Chapter 7: Encounter the enemy
After running almost non-stop for 60 li, no one could take it anymore. As we were about to exit the dense forest, Xuan sister rested for an hour. While she was resting, my mental energy secretly returned to the robot. Hehe, before I left, I used hypnosis to put the Yuri siblings to sleep, for fear that they would mess with me. Now it’s time to go check on them.
As soon as I entered the house, I saw the two of them jumping with impatience, pacing back and forth in the hall on the second basement level.
“Don’t worry, look, I’m back!“ I said to them somewhat smugly using the robot’s loudspeaker. It was such a relief to be rid of them after being stuck with them for so long!
”Your Highness, where are you? Hurry back, it’s dangerous out there!“ Yuri’s sister anxiously said.
”It’s not dangerous, now I have Xuan protecting me, she’s much more capable than you.”
“Your Highness, is that Xin Qianxuan girl?“ Yuriko asked.
”Of course it’s her, who else could it be!“
Yuri smiled bitterly, ‘Your Highness, she’s still half our enemy, you’re with her…’
”Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. You can tell the five patriarchs later that I’ve confirmed she’s harmless to us.“
”But Your Highness, what about you?”
“I’ll be back in a few days. I need to go and sort out the matter of the Nine Dragon Sword first. I’ve searched for it several times using my spiritual energy, but I haven’t found it. This time I’ll go and take a look for myself. By the way, you two mustn’t go wandering off, or I won’t be able to find you when I get back.“
”Your Highness, we’ll go with you. First, tell us where you are,” said Yuri.
After finally escaping from the two of you, I can’t let you follow me again.
“Hey, what’s going on? I can’t hear you guys. Ugh, I’ve used too much spiritual energy today and I can’t support it anymore.” After saying this, I withdrew my spiritual energy.
Heh heh, the Yuri siblings over there should be jumping up and down again right now! I happily opened my eyes, but I was startled. Xuan sister was looking at me with confusion, “What are you doing?”
“I’m cultivating spiritual power. This is what Uncle Black Clothes taught me.”
Xuan didn’t pursue it further, ”Okay, let’s hurry up and go. There are still 150 li to go before we can get out of the mountains. I’m afraid we’ll have to spend the night in the mountains tonight.”
Spend the night? What a wonderful thing it is to spend the night together in the wilderness, a man and a woman alone.
“What are you smiling at?” Sister Xuan asked me again, puzzled.
“Nothing,” I said, a little flustered. “I was just wondering where we’ll spend the night and what we’ll eat.”
“Spending the night just means taking a break. When you get tired, I’ll just hold you in my arms. I need to get to Jingzhuan Pass as soon as possible, so I’m afraid we’ll have to travel through the night.”
Unfortunately, but in the arms of Sister Xuan spent the night, is also very good. “What do you eat at night?”
…
When the moon was high in the sky, I was sitting on the ground gnawing on wild boar, which Sister Xuan had specially cooked for me. Although the cooking was not very good, I still ate it with relish, but I sighed inwardly, thank goodness I had the foresight to bring plenty of seasonings like salt when I fled, otherwise I could not have eaten this meal.
Sister Xuan Xuan did not eat meat. She said that eating meat was harmful to the cultivation of those of us in the Dao, and she had cooked a meal of some wild vegetables herself. Really, what’s so good about vegetables? Where’s the taste of meat? I took a bite of the wild vegetables, not very good.
“You don’t need to eat wild vegetables, you’re growing, you need to eat more meat,” Sister Xuan Xuan said, having finished eating, and patting my head.
So I nibbled on the pork bones again. After finishing eating, I ran to the stream to wash my hands and wipe my mouth, then returned to Xuan’s side and asked her to tell me a story. This time she told me the story of the Nine Dragons Sword.
