Chapter 49: 48 Life Brings Death

48 Life Brings Death

In that instant, something shattered.

Tang Zhao knew that what had shattered was his worldview and his boundless fantasies about Sword Guests.

The fat old man Ping Jiangqiu tilted his head and said, "I am a Sword Hero, of course I have a sword. It just happens to be manifested in the shape of a jar; look at how you are making a fuss over nothing."

Tang Zhao asked cautiously, "A Sword Hero... is that the same as a Sword Guest?"

The fat old man said proudly, "What Sword Guest? A Sword Hero is a Sword Hero, transcending the Sword Guest. Have you never heard of Sword Guests in the Human World and Sword Heroes beyond the world? Sword Guests can still walk the Human World, but Sword Heroes are all reclusive experts, vanished from the Hongchen."

Tang Zhao understood; a Sword Hero was a realm above a Sword Guest. To him, a Sword Guest was already an unreachable ideal, and he had never even dared to imagine a Sword Hero. Then, facing this fat old man, he still felt some doubt and said, "Then you are very powerful?"

Then why are you so cowardly?

Ping Jiangqiu said, "Of course. Back in the day, my great name made people tremble with fear and stopped children from crying at night. If I hadn't retired early, you would have thought of my prestige the moment you saw me and bowed down immediately."

Tang Zhao still didn't quite believe it and said, "What is your prestigious name? I heard that Sword Guests take their swords as their titles. Is your jianghu nickname 'Jar-Jar Sword'?"

The fat old man flew into a rage, jumped off his chair, and cursed, "Get lost! You ignorant fool, you don't know a damn thing! Go and ask around; who doesn't know the great name of 'Sumeru Sword'? Jar-Jar Sword... jar your head!"

Tang Zhao was not annoyed, but felt that his "broken defense" made it seem like someone had indeed called him "Jar-Jar Sword," so he said, "That's what you said. Since you told me to ask, I will go and ask around."

The fat old man panicked, grabbed him, and said, "I didn't tell you to go! Who said you could go? You are not allowed to go, not allowed to tell anyone, no, no!"

He was acting unreasonably like a small child; Tang Zhao only found it funny and was not really angry.

He thought for a moment, deciding to bury a retreat path first, and said, "Don't be nervous, I won't talk nonsense. Besides, who would I ask? You are a person from several hundred years ago. But if I were to disappear into thin air, someone outside might actually investigate. When they trace it back to you, you really won't be able to hide. For example, that Judge from yesterday; he knows your jar is abnormal, and if I happen to go missing, he will definitely turn your place upside down."

Yesterday the jar had been in the Judge's hands for an entire day, and Ping Jiangqiu definitely hadn't come out, otherwise there wouldn't be this situation today. Since he refused to come out, even if it wasn't out of fear, one would think this fat old man had to be somewhat wary of that Judge's strength, right?

Ping Jiangqiu tugged at his beard and said, "Judge? You mean that kid from yesterday? He counts for a fart? I just don't care to bother with him. Why don't you let him come and try a one-on-one?"

Tang Zhao was skeptical, not knowing if this old man was just puffing himself up to look big, and said, "There is also the Land Inspection Bureau; actually, I was conscripted by the Land Inspection Bureau..."

Hearing the three words "Land Inspection Bureau," the muscles on Ping Jiangqiu's face twitched a few times, and his beard trembled along with them. He said, "Land Inspection Bureau? They conscripted you? They want to groom you, right? That's nothing; they conscript a thousand or eight hundred a year, what difference does one more or one less make?"

Tang Zhao said, "It's not a normal conscription; they want me to go to the battlefield in half a month. Never mind half a month, if I go missing for even two or three days, they will come looking."

Ping Jiangqiu said angrily, "Nonsense! Send you to the battlefield? How old are you? What skills do you have? How much of your Inner and Outer training have you completed? Have you learned the Mysterious Technique? Can you even lift a sword? What about Dharma Artifacts? Why would they send you to the battlefield? Can't you find a better excuse to lie to me?"

He asked a series of questions, appearing quite agitated. Tang Zhao suddenly had a thought: Doesn't this old man even know what dynasty it is now? How does he know about the "Land Inspection Bureau"? Was the Land Inspection Bureau passed down from the previous dynasty? Or is he just bragging? Is he even several hundred years old?

