kvmb Chapter 338 "The Sword Never Ceases to Strike"
Chapter 338 "The Sword Never Ceases to Strike"
Most traditional stories depict young people just entering the martial arts world, but "Ten Days Without Sealing the Blade" tells the story of a chivalrous knight who has retired from the martial arts world.
She was very old, and her knife skills were far slower than when she was young.
When that brilliant and naive swordsman, new to the world of martial arts, used a move called "Dragon Probing the Water" to knock the slightly dulled blade from her hand, and the chilling tip of his sword was pressed against her throat, the already gray-haired swordsman knew—
This is no longer her era.
A lean horse, an old knife, and the setting sun.
The aging swordsman retired from the martial world.
Until the past, the scrolls faded to yellow, were shelved, covered in layers of dust, and gradually forgotten.
The town has been rather unsettled lately.
It seems as if some ghost is at work.
If the heart and liver are ripped out and discovered too late, only a dried-up corpse remains, its life force seemingly drained. Legend has it that some people have seen ghostly soldiers passing by at night, a dark mass carrying flags, with eerie will-o'-the-wisps.
The aging swordsman's fighting spirit was rekindled.
She took out the dusty knife.
This knife is dull and not very sharp. It has been stored in its box for many years and is covered in rust. Yet it has slaughtered hundreds and thousands of people. The knife exudes a chilling murderous aura and surging bloodlust, making it capable of fighting against ghosts and gods.
The rusty knife was hidden under the desk.
I'll patrol the streets at night and try to encounter the legendary ghost soldiers.
Her little shop didn't have many customers, just enough to make a living, but today someone came to visit—a young, chivalrous woman, spirited and with her long hair flowing, she pushed open the door and said:
"I've heard that you have a peerless sword hidden here. May I borrow it?"
But the elderly, weathered swordsman still needed the sword and naturally refused to give it up.
"Grandma, this knife is just gathering dust by your side. Why not lend it to me and slaughter those bandits who burn, kill, and plunder in Jiangnan, and open up a bright and clear world!"
The elderly swordsman still shook his head.
Ghosts and monsters now roam the town. Without this rusty knife, steeped in murderous intent, she would likely be doomed. But with this knife, she might still be able to fight against the legendary ghost soldiers.
He slayed demons before his death, and even in the underworld he roamed freely.
This was the way she had planned to die.
She should have died long ago, on the day she retired from the martial world, instead of hiding in a small town to live out her remaining years. The old swordsman has endured day after day until now, unwilling to be buried in a haphazard manner, insisting on sacrificing some dignity before she dies.
Moreover, she had not heard of any bandits in Jiangnan.
When asked why the young swordsman didn't seek another method or call upon others in the martial world for help, the impetuous young girl stammered and couldn't give a clear answer.
The elderly swordswoman not only forgot many things, but was also very stubborn. The young swordswoman might not be able to completely eradicate the ghost soldiers, and she was too old to accompany him to Jiangnan.
One wanted to die a worthy death, the other wanted to be born at the right time.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
After the first part of "Ten Days Without Sealing the Blade" was introduced, the disciples of the two sects discussed it animatedly.
"As the saying goes, he's actually picked up his pen again, and his skill is as good as ever!"
"I think it's just that people get old; this story is full of holes."
"That's right, the main character doesn't even have a name!"
"No, this is only the first part; the second part hasn't been released yet. I think this story is quite well-written..."
"I don't understand. The old swordsman was right. Why not gather everyone to rescue Jiangnan? Instead, why go all the way to borrow a sword? Isn't that going the long way around?"
"Dong dong dong——"
As the bell rang, the clamor from the audience subsided, and the elder of the Xiaotian Sect on the stage formally posed the question:
"Tell me, to whom does this knife belong?"
As soon as the question was posed, Xu Piao, the debater from the Xiaotian Sect, confidently stated:
"Of course it belongs to that young swordsman!"
