How does one subdue a sword?
The sect master had said that one must communicate with the flying sword, use one’s sword techniques and formulas to gain its recognition, use one’s own sword dao and sword heart to resonate with the flying sword’s spirit. If you truly encounter a flying sword, don’t think about injecting your spiritual sense into it to communicate. Instead, demonstrate yourself and wait for it to come find you. Otherwise, once your spiritual sense enters, it will be destroyed by the immortal sword’s spirit and sword qi. It might be unintentional, but everyone’s consciousness is too weak compared to an immortal sword spirit—the gap is too vast. With one thought from the other party, if you rashly intrude, your consciousness might be annihilated.
Swords have spirits and their thoughts and hopes.
To accompany their master, whether conquering the world, killing in all directions, protecting beliefs, or pursuing the great dao.
For sword cultivators, flying swords are just like people. Their personalities differ, and their pursuits are not the same. To gain an immortal sword spirit’s recognition, either completely crush it with sword intent or find a way to earn its approval. However, sword cultivators entering the Sword Tomb cannot exceed a hundred years old, so the first situation is impossible in the Sword Tomb.
That is to say, one can only find ways to gain its recognition.
Ordinary flying swords are fierce toward masters they look down upon. Just like how Su Zhuyi’s ambitions weren’t on the sword dao, so those flying swords wanted nothing more than to turn her into a sieve. If Qin Chuan hadn’t appeared and they hadn’t liked getting close to him, wanting him to take them away, Su Zhuyi would certainly be seriously injured now.
But the Songfeng Sword was different.
This green pine hadn’t made things difficult for her and had even pulled her up. Its sword spirit’s personality should be very calm and tolerant. Thinking this, Su Zhuyi’s heart warmed slightly. But what use was tolerance? It was unwilling to leave with her.
Would Qin Chuan come over soon?
Qin Chuan hadn’t yet comprehended his sword intent. Would he, standing at the cliff’s edge and seeing the green pine there, gain some insight?
The Sword Tomb was a graveyard for swords. What was most abundant here were broken swords, fractured blades…
The sky here was also gray and gloomy, and even the dust had a rusty color. Yet in this desolate silence stood a verdant green pine at the cliff’s edge. That greenery struck people’s eyes and warmed their hearts.
A scene floated in Su Zhuyi’s mind: Qin Jianglan standing quietly at the cliff’s edge. After a long time, he began wielding the sword in his hands.
Songfeng sword technique—vigorous and powerful, would rather break than bend, upright and unyielding.
He thought he was practicing swords alone, but actually, that green pine had been watching him all along. Rustling pine needles fell like gentle rain on his hair and shoulders, as if cheering for him.
Qin Jianglan’s Songfeng sword technique took shape here. He comprehended the Songfeng Sword’s intent here.
Here, he obtained the Songfeng Sword.
Like fierce wind, like strong grass, like green pine proud in snow, like withered wood meeting spring, not the sword intent of destroying everything like the Longquan Sword, but protection and new life.
“I didn’t know that what I was thinking on the sword path could all be sensed by you.” Su Zhuyi’s hand still gently rested on the Songfeng Sword as she smiled and said, “You might not believe me when I say this, but I’ve touched you before.”
Her fingers lightly caressed the trunk, then she raised her hand to pinch a small pine needle. “Just like this.”
“Songfeng Sword—three chi, three cun, and three fen long, two cun and three fen wide, with a hilt six cun long. The entire body is jade green. Under sunlight, the sword body seems to transform into spiritual energy, merging with heaven and earth’s spiritual energy, scattering in the wind, invisible and formless, hence called the Songfeng Sword.” Speaking to this point, Su Zhuyi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “There’s a small pine tree on the hill.” She extended her hand, pressing her index finger against her thumbnail to gesture. “About the size of my fingernail.”
After saying all this, she continued, “Sword cultivators are very weak in the early stages.”
