Chapter 13: General Zhai Sanshi
"Did you encounter some opportunity when you were outside?" Zuo Hai, who was a cultivator, asked, sensing that Luo Zeng no longer had the breath of a mortal, but one of a cultivator.
"I'll tell you about that later. What happened while I was away?" Tang Feng asked, hoping to gain some meaningful information from his conversation with Zuo Hai.
The gate was bustling with countless people, cultivators walking in and out of the gate in pairs, and voices were heard all around. So Zuo Hai went close to Tang Feng and whispered in his ear, "I heard that the first elder and the disciple who went to the treasury yesterday were killed."
Tang Feng was surprised at how fast the information network here moved. He thought about how convenient it would be for him if he had or built that kind of network, but for now, he had to lay low to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
"What? I thought the first elder was the strongest after the Sect master and the ancestors?" Tang Feng asked, putting on a magnificent act as Luo Zeng.
"I thought so too. For the intruder to defeat the first elder, who just broke through to the Nascent Soul middle stage, he is definitely not simple," Zuo Hai said.
"That's right. But, why did the sect master issue a callback order?" Tang Feng asked.
Zuo Hai looked at him, "You don't know?" he asked, thinking everybody in the sect ought to be aware of the information by now.
Tang Feng nodded in a way that said he didn't know, "I only found out about the order when I got here," he said.
"I don't know much, but I heard that it's because the higher-ups think we have a mole in the sect. So they want to lock down the sect with all the elders, disciples, and workers inside, and conduct a thorough investigation on the incident. No one can escape it," Zuo Hai explained.
"So that's how it is. So when is the investigation going to begin?" Tang Feng asked, his stance like one who was lost in deep thought.
Zuo Hai looked up like he was trying to remember something, then he scratched his head, "No, but I think they'll tell us when the time arrives," Zuo Hai said, looking at Tang Feng with an awkward smile on his face.
"No..." Tang Feng said, causing Zuo Hai to cast a confused look at him.
Tang Feng thought something was wrong. 'If they just wanted to conduct an investigation about the incident, they didn't have to issue a lockdown, unless...'
Tang Feng thought, "Zuo Hai, don't you find the sudden lockdown strange?" Tang Feng asked.
"What do you mean, brother Zeng?" Zuo Hai asked, lost to the question he was asked.
"They could've conducted the investigation without alerting anyone, but they chose to make it public. I think there's another reason behind this lockdown that they've chosen to hide from us," Tang Feng said, trying to find out what it was.
"Really? What do you think they're hiding?" Zuo Hai asked, now curious about the truth.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out what it is," Tang Feng said, his face glowing with determination.
"Are you crazy? Do you want to put yourself in trouble? Do you think you have the ability to resist the top powerhouses of the sect if you're caught?" Zuo Hai said, bombarding Tang Feng with numerous questions.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine, and I won't bring you or Ning'er into this," Tang Feng said in reassurance.
Zuo Hai sighed while nodding his head in resignation, as if he'd given up on trying to convince Tang Feng. "You really wish for death. If something were to happen to you, what would I tell your sister?" Zuo Hai asked, his eyes dropping in worry.
Tang Feng was glad that Zuo Hai was someone trustworthy. He placed his hand on Zuo Hai's shoulder, "Don't worry, everything will be fine," Tang Feng said with a smile. Even at this point, Tang Feng was still acting as Luo Zeng.
Tang Feng and Zuo Hai were still conversing and laughing from time to time like old friends who had just reunited, when someone began walking towards them. Their steps were slow but heavy, he wore an armor and had an aura that spoke of his endless experiences on the battlefield.
Tang Feng was wondering who this person was, when all of a sudden his head hurt as if he was being stabbed by a needle, and he began seeing memory flashes that he wasn't familiar with. He had felt this pain before and that was when he saw Luo Ning in trouble, but he didn't dwell too deeply on it at the time.
Tang Feng held his head in pain and went down on one knee, groaning from the pain.
"Luo Zeng, are you alright?" Zuo Hai, who hadn't noticed the person approaching them, said.
Tang Feng willed through the pain and got on his feet, his hand still on his head, "I'm fine. Just a minor headache, not serious," Tang Feng said, trying to brush off the pain.
'Su Yan, what was that?' he asked telepathically.
Tang Feng was wondering how Luo Zeng's memories got into his head. 'Do you know what triggered it?' he asked.
Tang Feng couldn't think clearly due to the headache so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind, with the hope of talking about it later.
At this time, the man in armor had already approached them.
"General Zhai, what brings you here?" Zuo Hai, who finally saw the man, spoke up.
The man cast a gaze at Zuo Hai and nodded, acknowledging his presence.
Tang Feng looked at the man before him, and the man's name came to mind almost immediately, 'Zhai Sanshi.'
"Luo Zeng, come with me," he said.
Tang Feng looked at Zuo Hai with a gaze that asked for something, but Zuo Hai just gave him a small smile and nod, so Tang Feng said nothing and went along, following closely behind Zhai Sanshi.
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