Chapter 463: 438 Zhugong

Suddenly reduced to this state, Tang Zhao still forced himself to calm down.

First, think of the best-case scenario—perhaps he had already been teleported to his destination?

He was supposed to be coming to Yutang.

Could this Disarming Technique be an original setting within Yutang?

After all, Yutang was the sleeping palace of that Sword Immortal; it must be a heavily guarded restricted area. It might contain some restrictions, such as triggering a Search Technique the moment one landed, directly collecting swords and stripping armor. Moreover, because it was arranged by a Sword Immortal, it was certainly high-level, so he hadn't even felt it.

Thinking about it, those restrictions should only have moved his belongings to some location; they certainly wouldn't have destroyed them directly.

At any rate, his sword had not been destroyed. Tang Zhao was still a Sword Guest; if anything happened to his sword, he would naturally be able to sense it. And as long as the sword existed, as a Sword Guest, it would be easy for him to find it again once he left this godforsaken place. As for his other things, even if he lost them all...

He couldn't lose them all; he had many good things saved up!

His savings from many years!

If Yutang truly had such a restriction, Ling Baoyu should have explained it beforehand!

At least let him have some preparation.

This pit-digging fraud!

"Miss Ling... Miss Ling?"

Tang Zhao called out a few times, but there was absolutely no response. This was likely also a local restriction, separating them all.

Of course, there was another possibility: that the teleportation array was unreliable and some mishap occurred in the middle, causing them to be scattered during the process. If that were the case, it was even possible that this wasn't Yutang. God knows where he was. That would be even worse.

However, Tang Zhao still leaned toward the idea that this was Yutang. That Search Technique could not have come from a glitch in spatial teleportation; it must be a Town Guardian technique unique to some restricted area. When it came to strict defenses, how could anywhere in Baiyujing compare to Yutang?

Right?

After pausing for a while, Tang Zhao tried hard to let his eyes adjust to the darkness, but he still couldn't see his own fingers; there was no light here at all, so no matter how much he adjusted, it was useless.

"Light—"

Tang Zhao summoned his Sword Image.

A tiny bit of Micro Light lit up in his hand.

It was so strenuous.

He had always manipulated his Sword Image with ease, summoning a brilliance of a thousand miles with a casual gesture. Now, having exhausted his strength, he could only produce a light weaker than a fire-starter, and he was already somewhat fatigued.

Even if the sword were not present, with his attainments in Sword Heart, his Sword Image should not be this weak; this was likely another layer of restrictive suppression.

What kind of godforsaken place was this, making one so bound and restricted?

The Sword Art that suppressed his strength and the Sword Art that searched his body were likely not the same, but they were both Sword Arts that controlled a person's actions. There were likely even more similar techniques here. It seemed designed to make a person lose all threat in every aspect, yet it didn't seem to be the kind of suppression meant to take a life.

It seemed to be truly creating a safe environment; those who entered needed to be guarded against, but they were not all treated as irreconcilable enemies.

Relying on this tiny bit of Micro Light, Tang Zhao was finally able to see a little of his surroundings.

He was actually standing in front of a high Stone Chamber. The Stone Chamber was cast entirely from hard Blue Stone, airtight on all sides, with no doors or windows, as if it were a box carved out of a single piece of stone.

Logically speaking, any room meant for living, even a basement, would not be built this way, unless it were a secret chamber built deep in the mountains, or...

An underground palace.

Tang Zhao thought of the latter possibility, and his heart sank—thanks to that unreliable teleportation array, had he drilled straight into a great tomb?

Were there tombs above the clouds, too?

Digging pits in the clouds? Weren't they afraid of leaks?

Or was it that the teleportation had accidentally overshot, and he had fallen several thousand zhang? Had he returned to the ground or even underground in one go?

But was there any need for a tomb to hide some Search Technique? If it were to guard against tomb raiders, why not just kill them outright...

No, it was better to be a bit more lenient.

Immediately after, Tang Zhao turned his head and finally discovered the only difference in the four-sided room.

It was a large door.

The door did not look like the heavy stone door of a tomb; rather, it was quite exquisite. The color of the stone leaned toward bright, and it was inlaid with a row of pearls the size of fingers.

Under the Micro Light, the pearls shimmered with fluorescence, appearing to be rare treasures like night-luminescent pearls.

However, night-luminescent pearls should actively emit light; just now in the darkness, he hadn't seen any pearl light.

After all, the luster of pearls had a limited lifespan; perhaps these pearls had already aged, having passed their years of brilliant radiance, and were now quietly dim in this dark room.

But seeing these pearls, Tang Zhao's heart suddenly brightened, and he blurted out:

"Zhugong?"

Zhugong, Yutang, and Zibeique were the three palace cities of Baiyujing. Yutang housed the Ruyi Sword, Zibeique housed her trusted right-hand men, but only the purpose of Zhugong was unknown.

The white fox hadn't even mentioned it.

As if this were a password, suddenly, lines of text lit up on the stone door.

Tang Zhao took a step back, distancing himself from the stone door.

After a while, he discovered that apart from the appearance of the writing on the door, there was no other movement. He breathed a slight sigh of relief and walked up to look closely.

It was ordinary writing, not Rune Characters, nor was it only the Han characters he had mastered.

"Visiting Guest: First Month, 40th Year of Yuan, Fu Jiming of the Departure Sword.

First Month, 40th Year of Yuan, Ming Hao of the Yanggu Sword.

First Month, 40th Year of Yuan, Jiang Shuangjing of the Shengping Sword.

40th Year of Yuan...

First Month, 46th Year of Yuan, Zhenzi

First Month, 91st Year of Yuan, Hua Yaoshi of the Ruyi Sword."

