The Eternal Soaring Sword

Chapter 2 - Will Not Survive Again

He slammed the shovel into the ground with all his might as if he was venting his sorrow and hatred. His mind was blank as he continued to dig the ground for a long time. Zhao Jiuge looked at the old man's friendly face for a long time as if he was trying to carve the old man's appearance into his heart.

Sighing, his hands trembled slightly as he buried the old man. At this moment, there was no one who could give him warmth, no one who could accompany him. Zhao Jiuge's eyes were soulless as he stood there for a long time. He thought about the more than ten years he had spent with the old man, and his heart ached.

At night, the wind in the mountains is very cold.

The mountain wind caused the twigs and leaves to rustle. The voice came from all sides, as if the forest was crying or trying to calm Zhao Jiuge's heart.

Zhao Jiuge withdrew his thoughts about his dying grandfather and instead thought of the people in Wang Village. He thought of how Wang Dazhuang and Little Fatty Wang had always bullied himself and his grandfather. Zhao Jiuge was only a teenager, but he had experienced the warmth and coldness of the people. " Grandfather, I hope you bless your grandson from heaven." Upon thinking of this, a dark expression appeared on his childish face and he was filled with determination. He took out a hunting knife and headed down the mountain without hesitation. He went towards Wang Dazhuang's house.

The late night wind blew across the night sky and the insects in the mountains called out, causing Zhao Jiuge's heart to become even more agitated. Thinking of how he would immediately take revenge, he moved even faster. Soon, he went down the mountain and approached the biggest house in the village. However, thinking about it was one thing, but now that it was going to happen, it was different. His heart was pounding and his blood flow was getting faster as he hesitated. Zhao Jiuge licked his lips and swallowed as he suppressed the nervousness in his heart. He clenched his teeth and climbed over the fence.

Zhao Jiuge hid behind a tree with a knife in hand. Light came from inside the house, and he could vaguely see Wang Dazhaung talking to his mother-in-law. When he saw the face that had killed his grandfather, all the nervousness in his body disappeared. Blood seemed to be rushing into his head as he rushed inside the house.

Only after he rushed in did Wang Dazhuang, who was talking to his mother-in-law, react. His mouth opened in surprise and his eyes were filled with panic. Then he realized that it was Zhao Jiuge and he heaved a sigh of relief, but then he saw a flash of light. Wang Dazhuang had no time to react before the red-eyed Zhao Jiuge stabbed him with a hunting knife. Zhao Jiuge was filled with inexhaustible hatred as he stabbed Wang Dazhuang three or four more times. Blood spurted all over Zhao Jiuge's fierce face and body. He was a very scary sight in the middle of the night.

Wang Dazhuang's expression froze at his last moment. His eyes widened with pain and confusion.

Wang Dazhuang's mother-in-law stared at this for a long time in disbelief and panic before she regained consciousness. He looked at the dead next to him and the bloodied Zhao Jiuge before he shouted bloody murder. The terror and panic he felt caused his voice to become hoarse.

Zhao Jiuge managed to kill Wang Dazhuang and then immediately ran after hearing the cry of Wang Dazhuang's mother-in-law. People rushed in after hearing the shout, and only after knowing what had happened did they chase after Zhao Jiuge. Frightened, Zhao Jiuge did not dare to run towards the official road—he took advantage of the night and ran into the mountains behind the village.

After killing someone, Zhao Jiuge panicked and only rushed towards the mountains. He didn't care about directions, he just quickly ran into the mountains. There were many trees and plants along the way, and because he was running too fast, his branches cut off his clothes. There were wounds all over his body, but after hearing the faint cries of the servant Wang Dazhuang chasing after him, he no longer felt any pain as he ran.

He did not know how long he had been running, but the voices behind him gradually disappeared. Only the sound of insects and wind blowing through the tree branches remained. Zhao Jiuge gasped for breath, his eyes filled with fear and the smell of blood covered his face.

Due to the tension in his heart, the fingers on his right hand that were holding the blade turned white. He squatted beside the tree and looked at the moon in the sky. Inevitably he thought of his grandfather and his simple yet warm home. He felt helpless when he thought of his grandfather, and he subconsciously fell asleep. The first night of his own new life passed.

The insects continued to cry and the moonlight shone on Zhao Jiuge's face. It was late at night in the mountains, and everything seemed so quiet.

