Chapter 432: Longque Recognizes Its Master

Chapter 432: The Dragon Sparrow Acknowledges Its Master

Even Tang Wanzhuang had left, no longer feeding him medicine...

After all, he was almost healed.

Poor Baoqin had only just arrived after a long journey, her travel plans fully prepared but not yet begun. When she was dragged away, she cried bitterly, unwilling to leave, but was still cruelly pulled along by her mistress.

Zhao Changhe couldn’t even tell if Tang Wanzhuang truly didn’t want to be a seductive courtesan who ruins the state, or if she was afraid that once he recovered, she would be... well, she sure picked the perfect time to flee.

Speechless, he returned to his own courtyard. The once bustling scene had turned desolate and cold. The only constant was Tang Buqi’s big face, which had shifted from a stern expression to a beaming smile.

At least now there were servants and guards in the yard. It seemed that after a few days of fuss, Tang Buqi had finished his cleanup work in Kuaiji, fully taken control of the place, and had the mind to add some attendants to the household.

But all the servants in his courtyard were men, and old ones at that.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Tang Buqi, holding a maid, shook a folding fan with a grin. “Before, you were my brother, so of course I’d share good things with you—sending maids and servant girls was just brotherly loyalty. Now that someone’s about to be my uncle, your nephew wouldn’t dare lead him astray, lest my aunt beat me. Times change.”

Zhao Changhe’s face was expressionless.

That smug tone practically screamed, “So you want to be my uncle? I’ll make your life hell.”

“Don’t make that sour face. If I’d known you’d really become my uncle, I’d go back a year and punch myself in the face for sending Sisi to you back then, calling myself a fool for my so-called loyalty.”

Zhao Changhe said helplessly, “Sisi and I have nothing like that. Do you really think you could have sent her away? Learn from your aunt and time-travel.”

“Nothing like that, huh? This time, the place you’re going seems to be where she is. Dare you swear on your chest that you won’t come out with an extra person by your side?”

Zhao Changhe thought to himself that this trip would be full of trouble, extremely dangerous, with life and death uncertain—who would have the mind to chase girls? So he patted his chest and said, “Of course I dare.”

Tang Buqi’s attitude suddenly softened: “Not bad, not bad.”

Zhao Changhe was both annoyed and amused. This guy clearly resented him for courting his aunt, but subconsciously he was helping her keep an eye on him.

People, huh.

“I mean, you’re a three-army commander now, renowned in Jiangnan. Can’t you act a bit more dignified?” Zhao Changhe glanced at the maid in Tang Buqi’s arms and said sourly, “Look at you—if word gets out, your reputation will be ruined.”

“Pfft.” Tang Buqi snorted dismissively. “That’s for outsiders. With a brother, there’s no need to pretend.”

He paused, then said meaningfully, “From what I hear, once your status changes, you might show a different face to your brothers... Ah, people.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Tang Buqi said leisurely, “Anything you need help with? Just say it.”

Zhao Changhe replied listlessly, “Nothing.”

“I mean about your trip to the southwest. You said you’re looking for a secret realm, but there’s no entrance, and you’ll need to explore among the hundred tribes there. My aunt told me to cooperate as much as I can before she left. But I can’t think of anything I can do to help. The Great Xia’s governance has never really reached deep into the southwest; it’s all local chieftains ruling themselves. Our reach doesn’t extend that far.”

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No need. I’ll go see for myself. There are people from the Demon Suppression Bureau there anyway. If I need help, I can find someone.”

Tang Buqi said, “Li Si’an’s business does reach there, and he knows the southwest well. He might have something to help you. Find him when you go.”

“...It’s not a brothel there, is it?”

“No, he has many businesses. It’s about goods exchange. Sisi used to trade goods with us too, through Li Si’an’s caravan. He’s one of the few who knows about Sisi’s existence.”

“Alright, got it.”

“If there’s nothing for me, then I’m off.” Tang Buqi swayed away with the maid in his arms. “Earlier, you were jealous of me. Now it’s your turn to watch me be jealous. I’m off to enjoy myself. You play with your knives. Farewell.”

Zhao Changhe was so angry steam almost came out of his hair.

Your aunt told you to help me, and you just pawn it off to Li Si’an?

Li Si’an is not only from the Demon Suppression Bureau but also a member of the Bandit Brotherhood. If I wanted to find him, I could do it myself!

The most infuriating part was that he could truly enjoy himself, while Zhao Changhe, whom he was jealous of, had accomplished nothing.

Annoyed, he reached into his ring and pulled out his sword and blade. The weapons had been quiet all along, lying still like ordinary, lifeless tools, pretending to be dead.

Zhao Changhe tried to sense the Dragon Sparrow’s spirit, hoping to achieve the kind of communication Cui Yuanyang had with the Qinghe Sword or the Lianshan Sword. But it was like casting a stone into the sea—no response at all.

