Chapter 25: Next Time, I’ll Definitely Use You to Chop Vegetables! 

Her parents grounded Xie Jiuniang, forbidding her to go out alone.

Xie Shen and Mo Lan were worried about potential repercussions from the 100,000 spirit stones incident. They told her to focus on cultivation and strive to break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining stage before the sect assessment.

They also left the 100,000 spirit stones with her.

Xie Jiuniang had no intention of going out anyway, so she readily agreed.

When Song Bao’er found out, she gloated and wanted to flaunt it in front of Xie Jiuniang, but naturally, her wish wasn’t fulfilled.

Xie Jiuniang entered seclusion once again, starting an intensive training mode.

Whenever she felt her cultivation progress slowing, she would switch to talisman transcription or formation inscribing.

After exhausting herself, she would drink a spiritual liquid to recover before resuming her work on talismans and formations. It wasn’t that Xie Jiuniang didn’t want to refine pills or forge artifacts, but their small courtyard lacked an earth fire furnace.^[1]Earth Fire Furnace: A special furnace used in pill refining and artifact forging, which requires a strong heat source. Relying solely on spiritual power to condense spiritual flames lacked sufficient force, rendering the endeavor meaningless.

Two and a half months later, Xie Jiuniang finally broke through to the seventh level of Qi Refining.

There were only three days left until Tianxu Sect’s recruitment.

With a wave of her hand, she stored her talisman transcription tools into her storage pouch. She was about to get up when she suddenly froze, then lowered her head to check the storage pouch in disbelief.

“What the hell!”

Where are my spirit stones?!

They were all gone, not a single spirit stone left.

Xie Jiuniang was so angry she stomped her feet. In addition to the 20,000 spirit stones she originally had, her mother had given her the 100,000 she got for free.

At that time, she definitely transferred it to another storage pouch.

The storage pouch Xie Jiuniang was using now was no longer the one from Yunmu City. It had been upgraded to a 50 cubic meter capacity. The 120,000 spirit stones had piled up like a small mountain inside.

Could it be that the schemer in the shadows had used some method to take them back, and even stolen her own spirit stones?

But that didn’t make sense.

Ever since returning, she had been in secluded cultivation the whole time.

She hadn’t gone out at all, so how did the spirit stones disappear?

Unwilling to accept it, Xie Jiuniang examined the spot where she had stored the spirit stones…

Ashes?

Dust? No, it was a pile of fine stone fragments, like sand.

Xie Jiuniang’s pupils suddenly constricted as she enveloped the pile of shattered stone sand with her spiritual sense and moved it out of the storage pouch’s space.

Sifting through the rubble, she uncovered that familiar yet unfamiliar broken sword.

Familiar, because it was the one she had purchased with a spirit stone.  

Unfamiliar, because the rust on the sword’s body had vanished.

“Oh, although it’s still broken, it looks like it can be used to chop vegetables now.” Xie Jiuniang curiously picked up the broken sword, muttering as she examined it.

Suddenly, the broken sword took flight!

Thump! 

As if angered, it struck Xie Jiuniang’s forehead with its flat blade.

How dare she use it to chop vegetables? It would beat her to death!

“Ouch!”

Gritting her teeth in pain, Xie Jiuniang touched the sore spot on her forehead…

A lump had formed?

Xie Jiuniang pointed at the broken sword hovering in midair, “Broken sword, you’re dead!”

“You stole my spirit stones and even dared to hit me? Quickly return my spirit stones, give me back my spirit stones!

“I must throw you into a cesspit to wash. Nothing less will appease my anger!”

Thus, the small room descended into chaos.

A broken sword flew about erratically, weaving and dodging.

A small hand determinedly tried to seize it, enraged beyond reason.

In a game of pursuit, the broken sword narrowly avoided capture several times.

As time dragged on, the sword’s evasive speed decreased. Just as it seemed unable to hold out much longer, the pale little hand nearly grasped its hilt…

The hilt and blade suddenly flipped positions!

Xie Jiuniang’s hand, poised to grasp the hilt, instead gripped the blade’s edge. Realizing something was wrong, she hurriedly restrained her strength.

But it was too late!

