Chapter 687: Remembering the Youth of That Time

"Finally found them!"

Under the heavens, there was perhaps only one piece of news that could make Tang Zhao feel such surprise and such disbelief:

The Sui Family Troupe, there is news!

Jiao Feng, which is to say the Five Poisons Society, has found the Sui Family Troupe!

Heaven have mercy, although Tang Zhao had always been concerned about the Sui Family Troupe, after many years without news—even the Inspection Bureau, with its influence spread across Yunzhou, could not find them—he had actually prepared himself for the possibility that they would never meet again in this life. Who would have thought that today, at this very moment, he would receive news of them.

After being dazed for a moment, Tang Zhao remembered: he had entrusted the Black Widow to help him find people a long time ago, but had never received a reply. He thought that since the Black Widow was the head of a faction and had her own affairs to attend to, helping him find people was merely a favor; since they were hard to find, she had likely set the matter aside long ago. He could not expect others to do this or that, and could only plan to search slowly by himself in the future.

Who would have thought that the Black Widow had actually kept the matter in mind, and the Five Poisons Society had been searching all along. In nearly five years, they had truly found them.

It was likely that since the Black Widow was now the master of Jingzhe Villa, she had greater influence, more manpower, and it was easier to find people. If the righteous path could not find them, perhaps the underworld had its own channels. She was currently attending the enfeoffment ceremony and was not at the main headquarters, so he figured Jiao Feng must have received the news while away and, knowing the urgency, sent word directly to Tang Zhao.

This... this was truly an unimaginably great piece of good news.

If this isn't called "overjoyed," what is?

Tang Zhao suppressed his excitement and read the letter again. Because the owl's letter tube had a limited weight capacity, the letter was not long. It only stated that when Jingzhe Villa was doing business with other states, they went to Youzhou and encountered the Sui Family Troupe in a city on the border of Youzhou. The Sui Family Troupe was still wandering the pugilistic world; it seemed their business had improved somewhat. Of course, they certainly weren't wealthy, but they were getting by. The disciples of the Five Poisons Society did not know the intentions of their superiors, so they did not disturb them and just followed along the way. Now, they were settled and performing in Kuan Cheng, Youzhou.

No wonder he could never find them; it turned out they had gone to Youzhou! It would be hard for the forces in Yunzhou to find them there.

They were originally a troupe from Yunzhou, well-acquainted with the area around Yuxia Jun in Yunzhou; how did they end up in Youzhou?

Tang Zhao thought about it carefully and began to understand. When Sui Dage took the two children and left in a hurry, it was right after witnessing Xing Ji leading troops to make arrests in the middle of the night. In his understanding, Xing Ji represented the government, and he was carrying children who had gotten into legal trouble; even he himself had just angered the government.

Once Sui Dage took the children back and told his father, Sui Laotou, given the old man's fearful nature regarding trouble and officials, how could he stay where he was? Of course, they had to flee overnight. By comparison, the states bordering Yunzhou and Youzhou were closer to Yuxia Jun and were relatively stable, so it was understandable that they would run toward Youzhou.

And although Tang Zhao had entrusted people to look, they were all people from Yunzhou, and the forces were all Yunzhou forces; how could they find them in another state? Being able to find them this time was purely good luck...

Luck...

It really is a marvelous thing.

Tang Zhao could not wait to go down the mountain immediately to see them, but he still remembered his promise to the Sword Saint and his Senior Sister, so he turned back to return to the Three Shows Hut.

As soon as he returned, his spirit was completely different; the excitement he couldn't suppress showed between his brows as he said loudly, "Senior Sister... Senior Sister is truly a divine person!"

Zhu Ying smiled and said, "What does that have to do with me? If anything, it's the Three Shows that have the ability... has good news already occurred?"

Tang Zhao nodded fiercely and said, "It's the good news I've been hoping for for four or five years! I had already given up hope; it was Senior Sister who saved me!" He grabbed the tea and drank it in one gulp, finding even the faint medicinal taste sweet.

With the medicinal tea in his belly, he calmed down slightly and added, "Senior Sister, I actually don't quite understand. Logically speaking, I received the news now, but that good thing happened in the past, right?"

Zhu Ying nodded.

Tang Zhao asked again, "But the Three Shows Palace performed the auspicious omen today, and the fortune changed today, so what is the relationship between the good thing from the day before and the auspicious omen of today?"

Or rather, that lucky event had already happened; logically, whether there was an auspicious omen or not, it would have reached Tang Zhao's ears sooner or later. So what did the auspicious omen change?

But if it had nothing to do with the auspicious omen, he had just made a wish to receive good news, and as soon as he stepped out, a piece of good news fell from the sky—could it really be such a coincidence?

Could it be that today's auspicious omen could change things that had already happened?

To disturb the past and change the world line now—that would be too profound.

Zhu Ying said, "Actually, I don't know either. I only know that when there is an auspicious omen, good results will occur. As for what the process is, neither I nor the Three Shows are clear. Actually, this kind of thing has happened before; people who were thought to have left appeared safe and sound because of their fortune, as if the auspicious omen had saved them from the past. We cannot figure out the mystery within it. We can only say that fortune is just that marvelous."

The Sword Saint said, "This matter can be pondered, but there is no need to dwell on it. The world of the sword is sometimes truly unreasonable. Even if you figure out some logic, it may not be the true logic; it might just be something to convince yourself. Little Friend Tang, you have just obtained the power of a Sword Immortal; if you could understand it so easily, you would be looking down on the Dao of the Sword. Regardless, I have seen the ability of Miss Zhu. It is truly remarkable."

