Chapter 23

The Temple Master sighed heavily,

"Back then, I was so obsessed with the sword moves and footwork of body sword arts that I was foolish enough to throw the foundation of Qi refining to the back of my mind."

"If the blood and Qi are not vigorous, how can one drive a long sword? If the magic power is insufficient, how can one step on the stars? How to talk about brave? How to talk about change?"

"Thinking about it now, someone scolded me back then for practicing a mortal's sword. This is not false; it was I who disgraced body sword arts."

Cheng Yunqi was not good at comforting, only saying: "Temple Master, your words carry weight."

The old Temple Master turned his back to Cheng Yunqi and sighed while stroking his beard, but in reality, Daoist Zhenwei was winking and squinting, glancing sideways at Cheng Yunqi,

"Yunqi, my old Daoist body is half-withered, my youth is gone, but the side sword I held when I was young is still like new, placed in a box. Every autumn night, it rings like a dragon, but I am ashamed to see old friends!"

Cheng Yunqi didn't know what the Temple Master wanted to say.

The Temple Master said again, "Let's go, it's a coincidence that you came today. Borrowing your youthful spirit, follow me to take a look!"

After saying that, without waiting for Cheng Yunqi to speak, he grabbed Cheng Yunqi's wrist and walked away.

The Temple Master, who said he was half-withered, walked with the stride of a dragon and a tiger. In no time, he pulled Cheng Yunqi to his residence.

"Kuixin Residence".

A somewhat strange name.

The Daoist asked Cheng Yunqi to sit in the main hall for a while, while he went back to the room to get the sword.

The layout of Kuixin Residence was very simple; apart from household items, the only embellishment was a few potted plants.

Soon, the Temple Master returned to the main hall, sat down next to Cheng Yunqi, and placed the sword box he was holding on the table between the two.

The Temple Master's hands were shaking slightly as he slowly opened the box lid.

A chill escaped.

Cheng Yunqi leaned over to look. At first glance, he felt this sword was extremely beautiful.

This looked like a side sword from the former Song Dynasty, with the unique charm of a Song sword. The first impression it gave was that it was beautiful and powerful, like a thin, old dragon.

This sword was slightly slender and long, with a total length of about three feet six inches. At this time, the precious sword was sheathed. The main body was black, but this black did not show luster; it didn't look like ordinary lacquer, looking like a deep pool. The sword guard and pommel were silver-white, in the shape of rolling clouds, but also like rolling waves. The sword sheath's mouth and the sword mark were wrapped in silver thread, also wrapped in the shape of cloud and water patterns.

However, what was clever was that when a Song sword was worn according to regulations, it relied on two protective rings on the sheath, but this sword's sheath had no protective rings, only a "zhi" in the middle, which was the wearing method of the pre-Qin period. This sword sheath was inlaid with a jade "zhi". The jade was mutton-fat jade, carved into the shape of a coiled dragon. The coiled dragon looked like it was just about to fall into the black pool, with one claw in front and one behind reaching into the pool, while its body was still outside the pool, forming a hollow space.

The coiled dragon-shaped jade "zhi" made this black-and-white sword look not so sharp.

"What a beautiful sword!"

Cheng Yunqi praised.

The old Daoist's eyes were also exceptionally gentle when they fell on the precious sword, but he didn't move it, instead saying to Cheng Yunqi: "Pick it up and take a look."

Cheng Yunqi was happy to see the sword. Since the owner had spoken, he didn't push back or be polite anymore. He nodded and reached out his left hand to grasp the sword.

It was cold to the touch, like the lake water in the early morning of autumn, cold enough to make one shiver. The sword was also much heavier than imagined, which didn't match its slender image at all.

Cheng Yunqi took the sword out with one hand, leaned it on his leg, stood it in front of his eyes, and looked at it closely.

Looking closely, he understood that the black of the sword sheath and the sword stem was indeed not lacquer or some kind of iron, but like a kind of beast horn. As for what kind of horn, Cheng Yunqi didn't recognize it, only that it was surprisingly cold and deeply black.

The sword guard, pommel, sheath mouth, and sword mark all looked like silver or iron, and also looked like the same material. If Cheng Yunqi didn't think the old Temple Master shouldn't have such deep pockets, he would have taken it for snowflake silver.

"Draw the sword."

The old Temple Master said.

Cheng Yunqi stood up, his right hand grasping the sword stem; both hands felt like they were holding two pieces of ice.

"Clang!"

The long sword was drawn from its sheath, cold light shooting everywhere; it was as if moonlight was hidden in the sheath.

