Nine States Enervating Weapons
Yu Feiyuan started digging around ever since she first arrived to find Luo Yan and Luo Siming in each other’s faces. Had Ming Feizhen not distracted her, she’d have butchered Luo Clan ages ago for their dubious doings.
Unlike Zi Wutong, Yu Feiyuan wasn’t bloodthirsty and, as such, didn’t have a mention-worthy record of people she hurt. In recent years, though, she established herself through her undefeated record and constant eradication of villains. She didn’t search for evidence or care who her targets were. She just relied on her innate keenness for catching fishy people and vanquished them out of duty. Likewise, she only wanted to crush Luo Ming out of her sense of justice.
Yu Feiyuan stopped her amble for a quite a while and then discharged energy behind her, prompting the assassin hiding behind the tree to jump her. She pivoted around and extended an open hand, knowing where her assailant was. She let her assailant push her back and effortlessly caught herself. On the contrary, blood trickled from her opponent’s hand.
“What do you want from this great one?”
***
On our way to catch up with River Monster and Mountain Monster, we recalibrated our intelligence. We had the sword Boss stole, dozens of blueprints, Repository Sword Theory, a Hong Jiu, an unconscious Song Ou and ten-odd chubby rodents. Well, the rodents had to stay in the cabin at the back since Boss refused to be near them. Oh, I also had the stone that could produce illusions. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away.
Boss looked confused, not that I could blame her. She never studied smithing, after all. So, being as erudite as I am, I voiced, “Let me see,” and took a sheet. I can confidently assert that the diagrams and calculations on the sheet of paper are the source of evil in this world. I rolled it into a ball and then threw it at the floor. “Stupid! Idiot! Moron! Who do they expect to understand this?!”
“Don’t scrunch it up!” Boss clobbered my forehead. “It’s important. If you ruin it, you’re taking all of the blame.”
Massaging my forehead, I grumbled, “You know what it is, then?”
“I’m not sure myself. I’ve seen this drawing from ancient books, though… It’s Nine States Enervating Weapons’ diagram.”
Hong Jiu and I: “Say what?! … What is that?”
“… I’m barely holding myself back from kicking you both off this boat right now,” Shen Yiren grouched through her teeth. “Well, you probably don’t know as the words were never recorded in legal books. It’s a story my father told me. I usually search for the original version of stories my father told me whenever I miss him, and this Nine States Enervating Weapons is one of them. Blacksmiths from famous workshops would scoff at it because it’s the stupidest idea any blacksmith has ever heard of. In any event, people don’t believe it’s a true story.”
Hong Jiu questioned, “Is it some sort of divine weapon or something?”
“There’s no shortage of quality weapons in the pugilistic world, is there? In the last century, we have the Seven Dynasty-Founding Blades if nothing else; you could spend three days listing out premium weapons. This story is a joke since the blacksmith only produced nine weapons.”
“What is Nine States Enervating Weapons, then?” I queried.
Shen Yiren set the blueprint down. “Do you think it’s stupid to invest an entire state’s resources and all of its people to forge one weapon?”
“Definitely.”
“According to the legend, that was what was done, hence the name ‘States Enervating’.”
Hong Jiu smacked his lips: “If I had all of a nation’s resources, I’d be an Emperor if not his father. Spending all those resources for one weapon instead of enjoying the luxuries is just being sick in the head.”
“That’s why it’s considered stupid. What good is a weapon that could carve out a new world if it drained the entire world in the first place? That’s why it’s always been nothing more than a story, just like the legend of the six evil beasts…” Shen Yiren slowed down as she reached the end of her explanation and looked my way.
“Those six really exist, however.”
Shen Yiren bobbed her head. “These sheets are likely only a portion of the whole story, a conjecture I’m basing on the fact that these blueprints only refer to a sword hilt. There must be hundreds of sheets to complete the design. Nine States Enervating Weapons may be a myth; however, it’s a fact that these blueprints exist.
“Regardless of their authenticity, the question remains: what does Luo Ming want to forge the sword for? You remember he mentioned he found the method from an ancient book? He claimed to study the fragments for ten days without eating.”
“Yeah, it’s clearly him crapping out of his mouth. He wasn’t studying fragments but detailed smithing blueprints. I still can’t wrap my head around what his research on the six evil beasts has to do with forging this mythical sword, though.”
All of us folded our arms to dive deep into our own minds. Unfortunately, we couldn’t figure it out even by the time we arrived at our destination.”
“This sure is a secluded island. Quite the nice hiding spot,” remarked Shen Yiren.
“I selected it after factoring in the geography of Taihu Island. This is the best place to hide since outsiders won’t come h-”
“Who… Who is there?”
Hearing the cry of an injured individual, Shen Yiren cast her gaze my way to imply, “You were saying?”
“Hey, men make mistakes; horses can stumble.”
Upon disembarking, we found Yi Wangyou lying in blood by the shore.
Shen Yiren pointed out, “Sword wounds. Whoever the assailant was is an A-grade swordsman.”
Yi Wangyou, barely aware of where he was, clutched my wrist and murmured, “Help… Help… Help His Highness… He… He is…”
***
Feng Jian crept out from the darkness and reported, “Shifu, mission complete.”
“Good… It’s time. Let’s go.” Luo Ming, from his cushion, fumed, “Time to pay that cur a visit.”
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