"It seems like you don't know him very well," said Sword Venerable's grandfather with a chuckle.
Zhu Minglang still hadn't recovered from his daze. He recalled some details, but he couldn't figure out the reason behind it.
"After visiting the Abandoned Sword Forest, return home early. Your Zhu Sect has changed a lot over the years," said Sword Venerable's grandfather.
"Yes, Master. Sword Venerable, don't tell anyone about me coming to the Sword Sect. I'm afraid that some of my teachers and juniors will challenge me to a sword duel, "said Zhu Minglang.
"I know, I know. You're in the imperial dragon now. Perhaps you'll be even more glorious than before. I've always believed in you," said Sword Venerable's grandfather with a smile.
Looking at this elderly grandfather, Zhu Minglang had a lot of feelings in his heart. He had a lot of things to say, but it was as though he didn't need to say anything.
"Then rest more, Grandfather. Take care of yourself in the future," said Zhu Minglang.
Sword Venerable's grandfather waved his hand, indicating for Zhu Minglang to leave.
Zhu Minglang walked out. Just as he turned around and left the manor hall, he heard Sword Venerable's grandfather whisper to a female disciple who was waiting by the side, "Who's that …?"
"Master, what are your orders?"
"Girl, go to the memorial hall and remove the memorial tablet with the words' Zhu Minglang 'written on it. There's no need to worship it every month. It'll save you money," said Sword Venerable's grandfather.
Outside the door, Zhu Minglang's foot missed a step on the stairs and he almost tumbled out.
After stabilizing himself, Zhu Minglang's face was covered in tears.
Master, is this how you trust me?
…
He went to the side peak and stayed in the manor. Nan Lingsha and Fang Niannian were waiting for him to eat. The long-browed disciple was also beside them, maintaining a meticulous standing posture.
Zhu Minglang sat down and glanced at the bland dishes.
The Sword Sect's dishes had always been bland and mostly vegetarian. Zhu Minglang, who was supposed to leave at 16, left a year earlier because of this.
If the food was bad, there was nothing to miss!
These bamboo shoots were said to be cultivated with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Even if they didn't eat meat, they were more nutritious than meat.
In the Distant Mountain Sword Sect, sword heart, sword Qi, and sword intent were the most important. Eating less meat and more immortal essences could stabilize one's cultivation. Only then could one become famous.
Therefore, Zhu Minglang gave up on Swordsman and chose red braised meat, wild mushroom stew, meat's's's's's,'s …
Thinking that he might be eating these for the next few days, Zhu Minglang decided to let Big Black Tooth out. In the name of exterminating the wild boars from the Mountain Spirits, he would go and get some real delicacies. At night, he could even drink the plum wine here while roasting pigs over a bonfire. This was the life of a free and unfettered sword cultivator!
"Nian Nian, bring Big Black-teeth to the other side of the mountain in a while." Zhu Minglang pointed outside the window and whispered to Nian Nian.
"Okay!" When it came to food, Fang Niannian would never refuse. Besides, Zhu Minglang was good at barbecuing.
"Miss Lingsha, just walk around and relax. You must be tired after such a long journey," Zhu Minglang said.
"Okay." Nan Lingsha answered. Maybe her temperament had changed again, or maybe she didn't like to talk while eating.
Her realm was around the Monarch Realm.
She was still Master Dragon Shepard.
Zhu Minglang glanced at Nan Lingsha and felt that this woman had become even more like a cloud of fog.
Forget it. I'll have time to understand her later.
Zhu Minglang didn't dwell on this. He ate a few mouthfuls and left some space for dinner.
"Senior Brother." Zi Miaozhu walked in from outside. Her eyes were filled with joy.
"Thank you, Junior Sister," Zhu Minglang said.
"Martial Uncle Gu Tang has agreed. You don't have to worry about the Ancestral Dragon City anymore," Zi Miaozhu said.
"Okay, okay. That's good." Zhu Minglang let out a long sigh of relief.
With the Sword Sect's experts in charge, they wouldn't have to rush to the Imperial Capital to claim their territory.
"Senior Brother, after you left, the Abandoned Sword Forest has been deserted. Only when some disciples' swords are damaged or rusted will they be thrown into the forest," Zi Miaozhu said.
"What happened? Even the Sword Venerable and the other masters can't handle it?" Zhu Minglang asked in confusion.
"It's said that there are ghosts, and they're ghosts with intelligence. When the disciples go to throw away their swords, they will appear. When the masters go to eliminate them, they will hide. Only you and Master Snow Scar know the situation inside the Abandoned Sword Forest. However, Master Snow Scar never cares about this kind of thing, "Zi Miaozhu said.
"I heard from some of the more powerful Senior Brothers that the abandoned swords have some resentment because no one cares about them. This resentment is like a demon. It's starting to take revenge on us Swordsman disciples," the long-browed disciple said.
"When do they usually appear?" Zhu Minglang asked.
"Around sunset, when day and night alternate."
"Okay, I'll go take a look."
"Senior Brother, I'll go with you," Zi Miaozhu said.
