lcionline Chapter 589: Seeking a Swordsmith in a Remote Village, A Broken Blade Waiting for Rebirth (For Eghve
Chapter 589: Seeking a Swordsmith in a Remote Village, A Broken Blade Waiting for Rebirth (For Eghve
The taxi braked suddenly in the mud, and the splashes of mud exploded on the windows like dirty flowers.
Lin Ye'er and Yuhui Qinggong got out of the car. A cold wind carrying the smell of rotting unknown plants blew in their faces, making Lin Ye'er wrinkle her nose.
"My goodness, this place is so remote, isn't it? Are you sure the navigation is correct? It won't take us to some other dimension?"
Lin Ye'er looked around and saw only low and dilapidated houses with mottled and peeling walls, revealing the gray-black adobe inside, like age spots on an old man's face.
A few skinny local dogs lay lazily on the side of the road, indifferent to their arrival, with an indifferent look as if they had seen through the world.
"People who practice swordsmanship tend to be more introverted and like to stay away from the hustle and bustle. This is normal." Yuhui Qinggong looked calm, as if he was accustomed to this kind of environment.
Lin Yeer’s face had an expression like “Old man’s cell phone on the subway.jpg”, and her inner OS was frantically scrolling through the screen: Normal?
Is this normal?
This is simply a large-scale "throwback" scene!
If it wasn't for repairing the broken sword, she would never have come to such a remote place.
"By the way, who is this sword cultivator? He's not some hermit sweeping monk, is he?"
Lin Ye'er asked curiously, and an image of an old man with an immortal look, holding a whisk and stepping on auspicious clouds appeared in her mind.
Yuhui Qinggong smiled and began to tell the story of the swordsmith: "His name is Gushu Liangyuan. His ancestors have been swordsmiths for generations. It is said that his family's swordsmithing skills can be traced back to ancient times, and they once created artifacts for the gods."
"Gushu Liangyuan's generation is even more talented, and he himself is known as the 'Giver of Sword Souls'."
"The giver of the sword spirit?" Lin Ye'er raised her eyebrows and became interested.
"Yes, according to legend, the ninth sword of the Fujin Nine Swords, 'Heaven's Cry', was forged by him personally. He also incorporated the soul of a swordsmanship genius named Fuzuki Yuki into it, becoming a sword spirit."
There was a hint of awe in Yuhui Qinggong's voice.
"Wait, Gu Yue Yugui? Why does this name sound familiar?" Lin Ye'er touched her chin, feeling that she had heard this name somewhere before.
"Gu Yue Yugui was once praised as a rare swordsmanship prodigy, but unfortunately he passed away at a young age..."
Yuhui Qinggong paused and continued,
"It is said that before his death, he integrated all his life's swordsmanship into the Heavenly Weeping Sword, making it the strongest of the Nine Swords of Huojin, and earning Gu Shuliangyuan the title of 'Sword Soul Giver'."
"I see." Lin Ye'er nodded thoughtfully, "Then what does this ninth sword have to do with repairing the other Huojin swords?"
Yuhui Qinggong patiently explained, "Each of the Nine Huojin Swords contains immense power and is rarely damaged under normal circumstances."
"But once damaged, ordinary repair methods are simply unable to restore its original power."
"Only by using the power of the Ninth Blade, Heaven's Weeping, can the spirits of the other Huojin Blades be reawakened and restored to their original form."
"I see. It's like a super power bank, right?" Lin Ye'er gave an analogy.
Yuhui Qinggong smiled slightly and did not refute.
"Then how did you know about the existence of this reclusive master? Did you find him online?" Lin Ye'er suddenly thought of a question.
"Of course not," Yuhui Qinggong shook his head, "My master once brought me here and showed me Gushu Liangyuan's sword-making skills."
A trace of reminiscence flashed in her eyes. "That was the first time I saw the real 'Soul Blade'. The shock was so great that I still remember it..."
"I see," Lin Ye'er expressed her understanding. "Then let's go. Don't keep the old man waiting for too long."
The two walked along a rugged mountain road. The trees on both sides of the road were bare, like withered arms reaching towards the sky.
