Chapter 38: A Gentle Breeze, Discussions on the Three Realms’ World
No matter who commits a mistake, they must pay a price; those who do wrong deserve punishment, no exception. (Gu Long)
……
The Great Sword King’s leg was stretched upward, twitching nonstop and emitting smoke. Liu Yi and the Ten Heroes shook their heads. A Jiu said, “He brought this upon himself—no place for him to live.”
Liu Yi looked at the Great Sword King and said, “It seems he’s really cooked this time. Eleven, carry him first.” With that, he turned and followed Shui Er.
Shui Er led the way downhill, saying as they walked, “This Great Sword King is really amusing. He ignored my warning and insisted on having my master come. This time it’s serious.”
Liu Yi smiled and said, “I’ve only heard before that the swords in the human realm are extremely sharp and powerful. I never thought the talismans of the Divine Gate could be just as formidable!”
Shui Er laughed and said, “That’s because you haven’t seen my master’s ‘Heart-Draining Gun.’ You’ll have a different opinion then.”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “Yes. If I get the chance, I must see Elder Bo’s ‘Heart-Draining Gun.’” It seemed fate had arranged this—ten years later, Liu Yi’s “Sword That Shatters Heaven” would target its “soul,” shocking the four major sects of the three realms. But that’s a story for later; let’s not go into details now.
After walking for about half an hour, Shui Er stopped and led them to a stone house nearby. “These four stone houses are prepared for you all. I’ll live on the upper floor, where we drank tea earlier. If you need anything, you can come to me.” She then opened each door.
A Jiu looked at the houses and said, “Sister Shui Er is so thoughtful. She must stay here every day just in case we need her.”
Shui Er smiled at A Jiu and said, “Thank you, Sister A Jiu, for your praise. After hearing what you said, I realize I should spend more time with you all. Otherwise, if my master blames me, I won’t be able to bear it.”
A Jiu tilted her head and suddenly realized this little girl was even more scheming than Jili Er. It seemed whatever she said only helped her. A Jiu quickly said, “It’s okay. If you have things to do, go ahead. Your master won’t blame you. We don’t need you to accompany us.”
Shui Er still smiled and said, “I happen to have nothing to do these days. I’d better take care of these guests from afar.”
The Great Sword King, on the back of the Ten Heroes, opened his mouth and spat out smoke. “Then take care of me first. Treat me.”
Shui Er looked at him and barely suppressed a smile. “Brother Eleven, you two, please follow me.” She then headed to the innermost room.
Liu Yi, having nothing to do, sat at the stone table in the middle of the four rooms, poured himself a cup of tea, and sipped it slowly.
A Jiu also sat nearby, drinking tea while saying, “Idiot, when are we leaving here? I’m getting bored.”
Liu Yi looked at A Jiu and smiled. “You crazy girl! I want to leave early too. Every extra day increases the danger for the people in Fengmo Town. But without the Divine Gate’s magical artifacts, how can we leave?”
A Jiu quickly asked, “Really? Even you want to leave soon?”
Liu Yi smiled and said, “Why would I lie to you?”
A Jiu took a sip of tea and said, “Then are you willing to leave Shui Er?”
Liu Yi looked at A Jiu strangely, patted her head, and said, “Aren’t you having a fever? What special relationship do Shui Er and I have?”
A Jiu glared at Liu Yi and snapped, “Hmph! What an idiot. How can you not even see that?”
Liu Yi felt confused…
At that moment, Shui Er came out of the room. The Great Sword King seemed to have returned to his usual state, wearing black baggy pants, nothing on top, carrying a huge sword… But something felt off. Ah… it was his hair. The Great Sword King’s hair was over two feet long and stood straight up, giving him an aura of being unbeatable.
The Great Sword King walked up to Liu Yi, deliberately posing in two different stances and swinging his immovable “steel needle.” Upon seeing this, Liu Yi spat out a mouthful of tea like a volcano erupting, hitting the Great Sword King right in the face.
Liu Yi held his stomach and laughed wildly…
The Great Sword King wiped the tea off his body while looking at Liu Yi and said, “Is it that funny? Miss Shui Er said this is the new style—girls like it, right?” Then he turned to look at Shui Er.
Shui Er removed her hand from her mouth, nodded, and said, “Mm, yes.”
Shi Jie Yi came over, sat next to Liu Yi, poured tea, and said, “I’d rather girls not like it than have my hair stand on end. It looks uncomfortable.”
