Chapter 695: Concealment

Che Lin's breathing paused, and he lowered his head slightly.

He could not answer Tang Zhao's question, so he responded with silence.

However, Tang Zhao was startled; he keenly discovered that Che Lin's state was wrong.

Che Lin's Momentum was undoubtedly dropping, but the Qi in his body also seemed to be weakening.

And it was not just a fading of Momentum; it was more like... his cultivation had regressed.

Could it be because of the sword? Did his Sword Intent not allow him to be guilty?

Tang Zhao was silent for a moment: this was actually a reason for someone to intentionally harm him.

Although the surroundings were quiet, there were actually quite a few people whispering. The voices were kept very low, and no one could hear what the people not far away were discussing, but the overlapping sounds of the discussions formed a buzzing noise.

This kind of noise made one feel extremely irritable. Not to mention Che Lin, even half of the other Land Inspection Division members had clearly low spirits.

At this moment, Master Che could no longer watch. He had been a wealthy patriarch for decades and had been cursed for being immoral so many times that he was already immune to it. How could he be fooled by such words? He felt some regret in his heart; he shouldn't have let his eldest son go to an office like the Land Inspection Division. He had only thought it would bring glory to the family, but he hadn't expected that being too glorious was also bad, and he had forgotten the foundation. He immediately shouted: "What kind of talk is this? It is obvious that this demon person is a heretic of the Demonic Sect. Everything said is ambiguous and generalized. Whoever hears it feels it is directed at them, and they cannot help but think about it. The more they think, the more they get trapped, and no one can escape. This is all rhetoric. As long as one does work, who doesn't make a few mistakes? If you listen to their nonsense, then don't do anything at all. If you are hesitant while working, and even hesitant during battle, and get counter-killed by them, then you have completely fallen into their trap."

These words were quite effective and immediately pulled back a few members of the Land Inspection Division. Only on Che Lin was the effect not great.

At this time, the YoungMaster said: "Brother, where is my sword?"

This actually pulled Che Lin back. His expression turned stern, and he said: "That's right, this demon person didn't carry a sword either. Could there be other thieves? Or perhaps she has accomplices..."

Tang Zhao lowered his head to look at the ground and said: "Thieves, there are likely none left. The sword, it is also gone."

Several people were stunned and looked at Tang Zhao, as if they had a bad premonition in their hearts.

Tang Zhao pointed to the fragments all over the floor and said: "These were originally a sword. Your attribute should be inclined toward dust, right?"

The YoungMaster opened his mouth and nodded.

Tang Zhao said: "Then these are your sword. That person must have had decent knowledge as a Sword Smith, as well as some special means. After getting the sword, she very quickly dismantled it..."

The YoungMaster exclaimed: "What, my sword is gone? I can no longer be a Sword Guest?"

Master Che was also so anxious that cold sweat flowed down, and he said: "This... how can this be? How can the demon person be so vicious?"

It was Che Lin who had more experience; he shouted: "What are you panicking about? Since there is a way to take it apart, there is naturally a way to put it back together. Just ask a Sword Smith to repair it. The sword isn't gone, it's just in a different form."

Through the previous words, he guessed that Tang Zhao also had the skills of a Sword Smith, but he did not ask Tang Zhao to take action. Firstly, he dared not trouble this Excellency, and secondly, it was unnecessary. Youzhou was not as stable as Yunzhou now, but it was barely a traditional inner prefecture, on the edge of the Central Plains' brilliant lands, not comparable to the remote outskirts of Yunzhou; there were quite a few Sword Smiths. There was no need to risk asking an outsider Sword Hero.

Tang Zhao listened and said nothing.

This sword could probably not be changed back.

Inside this, one thing was missing.

There was no Sword Seed.

The most important Sword Seed was not here.

The materials without the Sword Seed were really just a pile of scraps. To a Sword Smith, they still had a little meaning, but to an ordinary person, they were useless.

But if the Sword Seed was not here, there had to be a place to put it, right?

The preservation of a Sword Seed was more difficult than ordinary materials. Ordinary materials could be casually placed in a Cunshu Art Tool, but a Sword Seed could not be kept there. Without a Strange Stone for preservation, the best method was...

He suddenly said: "Changxin, come out."

Everyone was stunned, not knowing how he called out such an unfamiliar name.

At this moment, a youth crawled out from the corner. He was only ten or so years old, his face pale, his expression looking like he was crying yet not crying, and he said: "You... you... still remember me?"

