Chapter 8: Sword Tassel

The incense burner on the table by the bed attracted Seeing Pei Ye's attention. This incense burner was much cleaner than the one in front of the laughing Buddha outside, clearly having been wiped. There were three piles of light white incense ash covered on it. Seeing Pei Ye picked up a pinch and looked at it; it was also from the past two days.

There were also two old bamboo slips on the table, which should have been written by someone he had asked for help a long time ago, and now they had been moved directly from in front of the Buddha statue to here. One had "Get rich and eat meat" written on it, and the other had "May Miao Miao's husband's family treat her well" written on it.

In front of the slips, there was no god statue, only the crooked symbol carved on the tabletop. In front of the symbol, there was also a small bronze cup.

Seeing Pei Ye reached out and picked it up. This small cup was of the same shape as the four left in the forest. It should be the cup that had contained the immortal water in Old Xiangzi's mouth.

Putting the cup into his waist bag, he looked again. There was half a bowl of vegetable soup on the head of the bed, which was leftover from the morning meal. Clearly, Old Xiangzi hadn't been home since he parted ways with him yesterday afternoon.

The wish to ask Old Xiangzi for details fell through. Seeing Pei Ye walked out of this small courtyard with a dark face.

Returning to his own courtyard, the old man was physically weak and prone to sleep, so he still hadn't woken up.

Seeing Pei Ye took out his sword, crossed the blade, drew a line on his forehead, came to the jar, lowered his head, and looked carefully using the water as a mirror.

On his forehead, the seeping blood blocked the pattern, but after wiping the blood clean, he gently pulled the wound open. The symbol seemed to shrink a step deeper, still branded on the flesh and blood.

If the skin was peeled off, it grew on the flesh. If the flesh was cut away, it was probably branded on the bone. This didn't seem to be something from the outside, but generated from his own flesh and blood.

Was this the brand left by a god?

The damp cold of the autumn rain seemed to stick to his skin for the first time. As the chill rose, a sense of anger at being treated like a chicken or duck with a grass tag inserted rose up. Seeing Pei Ye raised his head abruptly, as if to stare at something.

But only the gray-white mottled sky pressed down gloomily. The bean-sized raindrops fell vertically toward his eyes. Seeing Pei Ye didn't dodge at all, letting them hit his eyeballs, causing slight pain.

After a long time, Seeing Pei Ye said to himself: "You seem to only know how to order dishes."

Seeing Pei Ye prepared the meal as usual, carried it to the room, and patted the old man awake. As soon as the old man was helped to sit up, he sniffed and said in a hoarse voice: "Why is there a smell of blood? Where are you hurt?"

While feeding him, Seeing Pei Ye detailed his experience last night.

The old man raised his deep eye sockets. Where his eyebrows should have been, they wrinkled.

"Do you know this symbol?"

"Candle World Sect."

"Candle World Sect?" Seeing Pei Ye was shocked. "You've heard of it?"

"Just heard of it, never dealt with them." The old man said. "Evil path. Fifty years ago, they caused several disasters in the southwest and were wiped out by the Immortal Platform. Since even that Shen Yanping doesn't recognize it, it shows that the Immortal Platform judged that this evil sect had been completely wiped out and no longer sent relevant information to the local inspectors."

"But now it has been revived. What does this sect do?"

"Since it's a sect, it's naturally for their god. I don't know the specifics. To tell you the truth, when I was walking in the Jianghu, they had already been written into the Immortal Platform's book of merits. I didn't catch up with them stirring up trouble." The old man slowly raised his arm. The hand began to tremble as soon as it left the support, until it pressed on Seeing Pei Ye's forearm. "Are they targeting you now?"

"Yes. But it's nothing major. Several adults have already asked for help from the prefecture."

The old man shook his head: "Will a fire that took fifty years of hibernation to ignite be easily extinguished?"

Seeing Pei Ye was speechless.

"I hope they are just a final attempt before death, but it's best not to underestimate your enemy."

Pei Ye nodded heavily and asked again: "Grandpa Yue, have you heard of 'Standardized Harvest'?"

"What?"

Seeing Pei Ye recounted the dream.

The old man wrinkled his bald eyebrows and shook his head.

Seeing Pei Ye was a bit disappointed. He had thought the old man could offer some advice.

The old man's pitch-black eye sockets seemed to be able to penetrate the human heart: "Why ask about this? Is there something on your mind?"

Seeing Pei Ye was silent for a while and didn't answer.

He did have many emotions he wanted to vent.

For example, his vigilance toward the black Chi. The Candle World Sect targeting him was traceable because his Dantian Seed was better and he was one of the twelve sacrifices. But why did that black Chi choose him alone? And what purpose did it have?

For example, the anger he had to use reason to clamp down on. He had to hide and dodge like a rabbit avoiding a fierce wolf because they had slaughtered his relatives and friends, and he was the next one.

But in the end, he said nothing. Because the old man in front of him was not a high-ranking expert living in seclusion in a storybook; he was just a poor worm who had fallen into the mud. His weakness and powerlessness were not fake.

"Nothing, let's talk after things are over. I'm going to spend the night at the county government tonight. Several adults will protect us there." Seeing Pei Ye changed the subject. "I made some extra food. You can serve it yourself when the time comes. I'll be back tomorrow."

The old man nodded slowly.

The youth walked toward the door, and the old man suddenly said: "Little Ye."

"What."

"There are no gullies in front of a fierce tiger."

"... Hmm."

Seeing Pei Ye returned to his room, came to the cabinet, moved the clothes aside, and took out a sword box from the interlayer.

Unbuckling the buckle, a long sword lay inside.

This was not a treasure sword, nor was it a divine sword, just a good sword.

This sword was the prize he won when he took first place in the Mid-Autumn Martial Arts Meet for the first time at the age of fourteen. The workmanship was solid and tough. The scabbard was wrapped in cowhide over pear wood, and the hilt was wrapped with dense red rope. The hundred-forged sword body was like a rippling river surface in the sunlight, and every detail was appropriate and handy.

Seeing Pei Ye couldn't bear to wear it out, and he hadn't used it to leave the courtyard for almost two years.

When he took it out of the box, the tassel hanging from the sword hilt brushed against the back of his hand. Seeing Pei Ye paused.

This tassel was woven with green silk, very exquisite, and also adorned with a small white jade pillar. Seeing Pei Ye knew that sixteen small characters were carved on it: "Feeling the fragrance of the gentleman's virtue, hiding the heart in the jade; crane bones and bamboo ambition, not falling into the blue clouds." One had to get close to see it clearly.

This was something Lin Jue had spent a lot of effort to weave for him on his birthday the year before last. At that time, his Dantian Seed had just been damaged, and the girl often came to carefully comfort and encourage him. At that time, this tassel was very suitable when hung on the sword, and both of them were very happy. To prove that he hadn't given up on himself, Seeing Pei Ye performed the sword art taught by Grandpa Yue on the spot. Although it only had the form, it was already sharp and elegant enough, making the girl's little face flushed with excitement.

If he really had to fight now, this sword tassel would inevitably be a bit cumbersome. Seeing Pei Ye gently untied it and put it away properly.

He flipped through the wardrobe again, changed into a clean and sharp outfit, changed his straw sandals into boots, held the sword in his hand, and rolled the wine and medicine into a package.

When he went out, the willow branches in front of the courtyard brushed against his face. Seeing Pei Ye waved his hand to shake them off impatiently and strode north. ===== CHAPTER 9 =====