Chapter 366: Uprooting the Sword Tomb
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“Is the Sword Tomb about to open?”
“Speaking of which, though Lou Jin Tang is exceptionally talented, I wonder if she will gain the Sword Tomb’s recognition.”
“The last person to be acknowledged by the Sword Tomb was Lou Qing Mo, and that was seven or eight years ago.”
“If Lou Jin Tang fails to gain the Sword Tomb’s approval, can she still become the clan leader?”
The clan members followed behind, murmuring amongst themselves, doubt evident in their eyes.
“Come to think of it, Jin Tang is the first girl of the Lou Family to enter the Sword Tomb. I wonder if she can obtain its recognition…”
Lou Jin Tang tugged at the sleeve of the Seventh Elder. “Elder, can I bring Chao Chao with me?”
“Chao Chao taught me swordsmanship, so she isn’t really an outsider.”
The elders discussed for a moment before nodding in agreement.
General Lou took a deep breath, gathering his strength in his dantian, and shouted, “Open, the Sword Tomb!”
A massive stone door slowly creaked open.
A wave of sword energy surged forth, carrying an aura both sharp and ancient.
“If I find a sword I like, can I take it?” Lu Chao Chao casually asked before stepping inside.
The elders burst into laughter. “Of course! If you find one you like, feel free to take it!”
The clan members chuckled as well.
“Little Princess, you may not know this, but the Lou Family’s Sword Tomb has its own temperament. If it deems someone unworthy, they won’t be able to pull a sword out even if they exhaust all their strength. Only those recognized by the Sword Tomb can wield a spirit sword,” one clan member kindly explained.
Oh. Lu Chao Chao nodded thoughtfully.
So that’s why they let me in—they already knew I wouldn’t be able to pull one out.
Lou Mu stepped forward and hugged Jin Tang, her voice choked with emotion. “Tang’er, whether or not you can draw a sword, whether or not the Sword Tomb acknowledges you, you are still my most outstanding child. I have made you worry…” Her voice trembled.
“I will live well, I will guard you well, I will protect our home.”
“Today, you did nothing wrong. Qing Mo would be proud of you.” Her Qing Mo could finally rest in peace.
Lou Jin Tang’s eyes turned red. “Mother, I understand.”
Lou Jin Tang took the lead, while Lu Chao Chao, Xie Yu Zhou, and the dog trailed leisurely behind.
Three people and a dog strolled into the Sword Tomb.
With a heavy rumble, the stone doors shut behind them, trapping them inside.
“Chao Chao, be careful. These swords all have their own temperaments. Be mindful not to get hurt by their sword intent…” Lou Jin Tang softly warned.
Both sides of the path were lined with spirit swords—some half-buried, some covered in scars, and others rusted with age.
“These spirit swords were retrieved from ancient battlefields by the Lou Family’s ancestors. After a thousand years of reverence, they became the Lou Family’s Sword Tomb.”
“Every outstanding disciple of the Lou Family is allowed to enter upon coming of age and select a spirit sword.”
“However, very few are ever acknowledged by the Sword Tomb and allowed to take a sword with them,” Lou Jin Tang explained with great reverence.
“The Sword Tomb has a soul of its own. It must never be offended.”
She bowed respectfully in all directions.
“Lou Jin Tang, fifteenth-generation disciple of the Lou Family, enters under the patriarch’s decree to claim a sword.”
“I humbly seek your approval.”
With utmost sincerity, Lou Jin Tang knelt and bowed deeply.
“Has the Lou Family fallen so far that it now needs a mere seven-year-old girl to bear this burden?”
“Laughable, laughable…”
“I refuse to be the sword of a mere child.”
“I refuse to be wielded by a woman.”
Laughter echoed from all directions—some voices aged and withered, some feminine and proud. The cacophony was condescending and dismissive.
Lou Jin Tang pressed her lips tightly together, her face pale but her eyes unwavering. “I will not disappoint the spirit swords. I will not lose to any man.”
“Take one of the swords here and leave.”
“Just leave!”
Lou Jin Tang’s eyes welled with unshed tears. “I will not leave! Though I am a woman, my heart burns with the desire to protect my home and nation! I will never surrender!”
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.
“Spirit swords, please follow me out of the Sword Tomb and defend our homeland together!” She grasped a sword with all her strength, yet it did not budge.
She pressed on.
“Spirit swords, please follow me out of the Sword Tomb and defend our homeland together!” She clutched a delicate small sword, but the spirit sword repelled her, denying her even the chance to pull it out.
“Spirit swords, please follow me out of the Sword Tomb and defend our homeland together!” She seized a broad, heavy sword.
This one bore fire attributes. The hilt was burning hot, and Lou Jin Tang’s young hands, soft and pale, clenched around it.
The moment she touched it, she let out a pained gasp.
Her delicate hands began to bleed, the air filled with the faint scent of scorched flesh.
Xie Yu Zhou stomped his foot anxiously. “Let go! Let go! Your hands are blistering! Your skin is peeling onto the sword!!”
“You’re bleeding!” Xie Yu Zhou was both furious and distressed.
Tears the size of pearls streamed down Lou Jin Tang’s face, her body trembling with pain.
“Why won’t you come with me? The Sword Tomb judges by talent—I possess extraordinary talent, so why won’t you follow me?”
“Just because I am a woman?”
“Brother Qing Mo is dead! I can still stand tall! I can still uphold the Lou Family!”
“I will not leave! I will not leave!” The little girl bit her lip so hard that blood seeped from the wound.
Xie Yu Zhou let out an exasperated sigh and immediately rushed forward, grabbing her waist and dragging her backward.
“You’ll die!”
“Your mother only has you! What will she do if something happens to you?”
Lou Jin Tang’s grip weakened, and she was pulled away by Xie Yu Zhou.
Her hands were covered in burns, raw and bloody, leaving a trail of crimson behind her.
Lou Jin Tang collapsed, breaking down completely.
“I can accept losing to talent, I can accept losing to effort, but I refuse to lose because of gender!”
Lu Chao Chao finished eating her melon seeds and clapped her hands.
She strolled to the stone door and casually bent down beside the first sword…
With one effortless tug, she pulled out a sword. “Like this one?”
Clang.
Before Lou Jin Tang could react, Lu Chao Chao pouted and tossed the sword aside. “Useless scrap metal! Might as well use it to plow the fields! Hardly worthy of being called a sword!”
“How about this one?”
“Or this one?”
“This one seems too bulky for you. Never mind.”
“This one looks too flashy…”
“Gender discrimination? Old geezer, what nonsense!”
“In a moment, I’ll dump all of these into the manure pit!”
“Can’t be pulled out? I insist on pulling them out! What’s the big deal?!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
One by one, the spirit swords were casually flung out.
In mere moments, half of the Sword Tomb lay empty.
The Sword Tomb trembled violently…
Outside, the Lou clan members staggered as the ground shook. “What’s happening? What’s going on?!”
Lou Jin Tang clung to the wall to keep from falling.
The very swords she had been unable to move were now being pulled out as effortlessly as vegetables from a garden.
“Taking on a disciple, picking a sword—I was giving you face! You dare refuse? Now suffer the consequences!”
Lou Jin Tang and Xie Yu Zhou gaped in shock as Lu Chao Chao emptied the Sword Tomb, piling the swords before Lou Jin Tang.
“Choose.”
“My disciple will not suffer such indignity!”