=> It's a long chapter...Don't forget to check out the post chapter author notes. Happy reading!
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As Su Wen and Young Master K left the manor area and headed toward the city gates, the crowd and the girls watched their backs with mixed expressions.
Behind them, the girls picked up the weapons and surrounded Lu Yang and Lu Tang, their eyes filled with bone-deep hatred. Moments later, only miserable screams echoed through the ruins, lasting for a long time.
Just as Su Wen and Young Master K were about to pass the manor wall, someone called out to them.
They turned around and saw the ten sword cultivators who had been high on righteousness earlier, now standing behind them.
One Peak Foundation Establishment sword cultivator stepped forward and clasped his fists.
"Fellow Daoists… thank you for standing up for justice in our city. If not for you, we would've never known a devil had taken over Moon City."
Another cultivator beside him quickly added,
"Please… at least give us a chance to properly welcome you before you leave."
Young Master K stood with his hands behind his back, chin slightly raised, his aura distant and untouchable. It felt like even being near him was a blessing.
Su Wen's eyes twitched.
He spoke instead.
"Apologies, but we'll be leaving now… we've already done what we came here for," he replied, his tone calm, yet carrying a faint emotion.
The sword cultivators looked at Su Wen.
Su Wen looked back.
Their eyes met for a few seconds, and for some reason, time seemed to slow.
The sword cultivators felt their chests tighten, a strange emotion rising in their throats. Their eyes reddened, yet smiles still spread across their faces.
Even Su Wen wasn't any different. He felt a small sting in his own heart too.
"Hm? Husband… why do you all have red eyes?" Du Yue looked at everyone and asked through Soul Sense, momentarily slipping out of her Young Master K act.
Su Wen coughed lightly.
"No… it's nothing," he said slowly. "You wouldn't understand… it's a men thing."
"…What?" Du Yue stared at him with a weird expression.
'Did something happen to my husband…?'
She remembered how he was almost crying in front of the crowd earlier before the fight, and now all of them were acting strange again.
'Is my husband… ill?' she thought seriously.
Su Wen, completely unaware of his wife's strange thoughts, took out a Peak Grade 2 wine he had brewed himself, along with a few cups, and handed them to the sword cultivators.
They didn't say anything. They simply accepted the cups and sat down on the ground.
Su Wen poured wine for everyone, then raised his cup.
"Although we only met today… and fought together for a few minutes… we still shared a moment," he said quietly.
"I don't know if we'll ever meet again but wherever you go… I hope you live freely, on your own terms… just like you did today. Fighting for what you believe in."
He paused, then looked into their eyes with sincerity.
"And… thank you. For standing up against injustice without hesitation… and for helping save those girls from those scum."
One of the cultivators teared up immediately.
"Brother… you're too kind," he said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "Why did you have to say words like that? If you were leaving, you should've just left quietly…"
The others also chimed in, their eyes red as they tried to hold it in.
"Yes, brother… how could you say such things to us?"
"You're making it hard for us to let you go like this…"
"Hmph… if you keep talking like that, I won't let you go!"
Su Wen looked at them and spoke softly, half emotional and half amused.
"Brothers… you… you guys… why are you all so cool? Two of those scum didn't even get the chance to announce their background before you sent them off in style."
He pointed at one of them and chuckled.
"And you, Brother… you killed that guy the moment he finished announcing his background… and you even apologised after!"
The one Su Wen pointed at blushed and scratched his head, smiling sheepishly.
"Stop, brother… don't embarrass me… hehehe…"
Another sword cultivator laughed and pointed at Su Wen instead.
"You're the best one here, Brother… you beat Lu Tang down with nothing but fists, and you're only Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment!"
Su Wen's face turned a little red from the praise. He waved his hand awkwardly and muttered,
"It's not that… he was just trash, too weak. Anyone could've done that."
Du Yue stood to the side, watching everything unfold with a complicated expression.
'…Yeah. My husband is definitely ill today', she thought seriously.
Su Wen took out his black treasure brush, but wrapped it in a dark cloth to keep it hidden. Then he picked up a flat black stone from the ground.
He placed it in a clear spot and, with calm focus, began writing a single word on its surface. He didn't use ink…
He used his Grade 2 Sword Intent.
Only the final stroke remained.
Su Wen lifted his cup and declared loudly, his voice filled with pride and conviction,
"We are sword cultivators. Our hearts are pure, and we act on what we believe. If someone blocks our path, then we use our sword to carve one out. That is our Dao…"
He gulped down the last of his wine.
Then his brush moved.
"Clear"
The final stroke landed.
In the next instant, a sharp sword light erupted from the stone like a pillar piercing the heavens. It wasn't just bright… it screamed, humming with purity so intense it made the air tremble. For a heartbeat, the entire world seemed to pause. Even the wind fell silent.
The ten sword cultivators stopped breathing, eyes wide, as the sword light swept over them like a wave.
