Chapter 20: Southeast Sword Lake

 

A momentary touch of coolness brushed Shen Yian’s cheek.

 

Shen Yian touched his face in a daze, feeling the slight wetness.

 

Had that silly girl just sneak-attacked him?

 

Looking again, Ye Liyan had somehow already put on her bamboo hat. Her small hands deliberately pressed down the brim, like a child trying to cover up a mistake, with a goofy and adorable expression that tugged at someone’s heartstrings.

 

Shen Yian’s lips curved into a slight smile, and he skillfully took the silly girl’s small hand: “Let’s go.”

 

“Mm.”

 

The only response was the shy, mosquito-like murmur of the girl.

 

The sky poured down a shower of golden light, reflecting on the river and casting a shimmering stage of gold over the boats passing by.

 

Cheng Hai, with a long sword strapped to his back, gazed into the distance. Bathed in this golden glow, he looked like a golden-armored general about to embark on an expedition.

 

Even the well-experienced Flower Lady couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.

 

Unfortunately, he had a stone-cold face. Sigh~

 

“Click.”

 

The door opened, and Shen Yian walked out, holding Ye Liyan’s small hand.

 

“Young Master.”

 

“Young Master.”

 

Cheng Hai and Flower Lady, who had been waiting for a long time, greeted simultaneously.

 

“Let’s go back.”

 

“Yes, Young Master.”

 

The two small boats gently drifted towards the shore, riding the rippling water. Standing at the bow, Flower Lady waved her silk scarf and sweetly called out, “Young Master~ Take care~”

 

With a female companion by his side, she wouldn’t shout anything as crude as “Sir, come again next time~” She hoped that well-mannered young noblemen would visit often—they spent more, tipped well, and didn’t cause trouble for the girls on her boat. What could be better?

 

――――――

 

The Holy Land of Sword Cultivators – Southeast Sword Lake.

 

Legend has it that this place was once a corner of an ancient battlefield, where a peerless sword immortal arrived and transformed it into his abode.

 

As time passed, the sword immortal left on his sword and never returned. A family of swordsmiths moved here and discovered that this place was rich in gold and iron ore that the family had always dreamed of. They stayed here, and the swords they forged filled the plains for several miles.

 

Later, a catastrophic flood came from the east, destroying and submerging everything. The swordsmiths family vanished, but their swords remained, forever embedded in this place.

 

Over the course of history, a scholar on his way to take an exam passed by and accidentally fell into the lake. Rescued by villagers, they found an old, rusty sword in his hand.

 

Several brave villagers dove into the lake to investigate.

 

A young man, an excellent swimmer, dived deep and was shocked to discover that the vast lakebed was densely packed with swords.

 

The young man made several attempts, using all his strength, but couldn’t pull out a single sword. In the end, he returned empty-handed.

 

The story of Sword Lake spread far and wide by word of mouth, attracting countless people who traveled great distances just to see if the lake’s bottom was indeed as legendary as the tales suggested.

 

Because Sword Lake was situated close to Southeast Mountain, with many people talking about it and visiting, it became known as Southeast Sword Lake.

 

As for the scholar who fell into the lake, after waking up, he seemed to have lost his soul. Instead of continuing his journey to take the exam, he spent his days sitting by the lake, clutching that old, rusty sword.

 

No one knew how many days and nights, how many seasons passed, but one day the scholar suddenly stood up and laughed uproariously.

 

“A green lotus creates the primordial chaos,”

 

“Three thousand worlds within a single sword!”

 

“I’ve understood! I finally understand! Hahahahaha!”

 

According to a sword cultivator who was present at the time.

 

On that day, he seemed to hear countless sword sounds around him, and beautiful green lotuses bloomed all over Sword Lake. Amidst his hearty laughter, a sword immortal in green robes stepped onto his sword and flew east, never to return, just like the peerless sword immortal before him.

 

That scholar later became known to everyone as the Poet Sword Immortal, Chu Fengge!

 

The Poet Sword Immortal, upon achieving enlightenment, entered the Divine Wandering and left on his sword, never to return.

 

The story spread from one to ten, ten to a hundred, and a hundred to a thousand. More and more sword cultivators came in admiration, and Southeast Sword Lake truly became a holy land in the hearts of sword cultivators.

 

At dusk, the setting sun left a streak of blood-red on the horizon, and a faint mist rose from all directions around the lake, adding a touch of mystery to Sword Lake.

 

A narrow, short plank bridge extended into the lake, with four or five small boats moored around it.

 

At the end of the plank bridge, an old man in a straw raincoat sat cross-legged, his figure slightly hunched, holding a bamboo fishing rod.

 

“Splosh!”

