parentshiftbook Chapter 20 Retrieving the Sword from the Wooden House
Chapter 20 Retrieving the Sword from the Wooden House
Shen Chi walked up to Mo Huaizhou.
"How bad is the injury—how far can you walk?"
"You've decided to leave?"
"Um."
"Then you can go as far as you want."
Shen Chi nodded.
"First, go to the cabin to get the things my father left behind, then leave town."
Azhu looked up: "Grandpa Mo, he—"
"Bury it," Shen Chi said.
He paused for a moment, but didn't let himself stop for too long.
A-Zhu didn't ask any more questions.
Mo Huaizhou stretched his shoulders.
"What about the Enforcement Hall?"
"Three days have passed," Shen Chi said. "Sitting here and waiting will only result in a town lockdown order."
He glanced back at the shop. The stove was out, and a half-finished sickle rested on the anvil.
"Walk."
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The three of them went out.
As Shen Chi passed by Old Chen's house, the door was half open. Old Chen stood through the crack and glanced at him.
—Are you leaving?
Shen Chi nodded.
Old Chen was silent for a moment, then his lips moved. Finally, he uttered only two words:
"To live."
A-Zhu followed behind Shen Chi. When they reached the alley entrance, she suddenly stopped, glanced back at Qingxi Town, then turned around, jogged a few steps, and caught up with Shen Chi.
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Once outside the town, the road narrowed. The morning dew dampened the gravel, making it a little slippery underfoot, but Shen Chi walked steadily.
About half an hour later, they saw the wooden house.
The courtyard gate was locked. Shen Chi raised his hundred-chain hammer and gently tapped it—the lock broke and fell to the ground.
I pushed open the door. The courtyard was empty, with a thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground.
Shen Chi walked straight to the corner of the wooden house.
He used a hammer to sweep away the leaves, revealing compacted soil underneath.
He squatted down and dug with his hands.
When they dug to a depth of three feet, their fingertips touched a hard corner.
A long, rectangular tin box. It was rusty and the opening was sealed with wax.
He took the tin box out and placed it on the ground.
A-Zhu stood at the courtyard gate without coming in. Mo Huaizhou leaned against the door frame, watching Shen Chi's movements without saying a word.
Shen Chi pried open the box lid.
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There is a sword inside.
There was no scabbard. The blade was dark gray, covered with fine, flowing patterns—exactly the same as the patterns on the fragments of the Guardian Sword. There were faint traces of two pieces being joined together on the blade; others wouldn't notice, but after so many years of blacksmithing, he could tell.
Beside the sword was a jade-green ring with a pattern of intertwined branches engraved on the face.
Shen Chi picked up the sword.
The instant the fingers touched the hilt of the sword—
The broken hilt and fragments of the Guardian Sword in his arms suddenly felt hot.
With a soft hum, as if someone had struck a bell in his head, bronze-colored oath flames surged from his chest, drawing three items into the air. The dark oath stone on the sword hilt lit up, turning a golden-red.
Then he felt something more direct than memory.
It felt like a father's hand on his shoulder. Warm, with a familiar weight.
He had experienced "coldness" before. When Mo Chenzi became completely cold in his arms, he understood what "coldness" meant.
But this sword is warm. A living warmth, like embers in a furnace that haven't yet gone out, which can be reignited by a gust of wind.
A voice came from the sword. It entered directly into my heart. It was my father's voice, though it came from a great distance:
"Chi'er... the fact that you were able to obtain this sword means you've come this far. Don't be afraid—I've walked this path before... and it's a viable one."
The rest of the words were drowned out by the resonant buzzing.
Azhu's eyes suddenly widened. She saw it—the light emanating from the sword was the same light emanating from Shen Chi's chest, running from the hilt to his heart, like iron welded together.
Shen Chi knelt by the pit, gripping the sword.
He had so many questions he wanted to ask. But the sword didn't answer. Only that warmth traveled from the hilt to his palm, like a father patting him on the shoulder and walking away.
It took him a while to stand up.
He handed the ring to Mo Huaizhou.
Mo Huaizhou took it, looked at it several times, and stroked the intertwined floral pattern on the ring with his fingertips. His eyes changed.
"The Ink Sect's Storage Ring. Only elders possess it. It contains a sealed, independent space."
He returned the ring to Shen Chi.
"Touch the ring face with the flame of your vow, and it will recognize your heart's seal."
Shen Chi took the ring, and the bronze flame in his palm flickered slightly. A ring of light shone on the intertwined vine pattern on the ring face—he "saw" the space inside, a square foot in size, completely empty.
He put the broken handle back in, and the shards back in. A fragment of a bronze mirror. A piece of iron. A "Heart Cannot Be Locked" knife.
All of it was put into the ring.
He didn't sheathe the sword from the wooden house. He held it in his hand, feeling its warmth.
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The three of them came out of the wooden house without looking back.
The mountain road continued south. After crossing a mountain, there was an official road leading to Tian Shu City.
After walking for about two hours and crossing several mountains, Shen Chi saw a broken tree.
A person stood under the tree. He wore a green robe, was around thirty years old, and carried an old wooden box on his back.
He was standing right in the middle of the only road leading out of the mountains.
Shen Chi stopped. He placed his left hand on the handle of the Hundred-Refined Hammer.
The man in the green robe smiled when he saw him and raised his hands.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not here to arrest you."
His tone was as casual as if he were greeting someone on the street.
"Tianji Pavilion, Shi Jian. We've been waiting for you for a long time."
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Shen Chi did not relax.
"Wait for us?"
"Yes. We're waiting for you." Shi Jian lowered his hand and patted the dust off the wooden crate. "I thought you would leave before dawn."
How did you know we would take this route?
"Because this is the only road to Tian Shu City."
Shen Chi tightened his grip on the hammer handle.
Shi Jian took out a bamboo token from his pocket and tossed it lightly—it landed on the muddy ground in front of Shen Chi.
Shen Chi picked it up. The character "墨" (ink) was engraved on the front. He turned it over—and recognized the handwriting on the back.
"Seeing the cards is like seeing the person."
Mo Huaizhou walked up from behind, took the bamboo plaque, glanced at it, and nodded.
"A token of the Mo Sect elders. It cannot be faked."
Shi Jian shrugged: "Do you believe me now?"
Shen Chi put the bamboo plaque into his storage ring.
Why do you have this?
"My master and Senior Mo are old acquaintances. Two days ago, my master received a message from Senior Mo saying that three young people, two men and one woman, would come out of Qingxi Town in two days and that he should help them."
Shi Jian sized up the three people in front of him.
"You must be Shen Chi?"
"Hmm. How far is Tian Shu City?"
"Normal progress would take ten days. But depending on your cultivation level, it might take half a month."
"That's enough. Lead the way."
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The four walked in silence for a while.
When they crossed the second mountain, Shi Jian suddenly stopped and looked back.
Shen Chi also turned around.
Qingxi Town has shrunk considerably, nestled far away in the mountain valley. The spire of the bell tower is still visible.
There is a black dot in the top-level window.
It was very small and very far away. But Shen Chi's bronze seal warmed slightly, as if reminding him.
He knew who it was.
Gu Cangming. He was watching this side. He didn't chase. He didn't move.
Shi Jian's voice came from the side:
He won't chase after you. He's waiting, waiting for you to go where he wants you to go.
Shen Chi did not respond.
He turned around and looked in the direction of Tian Shu City.
The wind blew in from the other side of the mountain, carrying an unfamiliar earthy smell.
He strode forward and took the lead.