The next morning, Yun Xian and Su Chi were sitting in the same carriage, and no one spoke for half an hour.

The atmosphere was very tense.

The coachman in front shouted, "Are you sure you're going there?!"

"Yes!" Yun Xian instantly came alive and asked, "What happened to that place?!"

"That place—it's quite close to the demon tribe!" the coachman said. "The demon tribe has a lot of rules! If you want to go in, remember to read the three hundred general rules before you go in, otherwise you'll be looked down upon and killed!"

"There's this thing?!" Yun Xian asked, "Where is it?"

The coachman threw over a tattered booklet from the front. The ink inside was blurry, but it was enough to show how many rules the demon clan had.

First, never touch the beastly features of the demon race at will, or you may get beaten.

Second, never praise the meat of your own kind as delicious in front of the demons, or you will easily get beaten.

Third, never kick a dog on the street. You don't know if it's a dog or a dog demon.

Yun Xian: “…”

Who on earth would just kick a dog on the side of the road?

Su Chi sat beside him with his eyes closed, silent, his eyelashes drooping, his hair neatly tied up, looking like an ice sculpture.

He hadn't said anything about Xiao Yuan's sudden commission yesterday. In short, Yun Xian had never heard anything negative from his senior brother; usually, he'd just gotten "yeah," "okay," or "wait for me."

If the leader was given to the swordsmith, she would have to use the Qishuang given to her by Su Chi during this period of time.

She was concentrating on stealing glances, but Su Chi opened his mouth and asked, "Are you angry?"

"I'm angry?" Yun Xian was almost startled, "I'm not angry."

Su Chi was puzzled and asked, "Then why are you hiding from me? I shouldn't have done anything wrong."

Yun Xian thought to himself, of course you did nothing wrong, it was me who did wrong!

She had been scolded by Xiao Wu that day, and she felt deeply wronged. How could she have any ill intentions towards her senior brother? It was simply that she suddenly remembered what Xiao Yuan had said earlier and made some associations. Currently, the only male cultivator she knew of who could possibly father a child was her senior brother. Could associations, even associations, be considered as scheming?

But when I thought about it, the more I thought something was wrong.

Yun Xian, your thoughts are truly dangerous. When you see your senior brother, you think of Da Tie. And when you think of Da Tie, you think of giving birth to Xiao Tie. How can a sword cultivator's imagination take such a leap?

Besides, Xiao Wu had repeatedly warned her not to flirt with him. Su Chi was just a piece of black iron, what could she expect him to understand? From being completely ignorant of the teachings of love and reason to now, he only understood the basics of camaraderie between a teacher and a disciple. Love between a man and a woman? She was overthinking it!

"No." Yun Xian sat upright and said, "It just suddenly occurred to me that I haven't been very respectful to you, Senior Brother."

Su Chi: “…”

Now... you say it...

He paused for a long time, as if he didn't know what to say to express himself. After a while, he uttered stiffly: "I'm used to it. No problem."

The coachman in front heard him hold it in for a long time and finally blurt out this nonsense that was better left unsaid. He really wanted to kick him down and say it himself.

The carriage bumped along and soon arrived at the place Xiao Yuan pointed out.

The place was shrouded in clouds and mist, and there was a lingering smell of soot in the air, which made people's throats extremely itchy.

"That's it," the coachman said. "If you go any further, you'll have to walk."

Yun Xian probed the air and found it was filled with abundant spiritual energy. He asked in confusion, "Why do we have to walk?"

"Rules. Ah, there are so many factions in the demon race, and each one has different rules. I don't know who set them." The coachman pointed ahead and said, "If you don't get off and walk, you will be beaten down. If you want to try, you can... Anyway, it's best not to."

Yun Xian came here to modify the sword. According to Xiao Yuan, this swordsmith had a strange temper, did not want spirit stones, and only hired people who caught his eye.

It won’t hurt to try it, so just give it a try.

The two walked towards the north. The deeper they went, the thicker the fog became, and they could hardly see the road ahead. Just when Yun Xian almost thought he had gone in the wrong direction, the road ahead suddenly became clear.

