Chapter 2367: The Aloof Sword Cultivator and His Lifeblood Sword Spirit 11

Seven days later, at the mountain gate square of the Heavenly Derivation Sect, the morning wind was bitterly cold.

Six figures gathered here, preparing to set off for Pearl Curtain Town.

Yun Che's flying sword hovered in midair, cold light flashing; Xingyan, Lan Yi, and Shi Yan also each drew their swords, eager to try.

Xie Qingmo stood alone a short distance away, his Chen sword upright at his waist in the morning light; the intricate patterns on its scabbard seemed to come alive, exuding an extraordinary spiritual aura.

Liu Qingcheng stood beside Yun Che, but his gaze was drawn and stuck fast to the Chen sword at Xie Qingmo's side.

A lifeblood sword that had gained sentience… its spiritual light was purer than any magic treasure he had ever seen; if he could make it his own, how greatly it would aid him in drawing upon fate's energy.

A habitually pure and slightly bashful smile quickly rose on his face; he took a few steps toward Xie Qingmo and pleaded timidly.

"Second Senior Brother…" Liu Qingcheng pointed at the gleaming Chen sword, his eyes full of admiration and anticipation, "Your sword's spiritual energy is so abundant; at a glance it's extraordinary! Carrying a person would surely be steadier and faster than an ordinary flying sword… My cultivation is low, my sword control unsteady; having the Eldest Senior Brother carry me would be hard… Second Senior Brother, could I… ride with you?"

Liu Qingcheng slightly lifted his face, his posture extremely humble, as if Xie Qingmo's refusal would be bullying him.

Before Xie Qingmo could speak, Jin Chen gave the answer.

A clear, ringing sword note, suddenly sounding with intense anger, like a dragon's roar.

The sword blade instantly transformed into a huge sword capable of carrying a person; with a fierce turn, its icy, bitter tip, brimming with killing intent, pointed straight at Liu Qingcheng's face.

Clang!

A strong sense of resistance and warning came with a sharp sword aura that swept over him.

Liu Qingcheng, caught off guard, was forced by the sudden powerful sword aura to turn deathly pale, staggering back two steps before barely steadying himself.

He looked uncertainly at the sword that seemed to have a will of its own, his heart overwhelmed by shock.

【Hahaha, the protagonist is bold beyond measure!】 Ling Gun Gun added power to the sword aura of the Chen sword.

"Xie Qingmo," Jin Chen's voice, thick with threat, echoed in Xie Qingmo's sea of consciousness, "Don't let anyone touch me."

Xie Qingmo: "... I have no such intention."

"Hiss…"

Xingyan sucked in a breath of cold air and whispered in amazement, "Good heavens… Second Senior Brother, this sword's temper is way too big!"

Lan Yi raised her brows slightly, "But… he's so handsome…"

Shi Yan scratched his head, looking clueless, not understanding why the Second Senior Brother's sword had suddenly gotten angry.

Yun Che frowned, not knowing why Liu Qingcheng suddenly wanted to ride with Xie Qingmo, but the tense situation before him had to be defused.

He stepped forward, separating the bitter sword aura, and said in a low voice, "Qingcheng, the Chen sword has just gained sentience; perhaps it's not yet accustomed to carrying a person—don't press the matter."

"You should still ride with me."

Liu Qingcheng's chest heaved violently as he suppressed the surging humiliation.

He stared fixedly at the sword, reining in his thoughts.

"... Yes, Senior Brother."

——

The town at the mountain's foot was not large, but full of bustling life.

Flagstone lanes on both sides were packed with stalls, their vendors' cries rising and falling.

The air mingled with the scent of food, sweat, and livestock.

In an inconspicuous corner, a talisman cultivator wearing a half-worn Daoist robe set up a small stall, laying out assorted colorful talismans; their spiritual energy was thin, mostly trifles meant to deceive ordinary people or low-level cultivators—such as cooling talismans, insect-repelling talismans, and rudimentary defensive talismans.

Xingyan and Shi Yan found this market bustle quite novel, gathering at the stall to pick and choose, merely as a pastime.

Xingyan picked up a talisman with distorted ice patterns, "This cooling talisman looks nice; putting it on me will definitely feel cool!"

