"Tang Buyi, your mother is so beautiful!"
As Tang Buyi escorted Xia Ci and his sister to the courtyard arranged for their accommodation, walking through the estate, the image of Madam Tang kept appearing in Xia Xiayin's mind—gentle, intelligent, elegant and refined. As a woman herself, she felt quite envious.
Hearing Xia Xiayin's compliment, Tang Buyi proudly said, "Indeed she is! I'm not exaggerating, but my mother was a famous beauty in the martial world when she was young. The threshold of my maternal grandfather's house was worn down by suitors. Countless young talents admired my mother."
"How did your father manage to marry your mother?" Xia Xiayin asked curiously.
"That's quite an amusing story," Tang Buyi said. "Back then, my father was also a renowned young talent in the martial world, but among those pursuing my mother, he wasn't the most outstanding. He was able to marry my mother entirely thanks to my second uncle's scheme.
At that time, everyone was trying to gain my mother's favor, doing everything possible to impress her. But my second uncle took a different approach and came up with a roundabout method by getting my grandfather involved.
My grandfather deliberately approached my maternal grandfather, became good friends with him, and then found an opportunity to invite him for drinks. He got my maternal grandfather completely drunk, and in his dazed state, my grandfather persuaded him to agree to a marriage alliance between our families.
By the time my maternal grandfather sobered up, my grandfather had already announced the marriage agreement everywhere. My maternal grandfather was also a man of the martial world who valued face greatly. Although he knew he had been tricked by my grandfather, he had no choice but to go along with it and couldn't back out of the arrangement. He had to grudgingly acknowledge the marriage agreement between the two families. That's how my father married my mother in such a straightforward manner. Even now, after all these years, my mother still occasionally teases my father about it, saying he used underhanded means. But my father is wronged—that scheme wasn't his idea at all, it was my second uncle's."
Xia Xiayin responded with exasperation, "But that trick was truly devious!"
Tang Buyi laughed heartily and said, "If I ever find someone I want to marry but can't, I'll also ask my father to use that trick."
...
Tang Buyi prepared a separate small courtyard for Xia Ci and Xia Xiayin, and specially arranged for several servants to be at their beck and call.
After Tang Buyi left, Xia Xiayin said with some concern, "Brother, it's good that Master Tang is helping us find Flying Dragon, but there's a problem."
"What problem?"
Xia Ci sat in a chair, slowly feeling for the teapot to pour himself tea, then poured it back into the teapot, and continued pouring it into the cup again.
He wasn't doing this out of boredom, but rather to train his perceptive abilities. Although he could do some things like a normal person thanks to his profound internal energy, he ultimately couldn't see, and there were many subconscious behaviors he still couldn't adapt to.
The martial world was very dangerous, especially when fighting against masters. Often, victory or defeat, life or death was determined in an instant. He had to completely adapt to his blind state, otherwise, he would have many vulnerabilities, especially in terms of spatial memory, which needed training.
Xia Xiayin sat down next to Xia Ci and directly took away the cup of tea he had poured. She knew Xia Ci was training his adaptive abilities, so occasionally she would cooperate by creating some difficulties for him.
"Brother, we came to Zhushan County to hunt down Flying Dragon, intending to use Madam Yan's intelligence. But if the Tang family makes a big show of searching for Flying Dragon's whereabouts, the news will definitely spread, and by then, other Pursuit Towers will know Flying Dragon is here. Many bounty hunters will come, and we'll lose our advantage, won't we?"
Xia Ci continued to pour tea at a leisurely pace, chuckling softly, "First, we must have the Tang family's help to search. Otherwise, as strangers in Zhushan County, how would we find him? Zhushan County is so large, even just the county town is beyond our ability to search thoroughly. Unless Flying Dragon reveals himself, we would have to either go back or continue waiting. And if we wait a few more days, other Pursuit Towers will also know that Flying Dragon is in Zhushan County. Madam Yan's intelligence won't stay ahead for long.
Second, for bounty hunters, intelligence is always just an aid. Priority intelligence forms a certain advantage, but the real advantage always depends on the bounty hunter's own ability. If many bounty hunters come later and someone else gets to him first, it only means they're more skilled than us. There's nothing to regret about that."
Xia Xiayin thought for a moment, then nodded, "That's true. I wonder if the Tang family can find Flying Dragon?"
"If the Tang family can't find him in Zhushan County, then we might as well go home. If the Tang family can't find him, no one else has a chance."
...
Meanwhile, in another location.
Tang Tianhao had summoned many high-ranking members of the Tang family, all those who specifically dealt with various underworld factions, instructing them to search for Flying Dragon's whereabouts.
After Tang Tianhao finished giving his instructions, Tang Buyi entered from outside and asked, "Father, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to rest and be cautious about Brother Xia? How come today when Brother Xia came asking for help, you agreed so readily?"
When facing Tang Buyi, Tang Tianhao was completely different from when he was chatting with Xia Ci earlier. He seemed like a different person altogether, with a stern face and very serious demeanor. He said, "First, one should always be cautious. Xia Ci's appearance was somewhat coincidental, and I need to be wary of him. This is normal, but it doesn't change the fact that Xia Ci saved your life, which means he has done a great service to our Tang family. If he needs help, our Tang family naturally has the obligation to assist.
Second, the evil martial artist Flying Dragon, whom Xia Ci wants to hunt down, aligns with our Tang family's interests as well. The Wugou Sword is about to be completed, and it happens that many evil martial artists have suddenly appeared in Zhushan County during this time. I strongly suspect they are after the Wugou Sword. Flying Dragon is a first-rate master among evil practitioners. If he's hiding in the shadows with designs on our Tang family, it could be very dangerous. If Xia Ci's intelligence is correct and Flying Dragon is indeed in Zhushan County, then our Tang family must know his whereabouts."
Tang Buyi suddenly understood, "Father, I see now."
After pondering for a moment, Tang Buyi asked again, "Father, the Wugou Sword is being forged for Master Ye of the Canglan Sword Sect. Would those evil practitioners really dare to target the Wugou Sword?"
"Which of those evil practitioners isn't bold and reckless?" Tang Tianhao said. "Moreover, what do people in the martial world seek? Nothing but fame and profit. Where does fame come from? It comes from powerful martial arts. Possessing a divine weapon that can split hairs and cut through iron like mud—isn't that equivalent to enhancing one's martial arts?
That Wugou Sword is made from meteoric iron along with various rare treasures. It's taken three generations of weapon forging in our Tang family to finally have the opportunity to create such a divine weapon. It will truly make our Tang family's name resound throughout the martial world, taking us to the next level and establishing us as true masters of weapon forging. I must be vigilant about any minor disturbance, let alone an evil master like Flying Dragon!"