Chapter 674

Having stayed in the Great Desert for only half a night and barely drunk a few cups of wine, Tang Zhao returned to Yunzhou by traveling through the night; he did not even bring Wei Se, setting out alone and light. He left behind only the legend of an invincible sun-youth in the Great Desert, one that people would continue to spread for many years to come.

With Tang Zhao's current strength and speed, it was naturally very fast; although they were ten thousand miles apart, returning to Yunzhou took only half a day.

At the hour of dawn, he had already returned to the banks of the Tongyang River. At a glance, he saw the river water shimmering under the moonlight, and a small boat by the water's edge.

At this time, there was actually someone night-fishing on the small boat; the moonlight shone on her silver hair, making her look graceful and elegant, causing one to overlook her age.

Tang Zhao felt slightly surprised, yet also felt it was only natural; he lightly jumped onto the small boat, came to her side, and said softly, "My Lady."

Gaoyuan Marquis smiled, pointed at the slightly swaying fishing line, and said, "What a coincidence. You've arrived just as a fish is taking the bait."

As she spoke, she lifted the rod, the fishing line whipped up, and she had indeed caught a...

A small fish the length of a finger.

Gaoyuan Marquis said with regret, "Alas, I originally wanted to treat you to fresh fish soup to make up for your missing the victory banquet, but this one won't do." As she spoke, she unhooked the "young fish," "Fortunately, I have more fish here; I've had quite a harvest just now, just as fresh for the pot. Come, bring the fish out."

Then someone said, "Coming, coming, five crucian carp bought just now at the morning market."

Upon hearing this voice, Tang Zhao laughed out loud. When he turned his head, he indeed saw Xing Ji, dressed in casual clothes and wearing a bamboo hat, emerging while carrying a fish basket, looking exactly like an old fisherman; there were indeed four or five palm-sized crucian carp in the basket.

Gaoyuan Marquis glared and barked, "What 'bought at the morning market'? Do I need you to specifically remind me?"

Xing Ji sighed, "My Lady, I would like to save face for you, but Azhao is not a fool. All five fish are the same size, adding up to exactly two pounds; can these possibly be caught by fishing?"

Gaoyuan Marquis scoffed, and Tang Zhao laughed, "General Xing, all is well? With this getup, have you lost your job again?"

Xing Ji said, "I wish I had. Wouldn't it be leisurely to be idle at home, eating three meals and taking two naps a day? Now, not only am I busy from morning till night, but I'm also dragged here in the middle of the night to make a midnight snack for the triumphant little hero. Is this a life for a person? It's a pity there is only one youth hero like you in the world; if there were thirty or fifty, would I even be able to sleep?" As he spoke, he took out a stove from the side and cleaned the crucian carp to make soup.

Gaoyuan Marquis picked up a teacup from the side and smiled, "Azhao, you must not learn from him in the future. Look, once a person reaches middle age, they are full of complaints; they can't keep their mouth idle anywhere."

Tang Zhao chuckled twice and said, "General Xing is not yet middle-aged. Let me do it."

Before Gaoyuan Marquis could speak, Xing Ji stopped him and said, "You sit down. No one deserves to rest more than you. Do you think I was being sarcastic when I called you a little hero? That is a fact. If I used that to be sarcastic toward you, I would be being sarcastic toward myself. It is rare to eat fish and night-fish together today; for us, it is stealing a moment of leisure from a busy schedule, but for you, it is surviving a disaster. It is not your turn to labor."

Tang Zhao said solemnly, "General Xing, you are too kind. Many thanks to My Lady and Lord Xing for your support in the rear, ensuring the reinforcements; if not for that, we could not have been victorious."

My Lady poured him a cup of tea and said, "Here, we are neither touching the sky nor the earth; it is the perfect place to talk. Drink a cup of tea, and let's chat slowly."

Tang Zhao sipped the tea and felt only the rich fragrance of the tea—it was the taste of home—and he let out a soft breath.

