“I don’t think so. You must have misheard me. Let’s eat first.”
Zhu Qiu wanted her father to go out, but Sodlan remained motionless.
He looked up at the ceiling meaningfully, rubbed his chin with his hand, thought for a moment, and then nodded.
“Hmm… Soran, tell your father the truth. These past few days… have you been out looking for girls?”
“Huh?”
“Well, it’s true that you’re not young anymore. It’s time to start thinking about these things in advance.”
“Father, what are you talking about?”
Zhu Qiu couldn’t understand it. She was a Sword Saint, after all. Didn’t he know the saying?
‘If there are no women in my heart, my blade will naturally be divine.’
Wouldn’t looking for women just ruin her future?
“I heard a girl’s voice just now. You brought her here, didn’t you? Hurry up and let her out so your father can meet her.”
“What girl? I’m the Sword Saint. I won’t be looking for a girl in this lifetime,” Zhu Qiu said, standing her ground firmly.
“Alright then.”
Sodlan walked out the door with a disappointed look.
“It seems your father was just hallucinating.”
The father and son sat down at the dining table. Zhu Qiu’s eyes lit up as she looked at the spread of food.
This was a meal personally prepared by her father. She didn’t even know how long it had been since the last time.
‘I’m going to dig in!’
Just as Zhu Qiu was about to eat, she noticed someone was missing from the table.
“Father, where is my brother Sote? Why isn’t he coming to eat?”
“You mean Sote? He said he wanted to become someone like you, so he went off to train himself. He won’t be back for a few days. Besides, he found a master who is not only teaching him but also providing him with food and a place to stay.”
“I see.”
Zhu Qiu didn’t think much of it and continued eating. Halfway through the meal, Sodlan suddenly realized that the son in front of him seemed a bit off.
His eating speed seemed to have increased quite a bit.
In the past, he would have finished at most one bowl of rice by now, but currently, the plates were almost empty.
“Father, why do you keep staring at me?”
Zhu Qiu noticed her father’s gaze and asked with concern.
“It’s nothing. Eat more. When you’re finished, I’ll explain the current situation to you clearly.”
Sodlan walked to the side and sat quietly on a long bench.
After a while, Zhu Qiu also went to sit beside him, deliberately keeping a careful distance of two seats between them.
“Soran, many things have happened to the Human Race while you were away. After I sent your brother Sote away to study, the groups of Magic Creatures around the Human City have been growing daily, constantly harassing us.”
“!”
“Because you weren’t here, the King could only send his Royal Legion to deal with the Magic Creatures. As you know, the Royal Legion is the strongest army of the Human Race in name only, but their actual strength isn’t that great. Furthermore, back when you were here, the task of clearing Magic Creatures fell entirely on you, which made the Royal Legion even lazier. Now that they’re suddenly forced to face the Magic Creatures, they are naturally being pushed back, and many have been injured.”
“The King came to notify me last time, hoping the Sword Saint would lend a hand. But since you weren’t here, I could only use the excuse that you were out on business to put him off. Now that you’re back, hurry up and help. We can’t let the Magic Creatures continue to be so arrogant. They might have already reached the vicinity of the city walls.”
“Is it that serious? I’ve only been gone for a few days, and the Magic Creatures are already near the city walls?”
Zhu Qiu asked in surprise.
“I can only tell you what I’ve heard. I’m not sure of the specific details, so you’ll have to go see for yourself. I know you might be tired, but the Human City is counting on you.”
As he spoke, Sodlan habitually placed his hand on his son’s shoulder.
“?”
Why did this touch feel a bit different? Since when had his son’s shoulder become so soft?
“I understand, Father.”
Zhu Qiu quickly stood up and shook off her father’s hand. She couldn’t let him touch her; if she were exposed, it would be over.
“I’ll go take a look now. Wait at home for my good news.”
Zhu Qiu walked out with confidence.
To her, this was a great opportunity to regain the feeling of being the Sword Saint and to let everyone know that the Sword Saint was alive and well, hadn’t disappeared, and hadn’t abandoned the Human Race.
Sodlan, left behind, became even more confused. His son’s behavior today seemed a bit strange, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.
There was always a strange sense of distance.
‘Perhaps it’s because I’ve missed him for too long and my brain is playing tricks on me. I shouldn’t think about it. At least my son has returned safely. All is well.’
Zhu Qiu walked openly onto the street. Every time someone cast an admiring look her way, she would get a little nervous.
Although she looked like a member of the Human Race in their eyes, she still saw herself as a member of the Dragon Race, so it was hard not to worry.
After walking for a while, she felt a bit creeped out by the stares.
She chose to hail a carriage to rush to the gates of the Imperial Palace.
“Master Sword Saint, it is my honor to escort you. The fare is on the house.”
“That won’t do. I can’t just skip the fare because I’m the Sword Saint.”
Zhu Qiu insisted on stuffing the money into the driver’s hand, and he had no choice but to accept it.
She had come here to ask the King about the state of the country and to inquire about where the Magic Creatures were gathering so she could eliminate them all.
As Zhu Qiu stepped forward, the guards at the palace entrance recognized the Human Sword Saint at a glance.
They immediately bowed and saluted, making way for her.
“Master Sword Saint, welcome to the palace.”
‘I haven’t seen them for two months. I didn’t expect the guards to become so polite. The Human Race is really on the rise.’
Zhu Qiu walked into the Imperial Palace with a light step.
At this moment, the King was lying on his throne with a look of ease, his legs crossed, holding a wine glass in one hand while a servant held a tray of fruit beside him.
Looking at the King’s posture, it didn’t seem like there was an infestation of Magic Creatures at all.
“King, I heard there’s a surge of Magic Creatures recently…”
“Sword Saint…”
Zhu Qiu had only said two sentences before the King impatiently interrupted her.
In the past, the King had never been like this; he had always been very respectful toward her.
Today, however, it was quite the opposite.
“Where have you been all these days? You didn’t even say hello. Without you, the morale of my Royal Guard has plummeted. They don’t even have the heart to deal with the Magic Creatures,” the King said crossly.
“King, I was away on business these past few days. Because the situation was urgent, I didn’t report it.”
“You didn’t report it?”
The King took a sip of red wine and questioned her, “What urgent matter is more important than protecting the Human City? Sword Saint, you don’t seem to care much about the lives of the human people. Your attitude has become a major problem. Or perhaps you’ve wanted to abandon our Human Race for a long time now.”
“???”
Zhu Qiu was completely bewildered. She only felt that the King had changed—as if he had developed some sort of mental illness.
She had only been away for two months without reporting, and as soon as she returned, the King pinned such a heavy accusation on her?
Furthermore, what was his Royal Guard doing? If they were weak, then they were weak; why did he have to make it her problem?
“King, my position will not change. I will always protect the Human City and the Human Race,” Zhu Qiu said with a commanding presence, demonstrating her determination.
“Fine, Sword Saint. Aren’t you saying all this just to prove your usefulness?”
The King’s anger flared, and he smashed the wine glass in his hand onto the floor.