Chapter 80: 77 Zhuoyu

77 Zhuoyu

In a daze, I heard someone talking.

"Sister, you must help me with this matter."

This voice was very familiar; it was Xue Jiejie's voice.

"Sister, I'm begging you, okay? This matter is truly difficult to handle. Xing Ji is not someone you can reason with."

This voice was also familiar; it was a woman's voice. Who was it again?

"Isn't it just one person? You aren't Xing Ji's..."

"You don't know Xing Ji. When does he ever listen to anyone? No one can snatch away someone he values, not even the Commander. Let alone anyone else."

"Forget it. If you won't help me, I'll do it myself. In terms of strength, Zhuoyu Villa is not necessarily inferior to the Commander. If I take the person back, can he really come and block my door?"

"Sigh, let's talk this over. You're taking on so much, but has that child agreed to go and be a Talisman Sword Master for you? You can't force a cow to drink if it doesn't want to."

"Why wouldn't he want to? He is a natural-born Talisman Sword Master. A Talisman Sword Master has a much brighter future than some Heavy Swordsman. You mention Sword Guests? Heh, that's just empty talk. Even with amazing talent, one needs amazing luck to find a matching sword. The Land Inspection Department has many people and few swords; the fighting is so fierce, and he has no foundation. How long would he have to wait? Come with me and in three to five years, I guarantee he will be able to refine Art Tools independently."

"That might have worked before. But Tang Zhao has already found his own direction, and it's a very mainstream one. He has no foundation, but Xing Ji is right there. With Xing Ji's connections, it wouldn't be hard for him to pull some strings and find a sword. Ask the child yourself—does he want the sword that's within his reach?"

"..."

Xue Jiejie was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "No matter how good a sword in this world is, it's hard to find a perfect match. Doesn't your Land Inspection Department just pair them up if they are over seventy percent compatible? Most are forced marriages. But a sword that truly suits oneself must be cast by one's own hands. Sword Smiths and Sword Guests reach the same destination by different paths."

"..." This time it was the other person's turn to be silent. After a while, she said, "You just said Xing Ji was spouting empty talk. Who is the one spouting empty talk now?"

"I am not spouting empty talk. Tang Zhao has the talent of a Sword Smith. You can go tell Xing Ji, or even tell the Gaoyuan Marquis—Tang Zhao is staying at Zhuoyu Villa. He will surely be a Sword Smith in the future. A true Sword Smith, far better than my father."

"You really are a good daughter."

"Think about it yourself. With a true Sword Smith's assistance, what would that look like? I hear the Land Inspection Department is still held back by others, and even the Marquis has to beg the Imperial Court, unable to act freely. But if one of your own becomes a Sword Smith, would you still be tied hand and foot? At that time, you can go to the outer-realm battlefield and snatch them. For every Sword Seed you snatch back, you'll have a sword. By then, the Gaoyuan Marquis will have a million-strong army, and every one of them will be a Sword Guest..."

"Stop, stop, stop. You're getting more and more outrageous. You should go blow smoke with Xing Ji and see who blows the other one to death first. I can pass on your words, but I can't guarantee the result. By the way, I came to borrow your Cuckoo Lamps. Give me whatever you have."

"Heh, when I begged you earlier, you made all sorts of excuses. Now that you need my help, you're so righteous. I've seen right through you, woman."

"Enough nonsense. Take me to see your stash. Besides Cuckoo Lamps, what other good things do you have? Anything that can restrain the Shadow, I want it all."

"You all are really risking your lives. The Wangliang are troublesome; why not wait for Tongming Hall to resolve it?"

"Wait for Tongming Hall? This is Yunzhou."

"Boring struggle."

The voices gradually faded away. Tang Zhao wanted to get up, but his arms and legs wouldn't obey. In his consciousness, he seemed to have climbed up and walked a few steps, but the next instant he was lying on the bed again. It had all been a dream. After several failed attempts, he drifted off into a drowsy sleep again.

After a long time, Tang Zhao finally woke up, as if waking from a long dream.

In the dream, it was the same old things: fire, birds, and burning. But perhaps it was his imagination, for now, the burning didn't have the previous explosiveness; instead, it had become bright, warm, and vast, even inspiring and uplifting.

What kind of fire could be so gentle?

But in the end, it would surely burn everything away and leave him in a deep sleep.

Sitting up, Tang Zhao gradually cleared his head and found himself sleeping on a soft bed, with a very thick and soft mattress underneath and fresh-colored sheets spread over it.

Beside the bed was a stand, and on the stand sat a cup, which seemed to be made of Green Jade. Unsurprisingly, it was decorated with two large eyes, and the water inside was still emitting a faint heat.

Had someone just left?

No, that wasn't right.

It was an Art Tool.

Using an Art Tool just to keep a cup warm?

Tang Zhao was full of envy, thinking: How much would a cup like this sell for? It would probably be enough for someone to live comfortably for a lifetime. Are Talisman Sword Masters this wealthy?

It couldn't be called extravagant; this must have been made by the person themselves, right? If one could easily create priceless treasures, wouldn't Talisman Sword Masters be the wealthiest profession in the world?

Ten thousand taels for one Art Tool—isn't that faster than robbing people?

Thinking this, he got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom into the living room at the entrance.

"Eh—"

On the front wall of the living room, a painting had been hung at some point.

This painting occupied the entire wall, and its momentum was magnificent, making Tang Zhao's Spirit stir.

