Chapter 332-333 On How to Conquer System Fairies and Make Them Your Wives 332-333 |
This refining process lasted another five years.
During those five years, they searched the world for a suitable sword spirit.
But their final choice became the catalyst for their falling out.
The Demon Venerable refused to use Mingluan’s daughter as the sword spirit and left. The Immortal Venerable, alone, continued forging the Changming Sword.
But forging a Dao Realm treasure was too much for one person. He exhausted himself, only managing to reach the spirit-infusion stage.
On that day, Gu Changliu, his hair disheveled, his face covered in stubble, stood before the cauldron, his gaze fixed on the flames.
“Becoming a sword spirit means losing all your memories and emotions. You will no longer be human. Are you… sure you don’t regret this?”
“I don’t,” a young girl’s voice, clear and bright, echoed through the chamber.
Gu Changliu looked at his daughter, his eyes filled with a mixture of pride and sorrow, and ruffled her hair gently. “You’re so brave, it makes me feel… inadequate.”
Her eyes were clear and bright, her voice filled with a childlike innocence. “It’s okay, Father. This is my choice. I just like swords.”
It was the truth.
She had started practicing swordsmanship at the age of five, her progress astonishingly fast, even Gu Changliu, a Dao Comprehending Sword Cultivator, was impressed.
She had agreed to become the sword spirit without hesitation.
The moment she saw the Eternal Light Sword, she had been captivated by its beauty and power.
Gu Changliu sighed softly. “Alright. I’ll do my best.”
But he wasn’t confident.
He was exhausted, his life force depleted by the years of forging the sword. He wasn’t sure he could complete the final step.
But his daughter hadn’t hesitated.
He couldn’t either.
The flames beneath the cauldron intensified.
He watched as she walked towards the sword, her small figure disappearing into the fire, and closed his eyes, a silent prayer echoing in his heart.
…Forgive me. You should have been more important than the world.
“…He failed,” Mo Xun said, his voice filled with a quiet sadness. “He died before he could complete the ritual, his daughter transformed into a sword spirit, but her spirit never merged with the sword. You know the rest.”
Chen Yin nodded.
…The dying Immortal Venerable had left his daughter, now a sword spirit, in the depths of the Heavenly Path Perilous Domain.
He had been too weak to complete the sword.
He had left it to fate, to someone who could finish what he had started.
Then, he had hidden his legacy in the Azure Cicada Ancient Domain, leaving behind opportunities for future generations,
Before returning to Mount Changliu, to Mingluan’s grave,
Where he had died peacefully.
“And the Demon Venerable, Mo Wuyou, although he claimed to have abandoned his brother, he continued to watch over the Eternal Light Sword in secret. He knew it wasn’t complete. But he refused to finish it himself, leaving it to his descendants.”
“Perhaps he was also… running away,” Mo Xun sighed.
Chen Yin was silent, his mind reeling.
His image of the Immortal Venerable, the carefree and playful lover of erotic novels, clashed with the image of the selfless hero who had sacrificed his own daughter to save humanity.
It was a noble act, but Chen Yin couldn’t condone it.
“Now that you’ve found the sword spirit,” Mo Xun said, his voice low and serious, “the choice is yours.”
Xiang’er and Luo Luo looked at Chen Yin.
…He didn’t know what to do.
If Mo Xun was telling the truth, then completing the sword meant erasing Gu Mingyue’s existence, replacing her with Sword Maiden, the sword spirit.
But he couldn’t make that decision for her.
It was her choice, her sacrifice.
…Even if it meant delaying Master’s rescue.
He couldn’t lie to her either.
“I… I can’t decide for her,” he sighed after a long silence. “We’ll ask her when she wakes up—”
Suddenly, the chaotic Sword Qi that had been swirling around Master’s dwelling vanished.
The air cleared, the sky turning a brilliant blue.
…Sword Maiden must have woken up.
They rushed to the dwelling and found her sitting by the window, her amber eyes clear and bright, her presence radiating a quiet serenity.
“Gu… Sword Maiden, you’re awake?”
She turned to him, her gaze meeting his.
Chen Yin suddenly felt a strange reluctance to look into her eyes.
“Are you… feeling alright?”
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice calm and steady. “I just remembered a few things. My mind is a bit… confused. I need to eat the rest of the sword fragments. Perhaps then I’ll remember how to fix the sword.”
Chen Yin wasn’t as excited as he had expected to be. He just looked at her, his eyes filled with a quiet sadness.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. “Don’t you want to repair the sword?”
“There’s something… I have to tell you first.”
He took a deep breath and told her about her past, about the Eternal Light Sword, about the sacrifice she had made. “If repairing the sword means… you becoming its sword spirit… But if you don’t want to, it’s okay. I won’t force you.”
To his surprise, her answer was immediate and unwavering.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
She blinked, her expression unchanged. “Are you overthinking this? I don’t understand what you mean by ‘greater good’ or ‘self-sacrifice’. I want to become the sword spirit because… I like swords. That’s all.”
