Borrowed Sword

Chapter 87: Chu Huaixu Fights Han Shuangjiang

Night gradually deepened.

After a whole day of busyness, Chu Huaixu did not sit in meditation to cultivate, but simply drifted into slumber.

Next door, the Big Ice Block was earnestly practicing cultivation, feeling the pressure from the Dead Fox.

The next morning, at dawn.

The two sat at the table to have breakfast together.

“Little Xu is really strange. So many days have passed, yet he still hasn’t come out of the secret realm,” Chu Huaixu said.

“The dry rations you gave him before, are they enough?” Han Shuangjiang slightly frowned, uncertain if that Dead Fox was truly reliable.

Sure enough, she soon heard such a reply.

“What are you thinking? As long as he eats sparingly, of course it’s enough!”

Han Shuangjiang: “.”

She watched him devouring food with great appetite and felt a bit speechless.

What did he mean by ‘as long as he eats sparingly it’s enough’?

Wouldn’t Junior Brother Xu starve at the bottom of the Cold Pool?

Han Shuangjiang was someone with a strong sense of distance, but kind at heart.

Though she was not close with Xu Ziqing, she still said to Chu Huaixu: “Then today, should you go check on him, and bring him some more food?”

“Of course I’ll go today. No need to bring food, I must drag him back.”

While gulping down black rice porridge, he added: “Little Xu is a cultivation maniac. He doesn’t even know how to come out for a breath of air. Today he must return and help me wash my clothes and shoes!”

Han Shuangjiang almost rolled her eyes at Master Chu.

Yet, although she seemed like the virtuous-wife type, she didn’t offer to wash for him.

Because then she really would be acting like a virtuous wife!

Chu Huaixu set down his large bowl and suggested: “After resting a bit, since yesterday both you and I obtained our life-bound magical treasures, why don’t we spar later?”

This indeed stumped the Big Ice Block.

Strictly speaking, since coming up the mountain, she had never sparred with anyone.

Unlike Chu Huaixu, who fought Liu Chenggong with fiery intensity.

“But I haven’t learned any sword techniques yet,” she replied seriously.

“No matter, just wave it randomly. Don’t you want to properly experience 【Zhegutian】?” He began coaxing again.

After studying the effects of the sword scabbard 【Ding Fengbo】 last night, he had already decided that today he would “hit a woman” for fun.

Han Shuangjiang and 【Zhegutian】 were simply the perfect test subjects!

The Big Ice Block felt tempted, but still said: “I really don’t know how to spar, I can only accompany you roughly.”

“No problem at all.” Chu Huaixu grinned.

After the meal, it was still the young girl alone who washed the dishes and tidied up.

Chu Huaixu hugged the sword scabbard and sat atop a wooden stake in the courtyard, looking up at the cloudless sky, feeling utterly at ease.

Autumn had already arrived, but it wasn’t cold yet, only refreshingly crisp.

A gust of wind blew past, and the black tassels on the black bead of the scabbard swayed gently.

Truth be told, if he were really holding a sword now, he would indeed seem quite elegant and carefree in the autumn wind.

But clutching an empty scabbard looked rather strange.

After a while, Han Shuangjiang slowly walked over carrying Zhegutian.

Since they were going to spar, she had tied up her long black hair.

The cold-faced girl with her hair bound actually appeared even more dignified and imposing, her aura colder still.

With a longsword in hand, she even carried a heroic air.

Chu Huaixu got up from the wooden stake, looking at the young yet very sisterly Big Ice Block, his playful mood arose.

He asked: “Tell me… between you and me, should you be the Senior Sister, or should I be the Senior Brother?”

This question truly stumped her.

Han Shuangjiang had never considered it. Usually she simply called him Chu Huaixu, though in her heart she sometimes called him Dead Fox.

But since they were fellow disciples, there had to be an order.

Chu Huaixu continued speaking to himself: “Logically, that night at Biyou Terrace under the Wumeng Mountains, when we met the Sixth Elder in the rain, you were there before me.”

“After entering the sect, you probably entered the Qi-Opening Stage before me too.”

“You reached the First Level earlier as well.”

“Counting it this way, perhaps I really should call you Senior Sister Han?” He smiled.

But for some reason, the Big Ice Block felt he meant no good, her brows furrowed slightly.

Chu Huaixu’s thoughts were simple: in the future, when bullying her, he could call her Senior Sister; when seeking protection, also Senior Sister; when seizing opportunities, even more so.

  — It was purely the mentality of a male Green Tea.

But ordinarily, he would never call her that, only “Big Ice Block.”

Like now, when he was about to tease her, he clasped his fists and said: “Senior Sister, please enlighten me.”

“Annoying!” The cold-faced girl snorted, truly finding him irritating.

She held her spirit sword before her, left hand gripping the scabbard, right hand the hilt, ready to draw her sword!

Chu Huaixu simply hugged his scabbard, smiling mischievously at her.

Han Shuangjiang only grew more annoyed: “Are you laughing at me for not knowing how to wield a sword?”

Angered, she began to draw her sword.

