Volume One: The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter 83: A Gifted Blade

Several kilometers beyond Stone Bridge Town, deep within the forest, two blurred figures dragged a stiff, unmoving body as they plummeted from the sky—it was Ying Si, A Man, and the mysterious corpse-walker. A Man cursed bitterly, “Damn it, the Water Reflection Sword was already in hand, and now… this is truly infuriating!”

Ying Si sighed, “Who could have imagined that a mere member of the Black Robe Guards would possess the Punisher’s Demon Bone? That’s the most terrifying of the Four Great Demon Relics.”

“He’s clearly human; why would the Demon Bone choose to help him?” A Man stomped in frustration.

“I don’t know, it makes no sense to me!” Ying Si shook his head, his tone dejected. “Let’s inform the Blood Ancestor first and see how he arranges matters.”

…

At the broken bridge outside Stone Bridge Town, Chen Chang’an discovered something strange: his right arm was now just a bit longer than before. To confirm, he stretched out his left arm and compared—sure enough.

“What’s going on?”

“Yes, it’s the Demon Bone. It fused directly into my arm, becoming part of it, so... it grew longer…”

“Honestly, I wish it had fused somewhere else.”

Muttering, Chen Chang’an crawled slowly toward the river, scooped water with his hand, and drank deeply until his thirst was quenched. Feeling slightly rejuvenated, he walked to a dry branch, plucked three leaves at random, and tossed them, watching the patterns they formed on the ground.

“Supreme fortune!”

“Ha… truly, calamity narrowly avoided brings luck. I knew the ‘great misfortune’ referred to those two bridge-destroyers.”

“This place will soon be called No Bridge Town.”

“Oh, those two fools threatened to slaughter the town. I must find a way to lead them away.”

“Yes, that sword.”

He quickly hopped over to where the Water Reflection Sword lay embedded in the ground. From Ying Si and A Man’s reactions, it was obvious how important the sword was.

“If I take the sword and leave, perhaps I can draw them away for now.”

“I nearly forgot about Hua Mulan. Who knows what great matter she came to Stone Bridge Town for, and ended up in this sorry state!”

Chen Chang’an felt overwhelmed, beset by troubles at every turn. He grabbed Twin Blades and Hidden Name, walked over, and returned them to their sheaths at Hua Mulan’s waist, giving her face a gentle pat. “Hey, wake up!”

No response.

“Poor little colt of mine!”

As he lamented, Peng Wanli led Master Ma, Constable Wang, and others in neat formation out of the town, apparently heading back to the county office. Noticing Chen Chang’an had not left and seeing the broken bridge and yellowed trees around, Peng Wanli asked curiously, “Lord Chen, you haven’t returned yet—are you waiting for me?”

“Just in time!”

“Master Peng, lend me your horse. I’ll return it later!”

Without time for chatter, Chen Chang’an pulled Peng Wanli from the saddle, leapt up himself, tightened the reins, seized the Water Reflection Sword, and galloped to the bridge. He hoisted the unconscious Hua Mulan onto the horse and rode off in a cloud of dust.

“Later… return it later…” Peng Wanli stammered at the town’s entrance.

Yellow sand billowed, hooves clattered, and Chen Chang’an sped toward Chang’an City. His aim was to lure the bridge-destroying idiots away with the Water Reflection Sword, thus sparing Stone Bridge Town from massacre—not to engage them head-on again.

After all, luck would not always favor him. Safety lay only within Chang’an City.

Along the way, Chen Chang’an repeatedly invoked the Spirit Drawing technique to absorb the world’s spiritual energy. Unfortunately, this secret art seemed directly proportional to the user’s state; now, severely wounded, even frequent use could not match the effectiveness he had before.

But since he only needed it for healing, it was not a major issue.

Once he’d restored himself, Chen Chang’an used the technique again to channel spiritual energy into Hua Mulan, hoping she would awaken sooner. As they neared Chang’an, with two-thirds of the journey behind them, the heroine on his horse coughed and opened her eyes.

