Volume One: The Demon God's Young Master Chapter 9: A Trace of Sword Intent
“How is that possible!”
Qi Yu’s kick shattered his internal organs. The man with the hooked nose lay motionless on the ground, his face ashen, eyes gradually filling with the terror of impending death.
He had once ventured into the demon’s lair and personally slain monsters, but he had never encountered a demon like Qi Yu before. Was he man or demon?
Qi Yu stepped forward slowly, wildly shaking his head as if his reason was still struggling against the power coursing through his blood to control his body. A dark red mark flickered intermittently between his brows.
“Crack!”
Qi Yu slammed his foot hard into the hooked nose man’s chest. With the sound of breaking bones, the man coughed up blood, screaming in agony.
“You called me a waste!”
“You bastard!”
“Or a fiend?”
With each insult, Qi Yu’s foot pressed down harder, the sounds of cracking bones and wails of pain filling the air.
“No, spare me…”
“Don’t kill me…”
“I-I’m the Second Elder…”
The man’s pleas weakened until finally, his voice was silenced forever.
“Second Elder…”
Qi Yu narrowed his eyes and swung his sword down.
Clang—
Accompanied by the ringing of steel, Qi Yu’s reason gradually returned. The crimson in his eyes faded, replaced by a tidal wave of exhaustion. He staggered a few steps before darkness overwhelmed him, and he collapsed to the ground.
In his last moment of consciousness, he saw Yaoyao and Little Fish rushing toward him.
When Qi Yu opened his eyes again, he was already within the Divine Sword Domain.
Yaoyao and Little Fish stood right before him.
Seeing Little Fish appear here did not surprise Qi Yu. He had long sensed something unusual about her. How could a girl no older than seven or eight appear in these remote mountains without reason?
“I knew it, Little Fish. You and Sister Yaoyao have known each other for a long time, right?”
Little Fish smiled awkwardly, sticking out her cute little tongue. “Hehe, Brother Qi Yu, you’re so smart.”
Qi Yu smirked faintly and turned to Yaoyao. “Sister Yaoyao, don’t you have something to tell me?”
Yaoyao crossed her arms and looked away, asking in return, “What do you want to know?”
Without hesitation, Qi Yu asked, “My origins. Am I human or demon?”
Yaoyao fell silent for a moment, then turned to gaze into Qi Yu’s eyes. “Qi Yu, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you.”
Little Fish grabbed Qi Yu’s hand and chuckled, “Brother Qi Yu, don’t ask. Trust that Sister Yaoyao and I would never harm you.”
Bitterly, Qi Yu pulled his hand free. “Why are you hiding this from me? Am I not even allowed to know who I really am?”
Yaoyao and Little Fish exchanged a glance and both shook their heads gently in silent agreement.
Qi Yu took a deep breath and sighed, turning away as his consciousness withdrew from the Divine Sword Domain.
He was certain his father was human. Therefore, the demonic aura within him must come from his mother!
His mother was demon!
Yaoyao and Little Fish followed him out together. Yaoyao patted Qi Yu’s shoulder. “Qi Yu, you don’t have to be sad. One day, you will understand all the truth.”
Little Fish held Qi Yu’s hand and smiled, “Brother Qi Yu, Sister Yaoyao and I will always be with you.”
Qi Yu forced a faint smile and said slowly, “I want to visit my father’s grave.”
At the foot of Mount Qingtian, before a solitary grave.
Qi Yu held Little Fish’s hand and walked alongside Yaoyao.
The tombstone, once shortened by Su Ze’an, had somehow been replaced by a new one, now inscribed with the name Liu Rouxue.
“Xue’er must have come here,” Qi Yu murmured, gently touching the tombstone, a flood of complex emotions rising within him.
The grave did not contain his father’s body, but rather the sword his father had carried for years.
Qi Yu stood before the tombstone, staring for a long time.
“Father, were you the legendary Sword Cultivator?”
A small child sat on his father’s shoulders, speaking in a childish tone.
