CH 103

Chapter 103: Ten Thousand Year Tortoise Core



The two of them drifted about everywhere; they regarded all corners of the world as their home. 



Later, Song Qingshi unexpectedly rescued an old Sword Master who was seriously injured by a traitorous disciple. The old Sword Master was surnamed Mo, and he was already very advanced in years. After killing the ill-behaved traitorous disciple, he drew a lesson from this bitter experience and decided to accept a new disciple with good moral character…



He looked at Song Qingshi and Wuhuan — a blind man and a mute…



Silence is golden. Wielding a sword didn’t require one to talk. It was all about persistence and earnestness.



The old Sword Master chose Song Qingshi without a second thought. Although this child was small, he looked well-behaved and honest. 



Song Qingshi felt this must be a benefit of the formation. He studied very hard. After attending classes, he would seriously ask various questions by writing them down: What is the angle of a diagonal sword? Forty-five degrees or thirty-five degrees? When you say, turn it into a triangle, do you mean a right triangle or an oblique triangle? What is the angle bisector? What is the rate of acceleration? Should it go inside first or outside? Which position? How many seconds each time?



After pondering this paper crammed full of questions, the old Sword Master sighed bitterly, “I had better teach the blind one instead.”



Song Qingshi was tragically expelled from school, and he dejectedly continued to do research on medicinal herbs and pharmacology.



The old Sword Master was surprised to find that although Wuhuan couldn’t see, his talent was exceptional. So long as he taught him once, he would never make a mistake. Moreover, he could learn by analogy. His perception was so sharp; better than an ordinary person’s by a hundredfold. The more the old Sword Master taught him, the more elated the Sword Master became. He practically viewed Wuhuan as his own son, bestowing upon him everything he had ever learned, hoping he would awaken to the true Way of the Sword Heart.



This was the lifelong pursuit of every sword cultivator.



Cultivate the sword forms first, then cultivate the sword intent, finally the sword heart; cutting through all obstructions, ascending to the peak of the Way of the Sword.



…



In the Peach Blossom Valley, time flew by. 



Wuhuan studied relentlessly day and night. He practiced his swordsmanship for ten years and Song Qingshi remained by his side, practicing alchemy for ten years. He relied on the old Sword Master’s connections and funds, to gather a lot of medicinal materials. He devised all sorts of ways and means and created all sorts of precious medicine to help Wuhuan expand his mortal meridians, assisting in his cultivation, increasing the speed of his cultivation. For this reason, he delayed his own cultivation, and his pace slowed down by a lot.



Wuhuan finally formed his Golden Core.



The old Sword Master was overjoyed and changed his name to Mo Yuan.



Song Qingshi was stunned. 



“I have no idea where my original name came from. If I’m discovered by those people from that filthy place, I’m afraid I might hurt Shizun’s good name.” Wuhuan unexpectedly approved very much of the idea. “From now on, I want to completely erase those experiences. I will draw a clear line between the past.”



Although that town had been very small and Wuhuan had never hung up a plate and accepted guests at Tian Xiang Pavilion and thus his reputation wasn’t widespread, it was, after all, a disgraceful past. Moreover, his appearance was very beautiful. It would be hard to forget even after seeing it only once.



Now he has grown up, and he has gained a lot of knowledge. He has blossomed into becoming even more gorgeous. Even with the plasters to smear and discolor his face, whenever they go out, he would still meet male and female cultivators alike who wished to proposition or woo him. They would occasionally meet beasts who would bully him because of his blindness and would seek to impose on him. Those beasts, they turned into sword practice targets or poison test subjects.



If he doesn’t change his name, what if he makes a great name for himself in the field of swordsmanship and his background is sussed out? Wouldn’t he simply he handing over proof into other people’s hands? When the time comes, he would be the target of slanderous gossip and gossip is a fearful thing. 



Who would believe that someone who had once been a xiao guan had lived clean and honest? He would only get the attention from mad bees and unrestrained butterflies. It was provoking unnecessary trouble.



