novelapdf Chapter 24 The Key to the Sword
Chapter 24 The Key to the Sword
On the dock, Guojianglong looked at the blue light shooting into the sky from the direction of the warehouse, his face ashen.
"It's over...it's all over..."
He muttered to himself, then turned and ran.
But it was too late.
Outside the warehouse, a crowd had gathered.
Dressed in black, masked, and holding a bow and arrow.
The arrowhead gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
The leader slowly removed his mask.
A face that Lu Chenzhou recognized was revealed—
Shen Xingyao.
She looked at the man who had crossed the river, her eyes as cold as frost.
"The Stormy Waves Society, the Dragon Crossing the River," she said slowly. "Your affair is settled."
The man who had crossed the river looked at her, then at the men in black behind her, and suddenly laughed.
He laughed bitterly, he laughed madly.
"It was you all along...it was you all along..."
He turned abruptly and rushed towards the river embankment.
But an arrow was faster than his movement.
"call out--!"
The arrow pierced his back and emerged from his chest.
Guojianglong staggered a few steps, looked down at the arrowhead in his chest, then glanced back at Shen Xingyao, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he said nothing.
He fell into the river.
Blood stained a patch of river water red, then was washed away by the waves.
Shen Xingyao put away her bow, walked to the riverbank, looked at the surging river, and remained silent for a long time.
Then she turned to her subordinates and said:
"Clean up the site. Move all goods out and burn the warehouse."
"yes!"
The men in black acted swiftly.
Shen Xingyao walked to the river embankment behind the warehouse, looking at the dark river below and the faintly visible blue light, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Lu Chenzhou..." she whispered, "Who exactly are you?"
---
underwater.
Lu Chenzhou, gripping the Qingming Sword, surfaced.
The sword was heavy, heavier than he had imagined. The blade was three feet three inches long and two fingers wide, entirely bluish-black, except for a striking red line of blood along the spine. At that moment, that blood line was emitting an eerie red light, mingling with the bluish glow of the jade pendant.
He swam back to the small boat, placed the sword on it, and then climbed aboard.
tired.
I've never felt so tired before.
Not just physically, but also mentally. The moment he gripped the sword, he felt a massive surge of information flood his mind—shattered images, chaotic sounds, burning emotions, chilling killing intent…
That is the memory of this sword.
Or rather, it is the memory of those who have wielded the sword throughout history.
He sat cross-legged on the boat, closed his eyes, and tried to sort through the fragments.
A scene gradually becomes clear:
A hundred years ago, atop Zhongnan Mountain.
Three people, three swords.
Azure sky, purple lightning, white rainbow.
They faced a huge, dark chasm—the Heavenly Gate.
"Using the three swords as the key, and bloodline as the guide, seal it!"
Three swords simultaneously pierced the crevice.
The sky collapsed and the earth cracked.
The image is shattered.
Another scene:
Fifty years ago, deep within the palace.
An old man in a dragon robe, with trembling hands, handed a jade pendant to a young man.
"The Green Destiny Sword... cannot remain in the Song Dynasty... take it with you... the farther the better..."
The young man knelt down and kowtowed, then turned and left.
The scene then shifts:
Eighteen years ago, in Qixia Town.
Holding the broken jade pendant, Father Lu Wenyuan said to Mother, "This thing... cannot be kept. It will bring disaster."
The mother shook her head: "This was passed down from our ancestors; we can't lose it."
"But……"
"No buts. When Chenzhou grows up, we'll hand him over."
"..."
Last scene:
Two years ago, on the night of the massacre.
His mother tucked the jade pendant into his arms: "Run...run fast...to Zhongnan Mountain...to find..."
Before he could finish speaking, the blade flashed and fell.
Lu Chenzhou suddenly opened his eyes.
Sweating profusely.
He got it.
I understand everything now.
The Azure Destiny Sword is one of the three keys that seal the "Heavenly Gate." A hundred years ago, the three sword wielders sacrificed themselves to seal the Heavenly Gate, but perished in the process. The sword was later collected by the royal family and regarded as a national treasure.
Fifty years ago, the emperor at the time had a premonition of impending doom and ordered his men to take the Green Destiny sword out of the palace and hide it among the common people—specifically, at the bottom of the Jiangling River.
That jade pendant was the key to finding the sword.
The parents are descendants of the "sword-bearer".
Their deaths were not accidents, nor were they ordinary acts of revenge.
It's because... someone is looking for this sword.
who is it?
The Shadow Hall? Does the Jin Kingdom want this sword?
