Chapter 456: The Little Brats and the Story of the Swords
In the Zhou Garden, ten thousand swords hung in the air, helping Chen Changsheng slay the Golden-Winged Roc and foil the Black Robe's scheme, because they wanted to leave that prairie where the sun never set and return to their homeland.
Chen Changsheng had made a promise to these swords, and he naturally wouldn't go back on his word. So after returning to the capital, even though he felt some reluctance, he reported the matter of the Sword Pool to His Holiness the Pope as soon as possible.
This news hadn't spread among the common people yet, but after the Li Palace notified various regions of the continent, it was no longer a secret. This morning, Chen Changsheng had crossed realms to defeat Zhou Ziheng of the Star Gathering realm, causing many to suspect that besides those once-famous swords, he might have had other encounters in the Sword Pool. Otherwise, relying solely on Su Li's guidance, how could his swordsmanship have improved so rapidly?
Chen Changsheng didn't care how much of a stir the news of the Sword Pool's emergence would cause on the continent, nor did he mind how others' gazes toward him might change. He just found the whole thing somewhat troublesome.
The night before last, the Li Palace had sent him an extremely long list. Many sects and mountain gates had expressed sincere gratitude to the Li Palace and Chen Changsheng, along with relevant certifications, requesting the Li Palace to return the swords of their ancestors and founders. This list was very long. Topping it was undoubtedly the Zhai Sword of the Holy Maiden Peak, followed by many once-renowned divine weapons. Chen Changsheng reorganized the swords in his scabbard according to the list and found that although the list was long, compared to the number of legendary swords in the Sword Pool, it was still only a very small portion. This showed that of the powerful experts and sects that had once shaken the continent, few still had surviving legacies in the world today.
Viewing this matter from a historical perspective, one would inevitably feel a trace of melancholy hidden behind it, easily leading to sighs over the vicissitudes of life. But for him and the National Academy, this was certainly a good thing. Among the famous swords that had followed him out of the Zhou Garden, at least seven thousand could no longer find their original sects or mountain gates. In other words, he was now the master of these swords.
A crisp clang sounded as an old sword with faint traces of rust appeared on the floor of the Scripture Library.
Then, the crisp sound of metal clashing rang out continuously. In just a short while, the originally spacious and empty Scripture Library was piled high with all kinds of swords. There were so many swords, and their combined weight was so great, that the library floor was pressed slightly downward, as if it could barely bear the load.
Zheshou opened his eyes and looked over, then couldn't close them again.
Under the dim lamplight, a small mountain of swords had appeared in the Scripture Library.
He had only wanted one sword from the Sword Pool, but Chen Changsheng had brought back the entire Sword Pool.
Tang Thirty-Six glanced at the sword mountain, then at Chen Changsheng, then back at the sword mountain. His mouth hung open, unable to close for a long time.
He had heard Chen Changsheng tell the story of discovering the Sword Pool in the Zhou Garden and joining forces with ten thousand swords to fight the enemy, but actually seeing these swords was a completely different feeling.
Even the Went Water Tang family, which could be said to possess the wealth of the world, had never seen such a sight.
He suddenly felt that although Chen Changsheng had lost a lot of gold, silver, and treasures in the Zhou Garden, this trip was still a huge profit.
Hearing the noise, Xuanyuan Po also came to the Scripture Library, still holding a dirty dishwashing rag in his hand.
With a slap, that dishwashing rag, which was bigger than an ordinary apron, fell to the floor, splashing some water.
Chen Changsheng glanced at it and said, "I've told you many times, you need to change the dishwashing rag often."
Xuanyuan Po couldn't hear what he was saying at all at this moment. Like a little bear climbing a tree, he howled and charged toward the sword mountain.
The sword mountain wasn't knocked down by his burly body, because he suddenly remembered that this was Chen Changsheng's property. At the last moment, he stopped, turned back to look at Chen Changsheng, and said nothing, his eyes watery, looking extremely innocent and pitiful.
"You want one?" Chen Changsheng asked.
Xuanyuan Po nodded vigorously. Because he nodded too fast and his head was too big, a small breeze stirred in the nighttime Scripture Library.
Chen Changsheng said, "Pick one yourself."
Xuanyuan Po let out a joyful cry, reached out, grabbed the hilt of a sword in the mountain, and pulled it out with force.