As he finished speaking, he swished open his folding fan with a "whoosh," displaying an air of refined elegance.
Compared to him, Zhang Zhihan on the other side was still immersed in the story, seemingly not yet having figured it out.
He didn't understand, but those on the Star-Picking Tower side did.
No wonder the Howling Sky Sect chose this story!
This is not a contest between young and old swordsmen over precious swords; it is clearly a contest between the lineages of the Xiaotian Sect and the Zhaixing Tower!
In their eyes, Zhaixinglou was that old swordsman who had a long-standing reputation but was no longer worthy of it.
But the Xiaotian Sect is different.
He is a young knight-errant who truly embodies the spirit of chivalry and can interpret the meaning of "chivalry".
In short, what the Howling Sky Sect is saying is—it's time for you to step down!
That's utterly arrogant.
Shen Anzhi understood the analogy, and he commented calmly:
"Extreme inferiority breeds affected madness."
That assessment is accurate enough.
As the only person in the room who knew what would happen next, Zhu Wuyao counted the days and realized that the second part of "Ten Days Without Sealing the Blade" was going to be released today.
If this debate had lasted longer, perhaps it could have caught up with the disciples of the Xiaotian Sect and brought back the second part.
If I had known the debate would be on the topic of "Ten Days Without Sheathing the Sword," I would have volunteered!
When it comes to understanding conversational texts, no one can compare to her as a writer!
It remains to be seen whether Zhang Zhihan on the stage can discern the unspoken meaning behind Xiaotianzong's words or guess how the story will unfold.
But Zhu Wuyao was certain that Xiaotian Sect had absolutely not understood this story.
Otherwise, the debate wouldn't have been about "who this knife belongs to."
Zhang Zhihan pondered for a moment, then said with a hint of realization:
"So that's why I'm the one here to debate the scriptures."
Could it be that Senior Sister Gu had foreseen this all along?
The soft sigh reached Zhu Wuyao's ears. She looked up at Gu Yiguan, who was sitting at the head of the table. She saw that her senior sister Gu was sitting steadily on the high platform, looking at the discussion platform with great interest.
Every movement was natural, showing no sign of distraction or loss of focus.
Zhang Zhihan, standing on the stage, thought for a moment and said:
"The story is good, but the topic is not good."
"How about changing it to: If you can't have the best of both worlds, should you be born at the right time or die at the right place?"
The Xiaotian Sect did not understand its meaning.
In their view, the debate topic raised by Zhang Zhihan and the original debate topic of Xiaotian Sect were clearly about the same thing.
If that knife were to belong to the young swordsman, he would naturally go to Jiangnan to save the day and solve the crisis, which would be considered a stroke of good fortune.
If the knife belongs to the elderly swordsman, then it should remain in the town for a final battle, a death that would be worthy of his name.
Moreover, the purpose of raising this topic was not to debate doctrines, but to subtly imply that Zhaixinglou should step down.
They exchanged glances several times, one on stage and one off.
In the end, the elders of the Xiaotian Sect nodded, tacitly agreeing to the change in the debate topic.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, let's agree on the topic you suggested!"
"If a winner is determined at that time, don't say that my Xiaotian Sect had the home advantage and was able to win this game."
Zhang Zhihan nodded.
Let the Xiaotian Sect choose their side first.
Xu Piao, who was standing waving a fan, pondered for a moment and said:
"The chaos in the small town is nothing compared to the danger posed by the bandits in Jiangnan. If this sword is given to a young swordsman, he might be able to use his strength to quell the rampant evil spirits in the town."
"This way, we can have the best of both worlds."
"If the elderly swordsman coveted the empty fame of 'dying in the right place,' hindering the young swordsman's 'birth at the right time,' and causing the chaos that could have been quelled to be delayed for a long time, then she cannot be considered to have died in the right place."
"Perhaps her fate lies here—to abdicate and hand over the sword to a young swordsman."
"If that's the case, then we should follow the tradition."