Chapter 138: Tiger Hill Sword Pool

Chapter 138: Tiger Hill Sword Pool

Tiger Hill Sword Pool was a place of moderate importance to the Tang family.

Originally, due to legends from the previous era, it was treated with great reverence, almost like a forbidden ground. But after decades or even a century without any discoveries, it naturally ceased to be taken so seriously. Now, while it was still nominally a restricted area, in practice many Tang family members would go swimming and frolic there without anyone caring, and the guards were quite lax.

Because of this, ordinary guests couldn't go see it, and even common servants weren't allowed, but if Tang Buqi gave the word, it was simple enough.

Tang Buqi had just returned, and by etiquette he had to first go see his parents, originally planning to take Zhao Changhe along afterward. Seeing Zhao Changhe's impatience, he thought it was no big deal and tossed him a token: "Take my token, and no one will stop you. Have a servant who knows the way escort the guest."

The servants exchanged glances, and after a long while a maidservant hesitantly said, "I'll take Young Master Zhao."

Tang Buqi didn't pay much attention and waved his hand: "I'll go see my parents first. I'll invite you to a nice place tonight... uh, never mind."

He habitually wanted to invite someone to a "nice place," but as he spoke, he seemed to have something on his mind, so he stopped mid-sentence and walked away somewhat gloomily.

Zhao Changhe watched his retreating figure, feeling that this "nephew" might be undergoing some change in mindset... if he could truly rouse himself, it would be a good thing. The nephew was a decent person, just a bit of a playboy, a bit simple-minded... uh...

Although he had always just talked big about Tang Wanzhuang and never really meant anything by it, seeing her draped in a robe, coughing, and working at her desk was like watching Zhuge Liang—it inevitably stirred a sense of respect and pity. Often, when facing her, harsh words were hard to utter.

If he could help, he would... though this spy mission was perfectly completed, and next time they met, he could hand it over.

Walking along, his thoughts wandered, and as he followed the maidservant up the back mountain to "Tiger Hill," Zhao Changhe suddenly felt a slight sense of incongruity.

Why was this maidservant silently leading the way without saying a word?

Even if your aristocratic family looked down on us martial artists, you wouldn't be so lacking in manners, would you? After all, I'm a guest personally brought by your young master. Along the way, even if not flattery, at least some casual chat, introducing the scenery, telling the legends of Tiger Hill Sword Pool—that would be only natural, right?

Just as he thought this, the maidservant finally spoke: "Young Master Zhao has a good relationship with our young master?"

That's more like it. What were you doing earlier? Zhao Changhe didn't think much of it and casually replied, "Not bad."

The maidservant paused again, as if searching her mind for something to say to break the awkward silence. After a long while, she said, "Tiger Hill is a famous scenic spot in Suzhou. It's said that an emperor from the previous era was buried here. Have you been here before, Young Master Zhao?"

"...This is now your family's back garden. Famous scenic spot my foot. Who could have been here? If you can't make conversation, don't force it."

The maidservant hung her head and said nothing.

Zhao Changhe found it both amusing and exasperating, so he started a topic himself: "No one can know all of history from the eras. I only know part of the legends. I'm not very familiar with this area. If it's an imperial mausoleum, which emperor was it?"

In his heart, he thought that in the current world, it was the legend of King Helü of Wu, but he didn't know what it was here.

The maidservant said, "I heard it was a Sword Emperor, not exactly a mortal emperor."

"So what's buried here? Fish Intestine Sword?"

"I don't know. I'm just a little maidservant."

"..."

"In any case, our Tang family searched for a long time, whether for the imperial mausoleum or any sword, and found nothing. In the early years, some people tried to comprehend swordsmanship on the nearby Thousand-Man Stone, but they didn't gain anything. Now people even dry their quilts on the Thousand-Man Stone."

"What's the Thousand-Man Stone? Did it kill a thousand people?"

"It's said to be where the Sword Emperor taught swordsmanship."

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. He didn't know if there was a Thousand-Man Stone in the current world... Even with modern knowledge, without Baidu, you couldn't know everything. But according to conventional understanding, neither King Helü's tomb nor the Thousand-Man Stone should correspond to any Sword Emperor. Of course, there was no Night Emperor either; things from the previous era were quite different from the present, like history taking a different path.

Along the way, he indeed saw a large stone platform, big enough to hold a thousand people, though no quilts were drying on it. Instead, a few Tang family members were sitting at a table on it, drinking wine and reciting poetry about the scenery.

Zhao Changhe shook his head, ignored them, and urged the maidservant, who was craning her neck to look at the young master, to hurry up: "What's there to see? If you want to flirt with some Tang young master, do it later."

The maidservant reluctantly continued leading the way, pointing at a mountain stream: "Actually, we're almost at the Sword Pool."

"So you mean I can go by myself now?"

The maidservant fell silent again.

