Stone-Slicing Sword

An unknown rooster crowing somewhere woke Gao Xian from his sleep.

Gao Xian lay in bed for a while, waiting for his mind to truly clear before getting up to check the One Yang Talisman on his door.

The talismans were all intact, clearly indicating that no evil spirits had visited.

This was within his expectations.

With his True Yang Spear raised to the Grandmaster level, he was extremely sensitive to the aura of evil spirits.

If Old Wang had truly come over, he would certainly have sensed it.

Gao Xian washed up and tidied himself, taking care to put on a new pair of shoes.

His cloth shoes could not withstand his current explosive power; after practicing his sword techniques a few times last night, they had been shredded beyond recognition.

Since he was heading out today, he could pick up a few things along the way.

The morning sun was bright, and there were many cultivators coming and going. Perhaps because of the pleasant weather, everyone's expressions were relatively relaxed and friendly.

Gao Xian felt he had been too tense before; Flying Horse Market was orderly, and generally, no one dared to cause trouble in broad daylight.

Besides, most of the cultivators looked sallow, wore tattered clothes, and their mana auras were faint.

His Grandmaster-level True Yang Spear had made his divine sense firm and his six senses sharp; looking at other cultivators now, he could easily discern their physical state and even sense the fluctuations of their mana.

His Grandmaster-level Lightning Dragon Hand granted him lightning-fast reaction speeds. As long as he willed it to activate, everyone around him would appear exceptionally sluggish.

Gao Xian felt emboldened and grew confident and composed; looking at others, he saw only good people. Well, at least none that posed a threat.

As Gao Xian walked along, he even caught the warm, fiery gazes of several female cultivators, which put him in an even better mood.

That was until he saw the black, mummified corpse at the intersection, which instantly ruined his good mood.

His sharp six senses allowed Gao Xian to observe many details on the body.

For instance, the painful, twisted expression on the corpse's face, and the irregular hole in its chest...

Only then did Gao Xian realize that having senses that were too sharp wasn't necessarily a good thing; the details he saw were deeply etched into his memory, impossible to forget even if he wanted to.

Yesterday, Zhu Qiniang had mentioned that there was a corpse at this intersection, clearly killed by an evil spirit, as the victim's body was withered like wood and black as charcoal—such characteristics were too obvious.

A few bold cultivators were gathered around the corpse, pointing and discussing the terror of evil spirits.

Gao Xian sighed inwardly; this brother had a hard life!

He didn't look any longer. This corpse served as a reminder that in this world, one must be cautious and meticulous to live a longer life.

Gao Xian's slightly drifting heart settled down. He stopped looking around and quickened his pace to cross the intersection.

Reaching the main street, Gao Xian carefully skirted around Longevity Hall; he didn't want to run into Shopkeeper Zhu.

It was mid-morning, and Hundred Weapons Hall had no customers; there was only a distracted clerk in the main hall.

Seeing Gao Xian enter, the clerk forced himself to perk up and squeezed out a smile: "What would you like to buy? We have everything here—swords, spears, halberds, and all kinds of magical artifacts..."

"Is Shopkeeper Huang in?" Gao Xian asked.

The clerk didn't recognize Gao Xian, so he looked him up and down before asking with a fawning smile: "What business do you have with our shopkeeper?"

"Please inform her that Gao Xian is here to see her," Gao Xian said.

The clerk hesitated for a moment before saying: "Please wait a moment."

He walked to the back door and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Shopkeeper, someone is here to see you!"

Before long, Huang Ying lifted the door curtain and walked out from the back. Her eyes lit up when she saw Gao Xian, and she said with a face full of joyful smiles: "Little brother is here! What a rare guest!"

Today, Huang Ying was still wearing a bright red dharma robe. The fabric was delicate and draped softly, perfectly highlighting the advantages of her figure.

The bright red also complemented her fair skin—the red was passionate, the white was supple—making it easy for anyone to feel her charm.

Huang Ying glared at the clerk: "This is my little brother. Next time he comes, invite him directly into the backyard. Do you understand?"

The clerk was startled. Huang Ying was always warm to customers, but allowing someone to enter her private quarters meant their relationship was clearly extraordinary.

He nodded hurriedly: "Understood, understood."

Huang Ying led Gao Xian to the main room in the backyard. She held Gao Xian's hand and said with a smile: "What brings you to see your sister today?"

"First, to deliver medicine to Sister Ying, and second, I want to buy a sword."

Gao Xian drew the Pine-Patterned Longsword from his waist and placed it on the table. "This sword can no longer be used."