The sound of metal scraping echoed through the quiet Scripture Library.
It was a pitch-black iron sword, without any sharp edge, extremely thick, looking more like an iron rod.
Xuanyuan Po was stunned for a moment, finding that the weight and feel of this iron sword matched his own strength perfectly, even giving him the feeling that this sword was meant for him.
It had to be said that there might really be some indescribable mysterious connection between a sword and a person, or perhaps fate, like those invisible threads of destiny in the starry sky that no one could ever see.
The sword Xuanyuan Po had randomly pulled out was a heavy profound iron sword. Its weight was like a mountain, its might like the sea, hence its name: the Mountain-Sea Sword.
The former owner of this heavy sword was a powerful expert named Xike. It was said that this expert had the bloodline of the White Emperor clan and had never been defeated in his life, until he was defeated by Zhou Dufu in the Zhou Garden and finally died at the hands of a nobody.
Chen Changsheng hadn't expected Xuanyuan Po to take this sword.
The Mountain-Sea Sword was one of the best-preserved swords among the ten thousand in the Sword Pool, second only to the Zhai Sword. And because of the rumor that Xike had the White Emperor's bloodline, after the Li Palace confirmed that Xike had no surviving legacy, Chen Changsheng had already planned to leave the Mountain-Sea Sword for Luoluo. But now, seeing Xuanyuan Po overjoyed, and thinking about how the image of a delicate, beautiful little girl like Luoluo swinging a big iron rod around would be far too... striking, he said nothing.
Tang Thirty-Six had something to say.
"This is the Mountain-Sea Sword. Although it's obvious that the blade was chipped by Zhou Dufu's Two-Break Saber, now that it has reappeared in the world, it will definitely rank on the Hundred Weapons List."
A severely damaged old sword, just by reappearing, would definitely make it onto the Hundred Weapons List?
Tang Thirty-Six wasn't exaggerating. It was worth noting that if one were to rank the famous swords in history, no matter how the ranking was done, the Mountain-Sea Sword would inevitably be in the top ten.
Xuanyuan Po felt something was wrong. Like a child hugging a toy, he tightly clutched the Mountain-Sea Sword, staring warily at Tang Thirty-Six, and said, "What are you trying to say? No matter what you say, I won't be fooled by you cunning humans!"
Tang Thirty-Six sneered and said, "Chen Changsheng is also human. How come you're not afraid of being fooled by him, and you're shameless enough to accept his sword?"
Xuanyuan Po didn't know how to respond. After holding it in for a long time, he finally blurted out, "He's my grandmaster. How can you compare him to ordinary people? If my grandmaster gives me something, of course I dare to accept it."
Tang Thirty-Six sneered again, "You never acknowledge him normally, but now for a broken sword, you're willing to be his grandson. If anyone says your Bear Clan is honest and simple again, I'll argue with them."
Xuanyuan Po couldn't outtalk him. Fuming, he said nothing more, just hugged the Mountain-Sea Sword even tighter.
"What do you want to say?" Chen Changsheng asked.
Tang Thirty-Six said, "A baby, carrying a heavy treasure, walking through the streets and alleys—what do you think will happen?"
Chen Changsheng followed his gaze. Xuanyuan Po's body was as thick as a small hill, and the originally extremely heavy and massive Mountain-Sea Sword didn't look out of place in his arms.
But Tang Thirty-Six was right. In this treacherous world, Xuanyuan Po was a baby, a bear cub.
Now, Chen Changsheng was the Dean of the National Academy and the successor designated by His Holiness the Pope. So even though everyone knew he carried heavy treasures, aside from a few people, no one dared to make a move against him outside the rules.
Xuanyuan Po was different. Neither the National Church nor White Emperor City would go to great lengths for an ordinary demon youth.
"If he really were just a brat, I wouldn't bother whether he lived or died. The problem is, this little guy has been performing pretty well lately," Tang Thirty-Six said. "I think it's better this way: I'll keep this Mountain-Sea Sword for you. When you can beat me, proving you have the ability and qualification to wield a divine weapon, I'll give it back to you."
When he said this, he looked at Xuanyuan Po with a natural expression and a casual tone.
