Chapter 854: Vow

On the Tongyang River, a small boat was drifting leisurely along the ripples. Three young men were sitting on the boat in relaxed postures, with a small clay stove nearby warming tea. The youths chatted casually, and whenever one of them thought of it, they would use a bamboo stick to stir the charcoal fire in the clay stove.

"So, you used Disappearance to counter Disappearance. Before I used the Changjie Sword Technique, you disappeared a step ahead, and then let my Disappearance forget to act upon you, so in turn, you were not affected by the Disappearance."

Tang Zhao nodded: "That is about how it is. After all, only a sword can counter a sword. I suppose this can be considered returning the favor with the same method."

Wei Zhangle took a low sip of tea: this was the first time he had drunk tea since using Disappearance, because he could almost only use stored supplies, and there was no tea among those supplies. He said with feigned calm: "Your line of reasoning is indeed very clever, but if you think about it carefully... it is not hard to come up with."

Weise, who was tending the stove to the side, tilted his head slightly, seeing that Wei Zhangle was desperately suppressing his emotions, then turned back as if nothing had happened and suddenly said: "Sir, I have one thing I do not understand. As you said, you used the Vanishing Sword to dodge the Vanishing Sword, yet I did not dodge it; I was struck by the Disappearance. How is it that after you met him, I could suddenly see him too?"

Tang Zhao raised his eyebrows with some pride and said: "This is where my ingenuity lies. I thought that if I used this method to dodge the Disappearance, even if I succeeded, it would only mean that I alone remembered Wei Zhangle, while others still would not. What meaning would that have?"

Wei Zhangle opened his mouth, wanting to say: "That would have been enough." But he did not say it.

Tang Zhao continued: "So I thought of another sword. This sword is the 'Bodhi Sword'."

Wei Zhangle and Weise shook their heads gently together; clearly, neither of them had heard of this sword.

Tang Zhao said: "It is normal not to know; actually, I have not..." In truth, he had not seen this sword either, only in the Sword Manual. It was not something he had collected; it was originally in the Sword Manual. It could probably be called a sword of the ancient sages. He did not know if it was covered in dust now, but if he said that, it would be too shocking, even if it was just saying it to Weise and Wei Zhangle, so he swallowed the words and did not say, "This sword has a Supernatural Power..."

Wei Zhangle and Weise said in unison: "Supernatural Power?"

Isn't a Supernatural Power something only powerhouses at the level of a Sword Saint can use? It is also basically the most powerful force in the sword lineage. For example, the "Human Outstanding, Land Spiritual" that the Kun Sword previously used on Yunzhou was a Supernatural Power. That was a very powerful force; from then on, not only would Yunzhou have abundant earth energy and bumper harvests, but the people would also become increasingly refined and intelligent, ordinary people would become sharp and kind, and many geniuses would be born. This one Supernatural Power benefited an entire province for several years or even decades, which shows the power of a Supernatural Power.

Although Tang Zhao was already a very powerful Sword Immortal, the threshold of a Sword Saint was very high. Let alone him, the Sword Saints currently on Jianshan were almost all old men left over from the era of the Sovereign. Since the Sovereign passed, no new Sword Saint had been born in the world. This shows the difficulty of becoming a Sword Saint. So much so that some said that a Sword Saint is actually a realm that human power cannot reach, relying entirely on the Sovereign forcibly shaping it with the power of the sword back then. Once the Sovereign was gone, there was no longer any soil in the world for a Sword Saint to be born.

This statement could not be verified, and of course, it could not be falsified. Because indeed, no one could do it. Even though Tang Zhao was highly regarded by so many people, and they looked forward to him taking a step further after many years, no one said he could be linked to a "Supernatural Power" at present.

Tang Zhao did not hide his pride in front of his friends at all and laughed: "It is not that I can use a Supernatural Power myself; I used a shortcut, and I cannot truly realize the full power of a Supernatural Power either. Getting one or two tenths of it is not bad. But a Supernatural Power is indeed powerful and has its own miraculous effects. That Supernatural Power is called 'Great Vow of the Bodhi'. In short, it is that you make a vow to accomplish something particularly difficult, and the Supernatural Power will help you in the dark, and if it can eventually be realized, there will be an additional effect of fulfilling the vow. I made a vow that I would remain clear-headed in the Changjie Sword Technique that gathered the power of the whole world, and would not be affected by the sword technique, and would still be able to recognize Wei Zhangle. If I could do that, I would require the price he paid to gradually decrease, and even for him to be accepted by the world again. Look, didn't this succeed?"

Tang Zhao spoke with great animation. Weise and Wei Zhangle were both silent, and Wei Zhangle's expression was even more solemn. After a long while, he opened his mouth and said: "Then what about the price?"

Tang Zhao spread his hands, wanting to indicate there was none, but Wei Zhangle had already said loudly: "Do not treat us like children! Especially since I just completed that sword technique, I naturally know that anyone who demands excessive power from the sword must pay a heavy price. What price did you pay to exchange for this result?"

Tang Zhao said very easily: "This is the good thing about a vow. It is not like the Changjie Sword Technique where you have to pay a price even after succeeding in the end. It is a bit like a gamble; if you succeed, it is realized, and there are only benefits. Only if you fail do you need to pay the price. Just like the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's 'If hell is not empty, I will not become a Buddha', if you succeed, you can become a Buddha; only if you do not will you enter hell. And I knew from the beginning that I would succeed. I have that much confidence. So I am definitely not afraid of the price. Look, I haven't lost a single hair; isn't it great that I am all in one piece?"

