Chapter 22: Sword Spirit Master, Change for Me!

Seeing that the Jiaoren girl, whose body his master had occupied for a while, had regained consciousness, Meng Yingxing dragged his injured and weakened body to circle around her.

He was attempting to block the gruesome scene not far away, where the two men’s hands had been cut off by Xiu Qingcheng.

Unfortunately, Meng Yingxing was too short at the moment, even shorter than the Jiaoren girl by more than half a head.

His small frame could not block anything from her view.

The Jiaoren girl’s gaze still went past Meng Yingxing and saw the fat and thin duo, their hands severed, blood spraying all over the ground.

“Ah!”

The Jiaoren girl let out half a sharp scream, swallowing the other half by clamping a hand over her mouth.

Meng Yingxing began to panic, waving his hands frantically, wanting to explain the huge mess his master had created in front of the Jiaoren girl.

As a qualified, master-loving, master-respecting good disciple, he must make excuses for his master!

Even if his master told him to sign a confession and go to prison for him, he couldn’t say no!

However, before Meng Yingxing could explain anything, the Jiaoren girl seemed to have concocted a story in her own mind and immediately took his hands.

“I think I fainted just now. Were those two trying to do something bad to me, and you saved me, little brother? No wonder you’re so badly injured. Thank you!”

The Jiaoren girl smiled gently, the gratitude in her eyes not seeming fake.

‘Huh? She can fill in the blanks that well?’ Xiu Qingcheng complained in Meng Yingxing’s mind, saying what Meng Yingxing wanted to say.

‘Master, be careful, she might hear you!’

Meng Yingxing thought the Jiaoren girl before him could hear Xiu Qingcheng speak, just as he could, and became instantly nervous.

‘She’s different from you, she can’t hear me,’ Xiu Qingcheng’s tone seemed to carry a hint of confusion as well.

‘Seriously, what are the conditions for me to borrow a body or for someone to hear my voice? My head is so itchy, it feels like I’m about to grow a brain—’

Seeing that Meng Yingxing didn’t reply for a moment, the Jiaoren girl waved a hand in front of his eyes, “Little brother, are you listening?”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing…” At Xiu Qingcheng’s prompting, Meng Yingxing simply confirmed everything the Jiaoren girl had imagined.

After all, the truth wasn’t that different.

It was just that the protagonist of the story wasn’t her, but Meng Yingxing and Xiu Qingcheng.

“My family happens to run a medical clinic. Let me take you there. My… my grandfather is a very good doctor, he can definitely help you.” The Jiaoren girl understood the principle of repaying kindness and wanted to help Meng Yingxing with his injuries.

Meng Yingxing wanted to refuse, but Xiu Qingcheng firmly insisted he go.

‘Your master doesn’t know any healing arts. Hurry up and go!’ Xiu Qingcheng said.

‘What a worrisome disciple!’

Meng Yingxing shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and nodded to the Jiaoren girl.

“Let’s go, stay close to me.” The Jiaoren girl turned and led Meng Yingxing toward the other end of the alley.

‘The Jiaoren clan, a rather rare type of demon race. They are exceptionally beautiful, their blood is blue, they have scales on their bodies, and their lower bodies can freely transform between a fish tail and human legs. They can breathe and move freely underwater and usually live in the Tianming Sea of Hanchuan Continent.’

‘Legend says they are skilled in weaving, and the silk they produce is called Dragon Silk Gauze, as soft and light as moonlight. From the bright moon over the vast sea, pearls are born from tears—their tears turn into pearls. Mermaid tears are treasures that are hard to come by even with a thousand gold pieces at auction houses. And the ever-burning lamps made from the oil extracted from their bodies can burn for thousands of years without extinguishing.’

Xiu Qingcheng continued her chirping, giving Meng Yingxing a science lesson about the Jiaoren clan.

‘Because of this, the Jiaoren are often hunted by the greedy. It is said that they were nearly exterminated back then. Later, to prevent such things from happening again, the Jiaoren generally stay far away from human territories and rarely interact with people.’

‘I saw a Jiaoren once before. I didn’t expect to see one again in such a crowded place. It’s truly a rare sight.’ Xiu Qingcheng wouldn’t say that the last time she saw a Jiaoren, her sword master at the time had slaughtered one for its tears.