Tang Zhao said warmly: "I was just about to say that. It seems you still remember me. Since we parted at the ruined temple, you have grown taller." After saying this, he reached out his hand toward him.

That youth Changxin was Changqiu's younger brother, and also Wei Zhangle's younger brother, who had been entrusted to the Sui Family Troupe together back then. He walked a few steps toward Tang Zhao, grabbed his hand, and finally cried out.

Tang Zhao said: "Do you have something to tell me? About that Demonic Sect woman?"

Earlier, Tang Zhao had discovered someone secretly staring at him. Although everyone was looking at him, one gaze was different, exceptionally anxious and even urgent. Upon closer inspection, it was Changxin.

Actually, Changxin looked completely different from his thin, withered appearance when he was young, but one could see a bit of Wei Zhangle's likeness on his face, and Tang Zhao guessed who he was at once.

He initially only thought that Changxin recognized him but did not dare to acknowledge him, but he soon discovered that Changxin spent half his time looking at him and the other half looking at that Demonic Sect woman. While he looked at Tang Zhao with awe and eagerness, he looked at that woman with hatred mixed with fear. Clearly, a large part of the reason he didn't come out to acknowledge him was that he didn't dare to show his face in front of that woman.

Tang Zhao guessed that the woman had a problem based on this; as for the Demonic Sect, it was just a casual probe: setting aside personal vendettas, anything calculated and well-prepared must be organized, and those who dared to openly provoke the Land Inspection Division were nothing more than a few organizations. The Demonic Sect was the easiest to probe because they had rituals. Otherwise, he could have tried to see if she was one of the Turtle Bandits.

Since that woman was dead and the threat had disappeared, Tang Zhao called Changxin out. Changxin feared that woman perhaps because they had an old grudge, and the other half might be because he had just seen something that made him fearful.

Sure enough, Changxin sobbed and said: "Please save Sister Yun, save Sister Yun."

"A Yun, Sui Yun?" Tang Zhao was startled and said sternly: "What is going on? Tell me in detail?"

Changxin said: "That woman captured Sister Yun, put something on her, and then imprisoned her."

Sure enough!

Tang Zhao had a feeling that it was just as he expected.

To preserve a Sword Seed, if there was no Strange Stone specifically for Sword Smiths, the best method was to hide it in a person's Soul!

It was just that the victim the woman chose was A Yun.

Tang Zhao couldn't help but say to himself: "That was close!"

If this situation had occurred two months ago, Tang Zhao would have been helpless.

At that time, there was no method in the world to extract a Sword Seed from a Soul, and Tang Zhao's unique cheat, the Glasses, was also in a shattered state and could not achieve the miracle of the past. At that time, he could only take A Yun back to study her slowly, but during the study period, A Yun would have suffered greatly.

Now, it was completely different.

Not to mention the Glasses, he even had his meritorious Jiang Shixiong who had researched a method to extract Sword Seeds.

Even those Sword Slaves specifically concocted by Wangliang Mountain could be saved, let alone A Yun.

However, he did not know this technique and had to ask his Shixiong to take action.

The most urgent matter was to take A Yun to find his Shixiong.

Changxin led Tang Zhao to find the person. The crowd couldn't help but want to follow to watch the Sword Hero's excitement, but Old Master Che hurriedly stopped them and followed himself. Che Lin hurriedly stopped him as well, and only he himself followed Tang Zhao.

Entering the backyard, Changxin entered a small courtyard and pointed to the ground. It turned out that A Yun was actually hidden under the floor tiles.

There was a not-so-small hole under the floor tiles. Looking at the traces, it had been dug not long ago. But even a Sword Guest would find it difficult to dig a hole to hide a person in a moment without anyone noticing under the eyes of the public. Unless she had snuck into the mansion early on and secretly dug the hole over months and years, just for use today.

If this wasn't calculated, what was?

Tang Zhao pried up the floor tiles, and sure enough, A Yun's face was revealed.

A Yun was eighteen this year and had truly become a young woman; she had grown up to be extremely beautiful, not losing out to her future sister-in-law Qiao Shuanglian. At this moment, however, her eyes were tightly shut, and her breathing was almost non-existent.

Tang Zhao hurriedly checked her carefully, but her life was not in danger; she had simply been subjected to a technique that put her into a state similar to the Turtle Breathing Art.

In this way, her vital signs almost disappeared; firstly, it spared her from painful struggling that might attract attention, and secondly, people outside could not hear her breathing, so they could never know someone was hidden below, and the Land Inspection Division could not possibly flip over every inch of the floorboards during a search.

