Chapter 9: Begging for Life

Sword Dynasty

Volume 1: Great Rebel

Chapter 9: Begging for Life

There were countless sects and methods for cultivation in this world, and each cultivator’s physical body was different. Over the course of several hundred years, no one knows how many grandmasters had founded cultivation sects, how many methods had been created, and how many ways of utilizing the primal energy of the universe had been devised.

The Min Mountain Sword Sect and the Spirit Void Sword Sect of the Qin Dynasty had studied sword techniques to the limit. The many sects of the Chu Dynasty, Yan Dynasty, and Qi Dynasty were proficient in forging, seals, and yin energy in ways that cultivators of other dynasties could not rival.

Even the vanished Han Dynasty, Zhao Dynasty, and Wei Dynasty had hundreds of secret cultivation sects. The Southern Sun Pill Sect of the Han Dynasty, the Sword Furnace of the Zhao Dynasty, and the Cloud Water Palace of the Wei Dynasty possessed cultivation methods and technique that only few sects in the world could compare to.

However, of all these cultivation methods, the Nine Death Silkworm Divine Art was undoubtedly the most powerful and mysterious.

No one knew the origins of this method. However, they speculated that this was a method created by the invincible Emperor You who had founded the You Dynasty hundreds of years ago.

Some even speculated that the strongest cultivator at that time, Emperor You, had died at the age of fifty due to an accident while cultivating this method.

This was merely speculation. Although all the most talented individuals in each generation after Emperor You obtained this method, none of them, including that person whose names were taboo in the Qin Dynasty, dared to cultivate this method.

No one cultivated this method. No one in the world knew the astonishing abilities and power of this method.

Cultivators in later eras learned from some bamboo scrolls left by the You Dynasty that one needed to kill many people to cultivate this method… and when a cultivator touched the vital energy of other cultivators, the sound of silkworms eating mulberry leaves would be heard.

However, cultivators at the time were convinced that this method was different from other demonic methods from the Qi Dynasty that consumed others’ vital energy to enhance one’s own cultivation.

Then why would the sound of silkworms chewing leaves heard when touching human vital energy? And what did it mean?

People found this kind of inexplicable speculation extremely mysterious and frightening.

What terrified Song Shenshu at the moment was not because of the method itself, but that the method had disappeared at the hands of that person.

That person used to have many followers.

Many years ago, Song Shenshu was just the lowest-ranking carriage driver among that person’s followers.

Now the Nine Death Silkworm Divine Art, which should have disappeared with that person’s death, appeared before him. Making many scenes that had been sealed in his mind that he did not want to remember were pressing down on his body like mountains.

His body was unable to move. He began to convulse violently.

He began to realize that the rumors that had been spreading in Changling for several days was true.

Ding Ning stared at Song Shenshu without slowing down his movements. His fingers seemed to smooth out the wrinkles in Song Shenshu’s clothes. He touched every dark red line of vital energy on Song Shenshu’s body. Accompanied by the sound of silkworms chewing mulberry leaves, the dark red lines of vital energy disappeared beneath his fingertips.

“How does it feel to sell your friends for personal gain?” As he did this, he asked Song Shenshu softly, as if he truly wanted an answer.

Hearing this, Song Shenshu finally believed his own speculation. His fear finally returned to his own situation. “Don’t kill me!” He said hoarsely, sweating profusely as he tried to move his paralyzed throat muscles.

“You must repay your debt.” Ding Ning looked at him with pity. “Tell me, besides your life, what else can you use to repay your debt?”

Song Shenshu’s eyes were almost covered in his own sweat. He tried his best to open his eyes and said urgently, “If… if I tell you some secrets that are more important than my life, will you spare my life?”

Ding Ning’s brows furrowed slightly. He thought for a moment before saying, “Perhaps.”

Song Shenshu’s eyes suddenly lit up with hope, but he still hesitated.

Ding Ning smiled coldly. “You should know what his sword is called.”

Song Shenshu’s eyes lit up.

“When Li Guanlan was killed back then, the one who betrayed him was Mu Yu. He changed his name to Liang Lian,” he controlled his tightening throat as he breathlessly revealed his first secret, which he considered most important.

Ding Ning’s eyes dimmed unwittingly.

Those familiar names were a great debt to him.

His brows furrowed deeply as he seemed to be talking to himself, “Liang Lian? The general of the North Tiger-Wolf Army? The one who has achieved full military service and the one with the highest hopes of becoming a marquess?”

“It’s him.” Song Shenshu’s desire to live grew stronger. Although he had difficulty speaking, his voice grew louder.

