Chapter 38

## Chapter 38. If you have nowhere to go, come with me.

I approached the fallen Weizhichan.

'He fainted.'

The Wuji Yijian technique I used pierced his palm, not his heart.

It was to make him drop his sword, but even as blood streamed from his hand, he didn't let go.

Even as he lost consciousness and fainted.

"Tsk. It's admirable that you didn't let go of your sword, but what good is it if you faint?"

I clicked my tongue, took the sword from Weizhichan's hand, and stopped the bleeding.

Weizhichan poured all his internal energy into his final attack.

It was almost a tactic of mutual destruction.

Fortunately, I knew all his moves, or we might have crossed the Three Paths River together.

"Stupid kid."

I smacked Weizhichan's head with the scabbard and slung him over my shoulder. Fortunately, his life was not in immediate danger.

I carried him to the thatched hut beside the tomb and laid him on the bed.

When I took off his tattered clothes, an emaciated body, unbelievable for someone who had practiced martial arts, was revealed.

Bruises were visible all over his body, following the major meridians.

'His demonic transformation has progressed quite a bit.'

At that moment, a book fell out from the clothes I had taken off.

"This is..."

The cover of the book was blank.

But the moment I opened the first page, I recognized it as the fake Wuji Yijian manual I had created to feed to the Blood Sect.

I also recalled the words the Black-Clothed Man had said while giving this manual to the boy.

-Do you want to take revenge on the world? Then master this martial art. If you can master it in ten years, you can become the greatest person under heaven.

Upon reflection, something seemed off.

'Ten years? With this manual, he would die from demonic transformation in less than five years. He must have known that...'

Could he have given it to him knowing that?

If he did, the Black-Clothed Man must be an incredibly ruthless person.

I somehow felt I understood his intentions.

'He used him as a test subject to complete the imperfect martial art.'

Occasionally, there were geniuses who could complete an imperfect martial art on their own.

The Black-Clothed Man must have seen that low possibility and given Weizhichan this imperfect martial art.

And he must have often come to observe from a distance and then left.

'There might be similar things happening elsewhere.'

The thought that the seeds I had sown were growing in this way made my heart a bit restless.

I looked down at the innocent-looking boy's face and muttered softly.

"…To have mastered it to this extent without a master is quite impressive."

Wuji Yijian is a profound and complex martial art.

Moreover, this manual was a very meticulously crafted fake.

It would be almost impossible to realize where you went wrong while practicing unless you were a genius on par with a Sword Sage.

But to have achieved this much in three years without dying was a testament to his extraordinary talent.

I thought of Xian Yuanqiang, whom I met at the Qinglong Academy festival.

'In terms of talent, he's not inferior to that kid. Perhaps even better.'

A talent that could shine brilliantly if someone polished it.

I extended both hands, placing my left hand on Weizhichan's abdomen and my right hand on his forehead.

Then I carefully infused the energy of the Reversing Heaven Art.

"Ugh..."

Weizhichan groaned and writhed in pain. I pressed his shaking body firmly and continued to probe his body with my energy.

'The turbid energy has seeped into his entire body, including his brain.'

Since the manual was designed to make the practitioner fall into demonic transformation, I could easily grasp Weizhichan's condition.

'At this level... there's still hope.'

Thud!

I quickly pressed a few acupoints on Weizhichan and then fully activated the Reversing Heaven Art.

A stream of my internal energy circulated through Weizhichan's body, gradually drawing out the accumulated turbid energy into my dantian.

"Ugh...!"

Weizhichan broke out in a cold sweat and suffered greatly. His body trembled with chills, and blood began to flow from his nose.

'Hang in there. If you can't, you'll die anyway.'

Weizhichan's body was filled with turbid energy accumulated over three years from practicing the wrong technique.

This turbid energy had seeped into his bones, causing his madness.

I intended to use the Reversing Heaven Art to absorb all the turbid energy into my body.

'The Thousand Sounds Cutting Pulse is useful in such situations.'

The Reversing Heaven Art I practiced required the turbid energy in the body to be gathered into the dantian to form an inner core, up to a certain level of achievement.

For this, the power of a spirit medicine was necessary.

And now, there was still some of the Seven-Leaf Grass's medicinal power left in my body, not fully absorbed.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh...!"

Weizhichan's nose, ears, and eyes bled profusely.

His emaciated body's veins bulged as if they would burst, and white foam appeared at his mouth.

But I couldn't be gentle.

I used the Reversing Heaven Art to thoroughly clean his body, absorbing the turbid energy, and finally drew out all the turbid energy that had seeped into his brain.

"Phew..."

I immediately sat in a cross-legged position.

Absorbing the turbid energy into my body was not difficult.

'What kind of body do I have?'