“Thud!”

Because Chen Chang’an was driving the horse too fast, she was thrown off, her head striking the ground with a painful scream.

Reflexively, he pulled the reins and looked back fondly into the distance. “Uh… where is she?”

Leaning forward, he peered down. She was beneath the horse’s rump.

---

“Are you trying to fertilize horse dung, Sister Hua?” Chen Chang’an asked, puzzled.

Hua Mulan: “…”

She caught her breath and sensed a current within her unlike the martial artist’s inner strength—she was astonished. “Spiritual power? Why do I have spiritual power inside me?”

“Oh!” Chen Chang’an lied smoothly. “My brother-in-law, Su Dingfeng, brought pills from Bashan. Seeing you were gravely wounded, I fed you one.”

“It must be the pill’s effect!”

“I see!” Hua Mulan relaxed, then suddenly remembered something and asked urgently, “Where are those two from the demon race?”

Demon race... so the bridge-destroyers were demons. Chen Chang’an realized why the power gap was so vast. He pondered briefly, then returned to Hua Mulan’s question. If he told her he drove them away himself, she would doubt him.

So he feigned ignorance and shook his head. “I… I don’t know. When I arrived, only you were there!”

“Liar!” Hua Mulan’s eyes widened. “Hidden Name was drawn—you unsheathed it?”

“I… fine!” Chen Chang’an hadn’t expected her to sense even that detail, so he had to fabricate further. “Yes, when I left town, the demon race was still present.”

“You fought them?”

“Yes!” Chen Chang’an answered with sincere honesty.

Hua Mulan’s excitement was so intense she bit her tongue. “We’re still alive, and they’re gone—so… you won? How is that possible?”

He knew doubt would follow; no one knew Hua better than he did. Chen Chang’an, without a blush or a heartbeat, shifted blame. “You couldn’t win, how could I? It was the protective sword talisman my brother-in-law gave me when I set out for Stone Bridge Town. That’s what drove them off.”

“I see!” A fleeting, unusual light flickered in Hua Mulan’s eyes. “Su Dingfeng truly deserves to be the disciple chosen by Immortal Zhen himself; even a sword talisman can repel two demon race experts.”

“But his temperament and actions are odd!”

“That’s right, that’s right…” Chen Chang’an responded perfunctorily.

“Regardless… thank you!”

Then, something incredible happened—at least from Chen Chang’an’s perspective. Hua Mulan, usually proud and confident, thanked him and bowed, then removed the heavy, broad Hidden Name blade from her right waist. “I’m giving this to you!”

“To… to me?” Chen Chang’an was dumbfounded.

Hua Mulan nodded. “Yes.”

“Why? Isn’t that inappropriate?” Though his second question was just to round out his tone; the real issue was the first.

Taking up the blade, Hua Mulan explained, “I have a younger sister, but we were separated in childhood. She was taken by others and joined the Apprehension Bureau. My original intention in joining the imperial intelligence network was to search for her.”

“Just a few days ago, I unexpectedly learned there was news of her in Stone Bridge Town.”

Chen Chang’an spoke excitedly, “You came to find your sister?”

“Yes,” Hua Mulan replied honestly.

“If you’re searching for your sister, why did you clash with the demon race?” He was perplexed.

A hint of murderous intent appeared in Hua Mulan’s expression. Her tone was low and grave. “Because… the two demons had my sister, Hua Zixin, with them.”

“What… damn!” Chen Chang’an was so shocked he nearly fell from his horse. “The ones who took your sister were demons—why are they in Stone Bridge Town now?”

He fired off several questions, recalling the bridge destruction—the sword had flown out from the rubble, so were they here for the blade?

Hua Mulan shook her head. “I don’t know why they came to Stone Bridge Town. All I know is that last night, after years of separation, my sister was within reach—but alas…”

---

She paused, her voice dropping. “Alas, with my current abilities, I cannot rescue her. Fortunately, after last night’s contact, I’m fairly certain she’s not in immediate danger, though she’s under some kind of spell.”

