Chapter 858: Big News

This is truly an acquaintance, far more familiar than the Dazai... and also far more hateful.

Tang Zhao had once spent over two years living day and night with this person, once as close as family...

But in the end, it reached a breaking point—no, it should be said, it was a betrayal.

He is none other than the former Senior Martial Brother of Zhuoyu Villa, now a key official in the Guikou Imperial Court, wearing the robes of a second-rank official: Shi Chunqing.

Shi Chunqing, I never expected to see him again.

Tang Zhao was very angry; a ball of flame rose in his chest, burning so fiercely that his breath surged. He wished he could immediately send Shi Chunqing to total destruction. He did indeed have this ability—whether now or in the future, whenever he was in battle, a casual flick of his hand could reduce an enemy he could not catch up to into dust.

However, this was someone his Master had once let go.

Back then, when Shi Chunqing led the Guikou to take advantage of the Sword Casting Conference to slaughter their way back into Zhuoyu Villa, Senior Sister Xue and the others had the chance to capture or even execute him. It was Xue Xianyun who gave the order to stop pursuing and let him go.

In other words, at the very least, Xue Xianyun's intention was to never meet Shi Chunqing again, to let them forget each other after the bond of gratitude and righteousness was severed. If Tang Zhao killed him, Xue Xianyun might not necessarily be pleased; if he dragged him back to be dealt with by Xue Xianyun, Xue Xianyun might not know what to do and would only gain an extra source of trouble.

With Tang Zhao's current strength and status, he rarely added worries or hesitations to his side, but the bonds of the past remained bonds, and the concerns of the past remained concerns, just as the sentiments of the past remained sentiments. These were things he could not shake off for the moment, nor did he want to.

Tang Zhao weighed the matter for a moment, thinking: I shall see what kind of thing you are now. If you have kept yourself clean... or at least have not committed any evil deeds, I will spare your life. But as for your reliance, the Guikou, I will strangle them until they are wiped clean. Haven't you always wanted to prove that your talent is not weak? Then use the rest of your life to prove you can stand on your own two feet with your own strength. What kind of proof is relying on the positions and bloodline of your parents from years ago?

—

"At a time like this, why have you people come again?"

The Dazai looked at the person before him with great displeasure.

At this moment, he had already left the main hall and, together with the Crown Prince and others, had come to a side hall in the front to receive the uninvited guest. The Emperor of Wei was, of course, still sitting in the main hall and could not move. Shi Chunqing had entered the hall to report, but it was never intended for the Emperor of Wei to meet outsiders; it was for the Dazai or the Crown Prince—those who truly held the reins of affairs—to meet them. Now that everyone had come out, the Crown Prince and the Dazai were both there, along with an extra bystander: Tang Zhao, who was staring at the Dazai.

Of course, at this moment, he was not putting all his Spirit into the Dazai and Shi Chunqing; half of his attention was on the newly arrived person.

The newcomer was a Sword Hero who had originally been wearing a cloak and a Mask, but had now removed the Mask, revealing a face.

This face was somewhat familiar to Tang Zhao, yet not quite familiar enough. He certainly could not name this person, but that did not prevent him from recognizing that this was a... Patrol Envoy of the Land Inspection Division.

Damn it...

Tang Zhao was already angry, and upon seeing this person, he felt his rage soar to the heavens, his teeth grinding together. He had thought before that since the Guikou had set up camp here and chosen Yunzhou for their first battle, had there been a traitor in the Yunzhou government?

If there really was one, although he was angry, he could accept it. Among a hundred people, there are all sorts; even under the rule of the Gaoyuan Marquis, it was hard to avoid mishaps. But... why did it have to be the Land Inspection Division?

Wouldn't it be more reasonable if it were the Prison Suppression Division? Even the Jing'an Division would have been better!

Although it was petty to think this way, Tang Zhao was still very unhappy. He still considered himself to be from the Land Inspection Division. Even if the Land Inspection Division wasn't entirely filled with good people, there shouldn't be traitors who crossed the bottom line, right? The Land Inspection Division was the personal army of the Yunzhou Governor! Even the new Governor came from the Land Inspection Division; what else could the Land Inspection Division be dissatisfied with? Why would there still be traitors?

The more Tang Zhao thought, the angrier he became, thinking to himself: It seems the Land Inspection Division is also in need of a cleanup. I must remind Commander Xing and the others that they need to clean up their own house properly so people don't point fingers at them. If Tang Zhao's status weren't already unsuitable for holding any official position in Yunzhou, he would have wanted to take charge of the Land Inspection Division and purge it from top to bottom. This traitor... and the people behind him, he would definitely root them out completely.

The Patrol Envoy had no idea he was being targeted and said with a grave expression: "If it weren't for an urgent matter, why would I come at this time? This afternoon, Commander Xing... Xing Ji suddenly said that a powerhouse with a great connection to Yunzhou is returning, and will appear at the Gaoyuan Marquis's funeral and succession ceremony tomorrow. Once the Lord heard this was no small matter, he immediately sent me to notify you."

Tang Zhao was startled and suddenly thought: Is this talking about me?

That was it. Previously, Xing Ji, like everyone else, could not remember Tang Zhao, but after Tang Zhao met with Changle in the afternoon, his Disappearance state was naturally lifted, and Xing Ji naturally recalled everything about Tang Zhao. Of course, Tang Zhao had not told Xing Ji he was going to attend the ceremony, but Xing Ji inferred from common sense that Tang Zhao would come, so notifying others to prepare was appropriate. After all, Tang Zhao's status was different now; with a Sword Immortal arriving, no one in Yunzhou could afford to be negligent.