The Immortal Seeking Gathering? Eunuch Qin?
Or... someone else?
Lu Chenzhou gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
A chilling power emanated from the sword, flowing through his meridians and throughout his body. That power was immense, so powerful that it made his heart tremble.
But at the same time, he also felt that his emotions were rapidly slipping away.
The moment I gripped the sword, the last ripple in my heart subsided.
Like a stagnant pool, it can no longer stir up even the slightest ripple.
This is the price to pay.
Lu Jinghong is right. Every time you use a sword, you get one step closer to becoming "inhuman".
And now, he held the Azure Sword in his hand.
There is no turning back.
He stood up and looked at the river.
The sky was already beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
A new day has begun.
And he is about to embark on a new path.
He carried this sword, along with an ever-chilling murderous intent within him.
---
Before dawn, the river surface was as black as spilled ink.
Lu Chenzhou sat on the small boat, the Qingming Sword lying across his lap. The blade gleamed with a dark blue light in the dim morning light. The bloodstain had stopped glowing, but its color had deepened, like a wound that would never heal.
His hand gripped the sword hilt steadily, as if the iron itself was an extension of his hand.
But inside, I feel empty.
The fragments of memory that had just flooded my mind receded like the tide, leaving behind a cold, sandy beach. My parents' faces, the snow on Zhongnan Mountain, Lu Jinghong's sighs, Jiang Wan's red thread... all of these now seemed distant and blurry.
It's like looking at the world through frosted glass; you can see the outline, but not the details, and you can't feel the temperature.
He looked down at his hands.
The wound on his hand had scabbed over, a dark red color, like an ugly brand. He clenched his fist tightly—his knuckles turned white, his nails dug into his palm, but he felt no pain.
There was only a cold, numb sensation, like touching a stone.
Taste is gone, and so is pain. What comes next? Touch? Hearing? Or... will even the "self" disappear in the end?
Lu Chenzhou didn't know.
But he knew he had to leave.
The beam of light that shot into the sky was seen throughout Jiangling City. Now, a commotion is coming from the direction of the docks, and the flickering firelight indicates that someone is approaching.
He sheathed the Green Destiny sword and carefully wrapped it in the oilcloth provided on the boat—the sword was too conspicuous to be seen. Then he picked up the oar and pushed off with all his might.
The small boat glided silently out of the cave and into the main river channel.
As dawn broke, the mist on the river began to dissipate. In the distance, the dock was in complete chaos—flames shot into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and shouts and running sounds could be faintly heard.
The warehouse of the "Overseas Dragon" is on fire.
Lu Chenzhou glanced at it, then looked away and focused on rowing.
Where is he going?
do not know.
Back to the escort agency? Shen Xingyao's identity has been exposed, and the Sihai Escort Agency is now the most dangerous place.
Should we go to Tingtao Villa? There's a mysterious "benefactor" there; whether he's friend or foe remains to be seen.
Or...should we go directly to Zhao Wanshan?
No, that won't do. Lu Jinghong once said that revenge is not the goal, but a means. He now has the sword, but he's not ready yet.
As the boat drifted in the middle of the river, Lu Chenzhou suddenly remembered the map in his arms.
The azure sky is its final resting place.
Now that we have the sword, what is that red dot marked on the map?
He pulled out the sheepskin map from the oilcloth bundle and unfolded it in the morning light.
The map was drawn in great detail, clearly showing the underground waterways of Jiangling City. These waterways were interconnected, like the blood vessels of the human body, and the red dots marked the "heart."
It is located directly below the Jiangling Prince's Mansion.
Lu Chenzhou's finger stopped on the red dot.
Where did the Azure Sword go...? Could it have been hidden there all along? Did the River-Crossing Dragon simply move it to the bottom of the dock?
wrong.
If the sword was originally located beneath the Prince's residence, why didn't the royal family simply take it? Why go through all the trouble of hiding it at the dock? And why leave two jade pendants as keys?
Unless... someone within the royal family doesn't want the sword to be found.
Or rather, some people want to look for it, while others don't.
He thought of Zhao Yun, the Prince of Jiangling. That seemingly carefree but actually unfathomable prince.
There are also the "noble people" in Tingtao Villa.
Is there any connection between these two?
Lu Chenzhou put away the map and looked towards the direction of the Prince's Mansion.
Daylight had broken, and the outline of the Prince's Mansion was faintly visible in the morning mist, like a lurking beast.
To go or not to go?
Hesitation lasts only a moment.
He turned the boat around and rowed towards the Prince's Mansion.