If it hadn't been for Chang Xin seeing her, and if he hadn't been clever enough to escape that woman's notice, A Yun would likely have been "missing" forever!

"You are truly lucky, A Yun."

If Tang Zhao hadn't found her, A Yun would have been finished. But since he had found her, not only had the danger been averted, but some good fortune had also emerged.

Once a Sword Seed is swallowed, it is extremely easy for one's own body to match with the Sword Seed. That is how those White-haired Swordsmen came to be.

Although the Sword Seed was not hers, since Tang Zhao was here, he could even buy it if he had to.

This might be the protection of Senior Sister's lucky charm. The turning point in the Sui family's fate did not lie with Tang Zhao, but with their own family member. Tang Zhao's help was merely an external force; for a daughter of the Sui family to have the fortune of a Sword Guest, that is what is called good people being rewarded for their good deeds.

Che Lin actually did not understand what Sui Yun had encountered; he did not even know the Sword Seed had been lost. Tang Zhao could have chosen not to tell them and simply taken A Yun away. But Tang Zhao hesitated for a moment and still decided to explain.

Ultimately, it depended on what kind of person Che Lin was.

Tang Zhao also knew that while Che Lin might be competent in his duties as a Town Guardian of the Land Inspection Division, his character was highly questionable. But he seemed capable of reflecting on himself, which could be considered a rare quality. Moreover, his Sword Intent seemed to weaken whenever he fell into self-doubt, suggesting he might never have truly realized he was wrong before.

If he could recognize and reflect on it now, it should not be too late.

Things in the Human World are helpless; whenever a Sword Guest who possesses authority turns back, it is a good thing and should be encouraged, because once they turn back, they become a force useful to the Human World, making it worth it for most people to overlook the wrong things they did in the past. As for some ordinary villains, there is no need to persuade them to turn back; splitting them with a sword is the most efficient way. This is the difference in value.

At the very least, it can be said that Che Lin's self-reflection without any constraints is indeed very rare; he could have been lawless on his own turf.

Furthermore, Tang Zhao knew he shouldn't associate two completely different people, but he still thought of Xing Ji. He thought of that afternoon, the way Xing Ji looked covered in blood.

Bathing in blood, then turning back from the wrong path—this was what Tang Zhao hoped for.

However, since he wanted Che Lin to reflect on himself, could he himself do something like taking without asking?

"Lord Che."

Che Lin started, saying, "I dare not be called Lord. What instructions do you have, sir?"

Tang Zhao said, "In any case, your brother's sword cannot be recovered. That woman dismantled the sword and placed the Sword Seed into her own body..."

He then explained his deductions in detail.

Che Lin was also a Sword Guest; he knew well that once a Sword Seed entered the body, it could not be taken back. He was first shocked, then disappointed, but helpless. He gave a dry laugh and said, "I pity this young lady."

Although this sentence was merely polite, the fact that he could say such polite words at the first moment showed he still had a heart.

Tang Zhao said, "I will take her back to my sect for treatment and look for a way to extract the Sword Seed. But the Sword Seed that has entered the body will shift somewhat; it is a perfect match for this Sister A Yun of mine, but its affinity with your brother is shallow."

Hearing the address "Sister A Yun," Che Lin guessed his meaning and smiled bitterly: "I know. You recovered the sword, and you are the one who must extract the Sword Seed; you could have chosen not to tell me. As a Town Guardian of the Land Inspection Division, I allowed a demonic person to invade my residence; this is my incompetence. Furthermore, letting the Demonic Sect use the suffering of the common people to tarnish the reputation of the Land Inspection Division to my face is my lack of virtue. Since I am so incompetent and lacking in virtue, my younger brother probably shouldn't become a Sword Guest either. He is inferior to me in every aspect."

Tang Zhao felt his vital energy wane a little more, thinking, *What kind of unlucky Sword Intent is this? How can an ordinary person with this kind of Sword Intent expect to make progress? * He said, "Since Town Guardian Che has realized your own shortcomings, I believe things will be different in the future. I will not take your brother's Sword Seed for nothing. After some time, please come to Zhuoyu Villa with your brother, and I will obtain a new sword for him."

He added another sentence: "Yunzhou also has a Land Inspection Division; why doesn't Lord Che go to Yunzhou for an exchange? Both are Town Guardians; even if you are not under each other's command, you can still learn from one another. I hope this can resolve your confusion, Lord Che."