He said solemnly, "Senior Ping, I never lie. I really haven't practiced martial arts much, at most just cramming for this past half month. But the Land Inspection Bureau did indeed conscript me..." He hesitated for a moment, then finally told the truth, "Because there is one sword that only I can hold."

He didn't know if this was a secret, but Xing Ji hadn't told him to keep it confidential. Furthermore, he had only held that sword once and still had many questions; perhaps this Sword Hero could provide him with answers.

Ping Jiangqiu still didn't believe it and said, "I know you have the Spirit Talent to find me? So what? Even if there is a 'Dragon Sword' perfectly suited for you, from starting to comprehend the sword to the Sword Heart 'Gold and Stone Open,' awakening the Sword Image, and sprouting Sword Art to become a true Sword Guest, how long would that take? Even a genius would have to count in years, right? You wouldn't be eligible for the battlefield for at least five or six years."

Tang Zhao said, "That's not right, is it? Isn't a sword useful as soon as you pick it up? After picking it up, power surges forth, just like being reborn..."

Ping Jiangqiu opened his mouth wide and said after a long while, "Are you kidding?"

He jumped up and paced back and forth on the floor with his bare feet, completely ignoring the shards all over the ground. Those ceramic and glazed fragments were crushed like pastry crumbs under his feet. Tang Zhao watched and secretly rubbed the soles of his own shoes.

Suddenly, Ping Jiangqiu turned around and said, "So they have a Power Sword?"

Tang Zhao asked, "Power Sword?"

Ping Jiangqiu said, "It's a sword that anyone can pick up once the conditions are met. It shouldn't be called a sword; it should be called the remains of a sword."

Tang Zhao's heart stirred, and Ping Jiangqiu added an explanation: "Actually, you need to know that a sword is alive."

This sentence was completely unexpected. Tang Zhao said "Ah," and Ping Jiangqiu continued, "A sword has a Sword Image and also a Sword Intent. The Sword Image is its body, and the Sword Intent is its thoughts. When a sword is conceived, it already has thoughts; it chooses its own Sword Guest through its Sword Intent, and then the Sword Guest awakens the Sword Image. It is then truly born, crying out as it enters the world like an infant, growing together with the Sword Guest."

Tang Zhao tentatively asked, "Is your Sword Image a jar?"

Ping Jiangqiu said angrily, "It is a Sumeru... Jar."

Tang Zhao said, "Is the Sumeru Jar also alive?"

Ping Jiangqiu said, "Of course. My heart and it are in sync; it goes through fire and water for me, how could it not be alive? I am also alive. But we both might die. Sword Guests are easier to die than swords; which sword hasn't seen ten or eight Sword Guests die? When they die, the Treasure Sword dims, waiting for a new Sword Guest. A sword can also die; the Sword Intent will fade, the Sword Image will vanish, and it might even be killed by another sword."

Ping Jiangqiu whimpered, "That's why I don't want to go out. If I die, what will happen to my Sumeru baby? It is so loyal, it will surely be heartbroken. If it dies, what will happen to me?"

Tang Zhao asked curiously, "Loyal? Didn't you say a sword will change ten or eight Sword Guests?"

Ping Jiangqiu was slightly embarrassed, then immediately argued forcefully, "It's loyal while you're together. A sword and a Sword Guest are like husband and wife; you just have to be single-minded while you're alive. Can you stop someone from remarrying after you die? Besides, to a sword, Sword Guests are all short-lived ghosts; they are in their prime when they die. If you have the ability to cultivate into a Sword Immortal, then you can grow old together, right?"

"But even husbands and wives have resentful couples, and some even turn into enemies. If it's at the beginning, it's fine; the Sword Guest returns the sword, and the sword seeks another. But there are those Sword Guests and swords who were originally in sync but hurt each other, eventually perishing together, forming a Power Sword. At this time, the Sword Guest is already dead, but his Spirit, Soul, and obsession will entangle with the Power Sword. The obsession is the key to awakening the power. And the sword is also dead; both the Sword Image and Sword Intent are left with only the original memories and phantoms. They might look lifelike, but they can never grow again."

Tang Zhao felt a sense of loss and said, "So that's how it is. I thought I was the person chosen by that sword."

Ping Jiangqiu curled his lip and said, "You think too much. A Treasure Sword is something people fight to the death for at the Land Inspection Bureau; there are only people waiting for swords, never swords waiting for people. You were just conscripted; how could it be so easy to get a sword? At most, the conditions for that Power Sword are harsh, and they are just using you temporarily."

