Chapter 212: Chapter 12 - The Sword, Feng Anshan_2
"Could I be wrong? No, a Sword Cultivator should only focus on the sword. That is the real truth," Qin Ming studied the dusty Spirit Sword in his hand, his eyes gradually hardening with resolve.
The Spirit Sword let out a series of hums, as if responding to Qin Ming’s words.
「...」
Upon arriving at Fengming Building, Chen Jiuge immediately saw He Jiansi waving at him in the lobby.
Fengming Building wasn’t a place a stall-setting Loose Cultivator could afford, not even Chen Jiuge, despite selling high-quality Sword Scabbard Demons and Grinding Stone Demons, He Jiansi thought with some surprise as he looked at Chen Jiuge. "I didn’t expect we would meet again so soon."
"Mr. Chen, shall we have a few drinks?" He Jiansi invited.
Chen Jiuge considered it. Indeed, I have nothing else to do. Da Bai is probably still at the stall, and Yue Meng sold out this morning and took Xiao Qi and the others to play.
"Alright."
He Jiansi was very enthusiastic, continuously toasting Chen Jiuge. He was quite different from the other Sword Cultivators Chen Jiuge had met over the years at the stalls. Those Sword Cultivators, besides their sharp auras, also had equally cold hearts.
But He Jiansi was different; his aura was gentle, and he was very warm-hearted.
"Fellow Daoist He, are you also a Sword Cultivator?" Chen Jiuge asked curiously.
"Naturally. Brother Chen, you think I’m different from other Sword Cultivators, don’t you?"
Chen Jiuge nodded in agreement.
"There are two types of Sword Cultivators. The first is extreme in the sword, the second is extreme in emotion. Actually, there’s a third type, but that’s not a path ordinary people can walk."
"Most you’ve encountered are of the first type, while I happen to be of the second," He Jiansi said with a smile.
"Extreme in emotion?" Chen Jiuge suddenly recalled the ’Emotional Sword Dao’ from novels in his previous life.
"Exactly. Compared to those extreme in the sword, we Sword Cultivators who are extreme in emotion can only be said to have average strength in the early stages. Later on, it depends on the depths your emotions can reach. The difficulty of Cultivation is also greater."
"The only advantage of this path is that it allows us to retain our humanity," He Jiansi said casually.
Chen Jiuge remained silent, raising his cup to toast He Jiansi.
Immortals were immortals; ’immortal’ came first, ’person’ second. Many Cultivators didn’t regard mortals as their own kind, something Chen Jiuge couldn’t understand.
After a brief discussion about Sword Dao, He Jiansi shifted the topic to the Sword Scabbard Demons.
Both found each other agreeable, and their conversation flowed smoothly. Upon learning that Chen Jiuge wanted to enter Heavenly Sword Mountain, He Jiansi advised, "When going to Heavenly Sword Mountain, don’t worry about anything else. Just keep walking upwards. Remember, you must walk. If you use any Magic Artifacts or Spells to ascend, well..."
Although not entirely clear on the reason, Chen Jiuge indicated he understood.
「...」
As the date of the Sword Qi eruption from Heavenly Sword Mountain approached, Fengming Immortal City grew increasingly lively, with more and more foreign Cultivators appearing on the streets.
At Loose Cultivation Square, Chen Jiuge had just sent away another wealthy young master from a prominent Family who wanted to buy out his entire stock. He didn’t understand it. These were just Third Rank Sword Scabbard Demons; why couldn’t they leave some for other Loose Cultivators? They always wanted to buy everything. It wasn’t like others couldn’t see how rich they were in Spirit Stones.
"Fellow Daoist, I want this Sword Scabbard Demon. Could you hold it for me for a while?" a burly figure said in a deep voice, standing before Chen Jiuge’s stall.
"Sure." Chen Jiuge casually moved that Sword Scabbard Demon to the back.
The burly man paused, surprised that Chen Jiuge was so agreeable. He hesitated, "Fellow Daoist, aren’t you afraid I’ll deceive you?"
Chen Jiuge then looked up. "Will you?"
The burly man laughed heartily. "I’m Feng Anshan! Fellow Daoist, I’ve decided to befriend you! HAHAHA!"
Watching Feng Anshan leave, laughing, Chen Jiuge called out, "I’m Chen Jiuge!"
"Got it!" came the reply.
An hour later, the Sword Scabbard Demons and Grinding Stone Demons at the stall had sold out, except for one particularly dark and gleaming Sword Scabbard Demon—the one Feng Anshan had chosen.
"Fellow Daoist, how much for this Sword Scabbard Demon?" a passerby asked.
"Not for sale."
Usually, other Loose Cultivators would just shake their heads and leave. Even those with some strength would give up after seeing Chen Jiuge’s firm attitude.
But Lin Jianwei didn’t think so. "If you’re not selling, why bother setting up a stall? I’ll take this Sword Scabbard Demon!" Saying this, Lin Jianwei reached out to snatch it.
