While at Mount Baijian, Kuayu had cultivated a sword spirit even before recognizing a master. Sharing the same source as Hongxue, he had manifested an elemental spirit even earlier, making him a natural spirit rarely seen in the Five Continents for a thousand years.
Zhou Fuxue watched as the little brat, who barely reached his thighs, swung his fists with a whistling wind, pummeling a sword. His lips twitched, and he wanted to tell him to stop, but seeing Ming Zhu watching with great interest, he could only remain silent.
Kuayu had likely found the Red Lotus Sword an eyesore for a long time. Now that he had the chance to thrash it, he naturally put all his strength into his blows. The sound of the Red Lotus Sword clattering against the floor rang out in a continuous *clack-clack-clack*, so loud that an outsider might have thought someone was forging iron inside.
The noise gave Zhou Fuxue a headache. He turned, intending to say something, only to see that Ming Zhu’s properly bandaged left hand was once again seeping blood, which was now dripping from his fingertips.
Zhou Fuxue nearly lost his voice. "Senior Brother!"
Ming Zhu looked at him blankly. "Huh?"
Trembling, Zhou Fuxue took hold of his left hand and unwound the white gauze. He saw that the previously healed wound had split open again, the blood flowing like a stream.
At the sight, Ming Zhu nearly blacked out. He quickly closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight, and shouted at the same time, "Kua—Kuayu, stop hitting it!"
Because the Red Lotus spiritual veins had been forcibly struck into him, he had been unable to feel pain. If not for Zhou Fuxue’s reminder, he might not have noticed even if he had bled out completely.
Zhou Fuxue hissed in sympathy, his heart aching as he hurriedly re-bandaged the wound.
Kuayu obediently stopped. With a kick, he sent the shivering Red Lotus Sword skittering into a corner to stay put. His small body floated in mid-air as he lunged toward Ming Zhu with open arms. "Zhu-zi, Zhu-zi, I'm hungry!"
Ming Zhu practicedly took several spirit crystals from the Zhenyu Pearl and flicked his finger. Like a well-trained little beast, Kuayu flew forward, caught the crystals in his arms, and began to crunch on them while floating in the air.
Ming Zhu rummaged through the crystals inside the Zhenyu Pearl and frowned. "You eat too much. In just these few days, you've eaten half of several thousand crystals. At this rate, who could afford to keep you?"
Kuayu acted as if he hadn't heard. His iron teeth and bronze molars quickly finished a hard crystal as if he were munching on a pastry, a sight that made one's own teeth ache in sympathy.
His true form was a sword, and even when he appeared, he usually floated around Ming Zhu. Even after taking human form, he couldn't break the habit. He kicked his legs, munching on spirit jade while drifting closer to Ming Zhu, mumbling, "After the crystals are gone, I can settle for eating spirit jade."
Ming Zhu said, "My lord ancestor, why don't you just eat me instead?"
Kuayu looked a bit unhappy. Pouting, he said, "When you first took me out, you didn't complain about me being hard to keep. You said you'd give me whatever I wanted to eat. Liar!"
Zhou Fuxue, who was bandaging Ming Zhu’s wound, looked up and glanced at Ming Zhu.
Ming Zhu said helplessly, "Who knew such a small thing could eat so much? You're going to eat me into poverty."
Kuayu pointed at the Red Lotus Sword huddled in the corner. "Then can I eat that?"
Ming Zhu quickly grabbed the bell at the end of the boy's braid to stop him from acting rashly. "You only hit it a few times just now, and my left hand split open. If you eat it, will I even be able to keep my hand?"
This was the first time the Red Lotus Sword had manifested. Ming Zhu now understood that the sword seemed linked to the Red Lotus mark on his left hand. If the Red Lotus Sword was damaged, his left hand would likely be ruined as well.
Kuayu became even more displeased. He floated around Ming Zhu a few times and said, "I want more to eat."
Ming Zhu hurriedly stuffed a few more crystals into his hands, fearing the glutton would treat his left hand like a chicken claw and start gnawing on it.
