Chapter Sixty-Four: The Gift of the Sword

Che Wuyou stood still for a moment, watching Liu Lanzhi disappear into the distance. He frowned, and in the end, he chased after her.

The weather in Jizhou was warm as spring throughout the year. Even though it was now the depths of winter, flowers still bloomed, competing for beauty.

Seeing Liu Lanzhi storm off in anger, Che Wuyou paid no mind to the tantalizing scenery along the path, and hurried toward the riverside.

At the Lanzhi Riverbank, Liu Lanzhi’s longsword danced and flashed, cutting down one dazzling blossom after another as if they were her enemies. Sword light flickered, true energy surged, and the fallen flowers were drawn by her blade as though they were arrows, shooting into the sky in bundles...

Che Wuyou watched in a daze as the “rain of flowers” fell from above. He knew Liu Lanzhi was venting her anger, but had no idea what to say...

He stood by for a long time, seemingly to break the oppressive silence, and perhaps out of sympathy for the fate of the flowers, finally muttered, “Lan... Lanzhi… The sunlight is very nice today, very nice.” As he spoke, he looked up at the sky.

Liu Lanzhi, seeing he’d watched her “performance” so long only to say such a thing, grew even more furious. She raised her sword and hacked at the iron-ringed tree by her side, but the tree was so sturdy that her blows neither cut it down nor even left a mark; instead, her hand began to ache from the impact...

Frustrated, Liu Lanzhi stopped and instinctively looked up. Above, dark clouds pressed low and sorrowful, heralding rain though no wind yet stirred—nothing at all like the “nice sunlight” Che Wuyou had claimed.

She glared at Che Wuyou, as if to ask: where is the sunlight? Watching his embarrassed face, it seemed he hadn’t even realized the weather wasn’t good...

Seeing his attempt at comfort so perfunctory, Liu Lanzhi rushed over, pushed him, and said angrily, “Go, just go! Who asked you to come after me? I’m practicing my sword alone; what does it have to do with you? Why must you come and say such annoying things?”

“I... I came to give you swords. I saw you swing so fiercely just now, but you couldn’t cut down that iron-ringed tree... Why not try these two swords?” Che Wuyou held out the two inferior-grade treasure swords bestowed by Zhang Wanli. “I’ll give you both—try again. You should be able to cut the tree this time. Master Zhang said both swords are extremely powerful.”

Looking at Che Wuyou’s cautious expression, Liu Lanzhi was both amused and helpless. She’d been hacking at the tree just to vent her anger, yet he, seeing she couldn’t cut through, earnestly brought her treasure swords, encouraging her to continue... Was he trying to help her vent, or soothe her?

“Fool...” Liu Lanzhi couldn’t help but laugh. This guy really was a fool; calling him that had never been wrong.

Che Wuyou saw Liu Lanzhi smiling and awkwardly smiled back.

Liu Lanzhi rolled her eyes at him, fastened her own sword at her waist, and took the sword Che Wuyou handed her. With a metallic clang, the blade emerged, and a chilling aura enveloped them both. As they gazed at the dazzling, icy edge, they both exclaimed, “What a sword.”

Having never handled a treasure weapon before, Liu Lanzhi was curious. She gave it a casual swing. With a sharp hiss, a brilliant sword light shot forward, trailing afterimages, piercing deep into the earth before her.

The power stunned Liu Lanzhi. For a long time, she couldn’t recover. Legendary treasure weapons were said to be powerful, yet she had underestimated them; even a gentle swing was formidable. She caressed the blade, feeling its icy energy, and sensed a faint “emotion” from the sword—perhaps the nascent spirit of the blade.

Excited, Liu Lanzhi danced with the sword. It writhed in her hand like a venomous serpent poised to strike, each movement echoing with chilling hisses. Che Wuyou instinctively stepped back, knowing she was testing the sword but still feeling a thrill of fear.

Seeing the sword’s sharpness, Liu Lanzhi recalled her duel with her senior brother. If she’d wielded this sword then, she wondered how many rounds he would have lasted. She doubted he would have been her match.