The sky gradually darkened and the air around became colder and damper.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, I finally saw a desolate cemetery. The crooked tombstones looked particularly eerie and terrifying in the dim light.
"This... this is..." Lin Ye'er's voice trembled a little.
Yuhui Qinggong stopped, stared ahead, and said slowly: "It seems that we have arrived..."
The cemetery was deathly silent, with only the whirring sound of the wind blowing through the dry branches, which sounded like ghosts howling.
The words on the tombstone were blurred, as if they would crawl out of the stone at any time and grab their ankles.
No matter how brave Lin Ye'er was, she couldn't help but feel a chill at this moment.
She subconsciously leaned closer to Yuhui Qinggong and muttered softly, "Isn't this sword-hunting journey a little too exciting? It would be a shame not to make a horror movie with this atmosphere."
Yu Huiqing Palace remained calm. She patted Lin Ye'er on the shoulder and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. They are just dead things. Can they eat you?"
"That's true, but the atmosphere is so weird, isn't it? If you didn't know, you'd think we'd stumbled into some horror game."
Lin Ye'er rubbed her arms, trying to stay calm.
At this moment, a faint light appeared in the distance, standing out in the darkness.
"Look, there are lights there!" Lin Ye'er pointed to the front excitedly as if she had discovered a new continent.
The two quickened their pace and walked towards the light.
When I got closer, I found that it was an old wooden house hidden in a dense forest.
The dim light coming through the windows of the wooden house seemed particularly warm in the night, forming a sharp contrast with the gloomy environment around it.
"This should be the place." Yuhui Qinggong walked to the wooden house and knocked on the door gently.
"Knock knock knock..." The knocking sound was particularly clear in the silent night, as if it was knocking on Lin Ye'er's heart.
A moment later, the wooden door creaked open and a tall and thin figure appeared at the door.
With the help of the dim light, Lin Ye'er finally saw the appearance of the swordsman.
How should I put it...it's just, very special.
Gu Shuliangyuan's hair was messy, like a pile of dead grass, and his face was covered with deep wrinkles, as rough as old tree bark.
A pair of cloudy eyes were sunken in their sockets, as if they could see through people's hearts.
He was wearing a tattered gray robe that was covered in various stains and exuded a pungent musty smell.
Lin Ye'er took a deep breath and complained in her heart: Is this really a human?
Isn't this a thousand-year-old monster that crawled out of a coffin?
Are you sure the horror film crew didn’t go to the wrong set?
"Good evening." Yuhui Qinggong greeted politely.
Gu Shuliangyuan nodded expressionlessly without saying anything. He just turned sideways and motioned them to go in.
Lin Ye'er followed Yu Huiqinggong carefully and walked into the wooden house.
The door of the wooden house slammed shut with a creaking sound that made your teeth ache.
Lin Ye'er subconsciously looked back and found that Gu Shuliangyuan had locked the door.
Lock the door? Why lock the door? Could it be...
Countless classic scenes from horror movies flashed through Lin Ye'er's mind, and her heart was pounding.
She secretly tugged at Yu Huiqinggong's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Why did he lock the door? Isn't he trying to..."
Yuhui Qinggong gave her a look that said "you think too much" and explained, "The old man is used to it. He rarely comes into contact with the outside world, so he is more cautious."
Lin Ye'er finally breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still a little uneasy.
The light inside the wooden house was very dim, with only a dim oil lamp emitting a weak light.
The air was filled with a damp and musty smell, mixed with some unknown herbal scent, which smelled a bit pungent.
Gu Shuliangyuan walked ahead without saying a word, leading them through a dim wooden corridor.
There were some strange-shaped tools hanging on the walls on both sides of the wooden corridor, which looked particularly weird in the dim light.
Lin Ye'er felt like she was walking in a terrifying maze, and something terrible might jump out at any time.
They walked through the wooden corridor and came to a courtyard.
There is a stone table and several stone benches in the middle of the yard, surrounded by various exotic flowers and plants, which emit a faint fragrance in the night.
