Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 53 - 44: Emergency!
The correspondence between Wang Jiu, Li Fengyun, and Lu Xin has actually been ongoing for over a month.
Since their last meeting, they haven’t seen each other again, but the correspondence has never been interrupted. Among them, Li Fengyun wrote the most, often discussing Sword Dao and Immortal Cultivation theories with Wang Jiu.
Purely in terms of theoretical attainment, Wang Jiu, who was once the Nameless Sword God, naturally surpassed Li Fengyun. During the old days of the Immortal Demon War, the major sects and families shared their cultivation essence without reservation, and Wang Jiu deeply understood the unique skills of Jiu Immortal Venerables, especially as Li Jiulong, a Sword Cultivator, was akin to him. Whether it was the famous Sword Forging Skill or the ancestral Nine Dragon Sword Heart, he was involved in their refinement, being called the ancestor of the Li Family’s ancestral immortal techniques would not be an exaggeration.
But now, after countless years, Wang Jiu found that the old theories on swordsmanship were entirely unsuitable for Xiangzhou’s objective environment after a series of discussions. The operation patterns of Heaven and Earth’s Spirit Wind were different, Dao Laws had undergone drastic changes, many old cultivation methods were eliminated, his theories were long outdated.
For example, the Nine Dragons Heaven-Burning Sword and Yuming Sword Heart Technique he had previously transcribed for Shen Qingming were completely detached from objective reality. The resources needed for cultivation were so massive that it would have been easy for the powerful noble families of the past, but it’s impossible to manage even for a Saint Sect on today’s Xiangzhou Continent.
If he could restore the Sword World to its peak period, Wang Jiu would naturally be able to quickly understand the new Laws of Heaven and Earth and devise suitable Immortal Cultivation theories. However, the Sword World at this time was extremely far from touching metaphysical laws.
At this time, the precious knowledge possessed by Li Fengyun as the patriarch of one of the Seven Great Noble Families demonstrated its value. Although he personally was only at the peak of the Mountain-Overturning Realm, and even amidst the many previous patriarchs of the Li Family, there was not a true Earth Split Realm expert capable of touching the Laws of Heaven and Earth, the experience passed down from generation to generation provided cultivators with some sense of understanding.
This knowledge was extremely valuable to Wang Jiu, and the new theories Wang Jiu deciphered based on the thousands of years of Li Family’s heritage, also enlightened Li Fengyun.
Their correspondence was invaluable. In fact, after the first letter, Li Fengyun felt faint signs of loosening at the peak bottleneck of Mountain-Overturning Realm, truly experiencing the feeling of hearing a statement better than reading a decade worth of books.
On the other side, Lu Xin’s letters were more practical.
She knew her talent in cultivation was limited, long having no high expectations for this path, especially each time she saw the correspondence between her husband and Wang Jiu, she felt deeply frustrated because she couldn’t understand the theories within, so she simply avoided the topic of cultivation, discussing other things instead.
For example, she once again requested Wang Jiu not to reveal his identity to others.
The reason was simple: a commoner might possess no guilt, yet harboring a treasure could invoke danger. Even though the Li Family was one of the Seven Great Noble Families, it had no right to monopolize a unique treasure like the Celestial Divine Sword. At least the Saint Sect would certainly intervene. Wang Jiu, at this point, did not possess the strength to transcend the entire world. Although his Sword Body and Sword Spirit were indestructible through calamities, others couldn’t kill him but could trap him, seal him. When caught up in the continent’s turmoil, freedom would be lost.
"I know this request is very selfish. Us monopolizing your precious knowledge is not beneficial to the Xiangzhou Cultivation Realm. But otherwise, you will no longer accompany a little girl like Qingming by her side."
This plea from Lu Xin successfully persuaded Wang Jiu—after all, he initially wasn’t interested in the lifestyle of high-ranking figures, and it was more enjoyable to stay by the little girl’s side. Currently, his sole interest was the historical fragments of the chaos era. Lu Xin also promised again to mobilize the resources of both families to help gather them as much as possible.
Moreover, Lu Xin’s letters mostly mentioned Shen Qingming.
Regarding Shen Qingming leaving the family, Lu Xin was not pleased but willing to let it be for now, and internally within the family, there wasn’t much resistance. According to Lu Xin, straying from convention could be considered a proud tradition of the Li Family.
Thousands of years ago, a family heir abandoned the family business in pursuit of love, defied the whole family to unite with someone of the same gender... The family elders were furious, even intending to abolish his cultivation, yet under pressure, the young heir exploded with amazing potential, and made a breakthrough in the Third Realm, becoming the first little superhuman of the Mountain-Overturning Realm in the Li Family (the overall strength of the Xiangzhou Cultivation Realm was weak in the early days). Not only did he defeat all the family elders, but he also had a ceremony in the family hall with his same-gender partner, the scene was outrageous!
Li Fengyun’s generation wasn’t any less rebellious. In his youth, during a deep meditative state, he suddenly felt the Li Family Mansion lacked flavor and just left to wander the world. His father, Li Tianya, stood in the agreed arena for three days and three nights before realizing he was stood up by his own son...