Intense pain shot through her palm as blood gushed out. It was a close call. If she had been a step slower in pulling back, her fingers might have been severed.

The sharp pain instantly restored Xie Jiuniang’s rationality.

At this point, she wanted to let go.

However, the situation spiraled out of control. It wasn’t as simple as her wanting to release her grip. An unknown force held her immobile.

Her spilled blood soaked into the sword’s blade.

The blade seemed to come alive, her blood flowing into it and forming thin red lines spreading persistently over every inch, as if some dormant life force was slowly awakening.

Gradually, an ancient covenant rune manifested on the blade, followed by a thumb-sized illusory dragon circling rapidly before coiling around her right hand. In a fleeting instant, it merged with the broken sword and in a stream of light, it sank and disappeared into the back of Xie Jiuniang’s hand.

A burning sensation followed on the back of her hand as an ancient rune imprint slowly surfaced.

It was identical to the covenant rune that had appeared on the blade moments ago. The only difference was that there was a domineering little sword intersecting the center of the imprint.

The little sword mark was complete, but the broken part appeared slightly dim.

The contract was complete.

Xie Jiuniang sensed a connection between herself and a certain existence within the broken sword.

After probing it for a while, she discovered that the covenant imprint^[2]Covenant Imprint: A magical mark that signifies a contract or bond between a cultivator and a spiritual entity, such as a sentient artifact. automatically generated a pocket dimension tailored for nurturing the sword.

Inside, a boundless cosmos of scintillating stars surrounded the suspended broken sword at the center, with specks of starlight entwining the blade as if surrounded by celestial bodies. 

This dimension belonged solely to the sword!

A private realm which even its new owner could not encroach upon.

The broken sword indeed possessed sentience.

At this point, the wounds on Xie Jiuniang’s palm had fully healed with the covenant’s completion.

However, she had still suffered excessive blood loss.  

Her pallid complexion prompted her to consume a Blood Replenishing Pill^[3]Blood Replenishing Pill: A medicinal pill that helps restore lost blood and vitality., dispelling the ensuing dizziness.

“Speak up, what is your origin?” Xie Jiuniang tapped the covenant imprint with her left index finger.

The broken sword remained silent as a stone.

Tapping again, she stated impatiently, “You stole my spirit stones, and now you’ve forcibly formed a covenant without my consent. Hmph…”

Playing dead, feigning deafness.

No matter how Xie Jiuniang tried to provoke the sword spirit to respond, it ignored her, embodying icy aloofness.  

She reasonably suspected that this fellow was afraid she would throw the broken sword into the cesspit, so it forcibly contracted with her. Without a covenant, it couldn’t open the divine sword space^[4]Divine Sword Space: A pocket dimension created by the covenant imprint, serving as a nurturing environment for the broken sword. and would have nowhere to hide.

Heh!

Interesting.

Well done, you’ve successfully piqued my interest. Next time, I’ll definitely use you to chop vegetables!

In a remarkably good mood, Xie Jiuniang decided to get more spirit stones and then try enticing the sword spirit once more. The broken sword was indeed far from ordinary, and was even more extraordinary than she had previously thought.

Just as she was about to go out, she surveyed the messy room and her mood instantly soured.

Oh well, she would have to tidy up first.  

When Xie Jiuniang went out again, the rented small courtyard was still the same, but eerily quiet.

“Father? Mother?”

She noticed Song Bao’er had left, the array in the room where she previously stayed was deactivated with no signs of occupancy.  

Mo Lan came out from her room. “You’ve concluded your seclusion?”

“Seventh level of Qi Refining, how’s that?” Xie Jiuniang immediately scurried to her mother’s side, peering behind her. “Father isn’t here?”

“The clan sent the younger generation over. Your father said he’d go see if he could assist in any way.”

“Oh.” Xie Jiuniang wasn’t very interested. 

The Xie Clan had a residence in Xian City specifically for the younger clan members to temporarily reside in. Xie Jiuniang herself had stayed there in her previous life.

This lifetime, however, she had no desire to go.  

No matter how esteemed the clan, it wasn’t her support. They had abandoned her in her previous life. Even if, from a bigger perspective, the clan’s actions weren’t wrong and they had their difficulties which were understandable…

So what?

In the end, they had still abandoned her.

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