Liu Yi finally stopped laughing and said, “Alright, alright. Sit down and rest. Anyway, we’re just waiting for news here. Let’s chat.”
Shui Er glanced at A Jiu and said, “Young Master Liu, I think I’d better go back. I’m afraid… some people here might not welcome me.”
The Great Sword King quickly said, “No, you must not leave. Besides me, you know the three realms best, and you’re also a disciple of the Divine Gate. I, the Great Sword King, love listening to the legendary stories of these masters. Let’s exchange ideas and spar a bit. Everyone’s bored anyway.”
Hearing this, Shi Jie Yi also became excited and said, “Right, Shui Er. I also love hearing these stories of masters. Tell us some. Maybe we’ll meet them in the future, and it’ll be good to be prepared. Haha, haha! Right? Ouch!” The last word clearly indicated he had been attacked! Needless to say, A Jiu was next to Shi Jie Yi.
Shui Er smiled slightly at A Jiu and said, “Since everyone has nothing to do, let’s enjoy the tea, bask in the sun, and discuss the martial arts world and the three realms…” With that, she gently sat down between Liu Yi and the Great Sword King.
Shui Er took a sip of the clear tea and continued, “Actually, I heard all this from my master. What I want to talk about are the famous swordsmen in the world today. I wonder if everyone is interested.”
The Great Sword King quickly said, “Sure, sure.”
Shui Er continued, “The world is divided into three regions, and there are six great swordsmen in the three realms. The swords they wield are all unique treasures.”
“The number one is from the Cold Sword Gate in the human realm—Leng Jian. Thirty years ago, he fought several times against the demon clan’s Wei Lingfeng, with no clear winner. For the past twenty years, he hasn’t drawn his sword, and his presence is even rarer in the three realms. His sword is named ‘Flowing Cloud.’ It’s three feet one inch long, four tenths of an inch wide, the hilt is four inches long, and the sword weighs sixteen pounds. It’s an extremely thin sword, and he’s most skilled in the sword technique ‘Zhenwu Sword Intent.’”
The Great Sword King took a sip of tea, shook his standing hair, and said, “Leng Jian is my idol. To have known only one sword in his life—what a true sword enthusiast.”
Shui Er replied, “The sword enthusiast isn’t Leng Jian; it’s the second-ranked one—Tie Xiao, Leng Jian’s disciple and the chief disciple of the Leng Jian Sect. He’s also the current leader of the sect. Tie Xiao is the youngest swordsman, 25 years old this year. He followed Leng Jian at the age of four, mastered his skills by ten, received the sacred sword ‘Xuan Guang’ at twelve, became famous throughout the three realms by seventeen, and challenged warriors across the jianghu. At 23, he returned to the Leng Jian Sect to take over as its leader, earning the title of ‘Sword Enthusiast’. His sword, ‘Xuan Guang’, is three feet three inches long, one inch and one fraction wide, weighs 28 jin, and is a sword that absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.”
“The third-ranked one is the Proud Heaven Demon Lord of the Demon Clan’s Demon Sect. He took over as the sect leader 20 years ago and has since been in seclusion practicing swordsmanship. No one knows how powerful his sword is, but it’s said to be already on par with his predecessor, Wei Ling Feng. His sword is named ‘Luosha’, an evil sword that has been passed down for a hundred years. It’s three feet four inches long, nine fractions wide, the hilt is four inches long, and it weighs 29 jin. He specializes in the sword technique ‘Nine Spirits Sword Art’.”
“The fourth-ranked one is likely the leader of the Blood Sect, the third sect of the demon clan. No one knows his name. He took over the Blood Sect a hundred years ago and has never been seen in person. His sword is named ‘Bloodthirst’, three feet two inches long, one inch and three fractions wide, the hilt is four inches long, and it weighs 32 jin. It’s an ancient demonic sword that’s extremely powerful. However, he hasn’t been seen in decades, so he’s also become a legend.”
“The fifth-ranked one is back in the human world, from the Buddhist sect—a lay disciple named Li Ling. He joined the Buddhist sect as a layman 30 years ago, took a sword as his teacher, and created his own sword technique, ‘Great Compassion Sword’. After entering the jianghu for ten years, he hasn’t encountered any rival. His sword is named ‘Scorching Sun’. It’s three feet one inch long, one inch and two fractions wide, the hilt is four inches long, and it weighs 27 jin. This sword is incredibly fierce and full of mysteries. But like Leng Jian, this person has not appeared in years, vanishing without a trace.”
