Chapter 68: Demon Sword (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: Demon Sword (3)
“I shall bestow this upon you as a token of my gratitude.”
Watching Prince Gyeongwang speak as if he were performing a great act of charity, I found myself unable to respond.
It wasn't exactly a situation where I could say no.
The Namcheon Iron Sword spoke to me in a voice brimming with excitement.
The Blood Demon Sword and the Lesser Conversation Sword merely clicked their tongues.
I decided that keeping the Evil Connection Sword muted for a while longer would be best for my mental health.
Anyway, what exactly did he want to confirm with this sword?
As if to answer my silent question, Prince Gyeongwang spoke.
“Hold the sword up so that I may examine it.”
“Understood.”
I gripped the hilt firmly and held the sword up for the Prince to inspect.
Prince Gyeongwang circled me, scrutinizing the blade in detail.
“Show me the hilt as well.”
At his request, I gripped the blade and presented the hilt.
Prince Gyeongwang stroked his chin as he stared at it.
“Hmm.”
“What are you looking for, Your Highness?”
At my question, Prince Gyeongwang gave a faint smile.
“Put your curiosity aside. Our agreement concerns something else, does it not?”
He clearly had no intention of telling me.
What secret could be hidden in the Evil Connection Sword that he was examining it so thoroughly?
Prince Gyeongwang even had me peel back the thin leather wrapped around the hilt, inspecting every inch with extreme care.
However, the more he looked, the more disappointment clouded his face.
Prince Gyeongwang turned to his subordinate and muttered softly.
“It seems this isn't it either.”
“We are searching for other materials as well. Why not take a rubbing and send him on his way?”
“Do so.”
A rubbing?
He meant to apply ink to the sword to preserve its form on paper.
Seeing him go to such lengths, it was impossible not to be curious, no matter how much he told me to set it aside.
The Prince’s subordinate went into the quarters and returned with a large sheet of paper.
With my assistance, they applied ink to the blade to take a rubbing, and even took rubbings of the handle area where the leather had been removed.
“I shall see you at the trial at noon.”
“Understood. May you rest peacefully.”
Leaving my farewell, I withdrew.
That was because Prince Gyeongwang had assigned people to watch me.
There were about six more people hidden within his official residence.
I had already identified their locations but intentionally feigned ignorance.
The fact that they followed me as I left the Prince’s quarters was likely to ensure I went straight back to my own room.
He was a man who had hidden his true self all this time to become Emperor.
Of course he would be cautious.
Naturally, that didn't mean my curiosity was satisfied.
The Lesser Conversation Sword chuckled.
Even after I entered my quarters, two hidden figures remained outside to keep watch.
They wanted to confirm I stayed inside.
One had climbed onto the roof, while the other two guarded the entrance and the window.
I looked at the Big Dipper spots on the back of my hand.
‘I wonder if this will work.’
I had absorbed the Spirit Fragment of Zhu Sarlen, the Palace Master of the Fragrant Flower Pleasure Palace.
Portions of her memories were etched into my mind.
As a notorious member of the Evil Faction, Zhu Sarlen had mastered numerous Evil Arts in addition to her martial arts, some of which were related to suggestion.
If I could integrate them properly, I might be able to further evolve my Illusion Eye.
‘Whew.’
I sighed, looking at the Evil Connection Sword at my waist.
Since full integration would be difficult right now, I would have to rely on the sword’s help.
I unmuted its voice.
‘Hey. Evil Connection Sword.’
At my call, the Evil Connection Sword replied petulantly.
I didn't ignore it; I just didn't listen at all.
Not that it mattered.
‘You can captivate an opponent’s mind with sound even without touching the sword, right?’
‘I need your help.’
‘Yes. Yours.’
The Evil Connection Sword spoke in a sticky, seductive voice.
She sure talked a lot of nonsense that didn't stand a chance of working on me.
‘Fine, if you don't want to. I have plenty of other ways even without your help.’
At my words, the Evil Connection Sword turned serious.
The sound of her lewd breathing made my skin crawl.
The Lesser Conversation Sword spoke, sounding fed up.
I agreed, but since I had obtained the sword, shouldn't I make use of it?