Tang Zhao sighed and said, "You are right."

Ping Jiangqiu paused and said, "Actually, a Power Sword is very strong. Those who can form a Power Sword are all powerful Sword Guests or even Sword Heroes. Everything from their lifetime is completely sealed inside. If the body can withstand it, one can even master the full power of that Sword Guest from back then, and the conditions are looser than a sword choosing a Sword Guest. Many sects and noble families have powerful Power Swords to guard their gates, and some family ancestors even intentionally turn into Power Swords before they pass away to leave for their descendants."

"However, the burden of a Power Sword is also very heavy. How many moments can a brat like you use it? If the Land Inspection Bureau has no conscience, they can let you consume yourself to death. Don't listen to their promises, things like 'future' and so on; what future do the dead have? They don't know how many ignorant youths they have deceived with this routine. Otherwise, where did the previous Sword Envoys of their Power Sword go?"

He stared at Tang Zhao and said, "Do you want to escape this damn mission? Here—" he pointed to his surroundings, "—I can hide you perfectly. You don't need to stay with me for a lifetime, just a year or half a year. Once the things outside have calmed down, you can go out, carefree and unburdened."

Ping Jiangqiu stared at Tang Zhao, hiding great anticipation. It was clear he had always wanted to keep Tang Zhao, and this time, it was Tang Zhao who needed him.

Tang Zhao wavered for a moment, seriously considered Ping Jiangqiu's suggestion, and then shook his head, saying, "I can't do that."

Ping Jiangqiu was stunned and said, "Why?"

Tang Zhao explained, "We agreed on this before. Regardless of whether I am a person of the Land Inspection Bureau now, the Land Inspection Bureau groomed me, and I fight for them. Now I have learned martial arts, learned Sword Art, and all kinds of resources have been provided. They keep their word, how can I be ungrateful? I have never failed to keep my word."

Ping Jiangqiu sneered, "Groomed what? Can the benefits they gave buy your life?"

Tang Zhao said, "They can buy it."

Ping Jiangqiu was stunned, and Tang Zhao said, "I thought about it; at market price, I shouldn't be worth that much money. Even at the highest price, those tens of thousands of taels of theirs would be enough to buy dozens of me."

In the blink of an eye, it was Ping Jiangqiu's turn to look at Tang Zhao like he was an idiot, his tone strange as he said, "It's worth it at market price, but is it worth it to you?"

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "It's worth it too. You say, is the grace of a meal worth a life? How much is a bowl of rice worth, but without that bowl of rice, wouldn't the life be gone? At that time, I was at the end of my rope, and Lord Xing took me in; this alone is worth it, right? Subjectively, I received his grace of shelter, and objectively, I consumed a hundred times the resources of myself; in either aspect, it's worth going through fire and water once, right? One cannot feel ashamed in one's heart, nor ashamed before others, right?"

Ping Jiangqiu was silent for a moment and said, "So your life can be bought. Others can buy it, can I buy it too?"

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "Not necessarily. It's priceless. Furthermore, the transaction is still ongoing; you have to follow the order of arrival. If this transaction fails, my shop will be completely closed."

Ping Jiangqiu said, "When does your transaction settle?"

Tang Zhao knew he was asking about the Demon Cave descent, calculated it, and said, "About fifteen or sixteen days?"

Ping Jiangqiu revealed a faint cold smile and said, "How long have you been learning?"

Tang Zhao said, "Fourteen days."

Ping Jiangqiu sneered, "You learned it like this in fourteen days, and even wasted a hundred times the resources? I think this business is definitely a loss; I don't think I can buy your life."

Tang Zhao did not know if he was speaking the truth or just being sarcastic, so he asked, "Is that so? I think I'm not bad at all."

Ping Jiangqiu said, "You have never entered the Demon Cave, so you don't know what terror is. Sigh, who told me to want to buy your next order? Do you know what my Sword Intent 'Storage' means?"

Tang Zhao said, "Storage, huh..." Does this count as a new harvest from the Ask?

Ping Jiangqiu said, "Sumero within a jar, storing all things. Let me show you my collection."

He snapped his fingers.

Above the hall, a hole split open out of thin air, and a Time Jar fell out.

An unremarkable clay jar, looking like a pickle jar.

Ping Jiangqiu pulled the jar over and said, "Store everything, for example—six hours."