When Zhu Tai asked this question, everyone fell into deep thought.
That was right.
The nine members chosen to join the Ming Long Army were no simple individuals. Each possessed exceptional strength and talent, otherwise, they wouldn't have reached the late stage of the Hunyuan Realm at such a young age. To be precise, in a life-or-death battle, if these nine Ming Long Army members attacked together, even Hu Tiantian would have to deal with them cautiously.
And Zhang Tang was currently only at the middle stage of the Hunyuan Realm. Even with the help of the Junzi Sword to boost his strength, and on the verge of breaking through to the late stage of the Hunyuan Realm, fighting nine opponents alone was indeed very unrealistic.
One had to know, according to Zhang Tang himself, his current talent was only changed with the help of the descendant of King Mo. Originally, Zhang Tang was just an ordinary martial artist. If that were the case, the nine Ming Long Army members were clearly superior to Zhang Tang in every aspect. Even if Zhang Tang defeated the nine Ming Long Army members when they were not at full strength, something would still be very amiss.
"Could this kid Zhang Tang be a spy sent by the current Emperor?" Hong Tao hesitated.
"Damn it, the current Emperor is still insatiable, actually planting a spy in our Central Island. Do they really think we have no temper? I'll go catch Zhang Tang right now and interrogate him thoroughly!" Hu Tiantian said. His temper flared up instantly, and he was about to turn to find Zhang Tang.
"Absolutely not!" Zhu Zhi quickly stopped him.
After a long period of contemplation, Zhu Zhi spoke. "It shouldn't be. If Zhang Tang's identity were problematic, then his talent wouldn't have been changed by the descendant of King Mo. And if someone with such exceptional talent were to be sent deep into the tiger's den to act as a spy here by the current Emperor, he would be reluctant to do so."
"Furthermore, the greater credit for Zhang Tang being able to defeat the nine Ming Long Army members should come from the stone tablet brought from the far west by the former Emperor."
"Also, don't you all forget one thing: if Zhang Tang's identity was problematic, why didn't the people in the Imperial City inform us?"
Zhu Zhi was relatively rational. After his analysis, Hu Tiantian also calmed down.
That's right! How could they have forgotten this matter? They had people in the Imperial City. Moreover, this person's status was extremely high, with few being able to compare to him except for the Emperor.
"Indeed, if Zhang Tang truly possessed extraordinary talent and was a dispatched spy, they would definitely have informed us."
"So, this kid really just got lucky, and the descendant of King Mo reversed his fate?"
"Perhaps it's also the credit of the stone tablet. There are too many factors involved, and it's hard for us to be certain."
The crowd began to murmur, and although they each had their own interpretations, their suspicious attitude towards Zhang Yang gradually decreased.
"Just to be safe, I'll make a call and ask." After thinking for a moment, Zhu Zhi decided it was better to clarify.
Everyone fell silent, not daring to make a sound.
After the call was connected, it rang several times. The other side finally picked up, and after a pause, the person said, "Why are you calling me at this time? I'm facing the wall in the Hall of Reflection! Are you trying to get me killed?" The other party tried their best to lower their voice, for fear of being discovered.
"The situation is special. I just wanted to ask if your father has made any moves against us recently? For example, sending a spy?"
"No, my father just enfeoffed a new King of Jiangnan a few days ago. You already know about this, right? I haven't heard of anything else."
"Alright, I understand. I'll hang up now."
...
The call ended, and Zhu Zhi looked at everyone. He had made the call on speakerphone, so everyone had heard it.
"If even this person says the current Emperor hasn't sent any spies, then it should be true. As for the newly enfeoffed King of Jiangnan, according to our information, isn't he still holed up in Jiangnan City?"
"Moreover, this King of Jiangnan was just enfeoffed and doesn't have many capable subordinates. It should be difficult for him to find a genius like Zhang Tang to act as a spy."
"That makes sense. It seems we misunderstood Zhang Tang. Fortunately, you stopped me, otherwise, he would hate me to death." Zhu Zhi's phone call resolved everyone's doubts and eliminated their suspicion of Zhang Yang.
And at this moment!
