Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 349 - 86: And So, the Prince and the Prince Lived Happily Ever After
February 24, 2018
"Mr. Wang Jiu, please reconsider and allow me to repay your life-saving grace..."
"Mr. Wang Jiu, consider it a favor for me, the Zhao Family would be shamed if we didn’t repay such kindness."
"No matter how trivial it is for you, it’s a massive favor for me, there’s no reason not to repay it."
"Mr. Wang Jiu, please tell me any thoughts you have, even if it’s a wish for stars in the sky. Even if I can’t fulfill it right away, I’ll find an alternative, like building you a Heaven-Breaking Shuttle..."
South of Shen City, in Great Wilderness Mountain, Zhao Jincheng follows closely behind Wang Jiu, babbling endlessly, with a serious and earnest expression, showing his extraordinary determination to repay the life-saving grace.
Though Zhao Jincheng is over thirty, he still remembers the principles his elder sister taught him when he was young.
When you decide to repay someone and befriend them, besides clarifying your attitude and purpose, you must persist unwaveringly, without the slightest slack halfway.
The world is full of sneaky people who seize opportunities, and if you’re not careful, others will claim what was originally yours, leaving you regretful. To ensure you don’t share treasures meant solely for you with some undesirable people, you must act decisively!
Though Zhao Jincheng still doesn’t understand the concept of these undesirable people his sister mentioned, years of experiences have taught him one thing: his sister’s words are never wrong.
So, when Zhao Jincheng decided to repay the favor, he truly possessed a spirit of dying bravely against impossible odds.
On the other hand, Wang Jiu increasingly feels uncomfortable, looking at the youthful man behind him, whose face is full of sincerity and longing, he can’t help but think of his ancestor.
Though the two have a world of difference in appearance, there’s a hidden connection in their inner spirit — a bizarre compulsion.
In a daze, Wang Jiu seems to see the woman who liked to follow him around, constantly reminding him of the life-saving grace.
Such as during breakfast, putting down the bowl, she’d smile and say, "You know, I still owe you 19 life-saving favors."
Such as before resting at night, she’d take advantage of the night and with sparkling eyes say, "I still owe 19 life-saving favors."
Or during preparations for an expedition, while polishing the Moon Wheel, she’d smoothly say, "Ah, I still owe 19 life-saving favors."
—— 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Honestly, that female friend’s attitude once made Wang Jiu doubt his social values.
In his understanding, usually only those who owe debt are reminded so often about paying back, yet he worked hard slashing demons for them, occasionally assisting in penetration, and was being urged for repayment?
Could it be that in the human world, those who give are the ones indebted? He saves others’ lives, so he must serve them like a beast of burden?
Though it’s inexplicable, Wang Jiu deeply understands that in a value-diverse world, anything bizarre can happen. Like in some places, people prefer to clean filth directly with their hands afterward. Or people who prefer marrying physiologically underdeveloped young girls, or certain individuals who will ensure no one eats what they wouldn’t, or some who use self-explosion to prove beliefs... In summary, the world is full of oddities, and in a value-diverse world, one must learn to respect others’ values.
For any civilization or group that doesn’t respect other values has been extinct.
But on the other hand, the idea of serving as a beast of burden for saving a life, Wang Jiu keeps his distance, so later, whenever that female friend speaks, he runs away. With the Celestial Divine Sword traversing the myriad worlds swiftly, even the Great Demon God Emperor pales in comparison, let alone minor Immortal Venerables trying in vain to compete.
At this moment, listening to the persistent chant of repayment of the life-saving grace from Zhao Jincheng behind him, Wang Jiu feels the urge to Sword-Controlling Flying Immortal and leave.
Unfortunately, several acceleration corridors in Sword World aren’t completed, not to mention Sword-Controlling Flying Immortal, wanting to return to Cyan Cloud City now, he must take transport, relying solely on his Whiteboard Sword might take three days and nights of flying.
But shaking off the board-faced man behind him seems easily done, although the absolute strength of the Celestial Divine Sword isn’t high now, its speed advantage is established, inferior to those Mountain-Overturning Realm experts but enough against a newbie who recently entered Cloud Surge Realm and has yet to fully condense his Divine Sense to Primordial Spirit.
Yet, just as Wang Jiu prepares to depart, the tofu-faced Zhao Jincheng suddenly gains insight: "Mr. Wang Jiu, please stay!"
Seeing Wang Jiu stop in his tracks, Zhao Jincheng can’t help but marvel at his sister’s teachings, almost supernatural in effectiveness.
"Remember, when you frequently show goodwill to someone, and the other party neither accepts nor rejects it, remaining silent... it’s very likely they’re preparing to Sword-Controlling Flying Immortal and escape, you must find a way to keep them, otherwise your carefully planned candlelight dinner, Enchanting Fragrance, and water curtain images will be all for naught."
Though Zhao Jincheng hadn’t planned any candlelight dinner or Enchanting Fragrance, he didn’t wish to let his benefactor leave just like that.