Holding the Evil Connection Sword, I placed two fingers on the blade.
Then, circulating my internal power, I slowly slid them from the bottom of the blade to the top.
The Evil Connection Sword vibrated, and a sword cry rang out.
Simultaneously, I threw myself through the window and slipped outside.
I saw a masked man hiding in the garden shrubbery.
His eyes were vacant.
However, it didn't last long.
As if nothing had happened, his gaze returned to normal, and he continued to stare at the window.
Avoiding their gaze was not difficult if I could daze their minds for even a brief moment.
It was a different method from the Illusion Eye.
While the Illusion Eye projected original energy through sight to penetrate the opponent’s mind, the Evil Connection Sword influenced them through sound.
If I could successfully combine these two techniques, I might be able to create an even more powerful suggestion.
After slipping out of my quarters, I headed straight for Prince Gyeongwang’s residence.
All the hidden guards at the Prince’s quarters were alert, but I used the Evil Connection Sword’s sound suggestion to create openings and slipped under the eaves of the roof.
Having sensed Prince Gyeongwang’s energy before, I knew exactly where he was.
He was likely right below me.
Still, he hadn't stationed any subordinates directly above his head.
Was he accounting for the possibility of betrayal?
I concentrated my Innate True Qi into my ears.
‘The Four Great Villains?’
I had arrived mid-conversation, so I didn't know the full context yet.
I heard Prince Gyeongwang’s voice.
Jue Xin’s sword?
If it was the sword of Jue Xin, one of the Four Great Villains, it had to be the Demon Sword, Calamity Slaughter Sword.
Was Prince Gyeongwang trying to uncover something from the existing Demon Swords?
It was a brief meeting, but he had read me quite well.
But if he meant my sword, was he talking about the Blood Demon Sword?
As I was wondering, I heard the Prince’s voice again.
So he intended to ask to see my sword when the chance arose.
‘Blood Demon Sword, do you have any idea what they're talking about?’
At my question, the Blood Demon Sword’s voice finally echoed in my head.
‘What?’
‘!!!’
A startling truth was revealed by the Blood Demon Sword.
This was something I had never known.
To think the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword were created by the same master.
‘Do you know who it was?’
Gu Yaja!
That was correct.
The master of that couple and a man hailed as a legendary grand master.
To think that he, who had forged the precious swords of numerous kings during the Warring States period, had created the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword, which were notorious as rare Demon Swords.
The entire Central Plains would be shocked to learn this.
I asked just in case.
‘Is the Calamity Slaughter Sword also a sword made by Gu Yaja?’
Good heavens.
For a moment, I was speechless.
To think such a secret was hidden behind the dark side of a legendary master of famous swords.
Just how many Demon Swords did Gu Yaja create?
It was the Evil Connection Sword that answered my question.
.......Five blades.
Then, were all five blades known as Demon Swords created by Gu Yaja?
Actually, it was hard to be certain.
Even if a sword was notorious as a Demon Sword, it might not be one of Gu Yaja’s.
But the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword would know the true names of these swords, wouldn't they?
‘What? The Tiger Sparrow Sword?’
The names of the five notorious Demon Swords known to the world were the Blood Demon Sword, the Evil Connection Sword, the Calamity Slaughter Sword, the Evil Blade Sword, and the Tragic Sword.
‘If what you say is true, Blood Demon Sword, then the Tragic Sword wasn't made by Gu Yaja.’
However, the Tiger Sparrow Sword wasn't famous for being a Demon Sword.
The Tiger Sparrow Sword was the precious blade of Tian Wuxing, the Muchen Sword Emperor and Sect Leader of the Mucheonjeong Sect, who was once one of the Eight Great Masters and is now deceased.
I never knew that a sword famous for being a masterpiece was actually a Demon Sword.
In that case, was the Tiger Sparrow Sword currently at Peerless Fortress?
I was more curious than greedy.
The legendary Gu Yaja made five Demon Swords.
And Prince Gyeongwang, the future Emperor, was searching for the whereabouts of those five Demon Swords.
There was undoubtedly a hidden secret he was looking for.
‘Do you know anything?’