“There are nine swords in total, namely the Thunder Dragon Sword, Moon Dragon Sword, Light Dragon Sword, Illusion Dragon Sword, Wind Dragon Sword, Water Dragon Sword, Fiery Dragon Sword, Golden Dragon Sword, and Earth Dragon Sword. Each sword has its own attributes. The Thunder Dragon Sword can use thunder and lightning spells, the Moon Dragon Sword can use the power of darkness, the Light Dragon Sword can use the power of light, the Phantom Dragon Sword is the most fantastical, with an indeterminate form, and can also use the power of darkness, the Wind Dragon Sword uses wind magic, the Water Dragon Sword is water, the Fire Dragon Sword is fire, the Golden Dragon Sword is gold, and the Earth Dragon Sword is earth. According to ancient legends, these nine swords were not originally called by these names. They were created by various races during the ancient times, that is, the period of the First Territorial War. The Thunder Dragon Sword was forged by the Dwarves, the Moon Dragon Sword was forged by the Demons, the Light Dragon Sword was forged by the Angels, the Illusion Dragon Sword was forged by the Illusion Tribe, Wind Dragon Sword was forged by the Winged Tribe, Lake Dragon Sword was forged by the Demon Tribe, Fiery Dragon Sword was forged by the God Tribe, Golden Dragon Sword was forged by the Orcs, and Earth Dragon Sword was forged by our human race. In fact, during the First Territorial War, there were countless divine weapons, and these nine swords were not even the best.
“Then why did so many people still go and grab them?“ But in my heart, I wondered why it was different from what Old Zhang had told me.
”Don’t worry, just listen to me. After the first territorial war, apart from the Earth Dragon Sword and the Fiery Dragon Sword, the whereabouts of the other swords were unknown. 500 years later, the Demon Race produced a peerless genius, namely A. Vinogradov, who founded the Demon Empire. He collected all nine swords and asked the Daoist master Daopuzi to re-forge them swords. After ten years of tempering in the earth’s fire and the Dao, the nine swords were finally completed. The Qingfeng sword, which was originally three or four feet long, was reduced to one foot long, but it still radiated three feet of cold light. The nine swords were eventually given to the nine founding heroes. Daopuzi also had a sword, the Earth Dragon Sword. Legend has it that the Demon Emperor, A. Vinogradov, even specially matched each sword with a set of heart skills and swordsmanship. You must know that the Demon Emperor, A. Vinogradov, is known as the second-best fighter of all time, and the peerless skills he left behind are of course the treasure in everyone’s heart.“
”So who is the best fighter?” I asked curiously.
Xuan Niang’s face changed, and she murmured, “Eternal darkness, endless blood, a demon that feeds on the hearts of men, trampling on the earth, despair and grief shrouding the sky, countless brave men reduced to bones and ashes. Arise, our warriors, the hope of the earth lies in you, how can you fall like this.”
“What is this?“ I asked.
”This is a poem written during the later stages of the exorcism battle, a description of the then-number one demon, and the number one expert of all races throughout the ages. His name is a taboo, and I cannot tell you.“
”He was so powerful, how did we manage to drive the demons back to the demon world?” I asked again, curious.
“He was killed by the demons and us. At that time, the Demon Emperor was afraid that he would seize power, so he put a powerful poison on him and told the rest of the races where he was. The Demon Emperor also sent the top ten demon experts under him to cooperate. That time, all the experts from all the races were mobilized, more than 400 people in total, and in the end, only ten people survived. It is said that he killed himself.“
”You mean he wasn’t killed by someone, he killed himself?“ I asked.
”Yes.”
“Why did he kill himself?“
”I don’t know. You can ask him sometime,“ Sister Xuan said with a wry smile, and at the end she even teased me a little.
I really admire this great man. I wonder if I can compete with him after my spiritual power breaks through its limits.
”Okay, we’re leaving. We’re only fifty li from the mountain,“
”Sister Xuan, I’m sleepy. I want to sleep,” I had fallen asleep in her arms a while ago.
“Go ahead and sleep, come on,“ Sister Xuan said softly to me.
I fell asleep quickly in Sister Xuan’s arms.
When I woke up, I found myself in a bed. Huh? Where’s Sister Xuan? I panicked. Has she run away?
”Sister Xuan!“ I yelled.
”Stop yelling, you sound like a wolf,” said a young girl who came in through the door
I stared at her, “Who are you to tell me what to do?” This little girl, who was only a few years older than me, was quite a talker.
“You’re in my house, so of course I’m going to tell you what to do,” the little girl said smugly.
