Chapter 4: I Renounce It
Li Shuang’s eyes were as cold as sharpened steel in winter. In a flash, she stepped forward, her flowing robes billowing like clouds stirred by a fierce mountain wind. Sheng Yuan’s hand trembled, as though the wind itself had warned him.
Li Shuang lifted her hand—not to strike, but to unfasten the tassel from her Sinking Water Sword.
“Eldest Senior Sister! You…” Sheng Yuan stammered, his words caught like a kite ensnared in a storm.
In a clear, gentle tone, calm as a quiet lake at dawn, Li Shuang replied, “I forged this sword from rare metals, seeking each piece with care. Even the tassel was discovered after a long search in the bustling market. It was meant to strengthen the spirit of the sword. But now, since you have turned away from me, this small token loses its purpose. I must take back what I gave.”
With a graceful motion, she pressed her fingers together, and the tassel crumbled into dust, drifting away like mist under the morning sun. With each falling particle, Sheng Yuan’s heart quivered.
That tassel had been a birthday gift—a tender symbol of care. Once, when Sheng Yuan had complained that the Sinking Water Sword felt incomplete, Li Shuang had journeyed through crowded markets to find the perfect tassel. Yet now, without hesitation, she had destroyed it.
Sheng Yuan stared at her, his thoughts dark with bitter questions.
[What else has she taken away?]
Had she removed only the tassel, or had she severed every bond between them? His fingers hovered uncertainly near the sword’s hilt. It was as if Li Shuang had been right all along. Yet why did she now stand as if untouched by any guilt?
Her gaze drifted toward the Heaven and Earth Furnace, where a slow, steady glow began to rise. A faint, secret smile curved on her lips. Though the tassel held little true value, its destruction was not in vain. She had fed its dust into the Furnace, whispering a hidden strength into its flame.
Ye Zhao Zhao watched every movement with quiet understanding in her eyes.
[System, check the current Negative Emotion Value,] she thought silently.
No one knew Ye Zhao Zhao’s secret. She was a spirit from another realm, bound to the mysterious Parasitic Possession System. This system fed on every negative emotion her host felt, turning anger and sorrow into the energy of martial might. The stronger her host, the greater the fortune—and the more fuel for her rising power.
Yet as Li Shuang remained as serene as a mountain in winter, not even a spark of anger stirred within her. Ye Zhao Zhao’s heart sank with disbelief.
[Negative Emotion Value: 0.]
How could it be zero? All the dark energy she had stored was spent. She now had to await new waves of fury to grow stronger.
This was unacceptable. Sheng Yuan’s feeble attempts had failed to provoke even a glimmer of anger in Li Shuang.
Ye Zhao Zhao stepped forward, her voice soft yet edged like a hidden blade. “Eldest Senior Sister, please do not misunderstand me. On that fateful day, the Snow Monsters were fierce; it is natural that you hesitated. I recall how Long Yan pleaded with you to save me, yet you rebuked him harshly. Your Sword Spirit, ever loyal, obeyed your command. Eldest Senior Sister, Long Yan meant only to protect me. Please, do not punish him.”
A secret satisfaction stirred within Ye Zhao Zhao’s heart. She was sure that at that critical moment, Long Yan had struck fiercely against Li Shuang. Although she could not fathom how Li Shuang survived, she believed the bond between Master and Sword had been broken.
[How does it feel to be betrayed by your closest friend?] she mused. Surely, such betrayal should spark a storm of anger and sorrow.
Sheng Yuan sneered, his words as sharp as a blade, “Long Yan’s talents are wasted on a Master like you.”
Li Shuang watched the exchange with calm detachment, then smiled suddenly. In her hand appeared a magnificent sword, its blade etched with the ancient image of dragons. It was the fabled Dragon’s Roar Sword.
Ye Zhao Zhao’s eyes gleamed with longing. In the Sword Pavilion lay countless sword embryos, each bestowed upon a disciple when they joined the sect. The strength of a Sword Spirit depended on the disciple’s talent and destiny. Li Shuang, blessed by the heavens, had nurtured her sword spirit until it blossomed into the mighty Dragon’s Roar Sword.
Ye Zhao Zhao, however, had not been so fortunate. Her own sword embryo had remained dormant despite her best efforts. That was why she had abandoned the Black Abyss Sword so carelessly. A weak sword could not stand beside her; only the Dragon’s Roar Sword deserved her devotion.
Yet the sect’s rules were strict. Though she had schemed for Long Yan to betray Li Shuang, she could not seize the sword without dire consequences. Her plan had been simple: after Li Shuang perished, Ye Zhao Zhao would ascend the peak of Snow Mountain and claim the Dragon’s Roar Sword as her prize.
Who could have foreseen Li Shuang’s unexpected survival?
Li Shuang looked at Ye Zhao Zhao with an unyielding calm and said, “To make a Sword Spirit betray its Master—your skill is truly remarkable, Ye Zhao Zhao.”
Ye Zhao Zhao feigned innocence and softly replied, “Eldest Senior Sister, how can you call it betrayal? The Sword Spirit only wished to protect me.”
A cold smile curled on Li Shuang’s lips as she declared, “A sword that turns against its Master—I shall never wield it again. The Dragon’s Roar Sword… I no longer desire it.”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation