บท 13: What's Broken?
บรรณาธิการ: EndlessFantasy Translation
Shen Wu wanted to assure her that he did not peek on purpose, just that his five senses happened to be sharper than most ordinary people. In addition, he had no interest in Wen Ran because she was still young. Unfortunately, Wen Ran did not believe his words, and she only put on her clothes after chasing Shen Wu some hundred meters away.
She took out a Clear Heart Pill and ate it. Those pills were used by disciples to clear their minds and vision during cultivation. Wen Ran felt that she could use that pill in place of blood pressure medication because she did not have the luxury of getting the latter at that kind of place.
The fact that she had to take blood pressure medication as a young, 17-year-old girl was solely Shen Wu's fault.
Shen Wu walked over some time later and was seemingly unaware of her aversion to him. He still had that clear smile on his face as he said, "There's a path over there, Ranran. Let's go that way."
Wen Ran didn't want to leave. She pointed to the hole above her and said, "Can't you send me up there with your sword?"
It was the norm for cultivators like them to ride their flying swords, and since they could fly out of the cave, there was really no point in searching for another exit.
Wen Ran might not be able to ride a flying sword since did not have much spiritual energy left in her body, but Shen Wu could still do it!
To her surprise, there was a look of dejection in Shen Wu's eyes. "I'm sorry, Ranran. I encountered a few demonic beasts when I was scouting the path earlier, and my sword ended up breaking when I was dealing with them."
Wen Ran was shocked. "That's the sword Old Wen gave you!"
Shen Wu's sword was called Flawseeker, and it was a treasured sword that had existed since the establishment of the Immortal Ascension Mansion. It could even be said that the sword remained strong even as more than a dozen mansion masters had come and went. How could it have broke?
There was no doubt that the sword was supposed to be broken, but that was supposed to occur later in the plot, when Shen Wu—who went through so much torment just to win the female lead's heart—eventually turned into a demon. Flawseeker was a sword that slayed demons and devils, which naturally meant that it could no longer be used by him.
Shen Wu then destroyed the sword himself, symbolizing that he had completely embarked on a radical path to court his wife and was no longer on a righteous path.
However, the sword was supposed to be broken in the later stages of the plot instead of at that moment.
Shen Wu stretched out his hand and showed that the Flawseeker had been broken into half.
Wen Ran was speechless. She could almost imagine how devastated Old Wen would be when he saw the broken Flawseeker. "Eldest Senior Brother, do you know that there is a saying amongst sword cultivators like us that our sword is one half of our life, and there's also a rule that says, 'live by the sword and die without it'."
"I have heard of it."
"I have a proposition..." Wen Yu smiled. "Let's make a Deal. I won't tell anyone that your sword is broken, but you have to break off our engagement after we get out of here. After that, you can secretly find a skilled craftsman to repair the sword. Do we have a deal?"
That was one way to get out of the engagement!
Shen Wu's black pupils twinkled like the night sky and flickered with light. "That's a good suggestion."
"Does this mean you agree?"
Shen Wu nodded. "I agree."
It was an offer he could not refuse! Wen Ran had thought to herself and remembered that she and him lacked any deep affection with each other. When taken with the fact that the broken sword would become a stain on his life as a swordsman, it was more worthwhile to choose to break off the engagement with her.
The broken sword in Shen Wu's hand disappeared, and he seemed distressed again. "But you wanted me to ride the flying sword and bring you out through the cave entrance. I'm unable to do that because I don't have a sword."
"It's fine, you can use mine." Wen Ran conjured her own sword, named Sunset. Although Sunset sword was not as good as the Flawseeker, it was still a rare sword. The old man had spent a lot of effort to get it for her, and it was the most suitable sword for her cultivation method.
"That'll do." Shen Wu smiled.
He took Sunset from her hand and a "crack" sound was heard all of a sudden.
Wen Ran froze. "Did you hear anything strange?"
Shen Wu's face was blank. "No."
A series of cracking sounds was then heard.
Shen Wu lowered his head to take a look and came to a sudden realization. He then kindly reminded Wen Ran, "Your sword is broken."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cracks on Sunset began spreading and it broke into two.
The corners of Wen Ran's mouth trembled. "My sword... What happened to my sword?"
"It's broken."
"What's broken?"
"Your sword."
Shen Wu kindly helped her to see the reality that she refused to accept.
"My sword!" Wen Ran held Sunset, which had been broken in half. She wanted to cry, but the tears did not come. The sword that had accompanied her since she was six—be it when she was catching fish in the water or prodding bird nests from the trees—had broken so easily! She glared at the white-clad, innocent-looking young man. "SHEN WU!"
"Ranran, I can understand how you feel, but let's look at it from another perspective: Sunset has gone Flawseeker. They were born in this world without being by each other's side, but they have now died together. It is a blessing for them."
It was not a blessing for Wen Ran though!
Shen Wu thought of something."Speaking of which, we sword cultivators have a saying that the sword is one half of our life, and there's a rule that says live by the sword and die without it..."
"The path you just discovered is over there, right? Let's not waste any more time then. We should start moving and find a way out. Who knows, we might even make it for dinner."
Wen Ran was quite the pragmatic person.
Shen Wu gazed admiringly at her.
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