Sacrifice: Cool Wind Blade Momentum!

Jiang Che's words, along with his humble demeanor, truly moved Deng Yan, who quickly pledged his loyalty:

"My lord treats me with such kindness, I, Deng Yan, will repay you with my life. I seek no position as deputy commander; I only wish to serve by your side from now on."

As he spoke, he also picked up a small knife, cut his palm, and let his blood flow into the wine bowl. He then cupped his hands in respect and was about to drink it, but Jiang Che raised his hand and stopped him.

What a joke, he had finally tricked a blade cultivator into giving him palm blood, how could he let Deng Yan drink it?

"My lord?"

Deng Yan was confused and looked at Jiang Che with a frown.

"Since we are brothers, how can I drink alone? Let us swear a blood oath, sharing honor and disgrace from this day forward." Jiang Che looked at him sincerely, then took the other's wine bowl and drank it all on the surface.

In reality, however, he quickly stored the bowl of wine in the Heavenly Stele Space while covering his face.

"Share honor and disgrace!"

Deng Yan nodded heavily, picked up Jiang Che's bowl of wine, and drank it in one gulp.

The atmosphere reached its peak, and the relationship between the two sides became extremely harmonious. The four of them clinked glasses and soon finished the entire jar of wine they had brought. Jiang Che then asked Hu Zi to go buy more food and wine nearby.

"Since my lord is staying at my place, I should be the one to buy it."

Deng Yan felt a bit ashamed.

"We are brothers, let's not worry about such things."

Jiang Che waved his hand, signaling him not to mind.

He had certainly gained an advantage from this trip.

Indeed, given Jiang Che's current status, obtaining the palm blood of an Inner Breath Realm blade cultivator was not an insurmountable task, but it would require some effort and delay.

Now, however, he had obtained it with just a few words, and at the same time, he had brought the powerful Deng Yan under his command, killing two birds with one stone.

That day, the four of them continued drinking until dusk.

"Old Deng, I see so many broken swords in your room. Did you collect them over the years?"

Jiang Che looked at the items in the room with a slightly flushed face.

"Yes, this wooden sword, it was mine..."

"This one, I once..."

Deng Yan introduced Jiang Che to some of his experiences when he was practicing martial arts. He was very happy today, not only had he resolved his past grievances with Jiang Che, but they also got along very well.

"Actually, I am also a lover of swords, especially these broken weapons. They are a testament to a martial artist's training. It's a pity that my family fell into decline later, and I couldn't bother with those things, and they are all lost now."

Jiang Che planned to "shear" Deng Yan again.

"My lord also uses a sword regularly. Could you please give me some pointers?"

Deng Yan's eyes showed a hint of surprise. He was a sword fanatic who enjoyed sparring with others. Jiang Che was stronger than him, and he subconsciously assumed that Jiang Che's swordsmanship was also superior to his.

He was quite eager and excited to try.

Jiang Che coughed twice and casually waved his hand:

"I'm only slightly skilled in swordsmanship."

"The solidity of your foundational stances, my lord, is something I've never seen before. I imagine your swordsmanship is the same. I truly hope you can point out my shortcomings."

Deng Yan said quickly.

He didn't believe Jiang Che's casual dismissal of being "slightly skilled."

He just thought Jiang Che looked down on his weak swordsmanship.

"Sparring is fine, but your arm is injured, so it's not suitable for physical activity. How about this: after you recover, we can have a match, how does that sound?" Jiang Che knew that his swordsmanship would greatly improve after the Sacrifice.

It was better to lay the groundwork now.

This way, he wouldn't shock people too much.

Geniuses are valued, but becoming a monstrous prodigy might not be the case.

Because his talent was truly ordinary, his ability to quickly master various martial arts relied entirely on Sacrifice.

At least until he had the strength to protect himself, such astonishing 'martial arts' talent should be concealed a little.

Otherwise, if people realized that he could master various techniques without any prior training, it would inevitably attract the attention of certain individuals.

"Alright, then I will spar with you after I recover."

Deng Yan's eyes showed a little disappointment.

Just as Jiang Che was contemplating how to get Deng Yan to offer him some broken swords, Deng Yan spoke up:

"My lord, if you like them, please take them. I can't use these swords anymore anyway."

Deng Yan wasn't oblivious to social cues, he just didn't focus on them. He could naturally see that Jiang Che seemed very interested in the long swords displayed on the rack.

"Then I shall not refuse your kind offer."

Jiang Che nodded and immediately agreed.

After leaving Deng Yan's home, the sky had completely darkened. Jiang Che told Geng Dabiao to go back and rest, while he followed Xu Chenghu back to a courtyard rented by Xu San'er in the west city.

With the two offerings ready, it was time to retrieve the last one, Swift Wind Grass.

The courtyard Xu San'er rented wasn't large, only having three rooms: one for him and his wife, one for Xu Chenghu and his younger brother, and the last one used as a kitchen.

It was also Jiang Che's first time meeting Xu San'er's wife.

She was less than forty, but her face was incredibly aged and deeply wrinkled. Her eyes were timid and fearful, avoiding his gaze as she bowed her head to pour water.

"Commander, why... why have you come?"

Xu San'er rubbed his hands, looking nervous.

"Nothing. I just came along with Hu Zi to take a look."

Jiang Che smiled.

"Hu Zi hasn't been causing trouble with you, has he?"

Xu San'er's expression was anxious.

"He hasn't caused any trouble. Oh right, did you handle the matter I assigned you today?" Jiang Che quickly changed the subject.

"Yes, yes, I did. Please wait a moment."

Xu San'er immediately got up and went back into his room, retrieving a black cloth-wrapped package. Inside were about a dozen Swift Wind Grass plants.

"I was planning to bring them to you first thing tomorrow morning. If I had known you were in a hurry, I would have..." Xu San'er was sharp and quickly guessed Jiang Che's purpose for bringing Hu Zi.

He then returned the remaining silver to Jiang Che.

However, Jiang Che did not accept it, only taking the Swift Wind Grass.

Swift Wind Grass wasn't precious, but it was hard to find. He could guess that Xu San'er had probably spent the entire day searching for it. The remaining silver was less than two taels, which he considered compensation for the effort.

But he couldn't say it was for that reason.

"Consider this silver as a settling-in fund for you and Hu Zi. Buy Hu Zi more meat to supplement his diet. For martial artists, if their vitality is insufficient, the more they train, the more they deplete themselves."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Oh, right, how is the house hunting coming along?"

"I found one, but the asking price is a bit high. I was thinking of letting them wait a few days to lower the price before reporting back to you."

"I trust you with this matter."

Jiang Che nodded slightly and, after staying at the Xu residence for a while longer, took his leave.

Returning to the inn.

Jiang Che sat cross-legged on the bed, closing his eyes.

His consciousness sank into the Heavenly Stele Space.

[Sacrifice Target: Minor Accomplishment of Cool Wind Blade Momentum.]

[Sacrifice Cost: Ten drops of palm blood from an Inner Breath Realm blade cultivator, three rusted broken blades, ten stalks of Swift Wind Grass, lifespan reduced by half a year. Proceed with sacrifice?]

The Swift Wind Grass, the palm blood of an Inner Breath Realm blade cultivator, and the three rusted broken blades were all neatly arranged.

Then, Jiang Che willed it.

[Sacrifice!]