After a day and night of relentless travel, we turned into a mountain forest just before the sun began its westward descent. Mountain ranges flanked us on both sides, their peaks overlapping in jagged layers, while a slow-moving stream wound through the center. At the end of our line of sight stood a towering, precipitous mountain. There, a small patch of open, level ground marked the location of the One Sword Tomb. Facing south with the mountains at its back and water at its front, it was truly a prime location for a burial site.
As we drew closer to the mountain, I suddenly felt the weight beneath me shift. The Magnolia White Dragon Steed let out a mournful cry and collapsed abruptly. Ye Tan, who had been on high alert without a moment’s rest for the entire day, somehow found the energy to react in that split second. He gathered me in his arms and performed several side-rolls to dissipate the momentum. When I looked back, I saw that the horse’s four hooves had been severed clean off. The steed’s agonized wails filled the air; I closed my eyes, unable to watch. To strike with such cruelty—these people were clearly not to be trifled with. I feared this journey would end in disaster.
A voice, laced with a hint of drunken leisure, spoke up as if lecturing a child. "Since you have come to see the Ancestor, how can you justify arriving on horseback?"
Looking toward the sound, I saw a dissolute middle-aged man reclining on a green rock, drinking alone. He was the same man I had seen briefly at the Yangxi Sword Appraisal Assembly, sitting in the side seats of the Autumn Manor—the very man who had gifted me the sword that started this mess.
"You... why are you here?" I asked in surprise.
The man sneered. "Since you two brats were recommended by me, you naturally fall under my discipline."
I asked respectfully, "May I ask how to address you, Senior?"
"Qiu Wujiu." He tilted his head back to finish a large bowl of wine, tossed it aside, and rolled off the rock with a loud laugh. "To not even know my name—you truly are woefully ignorant. It’s a pity you won't live past tonight; you won't have the fortune of becoming my disciples."
I sighed. "I suppose we truly lack that fortune. However, we have come specifically to seek a way to extend our lives. I hope Senior might offer some guidance."
"Today is the first of the month, and the sun is about to set. You have done nothing for an entire month; you truly deserve to die." Qiu Wujiu looked down at us from his height, his face filled with the frustration of one seeing 'iron fail to become steel,' yet devoid of even a shred of sympathy.
I spoke again. "Though we deserve death, we would very much like to avoid it. Someone told me there is still room for negotiation, which is why I have come to seek instruction."
"There is! Of course there is!" Qiu Wujiu acted as if he had heard something world-shaking, clapping his hands and laughing uproariously. "You just have to change the rules we’ve held since ancient times. Forget living—if you want everyone in the One Sword Tomb to commit suicide to atone for our sins, we’ll all obey you."
I said hurriedly, "Senior, I didn't come here to listen to jokes..."
Qiu Wujiu stopped laughing. He stared at me coldly, his voice turning grim. "Our One Sword Tomb has existed for generations to serve the only True Sword in the world. If you can snap that True Sword, you can naturally change our rules."
I understood then. This was likely the "only way" Yang Qingzhou had mentioned.
It sounded incredibly far-fetched, but with my life on the line, I had no other choice. I nodded. "Please, Senior, allow me to try."
Qiu Wujiu narrowed his eyes. "You may. Of course you may. I am quite looking forward to it... but think carefully. The True Sword isn't something just anyone can strike. If you fail, you must pay for the sin of sacrilege with your life."
I gave a bitter smile. "If I don't try, I certainly won't see tomorrow's sun anyway. It’s not a losing bargain."
Qiu Wujiu nodded with keen interest and leapt from the green rock. "Follow me."
We followed him into a forest of strange rocks and mist. After weaving through it for a long time, we found a tunnel hidden among the boulders. Qiu Wujiu led the way down, and we followed close behind. Inside was a long, complex passage resembling a tomb corridor. Dim candles crackled, and the wind carried the faint, metallic ring of clashing stone and gold.
Reaching a stone door, Qiu Wujiu turned and asked, "There is no turning back once you enter. Have you thought it through?"
