Martial Cultivator

Looking at the flying sword hovering before him, Chen Chao was at a loss whether to cry or laugh.

The other sword cultivators looked up at him, their eyes filled with surprise and envy.

Master Zuo also chuckled heartily, ”It seems Red Candle has chosen a young talent as its master. Fellow Daoist, come down for a chat?”

At present, everyone assumed Chen Chao was chosen as the master of the flying sword. However, Chen Chao knew his own abilities well and did not believe he had the talent to become a sword cultivator.

He stepped aside slightly, and sure enough, the flying sword darted into the building, continuously humming in front of the woman with great delight.

The flying sword had chosen this woman.

Chen Chao looked downstairs and said with a smile, ”Master Zuo, the flying sword didn’t choose me. It seems that Master Zuo will have to invite this young lady downstairs for a chat.”

Seeing this scene, Master Zuo’s expression suddenly turned icy. He had crafted the flying sword for ten years and it could choose any sword cultivator as its master, except for this woman. If a courtesan took away his flying sword, he would not be able to show his face in public again.

The woman was initially surprised, then frightened, but quickly calmed down. She reached out with her delicate fingers to touch the sword’s body, and Red Candle’s sword humming grew even louder. This flying sword, which Master Zuo had spent ten years crafting, was highly spiritual and of superior quality. Although it could not quite match the flying swords crafted by Sword Qi Mountain, it was not far off.

But after a moment, the woman sighed, ”It seems we are fated but not destined to be together.”

Having spent many years in this brothel, she had seen many people and naturally knew the kind of person Master Zuo was. A master swordsmith like him would never hand over a painstakingly crafted flying sword to her.

In other words, even if she obtained the flying sword today, it did not mean she could embark on the path of a sword cultivator and become one.

Master Zuo’s expression looked grim, and he remained silent for a long time. His earlier grand words had been spoken. But now, faced with this outcome, he felt like his face had been utterly lost regardless of what he did.

”How can Master Zuo’s painstakingly crafted flying sword fall into the hands of a courtesan? I implore Master to take back the flying sword!”

”Indeed, how can Master Zuo’s crafted flying sword be given to a courtesan? Besides, is she even a sword cultivator?”

”Perhaps the flying sword has just been temporarily misled.”

A sword cultivator spoke up, and several others quickly chimed in, creating a noisy commotion below the platform.

Master Zuo’s expression eased a bit, this helped him regain some face. With the support of these sword cultivators, retrieving the flying sword would not seem so abrupt.

”In that case, Dayou, go retrieve the flying sword!”

Master Zuo quickly made a decision and, unwilling to waste his saliva, directly instructed his disciple to take back the flying sword.

A burly man nodded and wanted to step out from the crowd.

Chen Chao turned his head to look at the woman before him. She did not show much disappointment and remained very calm.

Chen Chao asked, ”Don’t you feel wronged?”

The woman smiled, ”It belongs to someone else to begin with. If they want it back, what can this humble self do?”

Chen Chao thought for a moment and then smiled, ”Let me ask you a question. If you answer, I’ll help you out.”

The woman understood Chen Chao’s intention and shook her head, ”I appreciate your kindness, Sir, but this humble self isn’t that kind of person. Dragging Sir into this mess would only cause more trouble.”

Chen Chao asked curiously, ”Is that the truth?”

The woman did not hide it, ”Half true, half false.”

Chen Chao laughed, ”Let me guess, half is because you’re genuinely worried about me getting into trouble, and the other half is because you’re afraid that after I leave, you’d be powerless to protect this flying sword. After all, the saying ’a man’s wealth is his own ruin by causing other’s greed’ is something you understand too. So you can’t bring yourself to ask me to help you all the way through.”

The woman smiled bitterly and then nodded, ”Sir is indeed not an ordinary person.”

Chen Chao did not waste any more words and said, ”I’ll be honest with you. The trouble at hand is really not trouble for me. As for the events that will follow, they would indeed be somewhat troublesome since I’m not a sword cultivator. But if I try hard, I should be able to handle it. You have to think carefully. If you don’t want to stay here any longer and want to become a sword cultivator, your life will be entirely different.”

The woman’s eyes widened, and soon her eyes were filled with tears. She began to sob softly and asked, ”Why would you help this humble self, sir?”

In this brothel, she had encountered countless heartless men. Although she had teased Chen Chao earlier, she did not believe that this young man really liked her. They had only met by chance, so why would he want to involve himself in such trouble for her? How could she not feel moved by this?

”Perhaps it’s because there are not many female sword cultivators in the world, and having one more would feel pretty good. Or maybe because I made a mistake before, and now I want to do more good deeds to make myself feel better.”

