"My Tang family is not from Suzhou, although we are located in Suzhou. It is different from the Cui family in Qinghe," Tang Buqi leaned against the little maid in the carriage, leisurely sipping wine while giving a brief introduction of the situation in Suzhou to Zhao Changhe. "My Tang family is not as prestigious as the Cui family, so it's not a fair comparison. I suggest you pay more attention to Cui Yuanyang, ah, don't think about anything else."

Zhao Changhe leaned against the carriage wall, feeling speechless. One relying on a maid and the other on the carriage wall, he was already unhappy, and being told this made him even more frustrated. "Just introduce Suzhou, why bring up the Cui family?"

Tang Buqi felt quite content. "Isn't it easier to make a direct comparison this way?"

"I don't need you to compare, I already know that the Cui family in Qinghe is well-known. Has anyone heard of the Tang family in Suzhou? They're acting all proud like a bunch of chickens."

"...At least the Tang family is a prestigious family in the current dynasty! They have the power of the imperial court! How could others not have heard of them? Who would call them chickens?"

"I think if it weren't for Tang Wanzhuang, a young talent who ranks in the top three of the Earth List and holds a high position in the current dynasty, this family wouldn't be as prominent... It's not hard to imagine that the Tang family will eventually fall into the hands of bandits..."

Tang Buqi glared angrily. "Every family has someone who focuses on studying, it's not all about martial arts and governing the country!"

"Is that so? Then why was your aunt so eager to break through to the next level that she injured her lung meridian? I suggest your family think about it carefully instead of taking advantage of someone else's hard work and leisurely enjoying themselves with a maid. You're practically sucking her blood."

Tang Buqi was taken aback, his anger gradually disappearing. He looked at the wine in front of him in a daze, not saying a word.

Zhao Changhe glanced at him for a while, finally decided not to say anything more, and turned to the main topic. "So there are many big and small families in Suzhou, right? The Tang family relies on their position as the head of the Demon Suppression Division, so they should have a lot of influence in the local area."

"...That's right."

"By the way, is there a Murong family in Suzhou? I think they are more famous than the Tang family."

"I haven't heard of them. Where did you hear all these random things?"

"What about the place with the suspicious aura? Do you have any clues? Is it the Huqiu Sword Pool?"

Tang Buqi was surprised. "Hey, how do you know about Suzhou? Weren't you in the north all your life?"

"Hmm, did I guess correctly?"

"What a load of crap! The Huqiu Sword Pool is in the mountains behind my house!"

Zhao Changhe muttered, "Damn."

"But speaking of it, a long time ago, or rather, in the previous era, there were indeed rumors about the suspicious aura in the Huqiu Sword Pool. It might have hidden a cursed sword. But my family has already investigated this place thoroughly for several generations, and there is nothing there. So the things mentioned this time should have nothing to do with it."

Zhao Changhe rubbed his chin and pondered. It might still be related. Based on his previous experience at the Ancient Sword Lake, there might be a hidden instance, but it was closed off by a group of powerful people from your family.

"Do you have any rumors of hauntings? Anyone being affected by the aura, or even your aunt's illness, could it be related to this?"

"I know what you're thinking... but unfortunately, no. My aunt's illness was contracted last year in the capital, not at home."

"... " Zhao Changhe still felt that the possibility existed. Based on his current experience, rumors related to the "previous era" were beyond the understanding of ordinary low-level martial artists. It was normal for them to be confused.

Of course, this was just a possibility and did not represent the truth. The specifics would still have to be explored in Suzhou.

"What about other rumors? How did Faye determine that the object is more likely to be in Suzhou?"

"How would I know how Faye made that judgment? The letter didn't finish."

While they were discussing, the little maid who had been feeding Tang Buqi wine and grapes hesitated to speak. "Before we left, there were rumors that someone suddenly went crazy and started randomly attacking people at the market in the southern part of the city. He was killed on the spot by Young Master Lu who happened to pass by. At first, people thought it was an isolated incident, but later, Young Master Lu also went crazy. People said he was possessed. After that, we left and I don't know what happened afterwards."

Tang Buqi was stunned. "Young Master Lu, could it be Lu Shaoxiong? I had a good relationship with him. How come I didn't hear about this?"

