When I Mistook My Arch-Rival for My Dao Companion - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Wenren Qian’s face still didn’t look good, but at least it wasn’t that terrifying look from before, where he seemed to want to pull out his sword and stab a dozen holes in Fu Guzhou’s body.

But this look was also very strange.

Fu Guzhou tested the waters once more, asking, “Is that not right?”

Faced with those overly clean eyes that seemed truly confused by this, Wenren Qian fell silent.

He had to admit that Fu Guzhou wasn’t just “a bit” different; he was very different. Combined with the claim of amnesia, it actually sounded somewhat like the truth.

During Wenren Qian’s silence, Fu Guzhou had conducted a profound self-reflection.

He was wrong. It seemed more likely that normal Dao companions called each other by their names or nicknames. By addressing him like that—and clearly getting the address wrong—hadn’t he instantly exposed that his memory didn’t just have a small problem, but a very large one?

He had been careless.

Seeing the baleful energy gathering thicker and thicker, Fu Guzhou changed the subject, speaking with utmost seriousness, “The concentration of baleful energy has reached a level meant to purge all life within the array. We should hurry.”

Fu Guzhou had just told Wenren Qian about two methods. The first was to question the heart with the sword, using the sword-heart to cleave through the chaos and leverage the array’s instability to connect with the power of the void, opening the array. The second was a more dangerous method, based on the idea that ‘the most dangerous place is the safest place’. Since the Nine-Cycle Yin-Baleful Array was an ancient killing array, perhaps the most dangerous “Gate of Death” also held a sliver of hope for survival; combined with the characteristics of the array, the possibility was as high as twenty percent.

Fu Guzhou had never tested either method. With untested methods, it was very likely that once one was tried, the other could no longer be used. As such, it depended on whether they chose the former or the latter.

“Tell me the drawbacks of both.”

Seeing that he had successfully bypassed that topic, Fu Guzhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “The killing intent in both is very high. The former appears to be just questioning the heart with the sword, but using one’s sword-heart in a place where Yin-baleful energy gathers is no different from dancing on the edge of a blade. It is extremely dangerous; one slip-up and the sword-heart will be completely destroyed. And if a sword cultivator loses their sword-heart, they are utterly severed from the Great Dao.”

“As for the latter, the possibility of a ‘Gate of Life’ existing at the ‘Gate of Death’ was only a conjecture of mine back then; it has never been confirmed. In other words, the danger of the latter is not at all inferior to the former. But these two methods are indeed the only two possibilities for leaving the Nine-Cycle Yin-Baleful Array right now.”

Amidst the flying sand, rolling stones, and whistling astral winds, the image of the man standing tall and elegant, dressed in snow-white robes and calmly analyzing the situation, gradually overlapped with the person in memory. The same pale face, the same calm and self-contained words; the only difference was that those eyes, which seemed to hold no warmth, would become slightly uneasy when noticing his gaze.

“So, Lord Demon Venerable, which method should we choose?”

Noticing his own lapse in composure, Wenren Qian curled his lips slightly. “What would the Immortal Venerable choose?”

Fu Guzhou actually thought about it seriously. “If I had to choose, I would choose the former. If the former fails, one merely loses their sword-heart, but if the latter is chosen wrongly, one is turned to ashes in an instant.”

“Then between us two, who will perform the former?”

“Me, of course. I am an authentic sword cultivator,” Fu Guzhou said as if it were a matter of course.

This time, Wenren Qian’s expression truly became strange. “But is your memory not damaged and your strength greatly diminished?”

How could someone with greatly diminished strength rush to volunteer, and what kind of sword cultivator would dare to gamble even their own sword-heart?

“My memory has a small problem, and my strength is indeed not what it used to be. However, the most important thing for a swordsman is the sword-heart. No matter how much I change, my sword-heart will not change.”

And this sword-heart sometimes far surpassed any technique. This was why Fu Guzhou, knowing his strength was greatly reduced, still dared to come to Wuying Mountain to face the challenge. One of them had been worn down by a seal for five hundred years, while the other’s sword-heart was still in a “state of pure innocence,” at its most pristine. On this point alone, he had a thirty percent chance of sealing the opponent again.

Now that he knew the person was his Dao companion—and that the companion was actually quite a decent person—Fu Guzhou was filled with nothing but guilt.

I am not a human!

“Fu Guzhou, this Venerable suddenly believes a little that there’s a problem with your memory.”

“Hmm? Did you not believe me just now?” Fu Guzhou found it hard to believe. Was his Dao companion’s guard this high?

“I was half-believing and half-doubting. After all, this Venerable has not killed you yet.”

But why did Fu Guzhou always feel that the reason the other party wasn’t in a hurry to strike was simply because he felt Fu Guzhou couldn’t escape?

It is said that the sword-heart is the most important thing for a sword cultivator. Some spend their entire lives searching for such a heart, while others possess it from birth.

A sword-heart is something invisible and intangible, but it can symbolize many things: the swordsman’s purity toward the blade, their convictions, their faith, or even their lifelong pursuit.

Fu Guzhou had possessed this thing since he was very young. His Master called it the “Heart of Pure Innocence.” stating directly that he would one day be the sharpest and most dazzling sword in the cultivation world.