Gazing at this string of names, Tang Zhao fell into silence.

This is too much information.

First of all, this should be a list of visitors paying respects.

Since it is for paying respects, it suggests this might truly be an underground palace, or at the very least a memorial hall, a place for later generations to come and pay their tributes.

Secondly, this list is exceptionally prestigious, and it even includes acquaintances of Tang Zhao.

Yanggu Sword—this is a name he only saw in the Sword Manual, an ancient Sword Immortal, and one of the four legendary Sun Swords of the Sun Domain; to think they also came to pay respects.

As for the others, Tang Zhao does not recognize them, but judging by their names, he knows they are no small matter. For instance, Li Sword—not Lihuo Sword, but very likely the Li trigram of the Eight Trigrams, parallel to the Kun Sword. Not to mention Ruyi Sword, who is naturally the Master of this place. Tang Zhao had only heard her referred to as "Your Highness," and only upon arriving here did he learn her name is Hua Yaoshi.

And then there is this Zhenzi; he alone has no sword title, yet he can be listed alongside these people. What is his status?

Of course, there is no rush to investigate these in detail. Tang Zhao discovered that although every line of text is roughly the same size and glows with a similar luster, the handwriting is different. It is clear they were written by different people.

Does every visitor who comes to pay respects write down their own name?

"Does this mean I have to write it down too?"

"Will there be a change if I write it?"

"This year is... Yuan Year 210... Oh, I forgot that the first day of the Lunar New Year has already passed; this year is Yuan Year 211."

The current calendar, like those of past dynasties, uses the emperor's era name and also the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. However, in the world of the Talisman Sword Master, there is another calendar, the "Yuan" calendar, which runs consistently, year after year.

Tang Zhao is no stranger to this type of calendar; Chen Zong's hometown has always used this way of dating, which is said to have been in use for over two thousand years. It is quite convenient to list them consecutively without needing to change era names.

It is just that this "Yuan" calendar is not long, only a little over two hundred years, and in such a short time, one actually cannot find what major event happened at the beginning of the Yuan era to cause this calendar method to appear.

Moreover, this is a very niche calendar that was never promoted at all. If Tang Zhao were not a Talisman Sword Master who enjoys scouring through books, he would never have known about this calendar method.

But now, when these seemingly formidable names are linked to the Yuan calendar, Tang Zhao cannot help but deeply commit this Yuan calendar to memory; if he can get out, he must look into it.

It has indeed been one hundred and twenty years since someone last came in.

One hundred and twenty years ago, on the first day of the first lunar month, the Wangliang swept through Baiyujing; this place must have been completely sealed off as well, and no one has been here for two sixty-year cycles.

Wait...

One hundred and twenty years ago, the first lunar month?

The first day of the first lunar month is the very day the incident occurred; how could Ruyi Sword have still come here in the first lunar month of that year?

Was it a few days after the first lunar month, when Ruyi Sword could still move freely, or was it the first day of the first lunar month itself, and Ruyi Sword came here just moments before the incident?

Or could it be that after the incident, the last place Ruyi Sword went was actually here?

Tang Zhao noticed another detail: everyone who comes here does so in the first lunar month. Could it be that this place only opens in the first lunar month? Or perhaps there is a special day in the first lunar month, such as a death anniversary?

It just so happens that today is also the first lunar month; Tang Zhao has arrived quite coincidentally.

"Yuan Year 211, first lunar month." Tang Zhao hesitated for a moment, then wrote down his sword title:

"Jingxing Sword, Tang Zhao."

Sword titles are always chosen by the Sword Guests themselves. He had actually thought about this sword title for a long time and had never publicly announced it to anyone because he felt it was a bit of a mouthful and perhaps not the most suitable. He wanted to think about it more; perhaps there was a better, more resounding one?

The moment he became a Sword Guest, the first thing that came to his mind was the two characters "Jingxing," just as he subconsciously realized his Sword Image was Sunlight.

Although starting from his name "Zhao," he has had many ties to sunlight and the sun, and his Sword Image is also Sunlight, the two characters "Jingxing," strictly speaking, have nothing to do with sunlight.

Jingxing is taken from "High mountains, I look up to them; great paths, I walk upon them." The original meaning of Jingxing is a great road, and it also carries the meaning of being upright and honorable. Tang Zhao likes these two sentences very much, and they suit his temperament.

Walk the great road, follow the righteous path, do good deeds, and do not ask about the future.

But Tang Zhao also has his own interpretation of Jingxing—

Jing, its original meaning is sunlight.

Jingxing can also be said to be traveling by riding the light, or perhaps, walking to the end of the light.

The end of the light is the sun.

So it can also be said to be walking toward the sun.

He will eventually go to the sun, or rather, he will become the sun.

Although Tang Zhao interpreted it well for himself, he always felt this sword title was slightly obscure, not as impressive as swords like Sumero or Pure Yang, so he never mentioned it to anyone; his friends and family do not know what "kind of sword" he is.

But at this moment, he had to write his sword title on such an important door, placing his name alongside those powerhouses; that must be a decision made without regret. He hesitated slightly.

Immediately after, Tang Zhao felt relieved.

A sword title is just a form of address; if he approves of it and the sword approves of it, what else is there to hinder him?

In the end, the evaluation a sword title receives is actually the evaluation of the Sword Guest themselves.

If someone says his sword title is not resounding, it is because he is not powerful. If someone says his sword title is hard to understand, it is because he is not famous. If someone says his sword title is pretentious, it must be because his character is unworthy of it.

If he can truly become the sun in the future, then the two characters "Jingxing" will be able to refer to the sun from then on.

Having written the line "Jingxing Sword," from this day forward, he is Jingxing Sword Tang Zhao!