I Have a Sword

Ye Guan was surprised. He had no idea that Yi Nian had a job. Ye Guan didn’t doubt her, as he had learned through their time together that Yi Nian wasn't the type to lie.

Whenever she spoke, it would always be the truth.

Ye Guan looked at Yi Nian and smiled. “Isn’t that exhausting?”

“Yes, it’s tiring and boring.”

“Then why not quit?”

Yi Nian hesitated.

Ye Guan asked, “What’s wrong? Is your boss difficult to talk to?”

Yi Nian nodded.

Ye Guan reassured her, “Don’t worry, bring me along when you have to go back to work. I’ll talk to your boss by then.”

“Come on!” Ye Guan grabbed Yi Nian’s hand and led her into the distance. A few kilometers away, there was an ocean that reflected the starry night sky.

The ocean sparkled with the light of countless stars.

The ocean was full of people; many men and women were rowing boats, enjoying the scenery together.

After paying two strands of Ancestral Origin, Ye Guan took Yi Nian on a boat. The boat was small, just enough for the two of them.

Ye Guan sprawled out on the boat, resting his head on his hands. He gazed at the myriad of stars up above, feeling a rare sense of peace.

He had traveled a lot and had seen many breathtaking sceneries over the years, but he rarely stopped to enjoy them like this.

Yi Nian sat next to him, quietly licking her hawthorn candy.

“Do you have any dreams?” Ye Guan asked out of the blue.

Yi Nian thought for a moment and shook her head.

“None at all?”

Yi Nian nodded. “None.”

“Why not?”

Yi Nian licked her hawthorn candy again and blandly said, “Work.”

“What about after work?”

“I just go on a swing.”

Ye Guan was taken aback.

Yi Nian glanced at her hawthorn candy and added, “And eating hawthorn candy...”

Ye Guan shook his head, smiling.

Yi Nian looked at him, asking, “What about you?”

“My dream is to surpass my ancestors.”

“Did your ancestors create that spacetime inside the tiny pagoda?”

Ye Guan replied, “My aunt did.”

Yi Nian looked at him seriously. “Your aunt is amazing.”

Ye Guan laughed heartily, “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Yi Nian, have you been hiding your true strength?”

Yi Nian lay down beside him, gazing at the starry sky. “I’m not good at fighting.”

Ye Guan laughed, “Then, you should become good at it, as we're living in a very cruel world."

“How about you come and work with me in the future?”

Ye Guan was surprised by the abrupt proposal.

"Come and work with me, okay?" Yi Nian asked again.

Ye Guan jokingly replied, “Sure!”

Yi Nian’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“I can give it a try, but I’ve always had people work for me; I’ve never worked for someone else.”

“Great, then you can cook for me.”

Ye Guan. "...”

Just like that, they sprawled out on the small boat, letting it drift away along with their thoughts.

Eventually, they started talking; they talked about everything, but Ye Guan was the one doing the talking most of the time. He found that Yi Nian was curious about many things.

For example, how hawthorn candies were made or why many people were cultivating the Dao...

She was like a curious child.

In the end, Ye Guan realized that Yi Nian had been working too long and had lost touch with the world.

He truly found her to be quite pitiful.

After a while, Ye Guan started grilling fish on the boat for Yi Nian.

Yi Nian stared intently at the golden-yellow grilled fish. She was still licking her candied hawthorn, but she was practically drooling over the fish.

The sight made Ye Guan laugh, but he quickly handed the grilled fish over to her. Yi Nian grabbed it and carefully returned her hawthorn candy to its wrapper before putting it away into her small bamboo waist bag. Then, she began devouring the fish. Eating was a bit inconvenient for her, as her hair covered half of her face. Ye Guan wanted to point it out, but he reconsidered, thinking that there had to be a reason why she had been hiding half of her face. Ye Guan decided to be silent, as he didn't want to cross any boundaries.

Casting the thought aside, Ye Guan took out a chicken from his storage ring. He seasoned and grilled it for Yi Nian.

He had become strong enough that he no longer needed to eat to survive, but he still made it a habit to carry food, just in case he stumbled into Erya and Little White. Those two little ancestors of his loved to eat, especially Erya.

Yi Nian made quick work of the grilled fish and cast a longing gaze at the grilled chicken in Ye Guan's hand.

Laughing, Ye Guan gently handed her a napkin.

Yi Nian smiled sweetly as she took the napkin and wiped the corner of her mouth clean.

All of a sudden, Yi Nian noticed a small boat floating about a dozen meters away. A man and a woman were embracing and kissing passionately on the boat.

Yi Nian blinked and asked innocently, "What are they doing?"

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

However, his silence only fueled Yi Nian’s curiosity.

After some pondering, Ye Guan said, "They're playing."

"Playing what?"

Ye Guan was speechless again.

"They're committing a sin!" Little Pagoda chimed in.

Ye Guan was so speechless he felt like he was suffering from aphasia.

Yi Nian grinned and greeted, "Hello, Little Pagoda."

