Chapter 45: 44 Direction

44 Direction

After an unknown amount of time, Tang Zhao slowly woke up.

He blinked, clearing the blurriness from his vision, and only then did his thoughts and Spirit return bit by bit from some unknown place, stuffing themselves back into his buzzing head.

What time is it now?

Sunlight shone in through the window paper; the sun was already high in the sky.

Is it... a bit bad?

Knock, knock—

"Who is it?"

"Brother Zhao? Breakfast."

It was the voice of Wei Zhangle.

Tang Zhao let out a breath of relief and said, "Come in, Zhangle."

Wei Zhangle brought the breakfast in, saw Tang Zhao sitting on the bed with a blank stare and a look of utter despair, felt a tightening in his heart, and closed the door behind him.

Tang Zhao dazedly took the porridge and drank it all in one gulp, not even knowing what he had eaten.

Wei Zhangle sighed silently and said, "Brother Zhao, are you alright?"

"Huh?"

Tang Zhao sat for a while, his intelligence gradually returning, and said, "What? What's the matter?"

"Brother Zhao—" Wei Zhangle moved the only chair to sit opposite him, "It was chaotic outside all night yesterday. By the second half of the night, all the Teachers of the Grape Courtyard were called out, and even many Disciples were called out. Master Guan is not here now either. Today's lessons are cancelled."

Tang Zhao let out an "Ah?" and said, "That's great. It was too chaotic last night; there were enemies, bugs, and a big spider, and I was chased everywhere..."

He stopped there; he hadn't yet fabricated a complete set of experiences to tell others, and even if he had, there was no need to lie to Wei Zhangle.

Actually, there was indeed no need to lie; he only needed to cut out the latter part of his experience.

However, should he report that he was safe to the Land Inspection Division?

And that Dharma Artifact... where did he put it?

Tang Zhao suddenly remembered that Dharma Artifact; it wasn't his property and should be returned. It had been too chaotic before sleep, and he had actually forgotten where he put the sword, so he hurriedly got up and lifted the quilt to search.

Wei Zhangle watched his flustered appearance, completely confused, almost thinking Tang Zhao was looking for his lost brain, and asked, "What are you looking for? Shall I help you look?"

Tang Zhao said hurriedly, "A sword, a short sword..."

Wei Zhangle helped him lift the bed sheet, and they found it under the sheet.

He couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Brother Zhao, if you had just stretched your legs while sleeping, you might have escaped this time due to being injured..." As he spoke, he picked up the sword.

Tang Zhao pressed his fingers to his head and muttered, "Did I forget something?"

Oh, right!

Yesterday, the Judge seemed to have given him something, a centipede?

Good heavens, he had let a bug sleep in the same bed with him all night!

He found that centipede from under the quilt; it was a full foot long. Looking closely in the daylight, it didn't seem like a centipede, but rather a bug like a Black-Quality Centipede, and it had many feet.

This bug was big and disgusting. If it hadn't been for the various visual bombardments he had experienced throughout the night, he would have thrown it aside long ago. Now that his threshold had increased, he could still look closely at the bug's body.

On the bug's back, there was a cut, and at the crack, there was a subtle fluctuation disturbing his Spirit.

A sword mark; it was an Art Tool.

The Longevity Lock Art Tool that Xing Ji had given Tang Zhao back then also had such a mark, and it had restored itself after being used. The mark on this bug's back was also very short, occupying only one-third of the bug's back; it was very likely that it had been consumed.

Tang Zhao took out his Glasses and looked at the bug.

"Art Tool: Mid-grade"

Mid-grade?

This was actually a pretty good quality Art Tool?

"Origin Power: Light

Art: Unstiff (1/3)

Base Material: Inferior Fierce Beast Black-Quality Centipede"

This bug was actually a Fierce Beast? It was far worse than the spider ancestor; no wonder it was inferior, only fit for the soup pot.

This "Unstiff" was...

He continued to stare at the two characters "Unstiff," and sure enough, a piece of annotation appeared.