The painting depicted a complex of buildings, seemingly built by a lakeside. Half of the lake was filled with swirling mist and vast, hazy waves, while the other half featured buildings arranged in a staggered, exquisite, and ingenious manner.

Those buildings included pavilions, waterside gazebos, grand mansions, and even strange structures with bizarre or comical styles, all combined in a dazzling way. Yet, they all had a lustrous, polished feel, as if shrouded in a mass of smoke and a halo of light, like individual treasures. Clear streams wound between the buildings, dotted with flowers and trees, with thin mist drifting about, connecting with the misty water of the lake, adding a touch of fantasy.

The lake and mountain scenery were nothing new to Tang Zhao; he had seen them in the Time Jar. But those buildings of various styles were increasingly novel and interesting the more he looked at them, reminding him of the hometown Chen Zong had described—all sorts of bizarre, postmodern architecture. A thought rose in his heart: It would be great to go there and see it.

Immediately after, his gaze was drawn to a building in the center of the open space. That building seemed to be carved from jade, with brilliant colors shining through its translucent walls, and an opening at the very top, faintly revealing light and mist.

It looked as if some treasure was about to fly out from within...

Standing in front of the building was a person in green robes. Although only a back view was visible, there was a sense of looking up at a high mountain.

"That is my father."

Tang Zhao turned his head to see Xue Jiejie standing behind him. She said, "This is Zhuoyu Villa."

Beside the painting were four characters: "Tiangong Zhuoyu," the script hidden within the clouds and mist, both real and illusory.

So that was it...

Tang Zhao thought of the conversation he had heard while in a daze and thought: Is this an advertisement? A recruitment advertisement?

Xue Jiejie smiled without a word, waiting for Tang Zhao to curiously ask about Zhuoyu Villa, when she heard Tang Zhao ask, "May I ask if your esteemed father... is also surnamed Xue?"

"..." Xue Jiejie widened her eyes, looking at Tang Zhao as if he were an idiot.

Tang Zhao also felt he had asked a stupid question and hurriedly coughed, asking, "I meant to ask you... how should I address you and Xue Daxia?"

Xue Jiejie was stunned for a moment and said, "Eh, how did you know?"

Very few people in the world knew the relationship between Tang Zhao and Xue Daxia. Xue Jiejie would never have guessed it, assuming he had just made a lucky guess. She said nonchalantly, "Our two families are of the same clan. My father and Xue Daxia are cousins, but they had a decent relationship when they were young. Later, my father built Zhuoyu Villa and didn't come down the mountain much, so many connections were severed. I have never met this cousin-uncle."

"A few days ago, someone—the people from the Land Inspection Department—sent a letter to my home, saying that Xue Daxia's condition was poor, and asking if my father would come down the mountain to visit. In truth, the words were asking if he wanted to see him one last time. But my father was at a critical moment in his seclusion, so I came to take a look on his behalf."

"I had learned some skills, and before I came, I wanted to see if I could turn the tide and save his life. But once I arrived, I realized I was completely powerless and had to give up. Although we have never met, I felt quite sad seeing the state of my cousin-uncle." She shook her head.

Tang Zhao felt uncomfortable listening to this; he wondered what Xue Daxia's situation was like now.

"I wanted to just go back, but firstly, I have never seen a Demon Cave descend, and staying here to experience it from beginning to end is an experience in itself. Secondly, when my uncle passes, he has no children; his afterlife will be desolate. If I stay, I can at least handle some of the funeral arrangements. So I stayed on the mountain, observing the signs of the Demon Cave every day, and happened to run into you."

Tang Zhao suddenly understood; this was quite a coincidence.

He heard Xue Jiejie shake her head and say, "I really can't believe you actually still want to enter the Demon Cave. I am at least a Talisman Sword Master with the ability to protect myself; what business does a child like you have there? That Town Guardian is truly unreasonable."

Hearing her tone, Tang Zhao realized she did not know about his relationship with Xue Daxia, and he couldn't help but ponder secretly. Did she not mention him when she met Xue Daxia? Xue Daxia had clearly said he could go to Zhuoyu Villa and even had a Mysterious Technique to pass on, so why didn't she mention a word of it?

Xing Ji should have told Xue Daxia about him joining the Land Inspection Division, right? Could it be that he thought the Land Inspection Division was better than Zhuoyu Villa, so there was no need to follow the original plan?

Was Xue Daxia's choice correct?

Should he mention it?

As Tang Zhao was thinking this, Xue Jiejie said, "The path of a Sword Guest is too dangerous. Demon Caves, phantom disasters, Xuanhuang Xiongdi, and extraterrestrial battlefields—where do they not need Sword Guests to fill the gaps? Not to mention the Land Inspection Division is extremely dangerous; they are in charge of all disasters underground, and the number of those who die in action is countless. Even Town Guardians and Patrol Envoys often die in the line of duty. As the saying goes, a clay pot is bound to break at the well; no matter how strong one is, there are always stronger enemies. Not to mention the danger of the sword itself."

Tang Zhao asked curiously, "The danger of the sword itself?"

Xue Jiejie said, "What, you don't know? Becoming a Sword Guest is like walking a tightrope; beneath it is a bottomless abyss. One wrong step and you are doomed, and you can never touch the ground. Guess where the former owners of those old swords went? Were they all killed by enemies? Guess where the masters of those authority swords went?"

She flicked her finger and said, "A Sword Smith is different; they are both noble and powerful. What of the Land Inspection Division? What of Qingtian Temple? They are all polite when they come to my Zhuoyu Villa."

77 Zhuoyu