Chapter Sixty-Two: The Azure Reed Sword

A gentle reminder from Summit: This chapter is thunderous—please bring your own lightning rod. Hehe. I’ve always believed in thunder striking mercilessly.

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Before Feng Ke’er could steady herself, a voice from behind the thick mist gave a soft hum. “Are you giving up?”

What does that have to do with you! Feng Ke’er stiffened her neck, refusing to acknowledge him.

The voice let out a faint sigh. “I ask you, have you ever been in love with that Taiyi, or known him deeply?”

Feng Ke’er rolled her eyes dramatically. Of course not! In love, intimately connected? Could it be any more sappy? She didn’t even know which weed Hua Taiyi was! Besides, even if every man under the sun disappeared, she’d rather be the last woman standing like the Great Sage than get involved with such an artsy young man!

The voice continued, “Let me ask you again: Was it you who gouged out your own immortal root that day?”

Hmph, how could that be! She might have never been in love, but she certainly wasn’t afraid of heartbreak. Feng Ke’er frowned impatiently.

The voice chuckled. “In that case, what are you so upset about? Are you sick? She’s her, you’re you. You just listened to an old, clichéd story, and you insist on fitting yourself into it.”

Feng Ke’er’s heart skipped a beat, and she drew in a sharp breath: That’s right. It was the tale of the late saintess of the Feng clan—what did it have to do with her?

What was she getting worked up about?

But then, another thought struck her, and her heart ached. In a small voice, she said, “But the storyteller was Grandpa…”

The person she trusted most.

He said he had successfully mended her soul and personally sent her into the cycle of reincarnation. She believed him.

He said she wasn’t an orphan, that he had stolen her away from her parents. She believed him.

She didn’t care about the foolish saintess’s past, but she cared about her own fate in this life. She knew nothing, so why should she pay the price for that silly saintess? Did those people really think being an orphan with no parents was so easy? And nowadays, did they think it was simple for a university graduate to find a good job? She had studied hard for sixteen years, finally managed to get a stable job and a comfortable life, and now it was all gone! Cultivation? Cultivate what, exactly? Did she ever say she wanted this… Oh, how she hated being deceived. Yet, the person she trusted most had deceived her the deepest.

The voice cleared its throat. “But he’s apologized to you again and again. And it’s true—he raised you with his own hands. Besides, girl, he’s already dead.”

That last sentence left Feng Ke’er limp, collapsing to the ground. Yes, he was gone. The grandpa who loved and cared for her was gone. And there wasn’t the slightest clue about the parents who gave birth to her and raised her… In this world, who else would care about her, who else would remember her?

“Girl, don’t be like this.” The voice was thick with emotion, buzzing as it spoke. “At least, I care about you. I remember you.”

Suddenly hearing words like these, Feng Ke’er was jolted as if struck by lightning. Impressive. One simple sentence, and her attention was completely diverted.

Apparently, this guy was a fellow traveler from another world. When two people from the same hometown meet… Could he have a secret crush on her? Thinking of how, in her most perilous moment, he had stepped forward and protected her, Feng Ke’er awkwardly clenched her fist and covered her mouth. “You—who are you, really?”

“Who I am… When the time is right, you’ll know.” The voice sounded a bit annoyed. “Also, girl, you’ve read too many romance novels. Strictly speaking, I’m your… elder. Instead of letting your imagination run wild, you’d be better off spending that energy leveling up and fighting monsters. At your current state, you couldn’t complete a single one of my tasks!”

Fine, an elder! Such an amusing one, too. Feng Ke’er’s earlier gloom vanished, and she burst out laughing, teasing, “Elder, what year did you come from? How long have you been here?”

“What do you mean, ‘come from’!” the voice scoffed. “Hmph, I move freely between past and future—no need for anything so crude as ‘crossing over’!”

Feng Ke’er’s eyes sparkled as she clenched her fist. “Then, Elder, can you take me back to the time and place I came from? I’ve been here for several months now. If I don’t go back soon, I’ll be fired.” Uh, not just unemployed—she might already be on the missing persons list, blacklisted by both her country and her university.

The voice hesitated, then barked, “Girl, is that all you care about? You think life here is hard and unsafe, but do you really believe you can go back to a peaceful nine-to-five? Let me tell you, over there, Feng San is dead, and the three black crows from the Hua family have already set their sights on you.”

What kind of fate is this? Feng Ke’er felt defeated. Going back would be walking into death—she couldn’t handle even one of those three black crows.

But then, a sudden idea struck. She grabbed the jade pendant hanging on her chest. “Isn’t this what they want? I’ll just give it to them.” Better to lose a little wealth than her life—what’s the point of keeping this thing if it meant dying?

Someone behind the mist ground their teeth audibly. The voice was exasperated: “You… Is that still the phoenix jade Feng San gave you? Just a worthless rock—would you really part with it? They wouldn’t even believe it’s real.”

That was true. Feng Ke’er looked down at the jade in her palm—it was dull and rough, just a lump of stone.

