431 Nine Swords
Xiao Se looked at the younger sister in front of him. He hadn't seen her over the last few years and when he left Heavenly Revelations City, she was still a little girl as adorable as a porcelain doll. He only had to give her a little toy and she would be delighted for a long time, but now her beautiful round eyes blinked at him innocently, yet revealing a sense of keen intelligence.
"Alright, I'll give you something else." Xiao Se took back the jade lion and took out a booklet.
Princess Qing's eyes lit up. "Peerless Dance?"
"I know you've been asking for this dance score for a very long time, and I found it for you outside. How's this gift then?" Xiao Se said with a smile.
Princess Qing accepted the dance score and tucked it into her clothes. "Tell me, what help do you need?"
"There is a sword vault in the imperial palace and inside it are enshrined all the famous swords of the past dynasties," Xiao Se said slowly.
Princess Qing gave him a dissatisfied look. "The imperial palace is your home as well as mine. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
"The sword vault was originally under the charge of the Eunuch of Sword Jin Wei Gonggong, but now that he's dead, the sword vault is temporarily under the charge of that sword fanatic, Luo Bu. And this sword fanatic, Luo Bu, is Qing'er's shifu," Xiao Se said obliquely.
"That's right. I've wanted to practise swordsmanship since I was a child, so Father found a shifu for me. Shifu loves all the famous swords under Heaven, so he's called a sword fanatic. This time, it was also I who recommended him to take over the Heavenly Sword Vault," Qing'er said with some suspicion. "You want my shifu's help?"
"The sword fanatic, Luo Bu, should have pretty decent swordsmanship." Xiao Se did not answer her directly.
"My shifu once had a sword duel with Jin Wei, and they were equally matched. He's called a sword fanatic because he loves swords and is obsessed with swords. But, in terms of swordsmanship, he is far inferior to the Solitary Sword Immortal and the others. Liu-ge, if you're asking for his help, aren't you taking things a little for granted?" Princess Qing shook her head.
Xiao Se was taken aback for a while, and then he remarked, "Qing'er, you… already know so much now?"
"Liu-ge, I told you I've grown up." Princess Qing grinned.
"Yet I also hope that you'll never grow up." Xiao Se reached out and rubbed Princess Qing's head. "I'm not asking Mister Luo to fight. I just want to borrow something from him."
"Borrow something?" Princess Qing was taken aback.
Xiao Se nodded. "Something inside the Heavenly Sword Vault."
Heavenly Sword Vault.
Xiao Se was accompanied by Princess Qing and they walked in together.
The interior was extremely dark and eerie with only a few candles emitting a weak light. Those famous swords of the past generations and dynasties were enshrined and arranged orderly on a shelf, looking majestic and cold.
"When I was little, I would play with Lingchen and once, we accidentally stumbled into this place. We thought it was a morgue and we were so frightened that we were drenched in cold sweat," Xiao Se said with a laugh.
A voice in the darkness replied in a very low voice, "That friend who came in here with you visited a while ago and took away the most precious sword here."
Xiao Se swept his eyes over the famous swords on the shelf, and finally chuckled. "Celestial Palace was taken away? Anyway, this number one sword of righteousness in the world belonged to his family in the first place. It's only right that he took it with him."
"Doesn't everything under Heaven belong to your family? If there's something your Xiao family wants, who would dare to take it from you?" A man walked out of the darkness, his figure tall and thin, like a bamboo pole.
"Shifu," Princess Qing called out softly.
Xiao Se realised that the person in front of him was the sword fanatic, Luo Bu. He cupped his fists and greeted, "Mister Luo."
Luo Bu glanced at him, pondered for a moment and said, "You're very strong."
Xiao Se returned a calm smile. "There was also a period of time when I could only settle accounts and couldn't wield a sword."
Luo Bu glanced at the long staff on Xiao Se's waist. "You should have been trained in staff arts, not sword arts."