In the time it took to exchange a few words, Zhou Fuxue had finished re-bandaging the wound. After a moment's thought, he picked up the Red Lotus Sword and placed it on the table. "If Senior Brother doesn't want to see it, let Fuxue carry it for you."
Ming Zhu wanted nothing more. He nodded quickly.
Kuayu, who was munching on spirit jade nearby, suddenly spoke up. "That Wuxin Sword of yours—has it cultivated a sword spirit yet?"
Zhou Fuxue replied, "Not yet, though it seems to have developed sentience."
Kuayu gave an "oh." After finishing the spirit jade, he used a string of spiritual energy to thread the remaining pieces together and hung them around his neck to save for later. He floated in front of Zhou Fuxue and tapped the Wuxin Sword at his waist. "Since it has sentience, let's perform a spiritual connection."
Zhou Fuxue didn't quite understand. "What is... a spiritual connection?"
Ming Zhu leaned lazily against the headboard. Seeing this, he explained, "Once weapons form an elemental spirit, they can use a certain secret technique to link their consciousness. As long as they aren't too far apart, they can send messages to each other. This is called a 'Spider-link'—tch, actually, the internal relationships between elemental spirits aren't very harmonious. The reason they use 'Spider-link' is mostly so they can curse at each other. If you don't want to, then forget it."
Zhou Fuxue: "..."
Kuayu curved his eyes, his smile revealing two small tiger teeth. "Among all the elemental spirits in the Five Continents, no one can out-curse me!"
Ming Zhu said coolly, "I think you really should have recognized Lu Qingkong as your master. That would be the best use of your talents."
Kuayu said, "No thanks, I still prefer someone better-looking."
Just then, Lu Qingkong returned from buying supplies. He was immediately met with a face full of Kuayu’s mockery, and his expression instantly darkened.
Unaware of his own offense, Kuayu leisurely linked his consciousness with the Wuxin Sword. Then, he floated in the air, lazily hugging his crystals and munching away, leaving stone crumbs all over the floor.
Lu Qingkong walked forward with a face like a still pond. He brushed his hand lightly over the Zhenyu Pearl hanging from Ming Zhu’s neck, then went aside to pack their things with a cold expression.
Shen Hongchuan followed him in. Seeing Kuayu hanging upside down while munching on spirit jade, he gave a light chuckle. "Don't keep your head down like that, or it'll hurt later."
Kuayu gave a muffled "mm," licked the stone dust off his hands, and reached out toward Ming Zhu. "I want more."
Ming Zhu was looking down at the Sky-kite jade token Shen Hongchuan had bought. Hearing this, he absentmindedly reached for the Zhenyu Pearl to get more crystals, but after fumbling for a long time, he couldn't take anything out. Confused, he removed the Zhenyu Pearl and turned it over, only to find that at some point, the pearl had been sealed by a thin layer of restriction.
Ming Zhu said, "Old Ninth, is this pearl of yours broken? I can't get anything out."
Lu Qingkong gave a cold laugh and continued his work, ignoring him.
Kuayu recalled Lu Qingkong’s casual brush against the Zhenyu Pearl earlier and suddenly realized what had happened. He lunged at Lu Qingkong, grabbing him around the neck from behind and shouting, "Give me back my crystals! Give them back!"
Lu Qingkong reached back, grabbed Kuayu, and slammed him onto the floor in front of him. He looked down at the boy, his eyes as grim as a vengeful ghost. "I've always wanted to take the Kuayu Sword apart to see exactly what's inside that allowed you to form a spirit without a master. Well? Do you really want to taste what it's like to be disemboweled? Shall I oblige you? Hmm?"
Kuayu: "..."
In all his years of existence, this was the first time Kuayu had met a human who wanted to dismantle him. He was instantly frightened pale by Lu Qingkong’s dead-serious, gloomy expression. With a scream, he dove into Ming Zhu’s arms, trembling and forgetting all about the crystals.
Lu Qingkong sneered. "Useless."
Since Ming Zhu had said "the sooner the better," the group didn't delay. In less than half an hour, everything was prepared.
