Chapter 912: Sharing a Carriage

Wei Se bade farewell to Baiyu Shenghui, descended the mountain to Yunzhou City, joined the main force heading to the front lines, and then boarded the Fire Seed Carriage together, setting off in a grand procession toward the front.

Upon arriving in Yunzhou City, Wei Se realized that the scale of the front-line conscription this time exceeded his imagination; Yunzhou alone had conscripted five hundred people.

Five hundred people might not seem like much, but this was incomparable to ordinary soldier conscription. If a regular draft disregarded the people's strength, it could conscript tens of thousands at once. However, Sword Guests were all figures of some standing; not to mention their scarcity, their status varied—some had families and businesses, others were drifters, free and unfettered—they could not simply be conscripted at will.

Admittedly, if the front lines determined that a certain person must be conscripted and sent a Sword Guest or even a Sword Hero recruitment officer to visit their home, the other party could not refuse, but how could the front lines have enough manpower to visit everyone one by one? Those like Wei Se, a Sword Guest who was half-affiliated with Tang Zhao, could be conscripted with just a single message, but most non-official Sword Guests might not have such awareness; one had to find them in person and then use a mix of soft and hard tactics, employing various methods.

Pressuring one Sword Guest was not difficult, but for a hundred, a thousand, each one the same—what kind of resources would that consume?

That the people had arrived so completely this time was something even Wei Se had not expected; it seemed the front lines had spared no expense. And if Yunzhou was like this, could other prefectures and counties have escaped? If Sword Guests were being mobilized like this, wouldn't it be thousands or tens of thousands?

I fear the scale and investment this time are among the highest in history.

This also confirmed a conjecture of Wei Se's: I fear a great decisive battle is truly coming!

Last time, to cope with the extinction-level crisis, the Human World had already emptied its coffers; this time, such a conscription was like scraping the very floorboards clean. If there wasn't a determination to fight to the end, how could one go all-in like this?

After this battle, if it cannot be won, the front lines will likely be unable to continue.

At this moment, he could no longer suppress the worry in his heart, and his brows locked together.

Before Xue Yeyu, he had appeared exceptionally stable, as if he were certain that victory was in sight, but in reality, how could it be that simple? Even if he trusted Tang Zhao the most, he knew Tang Zhao was not an omnipotent god. Facing an unprecedented opponent and an irresistible Natural Disaster, how could he not be worried?

I wonder what Tang Xiansheng is busy with?

Wei Se felt a bit vexed: although his strength had steadily improved, rising from a novice Sword Guest to the threshold of a Sword Hero in just three years—a speed that could be considered one-in-ten-thousand genius—it still could not keep up with Tang Zhao's pace. Since he could not keep up, he had no way to go to the front lines to help Tang Zhao, and could only look after the business of Baiyu Shenghui in the rear, gradually becoming a logistics person.

Although there was no distinction between high and low in duties, as both were forms of assistance, being unable to play a role for so long did indeed make him feel depressed. It wasn't like this back then.

I hope that in this suspected final battle, I can do something. If it is a great victory, I hope to have a small share of the credit; if it is a tragic battle or even a defeat, then I am also willing to make a sacrifice.

After all, if it is the kind of defeat and loss he imagines, living in pain might not be as good as a glorious death.

"Hey, isn't this Wei Se?"

Since they were all local Sword Guests from Yunzhou, there were naturally many acquaintances. More than five hundred people were divided into dozens of Fire Seed Carriages, with dozens of people in each carriage. The road was long, and everyone inevitably began to greet each other and recognize acquaintances, both to establish reliable comrades for fighting side-by-side and to have someone to talk to on the way.

Wei Se turned his head and saw a woman in white looking at him with a smile. She felt slightly unfamiliar, but he still remembered her name:

"Manor Master Yin."

This woman was the famous Black Widow of Yuxia Jun in Yunzhou. She had a good relationship with Tang Zhao, so by extension, she could be considered an acquaintance of Wei Se.

Back then, she was the Manor Master of Black Spider Villa, and now she was the Manor Master of Jingzhe Villa; no matter how one calculated it, one could call her Manor Master.

Come to think of it, if she was the Manor Master of Jingzhe Villa, she had some connection to Wei Se; Wei Se's sword was the former Jingzhe Sword, only now it had been completely transformed, and even the Sword Image had changed—even Black Widow did not know.

For Tang Zhao's sake, Wei Se showed a friendly smile and bowed. Black Widow, however, was much more familiar than Wei Se, sitting beside him like an old friend and saying, "I didn't expect you to come too? Why didn't Young Master Tang come with you?"

Wei Se said politely, "Tang Xiansheng is also at the front, but he is not on the same route as me. Everyone in this carriage is a Sword Guest."

Black Widow sighed, "Indeed. Young Master Tang was already a Sword Hero years ago, and he has such a great reputation in Yunzhou. I heard he is the strongest Sword Hero in Yunzhou, and his cultivation is already no longer beneath that of a Sword Immortal?"

The last time Tang Zhao appeared in public in Yunzhou was when he used the Kun Sword to fill the void beneath Yunzhou. At that time, he was indeed not a Sword Immortal, but he had truly erupted with power not inferior to a Sword Immortal. At that time, the evaluation of him in the Jianghu and the imperial court was that he was the first person beneath a Sword Immortal.

Of course, that was for those who were present. Anyone who saw the spectacle of the breathing soil expanding across all of Yunzhou would regard Tang Zhao as a quasi-Sword Immortal, but for Jianghu travelers like Black Widow who were not present, what they heard were just some bizarre rumors.