Song Qingshi understood Wuhuan and the old Sword Master’s logic. He tried to struggle: Can we change to a different name?



Although he had read the glorious history of Sword Master Mo Yuan in books and he was presently in one of his formations, seeming to be walking a fixed, predetermined path, but within his lost memory he seemed to have a vague recollection that Sword Master Mo Yuan had ended up going crazy? !

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Ktlr kbc’a vb! Ktlr cjwf lr abb eciemxs! 



Vbcu Hlcurtl erfv j kbbvfc ybjgv ab kglaf vbkc tlr qgbafrar. Lf kjr rb oierafgfv atja tf kjrc’a jyif ab mbwweclmjaf nfgs kfii.



Ktf biv Vkbgv Zjrafg kjr ybat yjooifv jcv j ilaaif jcugs, “Qtja vb sbe tjnf jujlcra atf cjwf P mtbrf? Ktlr lr atf cjwf bo ws vfjgis vfqjgafv rbc! Cgf sbe rjslcu la’r jc euis cjwf?!”



Song Qing stubbornly held up the board: Mo Zi, Mo You, Mo Mo, Mo Yu, Mo Xiaohei.



The old Sword Master slapped him on the head and reprimanded: “You should just change your name to Moyu!” 



Wuhuan listened to the names on the wooden sign. He was silent for a long time and carefully said, “I think Mo Yuan is a good name.”



This matter was just like Song Qingshi’s inability to talk. It was a fixed plot point in Sword Master Mo Yuan’s memory. No matter how much he struggled, it was no use. Wuhuan’s new name was already settled. Although Song Qingshi persisted in calling him Wuhuan, he was mute. It was useless no matter what he called him…



For many days, Song Qingshi’s thoughts often wandered. In the end, he still tried his best to climb out of his depressed mood…Sword Master Mo Yuan’s story has long become part of history. It was useless to feel sad. If this was a memory, he wanted to understand just what exactly had happened for things to develop to that point. He wanted to see if Wuhuan’s ending in the fantasy world could be reversed.



Whether this was real or an illusion, he didn’t want to give up the hope of making Wuhuan happy. 



…



Good sword cultivators need to sharpen their swords with the blood of powerful enemies.



After the old Sword Master died of old age, Song Qingshi left the Peach Blossom Valley with Wuhuan.



The world of cultivation was a very dark place. One of them was a peerless beauty, and the other was a single water-type spiritual root suitable for being made into a cultivation furnace. These were qualities that attracted evil people. Whether it was being coaxed or being deceived, being snatched or being seized …they encountered all sorts of disgusting things. 



Wuhuan’s sword became sharper and sharper. It was dyed with more and more blood. His reputation too, became more and more well-known.



Song Qingshi hoped to collect all the materials for the Xuantian Taiming Pill. He had already obtained the Purple Spirit Grass and the Enlightenment Stone, but the Ten Thousand Year Tortoise core had not been heard of for a long time. He felt very worried.



Wuhuan has long learned to use his mental probe to detect their surrounding environment. He didn’t mind about his eyes at all. His disposition has become a lot livelier. He would often joke with Song Qingshi and he liked to pinch his cheeks and his stomach. Every day, before they went to sleep, he would weigh him. If he was heavier, he would be very satisfied; if he was lighter, he would worry and force him to eat well.



When they had been on the road before, he had heard many people shun Song Qingshi for being ugly. The old Sword Master often said that Song Qingshi was thin and small. He looked stupid and wouldn’t attract people’s affection. 



Maybe… Song Qingshi really wasn’t pretty…



But, he liked Song Qingshi no matter how he looked! He hated it most when people say that Song Qingshi is no good!



He would cause Shizun to be sullen every time.



The old Sword Master slowly stopped mentioning it. 