He nodded at Zhu Ying and said, "Indeed, it is a power worthy of being coveted by heaven and earth. Then I will also shamelessly ask: may I make a request?"

Zhu Ying said very clearly, "Since you are protecting me, I should naturally reward you. How could there be any reason to refuse?"

Guiyuanshi smiled and said, "That is excellent. I would like a batch of these pouches..." He pointed to Tang Zhao's Lucky Bag, "If there is anything in the future where I need Miss Zhu's help, I will send someone to find you, and I hope you will be willing to lend a hand."

This was the Sword Saint's condition: he wanted some good fortune now, and in the future, if he encountered major events, he would still need Zhu Ying's blessing.

Honestly, this condition was not expensive.

Or rather, as a Sword Saint, being willing to set conditions in such a situation could not be considered expensive.

He could have just snatched it directly.

Zhu Ying agreed immediately, "Of course."

Then she said, "I need some time; Lucky Bags are not that easy to make."

Guiyuanshi smiled and said, "Of course, I will wait for you to finish. The scenery of this mountain is very good; it has both the human touch and the tranquility of the world beyond. I was just thinking of staying here for a few days."

For such a great Sword Saint to open his mouth and say he wanted to stay at Zhuoyu Villa for several days made Xue Xianyun truly have a headache, yet he still had to pretend to be welcoming, saying, "The Sword Saint lingering here is truly a brilliance to our humble abode. Then, Azhao, you come..."

Tang Zhao apologized, "Disciple also needs to ask for a few days' leave; news just came from down the mountain, and I need to handle it."

In normal times, he would certainly have taken the initiative to help, but with the Sui Family Troupe out there, if he couldn't see them a day earlier, Tang Zhao always felt uneasy.

Xue Xianyun had an even greater headache, but Guiyuanshi was understanding and said, "No matter, you go attend to your business. When you return, we will set off for the Sun Court."

Tang Zhao asked for leave, changed his clothes, and hurried down the mountain.

He had not felt this kind of urgency for a long time.

No, actually he had felt urgent several times, but those were never good things; every time it was a crisis looming, forcing him to fight to move forward. How could it compare to this spontaneous impatience?

Hopefully, all future moments of urgency will be for such good things.

After descending the mountain, he flew his sword, turning into a beam of light as he flew toward Kuan Cheng. From Dongshan County further east, crossing the land of a whole state was but a snap of the fingers...

Well, without activating the Sword Technique at full speed, it would still take an hour or so.

Although urgent, using the Sword Technique to travel consumed too much; he hadn't even activated the Sword Technique when rushing back to Yunzhou from Wangliang Mountain overnight—that was reserved for combat.

On the way, he calmed down a little, but in his mind, the bits and pieces of those years flashed by like a movie.

The hesitation and grief after his parents and Chen Zong passed away, the fear and anger after realizing the crisis, the relief and gratitude after being taken in by the Sui Family Troupe, the melancholy after fleeing his hometown to wander the pugilistic world, and the mindless happiness of fooling around with Liangzi...

Familiar faces flashed by: Sui Uncle, shrewd yet cowardly, sophisticated and worldly yet unexpectedly possessing the loyalty of a pugilist; Du Aunt, clean and efficient, a master of the Soft Rope in her youth; Sui Dage, honest and reliable, kind-hearted, wielding a great iron spear; A Yun, lively and playful, having completely inherited Du Aunt's Soft Rope skills; Liangzi, who was like a monkey...

Uh, that kid Liangzi had already been recognized, so let's leave him aside for now; I'll introduce him to the sect to learn martial arts later.

The friends of the Sui Family Troupe—although there were not without friction when they were together, now that he thought about it, there were only beautiful memories and a heart full of gratitude. His feeling of wanting to see them became even more urgent.

By the way, he had come out too hurriedly; Tang Zhao hadn't even changed his clothes, let alone brought anything. For a long-awaited reunion, shouldn't he bring some gifts?

Although Tang Zhao's personal belongings were always kept in the Time Jar, and he could pour out all sorts of things from it now, including many valuable items, it seemed there was nothing suitable as a meeting gift. A thick envelope of silver was inevitable, but it wasn't appropriate to give it the moment they met, right?

Tang Zhao thought for a moment and said to himself: I shouldn't just descend from the sky in front of them like this; that would only scare them. I will first quietly enter the city and watch them from afar, observe their lives, see what they need, and once I am prepared, I will buy gifts and visit them, then see what I can do to help. It would be best to help them settle down completely; I must be thorough.

Although they had reunited today, Tang Zhao still had too much to do, the time for their reunion was very brief, and the number of times they could meet in the future was also limited; Tang Zhao certainly wanted to do something more. To him, the Sui Family Troupe was not only filled with affection and righteousness, but they had also shown him grace. Naturally, one must repay grace with a gushing spring.

Naturally, with Tang Zhao's ability, he could manage to repay them in any way, but this matter was not something to be done by his own wish alone; it had to be the best choice for the Sui Family Troupe themselves.

Approaching Kuan Cheng, Tang Zhao descended on his own.

Youzhou was not like Yunzhou; it was not his own territory, so he still had to be a bit more low-key. Especially since he now had an official status and secretly represented the face of Yunzhou, this kind of honor was sometimes a convenience and sometimes a constraint; he had to be mindful of the influence.

After entering Kuan Cheng, he headed straight for Maju Bridge, having heard that the Sui Family Troupe was performing there at this time.