Chapter 7: I Can Help You

Perhaps it was a habit of waking early, or perhaps his body had recovered sufficiently, Meng Yingxing opened his eyes bright and early.
The morning sun was warm, its light casting in from the window.
Specks of dust floated and swirled in the sunlight, gleaming with tiny, gentle rays.
His vision gradually cleared as his eyes fully opened, shifting from blurry to sharp.

Meng Yingxing could see the luxurious ceiling, completely unlike the one in his own small, shabby room.
Meng Yingxing lay motionlessly on the distinctly overly soft bed.

After a brief moment of thought, the memories of yesterday came flooding back, rushing into his mind all at once.
Lu Sanwan, who had inexplicably attacked him.
The sudden female voice in his ear.
The strange transformation of the sword he had taken from the Divine Weapon Pavilion.

Meng Yingxing could no longer lie peacefully in bed; he nervously pulled back the quilt covering him and sat up.
He subconsciously touched his neck and shoulder, where he had been injured yesterday, but found no wounds, nor did he feel any abnormality.

Instead… his forehead hurt a little?
Meng Yingxing touched his forehead; there was indeed a faint throbbing pain.
‘Could it be that I was dreaming yesterday?’ Meng Yingxing looked around.
However, this surrounding, clearly not his small, shabby room, seemed to hint that something had indeed happened yesterday.

“Hey, you’re finally awake?”
A faint female voice, without warning, sounded in Meng Yingxing’s ear.
The voice was gentle and melancholic, but to Meng Yingxing, it was no different from a clap of thunder.
“Who!?”
Meng Yingxing looked around, but saw no one.
He remembered this voice; it was the voice that had taken control of his body yesterday.
“Look at the ground by the window.”
Following the voice’s instruction, Meng Yingxing shifted his gaze and saw the ordinary-looking long sword he had taken from the Divine Weapon Pavilion yesterday, lying on the ground by the window.

The sword was three feet, seven inches long.
Its blade had no other decoration apart from the blood groove, and its entire body glowed with a cobalt blue that Meng Yingxing had never noticed before.
“I see a sword.”
Meng Yingxing responded to the female voice.
“Yes, it’s me. What, not satisfied?”
The voice that now reached Meng Yingxing’s mind carried a hint of displeasure.

At the same time, the sword in Meng Yingxing’s vision zoomed up in front of him.

The person and the sword, one on the left and one on the right, faced each other in a figure-eight shape, staring wide-eyed.
Meng Yingxing: “…”
Silence was the Cambridge of this morning.

Xiu Qingcheng thought she might truly be under a curse that prevented her from leaving Meng Yingxing’s vicinity.
After stepping out of range last night, she had lain on the cold ground all night.
Now, as soon as Meng Yingxing approached, she regained control of the sword’s body.

Regaining her freedom, Xiu Qingcheng moved closer to Meng Yingxing, feeling Meng Yingxing’s unspoken thoughts intently.
“Don’t be so surprised; swords can talk, isn’t that common sense?” Xiu Qingcheng began to converse with Meng Yingxing.
“No, no matter how you look at it, a talking sword isn’t reasonable,” Meng Yingxing replied.

Don’t be fooled by Meng Yingxing’s calm and expressionless demeanor now; in reality, his silence was deafening.
‘A sword, why would it fly by itself?’
Meng Yingxing clenched his fists, seemingly suppressing his surprise and fear, trying hard to calm himself down.
“So you’re a sword? Who exactly are you?”

After taking a deep breath, Meng Yingxing asked the object before him, enunciating each word.
“You’re the cheap one.” Xiu Qingcheng countered with a smile.
“Then let’s officially introduce ourselves.”
“My name is Xiu Qingcheng, ‘Xiu’ from sleeves, ‘Qing’ from lightness, ‘Cheng’ from city.”
“I am the sword spirit of this Ting Tian Sword.”
“But let me clarify beforehand, I come from another world you don’t know, and for some reason, I became the sword spirit of this sword.”

The Ting Tian Sword, floating in mid-air, swayed back and forth as Xiu Qingcheng spoke, as if imitating how a person would speak distinctly.
A few simple words contained a wealth of information, and Meng Yingxing tried his best to extract some key points from them.
“The weapon I brought from the Divine Weapon Pavilion is the Ting Tian Sword.”
“You are the sword spirit of this sword, named Xiu Qingcheng.”
“You come from… another world?”
“Mm, perfect score for reading comprehension.” The sword spirit swayed, truly wanting to applaud Meng Yingxing.
This time, Meng Yingxing took two more deep breaths before finally processing all of Xiu Qingcheng’s seemingly delusional words.
He had obtained a weapon with self-awareness, and… it was probably very powerful.

Thinking of how this Senior Sword Spirit had possessed him last night to easily defeat Lu Sanwan, Meng Yingxing still felt as if he were dreaming.

Though bizarre, such an unheard-of event had indeed happened to him.
After a moment of shock, Meng Yingxing quickly calmed down.
“Why did you find me?” Meng Yingxing asked in return.
Such a powerful being… a powerful sword?
Such a powerful sword should theoretically have no connection with him, unless she chose to come herself.
Why?

But he had nothing, utterly destitute, just like the rundown house he currently lived in.

“Huh? Absurd!”
Hearing Meng Yingxing’s question, Xiu Qingcheng’s eyes widened, and her sword body began to sway wildly from side to side.
“What are you saying? Shouldn’t it be you who chose me?”

Xiu Qingcheng moved closer to Meng Yingxing, tapping his chest with her hilt, and said seriously, “It was you who chose me, you brought me out of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, understand?”
“I see that your Tianfeng Sect’s rule is that new disciples choose weapons from the Divine Weapon Pavilion every year.
I’ve been in the Divine Weapon Pavilion for so long, year after year, with people coming and going, yet you’re the first one to find me.”
“Perhaps it’s destiny; just based on you bringing me out of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, I am truly grateful to you.”
Although Xiu Qingcheng had said many boastful things to herself earlier, with Meng Yingxing now before her, she genuinely expressed her gratitude.

Perhaps the weight of this gratitude could only be known by Xiu Qingcheng, who had experienced such long loneliness.

Speaking of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, Meng Yingxing’s eyes suddenly dimmed.
He lowered his head, “I’m sorry, I might not be able to keep you.

With my strength… it will be difficult to rank in the Divine Weapon Trial.”
‘This kid is quite honest, clearly stating his strength.’
Xiu Qingcheng thought to herself.
Meng Yingxing suddenly heard the sword spirit laugh, her voice melodious, like a string of silver bells in a gentle breeze.
“What’s so difficult about that?”
“I am the Ting Tian Sword; getting you a rank in the Divine Weapon Trial is as easy as turning over my hand, isn’t it?”
She was the Ting Tian Sword, once renowned throughout Jiuzhou; she was Xiu Qingcheng.
Perhaps when she was just a sword, Xiu Qingcheng could do nothing, but now she could move freely and communicate with Meng Yingxing.
Helping Meng Yingxing win the Divine Weapon Trial would be incredibly easy.
‘It’s all small case~’

Hearing Xiu Qingcheng’s words, Meng Yingxing’s heart stirred slightly.
Although he didn’t know if Xiu Qingcheng’s words were true or false, they were full of temptation, igniting a fire in Meng Yingxing’s heart.
Meng Yingxing inexplicably believed her.

Meng Yingxing was about to ask Xiu Qingcheng a few more questions, but he was suddenly interrupted by someone bursting into the room.
“Junior Brother Meng Yingxing! Are you awake!”
Liu Chenxin loudly pushed open the door and strode into the room.