Who let him join the Sword Sect!

Chapter 396 The Qiao Family's Bizarre Adventure
It was like a pillow being delivered to someone who was sleepy; Lily was just about to start a meeting when Zhang Ze and the others arrived.

Everyone sat in a row in the room, and the ace secretary Xiangxiang was the first to speak.

With a wave of her hand, the magic circle projection dissipated, replaced by a portrait of a certain chosen one.

The person in the portrait has a rather unique appearance.

The eldest brother was bald and had no eyebrows, with a face full of flesh. When he wasn't smiling, he looked like a ghost or god wouldn't dare to approach him, but when he smiled, he looked like he was going to eat a child.

"Xiangxiang, are you sure this isn't a wanted poster?" Zhang Ze asked, raising his hand.

Zhang Ze's doubts were not entirely based on appearance; the main reason was that he had never seen a portrait of this person on the wall of any of the workstations.

This bald, big guy isn't someone who's worked with Tongtong before.

"No, he's a decent person."

As she spoke, Xiangxiang opened the older brother's task log.

The logbook clearly displayed the words "Longhu Mountain disciple, Qiao Tianqiao" in large characters.

"Tongtong, have you seen him?" Zhang Ze turned to look at Tongtong.

They all flashed their hazard lights twice, indicating they had no recollection of it.

“It’s normal that I don’t remember him, because he’s not 02’s collaborator,” Xiangxiang explained.

02 refers to Tongtong, which is its number in Baidi City, while 01 is naturally the old thing.

These two were not the only Star Gods who cooperated with Baidi City; however, the other Star Gods lost contact with Baidi City over the long years due to various unforeseen circumstances.

The locked compartment doors and the long-broken, faulty replacement cores in the System House are proof that they once existed.

Xiangxiang's forehead flashed twice, and she turned on her high beams twice, drawing Zhang Ze's attention back.

"This Mr. Qiao Tianqiao was 04's last collaborator. After completing their last mission, he and 04 lost contact and disappeared seven hundred years ago."

“Meimei went to look for it, but to no avail, so in order to keep it a secret, I cut off its connection with Baidi City back then.”

Meimei, who was secretly playing with the little walnuts, raised her head when she heard her name mentioned. However, after realizing that her memory had been completely erased by the old man and she didn't remember anything about it, she gave the old man the middle finger and then lowered her head again.

You can slack off without worrying about me.

Xiangxiang ignored Meimei's slacking off and zoomed in on the task log to the very end.

"The tasks given to collaborators by the Star Gods are not all issued by White Emperor City. Within the bounds of their authority, they have a certain degree of autonomy in making judgments when they encounter valuable targets."

"04 and Qiao Tianqiao's last mission before they lost contact falls into this category."

Following Xiangxiang's finger, everyone looked at the projected mission log.

[Mission: New Student]

[Mission Objective: Construct a magic array and find a way to replenish your own strength]

【…】

Although the mission log makes no mention of the Primordial Body, the details described and recorded are almost identical to those of the Primordial Body.

At the same time, the detailed mission results submitted by 04 and Qiao Tianqiao, along with the incomplete magic circle model, were also projected onto the screen and displayed before everyone.

Zhang Ze looked at the magic array model and suddenly noticed something was wrong.

"Why is the Star God appearing in this magic array? How does Qiao Tianqiao know about the Star God?"

Zhang Ze pointed to the light spot representing the Star God in the magic circle and asked the question, clearly seeing the words "Star God" in the mission log.

Logically speaking, due to issues of agreements and permissions, Qiao Tianqiao should not have known about these things.

After the framework of the entire White Emperor City system was officially completed, the Star God also incorporated himself into the system.

Aside from the time they spend resting and preparing at the System House, they forget all information about the Northern White Emperor City and the System House.

And they cannot reveal their true identity.

Of course, the Star God was not a slave of White Emperor City, but a collaborator.

Therefore, they also have the right to quit. If they don't want to play anymore, they can part ways peacefully.

They can break free from this system and become a free double yolk again simply by forgetting all information about the North and White Emperor City.

Therefore, theoretically, exposing information and uploading tasks should not happen at the same time.

"I don't know." Xiangxiang paused here, and her projection began to flicker, probably searching the database.

"After discovering the anomaly back then, I immediately revoked all permissions of 04, deleted its related memories, and sent Meimei to Longhu Mountain to investigate, but in the end, we found nothing."

"Moreover, neither Qiao Tianqiao nor 04 has appeared again in the past seven hundred years. It's as if they have vanished into thin air."