The maid glanced at him cautiously. "At that time, Young Master, you were drunk for five days in the Flower Street, and Madam was crying at home... When you came back, you were scolded by Master and then kicked out to gain experience."

Tang Buqi's face turned red like a pig liver.

Zhao Changhe turned his head and looked out of the carriage window.

There was silence for the rest of the journey. The conversation had been killed.

Originally, a case of someone going crazy and being possessed was nothing out of the ordinary and didn't mean much. But since the two incidents were related and happened under the background of the Maitreya Sect searching for this suspicious aura, it was worth investigating.

............

The journey from Yangzhou to Suzhou was not far, and the group of people sped up and arrived quickly.

As they got closer to Suzhou, the eerie atmosphere of the Maitreya Sect seemed to lighten. They never saw any scenes of people worshiping Buddha or Bodhisattvas, and there were no constant discussions about "ascending to Buddha" or "Bodhisattva" wherever they went.

There were temples, but they were very deserted.

It seemed that even though the Maitreya Sect had spread throughout Jiangnan, they still didn't dare to easily reveal themselves in Tang Wanzhuang's stronghold in Suzhou. Even if they did, it would be done secretly, infiltrating and developing, which was much better than the situation in Yangzhou.Yet Zhao Changhe had an instinctive feeling that the Maitreya Sect would not wait until everything was ready.

The incident in Yangzhou was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Maitreya Sect. The list of names and various information that were discovered would inevitably lead to the downfall of the Maitreya Sect's years of development near Yangzhou. The leader of the Maitreya Sect would most likely not sit idly by and let this continue, and there was a high chance that he would take action ahead of time.

During the incident in Yangzhou, Maitreya was in Jinling looking for the treasure of evil spirits, unaware of what had happened. But now, he must know and has most likely returned to the main altar to prepare for action. The trigger for the action might be the information linked to Chi Li's return. Once the Hu people move south, the Maitreya Sect in Jiangnan will surely rise.

This was the obvious deduction.

In this process, the Maitreya Sect would certainly not ignore Suzhou, a pure land surrounded by Jiangnan but not invaded by the Maitreya Sect. There must be some action. If no corresponding precautions were taken, the tragedy of the Tang family might suddenly occur.

At this moment, Suzhou might be the last peaceful place.

Find the original at "pawread.com".

Zhao Changhe wondered if Tang Wanzhuang would think of these things after receiving the report from Yangzhou. Anyway, it seemed that Tang Buqi hadn't thought of it, and the Tang family hadn't thought of it either.

Upon arriving at the Tang family, there was no sign of the impending storm. Servants were coming and going, and as soon as he entered, he could hear the sound of music from the distant pavilion. Nearby, a large group of people were surrounding Tang Buqi, asking about his well-being:

"Young Master is back?"

"Young Master, you must be tired from your journey... Oh, you've gotten tanned."

"I heard that Young Master killed the Hu people, solved the assassination case of the prefect, and thwarted the Maitreya Sect's plot in Yangzhou!"

"Young Master, you've really brought honor to us!"

If Zhao Changhe wasn't by his side, Tang Buqi would probably hold his head high and enjoy the adulation. But feeling Zhao Changhe's sidelong glance and his half-smiling expression, Tang Buqi just wanted to cover his face: "Alright, alright, it's just a small matter, nothing worth bragging about. Prepare a guest room and take care of my guests."

The servants looked at Zhao Changhe. They knew he was ranked thirty-eight on the Hidden Dragon List, stronger than anyone present, but there was a hint of disdain in their eyes.

The Young Master really could get along with anyone. He once suspected that an old beggar was a peerless master and invited him home to be treated warmly, only to find out that he was just an ordinary beggar, which greatly upset the old master. Now he brought back a rogue from the martial arts world...

Of course, they didn't dare to show this attitude in front of Tang Buqi. When the Young Master threw a tantrum, he could beat people up.

So a steward bowed and said, "Master Zhao, please follow me. I hope you will be satisfied with the Quiet Guest House."

Zhao Changhe took in everyone's expressions with a slight smile.

The noble family... the home that Tang Wanzhuang was maintaining.

He couldn't be bothered with these things, and simply said, "Any place to stay is fine. The important thing is to take good care of my horse. Then send someone to take me to the back mountain. I want to see the Tiger Hill Sword Pool first."

(End of Chapter)