Admiring the sword, Liu Lanzhi sighed, “Such power—this blade elevates one’s strength by several levels. Truly worthy of its reputation as a treasure weapon.”

She glanced about, spotted the iron-ringed tree, and smiled. Raising the sword, she unleashed her true energy. The space around the blade rippled with visible waves of spiritual force, and a three-foot sword light appeared. The sword swept past the famously tough iron-ringed tree in a flash, trailing a luminous tail.

Che Wuyou stared at the still-standing tree, then at Liu Lanzhi—was it all thunder and no rain? Just as he wondered, a loud crash echoed; the tree, caught by a gust, toppled toward them.

“Fool, run!” Liu Lanzhi laughed merrily and raced toward Che Wuyou, who finally snapped out of it and fled.

“Such precious swords—are you really willing to give them to me?” Liu Lanzhi hugged the sword, smiling. At last, he showed some heart.

Che Wuyou, seeing Liu Lanzhi’s radiant smile, smiled as well and said, “The ancients said beauty deserves a gift; a treasure sword should be given to a fair lady.” He seemed to find his words inappropriate and scratched his head in embarrassment.

Liu Lanzhi was delighted, though she remained calm on the surface. “I’m hardly a fair lady. Only someone like Zhang Qing’er counts as one—good talent, lovely features, and a fine family; not like me, an orphan with no one to care for.”

“But in my heart, you are the fair lady. Whether now or in the future, no one can compare to you.” Che Wuyou, hearing her sadness, couldn’t help but speak from the heart.

Liu Lanzhi, touched by his sincerity, felt her heart flutter. At last, he hadn’t wasted her affection. Her eyes sparkled, and suddenly she became shy and hesitant. “Then... then...” she stammered, a blush rising on her cheeks, as if she had something difficult to say but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Che Wuyou, seeing Liu Lanzhi so rarely bashful, felt as if he were dreaming. He’d never seen her like this, and his heart raced. What did she want to say...?

“Why... why did you give me two treasure swords? Aren’t you keeping one for yourself? Besides, what do I need so many swords for?” Liu Lanzhi, seeing Che Wuyou’s dazed expression, suddenly smiled mischievously.

Che Wuyou was a bit lost. He had sensed Liu Lanzhi had something to say, but what she said was so different from what he expected. Had he misunderstood? Seeing her charming smile, there was no sign of her earlier shyness. He rubbed his eyes, but the blush on her snowy cheeks hadn’t faded, so perhaps he hadn’t misread her after all.

Though disappointed, Che Wuyou answered, “One for you, one for Senior Brother Duan Xiaoyuan.”

“Why give it to Senior Brother Duan? Don’t you want one for yourself?” Liu Lanzhi was puzzled; after testing the sword, she was even more reluctant to part with it.

“Did you forget? You promised Senior Brother Duan that if you excelled in the pill trial and won a treasure weapon, you’d give it to him.”

“But I didn’t win the treasure weapon—you did.”

“What difference does it make, whether you or I got it? Besides, you now have the treasure weapon. Senior Brother Duan won’t ask for it outright, but how will he feel? And all the other brothers were present and heard your promise. If there were only one sword, it would be fine, but there are two now. If you don’t give one to Senior Brother Duan, how will the others see you? How will you lead the Miao family in the future?”

Liu Lanzhi was taken aback. Che Wuyou was already planning for her future, but she was still reluctant. It was a powerful treasure, after all, and impossible not to feel attached.

She examined both swords, finally saying, “Wuyou, let’s not give it away. Let them think whatever they want; neither of these swords were won by me anyway.”

“Um... Lanzhi, don’t be so stingy. Though we give away a treasure sword, what we gain is far more. Now that our reputations have spread, there will be no shortage of high-level cultivators seeking us for alchemy. With our skills, will we ever lack treasure weapons in the future?” Che Wuyou’s eyes sparkled.

Liu Lanzhi hesitated, but under Che Wuyou’s earnest gaze, she finally steeled herself. After all, Senior Brother Duan was one of their own. Fine, let him have it.