Chapter 34 Blood Oath: We'll Stand Together Through Life and Death, Never Betray Each Other
"Your Highness, you've been longing for the Meteor Sword, but now that you've finally seen it, why do you seem a little unhappy?" Outside the Zetian Palace, Luo Yichen finally met Mu Chenbi. Seeing that his expression was somewhat strange, he cautiously probed.
"I never imagined they could actually forge the Meteor Sword." Mu Chenbi looked back at the palace gate. "But that sword really was forged from meteorite. Is the Heavenly Furnace of Xingguo Workshop really that powerful?"
“Back then, Xingguo Workshop was one of the top workshops, so it certainly had the ability,” Luo Yichen said with a smile. “The name ‘Yu Ren’ is well-deserved for the Pei family. When they arrive in Rongdu, they will have no complaints about the inner workshop handing over the power of casting weapons. Your Highness, this is a good thing.”
“You didn’t see that sword.” Mu Chenbi closed his eyes and recalled, “It was clearly a sharp blade, yet it carried an indescribable yin energy. Its flowing light contained a hint of blood, and its icy appearance seemed to contain warmth. It was as if…” Mu Chenbi took a deep breath, “and it also carried a faint, pure fragrance.”
"Could it be," Luo Yichen suddenly realized, "that this sword was forged by a woman? But that shouldn't be the case; where in the world would there be a female swordsmith?"
“That’s because you’re ignorant.” Mu Chenbi suddenly opened his eyes. “Sword forging is not a matter of gender.”
"Whether it is or not, we'll know once Xingguo Fang returns to the capital." Luo Yichen didn't feel embarrassed. "It won't be long."
Luo Yichen's words struck a chord with Mu Chenbi: swords and sabers are heavy and clumsy, and men are strong and rough, so the things they forge are more about being fierce than being agile. The Meteor Sword that Mu Chenbi had just tried had a blade as thin as a cicada's wing, and the exquisite details showed the craftsman's thoughts. However, apart from the scabbard and hilt, the blade weighed less than half a pound, which made the accessories seem superfluous and caused the precious weapon to fall into a cliché.
Mu Chenbi raised his chin thoughtfully. If the blade were simply wrapped in a white cloth, it would better highlight the sword's aura.
It seems that the blade was not made by the same person as the others. Could it be... just as Luo Yichen guessed, that the Meteor Sword was forged by a woman? Mu Chenbi only hoped that the swordsmith could come to Rongdu with him.
On the eve of leaving the island, the candlelight in Tingzhuxuan should be burning out. Guan Ye stood outside the door, wanting to knock several times, but afraid of startling Pei Chu. One by one, the people he knew were leaving. She had taken care of him for many days, and now she was also leaving him to embark on a vast and unknowable future.
Through the crack in the door, Pei Chu saw the dim light outside the room, backlit by the candlelight, locking in the tall silhouette of the girl, and her hesitant movements as if she wanted to go in but then back out. Pei Chu wanted to call her into the room, but there was nothing more to say to her. The future was long and unpredictable, and Guan Ye was burdened with heavy responsibilities. In the end, she could not accompany her on her journey. Pei Chu closed her eyes and slowly closed her half-open lips.
As if sensing that Pei Chu was also looking at her, Guan Ye took a few steps forward and pushed open the door. She started to walk, but stopped abruptly just as she was about to cross the threshold.
Pei Chu gazed at Guan Ye's innocent face. She must have washed her face with well water in the courtyard; her face was clean and soft, with a few strands of black hair still clinging to her cheeks. She revealed her smooth and beautiful forehead, her nose was high and straight, and her red lips were half-open. Perhaps it was because Pei Chu's gaze gradually softened that Guan Ye relaxed and smiled at Pei Chu, her dimples appearing and then quickly disappearing.
"Guan Ye, come closer."
