Chapter 38

Chapter 38

As Xuan Qin’s words fell, the three reacted differently. He Yu showed it most dramatically, immediately letting out an astonished exclamation, his single eye widening so much it seemed larger than the black eyepatch covering his other eye. Chen Shu, after an initial moment of shock, actually took a deep breath, as if genuinely contemplating whether his suggestion held merit.

Among the three, only Yun Shen’s lips thinned slightly. From the moment Xuan Qin spoke, his gaze had fixed upon the man like a judge’s inquiry. Even the habitual curve of his lips seemed insincere; a cold chill radiated from him.

“Perhaps I am simply ill-informed,” perhaps realizing how undignified his outburst had been, it was He Yu who spoke up first. He attempted to steer the conversation back, stating, “Indeed, I have never heard of such a thing… a sword growing legs and wandering off by itself.”

He said it with a mediating intent. Yet Xuan Qin merely glanced at him with a light, almost imperceptible look. Though his attitude remained gentle and his tone sincere, it carried the patient condescension one might use when explaining matters to a child. Softly, he elaborated, “What you may not realize, sir, is that if a sword possesses spirit, leaving home is actually quite commonplace. Not only are such legends documented in ancient texts, but even within the last few centuries, isolated incidents have occurred from time to time.”

“Oh?” Yun Shen’s perpetually smiling expression finally faltered slightly, a spark of interest flaring in his eyes as he pressed, “Truly?”

He asked evenly, but his attitude was unusually firm, as if he hadn’t noticed He Yu frantically signaling to him from the side at all. Though only three words, he uttered them slowly, each syllable spoken with deliberate steadiness and precision.

“My sect encountered a similar case decades ago,” Xuan Qin responded, seeming to have hesitated for quite some time; perhaps because this carefully weighed sentence had been considered extensively, it came out much more smoothly. “It was also a newly forged sword, created by a master’s hand. After it was awakened, it disappeared without a trace within a few days.”

He Yu fell silent for a moment before cautiously interjecting, “Is there any chance… I mean just any chance at all… that the sword was simply lost?”

“It was not lost,” Xuan Qin stated seriously. “Swords forged at Qin Xin Bluff are never lost. Even if misplaced or stolen, they return to the spot where they disappeared within a few days.”

“But that time, it wasn’t found?”

“No, it was found,” Xuan Qin paused, and at this point, a trace of hesitation appeared once more. “Precisely because it was found, we knew it wasn’t stolen—the sword had been placed upon the sword monument in that senior’s courtyard, and carved into that monument by the sword itself was a line of characters—”

“Could it possibly mean it didn’t wish to be wielded and sought its freedom instead?” Chen Shu, who had been listening intently, cut in immediately.

Seeing her listen with such evident, meticulous interest, obviously taking it seriously, and observing Yun Shen, who wasn’t speaking but wore an equally sober expression devoid of mockery, He Yu glanced left and right. He probably finally realized he was the odd one out. Instantly, he snapped his mouth shut even tighter, wisely staying quiet.

As if finding kindred spirits, Xuan Qin and Chen Shu continued this bizarre tale: “You guessed correctly, young lady, it was along those lines. Moreover, the sword vanished mysteriously and returned just as mysteriously. On the night it returned, aside from the senior himself, no one had entered the courtyard. If the sword didn’t carve the words itself, who else could it have been?”

Chen Shu nodded gravely, stating, “Makes sense.”

At her words, a subtle but visible flicker of joy crossed Xuan Qin’s face. He moved his lips, restraining himself before adding, “I knew you’d agree… Ordinarily, we in the sect wouldn’t dare speak of this to outsiders. But sensing today that you carry the true spirit of the sword within you, that you are a genuine Sword Cultivator, I felt compelled to share this secret with you. Not to insist we find your precious sword, only hoping it might offer you a spark of inspiration or a clue. That alone would be enough.”

“I know you mean well!” Chen Shu accepted readily, laughing as she spoke. “If I get the chance, I’ll go back to my own sect and search around, see if my sword carved any big letters cursing me up on the mountain peak!”

Just before she spoke, Yun Shen’s lips had parted. Watching Xuan Qin, he seemed about to say something. Yet the moment Chen Shu uttered her words, he turned his head towards her. His expression softened then, an ambiguous flicker that hinted at fondness or exasperation, rendered indistinct by its lightness. Amidst their brief exchange, however, the bustling crowd around the Sword Debate Arena had already surged several times. The excitement built steadily, the clamor rose; spectators strained on tiptoes, pushing desperately towards the Sword Discussion Platform, wishing they could leap directly onto it. This fervor even infected He Yu, who kept sneaking glances towards the ongoing matches. Only Chen Shu and Xuan Qin, amidst the throng, conversing naturally about swords as if their topic were perfectly normal, unaware of their own incongruousness.

And Yun Shen was watching her.

Perhaps moved by this irrational, undefinable sense of restless agitation, Yun Shen found himself unable to look away. Abruptly glancing around him, he realized the overwhelming pandemonium only made the pair seem more serene. One was bashful, the other guileless, yet they truly stood like two sentinel sword monuments amidst the seething humanity, utterly unshaken by the flood of feverish excitement, passionately debating the story of her “runaway” sword.

Yun Shen’s gaze shifted numerous times. One couldn’t tell what thoughts churned within him. Finally, he let out a long, slow breath. His hand lifted almost unconsciously, reaching back to feel his own back. A low chuckle escaped him, filled with something akin to resigned wonder, and he fell silent.