Cheng Yunqi looked at the sword blade. The blade was about two feet five inches long, a clear silver-iron color, like the moon, like a mirror, like cold frost, like autumn water.

Below the cloud-water sword guard, two characters were engraved on the sword in cloud seal script.

"Autumn Water".

This was the name of this sword.

"Autumn Water."

Cheng Yunqi recited it once.

The old Temple Master sat on the chair, watching Cheng Yunqi who had stood up holding the sword, and also watching the Autumn Water sword in Cheng Yunqi's hand.

"Ever since the first time I saw 'Autumn Water', I was obsessed," the Temple Master said leisurely. "At that time, Throwing Jianshan was about to wash a batch of swords. You know, Throwing Jianshan has too many swords; I don't know how many swords are covered in dust in the sword library. It was fate that allowed me to meet 'Autumn Water' that time."

Cheng Yunqi nodded. Throwing Jianshan had many sword libraries. As for the sources, some were captured, some were offered by lower sects, some were made by disciples in the sect and sold, and some were from teachers or disciples who loved swords and, before passing away, didn't want their precious swords to be buried with them, so they voluntarily sent their sword weapons to the sword library.

There were many swords in the sword library, but Throwing Jianshan never distributed them to disciples for nothing. Even if a true disciple of Throwing Jianshan wanted a sword from the library, they had to take out real gold and silver to buy it, or complete a sword-placing task set by the elders on the mountain. In short, they wouldn't let you get it easily.

Every once in a while, Throwing Jianshan would take a portion of the swords from the library to wash in the sword pool. If someone took a fancy to a certain sword, they could offer a price to buy it. At this time, it would be cheaper than picking from the library normally.

However, Cheng Yunqi was not very lucky. In the year he was in the sect, Throwing Jianshan did not open the library to wash swords.

Daoist Zhenwei met it that year.

He clearly remembered that it was the third year after he entered the sect, and he only had a standard pig iron sword in his hand. This was distributed by the sect as a registered disciple of Throwing Jianshan.

He was very frugal and had taken on many odd jobs at the Academy of Affairs, so he had saved up some money and gold essence minerals. He had been saving these money and gold essence minerals all along and hadn't spent them on that one pig iron sword. He didn't really like that pig iron sword in his heart. He wanted to save money to buy a more favorite sword weapon, but his aspirations were high, and his wealth alone was not enough to buy a sword weapon that moved him.

Until the news came from the mountain that day that they were going to open the library to wash swords.

He knew the opportunity had come. He didn't sleep the night before and came to wait by the sword pool.

When washing the swords, the brilliant sword light almost blinded him.

Like the people around him, he stared hard, regardless of the tears streaming down his face, searching in the sword light.

Until he saw "Autumn Water".

"Autumn Water" was not as agile as a flying sword, swimming and fighting in the pool, nor did it have the abundant sword intent of a magic sword, stirring the pool water into a roll; it was just quietly inserted in the sword pool.

Daoist Zhenwei was instantly attracted. He wanted a sword that was ancient and beautiful like this. Until he saw a flying sword swimming in the pool collide with "Autumn Water", while "Autumn Water" didn't move at all, he immediately made up his mind: it had to be "Autumn Water".

Perhaps it was because he was the only one who saw the scene of the flying sword being bounced away by "Autumn Water" amidst the intertwined brilliant sword light, or perhaps "Autumn Water" was too plain and unremarkable, and it was left unasked for, allowing him to get his hands on it. He took out all his money and the gold essence minerals that were hard currency for sword cultivators. Although it was still not enough, the elder presiding over the sword washing still handed Autumn Water to him and returned the gold-water dual-natured gold essence minerals to him, kindly telling him that "Autumn Water" was a gold-water dual-natured precious sword, a side sword.

He remembered the elder was very happy, smiling and telling him that although Throwing Jianshan was good at flying swords and magic swords, it wasn't that they couldn't teach body swords. He told him to treat the sword well and learn the sword well. If it really came to the day they couldn't teach, asking people from the Stone Forest to teach wouldn't be a big deal, right? Behind closed doors, they were all one family, weren't they?

He was very happy to get "Autumn Water" and also thought he was a hero who recognized a precious sword. He practiced sword moves hard during the day and slept holding the sword at night. After that, he became even more frugal, and all the money he saved was exchanged for gold-water dual-natured gold essence minerals and refined into "Autumn Water".

However, facts later told him that the precious sword was indeed a precious sword, but the hero was not a hero. In the end, it was he who failed "Autumn Water", failed his teachers, and failed the elder who personally handed "Autumn Water" to him.

The reverie was only for an instant. He had already chewed over the day he met "Autumn Water" countless times.

