“Master, you called for me?”
Nangong Qiongxiao was in the middle of her inner monologue when she heard the familiar voice of the young man behind her.
Startled into a cold sweat, she quickly turned around and saw the white-robed boy standing at the entrance of the All-Books Pavilion again.
Lost in the lingering details of her earlier conversation with He Qiu, Nangong Qiongxiao hadn’t even noticed his return.
No, that wasn’t it.
With her cultivation at the half-step Immortal Realm, how could she fail to detect the aura of a third-stage cultivator?
She had clearly sensed He Qiu’s familiar presence, but because she had been reminiscing about their talk, she dismissed it as a memory of his scent and spiritual energy, paying it no mind.
But she never expected He Qiu to reappear at the All-Books Pavilion’s entrance less than ten minutes after leaving.
Just moments ago, she had wished he would come back to keep her company.
And now, he had actually indulged her whim and returned!
But why had he come back?
With this confusion, Nangong Qiongxiao suppressed her surprise and asked calmly, naturally:
“He Qiu, why have you returned? What is the matter?”
“Oh, it’s like this. There’s something I forgot to ask you earlier, Master. I went out of my way to come back…”
The young man lowered his head and scratched his cheek, looking a little embarrassed.
He Qiu had a habit of reading with extreme focus, often getting so immersed in books or cultivation that he forgot certain things around him.
This time, he had been absentminded and overlooked something very important.
“Speak freely.”
Fairy Nan sighed and waved her hand leisurely, signaling for He Qiu to sit down again.
He wasn’t one to stand on ceremony, and since time was short, he got straight to the point:
“Actually, I wanted to ask you, Master—if I feed blood to a Sword Spirit over a long period and have excessive contact… what would happen?”
“You mean human blood?”
“Yes.”
“Your own blood?”
“Yes.”
“The one being fed blood is that sword you forged before… the evil spirit Can Xue, right?”
“Yes.”
Hearing this, Nangong Qiongxiao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
She looked at the young man’s eyes, nodded with some emotion, as if she had confirmed something and already had an idea.
Still, to be safe, she pressed on for more details:
“Hmm, feeding blood… was that Can Xue’s own request? Or did someone tell you it was a cultivation secret?”
“It was Can Xue’s request.”
“And did Can Xue make any other requests?”
“Uh… she also asked me to summon her every night before sleeping and hold her while I sleep.”
“Hmm?”
An awkward silence stretched between them as Nangong Qiongxiao’s eyes filled with surprise.
Her earlier calm seemed to vanish entirely, replaced by the shock of hearing something so absurd for the first time.
Feeding blood was understandable.
Evil spirits often had big appetites, and drinking blood was merely a way to nourish the sword body.
Over time, it could make the Sword Spirit stronger, but it also came with a higher risk of losing control.
That wasn’t uncommon.
Many evil spirits had made such requests, and many sword cultivators actually did it to maintain the sharpness and ferocity of their Sword Spirit.
But sleeping while holding a Sword Spirit…
That was a bit baffling.
Even after years of sword cultivation, Nangong Qiongxiao had never heard of such a thing.
Still, somehow, through the strange personality Can Xue displayed as described by He Qiu, Nangong Qiongxiao felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
She vaguely sensed something suspicious about this Sword Spirit named Can Xue.
Finally, she took a deep breath and asked doubtfully:
“You mean Can Xue wants you to hold it while you sleep? For what?”
“I don’t know. I heard that evil spirits are a deep rabbit hole, and I was afraid I couldn’t handle it myself. That’s why I came to ask you, Master Nangong…”
“Could you summon Can Xue for me to see? Let I—ah, no, let me take a look?”
“Alright.”
He Qiu channeled his spiritual energy and raised his hand to summon the sword.
Soon, an ice sword flew out from his palm and landed in the young man’s hand.
Holding the sword with both hands, he presented it to Nangong Qiongxiao.
She leaned forward slightly, reaching out to take it, but her hand suddenly froze, as if she had sensed something.
Her expression turned serious.
“How can it be…!”
“This… could it really be you?”
Heh…
‘I never thought I’d meet you again under such circumstances.’
After a long silence, Nangong Qiongxiao let a faint smile curl at the corners of her lips, muttering softly to herself.
Then, she narrowed her phoenix eyes, and the spiritual energy around her suddenly surged.
She instantly released her cultivation to the eighth level of the Spirit Realm.
Her slender, jade-like fingers bent with strength, abruptly grabbing the hilt of Can Xue.
For a long moment, she suppressed it.
Vroom, vroom!
The body of Can Xue trembled violently before finally settling down in the hand of the Empress, losing its original luster.
“Heh…”
Nangong Qiongxiao gave a cold laugh, the faint smile on her lips growing even more satisfied.
