Chapter 196 Four Gentlemen Blades
Ah Sheng and Li Xuan had clearly noticed it as well. They lay on the mountain wall, not daring to move.
The giant bird spread its wings before violently flapping them once. An ominous foreboding rose in their minds when they felt a hurricane rise up and sweep their bodies up.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The three of them fell back onto the stone platform and saw stars. It took them a while before they could stand up.
However, when they turned back to look at the tree hole in the towering tree, there was no sign of the giant bird. Looking everywhere, there was no trace of it. It was as though it had gone back inside.
“From the looks of it, it knew we were here long ago. Since it didn’t kill us, why did it leave us here? Could it be that it treats us as a food stockpile and plans to keep us here for the new year?” Li Xuan was still in the mood to joke.
“I don’t know if it’s keeping us for the new year, but it must have deliberately left us here,” Zhou Wen said.
“Since it didn’t kill us, we still have a chance. Let’s think of other ways.” Ah Sheng said as he looked around the platform.
Since the giant bird had already targeted them, it was useless no matter how careful they were. Zhou Wen also circled the platform, hoping to find something useful.
“This item isn’t bad.” Li Xuan found a playboy magazine in a cargo truck’s compartment.
Zhou Wen picked up a beverage bottle and saw that there was still more than a month left before it expired. He opened it to drink it and, as he did so, he arrived in front of an off-road vehicle. The off-road vehicle looked very old and had all its windows shattered. The frame was also severely deformed.
The vehicle’s body was covered in mud, and it was about the same inside. It looked like it had suffered the elements and had been here for quite some time.
Zhou Wen looked inside and saw a plush doll covered in mud sitting in the back seat. He thought, The owner of this vehicle likely had a child on board. I wonder how they ended up. I hope they’re alright.
There was too much mud in the vehicle, so it didn’t seem to have anything of use. Just as Zhou Wen was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly caught sight of a pole-like item caked in mud.
Zhou Wen extended his hand and pulled the item out.
It’s really a saber. Zhou Wen wiped the mud away and revealed the true appearance of the object. It was a sheathed saber.
The saber was straight, so its scabbard was also straight. Together with the hilt, it looked like a four-foot-long stick.
After wiping it clean, he realized that the entire saber’s design was like a piece of bamboo-segmented. The top segment was the hilt, and the bottom four segments were the scabbard. If one looked closely, one would think that it was a bamboo stick.
In fact, the hilt and scabbard were made of metal, and it weighed heavily in the hand.
Zhou Wen attempted to draw the blade but failed to pull it out.
“Zhou Wen, what are you doing?” Li Xuan ran over and stared at the bamboo blade in Zhou Wen’s hand.
“I found a saber, but I can’t pull it out.” Zhou Wen tried several times but failed to pull it out. He couldn’t help but be surprised.
He was very strong and could easily break steel bars. He was rather surprised that he couldn’t pull out the bamboo blade.
“It looks like a bamboo stick no matter how you look at it. How is it a blade?” Li Xuan commented as he looked at the bamboo blade in Zhou Wen’s hand.
“No, that’s a saber. Its name is Bamboo Blade.” Ah Sheng heard their conversation and walked over, only to see it. He asked in surprise, “Where did you find this Bamboo Blade?”
“It was inside this car.” Zhou Wen pointed at the off-road vehicle and said, “I wonder if it’s stuck from rust. I can’t pull out the blade.”
As Ah Sheng got into the off-road vehicle, he searched and said, “The Bamboo Blade is made of Primordial Gold. Even the scabbard doesn’t rust, much less the blade. This blade has a special design. You need to spin it counterclockwise to pull the blade out.”
Zhou Wen followed Ah Sheng’s instructions and turned the handle. Although it was very heavy, it could really be rotated. When he exerted his force outwards, a portion of the blade immediately came out of the scabbard.
The blade was like a deep pool of water that emitted a coldness. It was only two fingers wide and the back of the blade was slightly wider. Its sharp edge was extremely thin, making it feel like it could easily slice through anything.
Zhou Wen pulled the blade out and swung it around. When the blade brushed past the car window to his side, it was sliced apart cleanly. Zhou Wen didn’t sense any resistance from the blade’s edge, showcasing its shocking sharpness.
“This blade is so sharp! Furthermore, it’s made of Primordial Gold. Are there any left? Find one for me too.” Li Xuan was also shocked by the sharpness of the Bamboo Blade.
“There’s only one Bamboo Blade in the entire League. Where are you going to find another one?” Ah Sheng crawled out from the off-road vehicle empty-handed. Clearly, he hadn’t found anything.
“Are you serious? The An family has plenty of Primordial Gold ores. Isn’t it easy to make one?” Li Xuan said in disbelief.
“Primordial Gold ores are restricted items. Every gram has a record. The League is very strict regarding this, so it’s impossible for the An family to use them as they wish. Besides, this blade wasn’t forged by the An family,” Ah Sheng said as he looked at the Bamboo Blade in Zhou Wen’s hand.
Zhou Wen handed the Bamboo Blade to Ah Sheng and, after he took a careful look at the blade, Ah Sheng said, “The blade is like a pool of water over an abyss. Deep beneath is nothing but blood. This is indeed the Bamboo Blade of the Four Gentlemen Blades. I never expected that the Bamboo Blade that has been missing for so many years would actually be here.”
“What are the Four Gentlemen Blades? Why haven’t I ever heard of them before?” Li Xuan asked.
Ah Sheng didn’t answer Li Xuan. He gently swiped the blade across his palm and immediately sliced open a bloody gash. Blood trickled down the blade, forming a line that remained coagulated without dripping.
“Brother Sheng, what are you doing?” Li Xuan and Zhou Wen looked at Ah Sheng in a daze.
“A gentleman doesn’t fight, but if there’s a need to fight, blood will definitely splatter. Hence, when the Four Gentlemen Blades are unsheathed, blood must be seen. Otherwise, it will deal harm to their masters.” As Ah Sheng spoke, he swung the blade and threw blood on the blade out. The blade was spotless, like a pool of limpid water.
After sheathing the blade, Ah Sheng returned it to Zhou Wen. “Young Master Wen, although this blade is sharp, it’s very inauspicious. It’s best you don’t use it if possible.”
Zhou Wen nodded and took the Bamboo Blade. He asked, “Who’s the owner of this blade? Will someone come looking for me in the future?”
Ah Sheng shook his head and said, “The person who used the blade has been dead for years. The four original owners of the Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum Blades all died tragically. Later on, when these four blades found themselves outside in the world, they gradually vanished. Their subsequent masters probably didn’t have a good ending.”
“What era are we in now? Why do we still believe in such superstitions? Aren’t you a fool to not use such a good blade?” Li Xuan said disapprovingly.
Ah Sheng didn’t argue with him and said, “The Overseer’s father, Old Master An, was once the owner of the Plum Blade.”
Upon hearing that, Li Xuan immediately fell silent. An Tianzuo’s father, Ouyang Lan’s ex-husband, was once the head of the An family with a promising future. Despite his bright future, he died early due to an accident. It was regretful and was known by all the rich and powerful in Luoyang. Li Xuan naturally knew.
If this was really the inauspiciousness brought about by the Four Gentlemen Blades, it was really terrifying.