My mind was heavy when I came out of the cave chamber and made my way back through the garden. The same swords that had been hanging on my belt for a month suddenly felt heavy, and I couldn't stop glancing at them, half-expecting that they would unsheath themselves at any moment and drink someone's blood … Or my blood.
I shivered despite the midday summer sun. After Bai Ye saved me from Chu Xi's spiritual pet, he had warned me not to let Twin Stars get in contact with poison and not to kill too much with them. I hadn't read too much into those warnings back then, but after seeing the vision, I began to understand that the reason for those precautions was because Twin Stars had a natural thirst for blood.
"Qing-er, what's wrong?"
I was so deep in thought that I didn't realize I had already reached the front of the garden, and Bai Ye was standing in front of me with worry written all over his face. "You look pale," he said and laid a hand over my forehead. "Your spiritual power is fluctuating unsteadily … What happened?"
I stared at him in slight shock. I hadn't noticed the fluctuation of power in me at all.
"I … rushed the meditation technique in the cave chamber a bit," I said guiltily. "I felt a strange pulsing from Twin Stars while practicing today, and there was a crimson light glowing on the blades. I saw a vision as well."
I might have imagined it, but I thought I felt a jerk in his hand that was still resting on my forehead. Something akin to horror fleeted across his eyes. "What did you see in the vision?" he asked. There was a barely noticeable tremble in his voice.
His reaction unnerved me. I had seen many emotions in those beautiful dark pupils, but never fear. What was so threatening about the vision that could make Bai Ye afraid?
"It was you … and Twin Stars." I tried my best to speak calmly. "A demon attacked you, and Twin Stars … killed it and drank its blood."
I waited for his response and prepared myself for the worst. Maybe my meditation had gone awry and interfered with my spiritual power flow. Maybe some dark forces had affected me and needed to be cleansed. Either way, my cultivation progress was most likely impeded, instead of advanced.
But contrary to what I expected, the fright in his eyes eased at my reply. "A memory of the swords?" He seemed to have let out a breath. "That means you've bonded well with Twin Stars. You awakened its spiritual power and glimpsed into its past. It's great progress."
For the first time, the word "progress" didn't make my heart leap in excitement. I had bonded with Twin Stars? Did it mean that its cravings for blood and violence would affect me?
He saw the questions on my face and smiled. "I owe you an explanation … about the history behind these blades. But first, let's steady the flow of your power." He beckoned me to sit down at the table and pressed his palm to my back, guiding his spiritual power into me.
I took a deep breath and turned my attention inward, reaching for his familiar pulses. He imbued me with soothing warmth, gently coaxing the disarrayed force within me into obedience, and I followed his lead, willing my power back into an orderly flow.
When everything returned to normal, he squeezed my shoulder lightly and said, "Make sure you let me know when this happens again. The visions themselves won't cause you any harm, but if they trigger too much emotional stress, it could interfere with your meditation and become dangerous."
Emotional stress? His words brought back the nervousness I had barely fought off. "This will happen again?" I asked. "Would it … get worse with time?"
He ran his thumb over the hilt of the swords hanging on my waist. Instead of answering my questions, he asked softly, "Have you ever heard of the spirit of a sword?"
I searched my memory. "Senior Xie Lun mentioned to me before that ancient swordsmiths used to forge spiritual power directly into the blades, and some legendary swords can even carry power of their own." I looked up at him. "Is Twin Stars one of those?"
"It is more than that." There was a wistfulness in his voice. "The spiritual power used to forge Twin Stars was taken from some of the most pristine sources, where life had cycled for thousands of years without outside interruption. A power like this captures the purest essence from the heavens and the earth, and with time, it can evolve into a consciousness with a will of its own."
I was dumbfounded. "You mean it has the mind of a person?" My eyes widened and landed on the swords again. "I heard you talking to it in that vision … It could hear you? And understand you like a person does?"
He nodded. "And I could feel its emotions through spiritual power. Even though it couldn't speak back to me, I could understand its thoughts."
My fear of Twin Stars was momentarily replaced by curiosity and amazement. I had never seen a sword that was alive. "Would I be able to do the same?" I asked, starting to realize that the vision may be the first step towards a connection between me and the blades.
He hesitated. "Twin Stars has been … dormant, for hundreds of years." He thumbed the sword again, his gesture careful and nostalgic. "It's not what it used to be anymore. But with your meditation reawakening its power, maybe its spirit will return very soon."
A thousand new questions emerged in my head. What happened to make it dormant? How long had it been with him before then? And why did my meditation awaken it? But above all, there was the question that I dreaded the answer to most. "If its power returns …" I ventured, " Does it need to drink blood again? Had Twin Stars always been like that?"
I couldn't see the look in his eyes as he gazed away into the distance. "It was created to be like that. Twin Stars was forged with demon souls, making it one of the most savage killing blades ever existed, and it needed a constant supply of fresh blood to stay sharp. But don't worry, its power will no longer be at its prime even if it awakens. It won't hurt you, and its ferocity won't affect you … as long as you keep up with the meditation technique."
I lowered my head in guilt again, remembering that it was my impatience with the technique that had caused all this. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have rushed it."
A warm hand landed on my shoulder. "You did nothing wrong, Qing-er. I expected this … just not so soon."
There was a strangeness to his tone, and he said the last few words so softly that it was barely a whisper. I looked up at him, unsure if I should feel glad or concerned with the progress today, but I couldn't find an answer from his expression.. His eyes were fixed on the swords, his gaze dark and intent, revealing nothing.
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