‘I didn’t misrecognize you. It’s you, no mistake.’
‘…’
‘So you have a name? It’s Can Xue, right?’
‘…’
‘Playing dead is useless! My impression of you is especially deep. Even if you turned to ashes, I’d still recognize you…’
‘…’
‘Forget it. I won’t hold old grudges against you.’
Changing to a more relaxed sitting posture, Nangong Qiongxiao raised Can Xue in her hand and held it up to the light from the window for a closer look.
At the same time, she continued over the Mental Channel:
‘Tell me, how did you end up with my newly accepted little disciple? You want his blood, you want him to hold you while he sleeps—what’s your purpose?’
‘…’
‘Now that you’re in my hands, you still won’t talk?’
‘…’
‘Then fine. I’ll tell the boy right away that this so-called Can Xue is a wicked sword that will eventually backfire on its host. “Boy, you can’t handle this. Better hand Can Xue over to your master for suppression. Master will take care of it for you, and I’ll properly discipline this bad sword into—’
“Nangong Qiongxiao, you dare!!”
Finally, Can Xue reacted.
The sword’s aura exploded with ferocity, its edge gleaming under the refracted light.
Nangong Qiongxiao’s mind trembled at first, then she came to her senses, resumed her previous leisurely attitude, covered her mouth, and laughed.
In the entire Spirit Cultivation Realm, how long had it been since anyone dared to threaten her like that
Even evil spirits among Sword Spirits with the worst dispositions would cower and suppress their tempers before the Empress of Nine Provinces, who stood at the half-step Immortal Realm.
Of course, except for Can Xue.
‘Alright, I won’t provoke you anymore.’
Nangong Qiongxiao sighed, her tone turning serious: ‘I won’t pry too deeply into your secrets, but He Qiu is my favored new disciple. I just want to know—what exactly is your relationship with this young man, He Qiu?’
‘Master.’
‘Hmm? You’re He Qiu’s master?’
‘He Qiu is my master.’
“…?”
At first, Nangong Qiongxiao didn’t react.
But a moment later, the Empress was struck dumb, as if by a thunderbolt.
She stared at the young man’s handsome features, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.
So, He Qiu’s background was indeed mysterious.
No matter how she looked, she couldn’t see through his true identity!
Can Xue was actually willing to call He Qiu her master!?
Regarding this Sword Spirit Can Xue in her hand, Nangong Qiongxiao actually had a history with her.
Others couldn’t recognize Can Xue’s origins, but she understood better than anyone—and was even more shaken.
Back then, a young girl had crossed countless dangers and trials, finally arriving at the Abyssal Ice Domain.
She asked the legendary sword spirit inverted in the ice seat: Would you be willing to become Nangong Qiongxiao’s personal sword and follow her to conquer the entire Spirit Cultivation Realm…?
“When I unite this land, you will be the first Empress’s personal sword of the Spirit Cultivation Realm, crowned as the eternal number one sword!”
Beneath the depths of the winter abyss, a girl in tattered clothes smiled triumphantly.
Though poor in material, she was rich in spirit, her lips curled upward, and her phoenix eyes brimmed with arrogance.
At just nineteen years old, a peak eighth-stage cultivator—that was Nangong Qiongxiao in her youth, the most terrifyingly talented arrogant protagonist of that era!
In the present day, the only one who could compare in talent was the Primordial Saintess who rose to prominence in later generations.
But even the nineteen-year-old genius An Lingran was merely at the seventh stage…
That was why the girl was so confident in making such a bold promise to the sword spirit.
Unfortunately, the sword spirit didn’t respond.
“Hey, Sword Spirit! Do you doubt that I’m boasting?!”
Ice sword: …
“Say something! Why won’t you answer me?”
Ice sword: …
“Hah, you look down on me, don’t you?”
Ice sword: …
After countless attempts, the sword spirit still didn’t react, unwilling to waste even a single word on her.
The girl refused to accept it.
She was the destined protagonist who would become Empress and conquer the vassals of the world.
How could she be looked down upon by a broken sword?
So she reached out to grab the ice sword, intending to pull it out by force.
Then, in the next second, a heart-wrenching scream echoed through the entire Abyssal Canyon, nearly causing an avalanche.
Later, she had to sacrifice half an arm to cut off her limb and escape with her life.
As she left in disgrace, she clearly remembered a playful, mocking voice behind her—
“A mere Empress of the Spirit Cultivation Realm—how dare you wish to be the master of this sword spirit? Girl, do you think you’re worthy?”
Turning around, she saw a tall black-dressed girl with layered lotus patterns standing atop the ice seat, her beautiful eyes reflecting a sinister, scarlet light.
And on the snow-covered ground of the Abyssal Ice Domain, one of the Empress’s arms remains frozen to this day, no one daring to trespass on that land.