After Sheng Jun Chapter 26 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 26 God Loves the World (part 1)
Jiang Xingzhi's gaze was complex, and so was Zhong Ming's.
Their sound transmission continued:
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"You're the one being naive."
Jiang Xingzhi said, "Not everyone is like you..."
Zhong Ming suddenly smiled, "Like me in what way?"
Damn! Jiang Xingzhi regretfully stopped himself mid-sentence.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sharp sound of a folding fan snapping shut.
You Suqing gripped the fan's ribs and asked, "Does your excellency have some misunderstanding about me?"
Jiang Xingzhi seized the opportunity to set aside his earlier slip of the tongue and replied, "Thank you for your kindness, but I already have my own life-bound sword."
"What a pity..." You Suqing sighed. "That sword seemed like it was made specifically for you. I had that feeling the moment I saw it."
In front of the desolate Hidden Sword Tomb, the blue-robed man before them appeared as pristine as fresh snow, cool and elegant.
Truly, he resembled that hidden sword perfectly.
Feng Yuan spoke up from the side, "Your Excellency, our Pavilion Master is a genuine sword lover. The Hidden Sword Pavilion established this sword exchange system to help each sword find its destined owner, with no other ulterior motives."
Something in those words triggered Zhong Ming. His hand tightened on his sword as he moved half a step closer to Jiang Xingzhi, mentally communicating, "Now they're even talking about 'destined owners.' Still want to claim they're not trying to seduce you?"
Jiang Xingzhi: "..."
He asked, "Do you always take things out of context?"
Zhong Ming replied, "I focus on what matters."
Seeing that the two seemed to be having a private conversation, You Suqing pressed further, "I won't force you, but why not take a look first?"
Jiang Xingzhi glanced at him and said, "Fine."
Just looking wouldn't hurt.
After all, no one in this world could outmaneuver him, Jiang Xingzhi.
...
The hidden sword You Suqing mentioned wasn't in the Hidden Sword Tomb but was kept separately on the top floor of his pavilion.
Jiang Xingzhi and Zhong Ming followed him up to the tower. You Suqing dismissed everyone except Feng Yuan. After closing the door, he went behind a screen to a secret chamber and emerged with a sword case in his hands.
"This is it."
The moment the sword case opened, a cold light shone forth.
Jiang Xingzhi's heart suddenly skipped a beat as a thin, bright long sword appeared before his eyes—the blade was thin as snow, transparent as wings, with an indigo jewel set in the center of the hilt, wrapped in silver patterns.
It somewhat resembled his own life-bound sword, Chuji.
Zhong Ming's gaze flickered slightly.
Jiang Xingzhi asked, "Why keep it separate?"
Mentioning this, a deep sigh came from behind the mask. "Initially, this sword was also placed in the Hidden Sword Tomb, but we later discovered that once inside, it would stir up trouble everywhere, causing the surrounding hidden swords to clash with each other... We had no choice but to lock it away."
Jiang Xingzhi fell into an odd silence.
Zhong Ming's wariness instantly reduced by half, and his gaze toward You Suqing softened considerably: this sword truly was made for Jiang Xingzhi.
This nature of stirring up trouble and watching the chaos—just like its human counterpart.
As if sensing a kindred spirit, the sword suddenly flew up from its case, hovering in front of Jiang Xingzhi, emitting a series of sword hums: Weng weng weng...
You Suqing was surprised. "Is it recognizing its master?"
Jiang Xingzhi felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Looking at the sword before him, he couldn't help but ask, "What's its name?"
Amid the clear sword hums, You Suqing replied, "Tingxue."
"'Tingxue' as in 'snow in the courtyard.'"
Boom! A shock went through his mind—
Jiang Xingzhi froze on the spot.
****
A connection of fate to this extent could hardly be explained by coincidence.
Jiang Xingzhi wavered. Looking at this long sword with the same name as his honorific title, he silently thought:
Chuji, don't be angry. It's not here to separate us; it's here to join us...
Just as he was thinking this, he heard Zhong Ming beside him ask, "How many spirit stones?"
You Suqing said, "Following the pavilion's rules, exactly three thousand spirit stones."
The "Tingxue Sword" before them was of superior quality. Though it couldn't compare to Jiang Xingzhi's current top-grade spiritual sword Chu Ji, it could still rank among the top of the thousand swords in the Hidden Sword Pavilion.
Three thousand spirit stones was already a generous offer.
Jiang Xingzhi felt ashamed of his earlier suspicions. "The Pavilion Master is truly honorable. Then I shall gratefully accept."
He lowered his head and rummaged through his storage pouch. The spirit stones clinked around. After digging for a while, Jiang Xingzhi suddenly became embarrassed, "I almost forgot, I've had some large expenses recently..."
