Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 103 - 87: Truly Beyond Our Control

August 21, 2017

Looking at the clear light above him, Wang Jiu couldn’t quite discern his own feelings.

On the Xiangzhou Continent, is there still a remnant of the Demon Race?

The Demon-Pointing Sword Array provided an instant answer.

And this answer... honestly, left him a bit disappointed.

Outside the Sword World, Lu Xin only saw Wang Jiu awaken from his meditative state, slowly opening his eyes. Although he didn’t speak, the gravity and darkness on his face spoke volumes.

The woman instinctively stepped back two steps, whispering, "Oh my, was Sister Yan right..."

The next moment, she raised her head, somewhat anxiously asking, "Mr. Wang Jiu, what should we do next?"

Wang Jiu frowned, "Do about what?"

"The Demon Race." Lu Xin said urgently, "If the Demon Race really makes a comeback, how could the Xiangzhou Continent possibly resist?"

Wang Jiu shook his head, "If the Demon Race really came back, the Xiangzhou Continent would stand no chance. However, they won’t return."

"...Huh?"

"The results from the Demon-Pointing Sword Array have shown that on the Xiangzhou Continent, there’s no meaningful existence of the Demon Race anymore. Mi Yanhanba in the Trial Cave should be the only surviving fragment, the sole heritage of the Demons."

"Huh?" Lu Xin seemed incredulous, "Not a single one left?"

Wang Jiu said, "The Demon-Pointing Sword Array can locate Demons under the sequence below the offerings. The stronger the offering and the more intact it is, the more accurate the positioning information will be. Mi Yanhanba, as an Upper-Rank Demon General, holds a high position in the Demon hierarchy. And although his state is exceedingly weak, making it difficult to precisely determine location information, it can at least ascertain the presence of Demons. The result given by the Demon-Pointing Sword Array was that on the Xiangzhou Continent, apart from endless Demon Essence not incorporated into the Demon sequence, there exists no formed Demon presence."

Lu Xin pondered for a while before asking, "Could it be that the remaining Demons are of a very high level, higher than the Upper-Rank Demon Generals?"

Wang Jiu said, "The Demon Race is a standard social creature. Aside from the Great Demon God Emperor who can exist independently forever, all other Demons must rely on their strict hierarchical sequence for survival. For example, an Upper-Rank Demon General cannot live like humans through the internal cycle of True Essence. They need external supplies for food and sustenance. Hence, their main sources, apart from killing and plundering, come from Demon Nests. The construction and maintenance of these nests require a large number of Demon Soldiers. Moreover, if an Upper-Rank Demon General gets injured, apart from self-healing, they would need functional structures inside the Demon Nest, operated by higher-ranked Demons. So, unless there is a Marquis Level Demon General who, upon awakening, chooses to endure extreme weakness, feeding on roots and bark without transforming any Demon Soldiers... they would surely be detected by the Demon-Pointing Sword Array. Even if such an anomaly existed among the Demons, under extreme weakness, they couldn’t stir any storm."

Lu Xin nodded vaguely. Many things Wang Jiu said were hard to believe for her.

A vast world inside the White Sword and a Demon-Pointing Sword Array constructed with just tens of thousands of Spirit Stones... It can search the entire Xiangzhou World for traces of the Demon Race, leaving no stone unturned, which is truly incredible.

But Lu Xin also knew that if she doubted him, Wang Jiu would definitely produce a series of complex formulas like heavenly scriptures, making her realize her own shallow ignorance.

She had endured enough humiliation today; there was no need to continue to bruise her dignity.

Lu Xin showed a weary smile, "That’s good to hear... but, why does Mr. Wang Jiu seem somewhat down?"

Wang Jiu pondered for a while, then said, "Because I finally realized that the days of the past can never return."

"Hmm?"

Wang Jiu said, "During the years of the Immortal Demon War, although most of the time was spent fighting against the Demon Race on the battlefield... fighting alongside those old friends, sharing life and death, truly felt good. They were my mounts as well as my friends. Some promised to send me a top-tier Sword Scabbard after the war, some said they would take me to enjoy a new life, and some wanted to co-author a book with me to earn money from everyone in the world. But... they are all gone, leaving only me."

Lu Xin stared blankly at Wang Jiu, gazing at the imperceptible melancholy on that exceptionally handsome face, an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart.

Wang Jiu lowered his head and said, "According to normal human standards, I should feel sorrowful. However, when they died in battle, there was not a trace of regret in their hearts. Their sacrifice bought me precious time, laid the foundation for our victory, and secured the future for humanity. Such a great victory should not be tainted with sorrow and grief. Therefore, all I can do now is replace it with nostalgia..."

As he spoke, the white robe on Wang Jiu suddenly changed, innumerable intricate golden and silver patterns emerged, making the simple attire suddenly appear solemn and noble.

