After returning from the Golden Wing Tower stronghold, Zhang Rongfang at home, spending his days helping Wan Yanlu lose weight, going to work, practicing martial arts, and resting.
The rest of the time, it seemed as if he had completely abandoned his previous efforts to collect information about the Statue.
He witnessed the entire anomaly caused by the Statue.
It feels more like some kind of intensified transformation.
Those metallic threads are not products of this era.
This strange sense of contradiction stirred up a multitude of thoughts in his mind, leading him to ponder what kind of existence the Great Ling and Secret Teaching truly were.
December 5th.
The rain has subsided and is no longer intermittent.
Li Huoyun hosted a banquet at White Smoke Tower to celebrate his twentieth birthday.
This was a private banquet, and only a few people were invited to attend.
Zhang Rongfang was invited to the event, and after drinking with the guests several times, he didn't get home until after 1 a. m.
As soon as he opened the gate, he saw a small red bird perched quietly on a tree branch in the yard, its ruby-like eyes fixed on him.
"Come here." Zhang Rongfang stretched out his hand and let the little bird fly onto the back of his hand.
Remove the bamboo tube from the bird's leg.
He quickly opened it to take a look.
His expression changed slightly after just one glance.
He immediately went inside, changed his clothes, and put on a mask. Wish Wheel hesitated for a moment, but still didn't wear it.
In fact, there are other people in the Mingjing Palace who use the Wish Wheel; he is not the only one.
However, aside from assassinations, he is not well-suited for using the Wish Wheel technique in other situations when fighting against highly skilled opponents.
Because he did not master the martial arts techniques that came with the Wish Wheel.
Therefore, it can only be used as a simple heavy weapon or a shield.
The timing for using it is generally when the first strike fails, and it becomes unsuitable for continued combat. Otherwise, if the moves are not well-coordinated, it will significantly weaken one's own strength.
Zhang Rongfang casually put on a short sword and set off lightly.
The city gate of Tanyang City has a separate small gate for entering and exiting at night, which is reserved for caravans and Escort Agency agencies traveling at night.
The Great Ling's military strength was formidable, and its army was unmatched wherever it went. Therefore, it had no fear of being attacked by anyone.
Pingya Temple outside the city.
The Golden Wing Tower and a group of other Zheng Lou members were scattered and guarded on all four sides.
Upon seeing Zhang Rongfang arrive, they all bowed their heads in greeting.
Qing Su, Zhao Tianming, Red Haze Chixia had all arrived.
The three stood separately in front of a tall figure wearing a completely red mask, bowing their heads in respect.
The figure had a thin, choppy braid, broad shoulders, and wore a complete set of hard leather half-armor. A thick, bronze chain was wrapped around the right arm, clearly indicating that the figure was skilled in using unusual weapons.
A series of footsteps approached.
Zhang Rongfang strode into the main hall, his gaze immediately falling on the Red Mask.
The other person was actually a whole size bigger than him now.
"Could it be Envoy from Lord Red Spirit of the Prefectural City?" Zhang Rongfang asked in a deep voice.
"Indeed, you are White Eagle from Tanyang? Red Spirit Ling ordered me to Tanyang to investigate the matter of the Secret Teaching Scripture. This Scripture Silk should have just Xian Shi, and you may not know its physical characteristics, so I was ordered to come here personally to be in charge of the identification and search mission."
Also, I'm Eagle Rank, you can call me Rust Lock.
"Reflection." Zhang Rongfang quickly came up with a nickname.
This nickname is quite fitting for his current multiple identities.
"You can call me Reflection."
"Very good. From now on, I will stay here and assist you in the search for the Scripture Silk."
Also, just a heads-up. Snake King Xue Jinghao of the Black Ten Sect, has arrived in Tanyang, seemingly to investigate the recent assassinations of several high-ranking members.
"Snake King Xue Jinghao?" Zhang Rongfang's eyes flickered slightly. "How strong is this person?"
"What do you think? Among the Black Ten Sect experts who were killed before, there was even an Eighth Grade. What level of expert do you think they would send down?"
And it wasn't just him alone; he also had two Envoy, both at least at the seventh or eighth rank. "Be careful," Rust Lock warned.
"Ninth Grade?" Zhang Rongfang's heart sank. This is how these powerful forces are.
The matter has escalated; they have a headquarters behind them, and a large number of experts are providing support.
"By the way, you're not very well-informed in places like Tanyang, so you probably don't know why the Ninth Grade of the world were originally divided," Rust Lock added.
"Why?"
"Because the Ninth Grade is actually the limit for ordinary people, the highest speed and power they can unleash."
"Rust Lock said calmly."
"Using the Secret Medicine, disregarding all damage, can unleash a person's speed and strength, up to the Ninth Grade."
"Or to put it another way. When the Ling Ting initially established the Ninth Grade system, it took two things into consideration: first, the official rank system; and second, this point. It set the highest limit of an ordinary person's potential at the Ninth Grade."
Zhang Rongfang's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered the gambler who had been inspired by the Statue.
Back then, was that all there was to it? Was that the limit for ordinary people? Ninth Grade. There was actually such a secret.
"But you should know. This world isn't just made up of ordinary people," Rust Lock suddenly added.
People may seem the same, but their physical constitutions can be vastly different.
"Are you talking about genius, the part that's exceptionally gifted?" Zhang Rongfang asked in a deep voice.
"Exactly. Snake King Xue Jinghao is this kind of person. He has a keen intuition that is beyond the reach of ordinary people, he is not afraid of any assassination or sneak attack, and his reaction speed is far beyond that of ordinary people."
"Therefore, you must not provoke this person," Rust Lock advised.