But what was meant by a “Heart of Pure Innocence”? He didn’t even have the sincerity of treating the sword as his lifelong pursuit, and he would feel reluctant whenever his Master made him swing the sword ten thousand times a day.

He wasn’t even sincere toward the life-bond spiritual sword he had painstakingly created. That was why, even when he couldn’t find his life-bond sword, he wasn’t panicked at all—because he was never restricted to a single sword.

But a swordsman should be thus: as long as the heart holds sword-intent, all things can be a sword.

The moment Fu Guzhou mobilized his sword-intent, Wenren Qian’s expression froze, because the very space here changed under the other’s power.

Before, this place was being baptized by astral winds and gathering Yin-baleful energy. At the speed that baleful energy was gathering, his demonic power probably wouldn’t have been able to isolate it for long. But now, many different things had appeared within this Yin-baleful aura; if one had to name them, they could be called “sword-qi.”

This was an indescribable sword-qi. Unlike Fu Guzhou’s previous moves, which filled the world with a desolate and murderous chill, the current sword-qi was like a mass of inseparable white mist, rising into the sky amidst the Yin-baleful energy, even converting much of that baleful energy into its own sword-qi.

Wenren Qian was currently entirely enveloped by that sword-qi, yet in such direct contact with another’s sword-qi, he didn’t feel any forest-like coldness.

Fu Guzhou had actually reached such a level!

He casually caught a wisp of sword-qi in his hand, sensing it carefully. This kind of sword-intent…

Wenren Qian withdrew his hand. The sword-qi that was lingering in his palm a moment ago quickly rejoined the family of sword-qi constantly gathering in the void.

Fu Guzhou began his inquiry of the sword at age three, and it wasn’t until age ten that he had a small degree of success. Even at age seventeen, he was still far from the “acting according to one’s heart” that he looked forward to. But what was “acting according to one’s heart”? If the heavens and earth collapse, yet I remain free across the fourteen provinces—did that count as acting according to one’s heart?

No one knew what kind of sword counted as ‘acting according to one’s heart’, so could he right now be described as following his heart? As Fu Guzhou continued to analyze himself, overwhelming sword-qi swept in, reaching an almost suffocating degree.

Outside the grand array, Demon Emperor Xuanyin was originally confident that his move was foolproof. But upon seeing this level of sword-qi, he still furrowed his brows tightly. “The Number One Combat Power… indeed well-deserved of the reputation.”

Unfortunately, such a good sword was being used within the Nine-Cycle Yin-Baleful Array. He believed that soon, his grand array would completely absorb the opponent’s power for its own use.

How could Fu Guzhou not know this logic? That Yin-baleful energy was constantly influencing him. If he truly succumbed to its influence, not only would his previous efforts be wasted, but his future as a sword cultivator would be completely severed here. Thus, he kept his heart and mind quiet, keeping himself in the calmest possible state.

The post-amnesiac Fu Guzhou only had the memories of his first dozen or so years. The pre-amnesiac Fu Guzhou had already practiced the Way of the Sword for many years. The biggest difference between the two was that one was sharply exposed while the other was steady and restrained. To merge the two, Fu Guzhou could only constantly project how his pre-amnesiac self should act.

He wanted to protect now, but not for the sake of the common people or some grand justice. He simply wanted to protect his and his Dao companion’s lives. Seen this way, he was narrow-minded and selfish, but isn’t the desire to survive human instinct? If he couldn’t even live or protect his own Dao companion, how could he talk about protecting the common people?

In the constant self-denial and the continuous search for the source, that sword-qi became increasingly dense, saturated with Fu Guzhou’s sword-intent. This sword-intent actually nearly suppressed the Nine-Cycle Yin-Baleful Array.

Taking advantage of this golden opportunity, Fu Guzhou hurriedly used his sword-heart to cleave through the local chaos, while connecting to the power of the void at the exact moment the grand array was extremely unstable.

Just as success was within reach, who would have thought that while connecting to the void’s power, Fu Guzhou’s own power—due to the instability of the array—would actually spin out of control.

Under these circumstances, Fu Guzhou, who had gathered this power, became the primary target of the power’s attack.

His flesh was sliced by countless sword-intents. The guy who just a moment ago would frown and indicate pain if his hand bones were merely squeezed, actually endured it. He even used the pain to speed up the connection.

Through Fu Guzhou’s continuous efforts, the black power of the void manifested in the air, flickering on and off like a candle in the wind, but the connection was finally successful.

By now, Fu Guzhou’s body was already covered in countless bloody gashes from the sword-qi; his flesh was torn, and his snow-white robes were stained with a piercing color. His lips were several shades paler than before.

Once the construction was completely successful, a touch of joy appeared on Fu Guzhou’s lips. “We succeeded.”

Amidst that smile that was more piercing than blood, Wenren Qian hesitated for only a second before grabbing Fu Guzhou and entering the void.

After the waves of continuous pain, Fu Guzhou only faintly heard a sentence: “It wasn’t ‘we,’ it was you who succeeded.”

In a certain sense, Fu Guzhou had indeed succeeded. Wenren Qian could have easily left Fu Guzhou behind, but in the end, he chose to take him out of the Nine-Cycle Yin-Baleful Array together.

It wasn’t for any other reason, but simply because he felt that even if he were to die, Fu Guzhou should die by his hand. How could he allow someone else to beat him to it?

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