Chapter Eighty-Six: Tasting Famous Swords by Night

Qi Shiqi took back the Demon-Slaying Sword returned by Zhang He and said with relaxed ease, "More than thirty years ago, in the Liaozhou region, there arose a band of exceptionally cruel and ferocious brigands known as the Black Wolf Stronghold..."

The moment he said that, something stirred in Zhang He's heart.

"The enforcer elder of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect led the righteous forces of Liaozhou to resist this band of outlaws. Who would have thought that the Black Wolf band were highly skilled in martial arts and no weaker than the righteous? The two sides fought fiercely for two days and two nights. Not only was the righteous side unable to subdue them, they suffered grievous losses. In those two days alone, the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect lost more than three hundred men and women. It was truly a scene of blood-soaked ice and corpses strewn across the land..."

Zhang He and Zhong Shuman listened quietly, as though the scenes of that fierce battle were unfolding before their eyes. Since ancient times, righteousness and evil have been impossible to reconcile; the two sides must have fought to the death, and the slaughter was surely horrific.

Qi Shiqi continued, "Just as the battle reached a deadlock, a masked heroine in blue descended from the sky. With this very short sword, she consecutively slew a whole host of brigands. The righteous forces swiftly turned defense into offense and in one stroke wiped out the Black Wolf Stronghold. From then on, Liaozhou knew peace, and the common people all sang the praises of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Sect for its benevolence and merit."

Zhong Shuman said, "I fear the main contributor was that masked heroine."

Qi Shiqi recited softly, "Indeed. After accomplishing her deed, the heroine withdrew without leaving a trace. She was truly one who, after the matter was done, shook off her robes and departed, hiding both herself and her name. At the time she used precisely this short sword. Later it came into the possession of the Mount Shu Sword Sect, where it was honored as the Mount Shu Demon-Slaying Sword and passed down through generations as a symbol of lofty righteousness."

Zhang He nodded. "The one who used this sword back then was probably none other than the Celestial Maiden Ling Yin of the Seven Sages Yang-Guang Palace of the Mount Shu Sword Sect?"

Qi Shiqi showed surprise. "I never expected Brother Wu to possess such extraordinary insight. Qi is impressed."

"Not at all." Zhang He smiled. He had no great breadth of learning to boast of; it was only because he had experienced the mission at Flying Rock Manor that, once Qi Shiqi mentioned the sword's origins, he knew what was going on. It had been Ling Yin the Celestial Maiden secretly aiding Feng Fei during his travels through the martial world.

Zhong Shuman, however, was a little displeased. "The sword may be ordinary, but the person became famous. Since Young Master collects famous swords, could it be that you simply do not wish to bring out your best swords for appraisal and are deliberately hiding them from us?"

Qi Shiqi laughed. "How could I dare, how could I dare?"

As he laughed, he produced another sword. This second one was a longsword. Once drawn, it too flashed with cold brilliance and brightened the whole hall, but compared with the Mount Shu Demon-Slaying Sword, this one was unmistakably more frigid. A mere glance made one feel as though the body were wrapped in a sheet of icy air.

If swords, too, were divided by temperament, then the Mount Shu Demon-Slaying Sword was of a tender, water-like nature, subtle and affectionate, whereas this sword was aloof and cold, with restrained inner force. Anyone who did not truly understand weapons would never be able to tell.

Zhong Shuman could not help asking, "This sword looks no different from an ordinary longsword. Could it also have a story behind it?"

"Every sword has a story of its own." Qi Shiqi handed the sword to Zhang He. "This sword is known as the Heart-Stealing Sword."

Zhong Shuman was once again at a loss, but Zhang He smiled. "The Heart-Stealing Sword, the weapon of the great swordsman Di Wuzi. Legend says Di Wuzi loved the sword to the point of obsession, lofty and peerless, and only in middle age did he fall in love with a young woman. Yet on the eve of their wedding, the woman met in secret with his friend, the divine saber master Peng Qiong. Di Wuzi, heartbroken, killed Peng Qiong with a single sword strike. From then on he kept company with the sword, lived by the sword, and never again spoke of marriage. Thus his sword came to be called the Heart-Stealing Sword."

Qi Shiqi could not help sighing. "Brother Wu truly has the learning of a scholar and the erudition of a library, with a memory broad and deep beyond measure. Your insight is remarkable."

When he said this, Zhong Shuman could not help darkening her face, thinking that flattery could indeed be made far more sophisticated, with idioms and parallel phrases all in a row.

Though she thought so, she did not say it aloud, because she had also seen the sword's attributes.

Heart-Stealing Sword, rare grade. Requirements: level 80. Attack power: 260. Bonus: Strength +35, Strength realm effect x1.5, 30 percent chance to trigger a critical strike, 8 percent chance to trigger a perfect strike.

To say it was good would not make it especially so; it was simply high in attack power.

Zhong Shuman said, "The sword is famous enough, but surely the famous swords of the Sword-Collecting Manor are not limited to rare-grade equipment?"

Qi Shiqi said, "I am ashamed to say that since I took charge of the manor, there has indeed not been any extra famous sword left here. If the rumors outside were true and I possessed peerless divine weapons, I fear they would only invite the covetous eyes of bandits and endless trouble."

Zhang He and Zhong Shuman both nodded. This was indeed the plain truth. If one were to say that some Dragon-Slaying Saber or Heaven-Embracing Sword was kept in the Sword-Collecting Manor, it would be no different from strapping two barrels of explosives to one's body, liable at any moment to set fire to oneself and blast one sky-high.

Zhong Shuman seemed to lose interest. "Could it be that Young Master has only these two precious blades in his collection?"