“Hm?”

She gripped the hilt tightly, yet could not draw it—【Zhegutian】 seemed unwilling to obey her!

This involuntarily reminded her of the scenes on Hidden Spirit Mountain, how much this sword had fawned over Chu Huaixu.

That strange emotion sprouted once more in her heart.

“What did you do to it?” the Big Ice Block asked, her voice tinged with shame and anger.

The autumn wind blew by, cool and refreshing.

Chu Huaixu hadn’t expected the girl to be angry.

“Seems you can’t draw it with just brute force. You must use spiritual energy,” Chu Huaixu said.

The cold-faced girl frowned at him, but still complied.

When she circulated her spiritual energy and drew again, the sword finally came free!

“Why?” she asked.

Chu Huaixu stood in the wind, arms crossed, scabbard in hand, speaking calmly:

“Because you and it are suppressed by me.”

At these words, the Big Ice Block immediately looked down at the sword in her hand.

“Suppressed?”

“Yes.”

Chu Huaixu continued evenly: “If you rely only on strength, you won’t be able to draw it.”

Then he shifted tone, even offering consolation.

“But you need not belittle yourself. Someone at your level, holding a low-grade spirit sword, might still struggle even when using spiritual energy.”

Han Shuangjiang listened, watching him unmoving in the wind, and thought to herself:

“He can already reach such a level?”

Seeing that she was impressed, Chu Huaixu was thoroughly pleased.

He laughed: “Come, Senior Sister, let’s spar!”

“Stop calling me Senior Sister!” The more she heard, the more irritated she felt, his tone now sounding teasing.

She thrust Zhegutian forward, and a burst of cold air surged forth.

As the sword tip pierced forward, tiny ice crystals formed in the air.

But they quickly melted away.

As she struck, Han Shuangjiang clearly felt her movements sluggish, her speed slower.

Yesterday, when she obtained this treasure, she had been overjoyed, secretly practicing with it in her room, full of delight.

But now, the feeling was completely different.

“Suppression again?” she thought, displeased.

With her strong competitive spirit, she disliked being suppressed.

Han Shuangjiang poured her spiritual energy to the fullest, the cold aura intensifying. Wherever her sword went, ice crystals sprinkled.

Chu Huaixu watched, filled with envy.

“With such little cultivation, she can already do this. In the future, won’t one strike plunge the world into icy winter?”

Damn, every one of her strikes came with special effects!

Last night, he too had poured sword qi into his scabbard.

But now, he chose not to use it.

For no other reason than fear of hurting the Little Housekeeper.

Don’t be fooled by the sword qi’s mere 30% damage rate—it was based on Chu Huaixu exhausting all his spiritual energy into a single strike.

In real combat, no one would rely on one strike and then await death.

In fact, few 【skills】 consumed energy so heavily.

It was like throwing a punch—you thought you’d used all your strength, but moments later you could still punch again.

Completely draining all spiritual energy was basically a desperate secret art.

Such arts were rare, and mostly harmful.

Otherwise, wouldn’t everyone just face each other and unleash one move to settle it?

Either you die, or I die.

Therefore, the lethality of sword qi was not low. Seven strikes together would be even more terrifying!

As Zhegutian drew closer, Chu Huaixu felt the surrounding temperature drop.

He sidestepped, retreating half a step, and raised the scabbard to block.

The sword edge scraped across the scabbard, flashing with pale blue cold light!

【Ding Fengbo】, though merely crafted from ten years’ worth of blackwood, had followed the Dao Ancestor for many years and become a supreme-grade spiritual artifact. Even this strike left no mark.

On the contrary, after blocking, the battle-experienced Chu Huaixu found Han Shuangjiang full of openings!

In one stride, he borrowed momentum and instantly appeared behind her.

She tried to turn and thrust again, but how could she be faster than Chu Huaixu?

Seeing her back, he almost couldn’t resist smacking her plump buttocks with the scabbard.

What a perfect target!

Instead, Ding Fengbo turned slightly in midair, and the scabbard tapped against her lower back—not too heavy, not too light.

Han Shuangjiang winced in pain with a muffled groan, her waist likely swollen.

She turned back in shock, only for Chu Huaixu to calmly say: “You lost.”

The cold-faced girl’s expression soured. With no experience and no learned techniques, she truly didn’t even know how to wield a sword properly.

Always competitive, she immediately resolved: “Tomorrow—no, this very afternoon—I’ll go to the Scripture Pavilion to choose a sword technique!”

This spar had made her realize she shouldn’t indulge in the joy of obtaining a treasure. With a supreme-grade spirit sword, she still had to know how to use it!

Seeing her lips pressed tightly, face frosty, Chu Huaixu grinned: “What’s wrong? Senior Sister not convinced?”

At such times, he used “Senior Sister” again.

Just then, a rather youthful voice sounded from above the Nine Heavens.

“The Dao Ancestor’s sword scabbard truly is extraordinary.”

“Chu Huaixu, why don’t you test it against me?”

The not-quite-1.5-meter tall, older girl Chu Yinyin descended from the sky.