In front of me was a low hill, where several pairs of young men were practicing sword fighting. They looked to be no more than eleven or twelve years old, and were wearing linen martial arts uniforms. They were fighting with clanging sounds, and they looked very serious.

The sword moves used by children of this age looked like childish play to Yun Xian and Su Chi. But as Yun Xian walked towards them, the more he observed, the more he felt the moves resembled the basic sword styles he had learned.

As if they were from the same clan.

Sword immortals passed down their swords, and they were all the same, so it was normal for them to have similarities. However, Yun Xian didn't see the child forging weapons. The two continued along the bluestone path and finally saw a large house. However, it was now closed on all sides, with no windows, and even the door was closed.

Faint voices were heard, and Yun Xian's ears moved, alert.

A very familiar voice made people feel very irritated: "Don't worry, everyone. The swordsmith should not have woken up yet..."

A slender figure stood in the open space in front of the door, surrounded by several monks of the same age, all of whom had admiring expressions on their faces.

"It's you again." What a coincidence, they bumped into each other. Yun Xian said, "Zhong Changyao."

However, besides making her feel very unhappy, Zhong Changyao's presence here also had a single benefit. That was that Yun Xian had originally suspected her aunt was just talking nonsense, but now that he was here, she could conclude that the swordsmiths here were indeed of real talent.

Why would Zhong Changyao come to a place where there is no benefit?

Zhong Changyao came here following the reputation. Seeing Yun Xian and Su Chi approaching, his face froze for a moment, then he quickly smiled and said, "Miss Yun, Senior Su."

Su Chi: “…”

Yun Xian glanced at Su Chi's expression. He probably didn't like the name. For some reason, he couldn't possibly feel like he was being called an elder, right?

"What a coincidence?" Yun Xian asked knowingly, "Are you here to forge swords as well? What happened to Fellow Daoist Zhong Chang's sword?"

She was the one who broke the Green Water Sword, how could she not know?

It seems that a sword that was forcibly repaired is indeed difficult to use.

Zhong Changyao bowed and said, "It's just a minor problem. But, Miss Yun, I heard that this swordsmith only forges one sword a month. Today is unfortunate. You...?"

His meaning was clear. I only take one order a month. I'm here first, so you two can go back.

Yun Xian showed no intention of leaving. She said slowly, "Only one sword is forged per month. There's no first come, first served rule."

The monk behind Zhong Changyao was startled.

What's with that tone? Is she looking for trouble? Who gave her the guts?

"Miss Yun, you're being a bit unreasonable." Zhong Changyao's eyes darkened and he said, "It's not first come first served, do you have the final say?"

The monk behind him was startled again.

...What's with that tone? Are both of them this angry? Zhong Changyao isn't usually like this, is he?

Unfortunately, both of them have very bad tempers.

Yun Xian had been tempted to retort after hearing Xiao Yuan's words yesterday, but she was furious when she realized she couldn't. She'd been tossing and turning all night, feeling incredibly pent up, and now, seeing Zhong Changyao, that giant punching bag, she had to find a fight to finally get her revenge.

Zhong Changyao's anger was understandable. All three of his women had run away, and yesterday, he'd put aside his pride and taken the initiative to find Shu Jiuwei, only to be humiliated and made a laughing stock of himself. How could he not feel frustrated and angry?

Su Chi saw Yun Xian's expression turn cold, and looked at Zhong Changyao again, but did not stop him.

"I'm forcing you to do something you don't want to do?" Yun Xian grabbed the leader and said coldly, "I'm forcing you to do something you don't want to do today. How about that?"

"Miss Yun is truly formidable." Zhong Changyao sneered, "After so much time, I wonder if your swordsmanship has improved. I'd appreciate your guidance..."

Before he could finish his words, a strong wind came whistling in front of him. Zhong Changyao's pupils shrank and he raised his sword to defend himself!

What was going on? Did they really start fighting over a disagreement?! The monks were stunned and retreated in a disciplined manner, making way for the area.

Swords and knives have no eyes, so dodge on your own!

