Jian Huaishuang remained expressionless, preparing to continue forward to rendezvous with the Lord inside the Ghost Dynasty.
Suddenly, a young girl's shout rang out from behind him.
"Audacious evil cultivator! How dare you commit such atrocities in broad daylight!"
"The blood-baleful qi on your body is so thick it’s practically solid, and the wails of lingering souls haunt you without ceasing. How many innocent lives have you taken over the years?"
"Hmph, consider it your bad luck to run into this young lady today!"
Jian Huaishuang paused in his tracks.
That voice... why did it sound so familiar?
He turned around.
By the edge of a forest not far away, a girl of about fifteen or sixteen was standing atop a large boulder.
She wore a fluffy white wolf-skin cloak, her long hair tied in a high ponytail, and held a withered branch she had just plucked from the roadside.
Her posture was upright, her features sharp and heroic. At that moment, she pointed the branch directly at a middle-aged cultivator opposite her, her presence as sharp as an unsheathed sword.
The middle-aged cultivator wore a moon-white robe, his expression sinister. Indeed, a blood-baleful qi so thick it wouldn't dissipate clung to his body, and the faint cries of resentful spirits could be heard.
Hearing her words, he was first startled, then narrowed his eyes. He sized the girl up and sneered, "Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in my business?"
"If you know what's good for you, get lost. I'm in a decent mood today, so I'll spare your life."
"Spare my life?" The girl's brows arched. With a light flick of the withered branch, she asked, "Are you worthy?"
"Stubborn fool."
"Sword, come!"
She swung the withered branch casually.
A blast of ice-blue sword qi suddenly erupted from the tip of the branch. It was piercingly cold, filled with countless ice shards that transformed into a flash of sword light along with the qi.
Before the middle-aged cultivator could react, the expression on his face froze.
The sword light flashed.
Pfft!
A single strike decapitated him.
Behind the middle-aged cultivator stood a clean-cut boy dressed in black.
While the girl was busy acting, he had moved with light steps and circled around to the back.
Also using a tree branch as a sword, he gave it a light stroke.
Crack.
The restriction placed by the middle-aged cultivator snapped instantly.
The boy in black leaned down and rescued a shivering little flower demon from the restriction.
The flower demon’s grade was quite high, around the fifth-stage. She had a human body and a flower for a head, with a cluster of pale purple spiritual stamens blooming on top. Her entire body shook as she looked on with tearful eyes, clearly terrified.
The boy in black said warmly, "Don't be afraid. Big Sister Bai and I aren't bad people. The villain has been executed. You're free now."
He pointed to the girl who was currently posing over there. "She’s a Sword Immortal. We’ve come on this journey specifically to slay demons and eliminate evil."
Upon hearing the words 'slay demons and eliminate evil,' the flower demon’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted dead away.
This was too terrifying!
The middle-aged cultivator only wanted to take her demon core, but these two calamity stars had sent a head flying the moment they arrived. And they called themselves 'not bad people'?
The boy: "..."
Having slain the evil cultivator, Bai triumphantly shook the blood from her branch.
"Hmph, couldn't even take one hit."
"Today is another day of heroic deeds, punishing evil, and helping the weak for this young lady!"
The girl hadn't noticed Jian Huaishuang yet. She was proudly swinging her branch, savoring the lingering essence of that strike.
The frost sword qi dissipated naturally, covering the ground around her in a layer of thin frost.
Bai was quite satisfied with her progress. Just as she was about to call Xiaoye over to see her spoils, her peripheral vision caught a figure by the official road.
A familiar plain white figure stood there quietly, looking at her with a neutral gaze.
The triumph on Bai's face instantly froze.
Clatter.
The withered branch fell to the ground.
"Xiaoye, run!"
The girl let out a strange cry and turned to bolt.
However, Jian Huaishuang merely raised his hand.
A piece of white paper flew out from the sword box on his back, instantly folding into a giant paper hand in mid-air.
The paper hand moved with incredible speed, grabbing the girl by her fluffy collar and dragging her before Jian Huaishuang like a kitten.
At the same time, another piece of white paper flew out and grabbed Xiaoye—who was still trying to wake the flower demon—in the same manner.
Jian Huaishuang looked at the two little ones he had 'arrested,' his brow furrowing slightly.
"Bai? Xiaoye?" his voice was calm. "What is going on?"
The girl gave an awkward laugh, her hands twisting together. "Aha, what a coincidence, Lord Jian. To think we'd run into each other here."
"Oh my, the rain today is quite clamorous..."
Xiaoye was more honest, hanging his head and whispering, "Lord Jian."
"Explain," Jian Huaishuang said succinctly.
Bai’s eyes darted around, trying to bluff her way through. "Well, we just came out for some experience. We heard the provincial capital was lively..."
"The truth," Jian Huaishuang interrupted, the paper hand tightening slightly.
"Ow, ow, ow, it hurts!"
Bai cried out exaggeratedly. Seeing she couldn't dodge it, she puffed out her cheeks and confessed.
"Fine, we snuck out. The City of the Wrongfully Dead was too boring."
"We heard the provincial capital is a gathering place for sin, where golden Buddhas descend and demons dance. At a time like this, we obviously had to come lend the Lord a hand!"
Xiaoye added softly from the side, "Sister Bai said a sword cultivator should use the sword in their hand to cut down the injustices of the world."
"Since the provincial capital is the Lord's objective, if we can clear some obstacles in advance, it counts as doing our part..."
"Nonsense," Jian Huaishuang's voice turned a few degrees colder.
"The journey to the provincial capital is exceptionally dangerous. Yin Wudao sits in the court, and there are mutated black spot monsters underground that even Piao couldn't defeat. Even the Lord must plan cautiously, yet you two..."
"We’re already at the sixth-stage third transformation!" Bai interrupted defiantly.
"That evil cultivator just now was only at the fifth-stage. Wasn't he slain by my sword anyway?"
"Lord Jian, we aren't burdens."
Jian Huaishuang looked at the two little ones, feeling a sense of helplessness.
These two were the reincarnations of Bai Ling and Li Zhaoye.
In the Myriad Herbs Life-Death Realm within the City of the Wrongfully Dead, they spent every day either planting flowers or pestering him to teach them the sword.
But it had to be said that their comprehension was terrifyingly high.
After all, they were talented sword cultivators in their past lives. Re-cultivating with those instincts in this life, coupled with the empowerment of the Life-Death Realm, their growth speed was simply illogical.
In less than half a month, they had grown from little tots to their current appearance.
Their cultivation had soared like a rocket, reaching the sixth-stage third transformation.
Their sword techniques were also practiced to a point of high proficiency, reaching minor completion.
They didn't even have proper swords, but that didn't matter to them.
Just as Bai said, for a sword cultivator, as long as the sword heart is pure, everything can be a sword.
When encountering injustice on the road, one must use the sword to cut it down.
That decapitation with a withered branch just now... even Jian Huaishuang had to admit it was quite impressive.
Looking at the burning light in their eyes, Jian Huaishuang saw a purity that was almost blinding. They were like unquenched cold iron—sharp, but easily broken.
He suddenly remembered many years ago, the day he first entered the White Jade Sword Sect.
By the Sword-Testing Stone in front of the mountain gate, he too had gripped a crude iron sword and sworn an oath to the heavens.
The sword in his hand this life would cut down all injustices in the world and protect the common people.
Rate on N.U.
