Chapter 306: 315 Origins

Shi Chunqing spoke so matter-of-factly that the others were all stunned for a moment.

Jiang Shenyi was so angry he was the first to burst out cursing, saying: "Shi Chunqing, do you still have any shame? A traitor still coveting a sword forged by his mentor? A good horse doesn't eat the grass behind it; you're not even as good as a beast! Didn't you say you were born extraordinary and of noble blood? You should be inheriting your noble legacy. Don't tell me you don't have one? Surely not? Only 'high' but no 'noble'?"

Shi Chunqing said coldly: "Shut your mouth, you idiot, what do you know! Do you think I covet this sword? Would I covet this sword? You think about it, is this a sword forged for me? What use would I have for this sword?"

Jiang Shenyi was just about to retort when he suddenly paused.

Was this "Treasure Sword" forged for Shi Chunqing?

One could say yes.

Because it was originally the "Treasure Sword" that Xue Xianyun had poured his heart and blood into forging for Shi Chunqing; he himself had said it was a wish he had held for twenty years, only realized today.

One could also say no.

Because this sword was forged for the "Shi Chunqing" in Xue Xianyun's heart, forged for that diligent, steady, broad-minded, warm, and caring-for-his-juniors Shi Chunqing. If it were that kind of Shi Chunqing, he would certainly be able to pick up this Treasure Sword, comprehend the "Grinding" Sword Intent, and become a Sword Guest who could soar straight to the nine heavens.

However, that Shi Chunqing never existed from the very beginning.

According to what Shi Chunqing said, his personality was never like that from the start; the so-called broad-mindedness and diligence were all just pandering to others, performed entirely to suit Xue Xianyun's preferences. So even if he hadn't had the chance to defect, hadn't had the opportunity to defect, and had remained everyone's good senior brother, he still could not have been a match for this sword. That would have been even more ironic: Xue Xianyun, after all his hard work, would have forged the Treasure Sword in high spirits and gifted it to his beloved disciple, only for the disciple to be completely incompatible upon the first trial, instantly causing ten years of dreams to go down the drain.

Of course, it is also possible that this was just Shi Chunqing being stubborn. Perhaps he was like that at the beginning, sincere and steady.

After all, he was just a child when he followed Xue Xianyun. A child that old, if they are very good at observing expressions and avoiding harm, how could they not deceive an adult like Xue Xianyun?

Perhaps he just changed. He was ravaged by time, corroded by the Hongchen, and swallowed by his own jealousy. He became this way step by step.

But the pride in Shi Chunqing's bones would not allow him to admit that he had fallen or failed; he would rather admit that he had been ambitious and plotting for a long time from the start. That way, when he left, it was to cast off shackles and be himself again.

Because he longed to be born extraordinary.

But regardless, he most likely could not lift this sword. One could guess without matching that the compatibility between the two was very poor. And he himself knew it too.

Once Jiang Shenyi thought of this, he retorted sharply: "Who knows if you're just harboring a fluke? Or perhaps you want to use this sword as a stepping stone to offer to the Turtle Bandits."

Shi Chunqing shouted angrily: "With my status, I am already in the position of an East Pillar of State, what need do I have for a stepping stone? I am doing this for your own good, don't be ungrateful! What is the necessity of forging this sword again and again? Wouldn't it be better to give up early? I took all your materials back then just to make you realize the difficulty and retreat! If you had come to your senses in time back then, we could have parted on good terms..."

Tang Zhao said: "You didn't just take the Sword Casting materials, you also snatched away the master's accumulations over these years; even robbers aren't as thorough as you. You call this parting on good terms?"

Shi Chunqing said dismissively: "Don't you know what it means to hide a tree in a forest? If I didn't take everything, wouldn't everyone know I was trying to stop you from casting the sword? If only I had taken the Sword Seed as well back then. It's a pity it was hidden too well and I didn't find it. I have already done enough to court death—" he looked at Xue Xianyun, "—to stop you. As long as you don't cast the sword, there is still room for maneuver. I could even persuade the Central Hub not to go to Jiugao Mountain. It is a pity you are obsessed and won't turn back. Why must you seek your own death?"

Tang Zhao raised an eyebrow and said: "So, the Turtle Bandits went to such great lengths, and what they were actually eyeing was the sword Master forged?"

This happened to coincide with his own conjecture.

However...

Xue Xianyun finally couldn't help but speak: "The Turtle Bandits think highly enough of me. Is my sword that good? How come I didn't know?"

Shi Chunqing shook his head, revealing a smile that was somewhat inscrutable and somewhat mocking.

At this moment, Tang Zhao suddenly said: "Because this is a sword suitable for an East Pillar of State. That is why the Turtle Bandits want to take it away."

Just like the Kun Sword back then.

As soon as these words were spoken, the other three were all startled. Xue Xianyun and Jiang Shenyi hadn't expected it, while Shi Chunqing hadn't expected Tang Zhao to have guessed it himself.

Being so shocked, he failed to retort, which was effectively an admission.

Xue Xianyun looked at his sword and said: "This is a sword for an East Pillar of State? Those eight messy swords of the East, West, South, and North? Where is the similarity? My sword is clearly..." He gradually fell into deep thought.

Shi Chunqing said: "It is clearly one you picked up. I watched you pick it up back then, right there in those ruins. But you don't think about it, how could a Sword Seed be so easy to pick up? What you picked up was the Broken Sword of an East Pillar of State from back then; you dismantled a Sword Seed from it and were as happy as if you had obtained a treasure, forgetting everything else. The Dawai Chao had been eyeing you for a long time. It was just that they suffered heavy losses back then and were unable to seize the sword, and their base camp withdrew to the southwest, leaving them no time to attend to Yunzhou, which allowed you to take the Sword Seed. Now that they have caught their breath, they have been looking for your Sword Seed, and they have also been looking for me."