This kind of communication wasn’t for everyone. Earlier, Yang Jingxiu, with his far higher cultivation, couldn’t communicate with the Lianshan Sword; the divine sword lay dormant at home like a vegetable. But Yuanyang, with her pure Qinghe sword intent, stirred a reaction from the Lianshan Sword. It turned out Old Yang’s sword intent displeased the Lianshan Sword, so it ignored him.

And the Dragon Sparrow’s pride and childishness were even greater than the Lianshan Sword’s. It had been with him for so long, yet he’d never managed normal communication. Who knew what it was thinking now?

Maybe he should try communicating with the Ancient Sword Dragon Emperor? That ancient sword should be more stable...

He tried to sense the ancient sword’s intent with his left hand, and indeed, he got something.

It was a strange mode of communication—not a dialogue, but a vague understanding of what it meant.

The ancient sword’s first will seemed to say: You and I have a connection.

But what kind of connection? The information wasn’t detailed enough to grasp. Guessing, he had once found the Azure Dragon Seal with Chichi, who received the full inheritance, and during the breath transfer, she had passed on a shallow layer of Azure Dragon intent to him. He had also found the Azure Dragon True Coffin with Sanniang and learned the Azure Dragon Return to Spring Technique from the coffin carvings.

The connection was indeed deep.

The ancient sword’s second will: You have imperial aura, combined with this connection, you might become my new master.

Zhao Changhe felt a surge of joy, then received the third will: But there cannot be two suns in the sky. I cannot coexist with this broken blade. If you have it, you don’t have me. Throw it away, and I will acknowledge you.

It seemed the ancient sword had been proud, hinting at tests, but with the Dragon Sparrow present, it grew anxious and skipped the tests entirely—just throw it away.

Zhao Changhe suddenly felt a reaction from his right hand, but when he focused, there was nothing.

Maybe his imagination was too strong, but he felt like a ponytailed loli was eavesdropping, ears perked...

Actually, he didn’t need to eavesdrop. Zhao Changhe naturally knew his choice: “Sword brother, the Dragon Sparrow and I have shared hardships, cutting down countless enemies together. Unless it abandons me, I will never abandon it.”

He felt the Dragon Sparrow lighten by three parts.

The ancient sword’s will showed no joy or sorrow: Then our connection ends here.

And then there was silence.

Zhao Changhe wasn’t troubled. No sound, but no resistance either—it meant he could still use it as an ordinary sword, just like before with the Dragon Sparrow. Wasn’t that enough? After all, his ultimate goal was to forge the Night Emperor’s sword. This sword was meant to be returned to Sanniang. If it truly acknowledged him, that might be inconvenient.

He tried to communicate with the Dragon Sparrow again. This time, it finally conveyed its will: That’s more like it. Otherwise, see if I’d bother with you.

Zhao Changhe: “?”

So you weren’t ignoring me because I couldn’t communicate, but because you were being tsundere...

The Dragon Sparrow sent another will: I am the Emperor’s Blade, meant only to conquer lands for an emperor. You are not an emperor, but you are worthy as an ally. I will fight alongside you. But from today, you are an emperor.

This tsundere attitude—it was clearly saying, “From today, you can be my master,” but it wouldn’t say it directly.

Zhao Changhe confirmed: “But I haven’t declared myself emperor.”

The Dragon Sparrow’s will replied: Being an emperor is never about self-proclamation. It’s about whether others recognize you.

Zhao Changhe scratched his head: “You know that was an act... We never hid our conversations from you.”

The Dragon Sparrow responded: But in her heart, she truly believes it.

Zhao Changhe was stunned, then fell silent.

The Dragon Sparrow fell silent too. This fool, still not making a move. Did he expect me to say, “You be my master”?

Zhao Changhe let out a long sigh and said seriously, “Dragon Sparrow, I don’t know if you’ll like hearing the truth...”

Dragon Sparrow: “...”

“You are the Emperor’s Blade. This kind of acknowledgment always feels like a promise that I will become emperor. I don’t want to make that promise. Setting aside the master-servant relationship of life and death, as a blade, you’ve been with me this long. I will never let you belong to another. You are my blade, and only mine. Whether you acknowledge it or not, I am your master. If you see me as a partner or ally in your heart, that’s your business. I don’t care how you see me, as long as you follow me.”

The Dragon Sparrow trembled.

The will it conveyed was indistinct, and Zhao Changhe couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but he felt a kind of orgasmic comfort from it.

Zhao Changhe: "?"

The will that Longque had been transmitting vaguely became crystal clear, like a conversation: "Such is the will of an emperor—truly my master."

Zhao Changhe stood dumbfounded.

A faint gleam flickered across the blade; the deliberately tampered, rusted and dull exterior that Cui Wenjing had arranged vanished completely, transforming it back into a battle blade of ancient form, brimming with bloodlust.

The blade was engraved with the shape of a dragon and sparrow, claws bared and fangs showing, as if about to soar into the sky.