Chapter 88: 85 Old Ground

85 Old Ground

???

Let Si Liyu go?

Tang Zhao opened his mouth to object, but Xing Ji said, "You don't understand. To you, this is purely a bitter chore, but to him, it is an opportunity."

Tang Zhao said, "An opportunity?"

Xing Ji said, "Yes, an opportunity to earn merit. I can record this merit for him. A Sword Seed entering the body is analogous to a disability, so it can be recorded as three-turn merit. Plus, if he performs another meritorious deed in the Demon Cave this time, he might just gather enough merit to select a sword. A few days of pain in exchange for ten years less of struggle—others might not know how to weigh it, but he will certainly feel it is worth the price. If you refuse to give him this opportunity, he will even be angry."

Tang Zhao was half-doubting, and Xing Ji laughed, "Would I lie to you?"

Tang Zhao looked at him askance, finding it hard to believe he could say such a thing with such a thick skin.

Xing Ji laughed twice and said, "Actually, if you joined my Land Inspection Division, I could give you this merit too, and adding in all the scattered little merits, your starting point would be higher than others. However, after this incident, I have other considerations. Do you want to be a Sword Smith?"

Tang Zhao asked in surprise, "You want me to go to Zhuoyu Villa? Didn't you say you absolutely wouldn't allow it?"

Xing Ji said, "Times change. Your talent as a Talisman Sword Master is extremely strong, that is beyond doubt. But before, I didn't think highly of Zhuoyu Villa; I felt it had no future. It's not that Sword Smiths have no future—Sword Smiths have a bright future, and even the Lord has places where he relies on Sword Smiths—but Zhuoyu Villa has no future. Xue Xianyun has ability, but his foundation is average and his background is thin. He has been preparing to cast his first sword for several years and hasn't dared to start; could he really let you practice?"

Tang Zhao said, "Then now..."

Xing Ji said, "Now it is different. You have already mastered a Sword Seed."

Tang Zhao was shaken, his heart pounding wildly.

Xing Ji said, "I just said that if you casually hold a Sword Seed with your hand, the peculiar power within it will rush directly into your Spirit, and ninety-nine percent of the time, you will end up with a collapsed Spirit. But just now, you held that Sword Seed and were completely unharmed, and it was so docile; it can only mean it is definitely suitable for you. It was also something that Baifa Gui kept privately, not recorded in the files, with no origin and no destination, so it can be disposed of privately."

Tang Zhao felt a surge of excitement and even stuttered a little as he said, "I... My Lord..."

Xing Ji said, "Besides giving it to you, who else could I give it to? Why should others get a Sword Seed for nothing? You suffered because of my involvement, and I still want to take your things? Do I still want this face of mine?"

Tang Zhao's emotions were stirred and hard to express. He certainly knew Xing Ji was just finding an excuse; let alone obtaining it by accident, even if it had been dug out of his family's old cellar, such a treasure is "possessed by the virtuous," and there is no logic in dividing it among children. This move by Xing Ji was earth-shattering.

Xing Ji said, "Take this Sword Seed and go to Zhuoyu Villa to study properly. See if you can become a Sword Smith and cast a sword for yourself. That is the sword most suitable for you. Otherwise, with your high Spirit Talent, if you go and fight those wild boys in the Land Inspection Division for a sword that only fits you seven or eight tenths, I think it is a waste."

He had another layer of meaning he didn't say out loud: Tang Zhao's talent was too peculiar. He could even force out a Sword Seed; who knew if there were other miracles? The Land Inspection Division was crowded and complex, and it wasn't without bad people, and Tang Zhao was young and weak; Xing Ji felt it was not safe.

He continued, "Don't lose your status in the Land Inspection Division either. Keep your name on the books in the division and go through the motions; just say you were entrusted by the Land Inspection Division to be trained by Zhuoyu Villa. You can also take on Land Inspection Division missions from time to time to rack up merit. When you become a Sword Smith and return in glory, firstly, you are still one of our own and can transfer back to the division at any time; secondly, the Land Inspection Division will also bask in your glory and gain a few more swords. You don't mind me taking this advantage, do you?"

Tang Zhao had no words to answer, only bowing deeply, saying, "Thank you, My Lord. Your great kindness to me, Tang Zhao has no way to repay..."

Xing Ji looked at him and suddenly said, "Do you want to take me as your foster father?"

Tang Zhao stalled, staring blankly at Xing Ji, unsure if he was being serious or joking.

Xing Ji sighed and said, "Forget it, I'm still young. If I ask you to call me teacher, I haven't taught you anything. Calling me benefactor is too distant..."

Tang Zhao suddenly said, "If you are willing, I can call you Chief Xing."

By the way, once my big corporation is established, I can save a director position for you, or you can be a board member.

Xing Ji pondered, "What is this? It sounds weird... If you are willing to call me that, fine. In the future, when you are strong, you can call me Brother Xing. If one day you are even stronger than me, you can even call me Lao Xing. Haha."

His joke was, as expected, something only he could laugh at.

Regardless of whether Tang Zhao laughed or not, Xing Ji laughed enough himself, patted Tang Zhao, and said, "You wait, let's set off as soon as possible." He walked out.

After a while, Xue Yeyu came in, her expression complex, and said, "I originally wanted to mention my uncle's matter, but I was afraid you couldn't do it and would waste your hope, so I simply didn't mention it. I didn't expect you to bring it up yourself. Do you have any certainty?"

Tang Zhao said, "I can only try. Do my best and leave the rest to fate." In fact, he had many uncertainties recalling the process of the fairy appearing just now, and was even more uncertain if it would be effective on others. He could only say that he had to try no matter what; after all, it concerned the life of Xue Daxia.

