Chapter 117: This Is Blade? Impossible, Absolutely Impossible!
“Don’t always tear me down!” March 7th casually elbowed A Xing once, already used to it.
“A Xing, don’t call yourself Stellar Core Spirit anymore. How about changing it to Contrarian?” Meng Huaifeng suggested.
“As a contrarian, do you think I’d listen to you?” A Xing said.
“So are you a contrarian or a Stellar Core Spirit right now?” Meng Huaifeng asked.
“If you think I’m a Stellar Core Spirit, then I’m a contrarian. If you think I’m a contrarian, then I’m a Stellar Core Spirit.” A Xing said smugly.
“I see, A Xing, you need a beating.” March 7th said with hands on her hips.
“You guys are really interesting. I want to get on the train even more now.” Bai Heng said with narrowed eyes and a smile.
“Let Dan Heng be the Dragon Lord!” Jingliu proposed again.
Dan Heng, blocking in front, stiffened slightly. This little girl still wouldn’t give up on him.
Bai Heng roughly ruffled Jingliu’s hair: “Don’t talk nonsense, little Jingliu. You can’t push others into the fire pit for your own sake.”
Blade at the corner heard Dan Heng’s alert voice and was about to come out, but the next voice, soul-stirring and dreamlike, stunned him completely.
Such a familiar voice.
Although he knew it couldn’t be her, as long as he didn’t go out to confirm who made that voice, he could keep imagining it was her speaking.
Please, say a few more words.
Blade closed his eyes, focusing all his senses on his hearing.
“Why no movement? No one there? Or passed out from excessive blood loss?” Bai Heng said strangely.
“I’ll go check.” Dan Heng said.
It really sounds like her, just like her saying these words herself, no difference at all.
If only it were really you?
Blade’s tightly closed eyes grew slightly wet at the corners.
Footsteps approached gradually. Blade reluctantly opened his eyes with reluctance. It was just a brief beautiful dream; time to shatter it.
“Clang~”
A blood-red blade suddenly emerged from the corner. Dan Heng stopped abruptly, the familiar blade making his pupils shrink.
“Blade?!”
“Dan Feng, long time no see. I really want you dead.” Blade’s figure emerged from behind the corner, his bloodthirsty gaze fixed on Dan Heng.
“Not long ago, we just met in Belobog not long before.” Dan Heng smiled slightly. Blade was no longer his psychological shadow.
Hearing Dan Heng’s words, an unpleasant memory surfaced in Blade’s mind, and his whole body began to emit black aura with a “kukuku.”
“After I kill you, I’ll settle accounts with that little brat!” Blade said with red eyes. The Blade of Shattered Oath also began emitting ominous red light.
“Stelle!” Bai Heng shouted in surprise.
How long had it been since he heard that name?
And called out by that familiar voice.
Blade instinctively looked toward the source of the voice and saw a figure from his dreams warmly waving at him.
Illusion?
Demonic Yin Body acting up again?
Kafka… no, I like this Demonic Yin Body. Don’t suppress it; just sink into it like this.
“How did you come to the Xianzhou? I thought I wouldn’t see you for a while, but didn’t expect it so soon. Great.”
Blade stood dumbfounded in place. Bai Heng didn’t; seeing him motionless, she ran over proactively.
“Be careful, he’s very dangerous right now.” Dan Heng warned.
“It’s fine. No matter how dangerous, Stelle won’t harm me. I believe him.” Bai Heng gently pushed Dan Heng aside.
Dan Heng grew even more vigilant, guarding against Blade suddenly going mad and harming Bai Heng.
Jingliu’s body also emitted a slight chill, her piercing gaze fixed on Blade.
Meng Huaifeng had no doubt that if Blade made any rash move, Jingliu would unhesitatingly smash him with Illuminating Myriad Rivers.
With Jingliu’s sword technique mastery, she could completely kill Blade without harming Bai Heng, who was close by.
“You’ve changed a lot too. Your hair is black again. Nice. In my memory, your hair was almost all white.”
“I thought you’d be the first among us to go. I was even planning your funeral, but didn’t expect I’d go first and drag you all down.”
“By the way, isn’t this the sword you forged for Jingliu? How is it with you now? So many cracks. Is it… broken?”
“Right, you changed your name, right? Now called Blade?”
Bai Heng grabbed Blade’s arms, looking him up and down, chattering nonstop.
“I… really missed you.” Blade said lowly.
“Oh? Since when do you dare say such straightforward things to your sister? Well, though it feels like I just slept, it’s been over seven hundred years for you all. All my fault, making you suffer all these years.” Bai Heng tiptoed with some heartache to ruffle Blade’s head.
Feeling his sins were deep.
“Why does it feel so real? Different from previous Demonic Yin Body episodes. My mind feels very clear.” Blade felt the familiar manner and force, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes.
“This is real. This lady has come back to life.” Bai Heng said, half-crying half-laughing. No wonder Stelle was acting dumb; he thought he was in a Demonic Yin Body episode.
