“Whew… I’m under the covers, but why is it still so cold? Hiss…”
Zhu Qiu’s feet lay still under the blanket, trying to warm it up quickly.
But the next second, two ice-cold things grabbed her legs.
The sudden touch jolted her wide awake.
“Who’s there?!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhu Qiu leaped out of bed and threw the entire blanket aside.
“Who are you?!”
She stared at the two little ones curled into shivering balls on her bed, both shocked and frightened.
Where did these two come from?
How can just anyone climb into my bed?
But when she looked more closely, she realized the two curled-up figures looked exactly like her.
One was completely purple, the other entirely golden, both with a pale blue tint.
Huh?
Did I see that wrong?
Two of me?
Zhu Qiu rubbed her eyes, but the reality in front of her didn’t change.
“Hey! Tell me who you are right now! In broad daylight, you scared me to death, okay?!”
Hearing Zhu Qiu’s cries, the golden little loli slowly raised her head, revealing a pair of blood-red pupils.
“Zhu Qiu… I, I am the Sword Spirit. Don’t you recognize me?”
The Sword Spirit’s voice was very soft and weak—she seemed to be in a bad state.
“Oh right, you’re the Sword Spirit. I remember now.”
Zhu Qiu shifted her gaze to the purple little loli.
“If she’s the Sword Spirit, then what spirit are you?”
The purple little loli also raised her head, but instead of red, her pupils were purple.
“I’m not a spirit. I am Jian Mo, the sword demon of the Demon Sword.”
“Jian Mo?” Zhu Qiu suddenly understood.
“You’re the one who was shouting about finding the Demon King a few days ago? That slime?”
“Yes… but I’ve abandoned the Demon King now. She doesn’t deserve my allegiance.”
“Stop, stop, stop. Don’t talk about that yet. If you’re that slime, then just stay a slime. Why turn into me?!” Zhu Qiu felt disturbed.
A slime turning into her and hiding in her bed, stealing her blanket—that was completely inappropriate.
“The Holy Sword and the Demon Sword are both the same type of weapon, so the Sword Spirit and Jian Mo are the same. Whatever the master looks like, that’s what I look like. As for why I was a slime before, it’s because I had no master at the time. Turning into a slime was just to conserve energy and make it easier to find a master.”
Zhu Qiu was speechless.
She could understand why Jian Mo looked like her, but the slime form being for convenience… she really hadn’t seen that.
This girl probably only knows how to turn into a slime and made up an excuse to hide her incompetence.
However, she spotted a flaw in Jian Mo’s words.
“Wait a minute. Isn’t your master the Demon King? Why are you clinging to me? And back then, weren’t you shouting for the Demon King to defeat me?”
“My master was never the Demon King. Only the strong can earn my approval. And in my eyes, the Demon King disappeared tens of thousands of years ago. She’s long been nothing. As for why I was shouting like that, it’s because I still thought she was strong. But after all my effort to find her, she didn’t even acknowledge me. What could I do? I was desperate too, okay?”
Jian Mo grew more animated as she spoke, no longer feeling cold, and sat up to talk with Zhu Qiu.
“So, because the Demon King abandoned you, you’re latching onto me?” Zhu Qiu repeated the question.
“That’s not true! First of all, I don’t just pick any master. They have to pass my strict selection. Second, there’s a difference between the Demon Sword and the Holy Sword. The Holy Sword requires the Sword Spirit to actively bond with the chosen Sword Saint User, while the Demon Sword requires the other party to initiate the bond. If you hadn’t bonded with me, I could never have become your Demon Sword.”
“Huh?” Jian Mo’s long speech left Zhu Qiu puzzled—so puzzled it was hard to believe.
“You mean I actively sought you out to bond?”
“Yes, and I thought your talent was decent, so I agreed.”
“What kind of joke is that? Do you think that’s funny?”
“I’m not joking. I’m serious, very serious. Starting now, I’m sticking with you!”
The little loli Jian Mo hugged her, making the already shivering Zhu Qiu even colder.
“You, don’t come near me first! I’m cold!”
“Oh, oh, got it.”
Jian Mo released her hold.
“I want to know when we bonded. I have no memory of it at all,” Zhu Qiu continued.
“It happened when the Sword Spirit picked up the Demon Sword. She was going to slash at the Demon King, but the Demon King dodged, and the blade bounced onto you, drawing blood. That’s when the bond formed.”
“Wait, let me think.”
Zhu Qiu began recalling.
“Hmm, it does seem like that happened. I have a vague impression.”
“See! I told you!”
“So… that sword covered in rust was the Demon Sword? It looked like nothing but a broken Wind Blade!”
“…Don’t focus on the details. The Demon Sword had no master for tens of thousands of years and wasn’t used. A little rust is normal.”
“A little? It was rusted all over!”
“Those details don’t matter. What matters is that you’re my master now! We’ll be together forever!”
Jian Mo lunged at Zhu Qiu again, but Zhu Qiu reacted quickly and dodged.
“You’re too cold. Don’t touch me. And who said I want to be together with you forever? Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Wuu…” Jian Mo’s tone changed, and she sat on the bed with a pitiful expression.
Zhu Qiu rubbed her temples and summarized the whole affair: “So, we bonded by accident, and that made me your master.”
“That’s right.”
“But do you actually treat me as your master?”
“Of course I do! Whenever you summon me, I’ll come right away, got it?” Jian Mo said with certainty.
“Then explain why you were uncontrollable inside me.”
“Uncontrollable? That’s impossible. I always obey your commands.”
“But because of you, I ended up with a fever yesterday. Don’t you get it?!”
“Ah!” Jian Mo looked dumbfounded.
That happened?
How did she not know?
“Don’t ‘ah’ me. You know best what happened yesterday. I hope you explain quickly.”
“Well… okay.”
Since Zhu Qiu was now her master, there was no reason for Jian Mo not to answer.
“Actually, since ancient times, the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword have been two similar yet mutually exclusive entities. They cannot both choose the same master. That’s a major taboo.”
Hearing Jian Mo’s explanation, Zhu Qiu grew angry.
“Then knowing I already had the Holy Sword, why did you agree to the accidental bond?”
“Because I didn’t know. That’s why I agreed.”