[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming":3,"chapter-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-161":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Unorthodox Sword of Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2337366,4570,"Chapter 161: The Secret of Sound","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-161",161,"\u003Cp>Pan Yun smashed open a large rock and found it was hollow inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hole she cracked was just big enough for her to crawl into; she took a candle from her Spirit Realm space, lit it, and leaned in to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she saw the deep, pitch-black space within, she couldn’t help laughing triumphantly, “I found you—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun fixed the candle to a nearby rock, then shoved the broken stones down into the hole, muttering to herself, “They said the caves on Siguai Cliff are all connected, but I searched for so long and never found them—turns out they were hiding right here. This connected space is surprisingly large and deep. Strange—the opposite side is utterly dark. Are all the other caves just bottomless pits with no landing points?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun didn’t believe it, so she picked up a stone and hurled it toward the opposite side. No sound of impact on solid ground—only the stone falling, then a dull *thump*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun whistled. “This cave is this big?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun pried off another stone, weighed it in her hand, stepped back, gathered her Nascent Soul energy, and with a loud shout, swung it forward with all her strength. This time, she heard the stone land directly ahead. She estimated the distance by the sound—it was far. She couldn’t possibly fly across without using her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, she began throwing stones in all directions at varying distances, instructing the black cat to record: “Quick, note it down—about ten zhang, lands after two breaths…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fifteen zhang, lands after four breaths.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leftward, twenty zhang, lands after six breaths; rightward, twenty zhang, lands after five breaths. Looks like the bottom isn’t flat either…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun conducted all sorts of experiments, having a blast—while the people below suffered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao was startled, but something deep below had been awakened by the impacts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stones kept pattering against his body. He opened his eyes, sat up, and saw chains bound to him. He looked upward—a stone slammed into his nose with a *thwack*. Furious, he roared upward, “Who—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who~~~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun picked up another stone to throw, but paused at the long, twisted echo. She turned to the black cat. “Did you hear that? Someone was speaking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaohei: “I heard. He asked who it was.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun looked down at the stone in her hand, frowned. “I thought the caves below were sealed off like mine—only someone who broke through a wall like me could reach them. But behind my wall was empty. Are theirs not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they weren’t sealed, how could I be hitting them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncertain, she threw another stone along the same trajectory as the last one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, another long, distorted roar echoed from below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun was astonished. She leaned out and shouted down, “Hey, brother~sister, which cave are you in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao pressed his whole body against the wall. Though the voice was distorted, he caught every word. He paced frantically, shouting at the wall, “Me, me—I’m in Jia Twenty-Five!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After shouting, Zhou Wangdao felt something odd about that voice—it was familiar. Too familiar. He lunged against the wall and yelled, “Pan Shimei, is that you? Is it really you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun strained to listen. A faint voice reached her. She frowned, thought a moment, then ran to the cave mouth and leaned out to shout, “Anyone down there? Did I just hit someone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence filled the night. No reply—only the wind howling and the occasional splash of water against the cliff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun refused to give up. She shouted again, “Hey—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shouted “Hey” for a full half-minute. The noise irritated Cheng Lingzi, who had been trying to ignore it from the cliff top. He walked to the edge and yelled down, “Stop yelling! Everything was fine for days—why are you going mad today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun turned to look up. “Senior Brother, does this cave system block our voices? Why doesn’t anyone in the other caves answer me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi said, “It doesn’t block them—it shatters them after they leave the cave. All they hear is wind and water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun’s interest sparked. “So amazing—what kind of array is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing her excitement, Cheng Lingzi knew she wasn’t like the others who’d gone mad. He sat down beside the cliff edge and chatted with her—after all, they were close enough to speak without effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is Siguai Cliff placed here? Because of this mountain, this river, and these three hundred sixty-five days of unceasing wind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun pondered. “The riverbanks are lined with high mountains, but Siguai Cliff is built only on this one—because this is precisely where the river bends between the two rows of mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The wind converges here, the water converges here, and the surrounding terrain places this spot exactly at the Xun position, amplifying the wind. With slight design, it becomes a natural array.