Chapter 23 If I were a few years younger, I would definitely become the Sword God's concubine! ...
Spend 800 taels to buy a sword tassel?
Where did this idiot come from?
Li Chen turned around and looked in that direction.
A young man dressed in black, with a simple bag slung over his shoulder, was staring intently at the jade pendant in the other man's hand. His eyes were bright and piercing, and a confident smile played on his lips.
He really does seem like a fool.
The people around him were looking at him like he was an idiot. After a moment, the man with the sword tassel came to his senses, sneered, and said, "Not for sale!"
The boy's smile vanished instantly, and he glared at him, saying, "Why? Isn't eight hundred taels enough? Then I'll offer another eight hundred taels!"
As he said this, he reached for his baggage. Seeing how generous he was, the people around him couldn't help but look at him with a hint of greed.
Li Chen frowned, squeezed into the crowd, and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, saying, "Young hero, this sword tassel is a relic left behind by the Sword God, a priceless treasure. If you try to buy it with money, wouldn't you be disgracing the name of the Sword God?"
"If you really want them, I also have some relics of the Sword God. If you do me a favor later, I'll give you some in return."
As Li Chen finished speaking, everyone around her turned to look, including the person holding the sword tassel. Upon seeing her, the person abruptly stood up, face flushed, and stammered, "Sword...sword..."
Li Chen smiled and said, "I used to be good friends with the Sword God. Friends who had met me before all said that I looked almost exactly like the Sword God, as if we were made from the same mold."
The man stared at her for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief and saying, "Yes, she does resemble me... but although we look alike, our auras are completely different. When the Sword God put me down, he only glanced at me, and the murderous intent in his eyes terrified me so much that I didn't dare to move. That's what the Sword God should look like..."
His gaze was unfocused, as if recalling the scene from that day. As he savored the memory, he slowly said, "Back then... the Sword God simply said 'Stand still,' and then leaped into the air, flying dozens of meters in the blink of an eye! You all say that people in the sword cultivation world fly on swords, but the Sword God was different..."
"She didn't need to fly on a sword; she directly condensed the surrounding spiritual energy into a shape, stepped on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and flew through the air. In just a few sword strikes, she cut the evil spirit into several pieces. Afterwards, worried that it would be inconvenient for us to clean up, she threw the evil spirit's remains into an open space more than fifty miles outside the town."
"You'll see for yourselves once you take a look. Although the sword god sealed the evil spirit's remains inside the stone, it still looks like the evil spirit. The sword god is truly amazing; after breaking the evil spirit into several pieces, he was able to put it back together. This is far more impressive than the people in the Dharma cultivation and Zen cultivation worlds..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Chenjin couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of tea and coughed a few times.
But the man was completely unaffected. In fact, after glancing at Li Chenjin, a suspicious blush appeared on his face. "You don't know... I couldn't get down from the top back then. I was so scared that my legs were trembling. I thought I was going to die up there. But the Sword God remembered me and came back to save me. He put his arm around my waist and flew me back to the ground."
"The Sword God truly lives up to his name; his arm was wrapped around me so tightly... He even picked a flower from somewhere along the way, and... he gave it to me, telling me not to be afraid... If I were a few years younger and more handsome, I would definitely become the Sword God's concubine..."
As he said this, the big man's gaze toward Li Chenjin grew even more intense, making her feel a chill run down her spine. She quickly said, "I am not the Sword God!"
After hearing Li Chenjin's words, the burly man slowly came to his senses.
He sighed, his eyes filled with sorrow and disappointment as he looked at Li Chenjin. He shook his head and said, "It's a pity that the Sword God only served as the sect leader of Wanshan Sect for six years before his demise. This sword cultivator world is truly cold-blooded and heartless. The Sword God's body and sword were never found, and they hastily installed a new sect leader. Alas..."
"All I have left me now is the sword tassel left behind by the Sword God. Even if you offered me a thousand or ten thousand gold pieces... I would never sell it..."
A muscular man revealed such sorrow, speaking as if he were a lovesick girl. He kept looking at Li Chen as he spoke, as if he wanted to see her face, which was so similar to the Sword God, and to think of her again. This sight sent chills down her spine.
Immediately, they decided to forgo the herbal tea and snacks, and hurriedly left the teahouse with the boy they had just met and the sweet fermented rice balls.
When the two women and the dog reached the outskirts of town, the boy looked up at the dilapidated little building in front of him and hesitated before asking, "...Are you a beggar?"
Li Chen immediately clicked his tongue, glared at the idiot, and felt that he was meddling in other people's business. He should have waited until the idiot was robbed before he spoke up.
But having already helped, Li Chen had no choice but to suppress his anger for the time being and said coldly, "The favor I asked you to do is to find some skilled workers who can rebuild houses for me, and to have you supervise the construction."
"I'll give you the blueprints later. If this building is built well, whatever you want from the Sword God, I can get it for you."