The first sunlight shone on the tree branches and landed on Zhao Jiuge's face. His eyelashes moved and he opened his eyes in confusion. Everything that happened yesterday was like a dream.

His stomach started to shake. He stood up and took a deep breath and his drowsiness disappeared. He comforts himself and feels determined to live a better life. Even though the old man had died, he would not let the old man worry. He kept walking through the mountains.

At the age of nine, Zhao Jiuge had gone to the mountains, so he had some survival experience. After killing Wang Dazhuang, he was afraid to return again, so he could only rush into the mountains. Previously, he had only been foraging and hunting on the outer edge of the mountain range, but yesterday, in a panic, he rushed deep into the mountains. He picked some edible fruits and arrived next to the river. He drank water and ate fruit to restore strength.

He washed his face and changed his clothes. He then looked at the rising sun to identify its direction and continued forward. Zhao Jiuge decided to cross the mountains. Although he never left his village, he always missed the outside world that his grandfather talked about.

He rushed forward for several months, the greenish mountains overlapping like waves of the sea. There was no smoke from the people, so he could only use the sun to know the direction. Along the way, Zhao Jiuge saw many strange plants and dangerous animals. Unusual sights and strange things caused her teenage heart to become excited. The loneliness he felt in his heart gradually faded away.

On this day, he had just finished drinking water from the river when a sound came from some grass nearby. Zhao Jiuge turned his head and saw a brown monkey. The monkey was startled by the sudden appearance of a human and ran away in fear. Zhao Jiuge, still a child, immediately chased after the monkey. After running for a while, he noticed that the monkey disappeared, so he ran faster.

"Eh, where are you running?" Zhao Jiuge had seen the monkey suddenly disappear around here without a sound. He felt strange and swung his hunting knife before he suddenly heard a soft hissing sound.

Zhao Jiuge followed the voice and found a stone cave hole covered by vines. The hissing sound was the sound of the wind blowing through the vines. He pushed the vines aside and entered, and his eyes locked onto the scene ahead. He prepared his hunting knife to swing whatever came at him.

As Zhao Jiugi scanned the cave carefully, he saw something that made all the feathers on his body stand up. Not far from there was a stone bed, and a middle-aged man was sitting on top of the bed. The middle-aged man was wearing a white shirt and his chest was covered in blood that had long since dried up. He sat with his back straight and his hair spread across his shoulders. Although her face was deathly pale, it was not difficult to say that she must have conquered many girls when she was young.

Zhao Jiuge looked at the middle-aged man, and his face looked hideous. "Senior, is this your home?" However the middle-aged man did not move, so Zhao Jiuge stepped forward. "Senior?" There was still no answer, so Zhao Jiuge became bold and stepped forward to speak again when he suddenly discovered that the middle-aged man was no longer breathing.

Zhou Jiuge suddenly knelt down and quickly shouted, “Junior mistakenly rushed to your house today. I hope Senior can forgive my interruption. ” As he spoke, he quickly kowtowed a few times before rushing back to the entrance without looking back.

“Hehe, little boy, it seems you know manners. It seems that after waiting 1,000 years, my legacy will not end. ” The voice was soft and ancient, but to Zhao Jiuge, it was like the king of hell had spoken. 

Looking back, a figure that looked exactly the same as the middle-aged man appeared.

“Senior, you, this... This...” Zhao Jiuge's eyes widened and he could not speak. This figure was covered in layers of white light and his face was not pale. He exuded a sense of worldliness that shook Zhao Jiuge's heart. If a cultivator were here, they would know that this was a divine sense formed by a strong cultivator with their spiritual energy. Zhao Jiuge was still someone who had yet to step onto the path of cultivation.

“I have waited more than 1,000 years for someone to finally come. I can't stay in this world long-—my feeling of divinity will slowly disappear.” The middle-aged man's words surprised Zhao Jiuge. He asked in a trembling voice, "Senior, are you human or a ghost?"

"Hehe, little boy, you have fortitude and don't run in fear." The middle-aged man smiled gently and then continued, “Since ancient times, humans have been unwilling to live for only 100 years, and humans are nothing short of geniuses. Over time, various techniques were created, using the spiritual energy of the world to nourish the body and gradually changing it. Acquiring great power and striving to coexist with heaven and earth... This pursuit is called cultivation, or eternal cultivation.”

