Chapter 640: Xuanwu and the Night Emperor

Chapter 640: Black Tortoise and Night Emperor

Only the Blind knew that, in truth, this girl had neither father nor mother—Zhao Changhe’s human way of thinking simply didn’t apply here.

A blade spirit is a sword that gains consciousness through immense energy and soul force; it is by no means a loli or a maiden. Its form is inherently that of a blade, and unless one is perverse, a blade has no gender to speak of… Even when manifested, it would only be a phantom of a blade or a mass of spiritual energy.

Of course, since humans are the spiritual essence of all things in this world, the final manifested form of a blade spirit will inevitably take a human shape—just like the Blind herself.

But the Blind’s level was far too high. She manifested as a woman, signifying that Heaven’s Way nurtures all things and reveals maternal nature; her appearance was the pinnacle of natural creation, embodying the highest aesthetic of this world. Whether Zhao Changhe acknowledged her as the most beautiful was another matter—that only represented his own taste, and besides, he had never seen her open her eyes. Eyes are the windows to the soul; without that, any judgment was incomplete.

Longque, however, lacked such grandeur. She took this form solely because, during the forging process, someone had constantly imagined a loli, and thus the blade spirit evolved into this shape according to the master’s preference.

Since it was shaped by the master’s liking, it naturally bore the master’s facial features. Moreover, after long observation, the blade spirit knew what the master liked, and subconsciously merged the best traits of all the mistresses, creating a unique face and figure.

If one were to speak of parents, then Zhao Changhe was the father, and all the related beauties were the mothers…

But that said, possessing such spiritual intelligence was extremely rare. Do not assume that these spirits, with their human-like intellect, are truly the same as humans. In essence, their thoughts are those of a blade, a sword, or a book—their modes of thinking and aesthetics are vastly different from humans. The so-called merging of best traits could easily result in an abomination. For Longque to possess human aesthetics, to even curse and complain about someone entering her home—such thinking was exceptionally rare. It indicated that she had the quality of a Heaven-grade blade spirit, and even a higher potential, like the Blind herself.

Zhao Changhe knew none of this. He thought for a moment, couldn’t figure it out, and didn’t bother to dwell on it. Wasn’t it good that she was like him? That was what made her his blade!

He happily swung the reforged Longque, feeling the new blade’s handling.

Due to the added materials, the blade’s size looked about the same, but it was actually much heavier than before. However, the advantage of having a spirit was that the blade spirit could adjust its weight according to the master’s preference—light as a feather for swift strikes, or immensely heavy for splitting mountains. It was ready to use immediately, with no need for any adaptation period.

Because what you adapted to was the blade spirit itself—the pinnacle of unity between man and blade.

Both sharpness and toughness had taken a great leap forward, especially the bloodthirsty aura within the blade, which could further amplify Zhao Changhe’s own Blood Fiend Art—an unexpected bonus he hadn’t considered before forging. In truth, he should have known: a blade forged by oneself would always be the best fit for one’s own techniques; another’s blade would always remain another’s.

The most gratifying addition was the self-repair function, making it a blade that would never break. Unfortunately, he dared not test it on the spot by chipping it to see how long it took to heal… If he did, that bratty little spirit would surely bite him to death.

Zhao Changhe caressed the blade lovingly, his grin so wide he couldn’t close his mouth. It had been a long time since he felt such excitement over acquiring a fine blade, and this feeling reminded him that, in the end, he was still a martial artist who cherished his blade like his own life.

“Mm…” A sound suddenly entered his mind.

Zhao Changhe: “?”

What was that sound?

Looking closely, he sensed Longque’s spirit lying inside the blade, looking utterly content, like a cat being petted.

Zhao Changhe: “…”

Oh, right—you are the blade, and this is your body… As long as he didn’t think of it as touching a woman, it was just like petting a cat, and Longque’s reaction confirmed it.

But then again, so earlier, he hadn’t entered her house—he had entered her body… Wait a moment.

Drawing an analogy, how many times had he entered the Celestial Book?

“Eh?” San Niang’s voice suddenly rang out from ahead: “You actually reforged Longque without waiting for me?”

Zhao Changhe snapped back to reality and saw San Niang floating over, a look of surprise on her face: “This is your first time, and you actually managed it?”

Zhao Changhe opened his arms, letting San Niang rush into his embrace, and hugged her tightly, laughing: “Your husband is a genius, of course… But I must also thank San Niang for her forging method—it’s truly remarkable.”

