Borrowed Sword

Chapter 55: Straighten Your Back

The First Sword Sovereign, the sword path’s unrivaled head fifteen hundred years ago.

His accomplishments in swordsmanship dominated the next five hundred years. None could surpass him.

He once declared: “I am the Sword Path!”

During those five centuries, even after his passing, he remained the spiritual pillar of countless sword cultivators. Within the Sword Sect, he had already become a totem-like figure.

Until one thousand years ago, a little Daoist with no sword in hand yet claiming to be a sword cultivator burst into the scene.

He was far too powerful—so much so that the "little Daoist" of popular mention eventually became the Dao Master, and later the Dao Ancestor.

He chose to wield the sword, and thus became the number one in the sword path of the present day.

Had he chosen a blade, a spear... it would have been the same.

The Dao Ancestor was simply too strong—his power was unmatched throughout the ages, unprecedented and unrepeatable.

Moreover, he refined the Qi-Opening Pill, allowing more and more mortals to embark on cultivation. His reputation in the sword cultivation world had long overshadowed that of the First Sword Sovereign.

But the Sword Sect was different, after all. The Sword Sovereign was their Sword Sovereign.

Besides, the First Sword Sovereign had already passed five hundred years ago. Could he possibly duel now?

Sword Sect: In short, we do not acknowledge it!

What Chu Huaixu just said was indeed earth-shattering. If spoken within the Sword Sect, it would have been akin to someone discussing the Dao Ancestor in the Dao Gate.

That would be tantamount to defying authority.

But... this wasn’t the Sword Sect!

Besides, facts spoke louder than words.

Han Shuangjiang, listening to the side, froze slightly as she held the teacup, then gave Chu Huaixu a deep glance.

“How could he dare say such a thing...” she mused inwardly, with a touch of admiration.

Li Chunsong burst into hearty laughter, slapping the table several times with his broad palm.

“Good! Very good! Excellent!” He was growing more fond of Chu Huaixu by the second. “A disciple of my Dao Gate should be exactly like this!”

What nonsense about the First Sword Sovereign surpassing the Dao Ancestor? What a self-glorifying joke!

Li Chunsong even suspected that the First Sword Sovereign might not have been able to defeat the sword left on the mountain by the Dao Ancestor!

In recent years, there had been similar debates between the Dao Gate and the Sword Sect, only the individuals being compared had changed—to the young junior uncle of the Dao Gate and the current Sword Sovereign.

That junior uncle, before his cultivation decline, had been publicly recognized as the foremost among the Four Great Divine Swords.

Back then, the current Sword Sovereign had yet to rise.

By the time his swordsmanship reached its peak, the junior uncle had already declined in cultivation.

Thus, no clear comparison could be made. Each side insisted they were right.

Naturally, Li Chunsong believed the former junior uncle had the edge!

Although the present Sword Sovereign once achieved the feat of slaying a Ninth Level cultivator while only at the Eighth Level, that junior uncle was no ordinary Ninth Level!

After laughing, as an elder, Li Chunsong still reminded Chu Huaixu with a word of caution: “Don’t go saying those things outside.”

But he himself fully intended to share it with his fellow disciples upon returning.

The Sword Sovereign was wrong, the Sword Sovereign was wrong.

If there were wine, he would raise a great cup in toast!

“The more I see you, the more I think you're fit to be Seventh Junior Sister’s disciple, and the junior disciple of our junior uncle,” Li Chunsong said with a smile toward Chu Huaixu.

“It’s just... your appearance...” he hesitated.

Tsk, far too tall and handsome. The jealous junior uncle would definitely dislike it.

Still, maybe affection skips a generation?

Besides, Chu Huaixu had been handpicked by the junior uncle himself to ascend the mountain.

Li Chunsong didn’t see much of an issue.

“Sixth Elder, my appearance?” Chu Huaixu asked as he noticed Li Chunsong hesitating.

“It’s nothing, quite handsome. Reminds me a bit of myself in my youth!” Li Chunsong laughed it off.

Chu Huaixu was indeed quite interested in becoming Shen Man’s disciple.

After all, he was very aware that he had been mistaken for someone else and had taken over Xu Ziqing’s storyline.

But if he could suddenly become the disciple of that peerless killer, perhaps things could turn out differently?

“They say a tigress won’t eat her own cub. I’m your only junior disciple, after all!” he thought this might be promising.

Still, that was all for the future. He hadn’t even entered the Inner Sect yet.

His most urgent goal was still to reach the First Level, and then ascend to Hidden Spirit Mountain!

After a few more exchanges, Li Chunsong stood and prepared to leave.

The bamboo house door opened, and Chu Huaixu immediately saw the little miscellaneous worker waiting respectfully outside.

By now, night had already fallen.

Xu Ziqing was setting bowls and chopsticks on the table outside.

The moment he saw them come out, he promptly saluted Li Chunsong. “Sixth Elder.”

At first, this little miscellaneous worker hadn’t known who Li Chunsong was. He had only seen Chu Huaixu unconscious, carried back through the sky.