Wei Zhangle relaxed slightly and said: "This risk is also..."

At this time, Weise said coldly: "This is not called a gamble, is it? This is paying the price in advance; only when the vow is fulfilled can one be liberated. If hell is not empty, one will not become a Buddha... that means one must first enter hell, and only when hell is empty can one rise. Your previous state, wasn't it the same as Wei Zhangle's? Even I did not remember you. You were also forgotten by the world; only when you saw Wei Zhangle and remembered him could you return to the world, otherwise you would have become a lost one just like him. Doesn't this count as burning your bridges?"

Tang Zhao laughed twice, saw Wei Zhangle's choked-up look, and smiled: "Isn't this the best result? We all did what we should do. You bore the heavy responsibility, and I pulled you from behind. We both succeeded, not leaving ourselves with regrets. Thinking back now, it is so perfect; we should all feel honored and happy. Even if others do not congratulate us, we should congratulate ourselves together first. Getting what one wishes for is something very hard for people in the world to achieve in a lifetime. How about this, to celebrate our successful rendezvous, let's go have a good time for a night, and the expenses will all be paid by Young Master Tang!" As he spoke, he pointed to himself.

Wei Zhangle still did not know what to say. Weise gently tossed a copper coin into the water, stirring up a small splash, and said: "Fine, where do you say we should go to have a good time?"

Tang Zhao thought for a moment and said: "Wei Zhangle, what do you think?"

Wei Zhangle suddenly laughed and said: "It does not matter to me. I have just experienced the happiest moment of my life; nothing can compare to it, so I have no thoughts. Just sitting on this small boat on the water, drifting and floating, drifting until the end of the water, why wouldn't that be as carefree and happy as an immortal?"

Tang Zhao thought about it and said: "This idea of yours, from a literary perspective, the artistic conception is good, but from a realistic perspective, it is really boring. Weise, you say."

Weise smiled: "Among us, when it comes to past experiences, you are the one who knows the least about having a good time. I have actually mixed in those scenes, eaten and seen things, and I have ways to go anywhere, but I am afraid of dragging you down and ruining you, and my sin would not be light."

Tang Zhao scoffed: "You say it as if you were some kind of demon king in the pleasure quarters. Drinking wine and listening to music, don't I know those things?"

At this time, Wei Zhangle interrupted: "That won't do. Currently, a funeral is being held in Zhongtian Prefecture, and these wines and music are all on the prohibited list."

Tang Zhao and Weise fell silent at the same time. If one spoke of deep affection, naturally Tang Zhao and the Gaoyuan Marquis had the deepest affection, but he had not come here on the first day. In fact, he had returned almost as soon as he escaped from the Sword Court, yet he had been unable to do his best for this funeral. Like Wei Zhangle, he could only watch silently; this was also one of the few times he had experienced the parting of life and death of those close to him. He had thought a lot alone on the boat.

As things stood, that heart-wrenching grief had gradually faded. What remained in the bottom of his heart was a faint melancholy and reminiscence. Sometimes when he thought of it, there were only the bits and pieces of their time together. He might not feel bone-deep sorrow, but tears would roll down without him realizing it.

Hearing Wei Zhangle mention the Marquis, he sighed softly and said: "That is true, let us not enter the city. Although you are gradually being accepted by the world, you are actually still in a state of flickering in and out. If it is someone who is not familiar with you, they will not be able to see you either. You adapt for a while, and we will drift on the boat for a while. When we have recovered enough tomorrow morning, we will go to send the Marquis off to his funeral together. Give the Chief of Punishment, the Marquis, and everyone a surprise. It is a pity that there is only tea here; let alone wine, there is not even a steamed bun."

Weise said: "Don't you often carry seven bowls and eight plates of dishes? Shall we taste them together?"

Tang Zhao spread his hands and said: "This is not me being stingy; I already ate them all. Although I am actually not very hungry, when I am alone, I miss the smoke and fire of the Human World, and I want to eat things, and eating and eating, I finished them."

Wei Zhangle felt a sense of sympathy; indeed, after drifting for a long time, one would want to eat and drink. He had just drunk the tea, and that wisp of tea fragrance was still lingering in his aftertaste.

Weise was silent for a moment and said: "Returning to the city now would mean the city gates are closing. There is a curfew in Zhongtian Prefecture recently, and there is no late-night food for sale either. We might as well follow the water flow to the pier over there. We can see small shops that specifically do business for trackers and fishermen. Even if there is no good wine or food, village brew and side dishes like pickled vegetables, dried shrimp, and tofu are always available. Or if you are hungry, you can always buy a bowl of coarse noodles to eat."

Tang Zhao said: "Good, good. Let us go to the pier. If there is a shop, I also want to change into a set of white clothes. Although this outfit of mine is a plain color, it is still not convenient to attend a funeral..."

As they chatted, they had already drifted to a place dozens of miles away from Zhongtian Prefecture. The surroundings had already darkened, and one could only see sporadic lights from afar; perhaps there were people living alone.

Tang Zhao was speaking when he suddenly stopped. He pressed his hand against the side of the boat, the boat slowed down slightly, he turned his head to the side, and said in a low voice: "What place is that?"