“After this divine doctor’s diagnosis, this uncle is in a state where Demonic Yin Body could flare up anytime, but right now he’s not in one. Here, take this pill. It can alleviate Demonic Yin Body symptoms.”
Jingliu poured a pill from her medicine gourd and handed it to Bai Heng.
Jingliu’s medicine gourd had many small spaces inside, able to hold many kinds of medicine.
“Here, Stelle, take the medicine.”
Bai Heng held the pill to Blade’s mouth. Blade mechanically opened his mouth. Bai Heng stuffed the pill in and pressed her two fingers on Blade’s lips.
Blade’s chaotic aura quickly calmed.
“Clang.”
The Blade of Shattered Oath fell from his hand to the ground with a crisp sound.
“Bai Heng, is it really you? I really missed you!”
Blade suddenly hugged the Bai Heng in front of him, choking up.
“Hey hey, why are you like this too? Lighter. For the sake of how hard it’s been for you these years, sister forgives you this time. Don’t worry, it’s really me. I’m back.” Bai Heng complained verbally but didn’t push him away, instead gently patting his back to comfort him.
Jingliu’s eyes narrowed slightly but ultimately she didn’t act.
A man doesn’t shed tears lightly; only when deeply hurt.
Like a battered broken boat finally returning to a sheltered harbor.
Blade completely couldn’t control his emotions. Countless tears slid down his face, quickly wetting Bai Heng’s shoulder.
His feelings for Bai Heng were extraordinary, yet he was just a short-lived species, never daring to voice them.
“Blade, the Stellar Core Hunter with an 8.1 billion bounty, is crying?” March 7th said in disbelief.
“Click, click!”
Meng Huaifeng and A Xing both took out their mobile phones to take photos.
“Hey? I want to take some too!”
March 7th opened her camera and started taking photos too. This was professional.
Just taking photos? No, gotta share them.
『Meng Huaifeng: Picture, picture.』
『Silver Wolf: ???』
『Silver Wolf: Who’s this?』
『Meng Huaifeng: You don’t recognize your companion?』
『Silver Wolf: Impossible! Absolutely impossible!』
『Meng Huaifeng: Look at the sword on the ground.』
『Silver Wolf: You’re photoshopping to trick me? Forgot who taught you your tech?』
『Meng Huaifeng: Don’t believe me? Hack my… hack A Xing’s phone. She’s taking photos right now.』
『Silver Wolf: Right away!』
A Xing was still snapping away enthusiastically, completely unaware her phone had been hacked by Silver Wolf. Through the camera, Silver Wolf clearly saw Blade crying his eyes out.
“Kafka, Sam, big news! Come eat melon!” Silver Wolf urgently called the others.
『Silver Wolf: What the heck happened? How’d you guys mess up A Blade like this? Spill, spill.』
『Meng Huaifeng: Gotta start from over eight hundred years ago…』
While Meng Huaifeng shared the big melon with the Stellar Core Hunters, Blade’s emotions finally stabilized.
Blade and Bai Heng clearly had a lot to say. The group found a teahouse and got two private rooms: the four Cloudy Five Warriors in one, Meng Huaifeng, Jingliu, A Xing, and March 7th in the other.
The four Cloudy Five Warriors chatted over tea in their room, while Meng Huaifeng, Jingliu, A Xing, and March 7th didn’t touch their tea, all pressing their ears to the wall.
The Stellar Core Hunters were also eating melon remotely via phone.
“What happened to the Blade of Shattered Oath? With Blade’s skill, what kind of brutal battle could shatter it like this?” Bai Heng asked curiously.
All four Cloudy Five Warriors’ weapons were made by Stelle: Jing Yuan’s Formation Blade Stone Fire Dream Body, Dan Heng’s Ji Yun Spear, Jingliu’s Blade of Shattered Oath, and Bai Heng’s curved bow.
Blade and Jingliu exchanged a glance.
Brutal battle?
It was just Jingliu killing Blade countless times until the Blade of Shattered Oath shattered, then stabbing it into him to end the fight.
Could they tell this to Bai Heng?
No!
“Though I regained reason from the Demonic Yin Body, I couldn’t return to the Xianzhou. I vented my hatred on Abundance followers. After endless battles for centuries, the Blade of Shattered Oath shattered, so I gave it to Stelle for repair.” Jingliu said, glaring threateningly at Blade.
“Right, the Blade of Shattered Oath is fully repaired. Just hadn’t found Jingliu, no chance to return it.” Blade said.
“Then now…”
“I’ve found my own path. Don’t need the Blade of Shattered Oath anymore. Just leave it with Stelle.” Jingliu said. She didn’t want that sword.
“Alright.” Bai Heng scratched her head.
Dusk fell, fiery red clouds hanging in the sky.
Blade, now knowing how Bai Heng returned, looked at Dan Heng with complex expression and finally said: “Dan Feng, thank you. From now on, our grudges are settled.”
“Smack!”
