Chapter 855: Frog Calls

Tang Zhao suddenly said this, and his expression was solemn. Weise and Changle were both startled and looked toward the side.

They saw that the riverbank was pitch black, appearing to be a vast stretch of wasteland with little vegetation, which was quite abrupt in the wilderness. Only occasionally could a few sparks of fire be seen on the wasteland; the firelight was white with a tinge of green, quite different from ordinary flames. In the deepest part of the wasteland, there was another light, which resembled ordinary human hearth fire, as if a proper household lived there alone.

Weise and Changle were both enlightened at once, saying in unison: "It's a graveyard."

Changle explained: "Usually in the wild outskirts outside large cities, there are often such graveyards. They might be some family's ancestral graves, or public cemeteries for city dwellers and soldiers. When I was young and wandering with Changxin and Changqiu, I actually quite liked encountering such large graveyards because there were offerings to eat, and if I encountered those large ancestral graves with shrines, I could even go inside to take shelter. Don't be afraid of those flickering lights you see; that's just ghost fire among the graves, there's no danger at all..."

Tang Zhao was both amused and annoyed, saying: "Why would I be afraid of ghost fire? I'm not a child. Not only do I know it's ghost fire, I also know it's because the phosphorus in the bones is self-combusting that the flame has this color... but there is a problem with this graveyard." When he said the last sentence, his expression was very grave.

"Hmm?"

The two became nervous again and looked at the graveyard together. After observing carefully for a while, Changle said: "I didn't see anything..."

He did not mean to doubt Tang Zhao, but only said he himself had not seen it. Because Tang Zhao's strength was far greater than theirs, it was not strange that Tang Zhao saw what he did not; it only meant the water behind the oddity was very deep.

Tang Zhao explained: "This graveyard has a layer of Sword Array concealing the inner layer, which is quite exquisite. Not only is the energy level high, but the structural method is also different from ordinary Rune Formulas, and the traces are erased very well. I also felt vaguely that something was wrong, and only after observing carefully just now did I discover some clues."

That is to say, if a Rune Master came here, they would not intuitively feel that something was wrong, so they would naturally walk away, and there would be no follow-up. And if another Sword Immortal came over, they might feel something was wrong, but without Rune knowledge, they could not discover the corresponding definite clues to confirm that there was really a problem here. Some Sword Immortals might leave indifferently, while others who were naturally suspicious might send a Sword Momentum over to flatten the flat ground.

Only a rare technical Sword Immortal like Tang Zhao could truly make a discovery, and it just so happened that he passed by here and discovered the traces; this was also a matter of fate.

Weise pondered: "Is it some Secret Realm? Or are there enemies ambushing here? Or is it a Yunzhou base for some secret organization? When I was at the Yama Shop, some branches would choose places like graveyards as bases to let us assassins resupply and rest."

Changle said: "This is the near suburb of Zhongtian Prefecture, where experts are as numerous as clouds. What organization would choose this place as a permanent base? It is highly likely to be temporary and for a purpose. Especially since a major event recently is the change of masters in Yunzhou, and the political situation is turbulent. Lurking under the nose of the Yunzhou Governor at this time, and with such a high-level array to hide, what they are plotting is not small. Could it be the Turtle Bandits? Are they here for revenge?!"

Weise thought to himself: That is not necessarily true. Who doesn't know the principle of "it's darkest under the lamp"? Not to mention the suburbs, even in the city, there might be contact points for certain organizations.

But he did not say it out loud, because Changle's guess might be wrong, but it could also be right. Since there is a risk, it is always good to check.

The three of them were all meticulous people who could analyze the situation. Among them, Changle would think of things in the worst possible way. Of course, following his line of thinking might be a waste of effort, but he would not regret it due to negligence.

Tang Zhao's expression was stern as he said: "Even if it's not the Turtle Bandits, it could be other organizations, for example..."

Weise said: "The Demon Sect?"

Tang Zhao said: "It's possible, but the probability is not high; they are currently infighting." This infighting was because the Demon Sect had suddenly fallen into a state of having no leader, and it had a little bit to do with Tang Zhao.

Changle said: "Shall we sneak in and check?"

His personality was originally quite cautious, but ever since his Vanishing Sword became more and more powerful, and even places like Void Ships were unobstructed, he also liked sneaking in more and more. Because his sneaking was absolutely safe, and peeking at other people's secrets in a safe situation was quite exciting.

Tang Zhao thought for a while and said: "In your current state, you can't really use Sword Technique, right?"

Changle said: "I can use it; it's just that it might take a few more days to be accepted by the world again."

Tang Zhao shook his head and said: "It's better not to take risks. After all, there is no precedent, and I don't know if there will be any sequelae. It was not easy for you to come out of the disappearance; there is no need to take risks. Weise shouldn't go either."

The latter sentence did not need explanation; Weise's strength was not enough. That place could use a powerful Sword Array that could completely hide from a Sword Hero and almost deceive a Sword Immortal, so the strength inside was naturally extraordinary. Although there were no Sword Immortals in the Human World, there were many quite powerful Sword Heroes, and Weise was still just a Sword Guest. Going in would only be a burden, so why go in?

