Chapter 31

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

Bai Lianhua can swear to God that when he left he never imagined there’d be a day when he’d be back, nor did he imagine that when he’s back, Zhong Xiutang would still be causing a ruckus.

Then what could he do?

——To approach the antagonist no matter the obstacles, no?

Since Lei Kuiliang is the one with the Sword of Inverse Springs right now, and he’s in the capital, then he will have to head to the capital.

As for how he’s going to look for Zhong Xiutang in the capital, he’ll have to think of something when he’s there.

Better earlier than later, and Bai Lianhua prepares to leave the secluded village, planning to leave the next day at dawn.

When he sees Bai Lianhua is planning to leave, the elder tells him how to head out.

“Walk from here and you’ll quickly find the busiest town around. Then just hitch a ride on a carriage and it’ll be easy to head south.”

Bai Lianhua quickly clarifies that he wants to go to the capital, not the south.

“Not the south? The south is much more peaceful right now…,” the elder shakes his head, “even the other roads are fine. The capital is at its most chaotic right now. Why are you headed there?”

It’s obvious he’d know. The little bureaucrat that enjoyed coming here every now and then making little change in the name of collecting taxes hasn’t been seen for two months.

He looks at Bai Lianhua’s thin, weak-looking body, and furrows his brows, “I’ve wanted to say before this, but with you looking this gentle, pale, and weak, what are you doing running about? You should head home.”

Bai Lianhua “…” That’s harsh, you know.

Seeing Bai Lianhua insist, the elder still points towards the correct direction for him. Still, he sincerely advises him to be careful on the way. When he’s heading off, his expression looks as if Bai Lianhua is a brave who is headed into a den of tigers in the mountain.

… He didn’t want to do this either.

But it wasn’t long before Bai Lianhua starts to suspect if the elder had some sort of crow's mouth skill he’d accidentally activated.

Or perhaps the worst of times does live up to its name, and there’s danger abound everywhere?

When he left the village, and started traversing the mountains climbing up and down, he comes into direct contact with a small group of shady characters halfway on the mountain.

There’s only three of them, but they’re clearly desperados who’ve had blood on their hands.

And it’s clear that they’ve determined him to be a rich person looking at his clothes.

Bai Lianhua is speechless… His clothes is made this way by the system. He’s absolutely broke having just returned to the world. At best he has a few copper pieces he exchanged for in the villagers’ homes.

But explanations won’t work. These vicious characters won’t listen to excuses.

What’s worse is that even if this is a supernatural world with inexplicably unscientific things here, but because the set of laws governing the world is different and the potential of the body the system gave him, he’s unable to use any techniques he has from the cultivation world.

At best he can try his sword-fighting skills he’s trained a bit before. But having travelled through so many peaceful worlds and only having used it so few times, Bai Lianhua is not sure how much skill he has left.

“Seriously? The most important thing in this world is physical prowess. System, why didn’t you give me a golden finger of invincibility?”

“Then you won’t be a weak, appealing little white lotus… And what do you want golden fingers for, host? Aren’t the antagonists of each world the biggest golden fingers you can ask for? Back when you had the Sword of Inverse Springs in your hands, you were undeniably the top of the world. Those who didn’t approve of you Zhong Xiutang could beat them up with just the scabbard. It’s just you who didn’t feel like doing that.”

“Ptoo, who made it into law that white lotus can only be weak? Perhaps I’m just a noble, solitary lotus that is unparalleled, and is only looking for his first defeat?” Bai Lianhua is a bit nervous, so he starts chatting nonsense with the system to calm himself down, “and you should rely on yourself rather than someone else. Haven’t you heard that before?”

Who knows how the situation is over at the antagonist’s… With prior experience, Bai Lianhua no longer has any expectations for them. It’ll be nice if the antagonist is at least not hostile to him.

It looks like the vagrants have lost their patience and have started approaching him. Bai Lianhua picks up a tough-looking branch and decides to gamble it all.

Those pros always go on and on about how with the inner sword , everything in the world can become swords. He’s obviously not reached that level yet, but he’ll have to make do with it and pretend to be tougher than he is this time.

Bai Lianhua tries his best to recall the key to swordsmanship he’s learned. He tries to use their force against them, saving his stamina with skilled strikes, and tries to wrestle the initiative, so that none of the three can approach him at the same time.

It seems the three are not exactly used to working with each other, so for a short while, Bai Lianhua did make it through without much difficulty. He knows very well though that if this continues he’ll be the first to falter.

This can’t continue. He’ll have to take a risk…

When Bai Lianhua decides to break up the pacing and end it once and for all, a long sword suddenly gushes forth slicing through the air, and with a ferocious flash, the three desperados are all dead.

After that, the sword rushes in front of Bai Lianhua and helps block the drops of blood that would have landed on him. The fresh blood drips down across the blade, adding an aura of murderous intent on the sword which is already giving off a cold, imposing shine.

Bai Lianhua “…” His hand holding onto the branch is still pointing upwards, and his whole body is frozen for a moment before he lowers his hand gradually.

It’s obvious. A sword that can act this frivolously in this world is definitely the Sword of Inverse Springs.

Bai Lianhua is still shocked at the sword floating in midair, though, and he sounds unconfident, “how, how did you suddenly appear?”

He was just worrying about how to find the antagonist, and then he just decides to show up on his own?

Zhong Xiutang’s silhouette appears on the Sword, which lands in front of Bai Lianhua.

“Why can’t I? … Don’t forget, I have actually recognised you as my master.”

The Sword of Inverse Springs coming into possession does not automatically make one its master in the true sense of the word. The master-servant contract is only activated when Zhong Xiutang who is technically the sword spirit of the Sword gives recognition to the person.

