Chapter 9: Yuhua Sword

Although Anzhi grew up listening to the legends of Menghong, the stories Fan Jin told tonight were particularly captivating...

Late at night, the attic door slowly creaked open. Fan Jin leaned on his cane, struggling to step over the threshold, and waved his hand, saying, "Rest early. Wake up early tomorrow and change the water in the blessed pond. If the water isn't changed for too long, the fish will die."

Looking at the old man standing in the doorway, Anzhi felt an indescribable emotion—he felt like a grandfather, like an elder. She nodded blankly, "Yes, Uncle-Master, you should rest early too. Anzhi will definitely wake up early tomorrow."

"Apply the medicine once a day to remove the demon poison and maintain your spiritual power." After saying this, Fan Jin slowly made his way downstairs, leaning on his cane.

Anzhi stood frozen in place. She suddenly remembered something: in her dream, Menghong had told her that Fan Jin possessed a divine demon-slaying artifact called the Yuhua Sword. She was currently agonizing over how to obtain it, and she felt a sudden sense of urgency.

"Un-Un-Uncle-Master!" Anzhi caught up in two or three steps and reached out to support Fan Jin.

Fan Jin moved her hand away and said, "I can still walk. Go back and rest."

"Un-Uncle-Master, I... I want to ask you something." Anzhi felt a bit embarrassed to start, but she had to try this way; she couldn't just snatch it by force, could she? "Do we... do we have a sword upstairs?"

"The Yuhua Sword!" Fan Jin looked at Anzhi with a face full of surprise, his brows furrowed, his mind filled with ten thousand questions.

"Yes, yes, yes," Anzhi said, a little excited. "I heard that after you slew the Demon Lord back then, the sword gained sentience and has been held by you ever since. Hehe, I wonder if Uncle-Master might give Anzhi a chance to see it?"

Fan Jin froze. He angrily flicked his sleeve to shake off Anzhi and walked away quickly...

Anzhi felt she had offended Fan Jin, but seeing him leave in such a huff, she could only turn and head back into her room.

After applying the ointment, she rested her chin on her hands and looked at the moon outside the window, daydreaming about herself wielding the Yuhua Sword, slaying demons, and acting as a hero of justice...

The next day,

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

In the courtyard, three large roosters stood on tree branches, stretching their necks to crow. A group of disciples, holding peach-wood swords, were already doing their morning exercises in the plaza outside the blessed grounds. The lights in the various pavilions were also being lit one by one.

Anzhi rubbed her eyes and saw the spirit snake coiled on her pillow. She couldn't help but stroke it affectionately.

"This ointment is truly effective; it doesn't hurt anymore." Anzhi swung her right arm, praising Fan Jin's medicine endlessly.

Seeing the spirit snake continue to sleep, and remembering Fan Jin's instruction to change the pond water from last night, she didn't even bother with her morning wash, grabbed a water basin, and headed toward the fish pond.

The fish pond was located on the southeast side of the Sanqing Blessed Grounds. Although it wasn't large or deep, it was packed with over twenty types of fish, including snapping turtles, tortoises, grass carp, red carp, and loaches. Early in the morning, the fish were all floating on the surface, gasping for air.

Anzhi rolled up her pant legs and stepped into the pond, then began changing the water basin by basin, sweating profusely from the exertion.

I don't know how much time passed.

The first rays of the morning sun, golden and bright, moved from the corner of the Sanqing Blessed Grounds pavilion into the courtyard. The peach trees, rattan chairs, courtyard walls, and training posts were all rimmed with a golden lace by the sunlight.

Anzhi wiped the sweat from her forehead. Just as she finished dumping the last basin of muddy water and looked up, she was startled.

Fan Jin was sitting on the pavilion steps, leaning on his cane, basking in the sun and watching her.

"Uncle-Master, how long have you been here? You didn't even make a sound." Anzhi dragged her mud-covered self out of the pond. "The muddy water is all out; I'll go fetch clean water in a moment." She wiped the silt from her face as she spoke.

Fan Jin pointed with his cane: "Still 'in a moment'? The fish are all drying out and dying."

Anzhi turned to look at the pond; due to the lack of water, the fish had all retreated into a small depression.

"Oh, I—I'm going right now!" Anzhi ran to the water pavilion a few meters away to start fetching water.

The sun continued to rise, and the roosters hid in the shade, while only Fan Jin remained lazily basking in the sun.

Just then, a disciple came over to report something, muttered a few words, and left.

Fan Jin struggled to stand up with his cane. He slowly walked to the edge of the pond and nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm, not bad. By the way, clean the Scripture Library on the sixth floor when you have time." After saying this, he handed Anzhi a Bagua.

Anzhi wiped her muddy hands on her clothes, took the Bagua, and asked, "Is... is this a key?"

"Yes. Remember, you must return it to me before I come back." After saying this, Fan Jin walked out of the courtyard, leaning on his cane.