A warrior in armor, dusty and travel-worn, walked in.
"Reporting to the Great Elder, I have news about the matter you asked me to investigate."
"Speak quickly," Zhu Zhi replied.
"Great Elder, according to the investigation by our people, the reason for the destruction of Qingcheng Mountain was indeed the Qing Wang Mu. And there was indeed a person named Zhang Tang in Qingcheng Mountain."
"However, after Qingcheng Mountain was destroyed, this person could no longer be found. After all, his status in Qingcheng Mountain was not high, so there isn't much intelligence."
After the warrior who went to investigate the intelligence finished speaking, the truth was revealed. The descendant of King Mo destroyed Qingcheng Mountain, just as Zhang Tang had said, for the Qing Wang Mu. And Zhang Tang's disappearance during the destruction of Qingcheng Mountain was because he had secretly taken the Qing Wang Mu. All the intelligence matched what Zhang Tang had said.
Then... Zhang Tang's identity was no longer suspicious.
"Alright, I understand. You may go down now," Zhu Zhi said.
"Father, when did you send people to investigate?" Zhu Tai asked in surprise.
"Heh heh, ever since you gave me the Qing Wang Mu, I've been curious about this matter, so I kept an eye on it and had people investigate immediately," Zhu Zhi explained.
So, Zhu Zhi had never believed Zhang Tang and had been secretly investigating all along. Zhu Tai suddenly realized something and quickly asked, "So, your suggestion to let Zhang Tang join the Ming Long Army also had an element of testing him?"
"That's right. At that time, besides Zhang Tang being recognized by the stone tablet, the greater factor was to test Zhang Tang. However, from Zhang Tang's performance at that time, he didn't seem to be faking it," Zhu Zhi said.
"Although Zhang Tang's personality is a bit impulsive, he's only greedy for small gains and doesn't have great ambitions. If I hadn't used the Junzi Sword to help him improve his strength later, he would never have joined the Ming Long Army."
Hearing this, everyone finally understood completely. Zhang Tang's impulsiveness could be seen during the martial arts competition. Such a personality was not suitable for being a spy because he lacked forbearance. Secondly, when exchanging the Qing Wang Mu, after Zhang Tang took the stone tablet, he also took a small round ball. Such greedy behavior was also unsuitable for being a spy; it was too ostentatious. Finally, when Zhu Zhi invited him to join the Ming Long Army, he repeatedly refused, and even with their earnest invitations, Zhang Tang still did not agree. This clearly indicated that he was not here to be a spy. Otherwise, joining the Ming Long Army would grant him a very high status and position, making it easier to investigate or learn about matters.
"It seems we all wronged Zhang Tang. Fortunately, this kid doesn't know. Otherwise, with his impulsive personality, he might have been so angry that he would have left the island on the spot," Hu Tiantian said with relief.
"As long as his identity is not problematic, I think this kid Zhang Tang is quite good. He is indeed a promising talent, and perhaps he can take over my position in the future," Hong Tao said with a smile. He had always thought highly of Zhang Tang! The others also nodded in agreement. If Zhang Tang was fine, then the Ming Long Army would be completely assembled. They only needed to prepare everything and could set off for a great expedition!
"Have the people you selected all been chosen?" Zhu Zhi asked.
"Reporting to the Great Elder, all the people have been selected. They are all Hunyuan Realm masters with combat experience!" everyone replied in unison.
"The people we have selected add up to one hundred, and we can depart at any time. Also, the defense personnel on Central Island are sufficient," Zhu Tai added.
Hearing this, Zhu Zhi nodded immediately. The long-dormant fighting spirit in his heart was gradually ignited! How many years had it been! They, the descendants of King Ming, were finally going on an expedition! This great expedition was of extraordinary significance to all of them, the descendants of King Ming! That was to seize the Qing Wang Mu and revive King Ming! As long as King Ming was revived, the promise made with the current Emperor would also become void. Then they could raise the banner of counterattack!
However, before the expedition, there was still one matter that needed to be clarified. That was to activate the formation to track and find the specific location of the Qing Wang Mu. This would rely on the Ming Long Army.