Yun Xian didn't use the Kuishou sword, but instead drew out Su Chi's Qishuang. The swords collided with each other, making a sharp sound. In the blink of an eye, dozens of moves were made. Zhong Changyao was in the gap and shouted in shock and anger: "You——"

He dared to challenge her like that, showing complete confidence in his swordsmanship. Yun Xian clearly didn't have any... so how could his cultivation progress so rapidly?!

"Don't bother with me, don't you want my guidance?" Yun Xian hooked his hand, and the sword spun lightly on his wrist. He lashed the hilt of the sword on Zhong Changyao's head with a loud bang. "Come, I'll teach you. First, in actual combat, don't be distracted. Focus on the present—unless you're like me, talking doesn't interfere with work. Do you understand?"

Asking for guidance was just a humble expression before the competition. The two were of similar age and cultivation, so how could they really need Yun Xian's guidance? But now Yun Xian actually used the tone of a master to casually teach him a lesson. What a provocation!

Zhong Changyao's blood rushed to his chest, and the red beads on his wrists shone. He roared and lunged forward with a powerful spiritual energy. Yun Xian dodged past him and appeared behind him in an instant. Her sword went straight for his neck, but was hastily blocked, missing his skin by a hair's breadth. She added, "Secondly, don't think your target is a piece of wood, standing there for you to hit. You even missed my blows in front of you, Zhong Changyao, what a bunch of crap you've been training for this year!"

The monks watching: "?"

Help! I just pretended and already I'm exposed. Is this really that aggressive?!

In just a few moments, Zhong Changyao's face had turned completely red.

He had been busy over the past year, but without Yun Xian and Jimo Shu, his life had been going smoothly, and his cultivation had improved greatly. Whenever he was in danger, he would escape it immediately. Naturally, he was not as concerned about sword moves as before.

A few more strands of hair were shaved off his forehead and fell. Yun Xian touched the ground with his toes, leaped up, grasped the sword, and slashed down hard. Zhong Changyao was unable to defend himself, and his knuckles were instantly cracked, blood oozing out. His eyes reddened, and he was about to turn the sword, but Yun Xian, contrary to his usual behavior, closed the distance and engaged him. He was unable to move freely, almost trapped in this small space, like a heavy punch hitting cotton, the unbearable pain was almost suffocating.

Everyone was waiting for Yun Xian's "Third." But Yun Xian didn't seem to have a third plan. From his personality to his swordsmanship, he was a piece of shit. She even found time to switch hands with her sword, lowering the tip of the sword along his eyelids to his throat, and said coldly, "Third—never mind. I won't say any more. Talking to you any more is a waste of time."

Before Zhong Changyao could react, she poked the Bishui Sword out of his hand, bringing with it a sharp gust of wind, and shot straight towards the still Su Chi!

The sword was before his eyes, and he was slow to act.

No one saw how he moved, he just stretched out his hand, and the precious treasure emitting flowing light condensed in mid-air, like a broken bronze mirror, and fell to the ground piece by piece.

Crumbled.

Yun Xian looked at Zhong Changyao's pale face, slowly put Qishuang back into the scabbard, and said calmly, "Okay. The matter is resolved. This way, it won't be forced."

What happened? The monks behind him were confused and said, "What, what solution..."

"Didn't Fellow Daoist Zhongchang come here to forge the sword?" Yun Xian said as a matter of course, "Now that the sword is broken, there's no need to forge it, and there's no need to rank first and last."

The monks watching: “…………”

How can you say that?

In the air that was so quiet that it was almost suffocating, Yun Xian put away his sword, feeling refreshed.

Cool!

It turns out I'm still very strong!

Su Chi: "Are you happy?"

Yun Xian: "Happy."

A male cultivator looked at this place and said in sudden realization: "Good, very handsome..."

Before he could finish his words, a cold gaze moved towards him, freezing him so much that his back almost went numb: "?"

What's wrong? Why are you glaring at him? What did he say?

With a clang, the tightly closed door finally swung open. The swordsmith, sporting a head of shaggy fur and fox ears, angrily exclaimed, "Are you sick?! Fighting in front of someone's door so early in the morning?!"

"Forging bullshit! Get out of here!"