Shen Hongchuan placed a pile of purchased items into a storage ring, threaded it onto a red string, and hung it around Ming Zhu’s neck. He instructed, "There are some clothes and food inside. Time was too tight to buy much, so I stuffed some spirit jade in there as well."
The top deck of the Sky-kite was too conspicuous, so Shen Hongchuan had reluctantly purchased three "closet" cabins on the middle deck. "Once you arrive safely in Rizhao, have someone send word to me."
Ming Zhu nodded. "Alright."
Lu Qingkong was confused. "Aren't you coming with us on the Sky-kite back to the Kingdom of Jianglou?"
Shen Hongchuan said, "I originally came to Shuoyu City for important business. I can't leave with you until it's finished. You two be sharp on the road; don't let every Tom, Dick, and Harry get close to Senior Brother."
As he spoke, he untied his own voluminous cloak and fastened it around Ming Zhu. He stared at Ming Zhu for a long time before gently pulling him into an embrace. "Take care."
Ming Zhu said, "You too."
Ming Zhu pressed the mask Lu Qingkong had bought onto his face. The mask silently transformed into a lifelike skin, completely concealing Ming Zhu’s exquisite features and turning them into an unremarkable face. Even if he walked openly on the street, he wouldn't attract any attention.
"I still think this face is too ugly," Ming Zhu complained to Lu Qingkong. "You really got cheated on the price."
Lu Qingkong didn't bother arguing with him. He went downstairs on his own and climbed into the carriage Shen Hongchuan had prepared.
Shen Hongchuan followed behind. Just as Ming Zhu was about to bend down and enter the carriage, Shen Hongchuan suddenly reached out and grabbed him.
Ming Zhu turned back. "What is it?"
Shen Hongchuan took a deep breath, leaned in, and whispered, "The sect competition in two years—I'll find a way to return for it."
Ming Zhu was startled. "But doesn't your father forbid you from returning to Rizhao? And Master would never agree to it either."
"I'll find a way to get that Order of Proscription rescinded as soon as possible." Shen Hongchuan didn't answer directly. He gently touched Ming Zhu’s neck, feeling the slow pulse of blood beneath the skin. His lips curved into a smile as he said hoarsely, "In two years, I have something very important to tell you, Senior Brother. Wait for me."
Ming Zhu didn't understand and looked at him in confusion, but Shen Hongchuan refused to say another word. Ming Zhu could only step forward and hug him. "Then I'll wait for you."
The hug was brief. He turned and climbed into the carriage without looking back.
Shen Hongchuan watched helplessly as the carriage slowly departed. After a long while, he let out a faint sigh.
*Too dense,* he thought.
A short while later, the three of them boarded the Sky-kite bound for Rizhao from the platform outside Shuoyu City. The biting cold wind made the flags of the Kingdom of Jianglou atop the vessel snap and flutter.
On a mountain peak not far from the platform, Ming Zhao sat on a giant boulder, looking up as the Sky-kite roared overhead. He murmured, "Returning to Rizhao?"
The Sky-kite was incredibly fast, disappearing into the distant horizon in just a few moments.
Ming Zhao set down his pipe and pulled the Longevity Candle from his sleeve. He took the blood he had obtained from Ming Zhu and let a drop fall onto the wick. A cluster of crimson flames ignited out of thin air, swaying back and forth in the gale atop the mountain—yet, for some reason, they never went out.
"Longevity Candle," Ming Zhao whispered, his eyes narrowing as he watched the dancing flame. "I wonder when you will finally be extinguished."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 蛛连 | Spider-link | A spiritual connection/communication technique between weapon spirits. |
| 衣橱 | Closet cabins | Refers to small, cramped, or basic cabins on a transport vessel. |
| 降娄国 | Kingdom of Jianglou | The name of a country. |
| 诛伐令 | Order of Proscription | A formal decree of punishment or banishment from a sect or authority. |
| 长生烛 | Longevity Candle | A mystical candle linked to a person's life or blood. |