Xuanyuan Po was almost fooled. It wasn't until he saw the smile at the corner of Chen Changsheng's mouth that he woke up, letting out a few angry low growls. Tang Thirty-Six, his little scheme exposed, wasn't annoyed. He smiled, stood up, and somehow produced a paper fan from somewhere. Fanning himself, he said, "Everything I said is true. If you walk around outside every day carrying the Mountain-Sea Sword, sooner or later someone will knock you out from behind."
Xuanyuan Po's expression shifted uncertainly. He knew Tang Thirty-Six was telling the truth, but how could he bear to hand the Mountain-Sea Sword over to Tang Thirty-Six for safekeeping? He might as well give it to Chen Changsheng.
"Anyway, I won't give it to you, but I won't let anyone know either."
Xuanyuan Po hugged the Mountain-Sea Sword and left the Scripture Library. Not long after, he returned, and the sword in his arms was gone.
"Where did you hide it?" Chen Changsheng was genuinely curious.
Xuanyuan Po didn't hide it from them. "In the firewood pile in the kitchen."
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "Not bad at all. Even if someone saw it, they'd probably think it was a fire poker."
Tang Thirty-Six, after all, wasn't an ordinary child. The Went Water Sword at his side was no less than the famous swords from the Sword Pool. Now that he found he couldn't get his hands on the only sword that interested him, the Mountain-Sea Sword, he lost much of his interest. Hearing Xuanyuan Po and Chen Changsheng's conversation, he suddenly thought of a very interesting possibility: "Do you think, thousands of years from now, someone might discover the secret of this iron sword in the National Academy's firewood pile, comprehend the way of the sword, and become a peerless powerhouse?"
Xuanyuan Po thought, I haven't even become a peerless powerhouse myself yet. And when I return to my tribe in the future, would I leave this sword in the National Academy?
Chen Changsheng thought this was indeed very interesting, like some stories in books. The problem was, thousands of years from now, they would all be long gone, so how would they know what happened next?
The more Tang Thirty-Six thought about it, the more fun it seemed. His eyes became exceptionally bright.
"One sword isn't interesting enough. We need to hide a few more in the National Academy. No, dozens, even hundreds of swords. Hide a few in the stones by the lake, a few in tree hollows, a few at the bottom of the lake, inside the pillars of the Scripture Library. Oh, right, isn't there a big bird's nest on top of the banyan tree? ... Tsk, imagine the students of the National Academy in the future, every few decades, discovering a peerless famous sword in some place. That scene..."
The more he talked, the more excited he got. Chen Changsheng, on the other hand, grew more helpless listening, thinking, the fish in the lake could be forgiven, but what did the birds nesting in the tree ever do to you?
Tang Thirty-Six was a man of his word. He walked toward the sword mountain, ready to pick out some old swords that were too damaged and hide them around the National Academy.
He had even already decided that he would tell no one where the swords were hidden, not even Chen Changsheng. That way, it would be more interesting when they were found later.
Just then, Zheshou's voice rang out.
His voice was somewhat weak, with a faint hint of sarcasm.
"Wasn't I supposed to pick a sword? How come it feels like this has nothing to do with me?"
Only then did Chen Changsheng and the other two remember that Zheshou hadn't spoken the entire time.
More accurately, the three of them had been chatting so animatedly that they had completely forgotten about the main party.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Tang Thirty-Six, as if he couldn't help himself, added another remark.
"Things like presence are really strange. You're clearly the most ferocious one among us, and now you're in such a miserable state, yet..."
Chen Changsheng looked at Zheshou's expression and quickly stopped Tang Thirty-Six from continuing. He asked cautiously, "Which sword do you want?"
Zheshou raised his arm and pointed to a spot in the sword mountain.
Because his injuries were too severe, his movements were somewhat difficult and slow, but very firm.
Chen Changsheng and the other two followed his finger and looked over. Their expressions changed slightly.
"Are you sure you want this one?"
"Yes."
"But... the origin of that sword... might cause some controversy in the future."
"Since Zhou Tong said I was a demon spy, then of course I should use a demon sword."
The sword Zheshou wanted was ancient and slightly damaged, but it was still shrouded in a deep, lingering aura of demonic energy and bloodshed.
It was the Demon Marshal's Banner Sword.
...
...
(Scenes and stories like this are the greatest motivation for me to write "The Legend of the Mortal.")