"Is this magic array reliable? Or is it some kind of trap?" Lily asked, raising her hand in a moment of cowardice.

"That's possible," Xiangxiang nodded.

"So, my idea is to ask Lily to find a way to complete this magic circle, and then send someone to find Qiao Tianqiao's whereabouts."

"Although it happened seven hundred years ago, the six sects are now exchanging information, and many secrets can be explored. Perhaps we can find some useful clues."

After Xiangxiang finished speaking, she looked at Meimei.

Then Meimei crawled under the table; she was now somewhat resistant to the profession of spy.

“There’s nothing wrong with this magic array, and I might know the whereabouts of this Qiao Tianjiao… uh, I mean Tianqiao.”

It was Zhang Ze who spoke.

"A god?" Lily exclaimed. "Boss, weren't you lying on the bed at that time? How did you know?"

Faced with Lily's teasing, Zhang Ze casually fired an air blast, but Lily dodged it by tilting her head.

"Hehe, I, Lily, have undergone special training and have been completely transformed. Boss, you can't hit me," Lily said with a grin.

But she soon stopped giggling.

"Hmm!"

Zhang Ze raised his hand and directly drew away the spiritual energy around Lily, then slammed her to the ground with a palm strike that descended from the sky.

After Lily calmed down, Zhang Ze continued.

"I just went to Linglu Valley and brought back some things from Yu."

After saying this, he took out several jade slips and placed them on the table, and then told everyone about his conversation with Xiang in Linglu Valley.

"The reason why scrambled eggs are a dragon is because they received the power of the village, but the reason for their birth has little to do with the village."

Zhang Ze pointed to the jade slips.

"These magic arrays played a crucial role."

These jade slips contain a copy of the Spirit Deer Valley magic array.

The Linglu Valley magic array is divided into three rings, inner and outer. The outer magic array was provided by Longhu Mountain. Although it is extremely exquisite, it has no special effects and can only be used to condense qi and gather spiritual energy.

The two inner rings of double-ring formations are the Beast Taming Sect's own techniques. The two formations, one large and one small, represent yin and yang respectively, and are infinitely mysterious. In addition to harmonizing yin and yang, they can also help spirit beasts adapt to their environment and stabilize their intelligence.

“I don’t know who created the magic array at Longhu Mountain, but this one…” Zhang Ze picked up the one that recorded the Beast Taming Sect’s magic array, “The person who created this magic array is called Qiao Tianjiao.”

“Tianjiao…sigh! Could it be…” Lily crawled out from under the table and pointed at the jade slip in Zhang Ze’s hand.

"Hmm, it's very likely one person." Zhang Ze activated the jade slip, and the Beast Taming Sect's double-ring formation appeared before everyone.

"Many of the design ideas of this magic array are in line with the principles of Yin and Yang and destiny. Rather than saying that he was a genius, it would be more accurate to say that the person who created this magic array had been immersed in this field for many years."

"That shouldn't be the case. If it really is the same person, how could Meimei not find out? That bald guy has such distinctive features, and is it really okay for him to switch jobs halfway through his career?"

"Because the faces are so different, I didn't notice it at first either," Zhang Ze said, taking out Xiao Hetao and showing Lily the photos he had just taken in Linglu Valley.

There is a small hall in Linglu Valley, where many portraits are hung, all of which are of cultivators who made outstanding contributions to the construction of Linglu Valley.

One of the paintings depicts a man in blue robes with peach blossom eyes and slightly graying temples, looking like a heartbroken lover.

The name was written under the portrait: Qiao Tianjiao.

"Is this a person? Did he shed his skin? Or is this his brother or son? But it doesn't seem like it."

Lily looked at the handsome guy, then turned to look at the bald man on the projection, completely confused.

It may be a bit impolite, but these two people look like they belong to two different species.

Zhang Ze said, "It should be the Hundred Forms Divine Skill of the Heavenly Sect. If he is also a chosen one, then he can naturally learn this move from the system."

After saying that, Zhang Ze picked up the small walnut and contacted Lao Tang and Li Yueqi respectively to inquire about Qiao Tianqiao and Qiao Tianjiao.

Perhaps because of his strange name and Qiao Tianqiao's frightening appearance, Old Tang had a deep impression of him.

"I remember Tianqiao. He was a very smart kid. Although he wasn't very good-looking, he was a very nice person."

