Chapter 492: First Meeting and Reunion

Although Ling Baoyu has a not-insignificant status in Baiyujing, ranking fourth only behind His Highness and the two elder sisters, the Shelter is nothing special; it looks similar to the coffin Bai Ni drifted over earlier, and opening the Shelter is just like opening a coffin.

Although Ling Baoyu had made a swift and decisive resolution, her movements were very gentle; she used her fluffy, large tail to lightly brush away the scale that had accumulated over many years, then used her small paws to push the coffin lid open inch by inch.

Seeing a corner of a white dress revealed in the coffin, Tang Zhao couldn't help but lean over to look; Ling Baoyu didn't need him to help, as she was curious herself: what did Ling Baoyu look like?

The coffin opened, and inside lay a woman in white, quietly and peacefully, her eyelids lowered, as if in a deep sleep.

Oh...

Her features were exquisite, her brows and eyes distinct, with clear lines; perhaps because she hadn't seen Sunlight for many years, her skin was as white as ice and snow, and the bloodstains on her white dress only made her skin appear even more shockingly white.

Ling Baoyu actually looked like a beauty as calm and cold as an iceberg.

One couldn't tell at all that she was a love-struck, suspicious, meddlesome, tailing fox.

Although she was pale, her condition was not weak; her cheeks were still full, her skin still smooth, and one could still hear long, light, and thin breathing; she was not in a state of being at the end of her rope.

Tang Zhao took a look and nodded at the white fox—

She was a healthy woman full of vitality.

A true auspicious start.

The white fox didn't show any excitement; after all, she was facing herself, so how could she not know she was safe and sound?

She gave a light leap and pounced onto the woman's chest.

Then, the fox vanished.

Immediately after, the woman opened her eyes.

It was just like a relay baton.

Seeing this scene, Tang Zhao's heart skipped a beat, and he remembered the fat orange cat that had vanished earlier.

Although the Li Hua Sword still had the new Sword Image cat, that orange cat had vanished forever...

Once the white fox was gone, would the Ling Baoyu who returned be the same one?

At this moment, the woman suddenly sat up, felt a wave of dizziness, leaned against the side of the coffin, and said, "Ah, I'm back, I'm back. It's a bit hard to get used to."

Her voice and tone were exactly the same as the white fox's.

It was still that same Ling Baoyu.

Tang Zhao let out a sigh of relief.

There is only one Ling Baoyu in the world.

Ling Baoyu's expression was vivid, the cold, closed-eyed feeling from before now faint or non-existent; she was moving her joints when she caught sight of Tang Zhao, let out an "Ah...", and turned her eyes away, appearing somewhat shy.

Tang Zhao was baffled and said, "What's wrong? Haven't you seen me before?"

Ling Baoyu said, "I have, but seeing from a human perspective is a bit different from a fox's perspective. It's better to look this way." As she spoke, she lowered her head and giggled, and her cheeks instantly gained a bit of color.

Tang Zhao knew her love-struck nature had kicked in, thinking to himself that this was actually not bad—a look automatically restores health—and asked, "How is your body?"

Ling Baoyu took a breath, sat quietly to circulate her Qi for a while, and then said, "Still weak, my blood and Qi are stagnant, and my Inner workings are blocked. Ah, I can't get up, I can't get up. Help me out."

Tang Zhao thought: Well, I opened your coffin first, but not only did I fail to gain any manpower, I even lost a laborer; isn't this a failed start? He had no choice but to step forward and support her, helping her out of the narrow coffin.

He had long since used Cloud Silk to build soft couches, soft seats, and lounge chairs nearby; seeing that Ling Baoyu still had some strength, he guided her to a soft seat. Ling Baoyu sank into the seat, instantly feeling as if she were wrapped in a bundle of cotton.

