Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 334 - 333: When I draw my sword, it is hell

The Netherworld knows no division between day and night; when Su Lun awoke, the sky still bore that ghostly gray moon.

A good sleep had restored his energy.

Even the hormonal rampage that had torn through his body tissues had mostly healed.

Su Lun glanced at Qian Tiao still sleeping soundly beside him, raised an eyebrow slightly; this gambling addict of a woman seemed to have no defenses against him, her spread-eagled sleeping posture brought a smile to the corner of his mouth.

Melee combat professionals require more rest, so he didn’t wake Qian Tiao. After dressing, he set up a stove in the dilapidated great hall and prepared to make something to eat.

The food in this cursed space should not be eaten, but luckily, Su Lun was always prepared with plenty of food.

Having Spatial Ability is convenient; there’s no worry about the Storage Ring running out of space.

He took out a bunch of canned beef and started fussing over a beef soup pot. Mafa’s military food, in terms of both taste and quality, was superior to that of a typical restaurant.

Snow still drifted outside, the cold wind shrilling.

Soon, the aromatic scent of stewed meat permeated the entire great hall.

In her sleep, Qian Tiao instinctively sniffed and, without opening her eyes, her body sat up. The loose cotton white dress couldn’t hide her fine figure, half of the collar hanging loosely on her shoulder, and the deep V-neck further revealing part of her proud peaks enticingly smooth to the eye.

"Something smells so good..."

Qian Tiao muttered as if sleep talking, seemingly aware of some gaze, and suddenly opened her eyes.

Discover hidden tales at novelbuddy

Then she saw Su Lun’s mischieviously smiling face.

She gave him an annoyed glare, somewhat speechlessly adjusting the clothes on her shoulder, covering the revealed scenery. Her eyes seemed to disdain, what’s there to look at?

Su Lun didn’t shy away at all, smiling cheerfully, "Come and eat."

Qian Tiao, seeing the meat in the pot, immediately cheered up and approached, "Tsk tsk, I knew that sticking with you, kid, I’d never go hungry."

Su Lun felt a bit surprised upon hearing that.

Isn’t preparing food a basic action when traveling?

He casually asked, "Sister Qian Tiao, have you ever gone hungry?"

Qian Tiao didn’t blush at all as she admitted, "I have. Before, when I was at sea and supplies were not sufficient, I ran into a storm and couldn’t even catch fish. Starving every other day, I almost couldn’t make it to shore..."

Su Lun’s eyes twitched, and then he laughed softly.

Qian Tiao seemed not to notice anything amiss and kept scooping up the meat, eating with great enjoyment.

Outside, the wind and snow blew, and the two huddled near the stove, eating the boiling hot pot and chatting leisurely.

Quite pleasant, indeed.

Before long, they were full and satisfied.

Both had wounds on their bodies and did not plan to run around. They decided to stay at the Senso-ji Temple for a day or two.

Qian Tiao seemed bored to death, staring at the wooden Buddha statues for a long time. Then she wrapped her chest with gauze, changed her clothing, and began practicing her sword in the snowy yard.

Su Lun meticulously toured the "Senso-ji Temple," examining almost everything that could be identified by the Eye of Omniscience.

However, to his slight disappointment, he found nothing special and no clues to help them escape.

The surroundings were all barren mountains, devoid even of larger trees.

The good thing was that no ghosts approached the place, making it quite safe.

....

"Swish," "swish," "swish"...

The sound of Sword Qi tearing through the air was incessant.

In the courtyard, Qian Tiao, with a serious expression, swung her sword again and again, the ground’s snow marked with a succession of traces.

Su Lun sat in meditation under the eaves where the snow did not reach, his previous battle having given him much to ponder, requiring time to digest the large amount of information obtained.

This "Death Story: The Netherworld" differed so much from the regular cursed spaces, with NPCs undistinguishable from real persons and the known map seemingly boundless, with no flaws to be seen in its rules...