“Eternal cultivation? Does immortal cultivation allow one to become immortal? How do you cultivate to become immortal? ” Zhao Jiuge muttered to himself. He was still shocked by everything he saw and still had not recovered.

“Eternal cultivation path is very dangerous — one mistake can cause your soul to be destroyed. It's like thousands of people crossing a narrow wooden bridge, but many still want to pursue eternal life. If you want to cultivate, I can give you an inheritance. Son, do you want to walk this abnormal path? ” The voice of the middle-aged man is heavy and serious. He thought of his own path from a human to a cultivator until he finally fell. His heart was filled with regret. 

At this moment, Zhao Jiuge's heart was shocked as he listened to the middle-aged man's words. From Zhao Jiuge's understanding, an immortal being was an extremely noble existence, and now he had the chance to become an immortal being. His desire for strength emerged from his heart.

Zhao Jiuge knew that this was a dream opportunity for many, so he replied without hesitation, "100 years of life, how short is it." Although Jiuge was born in a mountain village, he also hopes to one day rise above all else as a carefree immortal being. Because of the excitement, his face turned red.

After the middle-aged man heard this, he was shocked, but he did not speak. His hand moved to form a seal and then a streak of white light shot towards Zhao Jiuge's forehead. After which, the middle-aged man's body became much fainter, as if he could disappear at any moment.

“I've transferred the Sanskrit Heart Sutra into your mind. Feel the spiritual energy of the world and rotate it through your dantian. As for whether you can step onto the path of cultivation and enter the Spirit Detection Realm, it will depend on you. Remember, cultivation must be taken step by step, and every step is life and death. Only after many years did I manage to get a little success. The rest is inside this jade tube — understand for yourself. ” After the middle-aged man finished speaking, he threw the jade tube towards Zhao Jiuge.

Seeing how Zhao Jiuge was still in a daze, the middle-aged man said, “What? I'll disappear from the world and you still haven't come and called me 'teacher.' Haha, to think that I, Ye Wuyou [1] , have finally found someone to give my inheritance.”

Zhao Jiuge remembered that his teacher was named Ye Wuyou. He walked forward and respectfully called the middle-aged man "Teacher." He looked at Ye Wuyou curiously and reluctantly. Everything was like a dream—he had just left her grief due to the departure of the old man and then stumbled by today's surprise surprise. He thought about how if the old man had not died, he would not have been forced to flee to the mountains after killing someone. Then he wouldn't have experienced the encounter he had today. However, if he had a choice, he would rather the old man be with him than get this chance.

Looking at Zhao Jiuge's slight sadness and suffering, the middle-aged man said, “Bad child, remember that only when you are strong enough, do you, you can protect the person you want to protect and do what you want to do. The cultivation path is complicated. If you don't have the power, you'll only be bullied.” The middle-aged man revealed a complicated expression, as if he had a story to tell.

After hearing Ye Wuyou's words, Zhao Jiuge felt empathy. At the same time, he mysteriously recalled the words of his teacher.

“Teacher doesn't expect you to walk far on the path of cultivation, it's just that you didn't tarnish your teacher's reputation. If one day there is an opportunity and you have the strength, promise me one thing. Go to a place called Carefree Valley. Let the dust become dust and the dirt become dirt. All of it has nothing to do with me anymore.” The middle-aged man had a lonely expression and seemed to be thinking of something. He did not wait for Zhao Jiuge to react before the white light gradually disappeared. His divine sense disappeared and even his flesh turned to dust. From this moment onwards, there was no longer a person named Ye Wuyou.

Zhao Jiuge was shocked because the teacher he had just met had already left. His teacher's words still echoed in his ears. Although they had not known each other for long, his heart was filled with unwillingness. However, everything is like dream—it comes quickly and goes quickly. After experiencing the death of his grandfather, Zhao Jiuge had grown up. He looked at the jade tube in his hand and felt the energy in his mind. He knew it wasn't a dream. A different path was now waiting for him.

Zhao Jiuge stared at the jade tube in his hand and his heart burned. He looked at the jade tube and took a look at the contents inside. He was immersed in the contents and did not care about what was happening outside. He sat there for two days and one night reading the contents of the jade tube. A new door had opened before Zhao Jiuge.