Chen Yin was silent for a long moment, then he said softly,
“I’ll protect you.”
He sat beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
Sword Maiden closed her eyes and took the remaining fragments of the Eternal Light Sword from his hand.
And a powerful Sword Qi, ancient and pure, surged from her body, filling the room, echoing through the heavens.
After absorbing the first fragment, Sword Maiden devoured the rest with ease. As she consumed each piece, her hair swirled around her, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light, her body radiating a powerful Sword Qi.
Chen Yin struggled to contain the surging energy, activating Master’s protective formations and sending Xiang’er and Luo Luo away.
Sword Maiden’s eyes, as she absorbed the fragments, gradually changed, their clear amber depths now swirling with a kaleidoscope of colors.
Even after she had consumed all the fragments, she remained in a trance-like state, her gaze distant and unfocused.
“Sword Maiden?” Chen Yin’s voice brought her back to reality.
She looked at him, her eyes slowly regaining their focus.
“I remember,” she said, her voice still calm and steady.
Chen Yin looked at her, his heart pounding in his chest. The girl before him, though still pure and innocent, seemed… different. A stranger.
“Gu… Miss Gu,” he said softly.
“There’s no need for formalities,” she said, her voice as calm and emotionless as ever, “while I still have my memories, let’s talk business. Repairing the Eternal Light Sword requires two things. First, I have to become its sword spirit. And second, it needs a large number of… spirited swords… to be reforged, to strengthen its blade.”
“How many?” Chen Yin asked urgently.
“…One hundred thousand.”
“My father only found ten thousand,” she said quietly, her eyes filled with a distant memory.
She remembered the snowy nights, her father, his clothes ragged and torn, his face weary, carrying her from sect to sect, begging for swords.
“Please inform your Sect Master that Gu Changliu requests an audience.”
Few believed that this haggard man was the Immortal Venerable, the one who had led humanity to prosperity.
She hadn’t understood the flicker of hope and despair in his eyes back then. She had only felt a pang of sadness as she watched him bow before the sect leaders, his hands clasped respectfully.
But he would always ruffle her hair gently and smile.
“Don’t worry. I don’t regret this.”
She had always known he wasn’t a good father.
But he was a great man.
“Spirited swords are rare. Even among cultivators, only those who treat their swords with care and respect can imbue them with a spirit. And among mortals, it’s even rarer. My father begged every sect leader, even humiliating himself, but he only found ten thousand. It wasn’t enough. But it was all he could find. The fate of humanity rested on that sword.”
“So the swords I gave you… they all had spirits?”
“Yes,” she looked at him, her amber eyes clear and bright, “I don’t know where you found so many spirited swords, but perhaps… you can find the remaining ninety thousand.”
Chen Yin smiled. The System Shop suddenly seemed like the greatest treasure in the world.
“I’ll get you one hundred thousand swords.”
“Good. I’ll tell you the forging method now. I won’t be able to do it after I become the sword spirit.”
“Wait,” Chen Yin stopped her. “You’ve regained your memories. Do you still want to do this? Do you still want to become the sword spirit? You’ll lose all your memories, all your emotions, even your parents…”
“Why would I regret it?” she asked, her gaze unwavering. “I didn’t regret it before I remembered. Why would I regret it now? This isn’t about sacrificing myself to save the world. It’s about a daughter doing what she loves, and her father supporting her.”
Chen Yin was silent, her words echoing in his heart.
“The forging process will take a long time. Let’s begin.” She sat down, cross-legged.
Chen Yin looked at her eyes, so clear and focused, filled only with her love for the sword.
He had only seen such pure, unwavering devotion in two people.
Her, and Nan Xiaoxiang, whose eyes held the same intensity when she was healing the sick or studying her medical texts.
He admired their dedication, their passion.
They were closer to the true meaning of the Dao than those who blindly sought it.
He took a deep breath, retrieved one hundred thousand swords from the System Shop, and placed them before her.
“Alright,” he said softly, “if you like swords that much, then have a feast.”
Six months later…
Mount Yu was quiet. Even Bi Luo, her injuries healed, had returned to the Wu Xuan Cave. Only Luo Luo, who occasionally visited Yu Xiang, and Qingying, who sometimes delivered messages for Nan Xiaoxiang, remained.
One day, a visitor arrived.
“I’m exhausted!” Luo Qiaoqiao, dressed in a red robe, burst into the hut and drained Yu Xiang’s teacup in one gulp. “Where’s Chen Yin? I spent six months cleaning up his mess after the Triennial Heavenly Tribulation, and he hasn’t even bothered to visit me! He just disappeared!”
“He’s forging a sword,” Yu Xiang said softly, pouring her another cup of tea.
“Forging a sword?” Luo Qiaoqiao frowned.
“It’s a long story…”