The Dazai frowned, and the Crown Prince said directly: "What kind of important figure? There will be many powerhouses tomorrow; imperial envoys are coming from Jingcheng, and it's no surprise that people are coming from other places. We have long been prepared; what difference does one more or one less make? Not to mention some top-tier Sword Hero of the Human World, even if it were a Sword Immortal from the heavens, we would not be afraid."

"It really is a Sword Immortal."

"Hmm?"

The Patrol Envoy's expression was solemn as he said: "It really is a Sword Immortal! I don't know if you have heard the name Fuguang Marquis?"

"Seems to have an impression..." the Crown Prince hesitated.

"It is Tang Zhao. A genius produced from our side; have you heard..."

"Bang!"

The Dazai slapped the table and stood up, shouting: "Good, it's Tang Zhao? Tang Zhao has returned? Has he truly inherited the Jinwu Sword?"

The Crown Prince did not expect the Dazai, who usually kept his emotions hidden, to suddenly flare up, and hurriedly said: "Dazai, could it be that you know him..."

The Dazai did not sugarcoat it, gritting his teeth: "That's right, of course I know him! He is that little beast who obstructed our grand plan at Wangliang Mountain! Back then, he relied on the Jinwu Sword to force me back. Now, a year later, he must have inherited the true power of the Jinwu Sword and become that so-called New Dongjun. Very good, very good. He is quite the lucky one. That threshold that others have to exhaust their Heart Power to cross, he crossed without any obstacles because he had the help of his predecessors. The things in this world are just so unfair!"

As he roared like this, the others were merely surprised, wondering why the Dazai would make such a complaint, like the wailing of a defeated dog. Shi Chunqing, however, listened with a pounding heart, thinking only: Tang Zhao... is it the Tang Zhao I know? He is already a Sword Immortal? How is that possible, how is that possible? How old is he? How many years has he been a Sword Guest? Even if he grew wings, he couldn't fly that fast! Is there really such unfairness in this world?

In this instant, he actually empathized with the Dazai.

However, the Dazai was not a true defeated dog. He quickly adjusted his emotions and said: "Good, it is glorious for him to return home in embroidered robes, but he does not know that I have already crossed that realm; things are different now! A speculative opportunist who relies on the gifts of his predecessors, how can he compare to me? Good, he has come at the right time. I am just about to melt him down and have him go see the Jinwu in person. You need not fear; I will deal with him. I guarantee he will come but not leave!"

The Dazai's Spirit was truly a bit manic, making the Guikou crowd, who had always feared him, afraid to speak for a moment. But the Patrol Envoy did not have so many scruples and asked: "You are going to deal with Tang Zhao, then who will deal with the others? The others are not weak either. The... Gaoyuan Marquis left behind very powerful forces; Sword Heroes are like clouds, Sword Guests are like rain. Fu Xianchan has, at least on the surface, already gained the recognition of most of the people in Yunzhou. Without the Dazai, a Sword Immortal, to sit in command, the situation is..."

The Crown Prince said impatiently: "Don't worry about that. Our forces are more than abundant. In fact, from the beginning, there was no need for the Dazai to take action personally. He came to sit in command just in case. Now that the 'just in case' has appeared, the Dazai can take action to solve this trouble, and the rest of the arrangements remain unchanged. What is wrong with that?"

Hearing the Crown Prince's arrogant words, the Patrol Envoy was very dissatisfied and said: "How can you..."

"We can have the Emperor take action."

The Dazai suddenly spoke, and the Crown Prince was shocked: "How can the Emperor take action? He..."

He cannot! He doesn't have that ability.

The Dazai said: "We can switch the Wu Miao. With the power of the Star Lords of the Wu Miao, we can hold off thousands of Sword Heroes."

"Then the Fengying Dian..."

The Dazai said dismissively: "It is best if the Fengying Dian is there, but if it isn't, does that mean everyone will stop fighting? Of course, for the sake of morale, we can first seal off the Fengying Dian and cancel the news."

The young Prince Huan, standing behind the Crown Prince, couldn't help but want to say: "But then, after everyone dies in battle, there will be no way to preserve their Spirit Image through the Fengying Dian, right?" But before he could speak, the Crown Prince had already said: "Very well, once the Star Lords of the Wu Miao are released, everyone's pressure will be reduced, casualties will decrease, and there won't be much need for the Fengying Dian anyway."

Prince Huan was startled and thought to himself: As expected, the Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince.

The Dazai said: "Please, Your Highness, go and invite the Emperor. And this gentleman here." He said to the Patrol Envoy who had come to report, "Is there anything else to say? Are you going to rush back overnight, or stay until tomorrow?"

The Patrol Envoy said: "Tomorrow, the entire Land Inspection Division will be present. How can I be the only one absent? If I don't show up when we eat in the morning, I fear the whole city will be under martial law immediately."

The Dazai sneered: "Since you are weak, you are naturally suspicious of every shadow. Since that is the case, you should go back. Thank them on my behalf. Prince Huan, see our friend out."

He used his status as a subject to casually order a "Prince," and Prince Huan had no objections; he was already used to it.

Prince Huan then took the Patrol Envoy out. Once they left the main hall, it was a graveyard. He escorted him all the way to the edge of the graveyard and said: "Sir, be careful on your way back..."

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he saw the Patrol Envoy disappear into thin air.

Before him was only the pitch-black graveyard, as if a ghost had crawled out and swallowed the man.