Amitabha, she definitely wasn’t the one who wanted to kill it.

‘What bad intentions could a sword possibly have? A sword is just doing a sword’s duty, that’s all.’

In truth, Meng Yingxing hadn’t heard a single word of Xiu Qingcheng’s long explanation.

His attention was completely focused on the back of the Jiaoren girl in front of him.

However, it wasn’t the Jiaoren girl he was looking at.

Rather, he was trying to see the shadow of Xiu Qingcheng in her.

The Jiaoren girl was incomparably beautiful, but… Meng Yingxing wanted to know, if Xiu Qingcheng had a physical form, what would she be like?

Would she be gentle as water, like the Jiaoren girl before him?

Or would she be lively and unrestrained, like Liu Chenxin?

Meng Yingxing’s imagination was limited; these were the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.

“Hey, you brat, what are you staring at that girl’s back for?” Xiu Qingcheng seemed to have noticed where Meng Yingxing was looking, and her voice turned strange. “You don’t have…”

‘A neck fetish? A back fetish? A butt fetish?’

Xiu Qingcheng subconsciously wanted to say something risqué to Meng Yingxing, but given his age, she decided to swallow her words.

As a master, she had to maintain her dignity.

She couldn’t be an old lecher!

“No, I was just thinking about something.” The innocent Meng Yingxing had no idea what Xiu Qingcheng was about to say and honestly explained, “Master, can you… take on a human form?”

“A human… form?”

Suddenly being asked about this by Meng Yingxing, Xiu Qingcheng was thrown into a state of confusion.

In the TV shows and novels Xiu Qingcheng had consumed, many sword spirits had physical forms; very few were like her.

She had evolved from an inanimate sword to being able to move freely now.

Maybe, just like a Pokémon, she could evolve into a state with a physical form in the future…

So, what were the conditions for getting a physical form?

“May…be…?” Xiu Qingcheng answered Meng Yingxing uncertainly.

“Then what would Master be like with a physical form?” Meng Yingxing seemed very curious about this question.

“Less questions. Asking me won’t make me change,” Xiu Qingcheng suddenly put on a stern face, forbidding Meng Yingxing from asking further.

Because she was reminded of a certain meme from her past life.

Change for me!.jpg

Moreover, if she did evolve a physical form, would she become a woman?

Or a man?

Xiu Qingcheng didn’t know, nor did she want to think about it.

She chose to escape.

Escapism is shameful, but it works.

Meng Yingxing twitched the corner of his mouth and didn’t press further.

He then heard the Jiaoren girl leading the way speak to him.

“I haven’t asked for my benefactor’s name yet? My name is Li Mo. I came out to buy some things for my grandfather, I didn’t expect to run into this.”

Ben… benefactor?

Being called this for the first time, the inexperienced Meng Yingxing, feeling he didn’t deserve it, felt his ears instantly turn red.

‘Aiyoyo, you’re blushing? My dear disciple, just accept the title of benefactor. After all, you. are. my. sword. master. What I do is what you do!’

Xiu Qingcheng teased Meng Yingxing, as if the slight unpleasantness from before didn’t exist at all.

“Benefactor?” Li Mo blinked in front of him, waiting for Meng Yingxing to speak.

“My name is… Meng Qingcheng. Miss Li, you don’t have to call me benefactor.” At another prompt from Xiu Qingcheng, Meng Yingxing changed his name the moment the words left his mouth.

‘Hey, I told you to use a pseudonym, not to steal my name!’ Xiu Qingcheng seemed dissatisfied with the name ‘Meng Qingcheng’.

Xiu Qingcheng had reminded Meng Yingxing that it was better to have a pseudonym when traveling, but she never expected him to just snatch her name for his own use.

‘Master, you reminded me too late. I couldn’t think of a good name on the spot.’

Meng Yingxing spread his hands, indicating it was all Xiu Qingcheng’s fault for saying it too late, and that he was innocent and wronged.

‘So I had to borrow Master’s name for a bit. Meng Qingcheng, doesn’t that sound nice too?’

Xiu Qingcheng decided not to speak to him anymore.