Chen Chao said softly, ”I’ll ask one last time, alright?”

The woman hesitated for a moment before replying softly, ”Please ask, Sir.”

”What’s your name?” Chen Chao asked with a smile.

The woman replied softly, ”Yu Chu.”

Chen Chao nodded in approval, ”Good name.”

Then Chen Chao took a deep breath, turned to look out the window, and asked with a smile, ”May I ask Master Zuo, does your previous statement about the flying sword having a spirit and choosing a destined person, and thus giving the sword, still hold true?”

Master Zuo and the sword cultivators, who had been thinking about selecting a new sword master, were suddenly stunned at this moment, not quite understanding what the young man meant by asking this.

Master Zuo did not say a word, his expression dark. At this moment, if he were to say that his previous words did not count, he would really be throwing away his old face.

Chen Chao rejoiced in a low voice, ”Fortunately, this Master Zuo still cares about his face. Otherwise, I’d really be out of options.”

Master Zuo did not speak, but the other sword cultivators began to speak out one after another, ”A flying sword crafted by Master Zuo absolutely cannot fall into the hands of a courtesan. Otherwise, it would be a huge joke. Even if Master Zuo is unwilling to act, we cannot stand by and do nothing!”

As soon as these words were spoken, they were met with a chorus of agreement.

Chen Chao could not be bothered to waste his breath on these hypocritical sword cultivators, he just scoffed, ”None of your business!”

He stood at the window, staring down at the crowd of sword cultivators below, and said calmly, ”I’ll say this clearly: since the flying sword has chosen this lady as its master, if any of you dare to try to take it, you’ll have to see whether you have the ability to beat me. But let me warn you, I don’t hold back when I fight...”

Chen Chao paused and said softly, ”People will die.”

……

……

Outside the building, it was deathly silent. Even the burly man who had already reached the brothel was now stuck, unable to advance or retreat. In the end, he stood there stiffly, looking to his master for guidance.

Master Zuo’s expression was ugly. If it were not for this incident, he would have already lost considerable face, and the story would not sound good if it spread. Now, with this young man intervening, anything more he did would seem unreasonable. However, the thought of the flying sword into which he had poured ten years of effort falling into the hands of a courtesan left him extremely unwilling. His expression flickered several times, but in the end, he shook his head and beckoned his hand to call his disciple back.

”Everyone, the sword has chosen its master. This old man is leaving.”

Master Zuo glanced deeply at Chen Chao before turning away, preserving his last bit of dignity.

After Master Zuo left, the sword cultivators stared intently at the young man in black upstairs, their eyes burning with desire.

Before those sword cultivators could go upstairs, the front door of the room suddenly shattered, and several sword cultivators who had also come to see the sword unveiling appeared at the entrance.

Master Zuo’s departure effectively meant that the flying sword named Red Candle was considered an ownerless object.

Of course, they had no intention of acknowledging Yu Chu.

Since it was now without a master, it was up for grabs.

Yu Chu looked at Chen Chao, her face full of worry.

Chen Chao slowly turned around, staring at the sword cultivators in front of him, and asked calmly, ”Do you really want to die?”

……

……

A moment later, loud sounds echoed through the Myriad Spring Brothel. Several sword cultivators tumbled from the second floor to the first. Though their lives were not in danger, they could no longer stand and could only lie on the ground, groaning in pain.

Standing on the second floor with Yu Chu, Chen Chao looked at the sword cultivators who had gathered outside and smiled, ”One more thing: if you break anything in this building during the fight, you’ll have to pay for it yourselves. I’m not paying anything.”

The madam had been hiding early on, but upon hearing Chen Chao’s words, she could not help but complain, ”It would have been better if you fought outside, Young Master. It’s more spacious out there!”

Chen Chao turned to look at the madam who was rather attractive and teased, ”Aren’t you afraid that I’ll run off with Miss Yu Chu? I haven’t paid her ransom yet.”

The madam muttered, ”If Young Master really wants to run, I can’t stop you.”

Chen Chao laughed, ”No need for that, I’m a reasonable person. But if things do get broken in the fight, it wouldn’t be fair to make me pay for everything, right? How about we split the cost?”

Mustering her courage, the madam asked, ”Is Young Master truly confident you can leave here alive?”

Chen Chao laughed to himself, ”If I’m really about to die, I’ll beg for mercy.”

After saying this, Chen Chao ignored the madam and instead looked at the group of sword cultivators downstairs, his voice turning icy, ”If you want the sword rather than your lives, then be prepared to lose your lives.”