Because...
"Mr. Wang Jiu, if you must leave, could you take me with you..."
At this point, a white brick almost turned into a red brick, and his eyes, like copper bells, were almost brimming with mist.
Wang Jiu turned back to see this scene, and the surprise he felt was almost comparable to his first visit to Qing Province, being led by Rakugo to a certain themed fan exhibition.
Who would have thought Zhao Jincheng, with his square face, would have this kind of interest?
In the next moment, Zhao Jincheng lowered his head and said softly, "I’m lost, I can’t find my way back."
——
Since he was lost, it wasn’t a big problem. Out of consideration for an old friend’s descendant, Wang Jiu readily agreed to Zhao Jincheng’s request.
In fact, walking alone in this wilderness was indeed fraught with risks.
"The demonic qi here is rampant, polluting all living creatures. Although I’ve gathered and killed a batch of already formed spirit monsters, as long as the Chaos Boundary remains, the hidden demonic qi will continuously seep into the civilized territories. Recently, with the Chaos Border being highly active and coupled with the unique local ecology, it’s likely to give rise to special demons. Even if they’re not strong, they could have unexpectedly sinister techniques, and one careless mistake could lead to disaster."
The most typical example was back when Rakugo was besieged by the three great Demon Generals. Initially, he could barely hold on, but when the Myriad Caves Demon General released Demon Ants using billions of microorganisms invisible to the naked eye, Rakugo’s defenses collapsed in an instant, and his immortal body was gnawed away, leaving only a part of his upper body.
Zhao Jincheng listened attentively, then remarked, "I didn’t expect the border area of Xiangzhou to be so dangerous. I used to think, living in Golden Jade City, that everywhere in the world was peaceful; it seems I was truly seeing things from the bottom of a well."
Pausing for a moment, Zhao Jincheng looked at Wang Jiu, walking ahead and treating the rugged mountain path as smooth terrain. Suddenly moved, he asked, "May I ask, Mr. Wang Jiu, are you also here to attend City Lord Shen’s birthday banquet?"
Wang Jiu thought for a moment. "To be precise, I’m here for tourism. Someone told me the food here has a unique flavor... However, I should also attend the City Lord’s birthday banquet. Why do you ask?"
Zhao Jincheng laughed, "I just guessed that you were no ordinary, obscure person. To receive an invitation from City Lord Shen to the banquet makes you a notable figure in all of Xiangzhou. But I wonder if you belong to any family or sect?"
Wang Jiu said, "Currently, I’m an Honored Guest Elder of the Cyan Cloud Li Family."
"So, it’s the Cyan Cloud Li Family... The Li Family is fortunate indeed, to have someone like Mr. Wang Jiu as an Honored Guest Elder. However, Cyan Cloud City is, after all, located on the southwestern frontier, far from the central region. In recent years, both its economic strength and Immortal Dao culture have gradually fallen behind the mainstream. With Mr. Wang Jiu’s vision and skills, you’re not confined to just Cyan Cloud. For example, our Golden Jade City would very much welcome your visit."
After speaking, Zhao Jincheng stared expectantly at Wang Jiu, waiting for his reaction.
Wang Jiu’s reaction was a nod, "Sure, I also represent Cyan Cloud City in welcoming you as our guest."
"..." Faced with such an evasive response, Zhao Jincheng could only shake his head helplessly at the time.
Indeed, to recruit such a phenomenal individual, mere words of persuasion are far from enough. The plan to seize this opportunity to repay the life-saving favor could only fall through.
However, repaying the life-saving favor was, after all, a long-term task. In his sister’s words, even if it took decades or centuries of persistence, it was worth it. So, Zhao Jincheng wasn’t discouraged by temporary setbacks. As a young man educated among elites, he quickly found another topic.
"Speaking of Shen City’s cuisine, Mr. Wang Jiu, did you know that their signature dish, sandstone roast meat, is inextricably linked with Golden Jade City? Originally, sandstone roast meat didn’t require any sauce. It was a top chef from Golden Jade City who, upon arriving in Shen City, helped locals improve their recipe..."
When it came to food, Wang Jiu became interested, and he soon found himself chatting jovially with Zhao Jincheng.
The two walked and talked, and before long, under Wang Jiu’s guidance, they emerged from the surrounding mountains to a plain. In the distance, the high walls of Shen City stood impressively visible.
Meanwhile, Shen Jinghai, who had been waiting anxiously atop the walls, immediately spotted Wang Jiu and Zhao Jincheng from a hundred miles away.
At a glance, the deputy city lord, who prided himself on composure and etiquette, opened his mouth wide, showing an utterly disbelieving expression.
Why!
Why, why, why!?
Why are these two people mingling so well together! And seemingly getting along quite well?!
They should be rivals! Bitter enemies engaged in life-and-death conflict over Shen Qingming!
Now you’re chatting so merrily and walking shoulder to shoulder, are you going to become sworn brothers?!