Weise nodded expressionlessly, indicating his agreement. As for how he was determined in his heart and how he swore to work hard to become a true powerhouse, that was not for outsiders to know.

Tang Zhao continued: "But since they are making trouble at this juncture, they are disturbing my homeland and are also disrespectful to the Lord. I cannot ignore it. You two stay outside. See if anyone approaches. If there is anyone you recognize, be sure to write it down. I will go in and take a look." Now that Changle was still in the stage of being gradually accepted by the world, his sense of presence was extremely weak. He did not need to use any Sword Law or Sword Art; as long as he stayed on the ship and parked the small boat in a slightly hidden place, others would not discover him at all, and by extension, Weise sitting on the small boat would not be discovered either.

The two agreed. Tang Zhao stood up from the boat and swept lightly, already sweeping into the darkness. His movements could be considered swaggering and uninhibited. Firstly, he still had the disappearance on him, so it was not easy to attract the attention of the mechanism. Secondly, he understood Sword Seeds and entered at the weak point of the Sword Array. This entry into the boundary was silent and without any fluctuations. Changle took a look and found that although they were not far apart, he could not see Tang Zhao's figure. It could be seen that Tang Zhao was right; this place, which seemed to have a panoramic view, actually had an invisible barrier that completely concealed the situation behind it.

Changle could not help but feel a little worried, but then he thought: I am too worried. This Human World is not the Immortal World; where would there be any Sword Immortals or Sword Saints? Isn't Brother Zhao's strength invincible? It is also thanks to him being forgotten by people now that no one has summoned him back to the Suiyu yet, otherwise, with his status as a registered person in the Sword Court, it would be inconvenient for him to intervene in the affairs of the Human World.

Don't be afraid, it's fine.

He and Weise rowed the boat away and hid it under the willow shade along the river. The two waited on the boat. This place was already remote, and it was gradually getting late at night, so there was no one around. It was very quiet, with only the sound of frogs croaking from time to time under the trees.

It was quiet outside, and the two did not speak. Firstly, one should not talk casually when monitoring, and secondly, neither of them were people who liked to talk or could create an atmosphere. If one were to talk about Tang Zhao, he was not really one either; in terms of enthusiasm, he might not even be as good as Jiang Shenyi, but the two were even more so. If Tang Zhao wanted to chat with them, he would have to take the initiative to start the topic.

Now that neither of them spoke, the atmosphere might seem awkward to outsiders, but neither of them felt awkward; instead, they felt that it was very comfortable to be quiet, so they did not call it awkward.

Just as the two were waiting for Tang Zhao to come out, there was a sudden movement on the river surface.

A small boat sailed from afar, its bow splitting the water surface; it could be called a fast boat. The two raised their spirits together.

They originally thought that since it was the eve of the funeral, it should be the time when silence was most needed, and they might not see the people inside come out in full force until the morning. They did not expect that there would be outsiders coming in. Was it a normal contact, or was there a temporary change? Or was it just a boat passing by that happened to arrive here?

Seeing that the small boat had already arrived close by, it actually slowed down slowly. The two knew that the main characters had arrived. But the small boat did not, like Tang Zhao...

At this moment, they heard a few frog calls from the boat, and the willow tree below immediately replied with a few frog calls. Although the frog calls were ordinary, the back-and-forth had its own rhythm. Weise felt ashamed in his heart: So the frog calls contained a mechanism, and there were secret sentries here. I vainly claimed to have experience in the Jianghu, but I didn't react. If it weren't for the protection of the disappearance, I would have been discovered long ago.

At this time, they saw a person suddenly appear under the willow shade. Weise saw this clearly; there was no one under the tree at all, and they appeared suddenly. It was likely that they had just come out of the Sword Array.

That person was dressed in simple white linen clothes, and the person looked ordinary, but Weise always felt that they did not look like this originally and must have used disguise. This was not because he discovered any flaws, but a kind of intuition—the intuition of a master of disguise.

The white-clothed person said very unhappily: "We are meeting today, why did you come? The barrier will be completely closed tonight. If it is not for the Imperial Decree or the Old Master's hand-written order, it must not be opened without authorization. You being like this makes it very difficult for me."

Hearing the Imperial Decree, Weise was startled, and then reacted: The Turtle Bandits also claim to be the Imperial Court and issue Imperial Decrees.

It really is the Turtle Bandits. That Old Master is...

Weise suddenly remembered a person. Although he was not familiar with this person, they seemed to be an acquaintance of the Sir. Is the Sir going to meet an acquaintance tonight?

This... should be fine, right?

The curtain of the opposite cabin was lifted, and a person came out from inside. They were also dressed in an ordinary way, but they were not wearing makeup; instead, they were wearing a mask directly. That mask was not any special, exquisite mask, but a mask that could be seen everywhere in the market for children to play with.

They are indeed a cautious person.

He heard them say in a suppressed voice: "If it weren't for an emergency, would I risk coming here? A change suddenly appeared today, and there might be an accident in the ceremony tomorrow. If you can make the decision, lead the way; if you can't, go back and report to the old man quickly. I don't believe he won't see me. Don't dawdle; I have to rush back before dawn."

At this time, Changle suddenly frowned and said: "This is bad; there is actually a traitor."