His face was calm, "Yunqi, I want to give 'Autumn Water' to you. Are you willing to accept it?"

Cheng Yunqi was surprised. Such a precious sword was to be given away?

"I am not talented. It was wrong to take 'Autumn Water' out when I left the sect. I should have returned 'Autumn Water' to the sword library, but I really couldn't bear to! But after I took 'Autumn Water' out due to selfishness, I didn't dare to see it again, so I had to place it in the box and hang it high on the wall. However, the precious sword is spiritual. Every autumn, when the metal Qi gradually becomes prosperous, it rings every night. I am afraid it will leave, but in my heart, I hope it will turn into a dragon and leave. The various feelings are really hard to tell outsiders."

The old Temple Master's hands hidden in his sleeves were clenched, trembling slightly.

Cheng Yunqi sighed in his heart, feeling very uncomfortable. Was this the origin of the name "Kuixin Residence"?

"Yunqi, accept 'Autumn Water'. How can you travel without a precious weapon to defend yourself? If you really don't like it, then when you return to the sect, I will trouble you to bring 'Autumn Water' back and return it to Throwing Jianshan!"

The Temple Master looked at Cheng Yunqi, his eyes full of expectation.

Reasonably and emotionally, Cheng Yunqi naturally had no reason to refuse. He also loved "Autumn Water" very much. Getting such a precious sword for nothing, what else was there to be pretentious about?

=9+Book_Bar

Cheng Yunqi sheathed the sword, held it, and bowed, "Thank you, Temple Master, for the sword."

The old Temple Master laughed up to the sky, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden, "Good child, good child! Come, come, you sit down, I still have some things to give you!"

The old Temple Master pressed Cheng Yunqi into his seat and quickly went to the inner room, his steps lighter than before, not forgetting to take the sword box with him when he left.

It was just that Cheng Yunqi saw the old Temple Master had just left the main hall when he heard a falling sound. Did the old Temple Master just throw the sword box?

Cheng Yunqi smiled and looked down at "Autumn Water" again. What a beautiful sword! He hadn't been able to get a sword in the sect, and just after leaving the sect, someone gave him one, and it was given so earnestly. It was really like being in a dream. Could it really be time and fate?

As for flying swords or magic swords, Cheng Yunqi didn't think about them anymore. With such a side sword in his arms, what else could he want? We'll talk about it later!

And the old Temple Master who returned was also comforted to see Cheng Yunqi loving the sword so much. He carried a small box to Cheng Yunqi's side and sat down, still placing the box on the table between the two.

The Temple Master opened the box, and Cheng Yunqi saw a dozen fragments, both gold and stone. The large ones were the size of eggs, the small ones the size of adzuki beans. Some were exactly the same as the gravel on the road, while others shone with a glistening light.

"These are some gold essence minerals that the old Daoist has collected in the mortal world over the past few decades. Originally there were more, but the others were exchanged by the old Daoist with some sorcerers for gold-water dual-natured ones. Now, they are all yours. The quality is not as good as those in the mountains, so don't dislike them."

Daoist Zhenwei pushed the box slightly toward Cheng Yunqi and said with a smile.

Cheng Yunqi couldn't refuse and stood up to thank him again.

The old Temple Master laughed and let Cheng Yunqi sit down, asking: "Have you ever fed a sword before?"

Cheng Yunqi shook his head. He didn't even have a sword, so how could he feed a sword?

The old Temple Master was still laughing happily. Ever since Cheng Yunqi accepted "Autumn Water", his smile hadn't stopped. He explained:

"The sharpness of a flying sword lies in honing, the power of a magic sword lies in holding, and the firmness of a side sword lies in feeding. Yunqi, think about it. I just said that the key to practicing body sword arts is to form momentum, but momentum always falls on the sword. If the sword in your hand is poor, with just one move or one change, your sword won't be able to carry the momentum or withstand the force, and it will break on the spot. So the sword of the body sword must be firm. This firmness falls on others, and it must be invincible, but the precious sword itself, to form momentum, must also bear the momentum, and also needs to be firm."

The old Temple Master explained it clearly, and Cheng Yunqi nodded repeatedly.

"For a side sword to be firm, it needs to be fed with gold essence minerals from time to time. This is truly burning money. So when you said before that flying swords and magic swords burn money, it's actually not the case."

Cheng Yunqi was a bit embarrassed and said shamefully: "An outsider, I really shouldn't have spoken nonsense."

The old Temple Master naturally didn't mind and asked again, "Do you know fire magic? Can you summon magic fire?"

Cheng Yunqi nodded. As far as the present was concerned, in order to open the heart palace early, fire magic was what he practiced the most.