"You mean a magic array? Which magic array? Oh, the one in Spirit Deer Valley. The basic version of that magic array wasn't created by Tianqiao; it was created by me, Daoist Master."

"However, Tianqiao did participate in the subsequent improvements."

"Where did he go after he disappeared? Hey, how would I know? Over the years, the number of disciples and elders from Longhu Mountain who have gone missing after leaving the mountain is more than the number currently on the mountain. We don't have the energy to search for them all." For some reason, Old Tang seemed quite proud when he talked about this.

"Thank you for your trouble, Daoist Master." Zhang Ze hung up the call.

The situation is somewhat different for Li Yueqi.

"Oh, Qiao Tianjiao, I remember him. He's the sixth most handsome man in the Beast Taming Sect, and the idol of the middle-aged and elderly female cultivators in the sect. It's said that he's ten times more handsome in person than in his portrait, and his charisma is unmatched."

"Me? I've never met him, because Senior Qiao left the Beast Taming Sect a long time ago, probably three hundred years ago. He left the sect alone and never came back."

"Search? Of course we searched! Let me tell you, you have no idea how big of a fuss this was back then. Several female elders went out to search personally, but all to no avail. They even almost came to blows when they came back. And even now, one of them hasn't given up. Tsk tsk tsk."

Besides this gossip, Li Yueqi also mentioned something else.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

"Although Senior Qiao is an elder of the Beast Taming Sect, he does not have a spirit beast with whom he shares a symbiotic relationship, which is quite strange."

"Why? I don't know, but there are a lot of rumors. Some say that his tamed beast died."

Some say he has a proud and aloof personality and has never found a suitable partner.

"So, regarding Senior Qiao's disappearance, some people speculate that he's actually dead, that he died while searching for his desired exotic beast, Aunt Lin! I didn't say anything bad about Senior Qiao, he's still alive and well, um, don't pull my ear."

Hearing Li Yueqi's screams, Zhang Ze couldn't tell if it was because Qiao Tianjiao was too handsome or Aunt Lin was too infatuated.
Before Zhang Ze could even speak after hanging up, his top secretary, Xiangxiang, had already compiled and displayed their information.

Judging from the timeline, Qiao Tianjiao of the Beast Taming Sect did indeed reappear after Qiao Tianqiao disappeared at Longhu Mountain.

They are very likely the same person.

"Do you think this Senior Qiao joined another sect after leaving the Beast Taming Sect?"

"I'm very familiar with this kind of thing," asked the former ace agent, Meimeimeimei.

Zhang Ze: "Very likely, why don't you go check it out?"

Meimei shook her head and crawled back under the table.

Zhang Ze, "..."

Zhang Ze sighed and looked at the two documents projected on the screen.

"I was just saying. You don't need to do this. If Qiao Tianqiao is still alive and has joined another sect, then given his naming habits, we should be able to find clues by checking the rosters of disciples and elders of the six sects over the past three hundred years."

"So what do we do now?" Lily sat across from me, shaking her head and tossing her pigtails, looking bored.

“We’ll study this.” Zhang Ze pointed to the magic circle model projected in the center of the long table. “Qiao Tianqiao might lie, but the magic circle won’t.”

A bleating sound came from under the table, and she continued, "Indeed, I just can't understand that thing. I don't understand it at all."

Zhang Ze, "..."

Lily thought this made a lot of sense, so she secretly took out a small notebook called "The Daily Record of the Founding of Qianji Pavilion" and wrote it down.

Life may deceive you, your eyes may deceive you, your experience may deceive you, your master may deceive you, your dog may deceive you, your boss may deceive you, but a formation will not.

—Lily

Note: The Turing Code and the Thousand Machine Array are the best array languages ​​in the Four Continents, and no rebuttal will be accepted.

……

The Sword Sect's main pavilion, formerly the library.

The old library is located in a mountain stream halfway up the main pavilion of the Sword Sect. It is vertically downward and is more like a basement than a library.

Rumor has it that the blueprints were reversed when the building was constructed.

The Sword Sect's main pavilion was already damp due to the constant mist and fog in the mountains, and the old library's location in the underworld made it even more damp.

Every time I come here, it's almost like going to a water dungeon.

So after the small walnuts became popular, the main library immediately found a bright and spacious place and built a new library, which contained electronic versions for the disciples to consult and download.

However, no one knows what the connection is between those jade slips and electrons.

As for what constitutes downloading, that's easy to understand.

