Volume Three: The Tomb of the Fox Immortal Chapter Four: Magical Artifacts, Deadly Weapons

Seeing Xu Jianguo like that, I looked in confusion at Xu Tian and Li Kun beside me. The two of them exchanged a secretive smile and said nothing.

I scratched my head. Xu Tian, on the other hand, asked me with concern, “Lao Liu, how are you feeling now? Do you still feel unwell anywhere?”

I nodded and lifted a hand to rub my stomach. “There is indeed something wrong,” I said. “I’m a little hungry.”

At my words, the few of us exchanged smiles. Old Master Xu said, “Little Liu, you might as well stay here tonight. I may not have much else, but I do have plenty of rooms. There’s more than enough space for all of you.”

Xu Tian nodded. “Exactly. The three of us can just stay in my house. There are plenty of rooms there too. Tonight, the three of us can sleep together.”

Li Kun laughed. “Sleep together, huh? Does your family have a bed that big?”

Xu Tian grinned. “Maybe not a bed that big, but we’ve got a kang. In the Northeast, if you don’t sleep on a warm kang in winter, how are you supposed to sleep at all?”

At that, Old Master Xu said, “All right, you little rascals can just sleep here. Tian, go find two quilts and blankets later, then the three of you can use the other room.”

I nodded. “Then, senior, we’ll be grateful and accept your kindness.”

Old Master Xu said, “Mm. Tian, take Little Li and get two quilts from the room your father used to stay in.”

Xu Tian nodded, knowing his grandfather had something to discuss with me. He and Li Kun tactfully went out.

After they had both left, I cupped my hands slightly toward Old Master Xu and said, “Senior, there are some things I’d like to ask you about.”

Old Master Xu chuckled. “You want to ask about that blade, don’t you?”

I nodded. “That’s right.” As I spoke, I reached into my clothes and took out the short blade.

Holding the blade in my hand, my mind was full of questions. “Senior, Xu Tian was struck by this corpse poison this time, so he must have been injured by this blade first, which is why he was poisoned.”

“But what confuses me is this: when I first got this blade, it cut me too. Why did I not end up poisoned like Xu Tian? And why did this short blade heal my wounds on its own? Stranger still, when I was in the tomb, I lost this blade, yet when I came out, it was inside the back of my clothes.”

After I finished, Old Master Xu lowered his head in thought. Then he nodded lightly and said, “I suppose Xu Tian has already mentioned this short blade to you. This blade came from the early Song Dynasty. The man who forged it had a very striking nickname: Hammer Soul.”

“And the short blade in your hand is called the Soul-Slaying Blade. As I know it, Hammer Soul willingly cast himself into the forge so that this blade could become the finest blade under heaven. He became the blade spirit of this Soul-Slaying Blade. As for the blade’s name, it was taken from his own appellation.”

I stared at Old Master Xu in utter shock, my heart stirred with astonishment. This sounded almost fantastical. A blade spirit? Did that mean the Soul-Slaying Blade in my hand was a weapon with a soul?

Suppressing my surprise, I asked, “Senior, why can this Soul-Slaying Blade return on its own? And why was I unharmed when it cut me, while Xu Tian was poisoned?”

Old Master Xu said slowly, “Since the Song Dynasty, this blade has never had a true master. It is called the Soul-Slaying Blade partly because of Hammer Soul’s name, and partly because the blade itself is highly unusual.”

As he spoke, Old Master Xu pointed at the blade and said, “The materials used to forge it have an extraordinary origin. Back then, two kingdoms were at war and the dead were countless. Beneath a mass grave there was a vein of ore, and among it was one piece of metal that was astonishingly hard. After it was found, it was handed to this man called Hammer Soul.”

“But after forging it, Hammer Soul discovered that the metal was not ordinary. Because it had been unearthed beneath a pit of a hundred thousand corpses, the entire piece was saturated with corpse poison. Only by finding a single spiritual herb to neutralize it could that poison be removed, though even then the poison on the metal would never be completely gone.”

“His efforts were finally rewarded. Hammer Soul truly found that spiritual herb. But after the blade was forged, he discovered that no one else could use it. Anyone who wielded it would be invaded by the corpse poison in an instant, and within no more than two days their whole body would rot and die. In the end, Hammer Soul made up his mind to become the blade spirit of this short blade.”

“And over the span of a thousand years, this blade will choose only one master. Once that person makes a pact with the Soul-Slaying Blade, even if it is buried deep underground, it will still return to your side. But if anyone else is wounded by it and does not receive immediate treatment, then within three hours their entire body will rot away and they will die.”