Bai Heng slapped Blade’s back: “What grudges settled? Grudges yes, but favors no. We’re still good friends.”
“Okay, as you say.” Blade said softly.
Dan Heng’s mouth curved slightly. Was this really the madman he knew?
“I just hope you stop calling me Dan Feng from now on.” Dan Heng said. Only this guy stubbornly thought he was Dan Feng.
“Dan… Heng, thank you.” Blade paused, then said his current name.
“No need to thank me. Bai Heng’s return was thanks to the Martial Spirit method.” Dan Heng said.
“I know.” Blade went to the other room and said to Meng Huaifeng: “Any future orders, I’ll follow without hesitation.”
The Stellar Core Hunters also knew the world-traversing method came from Meng Huaifeng.
“I remember you were a great craftsman. How about forging me a good gun for free? My standards aren’t high—just like Dan Heng’s Ji Yun Spear.” Meng Huaifeng said. Heaven knows, after so long, he still didn’t have a handy weapon.
“No problem.” Blade agreed without hesitation. Though centuries without forging, he was confident his skills hadn’t regressed much.
Besides, his great strength helped with forging too.
Meng Huaifeng glanced at March 7th and said: “Add a sword?”
“No problem.” Blade nodded again.
“He agrees to whatever we ask?” March 7th said in surprise.
“I want a hundred baseball bats.” A Xing made a request.
“No problem.” Blade paused, then said: “But it’ll take some time.”
“Don’t listen to her nonsense. No hundred baseball bats—just one gun, one sword.” Meng Huaifeng glared at A Xing.
……
“Abominable Medicine rebels cleared. Alchemy Commission alchemists lost fifty percent. Creation Furnace destroyed by rebels. Though repaired in time, some Suiyang escaped. Also, several dan furnaces damaged, Cloud Cavalry casualties… building destruction… civilian casualties…”
In the Divine Strategy Army, Fu Xuan and Yukong reported the results and losses to Jing Yuan.
“Have the Ten Lords’ Commission handle the escaped Suiyang. Bureau of Operations handle aftermath compensation and recovery. Fu Qing, prepare me a list and evidence of Sustainers of the Hunt Dragon Master colluding with Abominable Medicine and the Great Annihilation Lord. Also, per investigation, the Stellar Core likely wasn’t brought by Huanlong. Someone else after. Yukong, investigate recent port entrants, find suspects…” Jing Yuan arranged one by one.
Matters finally handled, Jing Yuan sent the battle report.
“Stellar Calendar 8100 March, Luofu Xianzhou report: Great Annihilation Lord Huanlong invasion, Stellar Core rampage, Abominable Medicine turmoil. With Stellar Train aid, great victory.”
Jing Yuan leaned back in his chair, letting out a long breath. Finally over.
Leftover minor cleanup work, leave to Fu Qing.
“Yan Qing, how was your performance yesterday?” Jing Yuan asked the boy standing tall like a pine beside him.
“I shut down three dan furnaces alone, slew hundreds of Demonic Yin Body, killed most Abominable Medicine high-ups. Shame I didn’t find their leader.” Yan Qing excitedly recounted his feats, a bit regretful at the end.
“Not bad. But what was Fu Qing’s task for you?” Jing Yun praised lightly, then asked.
“Shut down the farthest dan furnace…” Yan Qing said.
“Then why’d you shut down three?”
“My strength allows more. Why not? It reduced Cloud Cavalry casualties too.” Yan Qing said spiritedly.
Jing Yuan shook his head slightly. Still young and impetuous, too eager for show.
You could do more, reduced Cloud Cavalry casualties, but you stole others’ merits.
The dan furnaces had just started not long, smoke not dense yet, risk actually low.
Such low-risk merits, better leave to regular Cloud Cavalry.
If Cloud Cavalry truly couldn’t handle it, then snatching and solving it would be skill.
Jing Yuan suddenly recalled what he said yesterday fighting Huanlong.
『Jing Yuan: Little friend March, still planning to learn sword technique?』
『March 7th: General Jing Yuan, you done with work? Yes.』
『Jing Yuan: Temporarily wrapped up.』
“Yan Qing, a task for you: teach sword technique to a distinguished guest from the train. How about it?” Jing Yuan looked at Yan Qing.
“Understood.” Yan Qing replied.
“She fought Huanlong with me yesterday. Stronger than you. Teach her well.” Jing Yuan said.
“Oh? Got it, General.” A spark of fighting spirit flashed in Yan Qing’s eyes.
Able to join the Envoy’s battle? Let me see how strong you really are.
March 7th, receiving Jing Yuan’s message, suddenly jolted awake.
“Crap! Forgot to buy new clothes amid all the melon! Hurry, let’s go!”
March 7th dragged Meng Huaifeng and A Xing out running.
Remembering something, she ran back to Jingliu: “Sister Jingliu, do you have time to teach me tomorrow?”
Seeing how Jingliu stuck to Bai Heng today without leaving her side, probably wouldn’t want to in the short term.
