Chapter 34

"Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Zuo Lishan put down his teacup and frowned.

"How many people?"

"Two, a man and a woman. The man is wearing official boots and carrying an Embroidered Uniform Guard waist token. The woman is dressed in Jianghu attire and doesn't look like an official."

"How is their Wu Gong?"

"Far higher than mine, at least at the first-rate level in the Jianghu," Fei Junxuan replied.

Zuo Lishan pondered to himself.

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard is an official organization, there are some noble descendants inside who are just passing time, but if their Wu Gong reaches the first-rate level, they must have earned their rank.

It's just that when the Embroidered Uniform Guard visits, they are usually swift and decisive, and they kill if they strike. Coming to make a scene like this, single-handedly, without even stating their purpose before leaving, is more like the tactics of street thugs coming to smash a place and grab territory, which is baffling.

"How old is that woman?"

"About twenty-something, uses a sword, but didn't really make a move, so I can't tell her background."

"A twenty-something first-rate expert, it's impossible for her to have no heritage... Describe her appearance."

Fei Junxuan described her. After all, he was a Jianghu person who had practiced Wu Gong since childhood, not a constable, so he could only give a broad description like "willow-leaf eyebrows" and "apricot-kernel eyes."

But Zuo Lishan found it more and more familiar: "Why does it sound like... that Mei Qinghe from the Huashan Sect?"

It had been nearly half a month since Zhao Ying came to visit the Mount Taishan Sword Sect. Zuo Lishan had also sent people to confirm Mei Qinghe's identity, so he naturally had a concept of her appearance.

If it were someone else, based on Fei Junxuan's description, one could easily find seventy or eighty people.

But a twenty-something first-rate expert is extremely rare, and every one of them is a direct disciple and trusted confidant of a major sect, the root of the sect's heritage.

With age, weapon, and appearance all matching, and being a female expert who has appeared in the Qilu region recently, it is hard to find a second one.

"Why did she get mixed up with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"The Huashan Sect... found a backer?"

"Is this... the backer coming to settle the score for their subordinate?"

Zuo Lishan had indeed been planning to integrate the Five Mountains Sword Sects and had always thought of using the Huashan Sect as that sacrifice.

Zhao Ying came to visit, and he intended to use this matter as an excuse to suppress the Huashan Sect at this Five Mountains Alliance meeting, at least to label them as having improper sect conduct, so that future actions would be justified and require less effort.

But if it involved the Embroidered Uniform Guard... he couldn't help but be more cautious.

As for Zhao Ying, he didn't care.

He had indeed promised Zhao Ying to uphold justice and had already arranged for his men to collect the benefits.

The Huwei Security Bureau was already destined to become one of the Mount Taishan Sect's assets.

But what justice is there for a third-rate force that has lost its leader? The Jianghu ultimately relies on Wu Gong to speak. Zhao Ying's own qualifications were insufficient to convince his subordinates, and his sword techniques had been crippled, leaving less than one-tenth of his Wu Gong. The Huwei Security Bureau was already precarious and on the verge of collapse.

For the guards of the security bureau, the Mount Taishan Sect taking over the Huwei Security Bureau was beneficial and harmless. Not only would they have more confidence when going out on missions, but other forces would also give them some face out of respect for the Mount Taishan Sword Sect, and they would even receive more money than before.

Even if Zhao Ying were to call out in the Huwei Security Bureau, he would only be met with an awkward silence.

This matter was already a foregone conclusion; regardless of whether Zuo Lishan broke his promise, Zhao Ying was powerless to change it.

"That Embroidered Uniform Guard said he would go again tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"I will go back with you."

"Ah?"

Fei Junxuan was stunned for a moment.

He had originally thought of explaining the situation to Zuo Lishan and sending a few experts down the mountain. Who would have thought Zuo Lishan would go himself?

Zuo Lishan's nature was like this; he didn't like to go back and forth, wasting time and effort. He was most accustomed to using speed to beat slowness, pushing all his chips forward at once, and smashing all calculations into a mess.

Ever since he achieved success in his Wu Gong, he had found it difficult to find rivals among his peers, and after the age of thirty-five, it was even harder to find situations that required him to take action. With his Wu Gong, he thought it was enough to resolve all the other party's schemes.

Zuo Lishan made his decision and didn't hesitate, directly standing up, taking his sword, and going down the mountain with Fei Junxuan.

The sun set and rose, and the time reached noon the next day.

The main gate of the Mount Taishan Sect was opened, the main hall was cleared of all items, and a table was placed in the center.

Zuo Lishan sat upright in front of the table, his sword placed diagonally beside his chair, and wine and food were prepared on the table.

The other Mount Taishan Sect disciples had already left, and only Fei Junxuan stood to the side, his eyes fixed on the outside of the door.

The time had come.

Li Miao did not break his promise and stepped into the gate with Mei Qinghe.

Li Miao looked into the room, his gaze landing on Zuo Lishan's face. He looked him up and down and said with a smile: "I thought I would have to toss and turn for a few days before I could see the main person."

"Is Sect Leader Zuo so free?"

Zuo Lishan was also observing Li Miao.

Once one reaches the level of a supreme expert, one can somewhat sense the flow of the other party's internal Qi, and can see the operation of the other party's strength without moving, thereby judging the level of the other party's Wu Gong.

But right now, Zuo Lishan observed Li Miao carefully and couldn't perceive his Wu Gong at all, as if the person opposite him was an ordinary person who had never practiced Wu Gong.

"Breath... why is it so light and short?"

For experts with successful internal cultivation, breath is best when it is steady and long.

When fighting, no matter how good the Wu Gong is, one must change breath; the longer the breath, the fewer flaws there are when changing breath during a fight. With Li Miao's breath, he would have to change breath within one or two moves; even a disciple who had just entered the hall of Wu Gong wouldn't be this short.

Looking at his exposed hands again. People who practice Wu Gong can never avoid the traces on their hands. Those who practice boxing have calluses on their knuckles. Those who practice palms have calluses on their palms. Those who practice finger techniques have middle fingers shorter than ordinary people. Even if they practice high-level soft techniques, their fingernails will leave traces.

But Li Miao's pair of hands looked more like those of a rich young master who had never touched manual labor; not a single trace could be seen.

Not to mention the internal Qi and strength in his body, there was no sense of it at all.

If something is abnormal, there must be a demon.

Zuo Lishan only thought that this person practiced some strange techniques that were different from the Central Plains Wu Lin. He guarded himself in his heart but showed no strange expression on his face.

He wouldn't doubt that Fei Junxuan was lying; Li Miao must have Wu Gong. But no matter what, as long as he was present, he wasn't afraid of the other party making any waves.

"He's just using the identity of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and relying on his strange Wu Gong to put on a show," Zuo Lishan thought.

How could he have thought that the so-called "returning to simplicity" and "seeing the god without damage" would actually appear before his eyes?

The more a person achieves in their own field, the harder it is to jump out of the limitations of their own concepts; Zuo Lishan was no exception.

Li Miao walked to the table and sat down, picked up the wine pot, and poured himself a cup: "Sect Leader Zuo, do you have something you want to ask?"

(End of chapter)