So many parts Su Lun couldn’t figure out.

He needed a great deal of information from the world to piece together those scattered clues and see if he could find any hints to leave this place.

The two of them were each busy with their own tasks, the time passed leisurely, not at all like being in a T-level cursed space.

It seemed as though there was no division of time in the Netherworld, the moon in the sky hadn’t shifted at all, it always hung in that same spot.

When Qian Tiao got tired, the two of them would have a full meal again.

It was still her practicing with the sword, and Su Lun in meditation, each busily engaged.

The time on the pocket watch was probably in the evening when a crow on a dry tree branch suddenly cawed.

Su Lun abruptly opened his eyes and looked solemnly towards the outside of the temple, exclaiming, "Someone’s coming!"

Qian Tiao also showed a guarded expression and asked, "A monster?"

"No. It should be a human ghost."

Su Lun’s eyes reflected the image the crow had seen, it was a hunchbacked old man in a hemp garment, balancing a yoke on his shoulders and stepping on two massive logs, walking unhurriedly from the narrow path outside the temple.

From his attire, Su Lun guessed something and added, "It seems like the ’Buddha Carving Master’ who stayed here before."

Upon hearing this, Qian Tiao immediately showed interest, looking forward expectantly, "That Sword Saint?"

"Yeah."

Su Lun thought it likely was, his face grew slightly somber.

As the man approached, within Su Lun’s perception, the soul fire was much stronger compared to ordinary ghosts.

Moreover, the man’s perception was very sharp. The moment Su Lun noticed him, he immediately spotted the crow on the tree branch.

Qian Tiao, even more intrigued, said, "Let’s go have a look!"

....

Sensō-ji Temple was a rare place of safety in the Netherworld, and naturally, Su Lun and Qian Tiao wouldn’t leave lightly.

Plus, Qian Tiao indeed had a great interest in that mysterious "Buddha Carving Master."

The two went into the courtyard to wait for the visitor.

Before long, the old man entered through the temple’s main gate. He wasn’t at all surprised by the presence of two more people in the ruined temple. He walked in as if it were his own home, very familiar with the place, and then placed the two logs he had carried under the eaves.

Su Lun sensed for a moment; it was naturally a "ghost."

But judging from the strength of the soul, it was only around the fourth or fifth order, not very strong. However, that ancient calmness exuded from him gave an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Su Lun didn’t underestimate him. Even though a person becomes a ghost after death and their cultivation starts anew, this was, after all, a "Sword Saint."

Qian Tiao went up to him directly and performed a swordsman’s salute, holding her sword, "Senior, I apologize for the intrusion."

The dilapidated temple had been claimed by someone else earlier, so their presence was indeed a disturbance.

The old man glanced at them and said indifferently, "Are you the two humans who escaped from the city yesterday?"

When their past was so accurately divined, Qian Tiao didn’t deny it, "Yes. Granny Aju guided us here. We apologize for disturbing you, Senior."

The old man was easy to talk to, seeming to know they came looking for refuge, showing no malice, "If you truly can’t find a place to stay, then it’s fine here. This is a Buddhist temple, not my dwelling, so it’s not an intrusion. It’s just unfortunate that the Yomi Country isn’t a place for the living, you’ve come to the wrong place."

Seeing his attitude, Su Lun breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

It looked like their previous judgment was correct; this "Buddha Carving Master" wasn’t like those evil ghosts always looking to devour the living. It seemed they could get along.

The old man didn’t mind at all that there were two more people here. As if nobody else was around, he sat down on a small stool under the eaves, picked up his carving knife, and started working on the two logs he brought back, apparently planning to carve a new Buddha statue.

Witnessing this scene gave Su Lun a very strange feeling.

Once the old man sat there, it was as if he instantly merged with the surrounding environment. He became a part of it, just like the stone pagodas, logs, dead trees… and so on. He wasn’t an abrupt human presence.

It was a feeling of "a person within a painting."

"Is this the Saint Realm..."