That’s funny, the land you’re standing on is all imperial, and anything that’s imperial is my family’s. Hmph, but I didn’t argue with her. I held back my temper, there was no point arguing with her, what mattered was where my Xuan sister was.
“Where is my sister Xuan?“ I asked her directly.
”Which sister Xuan?“ the little girl asked me back.
This little girl almost made me angry to death. I was so angry that I wanted to be ruthless and merciless, and make this little girl suffer.
”Sister is here, Xiaoyun, don’t bully your brother Lei.“
”Master, you’re here, so I’ll go.” Seeing my sister Xuan appear in the room, the little girl fled like the wind.
“That’s my niece, Xu Yun. She’s been a naughty girl since she was little,“ Sister Xuan explained to me.
”I can tell she’s a troublemaker just by looking at her,“ I said, pretending to be unimpressed.
Sister Xuan shook her head. ‘We still have a long way to go today. We still have more than 500 li to go before we reach the border.’
”Are we leaving already?“
”Brother Lei, I’m going to be in some danger, so you’d better stay here for a while,” Sister Xuan said.
Are you kidding? I’m here to fight the Nine Dragons Sword, how can I stay here? “You can’t leave me here, otherwise I’ll go by myself, I don’t want to stay with that bad girl.” I’m being stubborn.
Seeing that I didn’t agree, Xuan Shijie just sighed: “Alright then, we’ll leave now, but Xiaoyun will come with us.”
No way, that brat actually wants to go the same way as me, my face is full of reluctance.
Xuan Niang took me to the door. The mansion was quite large, and I was a little curious. “Xuan Niang, who lives here?”
“Someone who is connected to our Sword Academy. He is a merchant and does not know martial arts or magic.”
“How are you connected to him?”
“There are many people in our Sword Academy, and it is impossible for us not to eat. This is a considerable expense. We associate with some people, and they provide us with daily necessities and money. We protect them when necessary and use our influence to make their business easier.”
I had always thought that they were aloof from worldly affairs, and I nodded in understanding.
There were already four people standing outside the door, the devil girl was also standing there, and there were also five horses. One of the four people was a middle-aged man. Xuan sister told me that that was her senior brother, Shen Huaiqing. The other two young people were her junior disciples, one of whom was the devil girl’s older brother.
“Junior sister, let’s hurry up and go, Xiujing may already be waiting impatiently in the Jingjian Pass,” Shen Huaiqing said to my Xuan sister.
“We’ll go now.” After saying this, Sister Xuan hugged me and got on the horse.
Watching me contentedly snuggle into the arms of Xin Qixuan, Shen Huaiqing couldn’t help but shake his head in jealousy, and then got on the horse as well.
Xu Yun’s eldest brother also hugged Xu Yun and got on the horse, and the five horses galloped away.
Twenty-three hours later, when we arrived at Jingzhuan Pass, it was already late at night. The city gates of Jingzhuan Pass had long since closed. At a farmhouse outside the city, we left our horses and luggage behind, and then the group sneaked into the city. The city walls were very long, and there were few guards. We found a place to go through, and there were five of us, so no one could detect us at all.
After sneaking around on the rooftops for a while, we arrived at a courtyard. Suddenly, three people jumped up from under the house, “Please quickly tell us your names so as to avoid misunderstandings.”
“Sorry, everyone, we live downstairs, please make way,“ Shen Huaiqing said.
”Ridiculous, who knows if you really live downstairs or not.“
”This time we were in the wrong, we will withdraw now,” Sister Xuan said.
Holding the child in her arms, the four of them quickly withdrew from the courtyard. Presumably, in the dark, the other party also had some scruples and did not send anyone over to investigate. Taking us with them, the four of them came to the front door of the inn they had just been in and woke up the waiter, who led us back to the original courtyard.
“Sister, this time, you and Ruoxin are the only ones in charge of the Nine Dragons Sword. You have to be more careful,”
“Senior sister, how is your business going?“ Sister Xuan asked.
”The other party is trustworthy. The goods have been successfully obtained and are being transported to the country as we speak,“ said the other woman, Xiulan Xin.