"Feeding a side sword is actually not difficult. As long as there are suitable gold essence minerals, here, take this and try it now."

The old Temple Master picked a blue-green gold essence from the box and handed it to Cheng Yunqi.

"This is called 'Flowing Gold Sinking Sand', belonging to Xin Metal. 'Autumn Water' is gold-water dual-natured, with Yin and Yang in Yin, and it prefers Xin Metal and Gui Water. You summon fire, melt it, and after the gold turns into water, drip it onto the sword body. 'Autumn Water' will naturally swallow it. Over time, with water-grinding work, after 'Autumn Water' swallows a hundred golds, it will become more and more resilient. Moreover, some gold essence minerals in this world have their own mysteries. After 'Autumn Water' swallows them, it can also carry some characteristics. So you can pay more attention when looking for food for 'Autumn Water' in the future."

Cheng Yunqi nodded, operated the fire-attribute magic power in his body, easily formed a ball of fire in his palm, threw the "Flowing Gold Sinking Sand" into it, and slowly refined it.

The Temple Master looked at the flame in Cheng Yunqi's palm and sighed: "When I first left the mountain, the old Daoist still had magic power in his body, but the mortal world was disturbing, the flesh was aging, and the intake of Qi was getting worse day by day. Gradually, the magic power was exhausted, and I was no different from a mortal. Later, even feeding 'Autumn Water' was impossible."

Cheng Yunqi also nodded in agreement. After a few days out of the mountain, he had long felt that the spiritual energy in the mortal world was thin. No wonder all the major sects had to occupy spiritual mountains; few practiced in the mortal world.

"It seems a bit slow. This 'Flowing Gold Sinking Sand' has a hard texture, is cold in nature, and is fire-resistant. Let's change to another one."

After a while, the Temple Master saw that the melting speed of the "Flowing Gold Sinking Sand" was extremely slow, so he suggested changing to another gold essence.

"No need."

Cheng Yunqi shook his head. After saying that, he placed the sword horizontally on his knees, supported the flame with his right hand to burn the gold, pinched a seal with his left hand, pointed at the gold essence in the fire, and softly recited a word:

"Burn!"

Instantly, the "Flowing Gold Sinking Sand" began to melt.

The old Temple Master looked at Cheng Yunqi, feeling even more satisfied in his heart.

A moment later, the "Flowing Gold Sinking Sand" turned into a ball of gold water. Cheng Yunqi withdrew the flame and drew the sword to catch it. Sure enough, like rain falling into a pool, the gold water dripped into "Autumn Water", leaving a blue-green mark on the sword body, while "Autumn Water" let out a clang.

"'Autumn Water' is happy now."

The old Temple Master said with a smile.

Now that the matter was done, the old Temple Master didn't keep Cheng Yunqi any longer, gave all the remaining gold essence minerals to Cheng Yunqi, and let him return home on his own.

At parting, the old Temple Master urged again that feeding the side sword shouldn't be rushed. One must wait for "Autumn Water" to absorb all the swallowed gold essence before feeding it again, otherwise, greed will lead to loss, and the precious sword will become mixed and easily brittle and broken. As for how to see if the precious sword has refined the gold essence, it is also simple: as long as there is no mixed color on the sword body. However, the old Daoist also smiled and said that there should be few sword masters in the world who have this trouble. Basically, the speed of finding gold essence is far behind the speed of the precious sword swallowing gold essence. The dozen little things he saved up can't satisfy "Autumn Water's" mouth.

Cheng Yunqi learned his lesson, bowed, and thanked him sincerely.

The old Temple Master waved his hand and watched Cheng Yunqi leave.

But seeing Cheng Yunqi leave, for some reason, the smiling old Temple Master suddenly felt a chill on his face. He raised his hand to touch it, and it was tears. He was crying!

How could he cry? He was clearly so happy; he hadn't been this happy in so many years!

Is this what people call crying with joy?

The old Temple Master didn't understand for a moment. He returned to his bedroom and habitually bypassed the wall where the sword box had been hanging. Just as he sat on the edge of the bed, he seemed to suddenly remember something and cursed himself with a smile,

"Old thing, you're confused. 'Autumn Water' has a new master, a young man whose talent is far higher than yours. Why are you still hiding? No need to hide anymore. Tomorrow, I should change the name of 'Kuixin Residence'!"

The old Temple Master felt he should be calm. He raised his head and looked straight at the wall.

The wall was empty, with nothing on it.

For some reason, sorrow suddenly came from his heart, his nose was sore, and the old Temple Master lay on the bed and wailed.

New book is up, please leave messages, comments, likes, and collections.

(End of chapter)