“Is that all? You should understand that if what you say is true, even if you don’t say it, I will investigate in the future.” Ding Ning raised his head and stared at him coldly.

Song Shenshu swallowed hard, his heart pounding.

He knew the next secret he revealed would surely satisfy the person in front of him. However, he also knew that if people found out that he was the one who leaked this secret, then his future end would be even worse than it was now.

“Lin Zhujiu isn’t dead,” he said hoarsely, looking at Ding Ning pleadingly.

Ding Ning’s body froze. For the first time, he lost his composure and blurted out in shock, “What did you say!”

“He’s imprisoned in the deepest cell of the water prison.” Song Shenshu felt like his heart was about to leap out of his throat. “Prime Minster Yan wants to obtain some cultivation secrets from him, so he hasn’t kill him… everyone outside thinks he is dead. Even Prime Minster Li and Bureau Chief Ye do not know this secret.”

Ding Ning’s expression recovered. He was silent for a moment and then said, “Then how do you know this secret?”

Song Shenshu did not dare look him in the eye. “Because Minister Yan couldn’t get anything useful from him, he thought of a method… he once had people pretend to break out of the prison and rescue him, and some of them were people Lin Zhujiu had previously known.”

“You were one of the people Lin Zhujiu knew, but he didn’t know that you were Minister Li’s people.” Ding Ning’s expression calmed. “And then?”

Song Shenshu said with difficulty, “We don’t know where the flaw in this act lies, but Lin Zhujiu wasn’t fooled.”

“His mind is even more cautious than Minister Yan’s. How could those little tricks fool him?” Ding Ning lowered his head and said quietly, “He must be living in very uncomfortable circumstances right now.”

Song Shenshu did not know how to respond. He did not speak.

Ding Ning did not look at him but said softly, “Anything else?”

Song Shenshu’s heart began to pound again.

He could tell that the other person was still dissatisfied.

“I…” He trembled as he revealed the last important secret he knew. “The legendary Lonely Mountain Sword Hoard does exist, and many of the clues to it may be in the hands of Bai Shanshui of Cloud Water Palace.”

“The Lonely Mountain Sword Hoard?”

Ding Ning’s breathing paused slightly. This was another piece of information he had never thought of.

Legend had it that the Lonely Mountain Sword Sect was an extremely mysterious and powerful sect. No one knew when it was founded or when it ended. However, there were constant rumors that this sect left behind a precious secret hoard with many great treasures.

Besides lost cultivation methods, what excited cultivators even more were the extinct spirit medicines and forging materials.

As more and more informations about the Lonely Mountain Sword Sect were discovered, cultivators of the world became increasingly convinced that the Lonely Mountain Sword Sect and its hoard truly existed. However, there had never been any clues as to the whereabouts of this Lonely Mountain Sword Hoard.”

“How do you know this?” Ding Ning’s eyes lit up as he looked at Song Shenshu and asked again.

“Once, someone from the Bureau of Divinity came to the archives with fragments of jade scrolls to verify their authenticity. We searched the ancient records and discovered that the unique characters on the fragments were the characters of the Lonely Mountain Sword Sect.”

Song Shenshu said urgently, “Furthermore, I conducted a secret investigation. The people from the Bureau of Divinity and the remnants of Cloud Water Palace had clashed before. They believe more of these jade scrolls are in the hands of the remnants of the Cloud Water Palace.”

Ding Ning was silent for a moment.

Even if the cultivators of the Cloud Water Palace had hidden as deeply as the cultivators of the Zhao Sword Furnace, if one took the time, they could find some clues.

“Anything else?” he asked, looking at Song Shenshu, after a few dozen breaths.

Song Shenshu stared at him helplessly, his mind slowly going blank. He could not think of any other important secrets.

“Very good.” Ding Ning saw the look on his complexion and nodded in satisfaction. He bent down and whispered in Song Shenshu’s ear, “If that’s the case, you can go die.”

Song Shenshu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

A burst of energy easily pierced his heart meridian and severed the most important artery for life.

“You…”

He could not believe that his life was about to end. His stiff hands gripped Ding Ning’s robes.

“You’re very confused as to why I didn’t keep my promise and kill you, right?” Ding Ning stared into Song Shenshu’s widening eyes and said softly, “He was the only person in the world who keeps his promises, so you feel his disciple will do the same. But he’s already dead. Who will use what he taught?” Ding Ning calmly released Song Shenshu’s fingers as he spoke.

Song Shenshu clearly heard this. He felt angry at being deceived, but in the next moment, he only heard a strange sound from his throat.

That was his last breath.

He died with endless regret.

Notes:

This novel is not my work... I just translated it from a Chinese web novel written by Wu Zui

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