Chapter 255 - True and False Exiled Sword Immortal
"Brother Yun, congratulations," Ling Chen approached, smiling and bowing to Yun Xiao.
"Same to you, Brother Ling," Yun Xiao replied.
"Your achievement seems greater than mine, though." Ling Chen sighed. "You got the Eternal Sword to hum a 100,000 times. I can't even compare."
Yun Xiao chuckled, shaking his head. "Brother Ling, you're joking. Even a fool knows the Eternal Sword malfunctioned! I must be just lucky, getting the Exiled Sword Immortal title for free. A counterfeit product, really. I'll be needing your guidance, as the genuine Exiled Sword Immortal."
"You're too modest." Ling Chen pursed his lips, speaking earnestly. "Regardless, we are fellows in the same path. I'm truly happy for you. Together, we can rise in the Sword Ruins and champion our swordsmanship."
"The feeling is mutual." Yun Xiao nodded.
"By the way, Brother Yun, will you participate in the Immortal Sword Rankings?" Ling Chen asked.
"To witness your prowess up close, I must participate," Yun Xiao replied.
"Oh?" Ling Chen nodded slightly. "Then I'll be watching closely."
Feng Buhui stepped forward. "Exile Ling, shall I escort you to the Exile Palace?"
"Is my Brother Yun going too?" Ling Chen inquired.
Feng Buhui shook his head. "There's only one Exile Palace, arranged for you. As for Exile Yun, the Sword Warden must have other plans."
"Nonsense." Ling Chen frowned. "Both of us are Exiled Sword Immortals. How can there be a difference?" After saying this, he turned to Yun Xiao. "Brother Yun, shall we stay together?"
"I'd rather not; I'm not used to cohabiting with men..." Yun Xiao shook his head.
"With your handsome looks, you're clearly a man of romance. Enviable luck with the ladies." Ling Chen smiled. He glanced at the nearby Overseers and then at Mu Dalong by Yun Xiao's side, his expression a little odd. "Enough talk, I'll see you at the Ancestral Sword Tomb!" he bowed.
"I'll see you there!" Yun Xiao replied.
After bidding farewell, Ling Chen was escorted by Feng Buhui, Yun Xinghe, and Shuang Jiang, three revered Overseers of the Eternal Sword Prison.
And Mu Dalong was the Warden's daughter.
"Does this mean, after Ling Chen joined the Sword Ruins, he hit it off with the Withered Bone Keeper. So, the Warden pushed me as an Exiled Sword Immortal?"
The undercurrents of the situation, if observed closely, weren't hard to grasp.
According to Yun Xiao's philosophy, if someone chose to believe in him and brought benefits his way, he usually wouldn't let them down. After all, even with someone like Sword Heaven's Lin Qingfeng, Yun Xiao hadn't disappointed him in the end...
"Ling Chen has a clear understanding," Yun Xiao mused. "Talent is talent, strength is strength. High talent as an Exiled Sword Immortal can vanish with a single misstep, a single death. So never think being an Exiled Sword Immortal is everything. The waters of the Nine Hells are even deeper than the Heavenly Realm!"
Yun Xiao looked out over the Sword Ruins. He saw the 999 sword peaks bathed in the night, like countless demonic swords releasing a cold, murderous aura.
"Exile Yun." The golden mermaid called out softly. Her wavy, slightly curled hair and dreamy eyes, brimming with untold stories, seemed to plead and weep. Under the moonlight, the unfathomable, ghostly white valley made Red Moon in Yun Xiao's arms swallow hard.
"What is it, Overseer Mu?" Yun Xiao asked.
"Just call me by my name," the woman nodded gently.
"Da, Dalong?"
"Yes!" she smiled coyly. Whether it was Zhao Xuanran or the War Princess, fiery as they were, they were still youthful at heart, somewhat naive. But this lady before him, Yun Xiao realized, knew his thoughts, his gaze, everything.
"The night grows deep. Please, Exile Yun, follow me to where you'll stay," she said softly.
"Stay?" Yun Xiao still didn't know where he was to reside.