How dare a mere Divinity Transformation Cultivator refuse me, this young master? If fighting wasn’t forbidden in the city, I’d have obliterated him already. Still, once this Loose Cultivator leaves the city, sending someone to deal with him wouldn’t be a bad idea.
CRACK!
Feng Anshan returned just in time to grab Lin Jianwei’s hand. A sound of breaking bones was heard. "This one is mine," Feng Anshan declared.
He then placed the corpse of a Spiritual Tiger from his shoulder onto the ground. "This beast should be enough for an exchange, right?"
Chen Jiuge looked at the Spiritual Tiger corpse on the ground. It was likely at the Mahayana cultivation level in life. This man’s strength is formidable! This Spiritual Tiger was clearly beaten to death; there are no traces of spells on its body.
"Acceptable," Chen Jiuge nodded quietly, handing over the black Sword Scabbard Demon.
Lin Jianwei, clutching his hand and stepping back, saw cultivators from Myriad Swords Mountain approaching and sneered, "Damn it! How dare you attack me here? You’re finished!"
"I don’t think so. What do you two think?" Feng Anshan said, his large eyes fixed on the approaching Myriad Swords Mountain cultivators.
Lin Jianwei wanted to retort fiercely, but he was quickly seized by the Myriad Swords Mountain cultivators, one on each side, and dragged away.
"Hey! Aren’t you making a mistake? He attacked first! Hey! Hey! Are you blind?" Lin Jianwei struggled, his feet dangling in the air.
One of the cultivators, finding him too noisy, knocked him unconscious with a slap of his sword.
"Senior Brother, we’ll be going now."
"You’re the Senior Brother of Myriad Swords Mountain, Feng Anshan of the ’Heavy Sword Oppresses the Heavens’!" Chen Jiuge exclaimed in disbelief.
This was someone on par with Wudao Tian, the Senior Brother of the Myriad Beasts Sect! In some respects, Feng Anshan was even more famous and possibly stronger.
"Fellow Daoist, we cultivators act as we please," Feng Anshan said, joyfully pulling out a rare Heart of Earth and stuffing it into the Sword Scabbard Demon’s mouth.
Chen Jiuge’s eyebrows twitched. Brother, this is just a Third Rank Sword Scabbard Demon. Are you sure it can eat that?
Eventually, the Sword Scabbard Demon consumed it. However, its originally slender body became round and bulbous. Can this still fit a sword?
"Excellent, excellent. I’m very satisfied with this scabbard. Once it digests a few hundred more of these, it’ll be perfect," Feng Anshan commented, looking at the rotund Sword Scabbard Demon with great satisfaction.
"Fellow Daoist, care for a drink?" Feng Anshan invited.
"Alright."
「...」
In a private room at Fengming Building.
Chen Jiuge looked at Feng Anshan, utterly baffled. The Senior Brother of Myriad Swords Mountain, a Heavenly Immortal, apparently lacking a fine Sword Scabbard Demon, and now inviting him for a drink? This was like something out of a science fiction movie!
"Fellow Daoist, don’t look at me like that."
"Anyone who knows me knows I’m an easy-going person. I only pursue things that catch my fancy, be it making friends or acquiring Sword Scabbard Demons," Feng Anshan said unhurriedly.
"Feng... Feng..." Chen Jiuge stammered, unsure how to address him.
"Call me Fellow Daoist Feng, or Brother Feng. Though, I prefer it if people call me Brother Feng," Feng Anshan said, raising an eyebrow.
"Brother Feng, I’m just a bit surprised. You’re very similar to the Senior Brother of my Myriad Beasts Sect. If you two were to meet, you’d surely hit it off instantly." Chen Jiuge didn’t plan to conceal his identity from a Heavenly Immortal.
"Myriad Beasts Sect, ah! No wonder you could cultivate such an eye-pleasing Sword Scabbard Demon. I recall that disciples from your Myriad Beasts Sect are also coming to Heavenly Sword Mountain this time. I encountered a young man and woman on the road; they should arrive in a few days," Feng Anshan said thoughtfully.
Is that so? I wonder if I know them, Chen Jiuge thought. He wasn’t particularly excited; after all, the Myriad Beasts Sect had so many disciples, and he knew only a very small fraction of them.
Although Feng Anshan didn’t care about status, Chen Jiuge did. One couldn’t just be so carefree and interact with a Heavenly Immortal as an equal. If the other party accidentally lost control of their Mana, wouldn’t he be instantly obliterated?
Therefore, Chen Jiuge remained somewhat reserved during their drinks. Even Da Bai and the others, upon learning that Feng Anshan was the Senior Brother of Myriad Swords Mountain, retreated into the Grotto Heaven and refused to come out.
He’s too formidable! It’s better to leave socializing with such a prominent figure to their master, they thought.