Chapter 17: Divine Weapon Emerges

The situation was not progressing smoothly.

As Zhushan County's leading martial arts family, the Tangs held sway over all aspects of society. With a single command, diverse groups across Zhushan County sprang into action.

However, despite their efforts, no clues about Feilong surfaced for several days. Instead, just as Gu Chuwinter had predicted, other covert agents of the Chasing Wind Pavilion discovered Feilong's presence in Zhushan County, leading to the sudden arrival of many bounty hunters in the area.

“How odd!” Tang Buyi exclaimed.

In the Tang family’s courtyard, Tang Buyi slumped onto a stool and guzzled an entire pot of tea without any regard for his image. Still unsatisfied, he finally said, “Brother Gu, it’s truly not for lack of effort on my part, but is Feilong really in Zhushan County? I haven’t found a single lead. And another strange thing: originally, several deviant masters had been sighted in Zhushan County recently, but now they’ve all vanished without a trace, as if they’ve all fled the county.”

Gu Mo smiled as he poured Tang Buyi a cup of tea. “Could it be that seeing your Tang family’s high-profile search for Feilong, they feared being implicated and consequently fled?” he asked.

“Impossible,” Tang Buyi stated. “While my Tang family has some renown in the martial arts world, we don’t possess that kind of formidable reputation. If those deviant masters truly feared us, they wouldn’t have come to Zhushan County in the first place. Moreover, several of them were notorious figures in the martial arts world.”

“Which ones?” Gu Chuwinter inquired.

“To my knowledge, there were three,” Tang Buyi replied. “Fiery Ghost Guo Quan, Iron Palm Tan Chong, and Crimson-faced Beast Yang Tang—all well-known deviant masters. In addition, there’s Feilong, whom you mentioned, who is even more renowned. Even Iron Arhat and Nun Kuxin, whom you previously killed, were within Zhushan County’s borders. There might even be others I don’t know about.”

“What’s going on in Zhushan County?” Gu Chuwinter exclaimed in surprise. “Why are so many deviant masters gathering here?”

“This is precisely what I wanted to talk about,” Tang Buyi said. “Brother Gu, Sister Chuwinter, I came today to tell you that for the next two days, I might not be able to continue helping you search for Feilong. My family has a major event!”

“What is it?” Gu Chuwinter asked.

Tang Buyi spoke mysteriously: “My family’s sword forge is about to yield a divine weapon—a true divine weapon. Named the Immaculate Sword, it can cut through iron like mud and slice hair as fine as a whisper. It was primarily crafted from extraterrestrial meteorite iron, fused with forty-nine kinds of rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures. My father personally oversaw the tempering, and over sixty master craftsmen spent eighty-one days forging it.”

“That powerful?” Gu Chuwinter exclaimed in surprise.

“Indeed,” Tang Buyi said, chuckling. “This sword was forged for Grand Elder Ye Liuyun, the revered master of the Canglan Sword Sect. It’s also the only divine weapon my Tang family has ever created in over a century, since my great-grandfather began forging weapons. In three days, the divine weapon will finally emerge from the forge.”

“Congratulations,” Gu Mo said. “Presumably, from now on, the Tang family’s reputation for weapon forging will reach new heights.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Tang Buyi affirmed. “That’s why, for these next two days, I won’t be able to help you investigate Feilong’s whereabouts. My Tang family will fully guard the sword forge, daring not to show the slightest carelessness. Furthermore, with so many deviant masters suddenly appearing in Zhushan County recently, my father and I are concerned they might be after the Immaculate Sword, so we absolutely cannot relax our vigilance.”

Gu Mo nodded. “Understood. Well, if Brother Tang trusts me, when the divine sword emerges, I’d like to be there. If any scoundrels covet it, I can also offer my assistance!”

Tang Buyi quickly replied, “Brother Gu, your martial arts are exceptional! With your assistance, that would be absolutely splendid!”

“Hmm,” Gu Chuwinter suddenly remarked, “Tang Buyi, aren’t you worried my brother might have designs on your family’s divine weapon?”

“Uh…” Tang Buyi hesitated. He then abruptly stood up and bowed deeply to Gu Mo and Gu Chuwinter, speaking with considerable embarrassment. “Brother Gu, Sister Chuwinter, I apologize. I… I… actually, I’ve always trusted you. But my father… you know, he manages our entire Tang family, and with such a vast business, it’s inevitable he’s developed a suspicious nature. Plus, this is a special period, so… so… my father secretly sent people to Linjiang City to investigate you and your sister. I’m truly sorry!”

Gu Mo was stunned.

He hadn't expected Tang Buyi to be so solemn about such a trivial matter.

It was, in fact, completely insignificant.

He would have found it abnormal if the Tang family hadn’t investigated him and Gu Chuwinter. After all, the Tang family was a vast and prosperous enterprise, coveted by countless outsiders. The fact that he and Gu Chuwinter had moved into the Tang family as Tang Buyi’s saviors at such a crucial moment was, frankly, fraught with suspicion.

However, Tang Buyi, being young and principled, found such actions dishonorable, which made it difficult for him to admit. After all, someone had saved his life, yet his family suspected the benefactor of ill intentions and secretly investigated them—such behavior was undeniably shameful.

“Brother Tang,” Gu Mo said with a smile, taking Tang Buyi’s hand and pulling him back to sit down, “Your esteemed father’s actions are perfectly correct. The martial arts world is dangerous; while one should not harbor malicious intent, one must always be on guard against it. Caution in all matters is paramount for complete safety!”

“Brother Gu, you’re not angry?” Tang Buyi asked, surprised.

“What is there to be angry about?” Gu Mo said, smiling. “Investigating thoroughly and having no worries in one’s heart is more conducive to our interactions, isn’t it?”

“It’s good you’re not angry, it’s good,” Tang Buyi said. “This matter has been weighing on my mind for several days; it’s been quite uncomfortable. The very night you arrived at my house, my father sent people to investigate you.”

“What was the outcome?”

“The Changfeng Escort Agency is truly despicable,” Tang Buyi said. “Brother Gu, after you achieved so many accomplishments for them over three years, they simply cast you aside as soon as something happened, not even giving you severance pay. Fortunately, Brother Gu, you didn’t become dispirited because of it. Instead, you emerged stronger from adversity, making great progress in your martial arts!”

As night fell,

In a manor on the outskirts of Zhushan County, a prominent plaque displayed the characters ‘Tang Manor.’ This manor had deep ties with the one in the city; it was the residence of the Tang family’s second master, Tang Tianqi, specially built for him by the Tang family patriarch over twenty years ago, after both Tang Tianqi and Tang Tianhao had established their own families.

At this moment, Tang Tianqi, the Tang family’s second master, was staggering through the manor with a wine pot in hand. The servants were already used to this sight, and no one dared to assist him. Ever since the Second Madam Tang passed away, Tang Tianqi had rarely been home, and when he was, he was always drunk. Any servant who dared to interfere would be severely reprimanded.

Staggering thus, Tang Tianqi reached the back garden. It was very quiet there, with no servants present, as this was formerly the Second Madam Tang’s private courtyard. Since her death, Tang Tianqi had not allowed anyone to enter.

Tang Tianqi pushed open a door and entered a room. Inside, several people were waiting. If Tang Buyi had been there, he would have been surprised to discover that the deviant masters who had suddenly disappeared from Zhushan County were all present, including Feilong, whom Gu Mo had been searching for.