"I believe my sister wouldn't lie. Since Master said so, there must be a reason. Moreover, we've already disturbed Master's seclusion. If Uncle goes again~"
"Disturbed is disturbed!" Ying Tiande exclaimed, "Do you know how much effort I put into forging this sword? Do you know what it means for a swordsmith to forge such a sword in a lifetime? To just say it's ruined, I~"
Before he could finish, Ying Caiwei, who had quickly stepped forward, interjected, "Two senior sisters, I will definitely urge my father to destroy the fierce sword. Rest assured."
Ying Tiande wanted to say more, but Caiwei directly took his arm, smiled at the two senior sisters, and returned to the inner room of the yurt.
"Caiwei, what are you doing? I won't destroy that sword, I~"
"Father, speak softer," Ying Caiwei quickly reached out and covered her father's mouth, then added, "Who asked you to destroy the sword? Didn't you say that this sword has already recognized its master, and even Master might not be able to subdue it? Why don't we go with the flow, deceive heaven, and hand it over to its rightful owner? This way, we can preserve the long sword, avoid Master's knowledge, and repay our kindness. Isn't that better?"
Ying Tiande suddenly understood, and his face lit up with a smile. "My daughter is so smart." As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately put on a sly look. "Uh, my dear daughter, could it be that you've truly fallen for him? Well, that's good too. I find that young man quite pleasing. In this world, there are very few people with a chivalrous heart and a pure heart. And seeing you looking so smitten, I know my precious daughter might not be kept any longer."
"Father, what nonsense are you talking about? Young master is actually~" Ying Caiwei understood her father. He disliked external noise and only had a superficial understanding of what was presented on his phone, so she knew it would be difficult to explain. She sighed, stamped her foot, and turned back to Ren Yuanhao's resting room.
As soon as she entered the room, she saw Ren Yuanhao standing up from the bed, stretching his stiff joints. Seeing Ying Caiwei enter, he didn't know what to say and stood there stiffly like an idiot.
"Young master's injury~"
"It's, it's nothing serious. People like me have a resilient constitution. Of course, without the antidote, I probably would have kicked the bucket by now."
As they were talking, Ying Tiande also followed them into the room.
"Brother, let me ask you, do you like the sword I forged?"
Just as Ren Yuanhao was about to speak, a system voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Didi, that sword is a rare treasure. Strike when the time is right, you don't need me to remind you, do you?"
"But that sword belongs to the sect leader of Qingfeng Sect. I wouldn't dare to covet it. The consequences of offending a sect are not good."
"Tsk tsk, why has our Ren Yuanhao suddenly become so timid?"
"You don't need to provoke me. Although that sword is a treasure, it's a fierce sword. It might bring misfortune and constantly tempt me to commit suicide. Can you bear that?"
"What can't I bear? At worst, I'll just leave with a large sum of money."
"Good sir! Young lady is mighty and unyielding, I am impressed!"
"Hey hey, no more joking. Seriously, accept it. If you later obtain something like the Nine Solitary Swords or Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. Besides, skills are never a burden, and treasures are always welcome!"
Ren Yuanhao quickly withdrew his thoughts from his mind, scratching his hair, and said, "Of course, Uncle's craftsmanship is exquisite. Junior admires it."
"Then, this sword will be entrusted to your care."
Ying Tiande's voice was devoid of emotion, as if he couldn't wait to throw the sword into Ren Yuanhao's hand.
—Holy crap? So straightforward? Qingfeng Sect will be chasing me all over the world, won't they?
Ying Tiande seemed to sense his concern, explained the ins and outs of the matter to him, and fearing that Ren Yuanhao would refuse, he added, "Alas, you don't want Uncle's hard work to be completely wasted, do you?"
—What's going on? Giving away such a treasure? What are they thinking? I, Ren Yuanhao, though not talented, will take it if offered!
Ren Yuanhao's joy did not show on his face, but in his heart, he was overjoyed. He thought: With this sword, if I later find the Nine Solitary Swords or something similar, wouldn't I be incredibly powerful? All those so-called ability users would be cut down with a single stroke!
Thinking of this, Ren Yuanhao almost burst out laughing like a pig.
Only after the people from Qingfeng Sect had left, and under Ying Tiande's urging, did he pull the long sword out of the ground.
"Brother, this sword doesn't have a name yet. I hope you will roam the world with this sword. A sword without a resounding name won't do." Ying Tiande leaned on his cane, his face full of pride.
—Huh? Naming it? Everyone knows I'm terrible at naming things. I can't possibly name it something like Er Gou, Er Dan, or the like!
Ren Yuanhao's face turned ashen. Ying Caiwei immediately stepped forward, thinking that drawing the sword had aggravated his injury, and she was worried. She didn't realize he was flustered because of the naming.
"Young master, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. It's just that I'm not good at naming. If I dishonor its prestige, it would be a sin."
Ying Tiande nodded, his pea-like eyes darting around. When his gaze fell on the collapsed rock face, he immediately had an idea. "The first thing this sword killed upon its birth was a giant python. Pythons turn into dragons when they enter water. Why not call it Dragon Slayer?"
However, as soon as Ying Tiande spoke, Caiwei was the first to object, "That sounds unrefined, Father. Look at the sword's body, as bright as white snow, slender and crystalline. How about calling it Inch of Snow?"
"Hmm, since this sword is a fierce sword, naming it Dragon Slayer seems too bloody and violent, and it would only amplify the sword's ferocity. Inch of Snow is different. Very good, very good. Brother, what do you think?"
Ren Yuanhao was indeed bad at naming things, but when the words "Inch of Snow" were spoken, he actually felt a slight tremor in the sword's heart, thinking it was also fond of this name. He immediately clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "Good, marvelous! It shall be called Inch of Snow!"
With the companionship of this sharp blade, who knew that the name Inch of Snow would echo throughout the land in the years to come!
It was already noon. Ren Yuanhao intended to take his leave, but he couldn't refuse the earnest invitations of the father and daughter and ended up eating lunch before rushing off.
As he left, the mountains were shrouded in mist, the mountain air was hazy, and the sky was faintly veiled by a thin, misty gauze. The further he walked down the mountain, the dimmer the sky became. What made Ren Yuanhao's headache worse was that after a night of heavy rain, the previously clear path was now completely obscured by fallen weeds. Coupled with being chased by wild boars yesterday, he hadn't paid much attention to the way. Wandering aimlessly, he didn't know where he had ended up.
Suddenly, he smelled a faint scent of blood and immediately stopped to look around. To his left, a mountain stream could be faintly seen gurgling down, like a silk ribbon.
The smell of blood seemed to be coming from there.