“You said just now that it cut you in the tomb, yet your wound healed by itself. It seems you are the master this Soul-Slaying Blade has chosen.”

Only then did I finally understand. No wonder this short blade could find its way back on its own, and no wonder it had done me no harm while even healing my wound automatically. So this blade had truly chosen me.

Just as that thought flashed through my mind, the Soul-Slaying Blade in my hand trembled faintly. Seeing this, I was again greatly startled. Could it be that the Soul-Slaying Blade could even hear what I was thinking?

I looked up at Old Master Xu and said, “Senior, thank you for clearing up my confusion.”

Old Master Xu smiled faintly. “What is there to thank me for? There’s no need to be so formal. From now on, you needn’t keep calling me senior. Just call me Old Xu. Calling me senior makes us seem too distant.”

I smiled faintly and nodded. “Old Xu.”

Only then did Old Master Xu nod with a smile and say, “Little Liu, you still have something else you want to ask me, don’t you?”

Hearing that, I nodded and reached into my pocket for the small golden bell.

When Old Master Xu saw the bell in my hand, he was also slightly startled. Rising to his feet, he took it from me and said, “This is... the Soul-Calming Bell?” When he finished speaking, he looked up at me in astonishment.

Seeing his expression, I was also somewhat taken aback. Earlier, when he had seen the Soul-Slaying Blade, he had not shown such a reaction. Why was he so shocked by this bell? Could it be some priceless treasure?

I asked in confusion, “Old Xu, what exactly is the Soul-Calming Bell you just mentioned?”

At this point, Old Master Xu looked at me with great solemnity. “Little Liu, where did you get this thing? This bell vanished thousands of years ago. How could it be in your hands?”

I said, “Old Xu, does this bell have some extraordinary background?”

Old Master Xu nodded, set the bell beside me, and sighed. “You really are blessed with remarkable fortune. I never expected even such a treasure to end up in your hands. It seems that when I cast my divination earlier, it had already been decided that you would be a benefactor to my Xu family.”

After saying that, Old Master Xu turned to me and asked, “Little Liu, this is called the Soul-Calming Bell. If the blade you just showed me is a fierce weapon, then this Soul-Calming Bell before you is a magical artifact.”

“A magical artifact?” I asked.

Old Master Xu nodded. “The Soul-Calming Bell is a magical artifact from the era of the founding masters of Mount Mao. It is said to have been created by a wandering cultivator. Though he was called a rogue practitioner, he was reportedly among the most outstanding talents of his generation, on par with the Mount Mao patriarch of that time. This Soul-Calming Bell was one of the magical tools he used in his youth. It is said that carrying it for a long time can open the heavenly eye. As for its effects...” He paused, then continued, “I can’t remember them clearly anymore. I only heard about this when I was young.”

At that, I said in astonishment, “Open the heavenly eye? You mean it lets one see the ghosts in this world?”

Old Master Xu gave a slight nod. “Legend has it that such records do exist, but the truth of the matter is something you must discover for yourself. And as far as I know, this Soul-Calming Bell is far more than a simple tool for opening the heavenly eye. It has many other marvelous uses.”

Hearing this, I drew a sharp breath. What sort of thing was this? It could open the heavenly eye? Wait, if carrying it for a long time truly granted that ability, then I had worn it for so long. I should have been able to see by now. Could it be that Old Master Xu himself did not truly know what its powers were?

With that thought, I remained perplexed. Old Master Xu let out a soft sigh, then turned and said to me, “Little Liu, your body should be all right now, shouldn’t it?”

At his words, I flexed my arms a little and felt that all my strength had returned. So I climbed down from the kang and said, “Yes, there’s no problem. Old Xu, thank you for clearing up my confusion this time.”

Seeing that Old Xu no longer wished to speak further about the Soul-Calming Bell, I understood that this conversation had come to an end. Even if I went to ask the Thousand-Poison Daoist or the Ghost-Lantern Daoist, the answer might be the same. Since that was so, there was no point seeking them out again.

Old Master Xu said to me, “The food is almost ready. Let’s go over and take our seats first. Tian and the others will come over once they finish tidying up.”

I nodded and followed behind Old Master Xu as we walked toward the small three-story villa on the left.

By then, Xu Tian and Li Kun had already finished preparing everything. After Old Master Xu and I took our seats, we saw Xu Jianguo come out of the kitchen wearing an apron, saying as he walked, “The dishes are all done. Where are Tian and Little Li? Why haven’t they come over yet?”