Chapter 718: Encounters

"Knock, knock—"

Hearing the knocking, Che Lin opened his eyes.

There was someone at the door knocking, wearing a smile; it was Tang Zhao, whom he hadn't seen for several months.

"Town Guardian Che, long time no see. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Che Lin and the others had come to the Sword Hut together, but Tang Zhao was spread too thin, and since they had come from different places with different purposes, it was just a coincidence that they had arrived today; they couldn't all meet Tang Zhao at once, or no one would be able to speak. Therefore, Wei Se had come out to invite them to wait in separate halls.

Che Lin considered his status unimportant and his relationship with Tang Zhao not particularly close, so he assumed he would be last, and simply found a chair in the living room to doze off.

Having dozed off like that, he had actually fallen into a deep sleep, only waking up when he heard the knocking.

Logically, as a Sword Guest, he shouldn't have been so careless and unprepared, but there was no help for it; he was too tired, and once he relaxed, he couldn't hold on.

Che Lin stood up and said, "Tang Commander. Forgive my rudeness; there have been many things these past two days, and I haven't closed my eyes..."

He scrutinized Tang Zhao, wondering if he had seen wrong:

Why did it feel like there was a layer of light on Tang Zhao?

Before, when he saw Tang Zhao and said he was shrouded in a layer of light, that was a literary metaphor; now, saying he had a layer of light was an objective description.

There was truly a layer of Micro Light on Tang Zhao, warm and gentle, like the morning Sunlight.

And...

He seemed to have become stronger again.

This was just an intuition; after all, with Che Lin's strength, he wasn't capable of judging Tang Zhao's level of power. He just had this feeling that this youth, who was already unimaginably powerful, had taken another step forward after only a few short months.

Damn it, other people's eighteen-year-olds...

At this moment, Tang Zhao also said in surprise, "Town Guardian Che, your cultivation has advanced further. Congratulations."

Che Lin gave a bitter smile and said, "How can this be called an advancement? I am still only at the strength of a Sword Guest; I am still a long way from being a Sword Hero. It is merely that after your guidance, and being stimulated by my younger brother's affair, I have had some realization in my Sword Heart. This meager progress is barely worth mentioning in these times."

Tang Zhao said, "With a breakthrough in your Sword Heart, becoming a Sword Hero is only a matter of time. Recently... have you been well?"

It was inconvenient for him to ask directly about the situation on Che Lin's side; it involved family matters. If Che Lin wanted to talk, he could say a few words; if not, so be it. But looking at Che Lin's state, it seemed he had experienced more than just family matters.

Che Lin sighed and said, "Che Yu is dead."

Tang Zhao let out an "Hmm," finding it difficult to respond.

Che Lin explained, "I didn't kill him. And he didn't commit suicide. After you left, I kept him at home, appealing to his emotions and reasoning with him, trying to persuade him for several days. Although he didn't fully give in, he wasn't as resistant as before. I thought if he were willing to perform meritorious service to atone for his crimes, there might be a way out for him, so I quietly begged an old superior of mine to take both me and Che Yu to the headquarters of the Land Inspection Department in the province, to both imprison and protect him, preventing him from being harmed by the Demonic Sect."

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "Could it be that that superior..."

Che Lin shook his head and said, "No. That superior of mine is reliable. He took us along back roads to the headquarters. Although we slept in the open along the way, it was peaceful, and there were no traces of the Demonic Sect. Although Che Yu was cold and biting, he was still obedient and didn't use all his strength to escape. We entered the headquarters smoothly. And then..."

Tang Zhao narrowed his eyes and said, "Silenced?"

Che Lin nodded and said, "Yes. Silenced for no reason. We had just entered the city and reported the matter to the headquarters; we hadn't even waited for the Commander or those in charge to come and inquire, nor had we been sent down to the Prison. While we were waiting for news at our lodging, he suddenly disappeared."

Tang Zhao was somewhat angry and said, "Even the Land Inspection Department headquarters isn't safe? Are they in league with the Demonic Sect?"

Che Lin gave a bitter smile and said, "Yes. My younger brother died a violent death, and I was still bewildered. My old superior, who was experienced and knowledgeable, made a prompt decision and told me to leave immediately. Thanks to his cover, I escaped Jishan City overnight. After a little rest, I immediately understood that even the Jishan City headquarters had been infiltrated. Youzhou was not a place to stay long, so I fled west overnight. Along the way, I encountered three or four waves of enemy sieges. Thanks to my progress and the fact that my Sword Image had changed somewhat, I realized two Sword Arts for self-preservation, and after chasing and fleeing all the way, I escaped into the borders of Yunzhou."

"Once I reached the borders of Yunzhou, they didn't dare to act openly anymore. Plus, I had left contact information with Town Guardian Chi last time, so I asked him to provide some support, which is how I shook off the pursuers. I thought that staying at the Yunzhou border was not a long-term solution besides troubling Town Guardian Chi, and I am an incompetent person; the world is vast, but there isn't much room for me. The only person I could turn to for help was you, and since I had an agreement with you, I shamelessly came to seek refuge."

Tang Zhao hadn't expected so many twists and turns. He had thought Che Lin was coming to collect the sword according to their agreement; he had already prepared the sword, so he had felt at ease coming to see Che Lin later. If he had known this earlier, he should have invited him to a quiet place alone, rather than letting outsiders who didn't know the details see him.

He pondered and said, "In any case, stay for now; my Zhuoyu Villa is safe. In this world, unless the State Preceptor comes to take your life in person, with my Tang Zhao's sword, I will never let anything happen to you."