Gu Shuliangyuan walked to the stone table, brought out two small stools, and motioned for them to sit down.
"Senior Gushu, long time no see." Yuhui Qinggong bowed respectfully.
Gu Shuliangyuan still had no expression on his face, and just nodded slightly.
"This is Miss Lin Ye'er. She came with me this time." Yuhui Qinggong introduced.
"Hello." Lin Ye'er smiled politely, trying not to look too scared.
Gu Shuliangyuan glanced at her without saying anything, and there seemed to be a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.
The atmosphere was a little awkward for a while.
"Um..." Lin Ye'er cleared her throat and broke the silence, "Senior Gu Shu, we came here this time to..."
"I know." Gu Shuliangyuan's voice was low and hoarse, as rough as sandpaper. "I'm here to repair my sword."
Lin Ye'er was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect that he actually knew why they came.
Yuhui Qinggong took out a tightly wrapped piece of cloth from the cloth bag he carried with him and carefully placed it on the stone table.
"This is it." Yuhui Qinggong gently lifted the cloth, revealing the broken blade inside.
Under the dim light, the broken blade gleamed with a cold light, as if telling of its former glory...
Gu Shuliangyuan slowly stretched out his withered hand, picked up the broken blade, and looked at it carefully.
"This knife..."
Gushu Liangyuan's voice suddenly stopped.
"This knife... is interesting." Gu Shuliangyuan's hoarse voice broke the silence, like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing together.
His bony fingers gently stroked the broken blade, as if stroking his lover's face, with a strange light flashing in his eyes.
Seeing this, Yuhui Qinggong gently pushed Lin Ye'er beside him, indicating her to take out another broken knife.
Lin Ye'er blinked in confusion, thinking to herself: Is there anything else?
Is this for wholesale?
She took out another broken blade from another package and handed it carefully to Gu Shuliangyuan.
Gu Shuliangyuan took the broken blade and examined it carefully for a moment, frowning slightly. He held it in for a long time as if he was constipated, and then he slowly said, "Five days."
"Five days?" Lin Ye'er almost thought she had misheard. "It can be fixed in five days? So fast?"
The image of Gu Shuliangyuan sweating profusely and hitting the broken blade with a sledgehammer clanging loudly suddenly appeared in her mind.
With such efficiency, it would be a shame not to become a blacksmith.
"Yes, five days." Gu Shuliangyuan said with certainty, leaving no room for doubt.
Lin Ye'er looked towards Yuhui Qinggong, her eyes full of doubts: Is this old man reliable?
Are you trying to fool us?
Yuhui Qinggong gave her a reassuring look, then turned to Gushu Liangyuan and said calmly, "In addition to repairs, there is another thing I would like to ask Senior Gushu for help with."
"What's the matter?" Gu Shuliangyuan raised his head, a hint of doubt flashed in his turbid eyes.
"I hope you can help install the sword soul in it." Yuhui Qinggong pointed at the broken blade with a calm tone, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
"Install...Sword Soul?" Gu Shuliangyuan was stunned, as if someone had pressed acupoints on him, and he couldn't move.
He turned his head stiffly and looked at Yuhui Qinggong with an expression of disbelief, as if he was looking at an alien.
"You heard it right, it's about installing the sword soul." Yuhui Qinggong repeated it, his tone still calm, as if saying "The weather is really nice today."
Gu Shuliangyuan was silent for a moment, then asked in a hoarse voice: "Girl, are you kidding me? How can a sword spirit be installed casually? It requires..."
"I know it requires a strong soul and exquisite skills." Yuhui Qinggong interrupted him, "But I believe that Senior Gushu can do it."
Gu Shuliangyuan took a deep breath and tried to calm the waves in his heart.
He picked up the broken blade again and examined it carefully.
"This knife..."
He spoke again, but this time, his voice trembled, "This knife... is very unusual."
He raised his head, staring at Yuhui Qinggong with burning eyes, and said word by word: "What kind of sword spirit do you want to install in it?"
Yuhui Qinggong smiled slightly and slowly uttered three words: "Kill...Bai..."