“I once had a dream. In that dream, if one wasn’t careful, they might not see tomorrow’s sun. I desperately cultivated—whatever techniques could improve me more in the short term, whatever techniques could help me preserve my life, that’s what I practiced.”
“Sword cultivators are so wonderful—graceful and extraordinary in bearing. But almost every sword cultivator is very weak in the early stages.”
“They need to nourish their swords and practice sword formulas painstakingly.”
“They think every day about improving their sword heart and walking their sword dao.”
“They have sect elders to guide them and don’t need to worry about constant ambushes or whether they can live to see tomorrow’s sun.” Su Zhuyi looked quietly at the Songfeng Sword. “But in my dream, I couldn’t.” She had arrived at the Xueluo Sect in childhood and within a few days began experiencing killing and being killed, living in constant fear. That’s why few in the demonic path practiced swords. While the righteous path had so many sword cultivation sects, large and small, supported by two major sects like Yunxiao Sect and Gujian Sect, in the demonic path, there seemed to be only one somewhat famous sword sect: Dugu Sword.
So much so that when people mentioned sword cultivators, everyone’s impression was of lofty banished immortals. In mortals’ hearts, sword cultivators represented immortals who slayed demons and eliminated evil.
After pausing briefly, Su Zhuyi continued, “Even after waking from the dream, the tension and sense of crisis from within never disappeared. It’s as if they were carved into my bones, engraved in my heart.”
“Saplings must grow into towering trees to shelter from wind and rain. I was afraid I wouldn’t live to see that day.” She pressed her face against the trunk. “So it’s not that I truly don’t like it, but that I had no choice—I didn’t dare to like it.”
“I don’t like swords, don’t like the sword dao, but I like you. I like the Songfeng Sword.” She gazed at the green pine before her. “I came here for you.”
Su Zhuyi no longer had a sword. The Qingfeng Sword had just broken and fallen off the cliff. She grabbed a green, rust-covered, broken sword from the ground. The broken sword only exposed half its length, with the other half buried in the earth. She cleaned it with spiritual energy, then began practicing sword forms beneath the green pine.
Su Zhuyi initially performed the first and second levels of Tianxuan Nine Swords. Seeing the Songfeng Sword still did not react to her demonstration, Su Zhuyi thought for a moment, recalled Qin Jianglan’s sword techniques and intent, and began imitating them.
Although she had lived with Qin Jianglan on the Wangtian Tree for six hundred years, during those six hundred years, Qin Jianglan had never practiced swords. After all, it was just a small wooden house where he couldn’t possibly wield a sword. And six hundred years ago, Su Zhuyi had few opportunities to see him draw his sword. In those rare instances, he usually finished people off in just a few moves.
Her imitation was somewhat strenuous; she could only try her best to make her posture more elegant. After practicing for about a quarter hour with the Songfeng Sword still showing no reaction, Su Zhuyi fell silent.
It seemed the emotional approach wouldn’t work either. Should she just give up like this?
Su Zhuyi’s eyes grew focused. Then she thought for a moment, separated a strand of spiritual sense, and gently let it fall on the pine tree. She was somewhat nervous since the sect master had said that if one intruded into an immortal sword, if careless, their spiritual sense would be annihilated. She thought that since the Songfeng Sword had at least saved her, it shouldn’t be so vicious, right?
Even with such thoughts, her current actions were still quite bold. As her consciousness fell into the pine tree, Su Zhuyi felt her spiritual sense see a green, glowing world where she couldn’t see or perceive anything else. Just as she felt puzzled, a voice said, “You should leave. You’re not the person I’m waiting for.”
That voice was very gentle, calming Su Zhuyi’s nervous heart. She said in a low voice, “But I know where the person you’re waiting for is.”
“Didn’t you sense the sword intent I displayed earlier? Do you think that person’s sword intent belongs to the one you want to wait for?” Su Zhuyi said sincerely, “I can take you out to find him.”
