Chapter 42: The Borrowed Sword

Chapter 42: The Borrowed Sword

The Sword Master spoke with righteous indignation, silencing the man completely.

He then turned to Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, slightly clasping his fists and saying:

"Apologies for startling you both. Today's incident was due to our Qijue Hall's lack of discipline. Please do not hold it against us."

"Not at all, not at all."

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun could not remain seated any longer, lest they appear presumptuous. They immediately stood up and returned the gesture.

However, the Sword Master’s eyes flickered, suddenly focusing on the sword case beside Su Mo.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes:

"Hmm? What is this object? Why do you two possess it?"

Su Mo raised an eyebrow slightly: "What do you mean by that, Sword Master?"

"What do I mean? I think you know full well!"

The Sword Master abruptly changed his demeanor, becoming aggressive and confrontational:

"This object belongs to our Qijue Hall and was stolen by him!"

He pointed at the man on the ground, who looked dumbfounded, seemingly unable to believe what he was hearing.

The Sword Master then coldly looked at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun: "I thought you two were merely caught up in this affair. But now it seems you are in league with him. With evidence in hand, there is no need for further discussion. Will you voluntarily come with me to Qijue Hall, or shall we force you?"

"Bullshit!!"

The man on the ground tried to get up but failed, so he sat down and angrily shouted at the Sword Master:

"You dare call yourself a righteous sect? Framing and slandering people like this is a joke. Such behavior is no different from that of evil cults!"

"Do you, a thief, have the right to criticize?"

"I—"

The man was speechless, his face turning red as he managed to say: "Even thieves have principles!!"

"A thief is a thief!"

The Sword Master coldly replied, then looked at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun: "You two don’t seem like despicable individuals. If you were misled by a villain, it’s understandable. If you come with me to Qijue Hall, there might still be room for negotiation. Otherwise..."

"Hahaha!"

Su Mo couldn’t help but laugh: "Well done, Qijue Hall. Tonight, you’ve truly opened my eyes. This Sword Master... Do you take me for a child?"

"Perhaps even younger than three."

Yang Xiaoyun shook her head gently: "If one were three years old, they would at least understand one thing..."

"What is it?"

Su Mo glanced at Yang Xiaoyun.

"When you’re in someone else’s territory, whatever they say goes. Even if they point at a horse and call it a deer, you must accept it. Your life is in their hands; you have no say."

"Indeed."

Su Mo nodded repeatedly, then looked at the Sword Master: "Sword Master, let me give you some advice. While you may not be a good person, you aren’t foolish. The object behind me has nothing to do with your hall. You don’t even know its origins, yet you risk disaster for your entire Qijue Hall. Is it worth burning everything down?"

"Very well!"

The Sword Master pointed at them: "It seems you are obstinate!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of swords being drawn echoed through the air. The members of Qijue Hall brandished their weapons, pointing them menacingly at Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun.

Yang Xiaoyun smiled lightly, about to step forward, when a voice came from nearby.

"Stop... stop."

The voice sounded lazy, as if speaking more than a few words would exhaust the speaker. After a brief pause, another two words were uttered weakly.

Despite the speaker’s exhaustion, the words were clearly heard by everyone present.

The members of Qijue Hall were momentarily stunned, and the Sword Master’s eyes flickered as he saw the person.

The person stood at the edge of shadow and light, disheveled and weary, looking as if they hadn’t slept in days. After finishing the sentence, they yawned widely.

Then, with a nod and a stronger tone: "Yes, stop."

"Where did this complication arise?"

The Sword Master frowned slightly, looking at the person: "Are you with them? Then come with us."

"No."

The person shook their head.

The Sword Master laughed in anger: "You have no choice!!"

As he spoke, a disciple of Qijue Hall leaped forward, sword pointed directly at the person’s forehead.

Though the Sword Master spoke arrogantly, he remained cautious toward this unknown individual.

He sent his underlings to test the waters. If he killed them with one sword strike, there would be no mystery. If he couldn't kill them, at least he would see some of their foundation.

However, what he saw was a flash of sword light, followed by a body lying dead on the ground.

It wasn't the sleepy-eyed person who clung like a leech, but the disciple of Qijue Hall.

Clearly holding a long sword and having executed all his moves,

yet somehow, that long sword had ended up in the hands of the sleepy-eyed person, its blade piercing through the forehead of the Qijue Hall disciple.

With a flick of the sword, it was pulled out from the forehead, blood splattering onto the ground. The face of the person holding the sword remained drowsy and lazy.

Without even glancing at the corpse, he merely looked at the sword in his hand.

In the next moment, a second emotion appeared on his face besides fatigue... disgust.

"Rubbish sword."

The sword itself wasn't rubbish, but when these words were spoken, the good sword became rubbish.

This was because, along with the words, came his fingers.

With a snap of his fingers, the sword blade rang out and broke into two pieces.

Breaking the sword with two fingers wasn't much, but the method of seizing the sword and killing earlier was quite shocking.

The Sword Leader's eyes flickered with uncertainty: "Who are you?"

"A borrower of swords."

As he spoke, he moved between the Sword Leader and Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun, facing the Sword Leader while his back was to Su Mo and Xiaoyun: "I want to borrow their swords... they intend to give the sword to someone else, and before they do so, this sword cannot fall into the wrong hands... yes, I'm talking about you."

"..."

The corner of the Sword Leader's mouth twitched: "Are you trying to meddle in the affairs of Qijue Hall?"

"...What is that?"

The borrower of swords seemed somewhat confused.

The Sword Leader was taken aback: "What?"

"I asked... what is Qijue Hall?"

After saying this, the borrower of swords shook his head and yawned widely: "Never mind, it's not important..."

The Sword Leader's face turned green and then white, gritting his teeth:

"Very well, the rivers and lakes are deep, yet there are many fearless fools. Don't blame me today for unleashing a massacre!!!"