Looking at the Bagua in her palm, Anzhi was completely bewildered, but she tucked it away and continued her work.

The sixth-floor Scripture Library!

Anzhi's water bucket suddenly dropped to the ground. She slowly looked up at the sixth floor of the pavilion, and suddenly, it dawned on her.

"Isn't the Yuhua Sword kept on the sixth floor?" Anzhi couldn't believe what Fan Jin's behavior meant. Was he testing her? Or what? She looked toward the courtyard gate in disbelief.

Setting down her bucket, Anzhi ran straight home.

"Snake-bao, Snake-bao." Anzhi searched everywhere for the spirit snake.

"Master, I'm here." The spirit snake emerged from an ancient book.

"Look!" Anzhi held the Bagua out in front of the spirit snake. "Old man, do you think the old man has gone crazy?"

"A Bagua pendant—this is the key to the sixth floor." The spirit snake recognized it instantly as the Tongyao Bagua jade pendant of the Scripture Library.

"Yes." Anzhi nodded, then recounted what had just happened to the spirit snake...

The spirit snake immediately made the call: forget the consequences, go to the sixth floor right now.

And so, they arrived at the sixth floor.

The sixth floor of the pavilion was very large, with no scriptures or bookshelves. In the center of the hall, a large Bagua gate stood.

Anzhi and the spirit snake approached the Bagua gate.

Whoosh...

The Bagua gate suddenly emitted a burst of light, and a beam of light knocked the spirit snake off Anzhi's shoulder.

Before Anzhi could react, the spirit snake nimbly crawled away.

Looking at the aggressive gate, Anzhi tried taking out the Bagua jade pendant.

Sure enough, its various edges and corners matched the grooves on the gate.

"Use your spiritual power and push it in!" the spirit snake whispered from the doorway, poking its head out.

Anzhi channeled her energy according to the spirit snake's instructions.

Under the influence of her spiritual power, the Bagua pendant floated in the air. She injected more power, and the pendant slowly grew larger, quickly aligning perfectly with the Bagua gate.

Anzhi focused her spiritual power into her palms, quickly adjusted the orientation of the Bagua pendant, aligned the corners with the grooves, and struck it in with one palm.

Clang...

With a loud bang, the Bagua gate opened.

Immediately, a sword on a stand in the center of the hall was revealed.

"Is this the Yuhua Sword?" Anzhi slowly stepped forward.

One of the Three Heroes of Sanqing, the Yuhua Sword, was forged from Yuhua Peak. It was seven feet long, cold in nature, and silver in color. It used icy cold to slay demons and was suitable for demon hunters of the sixth rank or higher.

Anzhi was about to reach out and take it, but before she could even get close, she felt a chill run through her entire body, and her right hand instantly froze stiff.

"Ah~~~ Snake-bao, Snake-bao!"

Anzhi let out a cry of piercing pain; her entire right hand was covered in frost, and the Yuhua Sword began to rise slowly.

The spirit snake dared not approach; it could only crawl around outside, observing the situation within.

Hearing Anzhi's call, it shouted, "Run! This sword chooses its master; you cannot control it!"

The spirit snake's words reminded Anzhi of Menghong's hesitation in her dream when he said, "This sword is not suitable for you for the time being." So that's what he meant.

Even though the founder Menghong had advised her in her dream not to take the sword, Anzhi didn't want to give up this opportunity. She gripped the Yuhua Sword tightly, feeling as if she were suffocating. It seemed she was truly going to die.

"Let go! You'll die!" the spirit snake shouted. It wanted to rush forward, but was knocked back by the Bagua light beam.

Anzhi's whole body stiffened, turning pale, a layer of ice coating her skin.

Her mind was hazy, filled with images of listening to Menghong's stories as a child and scenes of Menghong teaching her sword techniques.

Just as she felt death approaching, the image of Fan Jin sending off the spirit demon late at night and watching her clean the fish pond appeared in her mind.

"Yah..."

With a heart-wrenching roar from Anzhi, the ice on her body shattered, and shards of ice pierced through the doors and windows.

She got it. She got it.

Anzhi had finally obtained it. She carefully examined the Yuhua Sword; waves of cold emanated from it.

"Snake-bao, Snake-bao, I got it! I got it!" Anzhi quickly walked out of the room. The Bagua gate behind her closed on its own, and the jade pendant shrank rapidly and flew into her palm.

The spirit snake poked its head out, trembling.

Seeing the Yuhua Sword truly in Anzhi's hand, the spirit snake found it incredible: "Legend has it that the Yuhua Sword of Sanqing Mountain chooses its master. It will not accept a new master until its current one has passed away."

"No wonder Uncle-Master Fan never used it and kept it on this floor," Anzhi said, looking it over with excitement.

"Why did it accept you?" the spirit snake asked in return.

Anzhi furrowed her brows, completely baffled: "I don't know either."

...

(End of chapter)