“What does that have to do with giving me the blade?” Chen Chang’an nearly forgot the original topic.

“Of course it does!” Hua Mulan met his gaze. “My sister is the most important person in my life. I must get her back. If not for your help with Su Dingfeng’s sword talisman, I would have died—how could I continue searching?”

“And, more importantly, it’s my master’s instruction!”

“Master, the first ranger of Chang’an, Li Bai?” Chen Chang’an vaguely recalled hearing Li Shu mention him.

“Yes!” Hua Mulan tied Hidden Name to the saddle without further ado. “My master once said that since he embedded Hidden Name, it hadn’t been drawn. Whoever, for whatever reason, could unsheathe it, should be gifted the blade without hesitation!”

“Keep it—Hidden Name is a fine blade. Also, thank you again!” Hua Mulan unexpectedly bowed a second time.

Chen Chang’an: “…”

He fell silent, unsure what to say, as Hua Mulan, now wearing a single sword, walked away in the opposite direction.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Chen Chang’an hurried to stop her. “You’re not planning to risk your life, are you?”

“I won’t!” Hua Mulan replied calmly. “I’m not one to act rashly. Last night’s fight made it clear rescuing my sister won’t be easy. At the very least, I must grow stronger. Besides, there are things I still don’t understand.”

“I’m going to find my master.”

With that, she strode off.

“Sigh! Bashan and Chu waters, so desolate; but Ice City, oh, so sweet!” Chen Chang’an sighed with mixed feelings, slapped the horse’s rump, and prepared to hurry back to Chang’an.

Unexpectedly, along the way, he quarreled with some passing officials over relieving himself in public. The dispute escalated into a fight, and he accidentally exposed them as Wild Wolf Mountain bandits in disguise, then killed them all to the last man.

During the scuffle, his sash drifted into the nearby river and floated downstream. Chen Chang’an had to chase it, and it was picked up by a graceful woman doing laundry at the bank. When he tried to retrieve it, her husband arrived, suspected an affair, and pressed charges.

To prove his innocence, Chen Chang’an revealed his Black Robe Guard credentials and investigated, discovering the man had secretly raped dozens of girls in a place called Toad’s Mound. He promptly executed him and sent him to the executioner’s block.

But he did not take up residence in Toad’s Mound for an indecent life with the woman. He resumed his journey.

Unexpectedly, the man’s brother, bearing a grudge, ambushed him on the road, seeking vengeance. Chen Chang’an slaughtered their entire revenge squad and chased the leader into the nearby Misty Forest.

There, he encountered a giant beast—a white ape. For his own safety, he slew the animal with a single blow, but its blood poisoned him, forcing him to seek treatment at the nearby Hundred Herb Hall.

Unfortunately, Hundred Herb Hall was a crooked establishment; all their medicines were fake. In his rage, Chen Chang’an torched the place, leaving nothing but ashes.

Thus, he became embroiled in an arson case, but soon realized a notorious criminal called Scarface, wanted by the court and closely connected to the county magistrate, was hiding in the magistrate’s home. Without hesitation, Chen Chang’an killed him, righteously removing evil.

His reputation spread, and a wealthy merchant named Jia Youcai hired him as a bodyguard for the journey to Chang’an City.

…

…

Each affair led to another, large incidents wrapped inside small ones. Three days later, Chen Chang’an finally arrived at the gates of Chang’an. After completing the formalities and inspection, he and Jia Youcai were allowed to enter.

“Ah, finally back!” Chen Chang’an stretched lazily on horseback, yawning.

“Whoosh!”

“Whirl!”

Suddenly, the environment around him began to twist and dissolve; space shuddered violently. After a dizzy spell, he felt his feet touch ground again, rubbed his eyes, and realized his surroundings had changed completely.

Ahead stood a seven-story pavilion, beaded curtains shimmering in lantern light—it was… Fragrant Courtyard!