As expected, it wouldn't be long before rumors of the true and false Exiled Sword Immortals spread throughout the Sword Ruins.
In these whispers, Yun Xiao, not even residing in the Exile Palace, would surely be labeled the fake.
"Time is short, and until the new Exile Palace is built, I'm afraid Exile Yun will have to stay at my place," she said softly.
Before Yun Xiao could respond, Red Moon mimicked his voice, exclaiming, "Sure! No problem at all! I'll stay!"
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Deep into the night at the Exile Palace... Before this grand black and gold palace, two kneeling figures seemed as insignificant as ants. The two were Bai Qingxue and Bai Wuque.
Bai Wuque's face was ghostly pale, his spirit shattered, body still trembling uncontrollably. His mother, Bai Qingxue, lost her usual cold arrogance. Her once frosty face was now etched with panic.
She had every reason to be panicked! Her father was a Peak Master, a prominent figure in the Sword Ruins. Raised above the clouds, she even had her husband brought in through a reverse dowry. Ninety-nine percent of people in the Sword Ruins wouldn't dare offend her.
Yet, even her father was but a lackey to the Supreme Adjudicators.
Supreme Adjudicators needed to establish meritorious deeds and further their strength to become Overseers of the Sword Ruins!
And now, before the dark Exile Palace stood three impassive Overseers of the Sword Ruins, coldly observing the mother and son.
After a long time on her knees, Bai Qingxue, tears streaming, begged, "Please grant us a chance to atone."
Overseers Feng, Yun, and Shuang remained unmoved.
After a lengthy silence, a voice from inside the palace commanded, "Let Bai Qingxue come in."
"Yes!" Feng Buhui opened the palace doors, raising an eyebrow at Bai Qingxue.
"Exile Ling!" Bai Qingxue scrambled up, crawling and rolling into the Exile Palace with abject humility.
"Mother..." Bai Wuque lay prostrate, his forehead bleeding from the friction, his anxiety intensifying.
BOOM! The palace doors shut.
Bai Qingxue, trembling, looked up to see a young man seated like an emperor. It was Ling Chen!
Freshly bathed, he had shed the grime of a former sword slave. His handsome face, paired with piercing eyes, was even more intimidating. Post-bath, dressed in a violet-gold robe, his damp hair loosely hung, he sat casually, eyeing Bai Qingxue, who was like a deer caught in headlights, with a devilish smile.
"Exile Ling!" Bai Qingxue knelt frantically before him.
"Lift your head." The young man's playful voice echoed in her ears.
Bai Qingxue's delicate body trembled slightly as she slowly lifted her head, only to be startled to find the young man right before her eyes. But his violet-gold robe still sat on the throne. He had approached, but the robe had not.
"Uh." Bai Qingxue was dumbfounded.
Just then, Ling Chen lifted her chin, teasingly saying, "My lady, you wouldn't want your son to live a fate worse than death, would you?"
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"Mother!" Bai Wuque dazedly looked up at the Exile Palace, his heart breaking. "Ling Chen, you!" He tried to rise in fury.
But in the next instant, his knees crashed back to the ground.
Overseers Feng Buhui and Yun Xinghe stood coldly at the door, watching him.
Bai Wuque was utterly immobilized.
"Ahhh..." The young man collapsed to the ground, wailing bitterly.
After a long while, a woman embraced his shoulders, her voice filled with despair, "Wuque, it's alright, it's alright now."
"Get away!" Bai Wuque, trembling, got up, pushed her away, and staggered outside.
"Wait." The young man in the violet-gold robe stood at the doorway. He was flanked by three Overseers, an impenetrable guard around him.
"Exile..." Bai Qingxue's body shook, she turned and fell to her knees, breaking down, "You said..."
"Yes, I said he wouldn't have to die," Ling Chen spoke from above, looking down at Bai Wuque with a light laugh. "But, he will have to serve as my sword slave from now on."
THUD! Bai Wuque collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with boundless fear.
"And one more thing." Ling Chen turned his gaze to Bai Qingxue, smiling darkly, "My lady, make sure to visit often to prolong your son's life."
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