For these old Jianghu travelers, rumors could not be fully trusted; in fact, most were unbelievable. After all, they had heard more than a thousand exaggerated legends of praise. Basically, every time a powerhouse emerged, there would be a wave of epic-like rumors. If there was someone hyping it up behind the scenes, it would be even more exaggerated—everyone was a god descended to earth—and after hearing enough, they grew weary.

Even if the rumors conveyed the situation at the scene perfectly, these old Jianghu travelers would automatically downgrade them by several levels, and they would despise the young people who believed everything as too naive. Black Widow said this to Wei Se to flatter Tang Zhao; she didn't truly believe that a youth who became a Sword Guest and Sword Hero before her eyes had turned into a Sword Immortal in the blink of an eye.

Even making up stories shouldn't be done like that.

And Wei Se had no need to set the record straight for Tang Zhao. No matter how absurd Tang Zhao's rumors were, they were not as absurd as his actual situation. Wei Se did not need to boast for Tang Zhao; instead, he just smiled faintly: "It was indeed like that back then."

Black Widow said, "I knew Tang was an amazing person. Do you think he will lead the team this time? There is great danger in going to the front lines this time. After all, we are Sword Guests; it's one thing in the Human World, but at the front lines, we are like ordinary soldiers and must be organized into squads to fight alongside the Sword Heroes. Having a good Captain is very important. You should be following Tang Zhao, right? Do you think I can follow him?"

Wei Se knew she wanted to follow Tang Zhao and hoped he would speak for her. Tang Zhao was not only strong, but most importantly, he had good character and could be trusted, so one didn't have to worry about danger from behind. If Tang Zhao were really leading the team, such a request from Black Widow would likely be granted, but now there was no chance.

Wei Se shook his head and said, "I am not qualified to follow Tang Xiansheng now. Tang Xiansheng holds an important position and the stakes are high; a small soldier like me is not qualified to be by his side. I am also hoping to find a good Captain. What do you think of Lord Xing?"

Black Widow frowned: "Him? He's average. He has ability, and he is trustworthy. But he is moody and likes to stir up trouble. Sometimes there is no danger, but he creates it. Unless there is no one else to choose and one has to settle for second best..."

Wei Se suddenly blinked.

Black Widow was quite sharp and immediately stopped talking, but it was a bit late. She heard someone behind her sigh: "I only learned today that the Manor Master thinks of me this way. It's a pity that I was still thinking of our camaraderie from back then and came specifically to find you, yet it is as if I have set my heart on the bright moon..."

The corners of Black Widow's mouth twitched slightly. She simply stood up, turned around, and said to the suddenly appearing Xing Ji: "Stop reciting your sour poetry. It's a pity I spoke too soon; I should have waited until you arrived to say it to your face, so you could hear the opinions ordinary Sword Guests have of you."

Xing Ji laughed: "Good, I was just about to listen. If I could get your opinion, it would be great if it made me have a sudden enlightenment. So the opportunity for the breakthrough I have been bitterly seeking is here; as the saying goes, I set my heart on the bright moon, but it came without any effort."

Wei Se stood up and said, "Lord Xing."

Xing Ji was a senior to Tang Zhao, which meant he was a senior to Wei Se. If he called him "Xiansheng" because he viewed Tang Zhao as a teacher, then Xing Ji was two generations above him, so he secretly omitted the generation rank. Fortunately, Xing Ji didn't care and smiled at him: "Wei Se, you aren't following Azhao?"

Wei Se sighed and said, "How could I keep up? It would be good enough if I could follow you."

It wasn't Alie that he wanted to find Xing Ji to be his Captain; Tang Zhao probably didn't need him there anymore, and even if he were to be called over, it would likely only be to protect his safety, which Wei Se would be unwilling to do. He wanted to fight.

Among the people he knew, besides Xing Ji, Wei Zhangle was also a Sword Hero and held a higher status, but he was subtly unwilling to follow Wei Zhangle.

Xing Ji said, "If you follow me, I naturally welcome it. Actually, I am also forming a team; whether it is Wei Se or Manor Master Yin, I welcome you both. However, this team is likely not long-term, but an ad-hoc small combat squad. We will be fighting alongside the main force like an army, so the Captain is not that important. It should be said that everyone here is not that important."

Black Widow's expression turned solemn: "You already know the combat mission. Is it confidential?"

Xing Ji laughed: "That's a funny thing to say; if even I know it, can it be confidential? Actually, it's very simple; it's an open plot—to besiege a point to strike the reinforcements. The Heavenly Demons are responsible for the 'besieging,' and we are responsible for the 'striking.' This is an open plot; the ultimate goal is to surround the evil god's forces in their base and then annihilate the evil god's main body."

Black Widow whispered: "The main body. That evil god..." She had also seen the pictures in the newspapers, and that evil god had left a very bad impression on her.

Xing Ji said, "We don't need to worry about the main body. We are only responsible for the evil god's followers coming from a certain direction. It is combat; it is an ambush and also an encounter. The key to the war lies in intelligence gathering and battlefield layout, and of course, the powerhouses who are holding off the main body. We are just one of thousands of combat squads."

Black Widow exhaled and said, "Although it is still combat, knowing how to fight and who to fight makes me less nervous. It's just a death battle; haven't we fought bloody battles before?"

Wei Se pondered: "Is intelligence gathering more important in this war? Then how does one become a member of the reconnaissance team?"