Before leaving, Fan Yi had told Ren Yizhou and Tian Xiewen briefly about Wu Lingtian’s situation and to not stress him out with unimportant matters. Thus, for the past two weeks, Wu Lingtian had lived a relaxing retired life. Any duties that should have been given to him were still withheld on the grounds that they had not officially welcomed him into the sect. The disciples who had been scared and those who had been in awe had slowly gotten over their fear of Wu Lingtian and knew that, if he were ever just wandering, they could find him for advice.
In fact, Wu Lingtian was a very good teacher, just like Fan Yi said.
Upon seeing this, Ren Yizhou suggested Wu Lingtian adopt a disciple, but Wu Lingtian had politely rejected.
“I’m not suited to accept a disciple,” Wu Lingtian said. “My heart is distracted, so I would only lead them astray.”
As for what his heart was distracted with, Wu Lingtian wouldn’t say.
But if they were more observant, they would see the way Wu Lingtian would fall silent when no one was around him. They would note the way his thumb and index finger would gently caress the ring on the opposite hand and they would observe the soft expression on his face whenever he did so. If they saw all that, then they would easily discover what was on Wu Lingtian’s mind and what distracted his heart so.
Still, no matter whether he was distracted or not, Wu Lingtian was still capable enough to cultivate.
And so, his schedule went on like this: He would wake up in the mornings and enjoy a plain breakfast, then he would borrow a sword for a round of practice, afterwards, he would find a quiet, shaded spot for a nap until the afternoon. Following that, Wu Lingtian would take some time to cultivate so that he could slowly strengthen his cultivation base again. When it was finally time for dinner, he would join the others in the dining hall and listen to what sort of mischief the disciples had gotten up to. After taking a walk around the sect to digest, he would return to his courtyard and fall asleep.
The schedule would repeat the next day.
If you were to ask Wu Lingtian if he was bored or not, he would give an honest “no”. He didn’t feel bored but found this type of mundane life endlessly entertaining. There was no one breathing down his neck, no one waiting for a chance to kill him, and no one getting ready to take advantage of him. He enjoyed it. He found that this was the way people should actually spend their lives.
But whenever he saw Tian Xiewen and Ren Yizhou, Wu Lingtian would immediately feel a bit sour.
He also wanted someone by his side.
After two weeks, Wu Lingtian, who had finally settled down, was pulled to the service hall and placed in front of a group of eager disciples.
Liang Jun looked at Wu Lingtian with faithful eyes as Hua An’ting and three other disciples watched him with expectations shining through.
Wen Yi sighed as she turned to Wu Lingtian. “Shishu, would you be willing to bring them down the mountain for experience?”
Wu Lingtian took the scroll Wen Yi held out to him. “What type of experience?”
“Disciples, upon reaching Foundation Building, will have to go down the mountain once six months along with an elder to assess how they are in terms of cultivation and how they exterminate evil,” Wen Yi explained. “Since Sect Leader is gone, Shizun and Shishu are busy handling matters. The only person left is you, Wu-shishu.”
“Once every six months, huh?” Wu Lingtian said as he looked over the scroll. “Do they have to complete all the missions?”
“They choose one or two,” Wen Yi said. “These are normally mission taken care of by Golden Core disciples or even elders.”
“It’s stacked up quite a bit,” Wu Lingtian noted.
Wen Yi appeared sheepish. “Su Han and I are currently the only disciples with a Golden Core. After Sect Leader left, everyone has been a bit busy.”
“I see,” Wu Lingtian looked at Liang Jun and the others. “Were there any you were interested in?”
The little disciples shook their heads and watched Wu Lingtian with burning intent.
Wu Lingtian slowly looked back down at the scroll. “Could I take a few on myself?”
Wen Yi straightened. “Of course! The ones down here are more suited for cultivators with higher cultivation.”
Wu Lingtian hummed. He ticked off three boxes and then carefully read the descriptions of the ones for the Foundation Establishment disciples before marking off two.
It would take several months for these tasks to be finished.
He handed the scroll back to Wen Yi before turning to the eager disciples. He felt a bit uncomfortable. Normally, people would avoid eye contact, but when it came to the disciples in Screeching Sparrow Sect, they were all excited enough to look like they could pounce on him at any moment.
“Rest,” Wu Lingtian said. “We’ll head off tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, Shishu!” Hua An’ting and Liang Jun excitedly chorused.
The remaining few disciples thanked the Fourth Pillar before running off to get the rest, as they were ordered too.
Seeing Wu Lingtian’s troubled expression, Wen Yi giggled. “Shishu, you don’t have to worry about them too much. If you want to ignore them, then ignore them. They won’t take it to heart.”
Wu Lingtian nodded. “Thank you, Wen Yi.”