"Senior Qiu... may I discuss one thing?" After much hesitation, I asked, "The sword you sent was accepted and chosen by me alone. It has nothing to do with my guard. If I lose, could you... let him go?"
Qiu Wujiu gave a strange laugh. "You are a peculiar master, risking your own life while trying to protect a servant. It’s absolutely ridiculous."
Ye Tan said in a low voice, "I stand and fall with my Master. I do not seek a life of ignominy."
His heart was as firm as a rock, leaving no room for argument. He was a completely different person from the Ye Tan of a few days ago who did whatever I said. I couldn't help but wonder if something had gone wrong with my method of "education."
"Why be so polite? Neither of you is going anywhere." Qiu Wujiu found the scene highly amusing and led the way inside.
Once past the tomb door, the interior opened up. Countless "ever-burning lamps" hung at various heights along the cliff walls, illuminating the shadows where heaps of broken blades and shattered weapons lay. I didn't know how many years these remnants had been broken, yet they were still bright enough to reflect a person's face. I knew these were all once-famous divine weapons of history; now, they were piled like scrap metal and trash, no longer even worthy of a name.
If even swords end up like this, what of flesh and blood...?
I was puzzled by the fact that we hadn't seen a single soul on the way in, as if we were in a deathly silent ancient tomb.
To this, Qiu Wujiu merely curled his lip. "Ridiculous. We are always the ones looking for trouble with others; I’ve never seen anyone dare to bring trouble to us."
We reached a high sacrificial altar in the very center. Upon it sat a single longsword.
The cave was gloomy and dim, yet the sword’s blade radiated a magnificent brilliance, as if it reflected the sun and moon of another world. I stared at it, dazed, losing all sense of time.
Qiu Wujiu bowed deeply and spoke in a ringing voice, "Since ancient times, the rise and fall of nations rests on a single sword; the right path in the world is full of vicissitudes. This sword is named *Canghai Yisu*—A Grain in the Vast Sea. It is the only True Sword in existence."
Having finished, he rose and struck a war drum. After the drumbeat, countless figures suddenly crawled out from the dark corners I had thought were empty. They gathered in increasing numbers, yet not a single human voice was heard. They knelt in formation on the ground, everyone looking up at the altar. Their expressions were either cold and indifferent or filled with a bizarre excitement. There was no breath of the living about them; they lurked like "Yin soldiers" returned from the underworld.
If this was what death looked like, I could understand why the world feared it so much.
"Please." Qiu Wujiu suppressed his excitement and stepped aside.
I nodded and took a step forward, but Ye Tan pulled me back, preempting me. "Let me go first."
I frowned. "A-Tan, step back."
Ye Tan didn't budge, showing no intention of yielding.
I sighed. "You're getting bolder and bolder."
Ye Tan lowered his head. "I deserve death." He admitted his fault, yet he remained firmly blocked in front of me.
I truly had no choice. I squeezed his calloused palm and softened my voice to reason with him. "A-Tan, be good. Trust me this once. I must go first. I'm really not looking to throw my life away."
Ye Tan hesitated for a long time before asking softly, "Master, which sword will you use?"
Finally, I had reached him. I breathed a sigh of relief. Deep down, he was still that obedient and sensible Ye Tan; he wouldn't defy me on something I truly insisted upon. The black-gold Han sword was forged by the One Sword Tomb, so it certainly wouldn't be able to damage the True Sword. My only hope lay with Xiao Cuo. I drew the blade from its sheath.
As the weapons met, both swords trembled slightly. The ring of *Canghai Yisu* was clear and resonant, more melodious than any musical instrument.
I couldn't help but praise it in my heart. The one sword of a thousand years was indeed incomparable to the ordinary weapons at the appraisal assembly. I gathered my internal energy, pouring every bit of it into a forceful strike.
*Canghai Yisu* showed not a single crack.
Xiao Cuo, however, was snapped into two pieces against the edge.
...It was over.
I had thought too much. Even among SSR-tier items, there were levels of strength.