"This was the war robe given to me by Jiulong before the battle with the Demon Emperor. It’s said to be a treasure passed down through the Li Family for over three thousand years, no less valued than the Clan Guardian Immortal Sword, the Nine Dragon Sword."

Lu Xin stared blankly at the war robe on Wang Jiu, but no related memory surfaced. Whether in the historical records of the Li Family or Lu Family, there was no mention of this splendid war robe, nor any Nine Dragon Immortal Sword.

And this is what they call... the vicissitudes of time. Lu Xin tried to put herself in his shoes, if she were to wake up one day to find all her loved ones turned to dust, even her enemies vanished, standing alone in the vast world, that feeling...

Lu Xin suddenly found her eyes exceptionally sore, her vision beginning to blur. She quickly used the Golden Crow Flame to evaporate the inexplicable moisture, unsure how to comfort this unexpectedly somber Sword Spirit, and could only stand in silence with him.

They stood like this for more than half a day.

Lu Xin’s feet grew sore, but she observed Wang Jiu still maintaining his original posture, not moving a bit, lamenting in her heart. This Sword Spirit senior, usually carefree, is surprisingly enduring in his melancholy...

The inside and outside of the fire chamber were sealed, and those inside couldn’t see what the weather was like outside. According to Lu Xin’s perception of time, it felt like ages had passed... He wondered if that fool Fengyun had eaten dinner on time. Once that guy got distracted, it’d take days to bring him back. Even though for a cultivator of the Mountain-Overturning Realm, not eating or drinking for a few days wasn’t an issue, in the long run...

Just as Lu Xin couldn’t hold it anymore and started to zone out, he finally heard Wang Jiu speak up.

"Are you alright now?"

"Huh?"

Wang Jiu said, "I noticed earlier that you were very down, so I didn’t disturb you and waited here, but now it seems like you’ve calmed down."

"Huh?" Lu Xin was again stunned.

Wang Jiu explained, "When people around me feel down, I used to comfort them with kind words as basic etiquette. However, many protested that they’d rather I keep quiet. So I’ve switched to waiting for them to calm down on their own. Have you calmed down now?"

Lu Xin dazedly said, "I, I wasn’t feeling down."

"But I noticed your eyes were red and your tear ducts were highly active. Later, you even used the Golden Crow Flame to try to evaporate the tears."

"Ah!" Lu Xin’s cheeks turned bright red, "You, you saw that!? I, that was, just a misunderstanding..."

Wang Jiu curiously asked, "The temperature in the fire chamber has normalized now. Why are you blushing again?"

"I implore you to keep quiet!"

"Hmm, the way you are now reminds me of the past."

——

After the two left the fire chamber, it was indeed pitch black outside. However, they had no time to rest and immediately held a small meeting to inform Li Fengyun, Zhao Yan, and others about the results of the Demon-Pointing Sword Array.

There were no surviving members of the Demon Race on the Xiangzhou Continent, which was a rare piece of good news these days. Unfortunately, due to confidentiality issues, they couldn’t celebrate openly. So, they just used tea instead of wine and sampled a few snacks meticulously prepared by Zhao Yan before they each went off to rest.

Only Lu Xin, after everyone dispersed, quietly made herself a strong cup of tea and prepared to work through the night.

For others, the matter might have ended, but as the matriarch of the Li Family Mansion, she still had more tasks to shoulder. One such important task was to procure an Original Sword Essence for the next patriarch of the Li Family.

According to their earlier plan, to quickly obtain the Original Sword Essence, they would have to rely on Li Tianya’s influence to persuade the former City Lord of Golden Jade City.

However, leveraging Li Tianya’s influence wasn’t easy. Lu Xin knew this all too well...

——

At the same time, in Shen Garden in Cyan Cloud City’s East District, Shen Qingming had just finished her evening cultivation. After washing up, she noticed Wang Jiu was still nowhere to be seen, so out of boredom, she took out her Communication Spirit Stone, planning to playfully tease Lu Xin as usual.

A moment later, the stone lit up, but it wasn’t Lu Xin in the projection; it was the round face of Li Wushuang.

"... Wushuang, good evening."

Li Wushuang respectfully greeted, "Good evening, Sister Qingming. Hmm, are you looking for mom?"

Shen Qingming asked, "Isn’t she there? What is she up to again?"

Though Shen Qingming asked casually, she didn’t expect Li Wushuang to show an awkward expression, "Mom, mom told me not to tell others."

Shen Qingming curiously asked, "Not to tell? Hmm... What is it she doesn’t want you to tell?"

Li Wushuang honestly replied, "Mom told me not to tell others she’s practicing the Spirit Cat Dance."

"... What dance?"

Li Wushuang said, "I don’t know either, but it seems to look like this."

Then, Li Wushuang curled both hands at his chest, lifted one foot back, and tilted his little head.

"Meow?"