My Master, She Was Already Gone
As they ventured deeper, more and more caverns were cleared out by Xie Lingchuan, and the inscriptions on the compass grew dimmer and dimmer.
As they walked, Xie Lingchuan used a spell to clean the stains off his blade with obvious distaste.
Only then did Zhu Lianqing get a close look at Xie Lingchuan's sword.
It was a very ordinary black iron sword. At most, its material was somewhat better, but it had no grade bonuses whatsoever.
In this world, the higher a sword's grade, the greater its spirituality. Swords of the highest grade were naturally born with sword souls, producing an effect where one plus one equaled three.
Even if it was not a divine weapon, the spirituality of a high-grade sword could help its wielder better comprehend sword moves and make awakening a heart sword and sword soul somewhat easier.
Xie Lingchuan's sword, however, could not possibly possess a sword spirit. As for awakening a sword soul, that was essentially a fool's dream.
Zhu Lianqing could hardly bear to look anymore.
After she left, had no one taken him to the Myriad Sword Tomb at Spirit Sword Mountain Manor to choose a sword when he came of age?
This had been a longstanding tradition of the Luoyu Sword Sect. Upon reaching adulthood, every disciple would be taken to Spirit Sword Mountain Manor in the Central Continent to choose a sword that suited them and shared a fated connection with them.
Spirit Sword Mountain Manor had the cultivation world's strongest swordsmith, and within the Myriad Sword Tomb in the mountains behind the sect lay a divine weapon secret realm left over from ancient times, which specifically dropped supreme-quality swords of divine weapon rank.
Although Immortal Master Zhu was already "dead," if anyone from the sect had taken Xie Lingchuan to the Myriad Sword Tomb, all they had to do was give his name,
Zhu Lianqing said, "You're so powerful, so why do you carry this iron sword? Those younger fellow disciples of yours all seem to have high-grade swords."
Xie Lingchuan seemed utterly unconcerned. "I'm used to it."
Zhu Lianqing felt embarrassed. "That's not a good habit to have. You cultivate the sword. If you had a specialized weapon, even if it wasn't a divine weapon, getting a high-grade sword would still be better than that lump of iron."
Xie Lingchuan pressed his lips together and did not reply.
Zhu Lianqing, however, was quite indignant. "Even if you don't understand, doesn't your master? You've already left the mountain, and she still hasn't told you?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Zhu Lianqing slapped her forehead and closed her eyes.
Oh no. His master is me.
I got so worked up that I even cursed myself.
But... back on Mount Shangqing, she had given Xie Lingchuan at least three high-grade weapons!
Zhu Lianqing opened her eyes and froze, because Xie Lingchuan was looking down at the ground, his expression considerably darker than before.
"My master, she's already gone."
Now Zhu Lianqing felt as though she had set fire to her own house. Flustered, she first walked over to pat Xie Lingchuan on the shoulder, then suddenly remembered that he probably did not like being touched by others, so she backed away two steps, waved her hands rapidly, then bowed with her hands clasped.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I got carried away. Please don't take it to heart!"
Xie Lingchuan shook his head. "It's fine."
The cavern fell silent for a moment, broken only by the click of the Demon-Detecting Needle as it pointed toward a new cavern.
Xie Lingchuan walked over with his sword in hand.
Zhu Lianqing stood rooted to the spot for two seconds.
Was she imagining things?
Why did she feel that Xie Lingchuan's expression and tone had carried a hint of hurt just now?
But hadn't this disciple of hers shown little emotional fluctuation when she died?
The ring of a sword sounded from inside the cavern, and only then did Zhu Lianqing come to her senses and follow.
After they cleared out cavern after cavern, the demonic qi throughout White Bone Cavern diminished considerably. Even the Demon-Detecting Needle turned very slowly.
It looked as though the ghouls had more or less been dealt with.
But Zhu Lianqing could still clearly sense that the yao qi inside remained dense, growing denser the farther they went.
It seemed the group of four fellow disciples next door had yet to find and deal with the moth yao.
"The ghouls' and moth yao's caverns might connect somewhere deeper inside. Let's not go back out. If we keep going forward, we might find Shen Ji and the others and lend them a hand."
Zhu Lianqing agreed. "Sure, I have no objections."
Zhu Lianqing treated a cavern of this level as nothing more than a way to rack up her WeChat step count out of boredom.
She followed behind Xie Lingchuan, but after only a few steps, he suddenly asked from up ahead:
"Senior, do you think the yao and demons in this world truly fall into good and evil?"
Zhu Lianqing paused, not understanding why Xie Lingchuan had suddenly brought up this topic.
In the past, Zhu Lianqing would certainly have said-yao, demons, ghosts, and monsters naturally fell into good and evil, just like humans. Cultivators should slay yao and exterminate demons, but the essence of doing so was still to punish evil and uphold good.
After all, that was how she had taught Xie Lingchuan before.
But things were different now. Her answer now ought to form a stark contrast with "Immortal Master Zhu's."
So Zhu Lianqing raised her chin and declared in a ringing voice, "Yao are yao, and demons are demons. They are naturally opposed to cultivators. Why bother distinguishing between good and evil? Naturally, they should be killed on sight."
After saying this, Zhu Lianqing could very clearly feel Xie Lingchuan's steps falter in front of her.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Lianqing asked blankly.
Xie Lingchuan slowly turned around and stared at Zhu Lianqing without a word.
The cavern was dimly lit, and the youth's face was obscured in the shadows, but displeasure was still discernible.
"Then, senior, do you mean that every yao and demon in this world should be slain, regardless of whether they are good or evil?"
It was rare for Xie Lingchuan to show a little of his edge, and Zhu Lianqing was surprised.
But after thinking it over, she recalled that she had told him from a very young age to slay only the wicked and never bully the good. With beliefs rooted in his heart since childhood being challenged, displeasure was normal, wasn't it?
So Zhu Lianqing nodded. "Yes. Naturally, they should be slain on sight, and absolutely none should be spared. Even if they have yet to commit evil, they absolutely must not be spared, lest we sow the seeds of a great calamity in the future."
In the darkness, a trace of viciousness flashed through Xie Lingchuan's eyes, but in the end, he lowered his gaze and suppressed that emotion.
Clearly, however, he no longer wished to stay too close to Zhu Lianqing. Clutching the Demon-Detecting Needle and carrying his sword, he turned without a word and walked ahead on his own, leaving Zhu Lianqing far behind in an instant.
Zhu Lianqing stood where she was, watching her disciple suffer the blow of their incompatible worldviews, and sighed.
But if she had not seen wrong, for one instant just now, she had even caught a glimpse of killing intent from Xie Lingchuan.
Surely a difference in their views on yao and demons was not that serious?
There were so many cultivators under heaven who regarded yao and demons as irreconcilable enemies and killed them on sight. If their paths differed, they could simply go their separate ways. Why draw a blade against one of their own?
While Zhu Lianqing stood there thinking, Xie Lingchuan had already entered another cavern.
At a corner, he slowly stopped, raised his head, and gazed ahead with unfocused eyes, murmuring:
"So that's it. Is that how it is..."
Only when footsteps sounded behind him did Xie Lingchuan gather his thoughts.
He placed a hand over his heart, let out a long breath, and continued forward with his expression as usual.
Meanwhile, the party searching for the moth yao gradually reached the depths of the caverns as well.