Chapter 618: Chapter Six Hundred Fourteen: New, Old
It’s not that the Tang family favors boys over girls, it’s just that in the grand era of martial arts, there has never been a single exemplary female King Realm—even Grandmasters are nonexistent among females. This inevitably leads to doubts about the dexterity of female practitioners.
“But, but…” The shota kid was scared out of his wits after hearing Tang Luo’s request. He was too afraid to even identify where his fear was coming from. He wanted to refuse, but he didn’t know where to start the refusal. All he could do was mumble two words indicating a change of thought, without articulating it fully. So, he could only plead, desperately, “Is there no other way?”
Sniffing back his tears, the shota kid’s face was blanketed with the kind of pressure that kids his age couldn’t handle. He had never heard of a marriage pact before.
Tang Luo shook his head in amusement at the kid’s timid posture, saying, “There are other ways, but…”
“Really?” The shota kid was ecstatic and hurriedly asked, “What’s the alternative?”
To him, any option other than delivering a marriage proposal to the temple was nothing to be afraid of.
Tang Luo couldn’t help giggling at the sight of his headstrong attitude, “You want to stick around with Tang Zhen, right? It’s difficult to move her to the first tier but it’s easy to move you to the second tier.”
“So now, choose one—are you proposing marriage to the temple or letting me move you to the second tier?”
Often, a change of perspective can solve a problem. However, if they’d started by suggesting that the shota kid move to the second tier, it might throw this pampered child off balance. So they first told him about moving Tang Zhen to the first tier as a condition, then gave him an easier option, letting him make the final decision.
Young people are blind when it comes to love—they wish there were only two people in the world to love each other. Tang Xing wouldn’t even furrow his brows if he was asked to patrol the mountains with the young girl, let alone step down a tier.
“Bro, move me to the second tier.” Tang Xing naturally chose the easier and less worrisome of the two options. He also pretended to come up with a legitimate reason, “My squad is also in the second tier, I want to be with them.”
“Are you sure?” Tang Luo didn’t burst the bubble and asked, seemingly amused, “These days, all the families who pledged allegiance to us dispatched a bunch of martial ancestors to the front lines. The head of the house promised them several places in the first tier. Once we swap, it can’t be undone. Don’t regret it.”
“No regrets.” Determination spread across Tang Xing’s smiling face as he raised his hand and declared, “It’s settled!”
“Alright, we’re settled on the rank then.” Tang Luo nodded and asked the shota kid again, “Is there anything else?”
“Anything else?” The shota kid was taken aback, “No, there’s nothing else…”
“Nothing else?” Tang Luo was speechless, and he hinted, “Think again carefully.”
After giving it a serious thought, the shota kid firmly replied, “Really nothing!”
Tang Luo gave the shota kid a deep look and chuckled, “Then there’s nothing more.”
He took a command card from his waist, opened a command script, and swiftly wrote a transfer order and handed it to the shota kid.
With joy written all over his face, the shota kid gratefully said, “Thank you, bro!”
“No need to thank me among brothers.” Tang Luo broke into a gentle smile and advised, “Be careful down there.”
“Got it.” The shota kid who got the command script harbored no doubts. He tucked the script into his breast and hopped down the sky platform cheerfully, presumably running back to the temple to share the good news with his girlfriend that they could travel together.
Watching his little brother disappear into the sea of clouds, Tang Luo shook his head helplessly and sighed, “A frivolous bridegroom and a beautiful new bride. When a new face makes you smile, you forget the old love that made you cry. Oh well.”
Zong clan steward, Tang Zu, floated down onto the sky platform with a grin on his face and teased, “Marshal Luo seems to be reminiscing. Could it be because of the matter with the Zhao family?”
The reason Tang Luo had hurried Tang Xing away was because he had heard the sound of the clan steward approaching. Compared to the shota kid’s request, he believed that the clan steward definitely had urgent matters to discuss with him, otherwise, he wouldn’t have come in person.
“You jest, Clan Steward. What pressing matter has necessitated your personal visit?” Tang Luo stood up, saluted politely, and asked cordially.
“My main purpose was to have Marshal Luo visit the temple.” Upon mentioning the actual matter, Clan Steward Tang Zu showed a serious expression, “I recall that Marshal Luo once mentioned that there must be a hidden gem who is dedicated to becoming a warrior in the temple. I’m here to invite Marshal Luo to take a look.”
“I see.” Tang Luo suddenly realized. So it was for this matter.
If it hadn’t been for the disturbance by the eighteen riders at North Mountain, this matter would have started at the end of November. The purpose was to select and cultivate promising disciples from the temple, including descendants of the temple warriors and field warriors.
It seems this would be his duty as the marshal of the guard. After all, currently all of the Mi clan’s military force was focused on the front line. There was no need to be constantly on guard.
“The Grand Elder is now busy arranging for different departments to pull out and retreat. He asked me to cooperate with Marshal Luo to complete the task. I’m not sure what is needed to examine aptitude. Last time when we selected the marshals in Red Cloud Mountain, we invited Hua Ji, the owner of the Star Pavilion. Is it necessary to invite him this time?” Clan Steward Tang Zu asked seriously.
“Oh, that’s not necessary. Just ask a few stewards to bring paper and pen for recording,” Tang Luo confidently replied. The use of three code names at Red Cloud Mountain was done to confuse outsiders without leaving any clues.
There’s no need to be so careful here at home. Letting the stewards take notes would be enough. After all, a pencil is better than the best memory, especially when it’s just about memorizing numbers. Note-taking would also provide a clearer view.
Although there was no need to smoke and mirror the way things were done, Tang Luo still had his own plan. He turned to Tang Zu and said, “During this operation, I would like to ask you, Clan Steward, to help me hide my identity. Don’t let others find out.”
The ability to discern spiritual power cannot be announced publicly. And young people are known for being gossips. If word got out, Tang Luo would be the target of public criticism.
Although Tang Zhi and Tang Zu had also considered the option of hiding it, since Tang Luo had mentioned it himself, they wouldn’t insist on Tang Luo following their plan. So he asked, “How can I help you?”
“Before the establishment of the Star Pavilion, I created a batch of masks. I’ll wear a mask when I come to the temple with you later. Just introduce me as an old friend of yours,” Tang Luo said to Tang Zu, having already planned ahead.
“All you need to do is prepare a quiet room separated by a curtain. Let the students enter in turn before and after a training session. Once we’re done, we can hand over all the information directly to the temple and there is no need for the students to know what is going on.”
At Red Cloud Mountain, due to the large number of warriors and considering Hua Ji’s memory, Tang Luo had chosen an easily exposible method. But this time, students were only to enter the quiet room before and after a training session. Tang Luo wouldn’t even have a conversation with them and could maintain maximum secrecy.