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi, sharp-eared, smiled. “You have talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you hear so clearly here, your ears so sensitive—is it because you control the array? Because you’re the array master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t say? Then it’s true. Every movement within this array escapes others—but not you.” Pan Yun chuckled. “Senior Brother, may I see the array’s core plate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi: “This array has no core plate. Even if it did, do you think I’d show it to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then may I learn this array’s diagram?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Brother, be generous. We’re a learning palace—we’re here to teach children knowledge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi: “Child, this isn’t something you should or can learn. It’s late. If you don’t sleep, you’ll grow short.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—I have one last question,” Pan Yun hurriedly leaned out, afraid he’d leave. “Senior Brother, do you constantly listen to the sounds inside the array?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi smiled faintly, lowered his voice, and threatened, “Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun gasped in horror. “Then… when we… you hear us too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi’s expression went blank for an instant. He instantly understood her “we.” Furious, he shouted, “Do you think I’m that bored? Go back to sleep! And I have no voyeuristic tendencies!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun pulled back, hugged Pan Xiaohei, and sat in candlelight for a long time. Only when the cliff above fell silent did she say, “I knew it—he can’t possibly listen constantly. Maybe at first, but one day, two days, a month, three months later—I don’t believe he could still manage it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since those imprisoned here usually go mad after three days—whether truly insane or just venting emotions, their outbursts are never pleasant. If Cheng Lingzi constantly received every sound from these caves, the prisoners wouldn’t go mad—he would.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Satisfied, Pan Yun relaxed and went to sleep, hugging Pan Xiaohei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could think up anything and sleep soundly—but Zhou Wangdao below kept pressed against the wall, listening like a gecko.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, hearing no more noise, Zhou Wangdao began doubting himself. “Did I imagine it? Was it all a hallucination?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, no—impossible! How could it be a hallucination?” Zhou Wangdao nearly wept. His cave was pitch-black; his candle had burned out. He could only grope his way back to the stone platform by feel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lying on straw, hugging his blanket, Zhou Wangdao truly wanted to cry. He knew Siguai Cliff was harsh—but he never imagined it would be this bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could go back, when he first heard the strange activity in Fengqi Courtyard, even if it meant making a mortal enemy of Zhang Weiliang, he’d still go investigate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waaahhh, Master, I’m sorry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhou Wangdao clutched his blanket in misery, the lowest being below also listened intently. When no more stones fell, he lowered his head and lay still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, he felt unsafe. He shifted his body farther from where the stones had landed, then lay down again and closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night passed peacefully. The first thing Pan Yun did upon waking was rush to the black cave mouth and shout down, “Good morning, brothers and sisters~~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After shouting, she listened—but heard no echo. She wasn’t disappointed. Eagerly, she drank a bowl of water, then washed her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she was busy with other things, she didn’t hear the faint echo that followed shortly after she left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao thought he heard it again. He pressed against the wall and shouted loudly, “Pan Shimei, is that you~~?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao was disappointed—but daylight had come, and it wasn’t as terrifying as night. He went to brush his teeth and drink water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Washing his face? Impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Lingzi was cruel: each day, they got only one clay pot of water—just enough to drink and rinse their mouths. He wiped his face with a cloth soaked in water only every two or three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This life was too hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Siguai Cliff—truly not a place for humans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to go a month without bathing—fine. But also a month without washing his hair, a month without washing his face—waaahhh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!. Read\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a wooden bucket descended from the side of his cave, attached to a rope…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao stared blankly, followed the rope down, then slowly turned his neck upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun, leaning out to look down, exclaimed, “Senior Brother Zhou!