 

The old man’s drooping eyes lifted slightly, and his dry, skinny hand gripped the bamboo rod tightly and abruptly lifted it, pulling out a fat carp from the water.

 

“You don’t seem to be a sword cultivator. Why have you come here?” The old man removed the fishhook and released the carp back into the lake.

 

“To retrieve a sword.”

 

Fu Sheng bowed respectfully, holding a sword sheath.

 

“Retrieve a sword? Just jump into the lake and get it yourself. Why come to this old man?”

 

“No, you have the scent of that brat on you.”

 

The old man’s thick eyebrows suddenly furrowed, his voice turning cold.

 

“You came to retrieve his sword?!”

 

“Yes,” Fu Sheng replied.

 

“That damn brat used the entire Sword Lake to nurture his broken sword. Do you know the wicked things that sword has done?!” The old man could no longer maintain his previous demeanor of an aloof sage. He jumped up, pointing at Fu Sheng, and cursed loudly.

 

Fu Sheng quietly took half a step back, moving out of the range of the old man’s spittle.

 

As he cursed, the old man’s expression suddenly became stern, and a warm gleam appeared in his cloudy eyes. Gripping the bamboo rod tightly, his arms bulging with veins, he gritted his teeth and said, “Damn it, after all this time, you’ve finally taken the bait!”

 

A massive whirlpool suddenly formed in the vast Sword Lake, sending waves surging. Even the mist dissipated somewhat. Under the impact of the waves, the plank bridge trembled, as if some terrifying creature was about to emerge from the lake.

 

“Get out here!”

 

The old man was surrounded by terrifying true energy, his entire body unconsciously swelling. The bamboo rod in his hand had bent into a C-shape, yet it remained resilient without any sign of breaking.

 

“Roar!!!”

 

A hundred-meter-high water curtain surged from the center of the whirlpool, accompanied by an unknown roar that echoed through the heavens and the earth. The forest’s beasts fell silent in fear, and large flocks of birds took off in alarm.

 

“Whoosh!”

 

As the water curtain fell, Fu Sheng instinctively stepped back, his eyes widening. Reflected in his ink-black eyes was a five-clawed black dragon, twisting and turning in the air!

 

A dragon!

 

A creature that existed only in legends!

 

There was actually a black dragon in Sword Lake!

 

No, wait!

 

Fu Sheng snapped back to his senses and looked more closely. He realized the black dragon wasn’t a physical entity!

 

The sword sheath in his hand vibrated in resonance with the black dragon.

 

Could this be His Highness’s sword?!

 

“Roar!”

 

The black dragon roared furiously at the old man. Its massive body transformed into a three-foot-long sword, hovering in mid-air.

 

“Humph, beast! This old man will destroy you today!”

 

The old man yanked the bamboo rod, and the fishing line wrapped around the sword’s hilt suddenly pulled it down.

 

Thud!

 

Hearing the sound, Fu Sheng glanced behind him. The old man glared angrily and shouted, “You want to take it?!”

 

“Clack!”

 

With a swift turn of his large hand, he drew a thin sword, as thick as two fingers, from the bottom of the bamboo rod and slashed downward. A surge of azure sword energy instantly tore through the plank bridge.

 

Boom!

 

An image of yin-yang fishes appeared on Fu Sheng’s brow. He gathered pale white energy in his right hand, which clashed with the overwhelming sword energy. The domineering force tore through the sword energy and surged towards the old man.

 

The old man, startled, thrust his thin sword into the air, splitting the energy with the sword’s tip, directing it towards the lake.

 

A water curtain several tens of meters high splashed up as a blue and a white streak of light rapidly crossed paths on the lake’s surface, clashing repeatedly. The fierce sword energy and domineering force radiated in all directions as if they were about to shatter the heavens.

 

Suddenly, the world fell silent.

 

A long sword flew towards Fu Sheng. He raised the sword sheath, and the sword automatically sheathed itself.

 

The old man, standing at a distance, said in a stern voice, “Take it and leave!”

 

Fu Sheng glanced at his right hand, now full of sword marks, and cupped his hands in salute, “Junior has a message to deliver.”

 

“That brat’s message? It can’t be anything good!” The old man snorted, his tone somewhat more relaxed than before.

 

“May I ask if today you caught nothing again?”

 

With that, Fu Sheng swiftly dashed away into the distance, leaving the old man stunned for a couple of seconds before he started cursing loudly.

 

“Cough, cough…”

 

The old man coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, looking at his arm that had nearly been twisted into a pretzel by the terrifying force. He sighed, “Where did this little monster come from, such bad luck.”

 

“Forget it, this old man should take a break for a while…”