Legend of Swordsman

“I see your companion is a prideful person, Dragon Wing Governor!”

The barbed words from Jin Yu, the handsome man looking down at them, echoed through the alcoves of the magnificent hall.

As a Golden-clothed Deacon of the Samsara Temple, Jin Yu had always reveled in the admiration and reverence showered upon him by others. Even the powerful or privileged from the stronger populations honored him with awe and deference. However, as a Rank Three Dao Master, the Dragon Wing Governor could have spoken to him with much lesser modesty.

Still, it was expected that common Dao Masters should greet Jin Yu with utmost reverence.

Any folk of the Eternal Realm, on the other hand… would be wont to bow on their knees when greeting him.

Seeing that Jian Wushuang just had merely greeted him by a simple gesture, Jin Yu felt himself simmering with annoyance as he grew displeased.

Then again, he did not know that despite Jian Wushuang’s facade, his current strength could have allowed him the stature comparable to that of a Dao Master at the Peak of Rank Three. Jin Yu, as a Rank Seven Reincarnator, would at most wield the strength of a Rank Two Dao Master. Little did Jin Yu knew that Jian Wushuang’s simple and crude gesture was, in fact, an ample show of respect to him.

Nonetheless, Jian Wushuang realized that he needed Jin Yu’s assistance in locating his father. Swallowing his pride, Jian Wushuang took a deep breath and bowed deeply to him, saying, “My respects to Mr Jin Yu. My name is Jian Wushuang.”

“Hmph! That, at least, is tolerable.” Jin Yu remarked coldly.

The Gu King could not help but snort from inside Jian Wushuang’s body. “This is ridiculous. It is he who is ignorant of your true strength and yet he behaves arrogantly. If I were you, Jian Wushuang, I would have wrenched off his head right now.”

“Still, it is his help that I require.” Jian Wushuang seemed hardly perturbed. “This little price would mean nothing if I can indeed find out about my father’s whereabouts from him.”

“Your patience amazes me.” The Gu King curled his lips.

Basking in the grandeur of his lavish chamber, Jin Yu hovered over his guests imperiously and said, “Your reputation precedes you, Dragon Wing Governor. Long have I heard your name uttered with respect and fear. What brings you here today?”

“I am merely acting as an envoy for my young companion, dear Mr Jin Yu. On his behalf, I would like to request your assistance.” The Dragon Wing Governor replied.

“Oh?” Jin Yu’s glance shifted from the Governor and rested upon Jian Wushuang as he spoke proudly, “Tell me about it.”

Jian Wushuang stated his purpose immediately, “One of my closest kin from the Ancient World was selected to be a Reincarnator 2,000 years ago. But until now, I have yet to receive any word from him. Hence, I am here today to request for your help in locating his whereabouts.”

“You want me to help you find the whereabouts of a Reincarnator? Hmph! You are truly a bold one.” Jin Yu’s face darkened and his deep voice reverberated over the eaves of the hall. “Are you aware that information about Reincarnators is always a closely-guarded secret even in the Temple?”

“Yes, I do.” Jian Wushuang nodded gently..

Jin Yu continued, “I may be a Golden-clothed Deacon who commands considerable authority. Still, it is against the law of the Temple that no one is to leak any secrets of such information, for even I will have to face the sentence for committing such sacrilege!”

“With enough luck, I might only be sentenced to incarceration for tens of thousands of years in the First Prison of the Temple. Otherwise, not only I risk losing my title, I might even be executed.”

“Never have we ever met, and yet you dare make such demands of me to divulge the secrets of a Reincarnator! You must be delusional!”

With that, Jin Yu turned immediately with a flail of his sleeves. As he began to leave, he barked a command to his steward, “See our guests off, Ye!”

Jian Wushuang panicked. Immediately he cried, “I understand the predicaments you face in helping me, Mr Jin Yu. I assure you, I will be willing to pay the price for your help.”

“Price?” Jin Yu spun and stared at Jian Wushuang as he smiled coldly. “It’s easier said than done. How can you, a mere youngling of the Eternal Realm, afford to pay such a huge price?”

“Please. State your price, Mr Jin Yu.” Jian Wushuang implored gravely.

“Oh?” Jin Yu’s eyes flashed suddenly as he spoke. “I will be blunt then, such being the case. Two Chaos Gems. That is my price.”

“What?” The Dragon Wing Governor, who had yet to utter a single word while standing beside Jian Wushuang, exclaimed with his eyes furiously wide open.

Despite his extensive wealth, even he could hardly be able to suffer the cost of two Chaos Gems as payment.

How dare Jin Yu put forward such a demand?

“Very well. Two Chaos Gems it is then. I agree to your terms.” Jian Wushuang nodded swiftly.

“What?” Both Jin Yu and Dragon Wing Governor renewed their looks into stares of disbelief and amazement at Jian Wushuang in unison.

Chaos Gems were rare precious gems found in deposits scattered across the Eternal Chaotic World; natural gemstones that bore great pecuniary value.

All great and powerful warriors and nobles in the Green Fire World conducted their business and trade using Chaos Gems as the medium of exchange.

A Chaos Gem was worth at least one hundred billion Divine Gems. It is ordinarily equal to the entire wealth of a common Rank Three Dao Master.

When Jin Yu had loudly proclaimed his demand of two Chaos Gems, he had hoped to rebuff Jian Wushuang with a price so exorbitant and repressive that the latter would be forced to reject. Seeing as dealing with a mere youngling of the Eternal Realm as something beneath him, he did not want to negotiate with Jian Wushuang.

Despite his malignant contrivance to relieve himself of the irk and insult, never did he expect that Jian Wushuang would actually agree to his unreasonable terms!

How was it possible that a mere weakling of the Eternal Realm would have the means of affording two Chaos Gems?

Just when Jin Yu and Dragon Wing Governor were still speechless and dazed, Jian Wushuang revealed two gems in his grasp. The precious stones glistened handsomely with a luster emblazoning the strange energies contained within.

“Here are two Chaos Gems as promised. You can have half a Gem upfront. The rest shall be paid to you once you have the answer to my request.” Jian Wushuang cut one of the Chaos Gems into half and tossed one of the halves to Jin Yu.

Jin Yu caught the piece of Chaos Gem. He studied the gem in his grasp and fiddled with it briefly, the look of astonishment still imprinted upon his face.

“It’s really a Chaos Gem. It’s unthinkable. A mere Eternal Realm fledgling has such wealth?” Jin Yu looked at it in disbelief.

It is the extreme scarcity of Chaos Gems in the Green Fire World that had endowed them with its immense value. In fact, Jian Wushuang would have won a simple recognition from him if he was able to produce treasures that would match the value of two Chaos Gems.

Never did he expect that Jian Wushuang would actually present two genuine Chaos Gems.

“Jian Wushuang, this is not a trivial matter. Chaos Gems contain the purest energy that is invaluable to warriors and martial practitioners. You might find them worthless for now. But you will be in dire need of them once you become a Dao Master. The Chaos Gems that Dao Yuanzi had left you numbered few. To offer two gems at once is just…” The Gu King implored to Jian Wushuang to reconsider.

“These only two Chaos Gems. It is a bargain in exchange for finding out my father’s whereabouts.” Jian Wushuang muttered solemnly.

His Chaos Gems were all left to him by Dao Yuanzi.

Nothing else, not even something as valuable as Chaos Gems, mattered more to him than the news of his father’s whereabouts.