Anyone who could fly must be a Major Cultivator!

Han Shuangjiang had told him that this person was the Sixth Elder of the Dao Gate and warned him not to make mistakes while serving.

When Xu Ziqing heard it was an elder, his heart burned with excitement.

“A great figure—one of the few in the entire Eastern Continent!” he thought.

The delicate-faced youth began to understand why Liu Tianfeng, though an Outer Sect Steward, would fawn over Chu Huaixu.

“Followed the right person,” Xu Ziqing thought joyfully.

He actually still didn’t know why Chu Huaixu had requested him from Steward Liu.

“But clearly, even if it’s just cleaning toilets, doing it here is better than over there,” the little worker thought.

Xu Ziqing bowed again, trying to catch a glimpse of the Sixth Elder from the corner of his eye.

Though average in looks, his cultivation was profound—deeply admirable!

Looking at this delicate-faced youth before him, Chu Huaixu had a sudden thought.

He knew well how much Xu Ziqing yearned to cultivate.

“If I recall correctly, Xu Ziqing had a revenge storyline—his entire family was slaughtered,” Chu Huaixu thought.

He never planned to let the dignified World Protagonist stay by his side as just a servant.

That would be absurd. A top-tier fighter like this should be properly nurtured—it would be wasteful otherwise.

“Just think of it as my debt to you,” Chu Huaixu said to himself.

The opportunity to cultivate had to be given to him. How could he deprive him of the chance to avenge such a deep grudge?

Of course, Chu Huaixu intended to plant a seed in the boy’s heart.

Lift him up, give him what he most desires. And then, to quote a line from a movie: From this day forward, he will revere me like a god!

“Sixth Elder, I have a question,” Chu Huaixu called to Li Chunsong as the latter prepared to leave.

“Oh? Speak.” The Benevolent Gambling King turned his head.

“Sixth Elder, how can an ordinary person become an Enrolled Disciple of our Dao Gate?” he asked.

“There are layers of assessments, of course,” Li Chunsong replied. “Why do you ask?”

Xu Ziqing stood beside them, ears perked.

His heart pounded wildly. This was exactly what he wanted to know!

He was so excited his breath nearly stopped.

The delicate-faced youth didn’t know why his master asked this, but he desperately wanted to know the Dao Gate’s standards.

Chu Huaixu pointed at the little worker and replied, “Reporting to Sixth Elder, Han Shuangjiang and I discovered by chance that this person has exceptional comprehension. When we were practicing Mortal Martial Arts, he learned them just by watching from the side.”

“I don’t know if this counts as talent, but I wonder if it’s a waste for him to stay here as a servant,” he said.

Xu Ziqing was struck as if by lightning, utterly stunned.

He looked at Chu Huaixu with transformed eyes, his heart rising to his throat.

But Li Chunsong burst into laughter. “You, a mere Qi-Opening Stage brat, already cherishing talents?”

Unbeknownst to him, Chu Huaixu grumbled inwardly: “Laugh! Keep laughing! You’re the one who didn’t do your job accepting him properly. I’m covering for you!”

When your junior uncle returns, let’s see if you still laugh!

Li Chunsong gave a word of warning: “This isn’t something you should be concerned about right now.”

“Yes, disciple understands,” Chu Huaixu responded sincerely.

Xu Ziqing, listening to this exchange, felt his heart sink to the bottom.

“As expected... there’s still no hope?”

“Father, Mother, Little Sister, Grandma...” he fell into bottomless despair.

Unexpectedly, Li Chunsong continued, “Able to learn martial arts just by watching? Then he must have decent comprehension for Techniques too.”

“Fine. Take him to Niu Yuanshan and say I sent him,” Li Chunsong said casually.

Martial arts and cultivator Techniques were distinct; he didn’t think much of it.

An Enrolled Disciple? A trivial matter.

To the truly powerful figures, ordinary people were like dust on the ground. We wait in the corners, hoping one day, the wind stirred by their passing might lift us.

If fortunate enough to land on the tip of their shoe and follow them a short while, it would be a blessing from our ancestors.

—A fly on a steed’s tail may still travel a thousand miles!

Such was the world. What to you might be a life-altering opportunity to leap across social classes, to them, was utterly insignificant.

And such noble benefactors—most never meet even one in their lifetime.

For the little worker, this was the first turning point of his life.

Li Chunsong flicked his sleeve, rising into the air and flying off. The matter of an Enrolled Disciple was so minor he’d likely forget it by tomorrow.

Xu Ziqing felt dizzy, lost in a daze, his emotions in turmoil. He even heard ringing in his ears, his vision spinning.

“Pa—!” Chu Huaixu suddenly slapped his back hard, waking him up with a jolt of pain that left him tingling all over.

The man looked at him with clear irritation. “Move it! What are you dazing off for? Come with me to see Steward Niu!”

With that, he walked off without a backward glance.

The delicate-faced youth stood there in a daze, then gave that tall, lazy-looking back a long, deep look. Clenching his fists tightly—fingernails cutting into flesh—he broke into a jog and followed close behind.