"Unstiff, releases the out-of-control state, forcibly restores consciousness and mobility. Rune Formula:..."

The rest was a long explanation of how to express this "Art" using a Rune Formula, which was like a heavenly book to Tang Zhao. But he understood the opening sentence. This "Unstiff" art was for removing abnormal states; as long as one wasn't dead, one wouldn't be controlled.

No wonder Sun Sheng could still hear Si Liyu's words after being knocked out by him, and could release himself after being acupoint-struck by the Judge; it turned out he was relying on the power of an Art Tool.

"A centipede dies but does not stiffen, indeed."

That's what they say, but a mere Art Tool clearly couldn't guarantee "dying without stiffening"; being able to guarantee "not dying and not stiffening" was already quite good.

This was a very practical Art Tool, although it seemed there was only one chance left.

Having figured out this Art Tool, it seemed there was nothing else he had forgotten...

"Brother Zhao!"

???

!!!

Tang Zhao stared at the suddenly appearing Wei Zhangle, then glanced at the Dharma Artifact that had just been placed on the bed, and exclaimed, "What's going on?"

Wei Zhangle said, "I should be the one asking you? What's going on? You were suddenly sitting on the bed talking to yourself, and you wouldn't respond when I asked you. What's wrong with you? What's wrong with me?"

Tang Zhao thought about that scene, couldn't help but feel a wave of embarrassment, his hair standing on end, and said, "Wait... it is indeed the effect of the Dharma Artifact, but the Dharma Artifact should have been ineffective!"

……

On this day, neither Guan Lei nor the Grape Courtyard Teacher returned. Tang Zhao practiced by himself for the day. He did not know if it was just his imagination, but he felt the atmosphere in the villa had changed; the already pervasive sense of oppression had grown three parts heavier.

The gray-robed Disciples in the Grape Courtyard, in particular, looked even worse, as if they had gone bankrupt overnight from debt, looking as though they wanted to pick a fight with anyone they saw.

Several people hurried past him, and Tang Zhao vaguely heard words like "not many days left," "early assessment," and "the losses are too great."

It seemed the Black Spider Villa had suffered significant losses this time, and these reserve Disciples in the Grape Courtyard would have to be filled in ahead of schedule.

In the evening, Tang Zhao followed his habit and carried his half-broken Art Tool to the training ground, wanting to see if Si Liyu would come.

Si Liyu did not come; instead, a female military officer from the Land Inspection Division arrived. She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and wore attire similar to Si Liyu's. She said, "The Vanguard Si cannot come today, and I am afraid it will be difficult for him to come in the future as well."

Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment before realizing that "Vanguard" was likely Si Liyu's official rank. He looked closely and vaguely remembered this woman's face; she was the Land Inspection Division officer who had first disguised herself as a maid last night and later participated in the encirclement of the giant spider. He said, "You must be Thousand-Household Mai, right? Has Teacher Si's class ended? I haven't had a chance to bid him farewell."

The female officer smiled upon hearing that Tang Zhao recognized her, appearing much more approachable. She said, "It is me. I am Mai Yitan. Your course might have had another day or two, but Xiaosi was injured and needs to recuperate for a few days. By the time he recovers, it will be near the critical period, so he will be unable to come. He also said you have learned enough and told you to practice diligently and not slack off."

Tang Zhao asked in shock, "Injured? How did he get injured? I saw him win last night." He had left halfway through last night, but the situation had clearly been settled when he left; how could he be injured in the blink of an eye?

Thousand-Household Mai said nonchalantly, "Xiaosi asked you to watch the battle? You didn't watch the whole thing. In the end, that Phantom used a desperate move and made that Fierce Beast self-destruct. That scene—it's better that you didn't see it; I don't want to recall it either."