Guan Ye obediently approached. Pei Chu was already thin, and these past few days he had been eating even less, making him appear even more frail. The day she pushed him to the beach, when the wind picked up, Pei Chu's body swayed gently in the wind. Guan Ye was truly afraid that one day he would be blown away by the sea breeze and wouldn't live to see them return.
“Remember what you promised me.” Pei Chu’s eyes burned with fire. “Find her and bring her back to my side.”
"Will I ever see the Meteor Sword again?" Guan Ye asked hesitantly.
“If you go to Rongdu, you will definitely be able to see her.” Pei Chu’s gaunt face trembled. “The secret of the meteorite is on her. Only she can unlock the answer you’re looking for.”
"But she's gone." Guan Ye seemed to understand, or perhaps she didn't understand at all.
“Sometimes the dead are more useful than the living.” Pei Chu sneered. “The minds of the living are unpredictable and hard to fathom, while the bones of the dead are as solid as a rock and cannot be reversed. Guan Ye, you should leave. Before you go, you don’t need to come back to say goodbye.”
The door closed, and Guan Ye, not knowing when they would meet again, strode away without looking back.
On the day of departure, Xingguo Ward held a grand ancestral worship ceremony. In the ancestral hall, Guan Ye saw over a hundred memorial tablets of Pei family ancestors, with Pei Chong, the oldest ancestor of the Pei family, placed at the top. Pei Yuan personally wiped each tablet, then led the people of Xingguo Ward to kneel and kowtow. Guan Ye quietly watched the people's devout actions and the various expressions they couldn't hide. Guan Ye turned to look at the foundry, where she saw the thick smoke rising from the furnace gradually dissipating, and the sword slaves dismantling each red brick. The furnace would return to Rongdu with them.
In the billowing smoke, she saw Jiang Muyun in white again. She fearlessly climbed to the top of the furnace, revealing a mocking smile to everyone. She seemed to see Guan Ye as well. The smile froze on Guan Ye's defiant face, and then she turned and plunged into the raging fire without hesitation, like a moth, turning into ashes and condensing in the colorful liquid of the meteorite.
Pei Yuan nodded to Pei Bi, who then picked up a cloth-covered cutting board and handed it to him. Pei Yuan lifted the cloth, revealing an opened jar of strong liquor and a sharp, gleaming dagger on the board.
Without any hesitation, Pei Yuan opened his hand, picked up the dagger, and slashed open his palm. Crimson blood gushed out, dripping into the clear wine and dissolving into a pool of blood wine. Without thinking, Pei Bi opened his palm and gripped the dagger tightly, and large drops of blood also dripped down, intertwining with Pei Yuan's.
This is the blood oath—those who form the oath swear by blood, drink the fused blood wine, and all of them are of one life, and from then on they will walk together through life and death, never betraying each other. If they break this oath, anyone can kill them, and if people do not kill them, then heaven and earth will destroy them.
Pei Yuan's deep eyes swept over the swordsman's young and arrogant face. Before he could speak, Lou Cangyu strode forward. In the blink of an eye, the dagger fell and blood flowed. He seemed to feel no pain at all, and a satisfied smile even appeared on his lips. Pei Yuan nodded approvingly, and Lou Cangyu saw this and his heart was filled with excitement.
Feng Shisan looked around, then walked closer to the wine jar. He picked up the dagger handle, seemingly hesitant, but after a moment he slashed his palm, gritting his teeth and squeezing out a few drops of blood, which fell into the jar. Xiao Ma followed closely behind, hissing as he cut his wrist, his brows furrowing involuntarily.
Ji Fang was afraid of blood, and he never expected that he would have to go up and cut his wrists one by one. Before it was his turn, his legs started to tremble. Xiao Ma turned around and looked at him, urging him to hurry up and come up.
"Can...can we not go?" Ji Fang asked A Jiu in a low voice, "The blood...is too scary."