Shi Yan was more interested in the talisman depicting a ferocious centipede, the insect-repelling one.

【Host! This stall's talisman cultivator has a treasure, which is one of Liu Qingcheng's opportunities in the original plot; if he still gets it… oh dear, the Main God is still miserable.】

Xie Qingmo had no interest in the talismans and was about to leave, but his sea of consciousness suddenly exploded.

"Xie Qingmo, I also want talismans," Jin Chen urgently called out to him, the Chen sword stepping forward to block his path.

Xie Qingmo halted his steps, puzzled, "What do you need these talismans for? Their combined spiritual energy isn't even enough for you."

"Although the gathered spiritual energy is pitifully little, a mosquito leg is still meat! Stick it on the sword hilt—buy it quick, buy it quick!" Jin Chen urged insistently.

Xie Qingmo remained silent for two seconds, then silently turned and walked back to the simple talisman stall.

His gaze swept over the stall; his long fingers pointed: "This one, this one, and this one."

Cooling talismans, gathering-spirit talismans, and, as said nearby, sword-nourishing talismans that could warm and nurture weapons.

"All right! Customer, you have good eyes!" The shabby talisman cultivator, seeing a big spender, lit up his eyes, swiftly bundled a large stack and handed it over, asking casually, "I don't know which honored person you're buying these for, Immortal? We have even better…"

Xie Qingmo took the thick stack of talismans, his expression unchanged, "For my sword."

"Ah?" The talisman cultivator blinked, thinking he had misheard.

Xingyan beside him:???

"Wow, Second Senior Brother bought so many talismans—for his sword!"

He looked at the stack of colorful talismans in Xie Qingmo's hand, then at his waist-worn ancient Chen sword, and sighed.

Lan Yi first froze, then covered her mouth and laughed lightly, her eyes showing understanding, "No wonder he's Second Senior Brother; his lifeblood sword truly stands out, down to the finest detail."

She felt this was very fitting for Second Senior Brother's nature of loving his sword as his life.

Shi Yan nodded vigorously, "Mm! If the sword is comfortable, Second Senior Brother will surely be comfortable too! Makes sense!"

Xie Qingmo: "... Mm."

It sounded a bit strange, but indeed that's also the reasoning.

The talisman cultivator took the money, beaming, then mysteriously pulled a small cloth bundle from under the stall, opening it to reveal several talismans with noticeably denser spiritual energy and more intricate runes: "Immortal, you're generous! This is my old man's boxed treasure—genuine Golden Armor talismans and Purifying Heart talismans, far stronger than those on the stall! Would you like some?"

Xie Qingmo's gaze swept over those talismans; they were indeed more practical than the previous ones.

Just then, Liu Qingcheng's voice came from not far away.

"Eldest Senior Brother, look at that fruit—it looks so watery and fresh, surely sweet." Liu Qingcheng tugged Yun Che's sleeve, pointing at the spirit fruit on the nearby stall with a high price.

Yun Che looked at the price, still took out spirit stones, "Boss, give me a string."

"Thank you, senior brother! Senior brother is the best!" Liu Qingcheng immediately beamed, took the spirit fruit, then turned her head to look at Xing Yan, who was selecting a delicate and exquisite but obviously flashy and impractical low-grade spirit artifact dagger.

"Third senior brother, this dagger is really beautiful, the gems on it look great! What do you think?"

Xing Yan, upon hearing that, also thought it looked nice, instinctively prepared to take out money, "Ah? Oh, it's quite nice, so I..."

Xie Qingmo withdrew his gaze, frowned in thought, looked at Fu Xiu, "These practical talismans, give me six more."

"Xie Qingmo, and that stone—don't look down on it just because it's broken, it's useful." Jin Chen reminded, "Take them all together."

Hearing that, Xie Qingmo picked up the inconspicuous stone beside the talismans and played with it for a moment; although he had doubts in his heart, he didn't show them.

Anyway, Jin Chen wouldn't deceive me, Xie Qingmo thought.

Xie Qingmo: "And this one, wrap them all up."

Fu Xiu was overjoyed, hastily wrapped them up and handed them over.