Besides the person from the supernatural sect and that general that ordered the smithing of the Sword of Inverse Springs, Bai Lianhua is actually the third master of the Sword. If it were up to Zhong Xiutang to choose, though, then from the beginning to the end, Bai Lianhua is the only master it will ever have served.

Because of this relationship, when Bai Lianhua meets danger, Zhong Xiutang can of course sense his existence, and come fly along.

After he swings himself and rids the blade of the stains, Zhong Xiutang sniggers at Bai Lianhua, “as expected, you’re back… as weak and useless as ever.”

——But shit, he still makes people want to protect him well as much as ever, so that he is never harmed.

Or he would have slowed down before striking just now.

Bai Lianhua “…” Wait, as, as expected? Excuse him as he can’t help but want to tremble when he hears that phrase… So what is wrong this time around?

The system mockingly remarks, “lies. Liar. If he hated it that much, then why did he so zealously block the blood splatter for you, not willing for even a droplet to taint you… Hmph. The antagonists are all scoundrels.”

Their inability to resist makes it puke.

Bai Lianhua “???” No, system, you’re getting more and more adept at this dissing antagonist business… But always ruining the mood like that would make be detached from my acting, you know?

How am I supposed to look at the antagonist with a straight face right now? My thoughts are all digressing away.

Zhong Xiutang doesn’t know what ridiculous things Bai Lianhua is thinking about. He fixedly stares at the person he hasn’t met for a long time, and the Sword of Inverse Springs vibrate incessantly in the air, causing ringings of the sword to ripple through the air.

Of course, the branch in Bai Lianhua’s hand is looking more and more displeasing.

Zhong Xiutang says, “throw it away.”

“Mm?” Bai Lianhua doesn’t understand.

“That branch in your hand… So now you can hold anything like a treasure in your hands?”

No sword in the mortal realm can compare to him, not to even mention this mere piece of wood.

Bai Lianhua “…” You’re toxic. Are you seriously getting pissed off over this? Mr. antagonist, you know you’re an evil spirit that’s lived for over a millenia, right? How did I not realise you’re this childish until now?

He throws away the branch without much force. Zhong Xiutang, controlling the Sword of Inverse Springs, immediately closes in.

Bai Lianhua looks at the Sword that is stopped quietly by his hand, struggles with himself for a bit, before desisting and holds it in his hands.

Zhong Xiutang lowers his eyelids slightly——It’s still his familiar way of holding his sword.

Since the first time Bai Lianhua has picked up the Sword of Inverse Springs, he’s always been holding it with this incorrect posture. It’s just like the olden days, as if he’s never left.

Zhong Xiutang can’t help but recall the past looking at this.

Back then, when he discovered he could never deceive Bai Lianhua no matter what, he wanted to kill him… Not with a clean strike, but like a cat toying with a mouse. He would absorb Bai Lianhua’s lifeforce without restraint, and look at him quickly weakening and faltering… And then, would he perhaps beg for his life?

He was certain Bai Lianhua’s disposition was the calmest one he’s ever seen. It’s like the person himself, without a smidgeon of impurity… And this feeling that his soul gives off couldn’t be disguised.

He thought it was interesting and had a good time absorbing it, but then, seeing Bai Lianhua’s lack of resistance, and even uncaringness, he felt tired of it eventually. Then he stopped.

He found an excuse for himself – this was boring. Why not see how long a mind like Bai Lianhua’s could last under his influence.

Since he’s not concealing his aura, Bai Lianhua was like a natural-born loner that brought misfortune, and could never have a relationship with someone. He’s forever excluded from people… This was the best situation to nurture evil in someone.

He didn’t even need to do as he did to the former masters he parasitised – for the purpose of awakening the twisted, ugly desires in their minds to deceive them, he would conceal his true nature in the beginning. He could let go of all his disguises in front of Bai Lianhua, to show his truest self.

…Since he’s always been the purest evil in the world, the person would have been assimilated eventually.

——Yet, it didn’t happen.

Bai Lianhua made Zhong Xiutang realise, that in this world, there really was someone that can face him their whole life without a reaction.

Years pass, and Bai Lianhua never succumbed to the demonic path. Yet Zhong Xiutang has started nudging towards the path of good.

The one who was assimilated, was actually him.

… He’s trying his best not to appear so terrible in Bai Lianhua’s eyes.

He could never become someone like Bai Lianhua, but he can try to make Bai Lianhua look at him without that expression of disagreement.

He’s even starting to regret he used to act as himself so openly in front of Bai Lianhua.

Since the moment Zhong Xiutang has started to think like that, the dense demonic aura that surrounded him has started to disperse… Zhong Xiutang knew what that meant. As an evil spirit born from evil intentions and hate, he’s weakening, losing the power that he was so proud of. Perhaps his future was to become a normal tool spirit and never be able to toy with the world like before.

But Zhong Xiutang didn’t mind… That’s what Bai Lianhua would have wanted, right? He clearly likes him like this better.

Contrary to this, Zhong Xiutang is starting to worry about Bai Lianhua instead.

Bearing witness to Bai Lianhua growing old, and recalling that he had even absorbed his lifeforce earlier, he was worried Bai Lianhua would thus grow weak and die. Zhong Xiutang therefore not only returned all the lifeforce he’d absorbed back onto Bai Lianhua, but even starts to do the reverse, to feed Bai Lianhua with himself——Yes, he was willing to use up the fundamentals that supported his existence, to make sure Bai Lianhua forever stayed young, to enjoy a long life, without him having to give up anything in exchange.

What did this concession end up giving him?

Zhong Xiutang never expected that retracting his ruthless side and becoming soft ended up getting him abandoned.

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