After giving Che Lin a reassurance, Tang Zhao continued, "However, that matter cannot just end there. First, he was your younger brother after all; regardless of what the law says he should face, someone killing him privately is a mortal feud. Second, we solved that case together, and we captured the person together; how can it just disappear without a trace? Not to mention them turning the tables on us. Furthermore, for the Land Inspection Department to have fallen to this point..."

He stood up, paced slowly, turned his head, and asked, "Have you been put on a Tong Qi?"

Che Lin said, "Before I escaped Youzhou, I hadn't been. I don't know about these past few days."

He understood the meaning behind Tang Zhao's question; this would determine the extent to which the Youzhou Land Inspection Department had been corrupted.

Tang Zhao was not only powerful, but his status on the surface was also very high. If he wanted to resolve this matter, he could go through official channels, or he could simply use force to suppress others.

If Che Lin had truly been put on a Tong Qi, it meant the Youzhou Land Inspection Department was rotten to the core, and the higher-ups were blatantly turning black into white; unless it was torn down and rebuilt, there was no point in talking further.

Now that Che Lin hadn't been put on a Tong Qi, Tang Zhao continued to ask, "What happened to that old superior of yours?"

Che Lin gave a bitter smile and said, "The connection was broken; I don't know his situation."

Tang Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "Like this: I will say two things first. I will definitely protect you, and I will definitely handle your matter. You stay on the mountain first; I will inquire about news from Youzhou and collect more information. Let's get to the bottom of it first, and then we can plan. Furthermore, I will ask someone to bring your family out to resolve your worries first."

Upon hearing this, Che Lin was moved to tears and said, "With your words, what else do I have to fear? If it weren't for you, Che Lin would have died several times over. Great kindness cannot be repaid with words; I can only repay you with my life in the future."

Tang Zhao offered a few words of comfort, then found a White Jade Disciple to send Che Lin to the guest room to rest, and told someone to prepare hot water and food to send over. In his heart, he also felt a sense of lament: one more difficult task added.

He had said that the few months of leisure in the forest were stolen, hadn't he? Just after coming out, several more matters had piled up. None of them could be shirked.

Leaving the room, Tang Zhao returned to the back hall.

As soon as he entered the back hall, he felt white mist permeating the air. The white mist was mixed with water vapor and the aroma of meat.

In the center of the hall sat a small table, and in the very center of the table was a copper pot, with the water in it boiling. Surrounding the copper pot were plates piled with mutton, fatty beef, fresh shrimp, meatballs, fresh fish, sheep tail fat... and on another small rack were vegetables and tofu.

At this time, the vegetable plates were still full, but the meat plates were already more than half empty; half the meat from the plates was in the pot, and half was in their stomachs.

Jiang Shenyi used his chopsticks to scoop up a full portion of mutton, half-fat and half-lean, dipped it into the sesame sauce bowl in front of him, and upon seeing Tang Zhao, smiled and said, "Junior Brother is here? Quick, I'll put a plate of tofu in for you."

Hearing this, Wei Se and Wei Zhangle, who were busy devouring the food, hurriedly scooped a large chunk of mutton out of the pot each to make room for Tang Zhao's tofu.

Tang Zhao rolled his eyes and said, "It's a good thing I came back early, otherwise this mutton hotpot would have turned into boiled tofu. Where are the two children?"

Wei Zhangle swallowed a mouthful of mutton and said, "They've finished eating. I thought we would definitely be drinking later, so I let them go rest first." As he spoke, he took out the wine pot that had been warming in the hot water and poured a cup of wine for Tang Zhao first.

Tang Zhao sighed and said, "When I went out, I was full of spirit, waiting for us to drink together. Now, after a trip out, I've added a few troublesome matters; this wine has become a way to drown sorrows." Having said that, he drank the amber-colored wine in the cup in one gulp.

Jiang Shenyi looked at him sideways and said, "Has the sky fallen?"

Tang Zhao said, "Not yet."

Jiang Shenyi smiled and said, "Then it's fine. Since it hasn't fallen today, let's drink this wine heartily today. When you wake up tomorrow morning, how many troubles can you not worry about? It's fine for us two, but Zhangle came from so far away; must you let people see you with a frowning face? This mutton doesn't even smell good anymore."

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "Senior Brother is right. If the sky hasn't fallen, why bother being restless for a single night? Let's have a cup first!" Having said that, he drank another cup. The people at the table accompanied him with a cup.

Wei Zhangle said, "Young Master, you don't need to be considerate of me. Since we are not outsiders, there is no need to hide joy or anger. You can tell us; even if our strength is meager, we can help you relieve your frustration. Furthermore, you know my sword; sometimes it's still a bit useful. If there is a place where you need me, don't be shy."

Tang Zhao pondered and said, "There is indeed a matter I would like to trouble you with." He knew Che Lin was in big trouble; he didn't know who was watching him now, and his family also needed someone to help them relocate quickly. He had originally wanted to let Wei Se go, but now that he thought about it, Wei Zhangle was more suitable. Making Che Lin's family disappear would provide more room for maneuver in this matter.

As for the fact that Wei Zhangle is now a Deputy Garrison Commander of the Land Inspection Division and it is not appropriate for him to go to other prefectures and counties to move about, if Tang Zhao were unwilling to trouble Wei Zhangle because of this, Zhangle would instead feel sad.

He gave Wei Zhangle a few instructions and said, "Since it is like this, please, Zhangle, make a trip for me. Wei Se, help me collect some intelligence. The New Year is almost here; let us have a peaceful New Year first, and in the coming year, I must make a trip to Jingcheng, so Wei Se, come with me."