After obtaining a standard sect sword, Wu Yan decided she needed to seek some guidance to find a blade that truly suited her.
The morning mist was nearly gone, and by the time Wu Yan reached the Purple Bamboo Forest, the bamboo leaves were swaying gently in the breeze.
If one was talking about swords, seeking his advice was undoubtedly the best solution available.
Sure enough, as soon as she stepped into the forest, Wu Yan caught the scent of a strong, heady wine.
‘Truly the stench of low-quality dregs. Hey, Little Wu Yan, you would rather seek out this unreliable old drunk than trust the invincible Demon Venerable by your side?’
Wu Yan (Inner) pinched her sleeve with her slender fingers, tightly covering her nose and mouth. Her eyes were filled with disdain and disgust.
Wu Yan ignored the complaints and continued walking toward the source of the wine scent.
Although Wu Yan (Inner) had been incredibly powerful in her past life, her style of combat after entering the Demonic Path leaned more toward physical brawling. When it came to the Way of the Sword, she might not actually know more than the person Wu Yan was looking for.
‘Hmph, fine! Ignore me then, you big idiot!’
Seeing that Wu Yan was not listening to her advice, Wu Yan (Inner) simply allowed her physical form to dissipate.
But before long, she was back, leaning against Wu Yan’s back like a boneless cat and resting her chin in the crook of Wu Yan’s shoulder. ‘Back in my day, I killed more Soul Transformation Stage Sword Cultivators than there are stalks of bamboo in this forest. And yet, you actually look down on me. I’ll just have to see exactly what he’s capable of.’
Following the fragrance of the wine, Wu Yan passed through layers of purple bamboo and finally arrived before a giant stone block.
Mo Wentian was leaning against the stone, holding his usual weathered gourd. From time to time, he poured wine into his mouth, not caring as the liquid spilled past his graying beard and onto the ground.
“Disciple Wu Yan greets Ninth Uncle.”
Wu Yan stood in the open space several meters away from Mo Wentian and bowed respectfully.
Mo Wentian’s movements paused. After letting out a long wine burp, he spoke slowly.
“Oh, it is you, girl.”
The moment his cloudy eyes opened, they transformed into two sharp rays of Sword Intent that shot straight toward Wu Yan. “It has been nearly a month since we last met. You seem a bit different.”
Mo Wentian tucked the gourd back into his waist and scanned Wu Yan a few times. “Hmm, your physique has improved, and your Sword Intent is even sharper.”
“Not bad, not bad at all. You truly are a fine seedling.”
Facing Mo Wentian’s praise, Wu Yan did not act humble. “Thank you for the compliment, Ninth Uncle.”
“I have come today because I have something to ask of you.”
Knowing that the Ninth Elder was a direct person, Wu Yan did not bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
She pulled a black cloth bundle from her Storage Bag and opened it, revealing the remains of Severing Delusion—now nothing more than a hilt.
“My sword was destroyed. With the Five Sects Tournament approaching, I wanted to know if I should choose a new sword or use this as a foundation to forge a new one.”
Mo Wentian glanced at the bare hilt.
If anyone else had brought a sword hilt to ask him a question, Mo Wentian would have kicked them off the mountain.
But Wu Yan was different. For one, she was one of the few juniors he actually admired. For another, the hilt was quite peculiar.
“Interesting. The blade is destroyed, but the Sword Intent remains.”
Mo Wentian extended a withered finger and pointed toward the hilt from a distance. “The ‘root’ of this sword is still there. If you use this root as a base and reforge it, the result will be much more suitable for you.”
“May I ask how it should be reforged?”
“It is not a simple reforging.” Mo Wentian shook his head, the gourd at his waist swaying with him. “Times have changed. If you use ordinary materials and techniques, the resulting sword will only hold you back.”
“You currently specialize in the Piaomiao Sword Arts, which focus on agility. You need a body as light as a feather to ride the wind, matching the ‘bone’ of this hilt.”
Mo Wentian truly lived up to his reputation as the strongest Sword Cultivator Wu Yan had ever met. With just a few words, he provided the exact help she needed.
“May I ask where I can find such a thing, Ninth Uncle?”
“Do not count on the scrap metal in the sect’s treasury.” Mo Wentian unhooked his gourd, took a large gulp of wine, and pointed in a random direction.
“Go to Qingshan City and try your luck. Yesterday, my drinking buddy… *cough, cough, cough*… Yesterday, I was observing the celestial patterns at night and noticed a strange wind-attribute spiritual aura appearing in Qingshan City. You can go there and try to claim it.”
Having finished, Mo Wentian seemed tired. He lay down on the stone block and waved his hand at Wu Yan’s back. “Alright, stop blocking my sun. I have told you the method; what you do now is entirely up to you. A sword, in the end, must be ground by oneself.”
Wu Yan gripped the sword hilt and bowed again toward the figure on the stone. “Thank you for your guidance, Ninth Uncle.”
She then turned and left.
As soon as they stepped out of the Purple Bamboo Forest, Wu Yan (Inner) began huffing in her ear, occasionally stomping on the ground. ‘Tsk, all these Righteous Path types are exactly the same!’
She poked Wu Yan’s shoulder with extreme disdain. ‘He’s clearly just telling you to find a good wind-attribute stone, but he has to drag in all that “light as a feather” nonsense. You big idiot, do you think this old drunk is just rambling because he’s high on wine?’
‘This habit of speaking as if they’re afraid someone might actually understand them… it hasn’t changed in decades!’
“Ninth Uncle is a master of the Way of the Sword. Since he says it exists, it must exist.”
‘Tsk, boring.’
Wu Yan (Inner) rolled her eyes and nimbly circled around to stand in front of Wu Yan. With her hands behind her back, she walked ahead with an arrogant gait, occasionally kicking pebbles on the side of the road.
‘Whatever. You’re the one doing the legwork and the hard labor. I’ll just watch.’
After venting, as if realizing something, Wu Yan (Inner) suddenly leaned close to Wu Yan’s ear with a greedy and cunning look on her face. ‘But since he suggested going to Qingshan City, we might as well visit Tianbao Pavilion and buy everything we like. Listen up, you big idiot: whether it’s light or heavy, good or bad, as long as it’s expensive, buy it all for me.’
‘We are spending that old woman’s money anyway, so it doesn’t hurt a bit~’
***
Inside the main hall of Zhuqu Peak.
Xia Lingshuang stood with her hands behind her back at the entrance, her gaze piercing through the sea of clouds to rest on the figure traveling in the distance.
‘Why did I give her so much?’
Looking at the shifting clouds before her, Xia Lingshuang could not help but question herself.
She was clearly just a demon who would do anything to achieve her goals—someone who would even betray her master and ancestors. Why did she feel guilty toward her?
Perhaps it was because she had risked her life to save Qingyao, Gu Jian, and the others in the Cangwu Secret Realm?
As a Peak Master, it was only right to be fair with rewards and punishments. Since she had achieved such a great feat, giving her a reward was perfectly reasonable.
This explanation was logical, yet Xia Lingshuang could not convince herself.
Whenever she saw the current Wu Yan—taciturn and refusing to make a sound even when in pain—her heart, which had clearly been broken before, would still ache inexplicably.
She clearly deserved everything Xia Lingshuang had done to her.
Yet, whenever Xia Lingshuang looked into those clear, ink-colored eyes, she always felt as though she owed Wu Yan.
“Forget it. Just consider it buying peace of mind.”
Xia Lingshuang closed her eyes, forcing herself to stop watching the figure in white.
“The Five Sects Tournament is approaching. If she does not have a decent weapon, it would be a disgrace to my Piaomiao Sect.”