Chapter 716: In a Flash

Time passes in a flash; the moon waxes and wanes, and in the blink of an eye, it is the end of another year.

Several months have passed since Tang Zhao made a hurried trip to the Sun Court and returned to the mountain to go into seclusion, learning the method of raising a Sword Deity from Zhu Ying.

These past few months have been a rare period of peace for Tang Zhao since he became a Sword Guest, and also a rare period of peace for Yunzhou.

Since returning from Wangliang Mountain, Yunzhou has faced several imminent major events. Among them, the two hidden dangers of the Jinwu Sword can be considered resolved, and the team that set out from Wangliang Mountain has also returned; those who needed to be taken in were taken in, and those who needed to be disbanded were disbanded. Meanwhile, the Turtle Bandits lurking in the shadows have delayed taking action, so Yunzhou has tightened its internal security while loosening its external guard, partly to relieve the manpower so that work and life could continue, and partly to see if they could lure the Turtle Bandits out by revealing a flaw and defeat them in one fell swoop.

Compared to the calm outside and the turbulent undercurrents within Yunzhou, Zhuoyu Villa is truly peaceful.

Tang Zhao is driven by his task, focused on learning the method of raising a Sword Deity as soon as possible, not to mention staying in seclusion with Zhu Ying; the entire villa is also living a life of steady, long-term development.

Ever since his eldest disciple betrayed the sect, his youngest disciple rose rapidly, and he himself fulfilled his wish as a Sword Smith, Xue Xianyun has suddenly become lazy, as if he has no more pursuits. Not to mention cultivation, even his once-beloved research into Rune Formulas has become somewhat sluggish. Although he still occasionally casts swords at Gongyu Hall, he spends most of his time fishing.

Nowadays, he is even perfunctory when guiding his disciples; after all, his disciples are grown, and since a master leads one to the door, cultivation is a personal matter, so they should know how to learn for themselves. Even when there are excellent talents among the younger generation of disciples, and Xue Yeyu suggests he take them in, he just dismisses it with, "How do they compare to Azhao?"

Time and again, this provoked Xue Yeyu, who threw a temper tantrum at him. Xue Xianyun hummed and hawed, saying, "I am old and have lost my drive, but you are still young. From today on, you can take on disciples yourselves. True Jade Disciples can also take on True Jade Disciples, becoming the next pillars of my Zhuoyu Villa. Whether it is you, or the third, fourth, or fifth, even if that little bastard Xu Zhongnan takes on good disciples in Jingcheng, I will acknowledge it, as long as you don't embarrass me. You are all so old, yet you cannot stand on your own, cannot expand the sect yourselves, and still need me, an old man, to worry about you—are you not ashamed?"

Although Xue Yeyu still hoped he would pull himself together, she felt this idea was not bad after getting such a response.

From this day forward, the third generation of Zhuoyu Villa began.

Aside from Jiang Shenyi and Tang Zhao, the other True Jade Disciples have been on the mountain for many years and have more or less some junior disciples they are close with. Although taking someone as a True Jade Disciple is not just about who is close, among those who are close, there are always those with sufficient ability, so why not take the opportunity to accept them?

As for this making a junior brother into a disciple, effectively lowering their generation, as long as both parties are willing, others cannot say anything. If they don't become True Jade Disciples, what meaning does seniority have?

For example, Fu Qinghuan took on three disciples in one go, two of whom are acquaintances of Tang Zhao: one is Hua Xifu, the daughter of Lady Hua Rong, and the other is Sui Yun, whom Tang Zhao introduced.

After Jiang Shenyi extracted the Sword Seed for Sui Yun, she did not return to join the Sui Family Troupe but stayed on the mountain. Tang Zhao boasting that she was taken as a disciple by his senior sister was naturally a comforting remark at the time, but Zhuoyu Villa is also a reputable sect in Yunzhou; if she can form a master-disciple bond here, that is also quite a good thing, and it will be smoother for her to become a Sword Guest in the future.