Wuhuan didn’t understand what his feelings were for Song Qingshi, but that faint fragrance of medicine that lingered by his side has long since entered into his heart. They twined together, creating a knot that couldn’t be undone. There were times when his thoughts would be very selfish, thinking it was also good if Song Qingshi didn’t look good, if no one liked him. He alone could like him, he could hide him away…



But, him being this way wasn’t good. If people keep saying he’s ugly, Song Qingshi would feel sad.



When cats get fat, people call them cute. So if people get fat, they’ll also be cute, right?



Wuhuan worked very hard to make all kinds of delicious foods, wanting to raise Song Qingshi into a cute little fatty. Unfortunately, Song Qingshi’s figure failed to live up to expectations. Although his flesh was evenly distributed, his body was soft and the feel of it when he hugged him to sleep was very good, he was still far from the norms of being a chubby cutie. 



He had no idea when it started, but Song Qingshi also began to put on a veiled hat when they went out. He started to avoid the crowds.



Wuhuan thought that he was feeling inferior about his appearance, and grew even more worried. He didn’t dare to mention it though. The only thing he could do was to throw himself even more into his force-feeding endeavor whenever he wasn’t practicing his swordsmanship. Not only did he change his tricks and now made sweets as well but he also sought out good food everywhere. He would coax him into eat a couple more bites. He did everything short of chasing him and feeding him directly with a spoon.



Song Qingshi was flattered by his favor. Every day he would touch his plump belly and say: There is a kind of ‘being not full’ called ‘Wuhuan doesn’t think I’m full’…



They continued on their journey, travelling, stopping, collecting medicinal materials, sampling all sorts of delicacies. Finally, they found the whereabouts of the Ten Thousand Year Tortoise. 



There was a cave in the Yue Yan River. Inside was an old tortoise that has lived for many untold years. But there seemed to be something strange about that cave. A lot of the people who came out from there developed problems with their minds. Wuhuan knew that Song Qingshi had long been preparing the medicine to recover his sight. He also wanted to clearly see the person most important to him. The two of them talked it over and… although Song Qingshi was a little worried, he compared Wuhuan’s age and Sword Master Mo Yuan’s historical records and determined it wasn’t during this period that he would encounter a problem. They decided to kill the tortoise and take its core.



In the histories, Sword Master Mo Yuan wasn’t blind.



Song Qingshi was quite confident in their present course of action.



They smoothly entered the water. However, they unexpectedly encountered two water monsters. During their fight, the water monster was wounded and set off a huge wave. Wuhuan was drawn into the cave and disappeared. Song Qingshi was tangled in the water monster’s tentacles and dragged away, unable to provide assistance. He was so torn with anxiety, that he disregarded everything and released the Underworld Ghost Fire, corroding and poisoning one of the water monsters to death. He also took away its water spirit orbs, planning to use them to nourish his spiritual roots. 



The two water monsters seemed to have been mates. Now that one had died, the other went berserk.



The water monster was almost transparent in the water. It appeared and disappeared like a ghost.



Song Qingshi tangled with it for a long time. He was tossed about until dusk when, body covered in wounds, he finally managed to repel the beast back. He then rushed into the cave, looking for Wuhuan’s whereabouts.



He found Wuhuan, sitting in a daze beside the messily chopped up remains of the tortoise. For a moment, seeing him covered in blood, his mind seemingly lost, Song Qingshi couldn’t help being frightened. 



He walked over cautiously and found that the blood on Wuhuan had been the tortoise’s. He finally heaved a sigh of relief.



Song Qingshi patted Wuhuan’s face and wrote on his palm: Are you okay?



“Qing-Qingshi?” Wuhuan seemed like he was waking up from a nightmare. He firmly clutched Song Qingshi’s hand. “My-my stone is still here…” He talked chaotically. His breathing was heavily, like he couldn’t take in a breath. His hold on him was very strong; he nearly snapped off Song Qingshi’s wrist bone. He refused to let go no matter what.



Song Qingshi gasped from the pain. Seeing that he wasn’t in the right state of mind, he didn’t dare struggle, afraid that he would make his condition worse. 