Indeed, it was still in his hometown that he could best relax his body and mind.

He sat on the boat and, accompanied by the fragrance of the tea and the gurgling sound of boiling water, recounted the series of experiences he had gone through.

This naturally involved some secrets, but apart from top-secret things like the Glasses, there was nothing he couldn't tell the two people in front of him; Xing Ji went without saying, and Gaoyuan Marquis was also a senior whom Tang Zhao had always trusted.

His words were very long; perhaps there were some omissions in the beginning, but when he reached the great battle later on, it became coherent, finishing the tense and exciting battle situation in one breath, making the breathing on the boat much lighter as they listened.

What he said might not have been as exciting as a storyteller's, but it was filled with his own true feelings; he paused several times toward the end before finishing the final outcome.

After hearing Tang Zhao's words, Gaoyuan Marquis was also silent for a moment and sighed, "Has Jinwu Dianxia really left like this? Sacrificing his life for righteousness, with high integrity—he does not disgrace his name as a Golden Crow. Our Yunzhou's Dongjun Temple should be renovated; besides Dongjun, we should also enshrine two Golden Crows."

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "I believe that Dianxia has not truly gone far and will surely see the sun again in the future. But how should we handle the matters at hand?"

The matters involved here: one is in the sky, corresponding to the destination of the Jinwu Sword; the other is in the Human World, corresponding to the stability of Yunzhou. Yes, the matter in the sky is the most urgent, but for Tang Zhao, the matters concerning his hometown and the people of Yunzhou are certainly more critical.

Gaoyuan Marquis had actually considered these two matters long ago. For her, it was not that there were no solutions, but every aspect had to be considered thoroughly to make people satisfied, especially making Tang Zhao satisfied, which was relatively difficult.

Yes, to make Tang Zhao satisfied—Gaoyuan Marquis had received news from various places, and combined with listening to Tang Zhao's own narration, she could only feel amazed.

This youth, whom she had heard about since he was a child and could almost be considered to have watched grow up, was rapidly becoming a formidable big shot.

At present, Tang Zhao was still under her command because he was young and valued relationships, and his life had been stable without major setbacks, so he didn't care about many things and his ambition was still insufficient; however, the knowledgeable Gaoyuan Marquis would not treat him lightly because of this.

For instance, right now, Gaoyuan Marquis had to consider Tang Zhao's emotions and interests from the perspective of an ally, and considering his limitless future, I am afraid that in a few years, he will become a big shot that even Yunzhou will have to rely on.

Therefore, when considering the destination of the Jinwu Sword, the first thing Gaoyuan Marquis took into consideration was Tang Zhao's thoughts.

At this moment, she pondered, "Azhao, which do you think is more important: the matter of Yunzhou or the matter of the Jinwu Sword?"

Tang Zhao said, "In my heart, the matter of Yunzhou is still more urgent."

Gaoyuan Marquis was very happy with this answer, as it showed that Tang Zhao cared about his hometown and valued old ties. She said, "That's right. With Jinwu Dianxia gone, Yunzhou will face a great catastrophe. The water of the Tongyang River is still warm now, but it will eventually cool down. What will happen to Yunzhou then? If the Turtle Bandits don't make a move, I'm afraid it will collapse on its own; not to mention that the Turtle Bandits still have remnants—how could they not make a move?"

Tang Zhao nodded; the Turtle Bandits had suffered no small losses this time, and from another perspective, the grudge between Yunzhou and the Turtle Bandits was also not small.

To say that the Turtle Bandits didn't know it was Yunzhou that hindered their good deeds at Wangliang Mountain would be a ghost story.

Perhaps they didn't know at first, but the Turtle Bandits had two key figures: one was the Dazai, and the other was Shi Chunqing.

