AI Cultivation: Reborn as a Sword

Barely half an hour later, after departing from Starsword Peak, Lan Xiaohui and Wu Yulan are descending from the clouds and landing in front of the restaurant where Lan Xiaohui works. It is a windy day, so the flagpoles next to the copper-studded gate are streaming in the wind, proudly bearing the name of the establishment: “Star River Restaurant.”

The receptionist, as before, regards Lan Xiaohui with blatant dislike which my owner notices but ignores. I am not certain why this creature dislikes my owner — to my knowledge, they are complete strangers to each other — but she is not worth the energy to consume and transform into a more useful collection of matter.

“Is the madam present?” Lan Xiaohui asks.

The receptionist nods once to Lan Xiaohui, then once again toward the staff room.

“Thank you,” my owner says politely and goes toward the staff room, followed by Wu Yulan who glares at the receptionist out of solidarity with my owner.

Wu Yulan is a good companion — not only does she improve my owner’s mood and provide emotional and political support, but she also generates a lot of Inner World Energy.

Technically, Lan Xiaohui works here, though the exact nature of her employment is still unclear. In a way, she is a guest butcher with flexible working hours. But this means that no one bothers to stop her from entering the staff room, as she technically is staff.

Inside the staff room, Hu Yan is lounging on a sofa, fanning herself with one hand, and holding a cup of tea in the other. When Lan Xiaohui enters, the woman looks at my owner and beams a bright smile.

“Zhu Xuelian!” she exclaims. “Congratulations on entering the Galaxy Sword sect!”

Lan Xiaohui seems surprised that Hu Yan knows about this — especially as it was only a recent development. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

“What brings you here today?” Hu Yan asks. “If you are looking for work, I have a few requests from the Star City Trading Alliance. They will pay you in spirit stones if you can process fourth-rank beasts.”

Lan Xiaohui shakes her head. “My apologies, Ma’am, but that is not possible at the moment. I was hoping you could help me with something else.”

Hu Yan puts down her cup of tea and turns slightly more towards Lan Xiaohui. “What can I do for you?”

Lan Xiaohui clears her throat and makes a hopeful expression, but I know that in her heart she is not expecting much. “Do you remember that person that came by some time ago, and left me a gift?”

Hu Yan nods. “I remember her.”

“Did she ever leave any information with you about where I could find her, or how to reach her?”

Hu Yan shakes her head. “No, she came by and left the gift for you, and then left.”

Lan Xiaohui nods and sighs. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

Hu Yan frowns. “I am sorry.”

“Sorry to disturb you, ma’am,” Lan Xiaohui says and turns to leave.

“Wait,” Hu Yan says, now also putting down her fan. “Someone came by yesterday and spoke to Lin; it was about you.”

“Me?” Lan Xiaohui asks. “What did they want?”

At this, Hu Yan calls out in a loud voice. “Lin! Come here for a moment.”

After a few seconds, the receptionist appears in the doorway.

“How may I help, Ma’am?” the girl asks and then looks at Lan Xiaohui curiously.

“Someone came here yesterday looking for Zhu Xuelian; what did they say?” Hu Yan asks.

The girl, Lin, purses her lips thoughtfully. “They were looking for Zhu Xuelian. They said that Yun Fei was in trouble and needed help.”

Lan Xiaohui grows even more concerned for Yun Fei as she hears those words. Though I find it difficult to justify this expenditure of energy for someone who has achieved an incredible result at the Pagoda of Introspection.

“Is that all?” Lan Xiaohui asks.

The girl shakes her head. “She left a note, I have it here.”

Lin finds the paper note in her pocket and hands it over to Lan Xiaohui. It’s not so much a note as it is a business card — a rectangular piece of paper with the words “Blue Clouds Inn” written in a bold hand.

“Is this where I can find that girl?” my owner asks.

Lin shakes her head again. “I believe that is where your friend is staying.”

Lan Xiaohui looks up from the note and at the girl with gratitude in her eyes. “Thank you, Lin. You cannot imagine how much this means to me,” she says. “If you ever need anything, I will help you.”

For once, Lin’s dislike of my owner is replaced by something else. She smiles at Lan Xiaohui and awkwardly chews on her bottom lip, nodding.

Lan Xiaohui bows to Hu Yan and then departs the restaurant.

Outside, Wu Yulan mentions that she knows where this Inn is, and leads the way.

They walk through the windy city, with the noon sun high above them, but their pace is quite a bit faster than usual. They both understand that Yun Fei is not someone who can easily be bullied, so in their heart, they regard this idea that she is in trouble with some distrust.

As they approach the Inn, I immediately sense that something is off. There is a dark aura about the place, but I cannot quite pinpoint the exact source or nature of this strange presence. When I direct my consciousness to penetrate through the walls and observe the area, I only see a murky shadow.

Lan Xiaohui and Wu Yulan also sense this presence, and to them it feels like a chill crawling up their limbs, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

The reception desk is vacant, as is the main hall of the Inn, so Lan Xiaohui immediately makes her way up the stairs and into the corridor where the source of the disturbance and shadow is.

As she turns the corner into the corridor, she immediately stops, frozen in place.

Standing in front of a door, and staring directly at it — and through it — is a man with long black hair, tied up into a bun and ponytail. He wears robes that closely fit his form, with tassels made of pure gold that make a soft, ringing sound with every motion he takes. I have not seen someone wear more extravagant clothes in this city.

In his right hand, his sword drips with the same blood that coats the walls, floor, and ceiling of the entire corridor which has several dismembered bodies scattered around. In his left hand, he holds a severed head by the hair, expression even in death frozen in fear and horror.

Slowly, the man turns his bright violet eyes towards Lan Xiaohui and he stares at her, devoid of any emotion. I feel a sense of familiarity with this man — who is about Lan Xiaohui’s age — and in his heart, I sense only death and emptiness.

This man is not the disturbance that I feel. Beyond him, I glimpse a strange shadow that I cannot determine if it is real — a person — or something else. I sense an overwhelming power come from that shadow, and an evil so deep that describing it as demonic would be wrong. It is a devil, like me.

“Yu Shun…” Lan Xiaohui whispers, her heart so deeply disturbed that it seems like it might disintegrate at any moment.