Chapter 521: 475 The True Sun

The living beings of Yunzhou...

Tang Zhao was taken aback and blurted out, "So you knew?"

So you knew that if you left the underground, it would cause the people to suffer?

Ju Jinwu turned his head to look at him and asked in confusion, "Knew what?"

Tang Zhao felt it was a bit impolite and hurriedly said, "I meant that Your Highness is benevolent and keeps the common people in mind. To prevent the commoners from suffering a catastrophe, you were actually willing to lie dormant underground for many years..."

Once the words were out, he suddenly froze.

Was there something wrong with this sentence?

Could the Jinwu, having hidden underground for years without moving, not be enduring it out of concern for the people above?

Had he gotten it wrong? Had he... mistaken the Jinwu for Xiangyangzi?

Supposedly, Xiangyangzi and the Jinwu have nothing in common other than both being Sword Deities, but there is one point: they are both hidden in places isolated from the world—one in the Zhugong, which is like an underground palace, and the other a thousand zhang beneath Yunzhou; and for a long time, they have been unknown to people, excluded from the Human World.

When Tang Zhao saw Xiangyangzi, it had guarded the spirit tablet for a hundred years, keeping company only with the spirit tablet of Dongjun, not even knowing that Baiyujing had been raided, giving a distinct feeling of "not knowing there was a Han, let alone Wei or Jin."

And the Jinwu is even closer to the Nine Springs, isolated from the world; shouldn't it be even more ignorant and closed off?

Even when Zhang Rong and the others formulated their strategy, they treated the Jinwu Sword as an existence that had been sleeping in a chaotic state and might not even have self-awareness.

But what if that wasn't the case?

What if what the Turtle Bandit said—"Body in the Nine Abysses, heart toward the Nine Heavens"—was not Alie?

What if it actually knew everything and truly kept the common people in mind?

Ju Jinwu sneered, "What benevolence? Why would I need benevolence? I am the sun; where my light shines, all things grow. It is the same wherever I go. It is merely..." He pointed above the Fusang Tree.

Because the Fusang Tree is inverted, this gesture actually pointed to the tree's root system.

Tang Zhao looked up, but because the trunk was too long and the light too intense, he could not see clearly; he could only see the tree's roots extending in all directions, deeply embedded in the soil overhead.

It was too far; those roots extended so far that it seemed as if they were reaching a thousand miles away.

The Jinwu said, "To pull this tree up by the roots would injure the roots."

Tang Zhao's mind raced, and he suddenly thought of something, blurting out, "Could... could your light and heat be distributed evenly throughout the land of Yunzhou through this great tree?"

The Jinwu gave a short "Hmm."

Tang Zhao pursed his lips and said, "The water of the Tongyang River remains warm and constant all year round; is that something you intentionally maintain?"

The Jinwu hummed again.

Tang Zhao said softly, "I saw aquatic creatures fighting in the Tongyang River, and you were able to see and mediate it. Are you actually paying attention to everything above, and are you constantly looking over the common people of the Human World and worrying for them?"

Ju Jinwu's slender eyebrows knit together, and he said, "What do you mean? Didn't you already count my merits before? Why ask again about things you already knew?"

This question left Tang Zhao blushing, feeling utterly ashamed.

How could he have known? That initial praise was merely flattering words spoken to go along with the situation, intended to butter up this powerful Sword Deity. At the time, he felt the Jinwu was arrogant, conceited, fond of flattery, and seemingly foolish, so he just played along; he thought that for the sake of the peace of the people of Yunzhou, making some sycophantic remarks was unavoidable.

Now it seemed, who was the one actually working for the people of Yunzhou?!

Thinking carefully, the Tongyang River runs through a thousand miles of Yunzhou; although there is a temperature difference between the upper and lower reaches, it is not significant. It remains constant like a hot spring throughout the four seasons, sufficient for ships to sail, fish and shrimp to grow, fields to be irrigated, and thousands of households on both banks to be nourished. Could this be maintained by nature alone?

The ten thousand acres of fertile land in Yunzhou maintain uniform geothermal heat, with spring planting and autumn harvests. Although there have been minor disasters over the years, there has never been a major drought due to lack of geothermal heat or rain. Is this also the power of nature?

At the time, Tang Zhao only thought this warmth was the energy of the Jinwu Sword Deity naturally dissipating, benefiting Yunzhou unintentionally. He never expected that Yunzhou had benefited from the geothermal heat for all these years without ever suffering from it. Was that just good luck?

Heaven and Earth are heartless; the gifts of nature are often accompanied by unpredictable disasters, which do not shift according to human will. Even praying to gods and Buddhas cannot change them in the slightest.

Unless Heaven and Earth are not heartless.

The sun is in the sky, and the Jinwu is in the ground.

The Jinwu is intentionally maintaining the land of Yunzhou, watching over the people it nurtures in real-time, like a parent.

And it has been at least a hundred years; a hundred years like one day.

A hundred years may not be long for a Sword Deity, but for the Human World, it is already a very long time. Long enough that any living commoner does not know when the changes in Yunzhou began, only that since birth, they have lived in this heaven-chosen land, independent of the north yet warm and rich.

How much of the food and clothing of the people of Yunzhou is owed to the blessing of the Jinwu?

Even for the Gaoyuan Marquis, even if she has the heart to accomplish great things, if it weren't for the uniquely gifted soil and water of Yunzhou—if it were a bitter, cold place like Liangzhou—how could she have brought food and warmth to the people within a few years?

