Chapter 70: 68 Guessing the Sword

68 Guessing the Sword

There are two rooms in the upper house; the outer one is where the Sword Guest sleeps, and the inner one is where Si Liyu is placed.

Si Liyu is collapsed on a straw mat, still unconscious.

Tang Zhao, who snuck in, feels his heart skip a beat at this sight.

It is not that Si Liyu's condition is miserable—it could not be more miserable than last night—but rather that the bloodstains all over his body have been washed away quite a bit, especially the blood grime on his face, which looked like a mask, has been wiped clean.

Could it be that the Sword Guest wiped it?

He does not look like a patient person, and Tang Zhao is the only one doing odd jobs in the temple; could it be that there is someone else here besides the Sword Guest?

He has not seen anyone, and clearly, there is no one in this room.

Things have reached this point, and Tang Zhao cannot give up; he takes out a bracelet and puts it on Si Liyu.

The bracelet is in the shape of a centipede; it was left behind by Sun Sheng that night and later transferred to him by the Judge.

Art Tool: Hundred Feet.

A centipede dies but does not stiffen.

Grants immunity to negative states such as loss of control.

As Si Liyu puts on the bracelet, the sword scar on the centipede's back visibly shortens and gradually disappears.

The Art Tool is taking effect, and it is also losing its effect.

Tang Zhao stares at Si Liyu, fearing that the remaining chance will not be enough to save him.

He sees Si Liyu's eyelashes flutter, and then he opens his eyes.

The whites and blacks of his eyes are distinct; that layer of blood-red has receded.

Tang Zhao lets out a sigh of relief; this Art Tool was worth using.

Si Liyu suddenly widens his eyes, as if recalling something, but his gaze is dazed for a moment, and then he lowers his eyelids, appearing very tired.

Tang Zhao cannot let him fall asleep; he puts down the Dharma Artifact and says softly, "Teacher Si."

Si Liyu sees him, startled, and says, "You..."

Tang Zhao remembers that he still mistakenly thinks he is in the hands of the white-haired man and explains, "I'll make a long story short..."

He immediately pours out everything in a few sentences: how he came out to do a mission with Black Widow, encountered the battle between Si Liyu and the white-haired man on the road, and is now using the Disappearing Artifact to rescue him.

Fearing that he would refuse to let him stay in a dangerous place, Tang Zhao deliberately urges, "Our plan is already very complete. You come with us, and when we find the various lords of the Land Inspection Division later, are we afraid we won't be able to get our own back?"

Si Liyu sweeps his gaze over Tang Zhao's face, gives a light sneer, presses his forehead, and says, "I am very tired now and cannot understand your big plan. Let's go out together."

Tang Zhao explains again, "That won't work; you cannot trigger the Sword Art..."

Si Liyu looks at him, and Tang Zhao is stunned, saying blankly, "Can you?"

Si Liyu explains, "It's just a Dharma Artifact. As long as it does not conflict with the direction of one's Inspiration, it can be triggered using Sword-Driving Art. The so-called Sword-Driving Art is the art of driving a sword. Driving... naturally includes the meaning of forcing. We learn Sword-Driving Art precisely to trigger incompatible Dharma Artifacts."

Tang Zhao suddenly understands and says, "So that's how it is!"

They were small-minded; their knowledge was too limited.

So Si Liyu could trigger the Sword Art, which caused them to waste an entire night of effort!

This makes it simple; as long as Si Liyu takes him out together, it will be fine. When one can gulp it down in one go, Tang Zhao does not necessarily have to use several cups to hold water.

Si Liyu takes the Dharma Artifact, and Tang Zhao instantly cannot see him and cannot even remember him.

Before he can even round out his own logic, Si Liyu suddenly appears, the Dharma Artifact drops to the ground, one hand supporting the straw mat, the other pressing his temple, his expression ferocious.

Tang Zhao reacts and says, "What's wrong? Have I disappeared now?"

Si Liyu's brows and the corners of his eyes twitch uncontrollably, and he says, "I... I cannot focus my Spirit!"

Tang Zhao says blankly, "Does that mean... you are too tired?"