The man’s lips curved into a smile. “Sword cultivation isn’t something unattainable. If you want it, you can become a Sword Cultivator too.”
The child’s eyes shone brightly. “Really?”
The man looked at him with boundless affection, ruffling his hair. “Really, when have I ever lied to you?”
The child gazed into the distance with hope. “If I become a Sword Cultivator, I’ll protect you, protect the weak from bullying, and slay all the demon’s monsters!”
The man smiled faintly. “Child, remember, not all monsters are evil.”
Qi Yu slowly withdrew his thoughts as tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.
“Father, you lied. You said you would come back, you would return with honor!”
At that moment, footsteps sounded nearby.
The three turned their heads to see an elderly man with white hair and beard, stooped over, walking slowly with a bamboo staff.
“Young man, hearing is unreliable. Seeing is believing!”
The old man spoke as he approached, stroking his beard, his cloudy eyes scrutinizing Qi Yu as he nodded repeatedly.
Puzzled, Qi Yu asked, “What do you mean, Elder?”
The old man smiled faintly but did not answer. He set down his staff and sat cross-legged by the solitary grave, as if he had long been friends with the one buried here.
Qi Yu crouched hesitantly. “Elder, do you know my father?”
The old man turned and asked with interest, “Do you also believe the rumors that your father was a coward?”
Qi Yu’s expression froze, then he shook his head firmly and resolutely. “I never believed that!”
The old man nodded and closed his eyes slowly. “Good. Wait for me a moment.”
With that, a golden light gradually enveloped the old man.
The space around them began to warp. A single fallen leaf drifted down, but as it neared the old man, it was instantly shredded into nothingness.
Seeing this, Qi Yu gasped, “That’s… sword qi!”
As a fellow Sword Cultivator, Qi Yu was intimately familiar with sword qi but was curious: the old man sat without a sword—where was this sword qi coming from?
Clang clang!
From the old man’s body came faint sword sounds.
Yaoyao had already noticed this but only glanced at the old man indifferently.
Little Fish stood quietly beside Qi Yu, saying nothing.
After an unknown length of time, the old man opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.
When he stood again, his eyes no longer bore the weight of age—they shone brightly.
Qi Yu stared in astonishment, sensing subtle changes in the old man.
The old man patted Qi Yu’s shoulder and asked, “Young man, are you a disciple of the Heavenly Gang Sword Sect?”
Qi Yu first nodded, then shook his head bitterly. “Elder, ever since my father was branded a coward, do you think the Heavenly Gang Sword Sect would accept me?”
The old man snorted disdainfully. “Reputation is but an external matter. Those common folk understand nothing. But that’s fine. Since you’re not a sect disciple, I can take you as my apprentice to train in swordsmanship. Are you willing?”
Qi Yu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Elder, you want to take me as your disciple?”
The old man stroked his beard and nodded. “Your foundation is decent. If you work hard, becoming a great Sword Cultivator is no trouble.”
Qi Yu still asked the question weighing on his heart. “Elder, why do you want to take me as your disciple?”
The old man gazed at the sky above Mount Qingtian and said inexplicably, “Do you know what lies buried in this grave?”
Qi Yu explained, “The grave holds my father’s remains.”
The old man shook his head. “Wrong! Dead wrong!”
“What’s buried here is a fragment of sword intent!”
Qi Yu was stunned, puzzled. “Sword intent?”
The old man said calmly, “Indeed. While wandering the world, I discovered that this small grave concealed sword intent. It must have been placed here by your father intentionally. I happen to resonate with this sword intent. But no work, no reward. Since fate has brought me to you, taking you as my disciple is my way of thanking your father for gifting me this sword intent.”
Earlier, the old man had asked him to wait so he could comprehend the sword intent.
The old man finished speaking and extended two fingers. From their tips, wisps of spiritual energy burst forth like flames. Within this energy, Qi Yu saw several strands of sword qi gathering.
“To transform oneself into a sword! What a genius!”
The old man withdrew his fingers and said calmly, “Young man, have you made up your mind about becoming my disciple?”