The Turtle Bandits' forces at Wangliang Mountain were basically wiped out; logically speaking, the news should have been blocked, and the fact that Tang Zhao appeared shouldn't have spread outside. But don't forget that the Dazai also got away. Although he left early and didn't see how Tang Zhao recovered the Jinwu later, he did cross paths with Tang Zhao and should be able to deduce that Tang Zhao and the people who got in their way were in the same group.

Although Tang Zhao was not famous in the Jianghu, the Turtle Bandits had Shi Chunqing, who basically knew all his background. As long as the Dazai met Shi Chunqing, the two sides would compare notes, and of course, they would know who the culprit was who killed the Pillar of State, captured An Wang, and ruined the Dazai's Dao.

When that time comes, how will the Turtle Bandits retaliate?

Although Yunzhou had a decent foundation, the Turtle Bandits had accumulated for a hundred years and were only more powerful than Yunzhou. Even if the Dazai was crippled and many Pillars of State were dead, experts still emerged one after another; it was only because they had previously spread their net wide and were not focused on dealing with Yunzhou that Yunzhou had the upper hand on the surface. Once they concentrated their forces, even if Tang Zhao had the Jinwu Sword and Yunzhou resisted with all its might, at most they could only beat them back, and it would be inevitable that the people would suffer.

This matter could not be taken too seriously. Like the collapse of Yunzhou, these were the two imminent crises.

Of course, it is hard to say when the Dazai will meet Shi Chunqing. Especially since the Dazai was injured, he might want to keep a low profile for a while, pretending to be fine and refusing to make a scene, or even going into seclusion to recover. Perhaps the crisis could be delayed for a period of time, but one cannot pin one's hopes on that. One must be vigilant at all times and prepare for battle.

And the great disaster of the collapse beneath Yunzhou was right before their eyes.

Gaoyuan Marquis said, "In our eyes, the safety of Yunzhou is of vital importance, but in the eyes of those in the sky, a single province is not worth mentioning compared to the Jinwu Sword. If they know the news about the Jinwu Sword, they will definitely come to find you, and by then, they might even require you to travel far to the Sun Court, delaying us from dealing with the Yunzhou crisis."

Tang Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Do you mean... to block the news? Is that possible?"

The number of people who saw Tang Zhao holding the Jinwu Sword was not just one or two; as long as more than three people know any piece of news, don't even think about keeping it secret. Not to mention that I'm afraid three hundred people know. How could it be possible for all these people to be of one mind?

Gaoyuan Marquis said, "To keep it from everyone for a long time is certainly impossible. But it can be hidden for a while, and that requires ensuring that all those who know cannot leak the news. Fortunately, they are far away in the Great Desert, which is already an isolated place."

Tang Zhao was stunned and said, "Could it be..." But he immediately realized that it wasn't the case, and it couldn't be done. That team over there was so large, and there were quite a few Sword Heroes; how could they all be silenced?

Gaoyuan Marquis said, "For this, I must thank Ruyi Sword Dianxia and a friend I just met, Shao Cao Sword..."

Shao Cao Sword?

Tang Zhao was puzzled; could it be Manying?

Manying and My Lady?

When did they become friends?

Gaoyuan Marquis said, "Through the introduction of Shao Cao Sword, I had the honor of contacting Ruyi Sword Dianxia. I requested her to help me keep that team there, and let Zhang Xiansheng cooperate..."

Zhang Xiansheng? Zhang Rong?

The Gaoyuan Marquis said: "Zhang Xiansheng will use the Sword Image to guide them to Baiyujing, and under the Ruyi Sword Palace, they will be kept for a period of time. During this time, no one in the know can pass on information, and that is the window of opportunity left for us. We must use this time to at least deal with the problems beneath Yunzhou first."

Tang Zhao was impressed; he was the one who had the most contact with the Ruyi Sword, yet he hadn't even thought of asking the Ruyi Sword for any major help, while the Gaoyuan Marquis, thousands of miles away, could actually get it done. He was still far from being as capable as him.

"Then, what about beneath Yunzhou? We can't just let the Jinwu Sword return and continue to support it, can we?"