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao’s eyes filled with tears. “Pan Shimei—it really is you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, they could only see each other’s heads and moving lips—no sound reached them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This array was truly amazing. She could hear voices from the cliff top, and even half her body could lean out of the cave—but if she tried to jump fully down, she couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After days of testing, she’d nearly confirmed: without using internal energy or Nascent Soul power, she could probably jump out—the cave’s array wouldn’t stop her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if she did, she’d be dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning: the array blocked her escape—but not her death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one experiment remained to confirm it—but she dared not do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun grabbed the rope and waved excitedly at Zhou Wangdao. Though they couldn’t hear each other, they could still communicate—read each other’s lips. “Senior Brother Zhou, why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing Pan Yun couldn’t hear him, Zhou Wangdao infused his voice with internal energy. “Pan Shimei—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun heard him. She was astonished. How was this possible?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, she understood. She infused her own voice with internal energy. “Senior Brother Zhou, so you can hear me now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just one sentence drained her dantian’s internal energy rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun gasped, raised an eyebrow. No wonder the place was so quiet—making others hear your voice cost so much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fascinating, fascinating—truly fascinating.” Pan Yun told Pan Xiaohei. “This mountain’s array is as complex as the one sealing you. If I could return to my past life, I’d go to Long Hushan and see if this array still exists.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, this array could support twenty years of research—imagine how many researchers it could feed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaohei: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shimei, what did you say?” Zhou Wangdao’s face paled. He carefully chose his words. “Internal energy infused into speech.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun looked down at him and nodded, signaling she understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared at each other. Since speaking cost so much internal energy, neither spoke for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaohei had to remind her: “Your bucket.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, right,” Pan Yun snapped back. She leaned down, looked, and began lowering the rope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao also looked down. The bucket descended section by section, then stopped just above the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the rope gone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun wasn’t disappointed. She pulled the bucket up slightly, stepped on the rope, took another rope from her Spirit Realm space, tied it on, and continued lowering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her knots were secure—no chance of coming undone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun finished tying, then lowered the bucket again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the bucket fell into the river, swept by the current, spun, and quickly filled with water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun grabbed the rope and began pulling it upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao immediately stood up, tugged the rope toward himself, and helped lift it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the wooden bucket rose, a head emerged, then another head, then another…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun glanced down occasionally, astonished—this hole beneath had been silent, and she’d assumed no one lived there; yet there were so many people?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than a dozen heads emerged, silently watching Pan Yun draw up a bucket of water from beneath the cliff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly a third of the water spilled out, but half remained; Pan Yun burst into laughter, poured the water into the large wooden barrel, and lowered the bucket again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, when the bucket reached Cell Jia-25, Pan Yun stopped pulling up; instead, she shook the rope, said nothing, and merely signaled to Zhou Wangdao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Wangdao understood at once, yanked the bucket inside, filled the earthen jar with water, then found two other earthen jars left behind by previous occupants and filled them too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he empty the water from the bucket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sent the bucket back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun pulled the bucket up, and this time she put Pan Xiaohei inside it. “Go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Xiaohei didn’t bargain with her, because it used a lot of water too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the cat disliked bathing, once it did, it grew to like it—and cats are clean animals, so it used plenty of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun lowered the bucket again; halfway down, someone grabbed it, trying to pull it into their own cave, tugging the rope downward—yet as the bucket neared, Pan Xiaohei drew close, and its sharp claws slashed toward the man’s eyes…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man startled, immediately released his grip and shoved the bucket away; Pan Xiaohei hung by its hind legs from the rope, let out a piercing shriek, and as it pulled away, scratched his hand, successfully wounding him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun smiled faintly and lowered the bucket again. Two successes already—she’d anticipated the third would bring trouble. To play the fisherman, one must first have the skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2314,"2026-06-20T22:03:57.478Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7eb7139e98fc75b9dda92efeb5192bf814f7c70b4d8f13e5227aac4c562702a7","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-162","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-160",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-cover.jpg"]