The crowd below the altar remained silent, whether because they were used to this or because they truly lacked emotion. A strange sound came from Qiu Wujiu’s throat—a grim, low chuckle. His expression was both triumphant and disappointed. "What a pity..." As he spoke, he reached for his sword to take my life.
I hurriedly stopped him. "No rush, no rush! We still have one more to try."
Qiu Wujiu rolled his eyes at me. "There's no need to try that one. I forged that sword myself; do you think I don't know its limits?"
"Before Xiao Cuo... I mean, before the Holy Sword of Physics went on stage, who would have believed it could snap a hundred weapons? Didn't you misjudge it back then too?" Seeing Qiu Wujiu’s expression soften slightly, I struck while the iron was hot. "Sigh... I'm a dead man anyway, and I can't escape your sect even if I had wings. Have some mercy and give me a little time to settle my final affairs."
Qiu Wujiu waved a hand in an act of "great mercy" and ordered someone to take us to a side hall used for guests. My mind was a chaotic mess the entire way.
How much longer did I have to live?
The time it takes to drink a cup of tea? To burn a stick of incense? An hour? Or perhaps one night?
That was one thing... but how much longer did Ye Tan have?
The maidservant closed the door and left, leaving only the two of us in the room. Seeing the exhaustion in his brow, I urged, "A-Tan, you haven't closed your eyes for a day and a night. Rest for a while."
Ye Tan simply shook his head firmly.
True. Why sleep much in life when one will sleep forever in death? We were about to fulfill the latter half of that saying.
As I was thinking, Ye Tan suddenly reached out and took my hand. "You're trembling," he whispered.
In a life-or-death situation, I was naturally terrified. Ye Tan, however, was not.
From the moment Xiao Cuo was snapped, he had actually become calm. I knew this was because he had already resolved to die, and thus felt no more alarm.
"I'm a bit pathetic, aren't I?" I gave a bitter laugh. "Can you hold me?"
Ye Tan nodded. He sat me on his lap and wrapped his arms around me. Returning to this familiar harbor, I buried my face in the crook of his neck and took several deep breaths. My heart gradually steadied.
I was truly, incredibly frustrated.
This predicament existed solely because I couldn't freely enter the Modifier to set my sword's stats higher than *Canghai Yisu*. With the situation so tense, Ye Tan likely wouldn't have the heart to sneak a kiss tonight, and I absolutely could not leave his life to a completely uncontrollable random event.
I found it more and more incomprehensible why I had originally set such an extremely inconvenient activation procedure as "someone sneaking a kiss." At this moment, the person I most wanted to pin to a table and thrash was my past self. The "me" who came up with this idea was a total idiot.
...Wait.
Why would I think I was an idiot?
That’s impossible.
Because I’m *not* an idiot.
Since I’m not an idiot, there is absolutely no way I would have set such a moronic activation procedure. I don't even prank other people; how could I possibly go out of my way to prank myself?
If I needed to use the Modifier, it would inevitably be in a crisis. The greater the crisis, the more I would rely on it. I would definitely have set a method that I could easily activate alone. Furthermore, the command would have to be extremely brief, something that could be completed in the blink of an eye. And since entering the Modifier causes the body to enter a state of suspended animation, it would be very troublesome if it were triggered accidentally in daily life. Therefore, it couldn't be a common gesture like clapping or waving.
Something one person can do easily, but a normal person would never do... an instantaneous action.
If I were to set it now...
How would I have set it?
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
一剑冢 | Yi Jian Zhong | "The One Sword Tomb," a mysterious and ruthless sect.
仇无咎 | Qiu Wujiu | A member of the One Sword Tomb who gifted the protagonist the cursed sword.
沧海遗粟 | Canghai Yisu | "A Grain in the Vast Sea," the name of the "True Sword" of the sect.
物理学圣剑 | Holy Sword of Physics | The protagonist's nickname for his sword (a "crowbar" meme reference).
长明灯 | Ever-burning lamps | Lamps in tombs or temples meant to stay lit indefinitely.
阴兵 | Yin soldiers | Ghost soldiers or soldiers of the underworld.
