Chapter 90: Chapter 82: Divine Soldiers Possess Souls
Within Ziyang Mountain, in the mountain leader’s refined abode.
On the desk lay the saber that had broken a horse, and just like Liu Bolun, upon seeing this saber, the elder named Ruan Shantao first reminisced about the experience of polishing it, then immediately declared it a death sentence.
"If Liu Qingyun had brought this blade here, polishing it for his own needs, I would have at least charged him a few hundred coins to support my students."
At this point, Ruan Shantao cupped his hands towards Du Chengfeng.
"But you, a warrior who has fought your way from the northern borders, this blade has likely been stained with barbarian blood, such a valiant deed, I won’t charge you... Please leave, warrior, this blade has reached its life’s end, it truly cannot be repaired."
"This..."
Hearing the old man’s words, Du Chengfeng realized why he was stopped at the mountain gate to pay money; it turned out the root of the matter was here.
However, after thinking it over, Du Chengfeng still took out his own heavy great saber.
"A person may not come back to life, but a sword can."
Saying so, Du Chengfeng pushed the heavy great saber forward.
With the example of the heavy great saber before him, he didn’t believe that the saber that broke a horse could truly be irreparable.
But unlike the bleary-eyed Liu Bolun, the elder named Ruan Shantao didn’t even touch the heavy great saber.
"You mustn’t touch it either."
Seeing Liu Bolun about to reach for the sword, the elder waved a ruler, slapping Liu Bolun’s hand away.
"It’s not something you can touch."
"I am also a grinding craftsman, why can’t I touch it?"
Liu Bolun was quite puzzled, as was Du Chengfeng—knowing that Liu Bolun was the former armory chief of Yanzhou, who regularly handled vicious weapons, he had touched many weapons in the armory, so why couldn’t he touch this heavy great saber?
"You really haven’t heard of it?"
Seeing the bewildered faces of Liu Bolun and Du Chengfeng, the elder was astonished.
"Never mind, let me tell you the story behind this."
Clearing his throat, the elder Ruan Shantao sat down to tell Du Chengfeng and Liu Bolun the reason.
The story took place long, long ago, even before the Kingdom of Chu existed. Back then, many kingdoms flourished, constantly warring with each other, and naturally, weapons were needed for war, leading each kingdom to develop their armaments—among them, the later Kingdom of Chu, known as Chu Kingdom, had the sharpest sword-making skills.
At that time, the King of Chu sought out a couple famed as the greatest swordsmiths to forge swords for him.
The couple’s skills were truly excellent; on the day the sword was finished, clouds and thunder roared, rain from heaven descended, and when the King of Chu received the sword, a flick of his finger made the sword hum, like the cry of a phoenix across the skies.
Undoubtedly, it was indeed an unparalleled sword, worthy of a king’s possession.
To monopolize this rare treasure, the King of Chu simply waved his hand and directly beheaded the husband of the swordsmith couple.
If the swordsmith survived, such a masterpiece might be forged for other monarchs, but by killing the swordsmith, this treasure was left for Chu Kingdom alone.
But the couple foresaw the King of Chu’s malice long ago.
The promise had to be fulfilled, yet the King might eliminate them entirely, so only the husband of the swordsmith presented the sword, while the wife had already hidden with their child in the mountains.
Despite several searches, she was not found, as the King of Chu had more pressing matters as a leader of a kingdom.
But the mother and child hidden in the mountains never forgot this hatred.
Over a dozen years passed, the child grew into a tall young man, learning swordsmithing to avenge his father someday—but no matter how hard he studied, he could not forge a sword comparable to the Chu King’s Sword of old.
Understandably, when the King of Chu forged the sword, he used the entire kingdom’s resources, gathering the finest iron from five mountains, the purest gold from the world, seizing the opportune moment, aligning yin and yang, with first-class materials, technology, and the forging environment.
Yet here his mother and he hid in the mountains, using inferior ore and mixed coal, forced to practice swordsmithing in the dark of night to avoid discovery.
How could a sword forged under such crude conditions compete with the Chu King’s Sword?
Moreover, in these dozen years, the King of Chu wielded that treasure sword in countless battles, its blade steeped in innumerable lives.
The hidden mother and son, being kind-hearted, could not bring themselves to commit murders for personal vengeance.
"But without killing, they can’t possibly defeat the King of Chu, right?"
Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but scratch his head, recalling his own experiences in Jizhou.
In Jizhou, if not for those Qingyang tribe people helping him, he might not have been able to defeat He Xiqing, who had killed so many and become more than human.
Killing is the quickest way to grow stronger, a fundamental and crucial understanding for Du Chengfeng in this world.
"Don’t worry, listen to my tale,"
The elder named Ruan Shantao raised his hand to calm Du Chengfeng and continued his story.
Faced with the overwhelmingly powerful King of Chu, and their current dire situation, the mother and child remained unchanged. As the days passed, no headway was made in forging a sword, while the King of Chu, holding the rare blade, only grew more triumphant in battle, with each success boosting his laurels.
The chances of vengeance dwindled, seemingly unattainable.
At this point, the young man’s mother, the swordsmith’s wife, made a decision.
Come morning, the young man found his mother had disappeared without notice.
Only a sword remained in the forge and a letter.
Reading the letter, he understood his mother had realized revenge was futile, so she sacrificed herself, leaping into the forge, fusing her body into the sword, creating that sole sword.
This sword became his sole hope for revenge.
With both parents gone, the young man found no ties in the world, taking up the sword he sought the King of Chu, intent on avenging his father.
Yet how could a sword from the wild match up against a blade forged from the entire wealth of Chu Kingdom? The young man’s sword became battered, about to lose its owner’s head to the King of Chu’s sword.
But at the moment these blades clashed again, it was the Chu King’s Sword that shattered.
The crossed blades led to the downfall of the tyrannous King of Chu.
"What fractured the Chu King’s Sword was a father’s hatred. As a father, how could he bear to harm his child?"
Sighing, Ruan Shantao continued.
"What shielded the child was a mother’s love. As a mother, how could she watch her child be torn apart?"
Saying this, Ruan Shantao pointed to the two sabers on the table.
"This saber that broke a horse has killed many, its malice too heavy to survive... but as for this saber."
Ruan Shantao paused slightly.
"I do not know what you went through in Jizhou, warrior, but clearly, this battle saber resembles the sword of vengeance in the tale."
"The many lives you have taken demand your death, but this battle saber... a hero who died by this blade has risked his life hoping you would live."
Saying this, Ruan Shantao looked towards Liu Bolun.
"This is why I would not let you touch this battle saber."
"For this warrior to wield this divine weapon is no issue, as they fought side by side, sharing the same spirit."
"But should an outsider touch it, it would disrespect the brave soul who sacrificed himself for the sword."