“There’s no need to thank me. I wish Shishu a safe journey,” Wen Yi bowed her head and went off to complete the rest of her work.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Third Pillar,” Wu Lingtian greeted. He glanced at Bai Qiu. “Young Master Bai.”
“Wu-shishu,” Bai Qiu bowed his head.
Tian Xiewen scoffed. “Shishu? Who here is your shishu? You don’t even have a shizun in Screeching Sparrow Sect. I don’t know how you could have gotten a shishu.”
Wu Lingtian glanced at Tian Xiewen and then at Bai Qiu.
“…I see Wu-shishu has something to say to Shizun, so I will be taking my leave first,” Bai Qiu bowed lowly before treading off.
“Who’s your shizun? I don’t have an idiotic and petulant disciple like you!” Tian Xiewen shouted.
Wu Lingtian watched Bai Qiu leave before slowly turning back to Tian Xiewen.
“What?! You got some shit to spew too?”
“…They say father and son will never have long-lasting grudges, so that should also apply to teacher and student, right?” Wu Lingtian weakly offered. Before Tian Xiewen could explode, Wu Lingtian quickly intercepted, “Third Pillar, I came to you because I have to guide the Foundation Building disciples during the semiannual assessment, but I don’t have a sword, so I was wondering if I could borrow one from your vault.”
Hearing about the semiannual assessment, Tian Xiewen frowned. “Is it that time of year already?”
He let out a soft sigh. “Then, follow me to the vaults.”
Wu Lingtian expressed his thanks and quietly followed Tian Xiewen. Seeing the man’s tightly furrowed brows, Wu Lingtian, who had never been one for gossip, finally asked, “What’s wrong?”
Tian Xiewen was shocked from his thoughts. He looked at Wu Lingtian and narrowed his eyes. “Did Yizhou put you up to this?”
“No?”
“Then, why are you asking?”
“…I can’t just ask?” Wu Lingtian raised a brow.
Tian Xiewen showed a smirk. “Wu Lingtian, I haven’t known you very long, but even I know you have little interest in others’ business until it’s shoved directly into your face.”
Wu Lingtian looked at him with a wooden expression. “I couldn’t stand your burnt bird’s nest expression. It was giving me indigestion.”
“…Burnt…what? What kind of expression is that?”
Wu Lingtian opened his mouth to explain, but feeling that it took too much effort, his pink lips closed again and he turned away lazily.
“No, no. You can’t do that. You’re the one that spoke first,” Tian Xiewen placed his hand on Wu Lingtian’s shoulder. “What does that even mean?”
Wu Lingtian sighed.
“Lingtian.”
“In Heixue Town, there were often thunderstorms, but they normally took place further into the border, so it rarely struck anywhere near us. On top of that, there were rarely any birds in our area because of how toxic the air was for animals. However, there would be rare occasions where nonmutated birds would settle in the area. That would be an auspicious sign for the farmers,” Wu Lingtian explained monotonously. “However, if there was a thunderstorm and the lightning happened to hit a bird’s nest, it was an ominous omen.”
“…So, you’re saying my face is an ominous omen?”
Wu Lingtian sighed again.
“You can’t just bring something up and then explain it halfway and then expect me to be okay with it,” Tian Xiewen said.
“That’s basically what it means,” Wu Lingtian said. “Seeing your face is bad luck.”
“…What a peculiar saying.”
Wu Lingtian suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and turned away. “If you don’t want to tell me, then don’t tell me. I don’t feel like listening to you talk anyway.”
Tian Xiewen glared at Wu Lingtian. “You know, I’ve noticed you’re only like this with me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, I’m unpleasant towards everybody.”
“You’re fine with Yizhou and Fan-ge!”
“Ren-jie is kind. Sect Leader is just different,” Wu Lingtian said. He looked at Tian Xiewen haughtily. “You can’t be compared.”
Tian Xiewen finally couldn’t take it and squeezed Wu Lingtian’s face in his hands. Wu Lingtian stumbled back a step before steadying himself. He looked at the other man with a frown.
“You know, you little brat, you’re quite comfortable no,w aren’t you?” Tian Xiewen rubbed Wu Lingtian’s cheeks this way and that. “When you first came here a month ago, you were all quiet and soft-spoken—I completely believed the rumors that you were just an elegant gentleman!”
“Third Pillar shouldn’t believe rumors so easily,” Wu Lingtian managed to get out of Tian Xiewen’s rough grasp.
“You’re a complete brat, aren’t you? No wonder Fan-ge told me not to provoke you,” Tian Xiewen continued to grumble angrily. He finally released Wu Lingtian. “You don’t even respect me as your elder!”
“In terms of strength, we’re similar. In terms of status, we’re also standing on the same grounds. Where should I focus my respect?”