——

He Yu gave up on watching the subsequent matches after all — he had been spared from contesting. Not only was he exempt from the second round, through sheer happenstance, he had even drawn Chen Shu as his opponent. Just as she said — truly “fate”— she intervened herself. With her power, she saved him from falling under that golden mace, so he hadn’t needed to fight again nor endure the contempt of Biyang Valley. Even better, he had ended up richly rewarded without effort. Glee filled him utterly — for Chen Shu, even if He Yu genuinely wanted to help scrutinize her future opponents, he couldn’t even open his mouth before she waved her hand dismissively. Utterly confident, she led the way as they withdrew from the tide of people crowding the Sword Debate Arena.

Against the flow, they walked all the way back, constantly apologizing to those who either willingly or grudgingly made way for them. It took them a great long while to finally emerge from this human wall, ten times thicker than during the morning. Only then could they breathe the cooler, less stifling breeze filling the air.

Chen Shu stretched her form, her steps light and swift. Only after He Yu called her name twice did she slow her pace. Among the three, Yun Shen was the slowest, trailing quietly behind. He seemed to be looking at Chen Shu, yet also seemed to see nothing at all; he merely gazed straight ahead, and it just so happened that Chen Shu, skipping along, invariably ended up squarely in his line of sight.

“Hey there! Why are you so dawdling!” Chen Shu called out to him.

Yun Shen raised his eyebrows, snapping out of his reverie. He gave a light, mocking snort, then thought for a moment and smiled. “Aren’t I helping you figure out that lost sword?”

“Oh.” Chen Shu nodded, waiting for Yun Shen to walk beside her before asking, “You found his story interesting too, didn’t you?”

“Hearing you say that, do you actually believe it?” Yun Shen asked gently, glancing at her.

“No.” Chen Shu answered. Then, without looking back, she strode onto the main street. Her ponytail swished about her, full of boundless energy.

Sunlight poured over her path behind her, seeming to radiate with the very warmth spilling off her being until it had bathed the entire street ahead.

Yun Shen paused again in his tracks. Gazing at her retreating figure, he exchanged a helpless look with He Yu, shook his head, and only then lifted his foot to walk forward again. To walk with her side by side.

“Then how did you reply so promptly earlier… ?”

“He called me ‘master’!” Chen Shu finally turned her head around, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Yun Shen. “Didn’t you hear? He praised me as ‘from a master’s hand’, and said I ‘carry the true spirit of the sword within me’! He has such a discerning eye and he’s so good at giving compliments! He could almost rival my Senior Sister! No wonder everyone says Qin Xin Bluff is the top sect—”

Yun Shen was momentarily stunned. Through his restraint, a flicker of genuine amusement surfaced in his expression. It was as if he sighed in relief. He listened, eyes curved like crescents, to all Chen Shu had to say before finally asking, “The mighty top sect… in your mind, does it rest solely on their ability to offer flattery? ”

“Ai! You just don’t get it! It wasn’t like those empty pleasantries you people offer,” Chen Shu pointed a finger back at him. She walked backwards while emphasizing her words, “Genuine heart touches genuine heart! That’s what it means to be a Sword Cultivator! So even if I don’t believe it all the way, I also don’t think what he said was lies!”

As they walked, Yun Shen continued to observe her enjoying herself, seeming to grasp her ineffable meaning, lost in thought. Only He Yu was still utterly bewildered and said with a laugh,

“What do you mean by ‘you lot exchanging this kind of polite talk’? If you felt he spoke the truth, why then do you not believe it? I never engage in polite talk with Little Shu, yet you wound me with those words.”

Chen Shu let out a “hng,” replying, “But if you took his words seriously, you’d see exactly why they shouldn’t be believed! Let me ask you: according to him, this sword fled its master seeking freedom, so why then did it turn back and return to this courtyard?”

“Because the sword… changed its mind? Or because someone picked it up?” He Yu paused, laughing at his own words. “Ah, those words carved on the stele were man-made to begin with.”

“Wrong!” Chen Shu drew herself up unconsciously, chin lifted, and declared solemnly,

“It was because this sword remains ever driven by human hands. Even if it flees to the ends of the earth, it cannot escape its ordained fate to be gripped within a palm.

“Ultimately, it understood. It realized that true freedom lay not in escaping this confined space, but in returning willingly to confess everything to its wielder. Only when sword and heart resonate as one does true freedom exist.”

Her words were resolute, spoken with unwavering conviction. They startled He Yu, and even Yun Shen halted his steps, seemingly moved by her speech. He stared at her, dumbfounded, until her head swelled with pride, bubbles of delight almost floating her skywards. Just as she was waiting for these two stunned individuals to snap out of it and press her for why she disbelieved Xuan Qin’s truth, she saw Yun Shen open his mouth—

“Behind you—”

She collided headlong into Yan Ji. Chen Shu hissed in irritation—no real pain, but it perfectly embodied “losing oneself in pride.” Furious and ready to snap, she felt Yan Ji pat her head. He laughed heartily, already moving towards He Yu, throwing an arm around him.

“Just the person! I was heading to the Sword Debate Arena to find you!” Yan Ji slung his weight carelessly onto He Yu’s shoulder with a thud. “How about another gathering tonight?”

That solid collision elicited a loud “Oww!” from He Yu, who rubbed his ribs. Hearing Yan Ji’s words, he looked up suspiciously. “…Could it be you’re scheming again…?”

“What nonsense!” Yan Ji immediately used the same hand to thump He Yu’s head, putting all his strength into it and earning another pained yelp. Chuckling, he announced, “I’m heading back! The old man’s got ears everywhere! Mere days, and already three letters cursing me out! A real ‘heart yearned for home’ deal!”