The Great Sword King laughed and said, “Great masters are like this—capable of doing anything, going anywhere. How can they not live freely?”
A Jiu laughed and said, “Yeah, if the Great Sword King learned all these, so many girls would be in trouble!”
Shui Er glanced at the Great Sword King and added softly, “The sixth-ranked one is another elder from our Divine Sect—Yang Yunfeng. He became an elder of the Divine Sect at the age of 30, all thanks to his swordsmanship. For 20 years, he’s never left the Divine Sect. He’s as cold as ice, just like his sword, ‘Ning Xue’. This sword is three feet three inches long, one inch and one fraction wide, weighs 31 jin. If someone is struck by it, their strength will be weakened, and they might even freeze solid. This sword is very mysterious. As for the sword technique he specializes in, I’m not quite sure either.”
Shi Jie Yi quickly asked, “So your Divine Sect isn’t that great either! How did it end up in sixth place?”
Shui Er smiled and said, “This is just considering swordsmanship. If we add in the divine arts and magic artifacts of our Divine Sect, see where we’d rank.”
Shi Jie Yi immediately turned his gaze to the Great Sword King and nodded, “Impressive. If they also use divine arts and magic artifacts, they might even be stronger than the Demon Sect.”
Shui Er looked at Shi Jie Yi’s funny expression and said, “Actually, there were originally seven swords…”
A Jiu quickly interjected, “Ah, there’s a seventh sword? Then why did you say there are only six?”
Shui Er replied, “This seventh sword is one that remained from the beginning of the world.”
The Great Sword King hurriedly said, “Damn, such a long time! Then this sword must be sentient—it’s definitely the best sword.”
Shui Er shook her head and said, “Not necessarily. This seventh sword is very mysterious. Its name is ‘Sorrowful Dream.’ It’s three feet nine inches long, with a triple-edged blade. It has no hilt guard, and its hilt is nine inches long, round in shape, carved in the form of a dragon. The triple-edged blade emerges from the dragon’s mouth, as if that mouth serves as the hilt guard.”
The Great Sword King exclaimed, “Isn’t that just a stick? It’s so long—almost five feet! How can it be used?”
Shui Er nodded and said, “That’s one of the reasons. No one knows why this sword is so long. You see, when drawing a long sword, it’s at a serious disadvantage. Moreover, it’s simply too long—many techniques can’t be used when drawing it. Additionally, a layer of black gas always surrounds the blade. If the wielder is an expert, they can barely control it, but if their skills are weak, they’ll be controlled by the sword instead.”
Shi Jie Yi took a sip of tea and said, “If this sword is so poor, how can it still be called a precious sword?”
Shui Er took a sip of tea, glanced at Liu Yi, and said, “That’s because the owner of the ‘Sorrowful Dream’ sword was once Wei Lingfeng.”
The Great Sword King quickly asked, “Are you saying Wei Lingfeng used this sword back then?”
Shui Er nodded and said, “I think only Wei Lingfeng could make the ‘Sorrowful Dream’ sword regain its true nature. After his death, the ‘Sorrowful Dream’ also disappeared from this world.”
The Great Sword King’s mouth watered as he said, “With so many precious swords, just give me one, and I’ll become rich.”
Shui Er said, “If you don’t have the ability to surpass those six great masters, don’t even think about precious swords. Otherwise, you’ll only end up being hunted.”
The Great Sword King turned around and said, “What a joke? To surpass those six great masters? You might as well tell me to study how to become an immortal.”
A Jiu covered his face with both hands and said, “Sigh… I wonder what those six great masters still aspire to.”
Shui Er also nodded and said, “Perhaps those six great masters really have no more aspirations.”
After saying that, Shui Er looked around and whispered, “Let me tell you a secret. I saw this when my master was divining.”
Everyone pressed their faces against the stone table and asked, “What secret?”
Shui Er said, “Those six great masters are only temporary. In ten years, the three realms will be in chaos. At that time, current legends will be completely overturned. True masters will appear like gods, and five factions will coexist.” After saying that, she sat up straight.
The Great Sword King stammered, “Are you saying… really, there are people who can surpass them?”
Shui Er said, “Not just a few people, but many. In ten years, swordsmanship will reach a new level. I think Leng Jian disappeared because he predicted this and went into seclusion to train.”
The Great Sword King continued, “Tell us more about Leng Jian…”
Shui Er said, “Okay…”
“…”
As the sky gradually darkened, the group remained immersed in this fascinating world of the three realms.