Chapter 227: A Bet

Chapter 227 The Bet

Wei Zicai was quite astonished: "Honored Envoy, you don't know about this?"

Zhao Changhe pointed at his mask: "See what this is?"

"A pig."

"Exactly. Is it strange that I don't know?"

"Pfft..." Before Wei Zicai could react, the Vermilion Bird behind him doubled over with laughter.

Wei Zicai's expression twitched, and after a long moment he said: "The Honored Envoy really knows how to joke... Well, not knowing this matter probably means you've just joined recently? Actually, it's not that complicated. First, His Majesty doesn't want to monopolize all ancient secret lands; he lets everyone seek their own fortunes..."

Zhao Changhe raised his hand: "I do know about this. His Majesty's action shows great magnanimity."

The Vermilion Bird glanced at him with a faint, ambiguous smile.

Ordinary people would indeed conclude that Xia Longyuan was magnanimous, but the Vermilion Bird disagreed. She preferred to see it as Xia Longyuan's testing ground, making everyone fight like dogs over an ancient secret land.

In the Vermilion Bird's eyes, the chaos in the world was largely due to Xia Longyuan's own maneuvers.

If he had married the White Tiger Saintess and stabilized the Four Symbols Sect, at least that sect might not have rebelled and could have been a crucial ally. But his actions ruined it, turning a potentially helpful sect into a demonic cult bent on overthrowing the world. What disgusted the Vermilion Bird most was that even knowing this was likely what Xia Longyuan wanted, they still had to act accordingly.

Wei Zicai hesitated for a moment, then replied: "Many powerful figures or sects care about nothing but exploring ancient secrets. Places like Ancient Sword Lake, rumored to hold ancient secrets, often have multiple forces stationed nearby for long-term exploration, which ironically leads to mutual restraint, with none able to dominate. Many years ago, several great battles broke out around Ancient Sword Lake, even involving Heaven List experts."

Zhao Changhe now reached a similar judgment to the Vermilion Bird's—it seemed Xia Longyuan was using these ancient secret lands to provoke chaos among all sides: "And then?"

"Everyone fought messily, yet they didn't even know if there was anything in Ancient Sword Lake, which seemed foolish. So they held talks and eventually agreed not to station forces permanently or monopolize the area. Instead, groups like the Cui family or the Four Symbols Sect would come by every now and then to check—whoever finds it gets it, no interference. But fearing others might secretly monopolize it, they each backed subordinate gangs in nearby towns to keep watch, creating a tangled web of forces. Our Demon Suppression Office just planted some spies to monitor changes here, and thus the unique situation of Sword Lake City was born. Actually, there are many similar places in the world; Sword Lake City is just a typical example."

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. From this glimpse, he could see that there were likely countless "Sword Lake Cities" across the world—places outside conventional imperial rule, dominated by gangs.

In peacetime, it was fine, but once chaos erupted, these places could evolve into separatist territories, with all kinds of "city lords" springing up like mushrooms after rain, becoming local overlords.

Sure enough, Wei Zicai continued: "After years of evolution, these forces probably no longer care about what's in the lake. When we learned that the Four Symbols Sect had taken the object from the lake, the city's factions might not even know, showing how far they've strayed from their original purpose. Instead, they've carved up territories and fought over interests, especially now that chaos looms—the struggle over who rules this city has become increasingly fierce. With the Tianyi Gang absorbed by the Pinghu Society, Yan Lianping of the Pinghu Society is beginning to dominate the city. We're now just waiting for the Chief's reply on whether we should withdraw."

Zhao Changhe nodded: "Two questions. What's Yan Lianping's strength, and what force backs him?"

"Yan Lianping is at the eighth level of the Profound Gate..."

"Then why did he need help from others to fight Han Wubing?"

"Because Han Wubing is already at the seventh level of the Profound Gate, and his swordsmanship is incredibly fierce. In a one-on-one fight, Yan Lianping might actually lose to him."

"Damn, that guy's faster than me... And then? What's the force behind Yan Lianping?"

Wei Zicai looked a bit embarrassed: "Well... we don't know what force backs him."

Zhao Changhe was stunned: "No way? Shouldn't this have been figured out long ago?"