When he eventually returned to the family, he had abducted the daughter of the City Lord of Shen City, Shen Ruoshi, causing the relations between the two families to drop to freezing point.
Therefore, comparatively, whether it was Shen Qingming’s previous reclusiveness or current family departure, it might seem like a serious decision to Shen Qingming herself, but to family high-levels, it really was common, young people creating disturbances will naturally return to good paths. Moreover, the bloodline inheritance of cultivation families is not something that can be broken by merely changing a surname.
Lu Xin’s letter, aside from promptly following Shen Qingming’s cultivation progress, mostly inquired what support the family could provide.
"With the guidance of the Sword Spirit senior beside Qingming, there’s no need for others to meddle, but ultimately, a cultivator’s advancement past the Wind Barrier requires more than just perseverance and determination. The resources needed for cultivation will increase daily, and that girl Qingming has limited aptitude, so resource assistance is indispensable... Of course, now that she is independent of the Li Family Mansion, even if her cultivation fails, it would not concern me, but after all, she is Fengyun’s daughter, her incompetence will only make people laugh at us. Therefore, if there are any needs in cultivation, we will try our best to satisfy them, please don’t hesitate to ask, senior."
Wang Jiu naturally wouldn’t hesitate, Shen Qingming had completed the First Heaven of cultivating the Immovable Tyrant Body, besides using special postures to hurt herself, medicinal aid was essential, so he asked Lu Xin for a number of miraculous elixirs.
However, when Lu Xin used Flying Sword to send them, Shen Qingming refused to accept.
"Since I have left the family, I will no longer use the family’s resources, otherwise my decision to leave would become a joke. Independence and autonomy would become mere antics? Lu Xin would definitely ridicule me!"
Wang Jiu denied, "I don’t think so, if she wants to laugh at you, she can just ask me about your IQ tests, or the water jar incident, or Celestial Flying Sword, why go to such trouble..."
"Could you remember something useful!?" Shen Qingming gritted their teeth in anger, "Miraculous elixirs aren’t exclusive to the Li Family. I can figure it out on my own just the same."
Wang Jiu expressed doubt about this, "Really? Then how are you planning to find the Dragon Claw Flower? Although it’s not a top-grade spirit grass, it’s extremely rare. In all of QingCyan Cloud yun City, there are only three or five vines of it in the Li Family Mansion’s herbal field. They are self-sufficient, export in small quantities, and are not circulated among the public, not even mentioned in the Dobao Pavilion manual."
Shen Qingming was silent for a while, "Even without the key medicinal aid of the Dragon Claw Flower, as long as I increase the training amount by thirty percent each day, I can still practice to the Second Heaven smoothly."
Wang Jiu said, "The current training volume is precisely calculated to avoid fundamental harm. Doubling it would mean your internal organs might sustain injuries, and although other medicines could catalyze healing, the pain level would at least double..."
Shen Qingming quickly responded, "I can endure it!"
Wang Jiu added, "You might train until incontinence though."
"...I-I will be on an empty stomach."
"Or use a diaper..."
"No need!"
For the stubbornness of his own steed, Wang Jiu expressed appreciative admiration, so he simply wrote down the cause and sent it back together with the package of miraculous elixirs to Lu Xin.
However, coincidentally, early the next morning, Wang Jiu saw an updated message in the Dobao Pavilion manual.
On July 26th, the Dobao Pavilion Auction House will hold its annual auction, offering numerous treasures for customers to choose from, including rare divine weapons, rare spiritual medicines, unique cultivation techniques...
And among the many auction items listed under the advertisement, there was Dragon Claw Grass!
"Ha, what a coincidence." Wang Jiu nodded and then turned the page to begin reading the food column in the back.
A moment later, a sweating Shen Qingming returned from the schoolyard for a drink and casually asked Wang Jiu, who was flipping through a book, "Anything new?"
Wang Jiu looked at the manual and said, "I thought of a new recipe..." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
"Oh, I’m going for a shower, see you later."
——
July 26th, after the rain.
Yesterday’s all-day heavy rain had washed away some of QingCyan Cloud yun City’s summer heat. At dawn, people on the street could even feel the coolness of autumn in advance.
Only the commercial district in the city always remained bustling, with crowds and throngs of people from early morning. The gates of the Dobao Pavilion Auction House were nearly pushed broken by the surging crowd.
Of course, all this had nothing to do with those far away in Shen Garden, in the east of the city. Wang Jiu was still seizing the early morning twilight to meticulously polish his Demon-slaying Blade in his Sword World, while planning that when his own steed broke through to the peak of the Spirit Wind, he would find a way to leverage that power to forge an Outer Body Incarnation.
Relying solely on an Illusion Sword Technique for daily actions is indeed too inconvenient. Wang Jiu deeply missed the days of having a tangible incarnation.
As the morning sunlight grew hotter, Shen Qingming finished their morning training, and Wang Jiu suddenly received an urgent Flying Sword Communication.
The sender was Li Xinyu, and the message consisted of only one line.
"Brother Wang, I urgently need a thousand spirit stones for an emergency! Location: Dobao Pavilion Auction House, extremely urgent, please please please!"