Su Lun murmured to himself.

Realms cannot be measured solely by professional levels, but generally speaking, the understanding of "entering the Saint Realm" on the level of principles is about the standard for a seventh-tier professional.

There are also poetry, magic, art, music… any path that can concentrate divinity has such a significant threshold.

Qiān Tiáo, standing nearby, also noticed this point, her eyes filled with reverence.

She bowed once more and said frankly, "Mr. Akutagawa, I wish to learn Sword Dao from you."

Indeed, this was the renowned Akutagawa Ryuichi, the only one in the Mountain Hermit country in the past two decades who had entered the "Sword Saint" realm, a great grandmaster of the Sword Dao.

Qiān Tiáo had noticed the Sword Intent left on the wooden Buddha carvings in the hall previously and felt it was familiar. Upon comparison, she realized it was almost identical to the Sword Intent on the carving knife given to her by the blind qin master she met at Edo Castle.

Qiān Tiáo came to the Mountain Hermit country specifically for him.

Unfortunately, this Akutagawa Ryuichi had already passed away.

But fortunately, she encountered his spirit in the Netherworld.

The old man, hearing Qiān Tiáo’s words, showed not the slightest surprise.

He merely glanced at the sword marks in the courtyard and recognized the slash practice of "Akutagawa Ittoryu," saying indifferently, "Since Xiao Xun has given you the carving knife... her choice of person would naturally not be poor."

At these words, Su Lun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But speaking to this point, he suddenly shook his head, and the conversation took a turn, "However... Ittoryu is not used like that."

Su Lun, who was standing nearby, listened and glanced sideways. Qiān Tiáo’s cultivation in the Sword Dao was not weak—wherever "great swordsmen" are found, they are considered experts. But in the old man’s tone, she was spoken of as if she were merely an apprentice barely starting the Sword Dao?

He was also curious about just how powerful a "Sword Saint" really is.

Hearing this, Qiān Tiáo did not feel embarrassed by the denial but was instead delighted, "Please enlighten me, senior."

Since the old man spoke these words, he was evidently willing to teach the Sword Dao.

....

Akutagawa Ryuichi’s reaction seemed to have the delay common to the very elderly.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

Upon hearing this, he appeared to respond with a beat’s delay, setting down his carving knife leisurely, and then looked at the blade in Qiān Tiáo’s hands, asking, "Are you perhaps puzzled about your current realm, feeling that, despite having excellent weapons and your sword techniques being refined to the point of hardly improving, you still feel powerless against higher-tier enemies?"

"Yes! I beg senior to resolve my doubt."

Qiān Tiáo was taken aback by his comment, which pinpointed her greatest confusion.

She had suffered a significant loss in the battle the day before.

Facing off against the Red Lotus Demon Fire of Shuten-doji, she did not lose in skill or in blade, but she did not gain the upper hand and almost died there. She was clearly aware that her understanding of Sword Dao did not match the sharpness of the blade, rendering her unable to unleash the true power of a renowned sword.

Moreover, it was even more challenging to slash at Spiritual Bodies; aside from using the Demon Blade’s own demonic qi to scorch the Spiritual Bodies, Sword Qi could hardly cause effective damage.

She knew where the problem lay—she needed to use the Sword Dao to condense a dominating aura.

But she did not know how to break through.

That one step to move beyond, in the end, was just extraordinary.

The old man did not seem in a hurry to talk about Sword Dao, but instead, he looked at the white-sheathed blade in Qiān Tiáo’s hand, "The blade in your hand is ’Onimaru Hyakume no Munemasa,’ isn’t it?"

Without waiting for an answer, he answered for himself, "This hellish demon weapon, I’ve wielded it too. Alas, it didn’t choose me as its master. How unexpected that it ended up in your hands, that too is destiny."

Qiān Tiáo felt a hint of surprise—what a coincidence?

"Destiny, huh..."

The old man’s tone was somewhat wistful, and seeing that blade seemed like seeing an old friend he hadn’t met in a long time.