Wei Zicai coughed dryly: "In theory, the Pinghu Society should belong to the Four Symbols Sect, but we noticed that when the White Tiger Saintess came here last time, she didn't contact them. There are two reasons for that: one, the White Tiger Saintess thought the Pinghu Society was already under our surveillance, so she deliberately avoided contact to stay out of our sight. Two, the Pinghu Society might have grown estranged from the Four Symbols Sect, and the White Tiger Saintess no longer trusts them."

Zhao Changhe glanced at the Vermilion Bird, but her pig mask hid her expression.

This was getting interesting. All these twists and turns involved the young lady beside him, including the earlier rumors, and even Zhao Changhe himself. It was no longer just Han Wubing's affair.

He had come at just the right time.

Zhao Changhe pondered for a moment and asked: "Why the second suspicion? What has the Pinghu Society done to make you think that?"

"Mad Lion He Lei, wounded while leaving Mount Tai, passed through here and secretly stayed with the Pinghu Society to recover. We suspect the Pinghu Society might have ties with the barbarians, but we don't know if the Four Symbols Sect is aware of this, nor their stance on the barbarians, so it's hard to analyze."

"I see." Zhao Changhe felt somewhat relieved and smiled, patting Wei Zicai on the shoulder: "Alright, the information is complete and clear. I'll put in a good word with the Chief."

Wei Zicai showed a pleased expression: "Thank you for your guidance, sir."

"One last question."

"Please speak, sir."

"Where did Han Wubing find people spreading the rumors about Zhao Changhe?"

"The Kangle Gambling House. Han Wubing was passing by and heard someone loudly talking about it inside."

"Whose force is the Kangle Gambling House?"

Wei Zicai looked puzzled: "I haven't been able to find out."

Zhao Changhe stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly smiled: "It's fine. No one can know everything. Work harder in the future."

Wei Zicai sighed in relief and smiled: "Farewell, Special Envoy."

Leaving the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion, Zhao Changhe suddenly stopped, turned to look back at the bamboo building, and fell into thought.

The Vermilion Bird asked curiously: "What are you thinking?"

"According to the theory of each faction assigning subordinates to station here, there's no way they wouldn't know who's behind the Kangle Gambling House. That doesn't make sense. And if someone deliberately hid it, this matter has nothing to do with the gambling house itself—I just asked casually. Why would they need to hide it from me?"

The Vermilion Bird said leisurely: "The Kangle Gambling House came later, not among the original factions. It's not strange that we couldn't trace it, but having no guesses at all is odd. Our Sacred Sect suspects it might be Ying Wu's people."

Zhao Changhe's heart skipped a beat: "Eighth on the Heaven List!"

"Exactly... But this matter doesn't seem to have much to do with them, does it?"

"What do you think about the Pinghu Society?"

"Yan Lianping is Wei Yueyan of the Twenty-Eight Mansions. The reason Chi Chi didn't contact him back then was to avoid exposing him as one of ours. I didn't expect the Demon Suppression Office already knew..." The Vermilion Bird's tone turned cold: "We also didn't know he had ties with the barbarians. The Demon Suppression Office did us a favor."

Zhao Changhe laughed: "A traitor?"

The Vermilion Bird's tone relaxed again: "Which faction doesn't have a few traitors? It's good to discover them early. But I can't take the Demon Suppression Office's word for it; I need to investigate further."

Zhao Changhe asked: "What do you plan to do?"

"We'll split up. I'll openly go find Yan Lianping. You do whatever you want. Tonight, I'll quietly come to the inn to find you."

The Vermilion Bird suddenly smiled: "What a twist. Originally, I was just here to get to know you better and protect you from the Wang family. I never expected this to involve me too, turning it into a collaboration between us."

Zhao Changhe laughed heartily: "It seems heaven doesn't want me to owe the Four Symbols Sect a favor... On the contrary, if things go well, you might owe me one."

"Tch." The Vermilion Bird snorted dismissively: "You? A little man at the sixth level of the Profound Gate? Or are you planning to pass off the Demon Suppression Office's leads as your favor?"

Zhao Changhe snorted: "Want to make a bet? If you help me more, I'll call you 'good big sister' from now on."

The Vermilion Bird's eyes sparkled, and she chuckled: "If I lose, then 'good big brother'?"

"If you lose, from now on, when you're in front of me, can you take off your mask?"