Si Liyu shakes his head, presses his forehead with his hand, and says, "No, no, I have permanently lost a portion of my Spirit... and my will. I cannot focus my mind; it is very scattered. I cannot drive the sword anymore... Am I ruined?!" By the end, his voice is hoarse and carries a hint of a sob.

Tang Zhao feels a chill in his heart and says, "How is that possible... Ah, is it the Sword Art? Is it that guy's Sword Art?"

Hearing the words "Sword Art," Si Liyu gradually calms down from his near-collapse state, panting as he says softly, "Yes, Sword Art, just Sword Art. His Sword Art is... what is it? There must be a solution."

Tang Zhao says, "Should I go and investigate?" He really can investigate; his Glasses should be able to "Knock Sword" at close range, and combined with the Disappearing Artifact, he can approach silently, which is perfect for investigating the sword.

Si Liyu grabs him by the backhand and whispers, "Nonsense, are you crazy! You'll see ghosts if you look. Don't go; let's think... did you see his Sword Image yesterday?"

Tang Zhao says, "Sword Image, huh..."

Is it something like a Time Jar?

Tang Zhao tries hard to recall the state of the white-haired man; besides actually holding a jar, it seems there was nothing else on his person?

Si Liyu says, "He is only a Sword Guest; the Sword Image cannot solidify. But releasing the Sword Art with full power will bloom the Sword Image—that is the image of this sword after it manifests in the future." He thinks Tang Zhao knows nothing, feels he cannot explain it clearly, and now his own thoughts are unclear and difficult to explain, so he says, "Did you see him condense a concrete image in the air after releasing the Sword Art? It could be a beast, an object, or even weather or a ghost..."

Tang Zhao vaguely remembers that when the man struck with his sword, white light flashed, and it seemed to turn into some kind of image, but he did not see it clearly. Racking his brains, he says, "I think it was some kind of animal... white... it moved really fast... um, um..."

Si Liyu's brows are tightly locked, and he says, "Since you cannot remember clearly, it means the Sword Image did not truly appear, and it also means he beat me very easily without needing to go all out. In the end, I cannot contend with a Sword Guest, not even with an extraordinary burst. It's a pity; the illusion could have helped us guess what kind of sword he has. Tell me, what effect did you observe when he used his Sword Art yesterday? What was my reaction when I was struck by the sword?"

This is the standard procedure for analyzing a Sword Guest. In battles between Sword Guests, intelligence is extremely important. The Land Inspection Division has branches specifically for analyzing the Sword Intent, Sword Law, and Sword Art of various Sword Guests, and ordinary officials must also learn to analyze based on intelligence.

Tang Zhao composes himself; he feels that retreating now should be the priority, and guessing about the Sword Art can wait until later. But Si Liyu's emotions are somewhat unstable, and his eyes are beginning to fill with bloodshot veins like last night. Tang Zhao finds it inconvenient to provoke him, so he can only follow along and count, "Last night... he should have used the Sword Art three times."

The first time, he used his sword to turn Si Liyu's blood-colored blade into a phantom, and then it rolled back.

The second time, he struck two swords in succession at Si Liyu, causing Si Liyu to suddenly faint.

The third time, he waved his sword, and Si Liyu disappeared, and then he waved his sword again, and Si Liyu appeared again.

The last time, it seemed the Sword Art was unsuccessful, and later the Sword Guest said dismissively, "Too heavy..."

Tang Zhao racks his brains, repeating the details he noticed one by one, looking at Si Liyu.

Si Liyu's gaze shifts, as if thinking, but from time to time it becomes blank; clearly, the inability to focus his Spirit has caused a significant impact on his analytical judgment.

"What do you think?"

Finally, Si Liyu has to ask Tang Zhao helplessly.

I actually wanted to use the Glasses to look.

Seeing that Si Liyu's state was increasingly tending toward collapse, Tang Zhao still said, "These should be several different Sword Arts, right?"

Si Liyu said, "Of course they are; a formal Sword Guest certainly has different Sword Arts. Speculating on the specific Sword Art is meaningless; one must speculate toward the root. All Sword Techniques are extensions of Sword Intent, and Sword Arts are extensions of Sword Techniques. At the very least, one must infer to the level of Sword Technique. Hmph, he is only a Sword Guest; he might not even have a Sword Technique yet, so it is better to speculate on the Sword Intent."