After speaking, she felt inexplicably guilty. She was used to lying and never blushed or felt guilty when deceiving people. But at this moment, with the target of her deception being a sword, she somehow felt uncertain and didn’t dare look directly at the trunk, instead lowering her head to look at her hands.
The Songfeng Sword fell silent again.
Su Zhuyi suddenly said, “How about this time you choose no one and wait another thirty years for me.”
“Thirty years from now, I’ll come find you again.” She raised her head, her long lashes trembling, light overflowing from her eyes like pearls reflecting sunset, brilliant and radiant. “Thirty years from now, I’ll come find you after comprehending the Songfeng Sword intent.”
“I’m not asking you to leave with me now, only asking that you don’t leave with anyone else, okay?” Her bright eyes looked at the Songfeng Sword, just short of explicitly saying: don’t leave with that Qin Chuan behind me.
The Songfeng Sword still did not react.
Su Zhuyi: “…”
She could only grin and say, “If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as agreement. You’re an immortal sword, so your word must count. Then it’s settled—we’ll meet again in thirty years, rain or shine.” With that, she patted the pine tree and turned to leave.
After walking just a few steps, she couldn’t move her legs.
Set up an array to guard this place so others couldn’t see it. With this thought, Su Zhuyi began setting up an array before the Songfeng Sword. After busying herself for quite a while, she saw Qin Chuan walking over from ahead. He hadn’t fallen from the sky, so presumably there were other ways through Four-Sided Mountain besides flying over from above.
“Oh, Qin Chuan, you came over too. Did you pick a suitable sword?” Seeing Qin Chuan, Su Zhuyi’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained calm. She even smiled faintly and went directly to meet him.
“Little Master.” Seeing Su Zhuyi, seeing such an enthusiastic Su Zhuyi, Qin Chuan felt confused but also showed a trace of joy. However, as he was about to approach, he stepped back and murmured, “Could this be another sword heart trial?”
Just now in Four-Sided Mountain, he had encountered a spirit sword whose spirit directly created an illusion to test him. He passed, but didn’t want that sword. That sword was too fierce with rather heavy killing intent, not the sword he wanted in his heart.
Su Zhuyi: “…”
“I didn’t choose a suitable sword either. How about we travel together? How about going this way?” Su Zhuyi planned to lead Qin Chuan away, but who knew he would stand there stupidly, unmoving.
“Steamed bun, what are you spacing out for?” Seeing this, Su Zhuyi called out again.
Only then did Qin Chuan come to his senses, saying somewhat embarrassedly, “I didn’t expect to see such a verdant green pine in this Sword Tomb. I was surprised and took a few extra looks.” He smiled. “Little Master, this green pine is growing on the outside of the cliff.” Most of the trunk and crown were outside the cliff. Its growth in youth must have been extremely difficult—with the slightest carelessness, it would have fallen off the cliff. But it didn’t. It took root on the precipice and grew into a towering tree.
Su Zhuyi’s heart turned half cold.
The concealment array she had just set up had no effect at all. As soon as Qin Chuan arrived, he immediately noticed the Songfeng Sword.
Could it be that the Songfeng Sword would ultimately still fall into his hands? Just like how, even living again, many people’s fates might deviate slightly but ultimately return to their proper course.
Suddenly feeling indignant, Su Zhuyi turned to glance at the pine tree, then grabbed Qin Chuan’s arm and dragged him forward.
“Little Master, why are you holding a broken sword?” Being dragged by Su Zhuyi, Qin Chuan was somewhat confused but didn’t know what to say, so he found a topic to continue the conversation.
“Oh, I just picked it up from the ground,” Su Zhuyi said.
“But once you enter the Sword Tomb, you can only take one sword,” Qin Chuan said with some surprise.
Once you miss it, you can’t turn back.
Su Zhuyi suddenly stopped. She had forgotten about this rule.
She looked at Qin Chuan, then at the green rust-covered broken sword in her hands, then glanced at the green pine right behind them, and suddenly…
Tears seemed to well up in the corners of her eyes.
How bitter her heart felt was simply indescribable…