“Hmph.” San Niang twisted in his arms with a grumble: “Don’t just hug me like this. The guards outside are all your lover’s people. If she finds out, my face…”

Zhao Changhe couldn’t help but find it ridiculous. The three of them kept secrets from each other—what was the point?

San Niang said, “Anyway, I want to watch the fun, but I don’t want to become the fun first.”

“Alright, alright…” Zhao Changhe dropped the subject and asked, “Did you come because you missed me?”

“Do you know how long you’ve been down here?”

“Huh?” With no sun or moon underground, Zhao Changhe really had no idea how long he’d been forging.

San Niang said, “Today is the third day since you came down… Don’t you know? They’ve been busy with all sorts of major affairs, almost done. Huangfu Shaozong’s troops have also returned. Oh, and there were troops from Jinzhong rushing over, but when they saw the capital was as tight as an iron bucket, they retreated in frustration, and Shaozong chased them and killed a bunch…”

Zhao Changhe was stunned. He really hadn’t known—so much time had passed without him noticing, and a battle had even been fought outside.

“It’s normal for you to lose track of time on your first forging,” San Niang said, patting his shoulder like a seasoned veteran. “If you were forging this blade from scratch, it would take months. Modifying and reforging it saved time…”

Zhao Changhe quickly asked, “So, is your Four Symbols Sect’s grand ceremony to install the leader today?”

“Tomorrow evening. I said three days later, not the third day. Anyway, I just got back from informing the high-ranking members outside. If I hadn’t come, how could the ceremony start?” The Tortoise puffed out her chest.

Zhao Changhe couldn’t resist giving it a squeeze and laughed, “Alright, alright.”

San Niang continued to puff up: “The guards said they heard forging sounds from below, and everyone figured you had something important to do, so they didn’t disturb you. I’m different—you learned forging from me! Who else would come to check? I was worried you wouldn’t manage, but you did surprisingly well.”

Zhao Changhe said, “Indeed, you came at the right time. I didn’t just reforge Longque for the sake of it—it was simpler, just practice…”

San Niang’s beautiful eyes lit up instantly: “The Night Emperor’s Sword! I knew it! From the way you spoke to her, I knew you were planning to forge the Night Emperor’s Sword!”

Zhao Changhe asked curiously, “Vermilion Bird… told you even this?”

“Whether one believes in the Night Emperor or in the ultimate destination of the Starlight Intent—as the Four Symbols’ Black Tortoise, how could she not discuss such a matter concerning the entire sect’s direction with me?” San Niang snorted. “I am Black Tortoise, and my opinion on sect affairs is crucial. Besides, my cultivation is now ahead of hers, so she values my input greatly!”

Zhao Changhe ventured, “So… what do you say? Based on my understanding of you, you probably agree with the latter, right?”

In truth, neither option fit San Niang well. In the early days, her faith was like that of ordinary mortals—treating the doctrine and deities as spiritual solace, even hoping for divine descent to wipe out all emperors and generals.

But now, San Niang’s mindset had long changed. She was no longer very devout to the doctrine. Her remaining loyalty to the sect and obsession with the Night Emperor’s Sword were likely just habits built over time.

Hearing Zhao Changhe’s question, San Niang’s eyes sparkled, and she said with a grin, “What I agree with doesn’t matter at all. What matters is what you want me to answer. Tell me honestly… are you trying to conquer Vermilion Bird?”

The implication was clear: she could help him fabricate an answer.

Zhao Changhe gritted his teeth and replied seriously, “Yes, I want her.”

“Heh…”

“But I don’t want to deceive her in the name of the Night Emperor. I want to walk in the direction of her path, so that I and the Four Symbols Sect share common interests. San Niang, it’s not just Vermilion Bird—you too… If you support me unconditionally out of our feelings, there will always be hesitation in your heart. We don’t need that.”

San Niang stopped smiling. She gazed at him for a long moment and sighed softly, “You could have chosen an easier path. Just one step, and I would have gone along, helping you openly and secretly. But you insist on the harder one… To go further than the Night Emperor without being the Night Emperor—do you know what that means?”

“Regardless, I have to try.” Zhao Changhe finally took out the Night Emperor’s sword blank and said in a low voice, “Tomorrow evening is the ceremony. Time is a bit tight now, and I can’t do it alone. You came just in time—will you help me?”