Xue Yeyu sighed; this answer was also within expectations, and she said, "I hope you can save him. Although I have only met him a few times just now, he is truly a good man."

Tang Zhao said, "I will do my best. By the way, Sister, I need some Art Tools as supplements."

Before Xing Ji said anything just now, the thought of going to Zhuoyu Villa had already arisen in his heart, precisely because he wanted to learn Rune Formulas and mass-produce Art Tools. In order to better utilize the Glasses, he needed a large number of Art Tools to replenish energy so that the fairy could appear more often. He had already realized that no matter how good the resources were, they were not as important as the Glasses.

Xue Yeyu waved her hand and said, "What are Art Tools? I have as many as you want. That ignorant Lord Xing just now even wanted to promise me benefits so I wouldn't tell Father about you getting the Sword Seed. Heh, am I the kind of person who blabs? Am I the kind of person who covets benefits? I don't even look at his family fortune."

Tang Zhao said, "Lord Xing is concerned about me..."

Xue Yeyu said, "I know, and I care about you too. Although Father is not a person who takes things by force, and he has already obtained a suitable Sword Seed and is wholeheartedly preparing for Sword Casting, he doesn't care about others at all, but I also know your concerns. I won't say anything. If you want to keep your name in the Land Inspection Division, keep it. Although it might affect the possibility of Father passing on his true teachings to you, it doesn't matter. Firstly, there is the relationship with my uncle; even if he is unfortunate this time, I know your efforts. Secondly, once he sees your talent, he will naturally know you are a heaven-chosen Sword Smith. If he still doesn't put in the effort, you can take me as your teacher; I will never hide anything."

Tang Zhao said, "I rely entirely on you, Sister."

There were no setbacks on Si Liyu's side; just as Xing Ji said, he was eager for it and agreed immediately.

The group packed up and set off at dawn.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at Xue Fu again. Nearly a month had passed, and the autumn wind was colder.

That Ginkgo Forest on the mountain was no longer golden and brilliant; the curled leaves were blown scattered by the north wind, revealing dry branches.

Winter was coming, and all things were withering.

The walls of Xue Fu were still very high, and those four characters on the lintel were still shining brightly.

"Suppressing the Region."

Tang Zhao had stood at the gate before and looked at these four characters, feeling only that the Xue Clan was illustrious and used its momentum to suppress others. Now looking at them again, there was a different taste to it.

Xue Laiyi was indeed suppressing the peace of a region with his own self.

"Woof—woo—"

The main gate was ajar, the old man who answered the door was long gone, and occasionally two barks came from inside the gate.

Xing Ji said, "Those are Xue Laiyi's dogs. At that time, the mansion evacuated everyone, and several loyal servants were forcibly sent away, but only those few dogs refused to leave with others, so they were simply left behind to accompany him."

Tang Zhao said, "Does Xue Daxia have no relatives?"

Xing Ji said, "This old boy never married, coming and going freely, and originally lived quite dashingly. Many Loose Practitioners are like this, all single-mindedly pursuing the path of a Sword Guest, spending their whole lives looking for their own sword, and only when they are old and truly cannot find it, and their spirit has dissipated, do they return home to marry. On the contrary, Talisman Sword Masters are stable; they marry when they should, have children when they should, and it doesn't delay their talisman refining."

Xue Yeyu said, "Life should be like this; career is career, life is life. There are so many pleasures in the world, why not enjoy a few more?"

Tang Zhao thought of the various strange Art Tools in her room and the ubiquitous owl elements, and presumed she was a person who loved life.

Hearing the dog barks sounding mournful, Tang Zhao worriedly said, "Do those dogs have anything to eat?"

Xue Yeyu said, "Don't worry, I left a Talisman Puppet personally crafted by my father to feed them every day. They might... be worried about their master."

The group entered the main gate, passed through the corridor, and arrived at Xue Laiyi's bedroom.

Before entering the door, Xue Yeyu pulled Tang Zhao and said, "When you see him in a moment, absolutely do not cry."

Tang Zhao said, "How could that be?" He was not one to cry—although he had a spiritual connection with Xue Daxia, they were not close kin after all; even if he felt moved upon meeting, he might feel sorrow, but why would he weep?

Pushing open the bedroom door, a strange odor rushed toward his face, smelling of decay, smelling of blood, a thick scent that pierced his nasal membranes and reached his very marrow.

Besides this, there was a heavy scent of sandalwood in the room; the fragrance could not suppress the strange odor, but instead mixed with it, forming an indescribable stench.

Tang Zhao glanced inside and suddenly covered his mouth and nose.

It was not just to block the smell, but also to suppress the stinging soreness in his nose.

He suddenly understood what Xue Yeyu meant; this did not even concern emotions, for there are some tragic sights that make a person want to shed tears the moment they see them.

Xue Daxia lay on his back on the bed, his body wrapped in layers of cloth strips that could not hide the festering wounds on his body; a pale liquid seeped through the cloth, emitting a smell of rot.

Tang Zhao suddenly understood the hatred of the white-haired man; if this was the inevitable end for a Sword Slave, then he could not help but hate.

But if it were not for his own golden finger, he too would have been turned into this by the white-haired man, and this hatred would be passed down further.

The principle of "do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you" is not something everyone knows.

"Xue Daxia." Xing Ji checked him and said, "His condition has been poor lately. I have been sealing his acupoints, and he has no consciousness. What do you intend to do?"

Tang Zhao pinched his own tiger's mouth to keep himself clear-headed and said, "Please, all of you go out first. Teacher Si, please wait just outside; I will call you, and you must come in immediately."