Since they were there when the swords were created, I thought they might know something, but it was a bit disappointing that they knew nothing.
The Evil Connection Sword gave a snicker.
Her stickiness made me want to mute her again.
But I didn't think the Evil Connection Sword was right.
If that were the case, he wouldn't have left a burden like her with me.
‘Ah, sorry. I accidentally let my thoughts slip.’
In any case, Prince Gyeongwang was looking for something hidden within the swords, not the swords themselves.
That was why he took the rubbings.
If I continued to eavesdrop on the Prince’s conversation, something I could guess from might come up.
Ah.......
It was time for Prince Gyeongwang to sleep.
Returning to my quarters, I couldn't sleep due to my curiosity.
Someday, Prince Gyeongwang would ask to see the Blood Demon Sword, and that would likely be after he had checked most of the other Demon Swords.
If that happened, this secret would remain buried, known only to the Prince.
The Lesser Conversation Sword grumbled and shouted at me.
I had lowered the volume of their voices while I was lost in thought, so what was the problem?
I allowed the swords' voices to become louder.
Immediately, the Namcheon Iron Sword’s voice echoed in my head.
Wow.......
This was a whole new world.
It was utter chaos.
The Blood Demon Sword was only noisy when it bickered with the Lesser Conversation Sword or made sarcastic remarks, but with the Namcheon Iron Sword actively showing interest in the Evil Connection Sword, my head was ringing.
I really needed to seriously reconsider keeping the Evil Connection Sword.
‘Vixen?’
.......True, the two of them did seem quite similar.
I would have to give it serious thought after I developed my Illusion Eye further.
‘A good idea?’
The Heavenly Secret?
The Lesser Conversation Sword’s words made sense.
If I read the memories from when the Blood Demon Sword was created, I might discover the secret of why Gu Yaja made them.
The surroundings grew dark and shrouded in smoke as a vision appeared.
The place was filled with intense heat—it was a blacksmith’s forge.
In the center of the forge was a large pile of sand, and three swords were thrust into it.
One was the Blood Demon Sword.
Another was the Evil Connection Sword.
The third was a sword I had never seen before, with a slight notch at the base of the blade.
So that was the Tiger Sparrow Sword of the Muchen Sword Emperor, Tian Wuxing?
Like the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword, unique patterns were etched onto the blade, making it look like a work of art.
Next to the bellows, a sturdy old man with dark, sun-burnt skin was stripped to the waist, hammering a glowing red sword.
It seemed to be the process of tempering the blade.
It was still being made.
‘So you only know that you were born together.’
‘Then why did you show me this time period? You said I could find out why the five swords were forged.’
At his words, I fell silent and watched the old man hammering the iron.
He was likely the legendary master, Gu Yaja.
Before long, the door to the forge opened, and a shadow appeared.
His face was obscured because he was backlit by the sun.
Gu Yaja stopped his work at the man’s appearance and looked at him.
Then, a voice spoke.
[Is it the fourth one?]
Huh?
That was strange.
The voice sounded familiar.
As I was wondering, the old man I presumed to be Gu Yaja spoke.
[The owners for two of them have already been decided, and they are scheduled to be picked up soon.]
[Well done, Master Gu.]
It was indeed Gu Yaja.
However, Gu Yaja frowned and asked as if he couldn't understand.
[But I still do not understand why you asked me to give these swords, forged even with this precious Guanye Black Iron, to people of the martial world.]
[You only need to fulfill your duty as a master blacksmith.]
[If you say so, I suppose I have no choice. Then, should I find owners for the remaining swords as well?]
[Do so. Ensure the swords are never gathered in one place.]
[Understood. Then, I shall continue my work, as I cannot stop the tempering.]
The shadowed man nodded.
Gu Yaja turned back and began hammering the iron as its red glow began to fade.
At that moment, the man reached out to close the forge door.
As he did, his body turned inward, and his face became visible.
‘!!!’
The moment I saw that face, I couldn't hide my shock.
It was a man wearing a long official hat and the attire of a Taoist.
His two eyes were glowing with a golden light—he was the Golden-Eyed Man who had been imprisoned within Bongnim Valley.