yet. Do you really think I have that much face?" After saying this, he asked naturally, "Is there a problem? Are you really drained?"

Jiao Feng said, "For a mere courtyard exam, I don't even need to make a move."

Tang Zhao understood: the Empty City Strategy.

Jiao Feng's strength was equal to or even greater than Teachers like Zuo Hu; he held a ruling, suppressive presence in the Grape Courtyard, and his accumulated prestige was immense. Others didn't even have the courage to make a move when they encountered him. Especially in the courtyard exam, where winning or losing meant life or death, they would rather give up matches they were sure to lose to fight others.

But since he was preparing to perform the Empty City Strategy, was he really drained?

Tang Zhao felt worried in his heart but said nothing. After all, he was implicated because of him; he would see if he could help later.

Returning to his room, Xing Ji was waiting for him.

The moment he saw Xing Ji, Tang Zhao's gaze involuntarily wanted to glance toward the Time Jar, but fortunately, he controlled it in time.

Xing Ji smiled and said, "Long time no see. Are you surprised to see me?"

Tang Zhao steadied himself and pulled out a chair to sit—Xing Ji was sitting on the bed without ceremony, and he only had a chair to sit on.

He took the initiative to ask, "How have you been, Sir? How are things at the Land Inspection Division? Is the progress at the Demon Cave going smoothly? Are the martial arts peers in Heiyang County still submissive? Are the allies cooperating happily? Are there fewer people cursing the Land Inspection Division to your face? Have you found the clues for the Sword Guest you were looking for last time?"

His rapid-fire questions caught even Xing Ji off guard. Then he laughed and said, "What? Xiao Tang is so concerned about the Division's affairs? Very good, you have the self-awareness of a member of the Land Inspection Division. Since that's the case, shall I report to you?"

Tang Zhao raised his hand, signaling him to go ahead.

Xing Ji didn't mind at all and said, "Our situation, well, it's not great, but it's not bad either. The matter at the Demon Cave is proceeding according to plan, and the outer perimeter is almost cleared. As for the peers in Heiyang County... they are cooperating reasonably well, and there are fewer and fewer people who don't cooperate. We are still gradually convincing them."

Tang Zhao thought to himself: Are there fewer and fewer people who don't cooperate, or is that the literal meaning?

Xing Ji laughed, "Speaking of which, the clue about the white hair you provided last time was very useful. We tracked down a Sword Guest hiding in Heiyang. Although we haven't seen the person alive yet, we have already caught his shadow. We must resolve him before the Demon Cave descends; with a major event at hand, Heiyang County is not allowed to have mysterious Sword Guests. Your clue has performed a meritorious service; I will record it for you, and you can claim it once you enter the Land Inspection Division. You can start counting your seniority from the day the merit is recorded."

Although Tang Zhao didn't quite understand, he guessed it was a good thing and said, "Thank you, Sir."

Xing Ji remembered something and said, "Oh, right, that Sword Guest should be the one who issued the one-thousand-tael bounty for you."

Tang Zhao remembered that there was still this matter. Although he was in Black Spider Villa and hadn't been affected, always carrying a bounty was like having a blade hanging over his head, which made him very uncomfortable. He asked urgently, "Why does he want to catch me?"

Xing Ji said, "I don't know. Once we catch him and ask, we will know."

Tang Zhao pondered, "Can I help? Like being bait or something?"

Xing Ji was slightly startled and said, "Why would you think that? Bait... there are those who do that, but it would make us look very incompetent. If I, Xing, let a child take a sword onto the battlefield, people are already saying I'm shameless. I can't be both incompetent and shameless, can I?"

He laughed twice himself and said, "What, are you bored from being locked up and feeling restless? Do you want me to have Manor Master Yin arrange a small job for you to go out and play?"

Although Tang Zhao was a bit tempted, he knew the priorities; the days before the Demon Cave were passing one by one, and he really had to seize every second, so he said, "I'm not that free; I'm busy day after day..."

He thought about it and he was indeed busy, but most of his busyness was not something to be told to outsiders.

Xing Ji praised, "You have determination. Come, give me your hand."

Tang Zhao extended his hand as instructed, thinking Xing Ji was checking whether he had suffered Qi deviation as previously discussed.

Who would have thought that just as he got close, Xing Ji pressed his palm down and struck rapidly toward his palm.

Tang Zhao instinctively pushed back with his hand, both inner and outer forces arriving; when their palms collided, Xing Ji withdrew his hand.

Taken aback, Tang Zhao guessed he was testing his kung fu. Xing Ji nodded and said, "The progress is not bad. Even better than I thought. It seems you haven't been slack. There really isn't much time left. According to the precise calculations of Qingtian Temple, only seven days remain."