"I spent a few years training my sword. The Xiao Clan imperial family was founded on our swords, after all. I can't forget my roots," Xiao Se replied respectfully.
"Since you're here, you probably don't plan on leaving empty-handed," Luo Bu said faintly.
Xiao Se lowered his head and said, "I'd like to ask Senior for permission to borrow the swords."
Princess Qing walked over and pulled on Luo Bu's hand. "Shifu, this is my dearest big brother. Just lend it to him, okay? He's the most trustworthy, and if he borrows something, he'll definitely return it!"
Luo Bu sighed. "He knows that I'm an old-fashioned person and I love swords like I love my life, so he found you to be his go-between. I've lived in solitude all my life with only my swords as my companions. I only have you, my good disciple. He's pretty clever at finding the right person. Except…"
Except?
Xiao Se and Princess Qing felt a sudden tightness in their hearts.
"I'm not just hiding in my house every day, staring blankly at a few swords. I know all about what's been happening in Heavenly Revelations City, and I was even there yesterday. When no one dared to respond to Luo Qingyang, your friend, Lei Wujie, stepped out. I admire him very much and I'm willing to help him. But, what I don't understand is, he's already holding the fourth-ranked sword under Heaven, Heart. No matter how many fine swords we have in the Heavenly Sword Vault, which of them could compare to Heart?" Luo Bu said with puzzlement.
"Mister, there's no need to ask so many questions. Please come and watch the sword duel the day after tomorrow." Xiao Se chuckled. "So, can I take the sword then?"
"Take it." Luo Bu nodded.
So Xiao Se stepped forward and picked up a sword.
"The famous sword, Windswept Rain. The sword of Poetry Immortal, Li Zeng, of the previous dynasty. Not bad," Luo Bu praised.
But, Xiao Se immediately picked up another sword.
"The famous sword, Fallen Blossom. The sword of Princess Hualuo a hundred years ago. Your Highness really has a good eye." Luo Bu nodded. "So, I see, Your Highness is asking for two swords."
As soon as Luo Bu said that, Xiao Se selected another sword from the shelf.
Luo Bu was taken aback, and Princess Qing was also surprised. Did he want three swords?
While they were still stunned, Xiao Se pulled out another sword.
One sword after another, Xiao Se finally walked out of the sword vault holding a total of nine swords. Luo Bu and Princess Qing were completely dumbfounded.
Luo Bu swallowed a gulp. "You want nine swords?"
"I didn't say how many swords I was going to borrow, right? I said I wanted to borrow the swords and Mister Luo agreed so I took them. Is Mister Luo regretting his words?"
Luo Bu said vehemently, "I, Luo Bu, am not one who goes back on my word!"
"Legends have it that there's a swordsman in Nanjue who was incredibly skilled in his sabre arts. He carried nine sabres on his back, so his name was also Nine Sabres. He's very powerful. What do you guys think? Do I look like I could be Nine Swords?" Xiao Se laughed as he walked past the other two and strode out in deliberate steps.
Luo Bu shook his head. "He's too cunning! I should have asked him clearly just now, how many he was going to borrow!"
Princess Qing was full of admiration. "Liu-ge is still Liu-ge. I have to spend a few years learning these cunning tricks of his."
Outside the Heavenly Sword Vault, Ye Ruoyi drove over in a carriage, and when she saw Xiao Se carrying a pile of swords, she was also stunned. "Did you empty out the entire Heavenly Sword Vault?"
"You exaggerate. This is only a small fraction." Xiao Se stepped into the carriage and dumped the swords on the floor. "Let's go."
"Why do you need so many swords?" Ye Ruoyi asked, "Lei Wujie is neither Luo Mingxuan nor Wushuang. The swordsmanship he uses is based on one man with one sword. He has no use for so many swords."
"They're not for Lei Wujie." Xiao Se raised his eyebrows.
"Then who are they for?" Ye Ruoyi asked.
Xiao Se's eyes lit up. "Naturally, they're for me."