”That’s good. Where is Ruoxin?“
”She has already arrived at Changbai Mountain. By the way, Junior Brother Shen and the others will be returning with me. Once we reach the border between the two countries, we will need to secretly protect the goods.“
”Will anyone intercept them?”
“I hope not, but the one in the east is not someone to be trifled with. If it weren’t for the support of the one in the east, we wouldn’t have gotten involved here.“ Xiulan Xin sighed.
”What’s the situation with the Nine Dragons Sword?”
“The Koreans, the various tribes of the Hulun grasslands, the demons, the royal families of the Eight Kingdoms, and even the British Isles and the western continent’s Deshan Empire and the Tianzhu Kingdom have all sent their people. All the forces of the rivers and lakes are surging, all gathering at Changbai Mountain.“
”Which swords from the Nine Dragon Swords have been unearthed?“
”According to reliable sources, there are at least two swords, one of which is the Thunder Dragon Sword.”
“Are the swords still in the same place?“ Sister Xuan asked.
”No, they have appeared within a hundred li of Moon Lake, and there is no sign that they are leaving.“
”People from the Six Great Clans and the Four Great Swordsmanship Schools are also here. You can contact them when the time comes, and they should be able to help you,“ Xiulan Xin added.
”The Changbai Swordsmanship School is determined to seize the Nine Dragons Sword this time, and I’m afraid they won’t cooperate with us.”
“One school cannot afford to make enemies with so many people, so they will definitely seek help.“
”As far as I know, they seem to be collaborating with the people of the Demon Way and even the Demon Race.“
”This is also something you should pay attention to when you go. If you find out that they are really collaborating with the Demon Race, you can just tell the Empire of the Sun Never Sets.“
”Okay, I’ll be careful.“
”Who is that child?”
“I met him in the Changbai Mountains. He helped me out a bit, so I took him along.“
”You’re not going to take him as a disciple, are you?“
Xuan shook her head and didn’t say anything.
”That’s it, you get some rest. You’re going to Changbai Mountain tomorrow.”
…
I have learned the art of hearing and seeing from the sky and earth, and I lay in bed pretending to be asleep. Sister Xuan quietly pushed open the door, saw that I was still lying in bed, covered me up, and then lay down next to me. I was almost too excited to sleep, and only with great difficulty did I manage to summon up the art of sleep, and then I fell asleep.
In the morning, I was awakened by a loud noise. “Hey, waiter, where’s our wine?” a burly man shouted.
“Coming, coming, don’t worry, sir!” the waiter shouted from afar.
Who the hell is this, waking me up at this hour? I cursed under my breath, but the voice sounded like the one who had stopped us last night.
I looked around, but my sister was nowhere to be seen. Just then, she walked in from outside, carrying food in her hands. I pounced on her, but she stopped me, because I hadn’t brushed my teeth.
I went outside helplessly to brush my teeth before going back in to eat. After I finished eating, my sister said, “Brother Lei, you sleep too much. For martial artists and people who practice magic, the morning is the best time to practice. Next time, you can’t sleep so much, okay?”
I nodded dejectedly. I now only hate that my body is not strong, and the morning time is useless for me. This period of time is used for cultivating spiritual power, internal energy, magical power, etc. But I can’t say it explicitly, so it seems that going to bed early is out of the question in the future.
“Okay, let’s go. Now we’re going to Moon Lake. It is said that the lair of the Nine Dragons Sword is there, but no one can confirm it.”
I was dumbfounded as I looked at the two horses at the inn entrance. They can’t be asking me to ride a horse too, can they? I’m only nine years old, this is definitely child abuse. Besides, if I ride a horse, I won’t be able to lie in Sister Xuan’s arms, will I!!!
“Brother Lei, can you ride a horse?”
“No,” I firmly shook my head.
“That’s good, we’re not in a hurry to go right now, so I can teach you how to ride a horse.”
Oh no, I’ll never get to see those wonderful breasts again. I climbed onto the horse with trembling legs. Xuan held the reins and led the horse forward.
After a while, I got the hang of it. It was actually quite fun, and I could easily communicate with the horse. After I got used to the horse, the novelty wore off. I gave the horse a little nudge to make it stop suddenly and raise its hooves, which sent me flying off the horse’s back. Xuan caught me easily, but I took advantage of the situation to cry and say that the horse was too bad and not fun. In this way, I was comfortably lying in Xuan’s arms again.