There were guards at the Sword Pool, lazy and quite lax. Seeing the two approach, they casually blocked the way: "The Sword Pool is a restricted area. It's not a place for young lovers to sneak around in. Why are there always clueless people like this?"

The maidservant blushed deeply. Zhao Changhe pointed at his own nose: "Where do you get the idea that I look like one of your Tang family servants bringing a maid to the back mountain for romance?"

The guard looked him up and down and became a bit cautious: "You have a strong murderous aura. Who are you?"

The maidservant put her hands on her hips: "He is the Bloodthirsty Asura Zhao Changhe! A friend of the young master! The young master gave him a token to pass!"

Zhao Changhe glanced at her, thinking that his reputation did carry some weight now. Too lazy to say more, he pulled out the token and showed it. The guard hesitated for a moment and indeed didn't stop him.

Zhao Changhe walked straight into the Sword Pool, and the little maidservant scurried in right behind him.

"Hey." Zhao Changhe looked at her sideways: "Your task is done. Go do whatever you need to. Those young masters drinking and composing poetry over there—you seemed interested earlier."

The maidservant shuffled her feet by the pool: "It wouldn't be good to leave like that. You'd say I have no manners."

Zhao Changhe found it both funny and annoying: "Speaking of which, your Tang family's atmosphere isn't too bad. If they suspect a servant and a maid are having an affair, they don't beat them to death, they just tease?"

The maidservant said, "The Tang family has a strong literary atmosphere."

Zhao Changhe felt she was answering the wrong question. Literary atmosphere and this kind of thing were two different matters, weren't they? Many families with strong literary traditions were far stricter and more brutal in this regard. Oh well, it was a trivial matter, not worth asking about. He was here to see the Sword Pool.

So he ignored the maidservant and walked around the pool, trying to sense something.

If the pool contained murderous aura, the Tang family's gentle spring-water sword intent might not be as sensitive as his own, which was full of murderous energy. But after circling the pool for a while, he truly felt nothing at all.

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment, took out his silver notes and other things that couldn't get wet, placed them aside, weighed them down with a stone, and with a splash, dove into the water.

Whether or not a little maidservant was nearby, the gold foil and the Dragon Sparrow were never to leave his body, no matter how heavy they were.

Now, his underwater vision was no longer as poor as when he fought at the bottom of the water while escorting Yangyang. His progress in the Six Harmonies Divine Art allowed him to focus his energy on his eyes, seeing more clearly, more finely, and farther, and he could also protect himself with inner force underwater. Holding his breath underwater also lasted longer.

But after carefully searching underwater for half a stick of incense, aside from finding a narrow water channel leading to the mountain stream, he found nothing else. He didn't sense even a trace of murderous aura.

If he didn't dig down, it seemed that was all there was—nothing to be found.

Zhao Changhe wasn't discouraged. This was normal. The Tang family had been here for generations without finding anything suspicious, so why should he discover something on his first visit? Take it slow.

Digging down probably wouldn't help either; the Tang family had already dug... If there was a dimensional space, it might require a special way to open it, like the ritual communication recorded in the Four Symbols Sect's texts... And it wasn't even certain that this was the place.

As Zhao Changhe pondered and swam upward, just as his head was about to break the surface, he was startled.

Above him, a pair of lotus-like feet were dangling and splashing in the water, almost hitting his face directly. Looking closely, it was the little maidservant sitting on the edge, leisurely washing her feet and humming a little tune.

Zhao Changhe, annoyed, swam around and emerged from the side: "What are you doing here?"

The little maidservant seemed startled by him: "You're... you're so fast?"

"This place isn't that big. I was down there for half a stick of incense—how is that fast?" Zhao Changhe said irritably: "You knew I was down there, and you still wash your feet here? You want me to drink your foot bath?"

"This pool isn't exactly clean anyway. Would you really drink it?"

"..."

"It's so hot. Who can resist soaking in a cool pool like this?" the maidservant said matter-of-factly: "You took a bath down there yourself, and you won't let me soak my feet? How tyrannical."

"Fine, fine, I'm the tyrant." Zhao Changhe, speechless, used his inner force to dry himself, picked up his silver notes, and stuffed them back into his bosom: "Now I'm going back to find Tang Buqi for dinner. You can keep soaking your feet."

The maidservant didn't dare leave him alone. Reluctantly, she got up, dried her feet, and followed behind him back to the manor.

Watching Zhao Changhe's broad-shouldered figure striding ahead, the maidservant couldn't help but smile softly, as if she found it amusing.

Zhao Changhe's rear-view eyes captured this smile completely, and a hint of a smile curled at the corner of his own mouth.

Who said this trip to Tiger Hill Sword Pool yielded nothing?

Isn't this a discovery?

This tells me you're an ordinary little maidservant? Do you think I'm stupid... Do you think I'm Tang Buqi?