Qi Shiqi smiled somewhat awkwardly. "That is indeed so. The famous swords have faded into obscurity and are no longer by my side. However, if we are speaking of objects that embody people through swords, I do happen to have another sword in my collection. The two of you may also appraise it..."

When the third sword appeared, Zhong Shuman wore a peculiar expression, because compared with the first two, this third sword was truly unremarkable, lacking any striking feature.

It seemed to be a bronze sword, without even the intimidating cold gleam of metal, much less any luster at all.

The blade was dark and dull, the edge blunt and inelegant. Not only was it extremely heavy, it seemed almost as though it had no sharp edge whatsoever. Holding it felt like grasping a round staff, and its attributes were equally bizarre.

Wood-Bronze Sword, rare grade. Requirements: level 60. Attack power: 190. Bonus: Constitution (health) +100, Courage +10, Inner Method +8.

Ordinarily, a weapon granting strength and courage would still seem normal enough, but this sword actually added health points. It was the first time Zhong Shuman had ever seen such a strange sword, and she could not help asking, "Could this sword also have a legendary story behind it?"

Qi Shiqi did not answer her directly. "Does Miss Zhong recognize this sword?"

Zhong Shuman shook her head and passed the sword to Zhang He.

Qi Shiqi asked, "What about Brother Wu? Do you recognize it?"

Zhang He stared at the blade. This time, after a long silence, he finally spoke. "This is a nameless sword."

"Oh?" said Qi Shiqi.

Zhang He's gaze fixed on the hilt as he murmured, "This sword should not be a weapon used by some master after he has already made his name."

Zhong Shuman asked, "Why not?"

"You wouldn't understand," Zhang He said.

Zhong Shuman glared at him. "Now I'm the one who doesn't understand?"

Zhang He said indifferently, "This sword's attributes are very strange. Its construction and shape make it difficult for experts to use. If a renowned master were to wield it, he would certainly find it terribly awkward. It would be better to use an ordinary longsword."

Zhong Shuman said, "I understand that much."

Zhang He said, "But since Young Master Qi treasures it so, this sword must once have had something extraordinary about it."

Qi Shiqi's eyes flashed. "Please enlighten me, Brother Wu."

Zhang He said word by word, "This sword is so difficult to use that without astonishing skill it cannot be controlled. And anyone who can control it must be an extraordinary person. Yet once swordsmanship truly reaches the highest level, one would certainly no longer use this sword. Therefore, since Young Master Qi treasures it, there must be some hidden reason."

Only then did Qi Shiqi exclaim, "Brother Wu truly has eyes like lightning, and your appraisal strikes exactly at the heart of the matter. I sincerely admire you."

Hearing this, Zhong Shuman could not help saying, "Then what special reason is there?"

Qi Shiqi's gaze suddenly drifted into the distance, as though his thoughts had gone to some faraway end. His expression turned a little dim, and his tone grew somewhat sad. "In truth, this sword was once wielded by an old friend of mine before he became famous."

Zhang He said in surprise, "Was it the old friend you mentioned at the Peony Pavilion that day?"

"Exactly." Qi Shiqi nodded. "It is a long story."

Zhong Shuman cupped her hands. "Please tell us."

Qi Shiqi said, "A hundred li south from here lies Greenwater Lake, and upon the lake stands Emerald Cloud Peak. I trust you have both heard of the Divine Sword Manor. My old friend was once a member of that manor."

Zhong Shuman said in astonishment, "It can't be the sword of the Third Young Master, can it? The Sword God Xie Xiaofeng?"

Qi Shiqi gave a wry smile. "My old friend was not an NPC, but a player. This Sword-Collecting Manor was created by his own hand, and he was also its first manor lord."

Zhong Shuman looked surprised. "Now that you put it that way, I suddenly remember something."

Qi Shiqi said, "Please, Miss Zhong, go on."

Zhong Shuman showed a helpless, bitter smile. "Actually, I saw it in the forum's oddities and curiosities section."

Zhang He grew interested as well. "Tell me about it."

"It concerns a famous episode from the history of Dynasty." Zhong Shuman's expression turned dreamy. "It is said that when Dynasty first launched, the operating results of the Dynasty Group were not good, and the number of people online was very small."

Zhang He asked, "Why was that?"

Zhong Shuman said, "Because in the early days after launch, it was extremely difficult for a player to survive here. Players all across the martial world were still exploring and opening up the land. At that time, almost all Dynasty players did everything they could to join a sect and survive. Unlike now, when there are plenty of experts among lone cultivators."

Zhang He and Qi Shiqi both nodded. The situation was not hard to understand. When the server had just opened, everyone had no money, no medicine, no people, no equipment, nothing at all. Even if one set aside player-versus-player combat, the death rate was still very high. But if one had the backing of a sect, one could obtain certain system rewards from that sect, greatly increasing the chance of surviving through cultivation.

Zhong Shuman said, "It wasn't like now, when powerful players are everywhere. I heard that in the first three months after launch, the total number of players who could enter major sects like Shaolin and Wudang did not exceed a hundred. They were basically all ordinary disciples, and many people joined only small or obscure sects. The classic examples were the Beggars' Gang, which had a relatively low threshold for recruits, as well as the Giant Whale Gang, the Five Tiger Sect, and the Water Serpent Hall. Otherwise, they would take to the hills and become robbers and bandits. Such conditions lasted for nearly half a year before the mainstream players had basically figured out the most fundamental game experience."

She paused, then went on, "But just at that time, among the wilderness players with no sect and no guild, there suddenly appeared an extraordinarily powerful expert. He seemed to have materialized out of thin air, dominating the world and shaking the Central Plains to its core!"

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