Over there, Aqin handed over hot soup and water; Ling Baoyu first washed her face and hands, rinsed her mouth repeatedly, and then drank a few mouthfuls of soup, letting out a long breath, saying, "I'm alive, I'm alive, there's flavor in my mouth now. So happy."

Seeing her condition, Tang Zhao knew she couldn't work for a while, so he had to do the work himself.

He turned his gaze to another coffin.

Although the "One Day's Plan Lies in the Morning" he used earlier had only illuminated the coffins and received no feedback, ever since he obtained the Growth Sword Intent, his perception of vitality had improved greatly; even through the Cloud Silk coffin wall, he had some vague perception.

There was a high probability that someone was alive in that coffin.

He opened it cautiously, revealing the face of a young man.

This was a young man with cold features, somewhat similar to the sleeping Ling Baoyu, and his condition was also quite healthy, not much different from Ling Baoyu's. Tang Zhao judged that he should be similar in strength to Ling Baoyu.

This was also a Sword Hero.

Only a Sword Hero could maintain their youthful appearance after such a long time. If it were a Sword Guest, no matter how young they were when they entered the coffin, they would have aged by now.

Tang Zhao was a bit surprised: he had thought that at least the high-level members of Baiyujing were all sisters. He hadn't expected there to be young male Sword Heroes—at least, they looked young.

Aqin slid over and called out, "Oh, it's Uncle Hao."

Ling Baoyu said, "Is it Hao Chenxi? Bring him over quickly."

Aqin reminded him to push the coffin over, then turned back and winked at Tang Zhao. Tang Zhao was a bit confused; although he wasn't stupid, he couldn't guess what Aqin's wink meant at this moment. Behind him, Ling Baoyu had already taken the person, laid him flat on a soft couch, and wiped his face with cold water.

Tang Zhao didn't care how they woke them up and continued to open the next lid.

He still looked for coffins that might contain vitality first.

He had to admit that his intuition was very accurate; he opened five coffins in a row, and all of them contained living people.

Although their conditions varied—some were as healthy as Ling Baoyu, others were already very weak—they were all truly still alive.

For those who were particularly weak, Tang Zhao would use the Growth Sword Intent to touch them and inject some vitality; in any case, their lives were secure.

Including Ling Baoyu, these people were four women and two men; without a doubt, every one of them was a Sword Hero.

This made Tang Zhao marvel at the strength of Baiyujing; a Sword Hero is a powerhouse in the Human World, and in a place of Chaos like Lingzhou, they could easily occupy a prefecture and act as a local warlord. Even in the talent-filled Dudu Mansion of Yunzhou, they would be high-ranking officials at the level of Inspector or General. Here, they were not worth so much.

Just looking at the number of Sword Heroes, this was comparable to the great feudal lords of the Human World. If one considered that this was the remaining strength after the great war against the Wangliang, and that the master of Baiyujing, the Ruyi Sword, was a Sword Immortal of a generation, this strength was far more powerful than the feudal lords of the Human World. At its peak, Baiyujing might have been able to challenge the Imperial Court.

No... don't underestimate the power of the Imperial Court either. Even the current chaotic Imperial Court is still the strongest force in the Human World.

Tang Zhao immediately thought: Not to mention anything else, now that the Wangliang are suppressed in Wangliang Mountain and have had no unusual movements for so many years, doesn't that prove that the Human World still hides more powerful forces capable of suppressing them?

When he opened the fourth coffin, he heard voices from behind, clearly someone had woken up.

He heard a hoarse, low voice call out, "Baoyu..."

Ling Baoyu said, "Don't exert yourself, get up slowly..."

Tang Zhao didn't listen closely to what they were saying and went on to open the fifth coffin, rescuing a weak woman with a long face, and sighed lightly.

He heard Ling Baoyu behind him say, "Why are you sighing?"

It turned out that Ling Baoyu was already able to stand up and walk to Tang Zhao's side. Tang Zhao asked, "You can move now?"