Originally, Tang Zhao wanted to ask Xue Yeyu to take a look, but Xue Yeyu was at the most critical moment of comprehending the Sword Guest realm and could not spare the time, yet Sui Yun caught Fu Qinghuan's eye while wandering around.

Perhaps it is because Sui Yun learned a set of skills in singing and playing while wandering the world, and Fu Qinghuan is also proficient in arts and has an elegant love for music, that the two are temperamentally compatible.

Originally, Fu Qinghuan had her own trusted disciples, and this time she also selected two personal disciples; even though she liked Sui Yun, there is a matter of first come, first served, and one cannot just pile them up like firewood, letting the latecomers surpass the predecessors, right?

But who told her that Sui Yun was introduced by Tang Zhao?

Tang Zhao's status nowadays goes without saying; his strength and status have soared, and even his fellow sect members cannot ignore this change. Therefore, as soon as Sui Yun came up, she was valued, and coupled with the fact that her aptitude is quite good and she came with an extremely compatible Sword Seed, it was clear she had a bright future, so she became a True Jade Disciple in one step.

Likewise, the fact that Hua Xifu could stand out among Fu Qinghuan's group of junior sisters cannot be said to be without Tang Zhao's influence.

On the other side, others are also moving forward step by step.

At the end of the year, Xue Yeyu finally succeeded in comprehending the sword, successfully becoming a Sword Guest after a year and a half. As expected, everyone saw a fluffy-feathered owl fly up from her Sword Hut.

On the other side, Jiang Shenyi and his crocodile also had a major breakthrough in their research on the Soul. As for what the breakthrough was, others could not know, but in any case, they were very excited and researched even more vigorously.

In this regard, Xue Yeyu is truly no match for her old rival; not to mention setbacks, he didn't even forget to research while he was a crocodile.

Qin Haizhou and Deng Chong also each took on disciples and were responsible for taking care of part of the White Jade Prosperous Assembly business, which in fact meant being responsible for supplying goods. Under the helm of Manager Liu, the storefronts expanded steadily, opening five branches in Yunzhou, and they were like a fish in water both officially and in the martial arts world. Now, the entire Zhuoyu Villa and White Jade Prosperous Assembly are inseparable, and even Yunzhou's relationship with White Jade Prosperous Assembly is becoming increasingly close.

This flourishing situation could not help but make Manager Liu feel heroic, thinking about taking a step outside of Yunzhou.

It is just that this step has not yet been taken; the market outside Yunzhou is very cruel, facing not only risks in the business world but also physical risks. Tang Zhao is still in seclusion, and without him coming out to personally escort them, Manager Liu cannot do it even if he is eager to try.

After a few months of peaceful life, when the end of the year arrived, just as Zhuoyu Villa was preparing for the New Year under the direction of the new Sword Guest, Xue Yeyu, guests finally arrived on the mountain.

And it was not just one or two.

"Yo, Zhangle is here! Happy New Year!"

Jiang Shenyi had just finished his busy research when he saw an acquaintance arrive on the mountain.

Wei Zhangle originally had few friends over the years, but after this trip to Wangliang Mountain, he fought side by side with everyone and was also kept in Baiyujing for two months. During this period, getting along with his peers, he was always able to accumulate friendship. Now, his mental state is much better than when he first connected with Tang Zhao.

Among them, although Jiang Shenyi's temperament is proud, he is the most friendly and straightforward, and very easy to get along with. Although he is smart, his mind is simple and straightforward, and anyone who gets along with him can gradually let down their guard, so Wei Zhangle has a very good relationship with him.

By comparison, although Wei Zhangle and Weise also had the experience of being comrades-in-arms, they were not very close to each other; their temperaments were not compatible.

Seeing that it was Jiang Shenyi who came out, Wei Zhangle smiled and said, "Happy New Year, Brother Jiang!"