“Girl, don’t lose heart.” The voice sighed, trying to comfort her. “It won’t always look like that. As your cultivation improves, its appearance will gradually change. Look closely—does it look any different than before?”

At those words, Feng Ke’er noticed that the outer shell of sand and stone on the jade seemed rounder than before.

So, back to the original question. Did she want to return to the modern world? Did she want a good life? She did. The three crows weren’t the real problem—her cultivation was. So, the only path before her was to cultivate diligently.

Clearly, the voice was pleased with her change in attitude, sounding much lighter: “Girl, after all this talk, I still haven’t congratulated you on forming your foundation. Hmm, I have a gift for you…”

“Wait.” Feng Ke’er leapt up, hurriedly interrupting him. “Is this gift really free? Are there any strings attached?” Uh, she wasn’t trying to judge him with a petty mind, but it didn’t seem like their relationship was close enough for her to accept gifts with no expectation. Besides, from what she’d seen, this elder wasn’t exactly a gentleman. At least, the old headmaster had appeared much kinder—but then, the person who deceived her the most in her twenty-plus years had been the old headmaster. In short, a lesson learned.

“It’s free! No conditions at all—I swear.” The voice sounded indignant but still patiently explained, “This thing, strictly speaking, belonged to… another one of your elders. Passing it on to you makes sense.”

Another elder? Two “elders” appearing out of nowhere—it was a lot for Feng Ke’er, who had spent more than twenty years as an orphan, to take in. She blinked, muttering, “What elder…”

“When the time is right. I’ll tell you later,” the voice replied.

As expected. Feng Ke’er snorted. She hadn’t really expected a straight answer.

“Girl, catch!” As the words fell, something shot out from the mist.

Was this any way to give a gift? Whizzing straight at her face with such force! Feng Ke’er dodged and caught the object behind her back.

It was a sword wrapped in black oilcloth. She unwrapped it—indeed, a sword. Well, an entirely green… wooden sword! The blade was round, just a bit thicker than her thumb. The hilt was unusual, also wooden, shaped somewhat like a half-rolled lotus leaf. The whole sword was delicate, finely crafted.

What the heck! How old was she—playing with wooden swords? She was speechless.

But the voice chuckled softly, “Not bad, much quicker than before. Looks like the training has paid off.”

“You…” Feng Ke’er gripped the three-foot-long green wooden sword, feeling lost amidst the wind. In the vast sea of people, across a hundred thousand years, just how lucky did she have to be to end up with such a “reliable” elder?

The voice was displeased. “Girl, don’t underestimate this sword. It’s been with me for years. If not for you, do you think I’d give it to just anyone?”

Well, that was rare. Feng Ke’er thought she must have misjudged him. She quickly released her spiritual sense to wrap around the sword. Still, it was just a wooden sword. The oilcloth revealed nothing special. This time, though, she noticed that the slender, round sword was actually hollow! Ugh, it was basically useless.

“Enough, stop muttering. Once you go out, cough up a bit of blood onto it—if you still want to complain, you can do it later.” The voice yawned, mumbling, “Oh, I forgot to tell you the sword’s name. It’s called Qingping.”

With those words, a flash of white light—and Feng Ke’er found herself holding the wooden sword, standing in the forest of ten thousand ants.

“Qingping Sword?” The name sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before? She twirled the sword, and a blossom of green lotus seemed to bloom from the blade.

A clear note rang out—like a meteor streaking across the midnight sky. Suddenly, Feng Ke’er remembered—wasn’t Qingping Sword the weapon of the Sect Leader of the Cutting-Off Sect, Tongtian, in “Investiture of the Gods”?

Tongtian Sect Leader! Good heavens! Feng Ke’er snatched off the “worthless stone” from her neck and glanced at the green wooden sword in her hand, her blood boiling.

The manual in her possession was called “The Celestial Tome.”

The gift from her “elder” was the Qingping Sword, reputedly the weapon of the Sect Leader Tongtian.

How did she suddenly become so closely linked to Tongtian Sect Leader?

And in all the three realms, who could ever snatch something from Tongtian’s hands? (Mini side story: The figure in the mist is in tears—girl, there are! More than one! It’s right to admire me, but I’m not Li Gang, not as cool as you think.)

Could it be that her “elder” was actually Tongtian himself?

At this, Feng Ke’er’s hair stood on end. What had she done to deserve attracting the attention of such a deity? Was Tongtian trying to take her as his disciple?

Uh, no, better not.

If she remembered right, in “Investiture of the Gods,” the disciples of Tongtian were beaten miserably by Yuanshi Tianzun’s crew.

(Another side story: The figure behind the mist shot up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “Slander! Lies! I object! That was made up by Ming Dynasty scholars without a shred of evidence!”)

But whatever. The real problem now—was this Qingping Sword a fake? Feng Ke’er clutched her chest. After all, her heart’s blood wasn’t red ink—it couldn’t be wasted!

(Side story three: Still about the one behind the mist. He was exhausted, clutching his forehead and howling, “You wretched girl… what a calamity.”)

(To be continued)

Celestial Tome 62 – Chapter Sixty-Two: Qingping Sword, complete!