Not a single word of Tang Zhao's previous praise for the Jinwu was wrong; in fact, he had understated it. Instead, he had just been smug, thinking he had coaxed a simple-minded Sword Deity with words. How shallow!

He couldn't help but say, "I'm sorry, Your Highness."

Ju Jinwu asked curiously, "What?"

Tang Zhao's previous petty thoughts were known only to himself; he could have kept them hidden, but since he had already spoken, there was no need to conceal them. He said sincerely, "I didn't know before that Your Highness had such painstaking care and compassion for the common people. I measured you with the heart of a petty person, and my praise was not sincere. I was wrong. You are the true sun."

The sun, even underground, is still the sun. The sword of Dongjun, even though the Sword Guest has passed and it has become a Sword Deity, is still worthy of the name Dongjun.

Zheng Yun, behind him, was startled and thought: Why are you saying this to him for no reason? We haven't figured out this one's temperament yet. If you are so blunt and say you were just being hypocritical, what if he gets angry and wipes us both out?

Fortunately, Ju Jinwu did not get angry; instead, he looked at Tang Zhao strangely and said, "I am the sun; why do you need to say it? What do you mean by 'painstaking care' and 'compassion for the common people'? As the sun, I must naturally shine upon the earth. Whoever is under my light can receive brightness; that is what the sun is. You can't even figure out this simple logic?"

These words were still as "chuuni" as ever, but Tang Zhao felt completely different.

The purpose of his trip was originally, at best, to coax or deceive the Sword Deity into leaving the underground of Yunzhou. Even if it were harmless so far, it was still an uncertain factor, and it would be better to settle it once and for all.

But now, Tang Zhao knew this was not an uncertain factor, but another true sun of Yunzhou. How could he have the qualifications to decide the Jinwu's departure?

He then asked sincerely, "Then what does Your Highness want to do? If you are unwilling to burden the common people, will you choose to stay underground? As for the disaster of the Turtle Bandit, we will defend against it for you. We will go to Wangliang Mountain to retrieve the Destruction Sword Intent. Once we retrieve the Sword Intent, you will be able to recover most of your power, and that Array will not be able to do anything to you. If your power is still not enough, I can return the Growth Sword Intent to you..."

Zheng Yun was increasingly terrified as he listened, thinking: Stripping out the Sword Intent you already obtained to give to someone else? What kind of talk is that? What if he takes it seriously? Won't you be miserable?

However, since Tang Zhao said it, he could do it. The Jinwu had never considered whether Tang Zhao would fail to keep his word. He pondered slightly and said, "You don't need to. If Destruction is obtained, my power will be enough. By then, this Array might even become my aid, allowing me to advance or retreat freely... I only fear that you won't be able to get Destruction at Wangliang Mountain."

Tang Zhao actually had this worry as well. If it were just going to Wangliang Mountain to intercept the Turtle Bandit, he would have some confidence. Although Wangliang Mountain is their home turf, Yunzhou's power is not weak, not to mention the reinforcements from Baiyujing. And they would never expect that when he contacted the Jinwu, they would actually be overheard; the plan had already been exposed, so now the enemy is visible while they are hidden, giving them the advantage.

But regarding the matter of retrieving the Destruction Sword Intent, Tang Zhao had no confidence at all. That Sword Intent is with Wangliang; to retrieve it, one must face Wangliang directly, going head-to-head with a Middle-rank Sword Deity equivalent to a Sword Immortal. There is really no chance of winning.

At this moment, Ju Jinwu suddenly said, "I will make a trip."

Tang Zhao was both surprised and delighted, saying, "Can you go out?"

Ju Jinwu said, "Of course I cannot go out. But there are other ways to—" Suddenly, he looked at Zheng Yun.

Zheng Yun was startled. This was the first time the Jinwu had looked him in the eye. He felt inexplicably panicked and wanted to take a step back, but he was instinctively in awe of Ju Jinwu. Under its gaze, it was difficult to even move a finger; he could only stand straight, respectfully waiting for it to speak.

But Ju Jinwu merely stared at him, shifted his gaze away, and said, "This avatar of mine should be able to go out."

Tang Zhao said, "Is this avatar... sufficient?"

Ju Jinwu said, "Hard to say. I must see the destruction with my own eyes to know. The power an avatar can carry is limited, but some things do not necessarily require power. This time, I will prioritize observation. If it does not work, I will return and plan again."

Tang Zhao pondered and said, "In that case, you intend to disguise yourself and sneak into Wangliang Mountain?"

Ju Jinwu was very arrogant and felt quite uncomfortable hearing the word "sneak," but the fact was that he could not barge in and could only slip in secretly, so he could only "harrumph" once more.

Tang Zhao immediately said, "Since it is Your Highness's intention, we will naturally cooperate with all our might. Although Wangliang Mountain is a place beyond the reach of the Sword Law, there are still some opportunities to enter and exit..."

Although these opportunities were all quite disgraceful.

That place was a den of iniquity, where many unspeakable things happened every moment. These things were not done by Wangliang Mountain behind closed doors, but together with other scoundrels from the Human World. Those scoundrels who did such dirty deeds could turn around and live bright, glamorous lives under the Sunlight, with connections reaching the heavens. Even the Gaoyuan Marquis might not be able to completely refuse to associate with these people.

Therefore, there was still a chance.

He said solemnly, "If it is convenient, I wonder if I might invite your avatar to visit Yunzhou? For everyone in Yunzhou to see another sun would truly be a great honor!"