Xue Xianyun snorted; this indignant appearance made him look more like the usual Xue Xianyun.

Jiang Shenyi did not forget to sting him: "They've been looking for the Sword Seed; looking for you was probably just killing two birds with one stone. No one was actually looking for you seriously."

Shi Chunqing said: "They didn't know I was still alive. Once they know I am here, they will naturally want to take me away. Because I..."

Jiang Shenyi said: "Know, because you were born extraordinary."

Shi Chunqing said: "I am naturally like this; it is useless for you to be indignant. If I had taken the Sword Seed back then, you would naturally be fine. It is a pity that your fate is bad, and your brains are bad too. Even if Tang Zhao guessed a thing or two, it is just hindsight; why didn't you think of it before? The Dawai Chao currently has no reliable Sword Smith, so they let you cast the sword, waiting until the casting was successful to take it away. Unlike your other enemies, we did not sabotage the plan to cast the sword, otherwise how could you have succeeded in casting the sword so easily?"

Jiang Shenyi said: "You failed to stop the sword casting, so that is a failure. Talking cheap now? I think you are the one with hindsight. Talking about letting the sword be cast; can a sword be the same with different casting methods for the same Sword Seed? Let any one of your 'born extraordinary' East Pillars of State come and take this 'Treasure Sword'? I don't think a single one could match it; take it back to use as a fire poker? Still being stubborn here. Since you say it was all allowed by you, then just come; I can tell you now, you cannot take this sword away. Whether it is you or some East Pillar of State, you will only have one outcome: failure."

Shi Chunqing was not angry, and again revealed that mysterious and inscrutable expression.

Tang Zhao suddenly said: "Which sword is it? I initially thought the Treasure Sword was Northeast or North, just like our Jiugao Mountain's orientation in Shenzhou. But then I thought, it could also be Southeast, which is the Dui trigram. Because in the Eight Trigrams, the Dui trigram represents a marsh. Our Jiugao Mountain is a large marsh. Perhaps just as the Northern East Pillar of State wanted the Kun Sword, the Southeastern East Pillar of State also had to search for their own sword in the marsh. But thinking carefully, the Sword Intent of this sword is 'grinding', which has nothing to do with a marsh, right?"

Jiang Shenyi glanced at Tang Zhao, thinking: As expected of someone who reads too many books, his brain is different from others; he's even considering this at a time like this.

Shi Chunqing was actually able to keep up, saying: "I don't understand what you are saying about Eight Trigrams, orientations, or marshes and mountains. But I know everything you said is nonsense; you are overthinking it. That is the Winter Sword, the sword of the Winter East Pillar of State. It has absolutely nothing to do with East, West, South, or North."

Tang Zhao said "Ah?", which was completely unexpected, but he immediately thought of the "Bitter Cold Qi" used as a material, which was understandable.

A Sword Seed is originally chaotic, containing multiple directions and infinite futures; it can be said that when a sword shatters, it parts with this world forever. Just like a person reincarnating, after drinking Meng Po's soup, the person who is reborn is a different person; except for spirits repaying debts for a thousand years, no one would treat them as the same person.

The Winter Sword was shattered until only the Sword Seed remained, so even if the original Sword Smith were resurrected, using the same materials and finding the previous Winter East Pillar of State to comprehend the sword again, it would probably be very difficult to replicate an identical Winter Sword. Not to mention that these conditions probably don't exist at all. So the Turtle Bandits couldn't be bothered to struggle; they simply borrowed a hen to lay an egg, using the hands of Xue Xianyun, this Sword Smith, to forge a new sword. As long as a new Winter East Pillar of State holds the sword, or the Sword Guest holding the sword becomes the Winter East Pillar of State, then the vacancy is more or less filled. A stray dog shouldn't be so particular anyway.

Shi Chunqing said calmly: "My father was a political rival of the Winter East Pillar of State back then, and I am at odds with this sword myself. So I have no interest in this sword. But you must not underestimate the determination of my Dawai Chao."

"I am here asking for this sword to give Zhuoyu Villa a way out. It is also out of consideration for past feelings. If you give the sword to me, the loss is not great. I can also persuade the Central Hub not to pursue the crime of you killing our people. If I cannot get it, the next to arrive will be an East Pillar of State. That is not the Northern East Pillar of State you saw in Kungang; the Northern East Pillar of State retreated from the sword and injured his body for the Kun Sword, and his strength is not even one-tenth of his prime. This one now is a true East Pillar of State. His strength is not something that the third-rate Sword Heroes you invited can contend with."

"Even if you are lucky and unite with outside help to rely on numbers to repel the East Pillar of State, do you think it's over? Impossible, the Winter Sword is an indispensable power for Dawai, and it is absolutely impossible to let go. If one East Pillar of State cannot succeed, two or three can come. Even higher-level experts can come. The foundation of my Dawai is unfathomable! You are not the Sword Immortal of the Kun Sword, and your strength is just so-so, how dare you act like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?"

He stretched out his hand again and said in a condescending tone: "Now, hand over the sword; this is the last chance for peace. Time is running out, and you will regret it if you miss it!"

Unfortunately, his "good intentions" were in vain.

Xue Xianyun's face sank, Jiang Shenyi's eyebrows stood up, but Tang Zhao was the calmest, saying: "So that's it. That East Pillar of State was indeed going to be summoned through you, right?"