Tang Zhao pondered and said, "If it is Sword Intent, I think it might be Plunder?"

"Plunder?"

"Look, with every sword strike, you lost a portion. The first strike, he plundered the energy in your Sword Art? The second strike, he plundered your... was it your Soul? I remember his Sword Art was called 'Lost Soul'."

Si Liyu shook his head and said, "How could a mere Sword Art touch the Soul? His calling it Lost Soul does not mean it is truly a Lost Soul. Sword Art names are all self-chosen; calling it 'Destroying Heaven and Earth' would also work."

Tang Zhao realized and said, "That's right, it might be taking the meaning of 'losing one's soul and spirit.' With your Spirit dazed and your will scattered, he might have plundered your will, and by the third strike, you were gone, so he plundered you yourself..."

Wait, can that still be called plundering?

Si Liyu rubbed his temples and said, "You use the word 'plunder,' which contains the meaning of harming others to benefit oneself. But it seems he did not use the plundered energy or will for himself, but rather stored it in the sword."

Hearing the word "stored," Tang Zhao was stunned for a moment, thinking of Ping Jiangqiu.

If the Sword Intent is also storage, then what was the point of him breaking into the room to seize the Time Jar?

Plunder?

Si Liyu said, "Taking it over, locking it up, including people. Rather than calling it plundering, it is better to call it kidnapping."

Tang Zhao came back to his senses and said, "Kidnapping also involves a ransom phase. According to you, since it is not for the purpose of extorting money, one might as well say it is illegal detention."

Si Liyu glared at him, clearly feeling he was being tedious, and said, "Let us guess this way for now: he plundered other people's things and stored them in that sword of his. Including my Spirit..."

Tang Zhao gave a hum and said, "To take back your Spirit, does one need to break his sword?"

Si Liyu said, "If you can manage that, it would work."

Tang Zhao said, "Please continue."

Si Liyu said, "He found me heavy, so he let me go. This shows that the things his sword can store are limited. Before, he absorbed my attack and immediately released it, likely to avoid increasing his burden."

Tang Zhao understood and said, "Then we need to make him detain something more valuable, fill up the space, and he will be able to return your Spirit."

Wait, is the space of the White-haired Swordsman small?

Ping Laotou's Time Jar has a very large space; it is practically bottomless when it comes to hiding things.

Thinking about it this way, he is very dangerous.

Could there really be some cruel competition between Sword Guests with similar Sword Intent?

There was another worry Tang Zhao did not voice: it would be best if the White-haired Swordsman did not want to offend the Inspection Office to the death, or felt that Si Liyu was worth exploiting, and did not casually discard Si Liyu's will.

Regardless, a glimmer of hope was finally seen. Tang Zhao advised, "We have already found a direction; now we might as well retreat a step. Your state is poor, I don't have a handy weapon, and the plan isn't fully formed. Let us escape first and then plan at length."

Si Liyu said, "If I go out, where will you hide if you stay in the room?"

Tang Zhao's gaze slanted toward a Time Jar in the corner, and he said, "I am small in stature, where can I not hide?"

Si Liyu also saw the Time Jar, looking thoughtful, then without further ado, he decisively said, "Very well, you hide first, I will go and return shortly. White-haired Swordsman... I want him dead." He reached out and grasped his sword in his hand.

Tang Zhao was in a daze for a moment.

What was he doing again?

Immediately after, he saw that Time Jar.

Right, he had snuck in to find an old friend.

Arriving beside the Time Jar, he examined it carefully; it was indeed Ping Jiangqiu, still in the same flowerpot-like shape as when it was hidden under his bed before.

If there was any difference, it seemed to be...

Was there an extra circle of white fine threads at the mouth of the jar?

What was that?

White... hair?

Tang Zhao cautiously did not touch it and said softly, "Sir, is it convenient for me to enter?"

At this moment, a paper ball jumped out from the mouth of the jar.

Tang Zhao immediately remembered the paper ball invitation from when the two first met. He smiled slightly and opened the paper ball, on which a few words were written:

"Find... the Judge... save me?!"

Tang Zhao's eyes widened, his fingers tightening.

At this moment, it suddenly became noisy outside!