Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao’s first glance at the woman was not at her face, but at the clothes she wore. It was not because of her cultivation realm or any other reason, but simply because the attire was unlike anything he had ever seen. She wore a black long skirt adorned with countless patterns; the colors of the designs varied but did not seem out of place, instead adding an air of mystery.

Chen Chao then lifted his head to look at the woman’s face.

She had an absolutely stunning face.

Chen Chao believed he had seen quite a few women of peerless beauty in his life, like Xie Nandu, Zhu Xia, or the current Autumn, and even the white-clothed girl in the coffin, all of whom could be considered the top beauties of this era.

The woman before him was undoubtedly an existence the same as them.

One of the very few in this world.

As a woman, Autumn was different from Chen Chao, she did not look stunned but instead watched the woman with a cautious, serious expression.

From the moment this woman stepped out of the cottage, Autumn paid special attention to her. Despite her efforts to sense something, she ultimately could not detect a trace of root cause or any aura from the woman.

She could not sense the slightest aura from her.

The woman glanced at the two young people in front of her and smiled after a moment, “You two are really young.”

Her voice was like gently flowing water, clear and pure, seemingly not of this world. Yet, it did not make one feel distant.

Though her words were in a language different from theirs, Chen Chao and Autumn quickly understood the meaning.

But upon hearing this, neither of them knew how to respond.

”Senior...”

Chen Chao opened his mouth but did not know what to say.

The woman frowned slightly at the word, as if lost in thought. But a moment later, when she spoke again, it was in a language Chen Chao could clearly understand.

“This cute girl is actually a little tiger, no wonder this little one chose you.”

The woman looked at Autumn, lightly waving her hand. The flying sword flew to her happily, hovering before her like an old friend. She gently brushed the sword’s blade with her fingers and said nostalgically, “It’s been a long time.”

Chen Chao was still focused on the woman’s earlier words describing Autumn as “cute.” Using the word cute to describe Autumn made Chen Chao feel strange.

How could a woman so ruthless toward herself and others be described as cute?

“Alright, since you’ve chosen someone else, just obediently follow her. Why act like this?”

The woman seemed somewhat displeased and lightly patted the flying sword, which whimpered softly before reluctantly flying back to Autumn.

Autumn grasped the sword’s hilt, and the flying sword trembled softly, quickly shrinking until it was palm-sized and once again turned into a hairpin.

Autumn reinserted it into her hair without speaking.

But at this moment, both Chen Chao and Autumn could feel that the woman before them bore no ill will toward them.

The woman could immediately see Autumn’s true form, her cultivation went without saying.

”Senior...”

Chen Chao spoke again, but was interrupted halfway again this time.

The woman scrutinized the young man, narrowed her eyes, and murmured softly, “Why do I feel a... familiar scent from you?”

“Like an old... acquaintance of mine.”

The woman looked at Chen Chao in front of her, and suddenly her eyes emitted a radiance, as if two dazzling stars emerged at that moment from behind thick layers of clouds.

Chen Chao was momentarily dazed. He had never seen a pair of eyes like that.

The woman walked up to him, reached out, and lightly placed her hand on his head, but quickly let go again. Her hand continued downward, and she furrowed her brows.

In the end, her gaze landed on the saber at Chen Chao’s waist.

“It’s his saber...”

A deep look of remembrance appeared in the woman’s eyes. At that moment, Chen Chao seemed to see, reflected in her gaze, the image of a tall, handsome man standing atop a solitary peak, appearing immensely lonely.

As if he were the only person left in the world.

Chen Chao felt a faint sense of familiarity, but quickly understood the reason.

It was the saber at his waist.

Chen Chao softly said, “It’s that saber.”

The saber at Chen Chao’s waist had originally been a broken blade, but its origins were extremely mysterious. Although it was said to have been forged by Sword Qi Mountain, even they did not know much about it.

Yet this woman before him seemed very familiar with the saber’s former master.

“Draw it out. Let me see.”

The woman’s voice was even trembling slightly.

Chen Chao gripped the saber’s hilt and slowly drew the blade from his waist.

Its original name was unknown, but now it was called Cloud Mud.

“It...”

The woman extended a finger and gently stroked the blade, very slowly, as though she were caressing the face of a beloved.

No one knew how long had passed before she withdrew her hand. She looked at the saber in front of her with disappointment and softly said, “It’s no longer the same.”

Chen Chao said nothing. He understood clearly what she meant.

Cloud Mud had been reforged. Though it still contained something from the original blade, it was no longer that saber.

In other words, if the saber was not the same, then naturally the person was no longer the same either.

Chen Chao faintly sensed that this woman must have had an unclear and indescribable relationship with the saber’s former owner.

But Chen Chao narrowed his eyes slightly, the previous owner of this saber should have lived several hundred years ago. And this woman, she probably was not an existence from just a few centuries ago, was she?

At least a thousand years old?

Then how could the two have ever crossed paths?

Chen Chao had a keen sense that there must be a story behind this.

The woman looked at Chen Chao with sorrow in her eyes and said nothing for a long time.

Chen Chao was not in a hurry. He simply waited for the woman in front of him to speak.

“I haven’t seen him for a very, very long time.”

The woman looked at Chen Chao gently and asked, “Where did you get his saber?”

Before Chen Chao could reply, she shook her head and instead asked, “What’s your name?”

Chen Chao said softly, “Chen Chao.”

The woman looked at him. In her eyes, two brilliant stars lit up again, and she looked closely at Chen Chao once more.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Chao began to explain how he came to possess the saber.

The woman said dejectedly, “I know... he must already be gone.”

Chen Chao could feel her sorrow, but did not know how to comfort the woman in front of him. After all, he did not know the story behind it all. Even if he wanted to say something, he would not know where to begin.