Su Wen's eyes sharpened. His body vibrated subtly, sleeves fluttering even though there was no wind. A sharp, unrestrained sword intent surged outward, raw and untamed, shredding loose gravel into dust and carving faint cracks into the ground beneath his feet.
He exhaled slowly.
At the tip of his finger, sword intent condensed and materialised… domineering and untamed.
He had successfully comprehended Grade 3 Sword Intent.
Su Wen calmly waved his hand as if nothing had happened. He stored the black brush back into his ring, then turned his gaze toward the sword cultivators behind him.
They were lost in a haze of enlightenment, their eyes faintly glowing with white sword qi.
Their swords hummed within their sheaths.
A subtle pulse of comprehension rippled through their minds.
In that same moment…
Grade 2 Sword Intent bloomed within all ten of them.
Those who had not comprehended it before were enlightened on the spot… and those who already had it felt their intent refine and strengthen, as if a path ahead has been opened for them.
They stared at one another in disbelief.
"I… I comprehended…"
"So did I!"
"Is… is this the blessing of heaven… or the fortune of sharing a wine with him?
They had comprehended Grade 2 Sword Intent… and all of it was because their hearts were as clear as their swords.
Du Yue stood silently to the side, her gaze drifting to the word etched onto the black stone…
"Clear"
The moment her eyes fell on it, her heart trembled. The stroke was simple, yet within it lay sharpness, purity, and a fearless path.
She heard Su Wen's words and repeated them quietly in her mind…
'Our hearts are pure, and we act on what we believe. If someone blocks our path, then we use our sword to carve one out. That is our Dao…'
Her eyes shifted to Su Wen, and a strange warmth spread through her chest.
'My heart is only for my husband… I believe only in my husband.
If someone dares to block my husband's path… then I will be his sword.
I will carve that path for him.
This is my Dao…'
At that moment, she merged her comprehension of Grade 4 Sword Intent from her previous life with her current understanding… and with a will now centred entirely on him.
Quietly… a Sword Seed took root in her heart.
A seed from which her sword will, her sword path… and even her sword true-self would one day be born.
There was no dramatic change in the surroundings during her enlightenment. No storm. No explosion.
It was silent… as if nothing had happened.
Yet the aura around her had subtly changed.
Du Yue lowered her gaze, remembering the stone on the wall of their mountain home… how rare it was for someone to imprint Sword Intent onto their surroundings while still in the beginner realms.
Then she looked at the black stone in front of her again.
A soft smile appeared on her lips as she looked at Su Wen.
In her eyes, her husband suddenly felt even more mysterious than before.
The ten sword cultivators froze for a moment, still reeling from the overwhelming Sword Intent that had erupted around Su Wen.
They had never seen anyone… especially a cultivator of his seemingly lower realm… radiate such power and presence.
They bowed deeply to him, grateful for the fortune and enlightenment he had brought them.
Su Wen didn't respond. He simply turned to the side, his movements calm and unhurried. His voice was quiet, yet it carried a weight that cut straight through the charged silence.
"Next time," he said, his eyes glinting like sharp blades under the sunlight, "check the facts before you get too excited about righteousness. Don't let anyone take advantage of you."
He paused, then added calmly,
"And… take care of those girls. Give them a reason to live. Teach them the sword. Guide them well."
His gaze remained steady.
"Who knows… one day, they might even surpass you."
The words lingered in the air, sinking deep into the hearts of the ten cultivators like a spark they would never forget.
Suddenly, Su Wen's eyes caught something near the flattened manor.
All the rescued girls were quietly bowing in gratitude toward them.
The first girl who had picked up a weapon murmured silently in her heart as Grade 2 Sword Intent swirled around her,
'One day… I will follow my own path with my sword.'
Su Wen didn't say anything. He only smiled faintly to himself.
Behind him, the ten sword cultivators, though slightly embarrassed by Su Wen's words, remained bowed in gratitude. They didn't speak. They simply watched scar faced Su Wen and beautiful Young Master K depart with quiet respect… grateful not only for being saved from the devils, but also for receiving an unexpected gift of enlightenment.
As they walked away, Su Wen transmitted through Soul Sense,
"Wife… did I look stylish when I said those last few lines?"
Du Yue glanced at her husband as if she was discovering a brand new side of him.
"Husband… you are the best… in this world."
Su Wen nodded seriously, as if that was the only correct answer.
"Good, good. Looks like you're finally becoming smarter. I should cook something nice for you tonight…"
He rubbed his chin.
"Mmm… how about Roasted Spirit Chicken and Spirit Rice?"
Du Yue's eyes turned mischievous. She licked her lips and spoke in a teasing tone,
"Hehe… Husband… can I eat you as well… just a little bit?"
Su Wen "…."
'You!!… my dumb, bad wife… Sigh…' he thought, desperately trying to hide the blush creeping up his face.