As soon as Wu Lingtian finished his words, he dodged Tian Xiewen’s outstretched hand.
“How about age then?” Tian Xiewen said.
“Is it good to be old?” Wu Lingtian provoked.
Tian Xiewen glared at Wu Lingtian.
The two men were at a standstill until Tian Xiewen finally poked Wu Lingtian’s forehead. Wu Lingtian tilted his head back and bounced back into place just a second after.
“I’m definitely going to outlive you,” Tian Xiewen harrumphed and turned to walk off. “At any rate, age doesn’t matter to us cultivators. You’re right that strength and status matter the most.”
“Of course, I’m right,” Wu Lingtian followed after Tian Xiewen as if his face hadn’t just been remolded. “This is the world where the strong become stronger and the weak die a pitiless and lawless death. That’s how it’s always been.”
“And that’s how it’ll continue to be,” Tian Xiewen said, his expression grim. “And then losers like you go out of your way to protect the weak.”
“The weak should be around to ground the strong. If they aren’t, wouldn’t it just be a cycle of meaningless killing?” Wu Lingtian reasoned.
Tian Xiewen fell silent. A moment later, he let out a boisterous laugh. “Wu Lingtian, you remind me of someone, you know that?”
“Pray tell, who is it?” Wu Lingtian asked woodenly.
Tian Xiewen ignored Wu Lingtian’s tone. “My older brother. And he was right, you know. The weak have to be there so the strong have something to protect. If they don’t have anything to protect, then they’ll only watch out for their own backs and go to any lengths to ensure their own safety. After all, all they have is their life.”
Wu Lingtian glanced at Tian Xiewen. “Third Pillar, is it true you were a prince?”
Tian Xiewen looked at Wu Lingtian before laughing again. “Well, something like that. At any rate, everyone’s dead and gone. None of it matters anymore.”
Tian Xiewen lowered his head and smiled what could only be described as a bitter smile. “If I, the only storyteller, refuses to say anymore, then they’ll at least get a peaceful rest.”
Wu Lingtian looked away. “Do you ever regret letting them pass before saying the words in your heart?”
“To them?” Tian Xiewen scoffed. “I just want to tell them I wish they all died sooner. Bunch of rats, they were.”
Wu Lingtian was silent as Tian Xiewen watched the rolling clouds.
“You wanted a sword, didn’t you? Why are you suddenly trying to act like my counselor?” Tian Xiewen shoved Wu Lingtian lightly. “We’re here, go in and look around.”
Wu Lingtian continued past the doors of the vault, unphased by Tian Xiewen’s roughhousing. He looked around at the swords that lined the walls, at the spears that were placed into racks, and at the various other kinds of weapons that sat in heaps and piles without any type of order. Some radiated strong spiritual energy while others were dull and silent, as if they had given up on living long ago.
Wu Lingtian passed by halberds and sabers. He glanced at them with great interest, but didn’t stop to pick any up. He saw flexible swords, long swords, and short swords, but none of them attracted his attention. He went around and even dug through the bins that were precariously placed, but there still wasn’t a sword that suited his fancy.
Nothing was balanced enough. Nothing felt like it was the right length.
Tian Xiewen watched Wu Lingtian dig through piles of weapons. When they finally hit the two hour mark, he let out a sigh and dragged Wu Lingtian deeper into the vault, where he put his more prized weapons.
In this world, weapons, like cultivators, were split into various categories: spiritual weapons, artifacts, and magical weapons. Each of these three levels were again split into top, mid, and lower. Spiritual weapons were forged by cultivators while magical weapons were more often than not forged by immortals. Artifacts, on the other hand, were treasures that were born from the energy of heaven and earth. Unlike spiritual and magical weapons that needed to cultivate their spiritual consciousness, artifacts were born with their own soul and it was even likely that they could gain human form.
Of course, spiritual and magical weapons had the ability to become artifacts as well.
But the issues with artifacts is that they would have gone through many trials and tribulations, often bathed in blood, to get there. Tian Xiewen’s Rui Sword was an example of a spiritual weapon that became an artifact. In short, the appearance of artifacts was never anything good because artifacts would hook onto a person’s greed and draw out the worst in people. However, at the end of the day, whether an artifact was used for good or evil really depended on the wielder.
Situ Hong’s Cloud Dispersing Fan and Zhou Ying’an’s God Chaser both belonged as top tier spiritual weapons while things like Zhen Yueyue’s erhu, Nuange, was considered a magical weapon.
Wu Lingtian’s Yu Lan sword that was the last sword Han You crafted belonged was ranked as a top tier spiritual weapon before even having acknowledged an owner. Han You himself had seen the potential in this snow-white sword in becoming an artifact. After having wielded such a high-quality sword, it was no wonder that Wu Lingtian had trouble finding one that suited his tastes.