Ajiu didn't respond to him. Suddenly, the hilt of her sword was aimed at Ji Fang's back. Ji Fang was dazed and was pushed to the side of the wine jar. Ajiu followed up with great strides and swiftly twisted the hilt of her dagger, thrusting it straight at Ji Fang's palm. Before Ji Fang could even shout, thick drops of blood had already seeped out and landed precisely in the jar.
"Oh dear." Ji Fang looked at A Jiu gratefully, almost biting his lower lip raw.
Ah Jiu slashed himself again, his fist clenched so tightly that blood dripped from it, and he joined the others.
Pei Yuan picked up the wine jar, tilted his head back, and drank a large gulp. One by one, the allies followed suit and drank. Pei Yuan looked at it intently, then sprinkled the remaining blood wine in front of the ancestral tablets of the Pei family.
"It's today." Pei Yuan put his hands behind his back and looked at the memorial tablet. After a hundred years, he had never left Canglang Island. He had never left the island before, but he was not afraid of the unknown that was about to come. To be precise, he was worried at first, but the words of the Grand Preceptor Cui Jin dispelled all his anxiety.
"No foundation is the foundation; no human feelings are the means to win the emperor's heart. Unable to ascend to the heavenly steps, yet desiring to return to the vast ocean, this is the destiny of Xingguo Ward."
The day they left the island was sunny, the sea was azure, and the east wind was just right. Pei Yuan said that this foreshadowed that Xingguo Fang would have a smooth journey after entering the capital, and the lost glory of the Pei family would be restored in his hands.
Among the crowd seeing them off, Guan Ye saw the Lou family mother and son. Aunt Lou's eyes were filled with tears, but she forced them not to fall. Her proud young son was about to embark on a bright future, and she should be happy for him. Aunt Lou saw Guan Ye leaning against the mast. She raised her hand and waved it vigorously at Guan Ye, pointing to her own tiger's mouth with one hand. Looking at Guan Ye, she revealed a smug look that said she had already seen through everything.
And then there was Lou Shitou, the setting sun casting its glow on his handsome face. He possessed a face that inspired admiration and a heart that touched the soul. He had chased Jiang Muyun into the deep sea, and he would stay here, waiting for everyone's return. Lou Shitou stared intently at his beloved younger brother, but Lou Cangyu seemed oblivious. He chatted excitedly with the other swordsmen, glancing at his mother and elder brother's reluctant expressions, before finally waving goodbye to them.
Among the few remaining islanders, Guan Ye also saw the short Ji Yuan. She was also the last one to leave in the group of people seeing others off. Perhaps in order to make herself clearer in her brother's eyes, she specially wore a new dress as red as fire. She treasured this dress at the bottom of the closet. If it weren't for the farewell, she would have been willing to wear it when she got married.
Ji Fang leaned against the edge of the boat, his trembling shoulders betraying his inner weakness. He picked up his sleeve and pressed it hard against the corner of his eye. He turned around and saw Guan Ye staring at him. He forced an awkward smile, then turned back to look for his sister on the shore, until Ji Yuan became a smaller and smaller red dot and disappeared into the horizon.
The large ship sailed against the wind, heading towards the imperial city. Guan Ye saw that the entire hold was filled with red bricks from Yunnan, each one carefully numbered. In the center of the red bricks was a bronze furnace, inside which was kept the eternal flame of the Heavenly Furnace. The swordsmen took turns guarding the bronze furnace in the hold, keeping the flame burning. When they arrived in Rongdu, the sword slaves would rebuild it as before, construct the Heavenly Furnace in the Imperial Blade Workshop, and ignite a raging fire that would alarm the entire imperial city.
They sailed at sea for ten days. Rongdu was also a coastal city. It was evening when they arrived. The oil lamps on the dock lit up little by little. The mist shrouded the distant city walls and pavilions in a hazy gray. The colors of the lamps were bright and dazzling, making Rongdu look like an inverted sea. The dark blue sea was suspended in the air. Guan Ye followed behind everyone and stepped onto the land of Rongdu, as if she had stepped on the world of mortals.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