Downloading is like laying eggs; the process of transferring information and knowledge from the jade slip to the small walnut is like a hen laying eggs. This method is convenient and quick, making it the perfect choice for home and travel. Buy small walnuts from Qianjige; they have the latest large-capacity models…

—A handsome swordsman from a certain sect who wishes to remain anonymous.

Of course, the new library is much better, but its contents are not complete. For various reasons, many classics and secret records from the old library have not been copied over.

If you want to find out something, you have to go to that old library that's like a water dungeon.

For example, rosters or similar things.

"Qiao Tianqiao? Qiao Tianjiao? Sister Mei, do you recognize these two names?"

With a ball of light above her head, Chen Qin walked slowly through the deep, dark old library, asking a question as she went.

“I don’t remember him. I’ve never heard of him,” Mei said, shaking her head.

As she shook her head, the orb of light above her head swayed back and forth, illuminating the dark bookshelves and the crystal-clear water droplets on them.

The ancient books on the bookshelf emitted a faint glow under the protection of the magic array.

No matter how many times she came, Mei'er didn't really like this place. She felt that it was better to use it to raise Fu Ji than to store books.

Chen Qin, who was visiting for the first time, rubbed her arms and said, "It's damp here, fine, but what's with not turning on the lights? Who's the idiot...?"

"Ahem." Mei'er coughed lightly. "This was done by your father. The sect leader said it would create a learning atmosphere."

Chen Qin, “…”

It's my dad. Oh, it's alright then.

This is how a library should be!
Stopping her complaints about the environment, Chen Qin continued to chat with Mei'er about the overpass and Tianjiao.

But as she turned a corner around a bookshelf, she suddenly felt herself step on something soft.

Looking down, I saw a woman lying on the ground.

The woman was wearing only a thin garment, her eyes wide open, her face pale and ashen, her hair disheveled, and droplets of blood or corpse oil clung to her face, though it was unclear whether they were from blood or corpse oil.

Chen Qin's foot was on the 'female corpse's' chest.

The 'corpse' blinked and said, "Hi, good evening..."

Without thinking, Chen Qin threw a punch.

But this full-force punch felt like hitting a metal plate, causing her wrist to go numb. She quickly used her escape technique to create distance and at the same time summoned her flying sword.

"What's wrong?" Mei'er, who was lagging behind, heard the noise and quickly ran over.

"There's something dirty here!" the junior sister said, throwing the ball of light above her head towards the 'female corpse'.

Under her father's arrangement, the orb of light could only illuminate a small area. Darkness squeezed out the light. Under the spotlight, the 'female corpse' neither exploded nor ran away. Instead, she swayed and rubbed her head as she got up from the ground.

"you……"

Before the 'corpse' could finish speaking, Mei kicked her away.

Sword Sect Secret Technique: Mighty Vajra Leg

However, the 'female corpse' that was kicked away only rolled on the ground before getting up, seemingly unharmed.

The female corpse cried out, "No, you're not done yet! Look who I am!"

Mei'er: "What an arrogant evil spirit, daring to cause trouble in the Sword Sect's main hall... Hey? Qiao Lezhi, what are you doing here?"

The 'corpse' wiped the water droplets from her face, tidied her hair, put on her Sword Sect disciple's robes, and rubbed her chest.

It wasn't a female corpse, it was Qiao Lezhi.

Qiao Lezhi replied, "I'm just sleeping here, what else could I be doing?"

Mei, "Sleep?"

Qiao Lezhi said, "Yes, it's cool and damp here, the most comfortable place to sleep."

Mei'er, "..."

Qiao Lezhi was sent to the main pavilion for further studies by her master last year. After the matter in the northern border was settled, she returned directly to the main pavilion, so it is reasonable for her to appear here.

But as reasonable as it may be, Mei'er still couldn't understand her lifestyle, which seemed to have been infected by the rotten princess. She felt that this person's path might be heading in the direction of the sewers.

"Excuse me, Senior Sister Qiao, are you alright?" Chen Qin quickly apologized after realizing it wasn't an evil spirit.

Qiao Lezhi waved her hand to indicate that she was fine, "I'm alright, you can't hurt me. Anyway, why are you looking for Qiao Tianqiao?"

When Chen Qin woke her up, she heard Chen Qin repeatedly muttering this name.

"We're looking for Qiao Tianqiao, Qiao... um?!"
"Do you know this person, Senior Sister Qiao?" Chen Qin immediately realized.

“Yes, I know him. Qiao Tianqiao is my grandfather,” Qiao Lezhi said seriously.

(End of this chapter)