"I'll handle it," said Zhong Ming, taking out a bag of spirit stones and handing it to Feng Yuan, who was waiting nearby. "Settle the bill."
Seeing him casually take out six thousand spirit stones without breaking a sweat, while still being able to frequent Wu Jie's business daily, Jiang Xingzhi's mouth fell open. "Where did you get all this money?"
After completing the payment, Zhong Ming turned to him with a smile. "Savings for finding a spouse."
"..."
Jiang Xingzhi coughed. "You can cover it for now. I'll pay you back when I have money."
Can't get in the way of someone finding a spouse.
Zhong Ming made no response, but You Suqing across from them shook his fan, seemingly intrigued. "Do Dao companions keep their finances so separate?"
Jiang Xingzhi choked suddenly. "We're not Dao companions. We're just companions, fellow disciples..."
The fan stopped. You Suqing looked at Zhong Ming again. Then, with understanding, he apologized, "A misunderstanding. I'm sorry."
Jiang Xingzhi waved it off.
The "Tingxue Sword" was soon in his possession. Three thousand spirit stones for a high-quality treasured sword—he considered himself indebted to the other party.
He looked at You Suqing, who was gently waving his fan—this was the first Soul Split realm master he'd encountered since his rebirth. With such high cultivation, entering a secret realm would be no problem.
"Seven days from now, a secret realm will open. I wonder if the Pavilion Master is interested?"
As expected, You Suqing perked up, his back straightening. "Tell me more?"
Before Jiang Xingzhi could speak, his elbow was subtly pinched. Zhong Ming's reluctant voice sounded in his mind. "You want to invite him along?"
Jiang Xingzhi knocked his hand away with his elbow. "I'm just sharing resources, returning a favor."
Zhong Ming withdrew his hand. "Oh."
You Suqing waited several breaths without hearing Jiang Xingzhi continue, then watched as the two exchanged glances and bumped arms and hands. "..."
Companions, fellow disciples?
Hmm???
After sending away the unreasonable man beside him, Jiang Xingzhi finally calmed down and shared the news about the secret realm with You Suqing. After sharing, he warned the other—the secret realm was extremely dangerous; don't spread the news widely, and remember to prepare thoroughly before entering.
You Suqing readily agreed. "I understand. Thank you for your generosity. Why don't we exchange communication talismans to keep in touch when the time comes?"
"Of course."
After exchanging communication stones, Zhong Ming tapped his newly acquired ancient sword with his index finger and leaned against the wall, watching the two. "Shouldn't we be heading back?"
Jiang Xingzhi estimated that the time was about right and bid farewell to You Suqing. "Pavilion Master You, see you next time."
You Suqing was about to reply when his gaze caught the man nearby who was watching intensely. His words took a sudden turn. "Very well, Brother Jiang, see you next time."
The sword-tapping motion indeed paused.
Zhong Ming suddenly looked over, highly sensitive to this form of address.
Jiang Xingzhi hadn't caught on yet. He nodded and called to Zhong Ming to leave. "Bai Mu, didn't you say we should go back? Why are you still standing there?"
A cool gaze fell on You Suqing. When Zhong Ming turned back to Jiang Xingzhi, his eyelashes lowered, and he returned to normal. "My hand suddenly hurt. I didn't react in time."
"Your hand hurts?" Jiang Xingzhi asked as he walked out, looking down to check. "Didn't the bleeding already stop?"
"Maybe the evil energy hasn't dispersed yet."
"Let me see….Why have you become so fragile lately?"
As the two conversed, they stepped out of the room. Just before the mechanical door closed from all sides, a sound transmission landed in You Suqing's sea of consciousness:
"We're 'not yet' Dao companions."
Click—the mechanical door locked tight.
You Suqing burst out laughing. "Puhahaha!" The relationship between these two was truly interesting.
He waved his fan, beginning to look forward to the secret realm journey seven days later.
****
Flying back to Guixue Sect from Linxi City.
The ancient sword was temporarily stored in Zhong Ming's storage pouch. Jiang Xingzhi looked at his empty waist, feeling it didn't befit a peerless sword cultivator. "Why did you put away your sword?"
Zhong Ming replied, "Too heavy."
Such a large sword at the waist would keep Jiang Xingzhi at a distance from him.
The ancient sword coldly laughed in the storage pouch: Heh, carrying such a big burden, how could it not be heavy?
Jiang Xingzhi sighed, "You really have become fragile lately."
"Yes, I..."
"So fragile—will you still be able to enter the secret realm when the time comes?"
The exaggerating mouth suddenly closed. Zhong Ming paused, then spoke again, "I didn't sleep well last night either. I'm just temporarily fragile today; I'll be fine tomorrow."
Jiang Xingzhi was amused by his phrasing and asked with a chuckle, "Don't tell me you also dreamed about fighting enemies?"