Huang Ying picked it up and took a look. "Indeed. Not only is the sword deformed, but there are fine cracks inside the blade; it will break very easily. This sword is ruined."

Although she wasn't skilled in artifact refining, she dealt with weapons and magical artifacts every day. Her eye was sharp, and she saw the problem with the Pine-Patterned Longsword at a glance.

"This kind of ordinary refined steel sword is no good. A weapon must be of high quality."

As she spoke, Huang Ying stood up. "Wait a moment, little brother. I'll go get a few swords."

Before long, Huang Ying returned with two clerks. They carried over a dozen longswords and laid them all out on the tea table.

She said generously: "Choose whatever you like, little brother. I'll give you the best price."

"Thank you, Sister Ying," Gao Xian said sincerely. He was truly afraid that Huang Ying wouldn't want his money.

Free things were often the most expensive. He was doing business with Huang Ying and really didn't want to mix money with personal favors; it was too hard to calculate!

Long swords, short swords, broadswords, thin swords—a dizzying array of blades were laid out together, leaving Gao Xian dazzled and unsure of how to choose.

Huang Ying leaned in close to Gao Xian and introduced, "For close-combat swords, the first thing to look at is the feel. Draw them out and try them; whichever one feels right in your hand is the one to use, you can't go wrong."

"As for the material and forging craftsmanship, there isn't actually much difference between low-grade swords..."

Gao Xian felt this made a lot of sense, so he tried them one by one and selected a long sword similar in style to his Songwen Sword.

The blade shimmered with a cold light, looking sharp to the eye, and its weight was just right.

Gao Xian swung it casually, feeling it quite handy, and asked, "How is this sword?"

"That is the Stone-Slicing Sword, forged from cold iron and inscribed with a Sharp Metal Rune. It can slice through stone and snap metal without damaging the blade; it's a good sword. It's just that it weighs seventeen jin, which is a bit heavy. Does it feel comfortable to use?"

Huang Ying was a little surprised. Swords forged from cold iron were all very heavy; while low-level Qi Refining cultivators could easily pick them up, wielding them with ease was another matter entirely.

Generally speaking, only cultivators who had reached the middle stage of Qi Refining, with their abundant vitality and strong bones and muscles, could handle the Stone-Slicing Sword with ease.

Gao Xian casually spun a few sword flowers, then thrust the blade forward and precisely sheathed it.

He nodded with satisfaction: "I'll take this one. How many spirit stones?"

Watching Gao Xian's light and agile swordplay, Huang Ying knew his strength was truly great, and he was wielding the sword with room to spare.

For a Qi Refining early-stage cultivator, the fact that Gao Xian could achieve this clearly meant he had practiced body-refining techniques, which had made his bones and muscles strong and powerful.

She smiled and praised, "Little brother, your body-refining is impressive; you can handle such a heavy sword with ease."

"The Stone-Slicing Sword is of excellent quality, though the integrated rune is simple, making it a first-rank middle-grade sword. The market price is one hundred spirit stones. You only need to pay fifty, little brother."

"Thank you, Sister Ying."

Gao Xian picked up the Stone-Slicing Sword, smiling very happily. Regardless of the inscribed rune, the weight and hardness alone meant the weapon's power would be more than sufficient.

He said to Huang Ying, "Put it on my tab, and we'll settle everything at the end."

He and Huang Ying were selling Heavenly Gui Pill together, and they had agreed to settle accounts at the end of the month. Using this sword to offset the balance would save both of them trouble.

"It's not often you come by, little brother. Stay for lunch, it's my treat."

Huang Ying said enthusiastically, "That Old Li Wine Shop on the street prepares monster meat quite deliciously. I'll order a few good dishes, and we two can have a drink and chat..."

"Alright, I'll let you foot the bill, Sister Ying."

Gao Xian did not refuse. He had other matters to discuss with Huang Ying during this visit, so a good talk was definitely in order.

Sour and spicy pickled tendon, numbing fragrant lung slices, braised pork knuckle, big bone soup, along with several plates of dried fruits, preserved fruits, and other side dishes, plus a jar of rice wine brewed from spirit rice.

He didn't know how the meat dishes were prepared, but they were all incredibly flavorful. The rice wine was mellow and soft. It was the first time since transmigrating that Gao Xian had eaten so well, and he felt a heat rising through his body, sweating and feeling thoroughly satisfied.

Huang Ying's cheeks were flushed pink, her bright eyes hazy, and she sat closer and closer to Gao Xian, her body softening as she leaned against him.

Gao Xian wasn't drunk from the wine, but seeing Huang Ying looking as if she were ready to be plucked, his mind grew dizzy with a touch of intoxication...