Wuhuan took the chance to drag him into his arms. He embraced him tightly, like he was desperate to push him into his body. It was as though he wanted to swallow him whole and hide him in his stomach but he didn’t quite know how to and so. He winded up tossing him from side to side.



Song Qingshi felt his ribs break from the force of his embrace. Tears were about to come out. He felt a little like wanting to cry but he didn’t dare to.



After an unknown length of time, Wuhuan was slowly coming back to his senses. He realized how he was supposed to eat him up. He cupped the face of the person in his arms, rubbed it, sniffed his scent and then kissed his soft lips, prying open his teeth, reaching in, continuously demanding more. No matter whether it was his feelings or his body, he wouldn’t allow a single thing to remain. He was going to eat it all up, until it became a part of him. Only then could he set his mind at ease.



He now understood the desire in his heart. He understood his feelings. 



He was like crazy wild beast. He bore down with every step. He implored, he thirsted, he seized, he gobbled up and plundered…



The young man finally gave up even his faint struggle. Panting in his arms, he fell back step by step. At his demand, the young man handed over almost everything.



“I’m-I’m sorry,” At the last moment, Wuhuan finally realized that this was real. His mind cleared and he restrained his desire that was on the verge of falling apart. He stopped before he could commit a grave mistake. He straightened Song Qingshi’s clothes for him as he kept apologizing, “There is a peculiar formation here. It drew me into a nightmarish dreamland, I…”



Song Qingshi wrote on the palm of his hand: What did you dream of? 



Wuhuan froze for a long time. He didn’t dare recall that dreamland. After a long time, he said honestly, “In the illusion, you died many times…”



The Heart-eater formation unearths a person’s deepest fear. Every time, he dreamt about himself and Song Qingshi, falling in love. But in an instant, he would lose him. Everywhere, there would be the scent of blood. The one warm hand would turn ice cold. His breath would disappear. Over and over again, he would hold the young man’s lifeless body in his arms. He would realize that he now had nothing and the world too would then be destroyed.



His breathing turned rapid. Even knowing that it was an illusion, the pain was still unbearable.



Song Qingshi stubbornly pulled at him. He thought about it, and reminded again on his palm, “Think back on it. How did you find its flaw?” 



“The you in the dream, didn’t have any medicinal scent.” Wuhuan remembered the flaw and once again sobered up. He buried his head again Song Qingshi’s shoulder, and sniffed that faint fragrance. He whimpered, “So, I knew that was a fake. You’re still with me…”



Song Qingshi knew he didn’t like being seen weak, so he didn’t lower his head to look at him. He only continued to give him light pats to his shoulder to comfort him. Afterwards, he used his spiritual energy to comb through the confusion in his sea of consciousness, setting his mind at ease.



Wuhaun repeated over and over again, “You’re still here…”



Song Qingshi embraced him. 



After some time, Wuhuan finally recovered…



Embarrassed, he lifted his head. With red eyes, he handed the Ten Thousand Year Tortoise core from his palm to Song Qingshi’s hand. He asked hesitantly, “This is the last ingredient for the Xiantian Taiming Pill. With this, will I finally be able to see you?”



Song Qingshi nodded.



“Qingshi, when I successfully recover my sight. When I’m not blind and…I won’t be a burden anymore, I will work hard to be better. So, can I like you?” Wuhuan thought for a long time. Normally, he even thought himself to have the gift of gab, but unexpectedly, he couldn’t think of a better way to convey it. Finally, he carefully asked, “Qingshi, can I be your Daoist companion?” 



During his madness just now, he had already revealed his natural instincts to invade. He could no longer pretend to be a lamb.



He wasn’t certain that the young man would be willing to bear it.



“Don’t be afraid of me, and don’t leave me either.” Wuhuan lowered his head and explained softly, “If you’re not willing, we can just stay the way we are now…”



He was willing to restrain all his instincts. 



So long as the young man stayed by his side, he could agree to anything.



Song Qingshi took his hand and wrote gently, “I’m willing.”



Wuhuan suddenly felt the nightmare disappear and the whole world lit up.