Beside him, a young man and woman bowed together and said, "Happy New Year!"

Jiang Shenyi smiled and said, "These are Changqiu and Changxin, right? Yo, they've grown taller!"

These two children were naturally Wei Zhangle's younger brother Changxin and younger sister Changqiu. They were previously entrusted to the Sui Family Troupe and were later brought back to Yunzhou by Tang Zhao.

When Wei Zhangle returned from Baiyujing and heard this good news, he flew to Mu City and saw his two younger siblings.

Seeing that his siblings were safe and sound, and although not to say how wealthy, they were growing up healthily, Wei Zhangle was moved to tears. He expressed his thousand thanks on the spot and took out all his existing assets to reward them.

After communicating, Wei Zhangle still decided to take the two children back. Although they had developed feelings for the Sui family after following them for these years, they were ultimately of the Wei family, and it was more justified to follow their own brother. Furthermore, even if the Sui family could settle down under Tang Zhao's care, it would only be a life of farming and reading, just wealthy, and their future could not compare to following Zhangle, so it was better for the two children to follow him.

Half a year ago, Jiang Shenyi had seen Changxin and Changqiu, and seeing them again now, although it had only been a few months, they were clearly taller and sturdier than before, and their spirit was different. After all, Zhangle could teach them more, and since returning, he had spent a lot of effort to make the two children look like they had been reborn.

"Here to visit your junior brother? Then you'll have to wait a bit; he is in seclusion now and seeing no one. Even I cannot meet him directly. I will find Senior Sister to talk to you and see if Junior Brother can come out to meet you; we can't have you running here for nothing from so far away, right?"

Wei Zhangle smiled and said, "It's fine. It's okay if it's not convenient this time; we will be coming and going often in the future anyway."

Seeing Jiang Shenyi was puzzled, Wei Zhangle smiled and said, "I have just been transferred to be the Deputy Commander of the Land Inspection Division in Jichun City."

Jiang Shenyi was a little surprised, but thinking about it carefully, it was within reason. Because Wei Zhangle participated in a dangerous mission and made contributions, he became a Sword Guest in one fell swoop, skipping years of seniority. Now, becoming a Deputy Town Guardian of a city as a Sword Guest is not excessive. However, being placed in Jichun City just happens to show an intention to look after Tang Zhao.

Since he could handle local work, it seemed his mental state had truly recovered quite a bit, and Jiang Shenyi was happy for him.

Jiang Shenyi smiled and said, "Not bad, you've become a local official? In the future, when we go to Jichun City, we'll have to ask you to make things convenient for us."

Wei Zhangle hurriedly waved his hands and smiled, "How could I dare to accept that? Not to mention the Young Master, Manor Master Xue is also a Deputy Commander of the Land Inspection Division, my direct superior; I am still many levels below. If you have anything you need, Brother, just call me, and I will go through fire and water."

Jiang Shenyi chatted for a while and then said, "Since you can't see Junior Brother for a while, I'll take you up the mountain to eat something good. The fresh fish in our swamp is very fragrant. By the way, these two children..."

He looked them over and smiled, "Since you brought the children, do you want these two children to come to our villa?"

Wei Zhangle smiled and said, "If they have this good fortune, it would naturally be for the best, but I'm afraid they don't have the aptitude. Where is it easy for anyone to be a Sword Smith? The requirements are even higher than learning martial arts."

He pondered for a moment, leaned into Jiang Shenyi's ear, and said, "I brought them here, first to pay respects to the Young Master again; he is their savior, so naturally, I must pay respects during the New Year. Also, it is to see Changxin's biological brother."

Jiang Shenyi asked curiously, "Biological—aren't you his biological brother?"

Wei Zhangle said, "I am a clan brother; it's fine to call me brother, but ultimately there is someone with a closer blood relation than me. He is right here at Zhuoyu Villa. His name is—"

"Wei Jianzhang."