"No need. You can take Nan Lingsha to walk around," Zhu Minglang said.
"Okay." This time, Zi Miaozhu agreed without hesitation. There seemed to be some other thoughts in her bright eyes.
…
Swords were the Sword Sect's biggest consumables.
It didn't matter if it was the peach wood swords they first practiced with, the iron swords they used after becoming a disciple, or the swords made of various precious metals.
The Zhu Sect could be said to be the Sword Sect's biggest supplier. This was because the Zhu Sect was divided into two groups. One group made armor, and the other group made swords. In fact, the Zhu Sect also made other types of forging weapons.
However, before Zhu Minglang turned 15, he spent most of his time in the Distant Mountain Sword Sect. He didn't have much interest in forging.
Swords used up a lot of energy. Every Swordsman had to practice swordsmanship for a long time. Whether it was dancing in the air, practicing with a wooden stake, or even practicing with a stone statue, it was easy to damage the sword.
Walking along the long road without any lanterns, there were tall pine trees and yellow bamboos on both sides, all of them tall and straight.
Zhu Minglang purposely waited until dusk to come. He looked at the shadows of the pine trees and bamboos that were becoming more and more green. Some images kept flipping through his mind like pages of a book.
As he continued forward, he could already see some broken wooden swords scattered on the ground. There was even moss growing on them.
As he went deeper, the path was eroded by soil and weeds. As far as the eye could see, he could see iron swords and bronze swords stabbed into the soil. They stood upright like the pine trees and bamboos!
There were more and more abandoned swords. As far as the eye could see, there were several hundred swords.
When he was very young, Sword Venerable's grandfather had told him that every abandoned sword here was a tombstone of a sword. When they were "alive", they all had their own stories.
Some swords were damaged from the moment they were forged. No one used them, so they were abandoned here.
Some swords were even more famous than their users. Everyone wanted to obtain them, but in the end, they fell in a great battle that shook the world and were forever sealed here.
Some swords were like ordinary people who didn't do anything. They were ordinary, and when their lifespans came to an end, they were buried in the ground.
As he went deeper, there were even more swords. They were even denser than the pine trees and bamboos. They were all different in length and style. Most of them were like tombstones that were stabbed into the ground. It was impossible to count how many there were!
As the evening sun set, the afterglow of the setting sun shined down. The shadows of pine trees and bamboo interweaved with the shadows of the abandoned swords. The pine trees and bamboos were green and the swords were dark and gloomy, but the two shadows completely blended together. It was like a giant sword and a slender sword that could be grasped, forming this incomparably quiet forest of swords.
As the light of the setting sun shined onto the swords, the rust on the tens of thousands of abandoned swords became unprecedentedly gorgeous.
Copper rust, iron rust, green rust, red rust …
How could the sun and the years not leave behind rust?
Otherwise, how could there be dusk?
…
"Aunty Snow Scar, my hand is already numb."
As night approached, a young boy said with a face full of sweat.
"Continue."
…
"My palm is already bleeding."
The sun shined brightly. The abandoned swords were already burning red from the heat.
"Continue."
…
"Aunty Snow Scar, when exactly do I have to train until I can be as strong as you?"
Snow swirled in the air as the young man stood in the snow and asked.
"What do you need to sharpen a sword?"
"Hard and smooth gravel," the young boy replied.
"From today onwards, you will pull out every sword in the forest and slash at the sky. Use the wind as the gravel. When you grind away the rust on every abandoned sword, you will be able to leave this place."
Use the wind as the gravel.
Every sword here had broken through its own cocoon and drank its own blood.
But because of this, they had also regained their sharpness!
…
Many years had passed. The abandoned swords in the forest of swords were still standing in the soil. The rust had once again covered their sharp and clean bodies. Zhu Minglang carried dusk on his back. The swords also carried dusk on their backs. For a moment, all the images surged in his mind. Zhu Minglang felt as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat. Even his breathing began to become somewhat irregular.
Did he regret it?
Zhu Minglang had never regretted it.
He only felt a little sad and helpless.
No matter how glorious a peerless sword was, there would be a day when it would be covered in rust.
Time passed quickly. If one's heart belonged to someone, there would be no regrets.
"Hum hum hum hum hum ~"
Suddenly, the quiet forest resounded with the sound of swords vibrating in unison. The rhythm was like thousands of zithers playing around Zhu Minglang. When it entered his ears, his soul couldn't help but tremble.
Zhu Minglang came back to his senses. He looked at the magnificent sea of swords that rose and fell along with the mountain forest. He saw that the swords seemed to have heard an ancient call and were about to be pulled out from the soil. Instantly, his face was filled with horror.
The shadows of the swords swayed. The pine forest was dark. The light of dusk had been completely blocked by the mountain range. The forest was about to enter the night. Yet, the shadows of the swords seemed to have come alive. They were wantonly darting towards the sky, the earth, and the forest.
Yet, the real abandoned swords were still stuck in the soil. The shadows of the swords were like ghosts walking out from tombstones. When they flew through the air, they emitted sharp sword whistles. The zither strings suddenly turned into the screams of hundreds of ghosts!
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