Tang Zhao asked urgently, "Is the injury serious? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Thousand-Household Mai said, "It is not a serious injury. Even if it were, the Town Guardian is there; why would they need you?" After saying this, she took out three wooden sword Art Tools and handed them to him, smiling, "Tang Zhao, I see that the Town Guardian and Vanguard Si both like you very much, so I assume your talent and character are not bad. You must work hard for this half-month and do not skimp on resources. Once you pass this hurdle, better days lie ahead."

Tang Zhao took them and remembered one thing, saying, "Although I don't know if it is still useful, the Tower Master's abnormality was hidden in his hair. There was a white hair that was not right; it might be a Dharma Artifact or an Art Tool. I didn't look closely."

Thousand-Household Mai pondered, "So that is how it is. We shall investigate." She explained, "Although the person who launched the sneak attack did not catch up to the spider Fierce Beast, their outcome was not good either. Tower Master Tao was captured alive by Iron Scorpion Castle. Later, we intercepted him and hid him in the villa."

So he was captured by you instead?

Thousand-Household Mai said, "It seems there really is a Sword Guest behind him. This is not good; the mission will be much trickier."

Tang Zhao then presented the Dharma Artifact he had kept in a box, saying, "This thing suddenly failed yesterday and left me stranded halfway. It took a great deal of effort to escape."

Thousand-Household Mai laughed and said, "That is truly unfortunate. This is a Dharma Artifact; it is not like an Art Tool that anyone can use. It requires the corresponding Sword Art to activate, otherwise, it will fail after a while. We didn't expect you to hold onto it for so long."

Tang Zhao confirmed, "Does it require Sword Art? If one does not know Sword Art, is it absolutely impossible to achieve that effect?"

Thousand-Household Mai said, "It is not absolutely impossible. If you are particularly compatible with the Sword Technique here, you can directly achieve the effect. Do you have that ability?"

Tang Zhao shook his head. Thousand-Household Mai said, "It would be good if you did. It would mean you have found the direction of your sword. Even if this sword already has an owner, you can choose a sword of the same direction in the future, which is much better than looking for a needle in a haystack waiting for favor. You must know that there are many talented people in the Land Inspection Division; whoever finds their direction first will gain the upper hand and have a bright future."

Tang Zhao asked further, "Is everyone's direction innate? Is it only related to talent? How is it tested?"

Thousand-Household Mai said, "Hmm, it is mainly talent, but it is also related to personality, desires, and even the Sword Art one practices. Testing is very complicated. You will have a set of tests when you enter the Land Inspection Division, but they are not necessarily accurate. Our testing methods are constantly improving and are now second to none, but the realm of the sword is unfathomable and can never be perfect. The broader and more common the direction, the easier it is to detect, but the competition will also be more intense. As for some niche directions, while they are difficult to match, once there is an opportunity, no one else can compare." She touched her waist, where a sword was also hanging.

Tang Zhao suddenly understood. He turned back to find Wei Zhangle and told him the situation one by one, asking, "Do you want to tell the Land Inspection Division about your talent?"

Wei Zhangle hesitated and did not speak.

Tang Zhao continued to analyze, "If you tell them, perhaps the Land Inspection Division will hire you directly. I think it has a greater future than Black Spider Villa. However, there is also danger. There is a disaster right in front of us, and there happens to be a Dharma Artifact here; they might force you into service."

Wei Zhangle pondered for a long time, then looked up and said, "Please, Brother Zhao, take me to pay respects to the lords of the Land Inspection Division. I do not want to stay in Black Spider Villa."

Tang Zhao understood. People do not want to associate with insects; could there be anything wrong with that?

He agreed immediately and said, "Tomorrow I will take you to see Teacher Si."

Tang Zhao left. Wei Zhangle's body relaxed, and he sprawled on the bed. The relief after the surprise left him somewhat dazed. He whispered, "Disappearance? No one sees me, no one remembers me, no one needs me... that is exactly what I want."

Having determined his friend's future, Tang Zhao returned to his room in high spirits, then was stunned, nearly dropping the Art Tools he was holding.

Clutching the Art Tools tightly, Tang Zhao gritted his teeth and said, "Why is it you again?"