Behind us, the sound of hooves resounded as dozens of riders swept past us like a whirlwind, raising a cloud of dust. My sister and I were forced to take refuge in the woods along the road.
“It’s the same group of people who stopped us yesterday. They should be from Tiger Roar Villa,” my sister mused.
“How did you recognize them?” I asked.
“I know a few of them. They’re all from Tiger Roar Villa, and the leader is the owner, Zhao Weiguo, ‘Tiger Roar of the World’.”
“Are they here for the Nine Dragons Sword too?“
”I think so.“
”Then why are we still walking slowly? If we’re late and someone else gets the sword, we’ll be too late.“
”Don’t worry. Lanxin is in Changbai Mountain. If anything happens, she’ll send someone to notify me. The situation in Changbai Mountain is extremely complicated. It’s better to go early, but going late also has its own advantages. At least it greatly reduces the possibility of conflict with others, thereby avoiding premature loss of strength.”
I nodded, understanding that I was still a bit green.
We finally arrived at a village in Changbai Mountain when it was about to get dark.
“Excuse me, are you Miss Xin Qixuan?” A young man asked us at the entrance to the village.
“That is me,” said Sister Xuan, nodding.
“I am Chu Huding. My lord heard that you were coming and asked me to wait here for you.”
“Brother Chu is known as the ‘Nine Demon Swordsman’,” Sister Xuan said calmly.
“I dare not. It is indeed me.“ Hearing the beautiful woman in front of him call out his nickname, Chu Huding couldn’t help but feel a little proud.
”Your Highness is our country’s Crown Prince Chu Tingshi.“
”Exactly.” Chu Huding’s heart trembled. The beautiful woman in front of him lived up to her reputation. She knew who her master was after just a few words. I didn’t expect this one to come too. Isn’t he missing the point by coming here instead of sitting in the imperial capital?
Xin Qixuan said, “No, I still need to go up the mountain.”
Xin Qixuan did not want to go for his own reasons. It was said that this prince was on good terms with the demons and people of the Demon Way. It was not that people of the Demon Way and demons were not good people, but the people this prince was friends with were all extremely vicious. If there is a disagreement, they may draw their swords at once. If it were just her, it would be fine, but now she is also carrying a child, so naturally she must be more careful, and avoid anything dangerous. Besides, she cannot see what tangible benefit will come from her trip.
“Young lady, His Highness has instructed me to make sure you go.” Chu Huding emphasized the word “make sure”.
Xuan Niang’er gave a faint smile, which made Chu Huding flinch.
With a “sang” sound, the long sword was drawn, and three beams of light sprinkled towards Chu Huding’s left ribs. His left hand tightened, and he hugged me in his arms. I clung to Xuanxiao’er tightly, so that her left hand would be free.
Chu Huding did not expect Xin Qixuan to attack suddenly, and his mind was still lost in Xuanxiao’er’s smile. He did not have time to react, so he pointed his right toe and used his right leg as an axis to do a spin.
Unfortunately, Sister Xuan did not engage in a tussle with him. She “took advantage of the wind and disappeared into the clouds”, using her wind magic to vanish to the right. Just as she was about to enter the woods, more than twenty people emerged from the forest, brandishing swords and charging over. However, there was an explosion behind them, and the twenty or so people froze for a moment. Sister Xuan had already charged in like a gust of wind, and the sound of wind and thunder resounded again on her sword. The twenty or so people almost scattered as soon as they charged, and the good fighters among them never got the chance to strike. We had already fled into the woods.
Chu Huding arrived in a panic and saw more than a dozen people lying on the ground, either with broken legs or broken arms. They would never be able to compete with others in a fight. Chu Huding was shocked and angry. His Highness had trained a lot of talented people, but this time more than a dozen of them were lost. Xin Qixuan’s cultivation was truly terrifying. The most terrifying thing was that the ten mages who were ambushed in the forest were blown to pieces and there was nothing left of their bodies. I wonder how Xin Qixuan did it.