NOVPUBMany talented disciples sought the broken sword, yet they perished in their pursuit, which well illustrates the sword’s formidable power.
"Brother Xu acquiring the broken sword might cause a significant uproar in the entirety of Ten Thousand Swords City!"
Hong Tianfu reminded, "Brother Xu, it’s best to keep this matter as concealed as possible, to avoid attracting those with ulterior motives."
"There’s no need to hide, nor to be arrogant," Xu Zimei said indifferently.
"Just maintain a normal state of mind."
"Then what are Brother Xu’s plans going forward?" Hong Tianfu continued to inquire.
"To go to Tyrant Sword City, I wish to find the descendants of the Sword Immortal from the Jiang Family," Xu Zimei didn’t hide his intentions and said directly.
"Wasn’t the Jiang Family already annihilated?" Hong Tianfu asked in surprise.
"After so many years, are there still descendants alive?"
"Who knows? Let’s search and see," Xu Zimei replied.
"If Brother Xu has no leads, I could recommend someone to you," Hong Tianfu said with a smile.
"He might be able to help you in your search for the Jiang Family."
"Who is it?" Xu Zimei asked with curiosity.
"Someone from Heavenly Secret Valley," Hong Tianfu replied.
"It is said that before the Jiang Family was wiped out, their contemporary Family Head went to this person to divine the heavenly secrets."
"It seems that Heavenly Secret Valley is quite active in this life," Xu Zimei chuckled.
He had previously encountered someone from Heavenly Secret Valley called Heavenly Secrets Diviner.
"Where is he? What’s his name?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"He’s right here in Ten Thousand Swords City, named Suan Wuyi," Hong Tianfu responded.
"However, getting him to divine heavenly secrets is indeed difficult.
He seldom divines for others unless you can meet his conditions."
"Even if a knife were at his throat, he wouldn’t divine?" Xu Zimei asked with interest.
"Who dares to threaten him," Hong Tianfu said, shaking his head.
"If he desires someone’s head, merely an utterance is enough, and I reckon all the people of Ten Thousand Swords City would go after that person."
"Take me to meet him, then," Xu Zimei smiled.
The two left the ninth floor, and before they had gone far, a group of people blocked their way.
Among this group, there were two individuals Xu Zimei recognized: the girl who had fled previously and the old man named Uncle Ming.
"May I know how to address this young master?" Uncle Ming asked with a friendly smile.
"Is there a matter?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"You got the broken sword, didn’t you!" Before Uncle Ming could speak, the girl beside him preempted.
"No need to deny it. The space on the ninth floor has been sealed.
Which confirms that the broken sword is gone."
"Whether it is or isn’t, what’s it to you?" Xu Zimei asked indifferently.
"You young man, how dare you talk to our young miss like that?" A youth clad in a blue robe, seemingly unable to bear it, glared at Xu Zimei and said.
"If I was capable of obtaining the broken sword, it proves that my strength surpasses yours.
Are you so quick to seek death?" Xu Zimei looked at the blue-robed youth and said nonchalantly.
"Would you dare to kill someone here?" The youth’s eyes showed a hint of panic,
but he still forced himself to calm down.
He said, "Do you know our young miss’s identity?
She is Elder Huo’s granddaughter!"
This time, before Xu Zimei could speak, Hong Tianfu beside him gasped in shock.
"Elder Huo? Are you talking about Pavilion Master Huo from the Sword Tower branch?"
The blue-robed youth scoffed, not bothering to reply further.
Clearly, he was affirming this identity.
"Now we’re in trouble," Hong Tianfu muttered to himself.
He started making suggestive glances at Xu Zimei.
"Her identity is of no concern to me. If there’s nothing else, then don’t block my way," Xu Zimei said somewhat impatiently.
"Name a price, and sell me that broken sword," the girl said.
"Not for sale," Xu Zimei replied nonchalantly.
"Also, I don’t wish to repeat myself."
"You," the girl’s face colored with annoyance, she wanted to say more but was stopped by the elder beside her.
"Should the young master ever wish to reconsider, you may find us at any time," Uncle Ming said with a smile.
Xu Zimei glanced at the others and then left with Hong Tianfu.
......
Watching their retreating figures, the girl said with a trace of unwillingness.
"Uncle Ming, how could you just let him go like that?"
"Your identity has already been exposed, and yet the other party took no heed of it," Uncle Ming said calmly.
"Take a calm look at things; Ten Thousand Swords City is indeed too small a place.
There’s not a single one of the thirty-six states of the Northern Continent that we can provoke."
"Are you suggesting they have strong backing?" the girl asked, catching on.
"Not certain, but let’s not make enemies before we understand for sure, especially since we were at fault first," Uncle Ming shook his head as he spoke.
After leaving the Sword Tower, Hong Tianfu finally exhaled in relief.
"Is that Pavilion Master Huo really so fearsome, to scare you like that?" Xu Zimei asked.
"You don’t understand, Pavilion Master Huo is in charge of the Sword Tower’s branch in Ten Thousand Swords City.
No one in the entire Ten Thousand Swords City dares to offend him," Hong Tianfu explained.
"Even our Hong Family Head wouldn’t dare to act rashly in his presence."
Xu Zimei looked at Hong Tianfu deeply, feeling sad for his fate.
He seemed like a frog at the bottom of a well.
Never having ventured far from Ten Thousand Swords City, his experiences were probably just that limited.
But then again, who isn’t? Most people in this world are frogs at the bottom of a well, after all.
......
After eating a meal at a restaurant, Hong Tianfu brought Xu Zimei to the residence of Suan Wuyi.
Everyone in Ten Thousand Swords City knew where Suan Wuyi lived.
But ordinary people couldn’t make contact with him.
Because he lived in a very quiet alley, the entire alley had been transformed into a wide courtyard.
At the entrance to the alley, a swordsman stood guard.
To meet Suan Wuyi, one must pass this swordsman’s challenge.
Therefore, after arriving at the alley, Hong Tianfu stopped.
The alley resembled the architectural style of quadrangle courtyards from long ago.
Xu Zimei noticed that the walls on both sides of the alley were covered with many strange patterns.
There were incomprehensible characters, as well as many creatures he had never seen before.
They were all drawn in black ink.
At the entrance of the alley, sat a man.
The man was dressed in gray, sitting cross-legged, with a gray longsword resting on his raised knees.
He was meditating with his eyes closed, as though all of the outside world was irrelevant to him.
"The people of our Ten Thousand Swords City call him the Nameless Swordsman," Hong Tianfu introduced in a low voice to Xu Zimei.
"It’s said that he was once hunted by his enemies, and later it was Suan Wuyi who saved him.
And after reversing his fate for him, he chose to follow Suan Wuyi.
To meet Suan Wuyi, one must defeat him first." 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
Xu Zimei smiled and walked step by step into the alley.
The moment he set foot in the alley, he saw a sky full of Sword Intent sweeping towards him in suppression.
The gray-clothed Nameless Swordsman, who had his eyes firmly shut, suddenly opened them.
The longsword at his knees unsheathed on its own, as a dazzling sword light streaked through the silent space.