She had stayed in the world inside the tiny pagoda, but she had never really spoken to Little Pagoda. This was her first time talking to him.

"Hello," Little Pagoda replied. He had a good impression of Yi Nian, as she bore no ill will toward Ye Guan.

Just then, Ye Guan and Yi Nian turned to the right and saw a man's hands wandering around a woman's figure. At first, he was just holding her in his arms, but his hands were now in the middle of an "exploration," and their breathing was becoming quicker and quicker as time ticked by.

Ye Guan's face darkened at the sight. The Asura Civilization is actually this liberated?

Yi Nian cast a curious gaze at the man and the lady.

Seeing that the couple was becoming more and more passionate, Ye Guan immediately grabbed Yi Nian and disappeared into thin air.

The two found themselves standing on the shore. Yi Nian cast an intrigued gaze at Ye Guan standing next to her.

"Haha." Ye Guan chuckled awkwardly and pulled Yi Nian away.

He had just taken a few steps away when his pupils constricted. The next moment, he pulled Yi Nian behind him, and a myriad of sword intent burst out of him.

Rumble!

The nearby spacetime froze over, and then Ye Guan, Yi Nian, the nearby spacetime, and the myriad of sword intent vanished without a trace.

***

An elderly man in hemp clothing was sitting in the Taia Clan's grand hall

"The Xuan Clan has made a move," said the elderly man in hemp clothing to Taia Tian.

Instead of responding, Taia Tian stood up and walked toward the grand hall's entrance.

"Should we take action?"

Taia Tian calmly replied, "Why?"

The elderly man in hemp clothing was silent. Yeah, why?

The Xuan Clan could attack Ye Guan, but the Taia Clan couldn't attack the Xuan Clan to help Ye Guan.

After all, they both belonged to the Asura Civilization. In other words, attacking without justification was a golden ticket to attracting the wrath of the entire Asura Civilization.

The Asura Civilization was rife with internal strife, but they had to be united against external threats.

Unity! The word "unity" was the reason behind the Asura Civilization's power.

Taia Tian suddenly asked, "Has the Supreme Scholar been notified?"

The elderly man in hemp clothing replied, "The Supreme Scholar is in the forbidden region. We can't get in to notify her, and the Xuan Clan has stationed powerful guards before the forbidden zone's entrance.

"Clearly, they're afraid that someone might notify the Supreme Scholar."

"Find a way to notify the Supreme Scholar. The Xuan Clan has framed us, and we can't let them get away with it."

"What if the young swordsman is dead by now?"

Taia Tian slowly closed his eyes. "Then, everything would be meaningless."

The elderly man in hemp clothing nodded and left.

***

Ye Guan's face was dark. A divine spell had whisked both Yi Nian and him to this mysterious independent space.

A cloud of mist shrouded the path up ahead, but Yi Nian was still calmly licking her hawthorn candy despite the possible threat to her life.

Just then, a man in white walked out of the distant mist.

The man in white's aura was extraordinary, and a faint smile tugged at his lips as he stared at Ye Guan.

"Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Xuan Ming."

"What do you want?" Ye Guan asked calmly.

"To remain calm before mortal danger; how impressive," Xuan Ming remarked as he walked slowly toward Ye Guan. "I heard you have a divine item from a Tier Four civilization. Is it true?"

"So that's why you're here?"

Xuan Ming smiled. "I know of many ways to die. If you hand it over willingly, I'll let you choose the way you die. How does that sound?"

Ye Guan looked around and remarked, "You're stalling for time."

Xuan Ming's eyes narrowed.

Ye Guan asked, "You're waiting for someone?"

"What makes you think that?"

Ye Guan stared at Xuan Ming. "The spacetime here is getting thicker. This means you don't have the confidence to kill me and are simply stalling for time, waiting for reinforcements."

"Haha!" Xuan Ming suddenly laughed, "I guess I underestimated you, then."

He was indeed stalling for time.

Ye Guan was right. He wasn't confident in killing him, as he had a divine item from a Tier Four civilization.

Xuan Ming had never dared to underestimate Ye Guan, as he knew very well that underestimating one's enemy was foolish.

Thus, he decided to stall time and wait for an ancestor of the Xuan Clan to come here and deal with Ye Guan.

Ye Guan suddenly said, "Do you know why I'm letting you stall for time?"

"Why?"

Ye Guan flicked his sleeve and calmly replied, "Because I'm also stalling for time."

Xuan Ming was stunned. The next moment, his pupils shrank, and his hair stood on end. A sword had suddenly appeared before him!

Phantom Edge executed with the Qingxuan Sword!

Xuan Ming reacted quickly and immediately mustered his entire cultivation base to summon a barrier.

However, the barrier was like a piece of paper before the Qingxuan Sword.

Shwik!

The Qingxuan Sword pierced Xuan Ming's forehead, immobilizing him.

Xuan Ming's eyes widened in shock.

Just as Ye Guan was about to make another move, a terrifying aura surged from the depths of the void, and an aged voice echoed. "Kill him, and I will annihilate your whole clan!"