Ling Baoyu flexed her arm and said smugly, "I've been fine all along; just now was merely a momentary lapse, I'm very healthy now. To put it bluntly, I could take on two of you. You don't understand the true prowess of a Sword Hero."

Tang Zhao smiled, and Ling Baoyu asked softly, "Why are you sighing? Isn't the situation going well?"

Truth be told, just now as the coffins were opened one by one, each one containing a living person—her former companions—it truly made her overjoyed and also raised her expectations.

Just a moment ago, she was still thinking: perhaps a hundred years isn't actually that long? Everyone is still doing fine?

Tang Zhao said with some gravity, "Those ones just now were the ones I was certain about. Opening any more now, I have no certainty at all."

To say he had no certainty was putting it lightly; it should be said that... he didn't hold out much hope.

The little color on Ling Baoyu's face vanished, and she murmured softly, "Only five have been opened, and there are so many left... I, I haven't seen my eldest sister, my second sister..."

Although they were all companions, it could not be denied that people always have varying degrees of closeness, and the people Ling Baoyu was closest to were, of course, her two sisters, who were also the figures in Baiyujing second only to the Ruyi Sword.

She had previously rescued several Sword Heroes, but they were not among them; although Ling Baoyu was worried, she thought there were still many more Shelters ahead, so she remained full of hope. Hearing Tang Zhao say that the rest were more likely to be dead than alive, she couldn't help but feel a wave of dizziness.

Seeing her about to go limp again, Tang Zhao reached out to support her, but a pair of hands behind him beat him to it.

Tang Zhao looked up and saw it was the man he had rescued first.

At the time, the man had looked quite young while lying in the coffin, but looking at him now, there were already faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and brow; clearly, time had left its mark on his face. Most male Sword Heroes were not as good at maintaining their appearance as female Sword Heroes; it was not uncommon for women of the same level to still look youthful while men already showed signs of aging.

Supported by him, Ling Baoyu straightened up again, nodded, and said, "Thank you." She then said to Tang Zhao, "Open them... Even if they are just Bone, they should be properly collected and buried. They should also have their names left behind."

Hearing the word "Bone," all the Sword Heroes who had regained consciousness, including Hao Chenxi who was supporting Ling Baoyu, looked at Tang Zhao eagerly.

Tang Zhao was now accustomed to being the center of attention, and even while being stared at by a crowd of Sword Heroes, he remained very calm, saying, "Very well, today, regardless of life or death, I will ensure everyone can see the light of day again."

Having said that, he pushed open a coffin.

The scent of decay rushed toward them.

Everyone frowned. Humans naturally loathe the scent of their own kind's death, and even Sword Heroes have this instinct.

Immediately following, the atmosphere turned sorrowful; without needing to look closely, everyone knew this was the scent of death.

This companion was already dead.

Tang Zhao still looked into the coffin; inside was a set of Bone. It was evident that the time of death was not long ago, as there was still un-decomposed tissue on the Bone, and the scent was particularly pungent.

Ling Baoyu endured her sorrow and did not shy away, using a cloth woven from Cloud Silk to wrap the remains, then carried them out and placed them under the Sunlight.

Although folk custom dictates that the dead should not see the sun, the departed here had been lonely in the Shadow for far, far too long; for their final journey, they should lie upon the clouds and bathe in the Sunlight.

Tang Zhao remained silent and continued to open the next coffin.

Facts proved that his perception of life was very accurate; accurate for the living, and accurate for the dead as well.

The coffins below were all filled with Bone or corpses; some had died recently enough that one could still see their appearance in life, while others were so shattered that even the remains could not be pieced together.

The surrounding Sword Heroes were sorrowful at first, then gradually became numb, and finally fell into a deathly Silence, merely gathering around the coffins to mourn in silence.

Finally, when one coffin was opened, although there was a scent of decay, it was not as thick, and Xiangyangzi beside him waved his leaves excitedly, calling out first, "This one can still be saved! It can still be saved!"