Chapter 33: Hundred Generations of Time
Meng Xueli thought, “What use do I have for this iron rod?”
Yet, as the iron rod reached his disciple’s hands, it emitted a clear, resonant hum. The rod’s tip sprang open, revealing a gleaming, razor-sharp blade!
“It’s a spear!” Meng Xueli exclaimed with delight.
The spear’s shaft was forged from celestial meteorite iron, exceptionally hard yet remarkably lightweight. Its tip sliced through the night air, casting beams of light like dazzling silver ribbons, exuding an imposing aura.
Ji Xiao said nothing. He gripped both ends of the spear tightly and exerted a slight force. There was a low hum, and the spear tip retracted. Remarkably, the shaft split from the middle, dividing into two, with a blade extending from each broken end.
Holding each half in his hands, Ji Xiao wielded them like twin short swords.
Meng Xueli’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Let me try it!”
This was an extraordinary weapon that could change its form!
Quickly, Meng Xueli shrugged off his cloak and tossed it to his disciple. Taking the two short swords in hand, he struck them against each other. Sparks flew, and the reverberation was sharp and long-lasting. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “What an incredible weapon!”
Ji Xiao smiled, thinking that there were even more transformations to this weapon. With Meng Xueli’s intelligence, he would surely figure it out once he got a feel for it.
Full of enthusiasm, Meng Xueli felt the courtyard gate was too confining. Holding the twin swords, he leaped onto the rooftop.
Ji Xiao was startled and cautioned, “Slow down, be careful.”
But Meng Xueli seemed not to hear him. Like an agile swallow, he leapt across branches and roof edges, keeping his breath steady as he headed towards the mountain peak.
Ji Xiao could only smile helplessly, activating his internal energy to chase after him.
Bright moonlight bathed Changchun Peak. Koi swam leisurely in the pond, and the peach blossom forest shimmered as if coated in silver. The rustling of the forest waves echoed, wave after wave, as the two figures darted and soared, swiftly approaching the observation platform.
Meng Xueli brought the twin swords together, transforming them back into a spear. With a sharp thrust, he used the spear tip to propel himself upwards, soaring seven or eight meters into the air before landing on the grassy meadow of the observation platform.
With a loud “boom!” the spear struck the ground. Nearby, an old tree by the mountain path collapsed in response.
Ji Xiao, seeing his carelessness, quickly followed, staying close to protect him.
At the peak, clouds surged and gathered on all sides. The night wind rushed in, causing their robes to flutter noisily.
The soft glow of the ‘Eternal Spring’ formation was even more pronounced at night, enveloping them from above and mingling with the moonlight over the western sea of clouds.
Meng Xueli, holding the sword, surveyed his surroundings with a surging heart, once again exclaiming, “What an incredible weapon!”
With a flick of the blade, silver arcs flashed, scattering grass and soil, sending sparks flying. His movements were fluid, without any set form or school, guided entirely by his intuition.
Ever since he abandoned his demon form to be reborn as a human, he found earthly weapons lacking the agility and convenience of his former body.
He could wield swords, axes, and halberds, each with his own unique method, planning to simply find a sharp enough sword to use in the future. But unexpectedly, obtaining this extraordinary weapon tonight was like giving wings to a tiger, or a fish to water.
This weapon, which could transform into a staff, spear, twin swords, or throwing knives, seemed tailor-made for him.
Ji Xiao stood quietly nearby, watching him intently.
When it came to the art of sweet talk and manipulation, even a hundred sword masters couldn’t compare to a mere finger of the Master of Tianhu Lake.
Ji Xiao, who only knew how to practice swordsmanship, devoted all his creativity and brilliant ideas solely to matters related to seeking the Dao and combat.
However, without such a Ji Xiao, this unique weapon, perfect only for Meng Xueli, would not exist. If anyone else used it, they would find it cumbersome rather than agile, burdened by the very weapon they wielded, entrapping themselves like a cocoon.
By the latter half of the night, the mountain wind grew fiercer, and the moonlight was obscured by the sea of clouds. Only then did Meng Xueli, exhausted yet satisfied, stop.
The meadow on the observation platform was a mess, deep gashes crisscrossing like strokes on a canvas carelessly smeared.
Meng Xueli sat on the ground and let out a contented sigh.
Ji Xiao walked up and sat beside him.
Meng Xueli looked at him, his eyes sparkling with focus, as if brimming with crystalline tears. “Before Ji Xiao left, he said he would give me a gift. I thought it was you. Turns out, it’s this weapon.” Ji Xiao even taught his son how to use it, showing how much thought he put into it.
This time, he didn’t casually say “my Dao companion,” but instead said “Ji Xiao.”
Ji Xiao frowned in confusion, about to ask, when he saw a tear fall from Meng Xueli’s eye as he blinked.
Startled, Ji Xiao’s mind went blank, and he awkwardly said, “Why are you crying?”
Not knowing how to comfort him, he simply added, “It’s just a unique weapon. The material isn’t as valuable as ‘Endless Sky Sword.’ It’s not worth crying over!”
Tears fell from Meng Xueli’s eyes like broken pearls, one after another. “What does ‘worth’ have to do with it? In the tales of the mortal world, they say, ‘Priceless treasures are easy to find, a lover is hard to come by.’ The material of the weapon doesn’t matter; what matters is that his heart holds me, and that’s how he created a weapon so perfectly suited for me. You… you just don’t understand!”
Ji Xiao stood stunned.
A feeling, indescribable and unfamiliar, surged in his heart.
It was as if a tiny paw of a spirit ferret had gently scratched a soft, unknown spot deep inside him.
He reached out to wipe Meng Xueli’s tears, but the latter turned his head away to avoid him.
Meng Xueli wiped his face messily himself.
Ji Xiao apologized, following his lead, “Alright, alright, I don’t understand.”
“Stop crying. Give it a name,” Ji Xiao said.
Meng Xueli wiped away his tears, feeling a bit ashamed of himself, losing the dignity of a mentor or elder.
Lowering his eyes, he quietly examined the peculiar weapon.
Under the glow of the ‘Eternal Spring’ formation, the meteoric iron shimmered with a faint silver light.
Meng Xueli said, “As the ancients said, ‘The universe is an inn for all things, and time is the traveler through a hundred generations.’ My Dao companion’s sword is named ‘Endless Sky Sword,’ signifying the vastness and infinity of the universe.
“This peculiar weapon of mine shall be called ‘Hundred Generations of Time.’ No matter how swiftly time passes, how the universe changes through a hundred generations, I will always remember him.”
Ji Xiao smiled. “‘Hundred Generations of Time’ to pair with ‘Boundless Sky Sword’—perfect.”
Author’s note: Ji Xiao, a cold-hearted sword sovereign who occasionally shows his clueless straight-man side, regularly scolding and praising himself.
PS: The lines ‘Priceless treasures are easy to find, a lover is hard to come by’ are from the poem “Gift to a Neighbor Girl” by Yu Xuanji. The lines ‘The universe is an inn for all things, and time is the traveler through a hundred generations’ are from Li Bai’s “Spring Night Banquet at the Peach Blossom Garden with My Brothers.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