The Golden Wing Tower is primarily dedicated to assassinating intelligence, and the fact that the Black Ten Sect sent this person clearly indicates a specific purpose.
"Is he considered Ninth Grade?" Zhang Rongfang asked again.
"Three years ago, this person was already Ninth Grade. Now, given his level of genius, he is probably no longer subject to rank restrictions," Rust Lock remarked.
"Not subject to grade restrictions?"
"These people surpass the grade assessment, are stronger than ordinary Ninth Grade, but are not at the level of grandmasters of various schools. Some people in the Jianghu call them Super Grade, you can define them that way."
After finishing speaking, Rust Lock took out a blueprint, unfolded it, and handed it over.
"Alright, I brought this up to warn you to be careful and not to provoke this person. Someone from the Black Ten Sect has died, and they're definitely coming here to seek revenge and search for their enemies, so don't go looking for trouble."
Also, this is the Secret Teaching Scripture pattern we're looking for. Take a look, and then search for similar ones based on this.
Zhang Rongfang took the blueprints and examined them carefully.
There was a pale yellow cloth covered with mysterious writing and symbols on it.
Its shape and style were exactly the same as the one he had received before.
'Really.'
He felt relieved; his previous worries were now suddenly confirmed.
Once he confirmed that the scroll of cloth was indeed Secret Teaching Scripture, he felt much more at ease.
With his mind racing, he spoke directly.
"Are you sure this is the style?"
"I'm sure. What? You've seen him before?" Rust Lock sensed something in his tone.
Without saying a word, Zhang Rongfang took out the roll of cloth from his person and handed it over.
"I recently acquired this item by chance, but I never expected it to be so valuable. It's exactly what the building needs."
The Rust Lock paused, seemingly stunned.
He looked at Zhang Rongfang's mask, then at the Scripture Silk in his hand, seemingly surprised that everything had come so easily.
"Where did you get this?" He was somewhat skeptical, worried that it might be fake.
"I accidentally bumped into a stone wall in a grave pit. The stone wall fell down, and this was stuck behind me. I picked it up," Zhang Rongfang.
Rust Lock took the Scripture Silk, his eyes gleaming, and quickly began to read it.
He quickly made up his mind.
"It's true!" He was slightly agitated. "This is a serious matter; I must contact my superiors immediately."
Then, he stared intently at Zhang Rongfang.
"I must say, Reflection, you've hit the jackpot this time! This thing is extremely important to the main building. I'll set off immediately to return to the Prefectural City and deliver it up the chain of command. Once it's confirmed, the main building's reward will arrive very soon."
Kid, you're in luck!
He carefully put away the Scripture Silk and placed them close to his body.
"There's no time to lose. I'll rush back to the Prefectural City tonight for another assessment, just in case things get complicated and dangerous!"
"Alright! Do you need me to send someone to protect you?" Zhang Rongfang could also see the other party's caution.
"No need, one more person will only slow me down. Farewell!" Without another word, Rust Lock turned and left the main hall.
Zhang Rongfang wasn't worried about the other party stealing credit. Not to mention that there was another, unknown, special supervision system Golden Wing Tower, which was designed to prevent superiors from taking credit for their subordinates' work.
This Scripture Silk, along with the strange Statue from before, made him feel that the situation here was far more complex than he suspected.
A slight misstep could lead to a disastrous outcome.
Therefore, once he determined that there was a problem with the Scripture Silk, he handed it over on the spot.
This thing is probably a hot potato right now.
He is not the kind of person who lacks self-awareness.
One should only eat as much as one is capable of. Overestimating one's abilities will only lead to death.
"Now, everyone evacuate. Do not gather in any way for the time being."
Turning around, Zhang Rongfang instructed Zhao Tianming, Qing Su, Red Haze Chixia.
"Yes!"
All three of them understood.
This is to prevent being captured and silenced.
Regardless of the circumstances, even if the Rust Lock belonged to someone from the Prefectural City, who knows what might have been wrong with him?
So let's all avoid each other for now.
The crowd immediately dispersed.
Soon, only a few members of the Zheng Lou remained to guard Pingya Temple.
We left Pingya Temple.
Zhang Rongfang moved quickly into the night, his head bowed.
The Woodland and field ridges outside the city were damp and soft. Because of the excessive rain, stepping on them inevitably produced a wet, squelching sound.
Just as they were approaching the city gate, in a field that had already been harvested,
Suddenly, Zhang Rongfang stopped in his tracks, his steps faltering as he quickly came to a halt.
He looked up and ahead.
There stood a person on his usual route.
A dark Shadow completely shrouded in a wide black robe.
Under the moonlight, the only thing he could tell was that the Shadow figure was even more muscular and larger than him.
Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that this is a disguise.
"Golden Wing Tower?" The Shadow's voice was deep, as if he had deliberately altered his voice using some special technique.
"Who are you??" Zhang Rongfang's first thought was that his intelligence had been leaked, and that there was a traitor on his side who had revealed his whereabouts.
"You've gone a bit too far with Zhang Ying," the Shadow said. "Tanyang City is not a place where you can act with impunity."
"Zhang Ying? What do you mean?" Zhang Rongfang pretended not to know. He couldn't shake off his identity as a member of the Golden Wing Tower; after all, he was still wearing a mask. He could be recognized at a glance.
But Zhang Ying's identity must absolutely not be acknowledged.
"The mask belongs to Tanyang White Eagle, so you should know that Tanyang's current power is the result of a balance among multiple parties. But now, your Golden Wing Tower has broken that balance, attracting the Black Ten Sect's Snake King," the Shadow figure said in a deep voice.
"Do you really think the Snake King came solely for my Golden Wing Tower?" Zhang Rongfang retorted.
"What do you mean??" The Shadow paused.