Upon hearing this, the boy's eyes lit up, and he said, "Do you have a lot of things related to the Sword God? Are you really that familiar with the Sword God? Do you know a lot about the Sword God?"
“Yes, really, that’s right.” Li Chen said leisurely, “I’m not only very familiar with the Sword God, but I’m also her best friend in the world. Even if you want the Sword God’s personal clothing, I can find it for you.”
Hearing Li Chenjin's words, the boy's face immediately turned red, and he stammered, "What, what do I need the Sword God's personal clothing for?! I just heard of the Sword God's name and wanted to learn more about him!"
"Sigh... If only I could find the sword manual left by the Sword God someday. I went to the sword cultivator world before, but I couldn't find it..."
Li Chen smiled slightly, "The Sword God used to like to wander around, and he never took on any disciples while he was alive. How could he have the peace of mind to leave behind a sword manual? However, if you want one, I do have quite a few of the Sword God's sword manuals here. They were all drawn for me by the Sword God when he wanted to teach me swordsmanship."
Upon hearing Li Chenjin's words, the boy's eyes widened, and he took a deep breath, exclaiming, "It was drawn by the Sword God himself?!"
Li Chen nodded repeatedly, "Of course. After all, the Sword God created many sword techniques when she was alive. Others do not understand the intricacies of them, so only she herself can draw them."
The young man immediately patted his chest and promised, "Give me two days, and I guarantee I'll have your little building finished! You don't need to look for anyone else; I... I am the most skilled in this art, and no one in my family can compare to me!"
Li Chen said, "I didn't realize this cultivator was so young yet so skilled in this technique. Truly a promising young man. May I ask your honorable name?"
"Han Shannan," the boy said. "And you? What's your name?"
“Li Chenjin,” Li Chenjin said.
Han Shannan immediately exclaimed, "So you are the Chenjin Layman who has become famous in the Zen meditation world in recent years! I heard that you are also a disciple of Zen Master Mingcun. How come Zen Master Mingcun is a monk, but you are not?"
Li Chenjin said, "Perhaps it's because my worldly ties haven't been severed. I wanted to become a monk, but my master wouldn't accept me."
Han Shannan was taken aback, then suddenly realized and said, "So you are the lay Buddhist? I see!"
Li Chen smiled and said, "Then I'll leave this small building to Cultivator Han for now. I'll... come back in two days?"
As she spoke, she was about to hand over the money bag containing the banknotes.
Han Shannan glanced at it but did not take it. Instead, he said, "You're going to give me the sword manual, so building a building for you is nothing. Besides, how can the sword manual left by the Sword God be measured by money? Just like you said before, if I accept your money, I will tarnish the name of the Sword God."
"Don't worry! This cultivator has plenty of money, I will definitely build your little building well!"
Li Chenjin immediately revealed a very gentle smile and said gratefully, "Then I will trouble you, Cultivator Han."
As she left with the fermented rice balls, Han Shannan waved after her, telling her to leave without worry and to come back in two days to "inspect the goods."
Li Chenjin would take a few steps and then turn back, smiling gratefully at Han Shannan again and again.
Once they were out of Han Shannan's sight, she couldn't help but scoff, then bent down and patted Jiu Niang Yuanzi's head, saying, "Jiu Niang Yuanzi, how did someone so stupid manage to live to this age and still have so much money?"
“I bet his family doesn’t expect him to inherit the family business, so they’re just raising him like a fool. Let’s go, let’s leave our future lodgings to that kind-hearted monk Han, and get on with our business.”
This important matter, naturally, was the one that Zen Master Mingcun had entrusted to her.
On the way, she carefully read the letter several times.
The town mayor said that in recent months, there have been frequent cases of evil spirits killing people in Xicheng Town. Those who were killed by evil spirits would have their bodies cut into several pieces, covered with red cloth, and sent to the doorsteps of some people's homes.
No one knows what the evil spirit's purpose is, nor has anyone ever seen it.
The evil spirit's killings were also very regular, killing one person every ten days. The letter said that it had already killed nine people. Adding the time spent delivering the letter to the Zen cultivation world and Li Chen's journey, there should now be fourteen or fifteen people who have lost their lives at the hands of the evil spirit.
The people in this town are quite interesting. Just from her journey to the teahouse, it's clear that the town is divided into two factions: one is terrified of the evil spirits, while the other doesn't care about them at all. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many people in the teahouse.
That means that, in the eyes of those people, this evil spirit was not indiscriminately killing innocent people, but rather killing people with a purpose. Otherwise, it would have caused panic among the townspeople, just like the evil spirit that appeared several years ago, as the people in the teahouse said, fearing that they would be next.
A note from the author:
Heh, unsurprisingly, I'm on the most dangerous list. Luckily, I was mentally prepared. [Rabbit head with upright ears]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