Not to boast, but I had accumulated turbid energy in my body for nearly thirty years using the Thousand Sounds Cutting Pulse.

Compared to that, the turbid energy accumulated by this kid over just three years was nothing.

'Hmm?'

Instead, as a different type of turbid energy was absorbed into my dantian, the two energies mixed and produced a synergistic effect.

I was surprised by the feeling of my inner core expanding.

The achievement of the Reversing Heaven Art, which had been at the second level, had now broken through to the third level.

A moment later, I slowly opened my eyes and muttered.

"…Life is full of surprises."

I was taken aback by this unexpected stroke of luck.

I untied my legs and stood up, looking down at Weizhichan, who was completely exhausted.

"…"

Though he was covered in blood and looked like a corpse, his breathing was stable, and his face appeared more peaceful.

"Seems like he's past the critical point."

I used the clothes I had taken off him to wipe the blood from his face and body.

At that moment, Weizhili's urgent voice came from outside the thatched hut.

"Chen! Chen! Where, where did you both go!"

I went outside the thatched hut to meet Weizhili.

As soon as he saw me, he used his light body technique and rushed over.

"What happened? My grandson, where did he go, and why are you here alone!"

I hesitated about what to say, but decided to inform him of the result of the commission first.

"Sir. I apologize, but the commission failed."

"Ah..."

Weizhili finally noticed my appearance and sighed deeply.

I was covered in tears and cuts, with several stab wounds.

"…Did he escape? Well, surviving alone is quite an achievement... But where did my grandson go?"

Even though he had asked me to kill his grandson, he seemed anxious now that he couldn't see him.

Weizhili looked around anxiously and muttered.

"Surely he didn't leave the formation? If that happened, it would be beyond our control..."

"He's sleeping inside."

"…What?"

Weizhili looked at me with a stunned expression.

I kindly pointed to the thatched hut behind me.

"…If you don't believe me, come in and see for yourself."

Weizhili, still looking doubtful, entered the thatched hut as if in a trance.

A moment later, he saw his grandson, who was sound asleep.

"Chen?"

Despite the traces of the intense battle and the blood from treating his demonic transformation, the boy's face was peaceful, free from the demonic aura.

Weizhili's expression gradually turned to shock.

"Surely, surely...?"

"That's right."

"How...?"

"There was no need to kill him. I removed all the turbid energy from his body and brain, so he will regain consciousness soon."

"Is, is that true?"

I smiled gently at the old man, who looked at me in disbelief.

"He will lose a significant portion of his internal energy, but he will regain consciousness soon."

"That doesn't matter! How can I ever repay such a favor...?"

At that moment, Weizhichan slowly opened his eyes and, still half-asleep, looked up at his grandfather.

"Grandfather...?"

His voice was polite, and his eyes, instead of the red bloodshot look, had a clear light.

He saw me and was startled, trying to sit up.

Weizhili supported his grandson.

"Chen! Are you awake?"

"Why am I here? Who is this...?"

"Do you remember nothing?

"Ah, I was practicing some sword technique, and then my memory... started to fade."

Weizhichan leaned on his grandfather, looking dizzy.

The boy shivered as if he were cold.

"Grandfather. I think I had a nightmare..."

The old man, who had seen his grandson become emaciated over the years, burst into tears, hugging him tightly.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

Tears, like chicken droppings, streamed from the old man's eyes, which looked as hard as rock.

"…"

I watched the two of them for a moment and then quietly left the thatched hut.

* * *

Thud.

Weizhili, kneeling before me, said with a solemn voice.

"I will grant you anything you wish. Even my life, if you ask for it!"

"Grandfather!"

Weizhichan, standing beside him, looked at me, unsure what to do.

If I had made a joke, he might have really harmed himself, so I spoke as gently as possible.

"I don't need your life. Just make me a sword."

"I will do my best, using all my skills to create a sword that will satisfy you..."

"A mere famous sword won't do."

I interrupted Weizhili and precisely described the level of sword I wanted.

"At least a Blood Demon Sword."

"That, that's..."

Weizhili was speechless for a moment.

If I weren't his grandson's benefactor, he might have thrown something at me.

But he was a grateful old man, so he soon sighed deeply and bowed his head.

"…I'm really sorry, but a Blood Demon Sword is not something I can make. Not only are the materials impossible to obtain, but I also need proper facilities..."

He was saying that it was difficult to find such a large forge immediately.

I listened for a moment and then said.

"Hmm. That's convenient."

"Convenient?"

One of the businesses left by Old Xu was a forge.

I also had a friend who could get me two fake imperial seals.

"Two of you. If you have nowhere to go, come with me."

That night.

I set out on a journey with the old blacksmith, who had lived as a fugitive for a long time, and the boy who needed a proper master.