Ch 382: Sword And Knife

That Dan Family Woman, amidst a series of horrifying, strange laughs, crawled into the Alchemy Furnace.

Her laughter echoed within the furnace, as if the entire world was enveloped by this eerie sound.

Liu Ke and Xu Liang stood aside, silently watching this scene. Their faces showed no expression, only their eyes, fixed intently on the furnace.

Inside the furnace, the woman’s laughter grew louder; she seemed to be enjoying this final moment of madness.

Suddenly, a tremendous boom came from inside the furnace. Immediately afterward, a powerful force erupted from it, shattering the furnace to pieces.

Liu Ke and Xu Liang were forced backward by the force of the blast. After regaining their balance, they found the furnace had vanished, leaving only scattered fragments and wisps of black smoke.

Liu Ke silently lamented in his heart, the Dan Family Woman was truly insane, ending her life in such a manner. He couldn’t help but think of the others from the other families: the Wine Clan, the Martial Family, the Mo Family, and the Confucian. This encounter with the Dan Family was incredibly bizarre and frenzied.

Of the six families, Liu Ke had already met five; only the Tea Family remained. However, Liu Ke had no time to consider this; he felt exceptionally weak, as if all his strength had been drained.

Liu Ke slowly sat down. Cold sweat continuously beaded on his forehead, trickling down his cheeks and soaking his clothing. Seeing this, Xu Liang quickly approached and anxiously asked, “Liu Ke, what’s wrong with you?”

Liu Ke gasped for breath, weakly replying, “My Cultivation Technique has too many side effects. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Xu Liang furrowed his brow, pondering for a moment before saying, “Alright, then rest well. In your current state, I doubt you’ll be able to travel anytime soon.”

Liu Ke nodded; he knew Xu Liang was right. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and then said, “Xu Liang, could you do me a favor?”

“What is it? Just say it,” Xu Liang readily agreed.

“Help me find Mantis, then accompany me back to Blade Catcher Gate. I’ll pay you as promised.”

“No problem.”

But before Xu Liang could go find Mantis, it returned, looking at Liu Ke’s state and laughing, “Liu Ke, what are you doing? You took off your clothes mid-fight. What’s going on? Are there beautiful women here?”

“Stop joking around. Where have you been?”

“Nowhere. I was just taking a stroll.”

“A stroll? I almost died, and you went for a stroll?”

“I can’t be of much help here, so I might as well wander around.”

“I really should have brought Red Bean; it could treat you.”

“Tsk, It’s just a stupid chicken; what good is it?”

Mantis climbed onto Liu Ke’s shoulder. For the first time, Liu Ke felt Mantis’ weight.

Xu Liang quickly hoisted Liu Ke onto his back and then casually picked up the heavy sword case. His movements were smooth and natural, as if this was all part of his daily routine. Then, he bent down, gathered Liu Ke’s scattered clothes and other items, carefully tidying them up.

Xu Liang caught his breath, then turned to Liu Ke, smiling slightly and asking, “Liu Ke, how much reward money will you get for this mission?”

Liu Ke weakly shook his head, replying, “I’m not too sure, Xu Liang. Handling these matters is our duty as Blade Catchers. Ordinary demons and strange incidents don’t have extra rewards; we only receive a fixed monthly salary. Only exceptionally significant events yield extra reward money. However, this incident should get me a significant sum.”

Xu Liang thoughtfully nodded, then asked again, “So, Liu Ke, why did you become a Blade Catcher? It’s a dangerous job and can easily drive people mad.”

Liu Ke was silent for a while, then slowly said, “The reason is simple. I became a Blade Catcher so my family can eat and not pay so many taxes. Blade Catchers are officials. Once you become one, your family is exempt from taxes and receives government subsidies, not to mention the money from slaying demons.”

Xu Liang, upon hearing this, realized, “Oh, so that’s how it is, Liu Ke. It seems you have quite a few burdens.”

Liu Ke smiled, saying, “It’s normal. My family needs me. With my Blade Catcher identity, fewer people dare to bully my family.”

“Xu Liang, tell me about you. Why are you carrying a sword case, collecting famous swords across the land? I don’t think you’re from a wealthy family; why did you choose this goal?”

Xu Liang, carrying Liu Ke, walked steadily forward; the sword case swayed in his hand, emitting dull clanging sounds.

He was silent for a moment, as if recalling something, before slowly speaking, “When I was a child, I lived in the mountains. There was an old blacksmith in our village who made crude farming tools and occasionally repaired hunting knives for hunters. Once, a swordsman from outside came and his sword broke while passing through the village; he sought the old blacksmith’s help.”

“The swordsman carried a sword manual with him; its cover was worn out, but he treasured it greatly. I was mischievous then, and when he was napping, I secretly flipped through a few pages. It had drawings of clumsy sword techniques, along with inscriptions like ‘Green Blade Slashes Moon’ and ‘Flowing Shadow Pierces Yang’. I asked the old blacksmith if the sword could really be as powerful as the words described. He said, ‘It’s not the sword that’s powerful, but the person wielding it.’ But I always felt that you needed a good sword to match those powerful techniques.”

Mantis on Liu Ke’s shoulder sneered, “With you carrying that sword case, you look like you’re carrying a dung bucket. You want to play with famous swords?”

Xu Liang wasn’t annoyed; he chuckled, “You don’t understand. My father used to tell me that people should have something to look forward to in life. His was to grow a thousand-jin yield of rice per mu, but he didn’t succeed until his death. I don’t have his ability, so I want to see all the famous swords in the world, even if I only touch or look at them, it’s a life well-lived.”

He paused, then said, “Besides, collecting famous swords isn’t just for fun. A few years ago, I passed a town and saw government officials seizing grain from the commoners. A scholar tried to stop them with a rusty sword, but he was beaten to death. At that moment, I thought, if he had a truly good sword, would things have been different?”

Liu Ke weakly responded, “A good sword is ultimately an inanimate object; it’s all about what the person wielding it intends to do.”

“Maybe,” Xu Liang stepped over a ditch. “But I still feel that with one more sword capable of slaying demons, the world would have one less worry. When I’ve collected all the famous swords, I’ll open a blacksmith shop and teach those who want to protect themselves how to use a sword. If you’re still a Blade Catcher then, I’ll give you the best one.”

“I use a blade.”

“Hehehe, that’s great!”