Truly, it was like a separation between life and death.

Never thought he would see it again in the Netherworld.

After musing for a moment, his turbid eyes casually flickered with a sparkle as he asked, "Have you... ever seen the hellish landscapes beneath this blade’s edge?"

Qiān Tiáo replied earnestly, "I have seen them. They are awe-inspiring."

The old man smiled ambiguously as if in agreement, as if he had finally reached the heart of the matter, asking, "So, what do you think your Sword Dao is?"

Upon hearing these words, a fierce Sword Qi seemed to burst from Qian’s eyes as she firmly said, "Once I unsheath my sword, I can split mountains, sever rivers, cleave seas, and slay gods and demons."

The old man shook his head upon hearing this, "The resolve in your sword heart is good, but that’s not your Sword Dao. Sword Dao is the courage in your heart. Before you unsheath your sword, if you believe that what you’re holding in your hand is ’something’, then your Sword Dao is that ’something’."

"This..."

At these words, confusion flooded Qian’s eyes.

She gripped the handle of the Demon Blade Soujirou, seemingly unable to comprehend, and then asked, "Senior... may I ask what your Sword Dao is?"

"Mine...?"

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on the old man’s weathered face, and his presence suddenly became unfathomable.

With that, he mimicked unsheathing a sword with the carving knife in his hand and said, "Like you, I cultivate the path of hell."

....

A great sword expert and a Sword Saint were discussing Sword Dao; Su Lun was far from reaching their realm and felt completely confused by their conversation.

Moreover, this was no longer a matter of mere "technique"; listening in prematurely might not necessarily be beneficial.

While eavesdropping, Su Lun also fiddled with his Alchemy.

But it was the old man’s words that suddenly changed the harmonious atmosphere.

Out of the blue, Su Lun felt goosebumps explode all over his body.

It was like... before in the city, when countless malicious spirits surrounded him, like the oppressive feeling of facing a desperate situation.

Su Lun turned his head to look, his expression complex: What a terrifying aura!

In front of him,

Not far away.

The old man was holding the handle of the carving knife backwards, as if slowly drawing a long sword.

It was just an unremarkable carving knife, but it seemed even more terrifying than Qian unsheathing the Demon Blade Soujirou, exuding an indescribable dreadful pressure. With each inch he pulled, his presence rose to new heights.

And behind him, one could almost see a towering sea of blood.

Akutagawa Ryuichi’s eyes were as sharp as lightning, his voice as if coming from the deepest abyss, "When I unsheathe my blade, it is hell."

With that casual remark, it felt as if thunder exploded beside the ear, "This is my Sword Dao."

One face is that of a Buddha, the other bears the overwhelming killing intent capable of turning hell into a river of blood.

In the heart is the Buddha, behind is hell.

Even Su Lun, a novice in the way of the sword, faintly felt as though he had grasped something. As he looked at the Buddha carvings behind Akutagawa Ryuichi, he came to understand.

It seemed to be about the sword, but it was more about the "Dao."

Qian’s face changed when she heard this, as if she had seen a scene that deeply shocked her.

She just stood there, stunned.

She took a long time to snap out of her shock.

...

Qian stood frozen in the yard as if a paralysis spell had been cast on her.

A quarter of an hour, an hour, half a day... still as stone.

Goose-feather snow floated down from the sky, gradually building up a thick layer on her shoulders.

Su Lun had been keeping an eye on her condition, always feeling as though she had fallen into a strange state, like that of a butterfly struggling to break free from its cocoon, just like when she had tamed the Demon Blade Soujirou before.

However, Su Lun also knew he could not help.

He was not idle either, sitting on the ground next to Akutagawa Ryuichi, who was carving a wooden Buddha statue. He eased into the conversation, then asked, "Mr. Akutagawa, do you know about the King of Yomi Country?"

Since he had met a corpse he could properly communicate with, he naturally would not pass up any opportunity to leave this space.