Therefore, Tian Xiewen had no qualms about bringing him into the back, where he stored all the top tier spiritual and magical weapons.
“Have at it,” Tian Xiewen tilted his head.
Wu Lingtian looked around. Almost immediately, he could feel the vibrations in the air. The previously silent room was filled with clattering. Tian Xiewen frowned and gave a short whistle.
“Hey, calm down!” Tian Xiewen shouted.
As soon as his voice fell, the room fell into silence again.
“These loud of traitors. They’re never excited when I come along,” Tian Xiewen grumbled. He glanced at Wu Lingtian. “I guess they see that there’s a potential master here.”
Wu Lingtian began to carefully go through each and every sword. Because the swords here had a higher spiritual awareness, each time Wu Lingtian picked one up, he was greeted rather enthusiastically. However, the weapons that weren’t swords remained deathly silent. They knew this wasn’t a person who would take an interest in them.
However, even as the fifth hour mark approached, Wu Lingtian still showed little interest in the swords displayed.
“Well, you’re just borrowing them, right? There’s no need to be that picky,” although the words left Tian Xiewen’s own mouth, as a martial artist, he knew why Wu Lingtian was so careful even with a weapon he wouldn’t be using for life.
“Is there more?” Wu Lingtian asked.
“There’s one more, but I doubt you’d like that one,” Tian Xiewen moved towards the back and pressed his hand against a loose stone. The wall gave way and exposed an inner room that Wu Lingtian hadn’t noticed before.
Sitting in this room was a single sword, but it wasn’t resting on a table, nor on a stand. It was floating in the air.
The sword, seeing the door had opened, immediately zoomed out.
Tian Xiewen remained unphased and watched as it rattled up the rest of the weapons in the vaults. Some shuddered in fear while others dared to try and challenge it.
Once it had caused enough trouble, the unnamed sword spotted Wu Lingtian and flew around him several times.
Then, to Wu Lingtian’s surprise, he heard a disembodied voice scoff.
“The first time you release me in a hundred years, and it’s to see a brat? Please, I thought it was something entertaining,” the sword hovered around Wu Lingtian a moment longer before willingly flying back into its room.
However, this time, instead of floating in the air, it rested onto the table. With a yawn, the sword continued, “Wake me again when you want to take over the world, Tian Xiewen.”
Tian Xiewen rolled his eyes to the heavens. He stepped back in and forcefully grabbed the sword and thrust it towards Wu Lingtian. “This thing is the Rui Sword.”
“…Rui Sword?” Wu Lingtian held the light-weight sword in his hands. “It…it’s a lot plainer than I thought it would be.”
The Rui Sword vibrated indignantly and began to unsheathe itself. Tian Xiewen pushed it back into its sheath before taking it back.
“See? I told you that you wouldn’t like it. Not only is it ugly, it causes fights everywhere and has a stinky personality. I ran into it not too long ago and it was absolutely tainted with demonic energy. Only recently did I manage to expel all of it,” Tian Xiewen placed it back on the bed.
Wu Lingtian still couldn’t help but stare though.
It was the legendary sword—Rui Sword. Seeing how it could talk, it must mean that it was close to becoming an artifact.
There had been stories and legends about what would happen once a weapon became an artifact. Apparently, they would inherit the knowledge of the universe comparable to a celestial beast or being. If that were the case then…
“Wait,” Wu Lingtian stopped Tian Xiewen from closing the vault. “Can I ask it a few questions?”
“What questions could it possibly answer?” Tian Xiewen rolled his eyes.
“You don’t think it’s cultivated enough to become an artifact?” Wu Lingtian looked at Tian Xiewen.
“It has, but so what?” Tian Xiewen scoffed. “It just likes being useless. What can I do about it?”
Wu Lingtian’s grip on Tian Xiewen’s arm tightened. “I’ll take it with me.”
“…What?”
“I’ll borrow this weapon,” Wu Lingtian stepped in and took the Rui Sword from its resting spot. “Can I?”
“…It’s not that you can’t, but the Rui Sword has a powerful spiritual consciousness. I don’t know if you could handle it in your state,” Tian Xiewen frowned.
“I’ll be fine. Besides, I don’t need spiritual energy to fight. I can just wield it as a regular sword,” Wu Lingtian said. He glanced at the Rui Sword playing dead in his hands, “And I just need to ask it a few questions. That’s it.”
Can the Rui sword sense the Yu Lan sword ? Or maybe Wu Lingtian is going to ask for romance advice. Lol
I’m starting to suspect the Tian Xiewen has a little bit of a crusty side to him – like any time he’s not drunk and stuck to Ren Yizhou! Can’t wait to see what the sword has to tell Wu Lingtian.