The Sword of the Five Elements — Chapter 105: Failing to Quit While Ahead
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Su Ye remained silent, letting his thoughts speak for him.
The Saintess smiled. “Had it been anyone else, I would have called such behavior insatiable greed.”
“……”
Su Ye merely gazed at her.
This exquisite woman, who stood entirely on her own, was by no means as simple as she appeared.
If she had not displayed Ouyang Zhiqing’s *Goddess Soaring Through the Heavens* and brought out several Buddhist treasures, Su Ye would certainly have kept his distance.
Before possessing sufficient strength, becoming too involved with people of profound scheming was like a moth rushing into a flame. One never knew when one might be burned.
Su Ye was like that.
So was the Saintess.
“I have cultivated for several thousand years and seen every kind of man and woman.” As she spoke, the Saintess raised her brows, more forceful than those of an ordinary woman, and a heroic air flickered through her features. “Song Yang’s meteoric rise… the Demon Ancestor’s astonishing breakthrough…”
“I no longer possess that kind of talent.” Su Ye accepted reality with perfect composure.
“There are countless outstanding figures beneath heaven. When one has finished singing, another takes the stage.” The Saintess smiled faintly. “You possess something many people lack—including me.”
“What?”
“The courage to face excellence and mediocrity with equanimity, the spirit to press forward without hesitation, the strength of unwavering conviction, and the wisdom to overcome every obstacle…”
After hearing the Saintess shower him with praise, Su Ye finally could not help laughing.
“Fairy Sister, you flatter me.”
“Do you address everyone so respectfully?”
“It depends.” Su Ye chuckled. “As long as I do not dislike them too much, I generally use honorifics.”
“If an old senior kept trying to kill you… how would you address him?” the Saintess asked, probing him with evident interest.
“How does my strength compare to his?”
“You are weaker.”
“Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, retreat is the best.”
“And if you were stronger than him?”
“Dead men cannot speak.”
“Interesting.” The Saintess laughed. “I never expected you to have this sort of personality.”
“Senior, fellow cultivators and ants—are there not only these three kinds of people in the cultivation world?”
“Not to you.” The Saintess’s smile faded.
“Do you also believe I am the savior?”
“Some people are chosen by destiny…” The Saintess gazed deeply at Su Ye. “And some people ultimately become the person they have always longed to be.
“If my intelligence network has not made a mistake, the first spell you created was related to the soul…”
“So long as I remain steadfast, I can become a sword immortal who saves the world?” Su Ye could not help smiling.
There was not the slightest trace of amusement on the Saintess’s face.
In an instant—
The wind and snow of Mildripple City, along with Mr. Ouyang’s face, overlapped with the Saintess’s features.
Two voices echoed through his sea of consciousness at the same time.
Once, he had boldly declared that he would surpass the Sword Saint Song Yang and become the greatest sword cultivator in the Three Thousand Worlds.
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Now he was laughingly claiming that he would become the sword immortal who saved the world…
Neither of the two people speaking with him mocked his passing whim.
The doubt in his heart slowly dissolved, becoming a faint smile at the corners of his lips.
What had begun as banter ultimately became an ideal.
————
From the spring silkworm spinning its thread, to the Weaver Girl weaving it into yarn.
From grinding iron into a needle, threading silk and drawing it through, until patterns of every kind emerged in the cloth.
Then, through the wondrous hands of a tailor, it was cut and sewn into garments fitted to the human form.
Every person involved was an indispensable link in the making of clothing.
If even a garment required so much, how much more was needed for something as immense as saving the world?
After explaining the process of making clothes, Su Ye looked at the Saintess.
“The savior is merely the brightest pearl in an age when heroes emerge in endless succession.
“No matter how dazzling its radiance, it will never eclipse those who stand forth alongside it to save the world…”
“Your breadth of vision is greater than the Demon Ancestor’s…”
“During my cultivation, I encountered a ghost immortal who had once been a yellow weasel. At first, he compared me with Senior Song Yang and Senior Ouyang Zhi. Yet the last time I saw him, he mentioned someone else.”
The Saintess’s curiosity was piqued. “Who?”
“The Human Sovereign, Xiao Qian.”
“You want to become the Human Sovereign?!”
“Of course not.” Su Ye laughed. “There can only be one Human Sovereign in the imperial court, and that is Xiao Qian.
“My path… lies in the martial world.”
“You know that, yet you still intend to go to Cloud Capital?”
“Buddhism speaks of cause and effect… Hidden within my trial of the heart is a mission that must be fulfilled.
“Only by completing that cause and effect can I enter the Hidden Spirit Realm.”
“The trials of the heart faced by the truly exceptional are indeed difficult… Knowing a place cannot be entered, they still insist on going there without hesitation…”
…
Zhou An returned to the mortar and asked Zhang Qiang in a low voice, “Brother Qiang, how long do you think Boss Su and the Saintess will talk…? Is there still any chance of something good happening?”
Zhang Qiang held the pestle in his right hand, sweat beading between his brows as he pounded the leaves of the evil-poison flower with all his strength. He muttered, “No chance.”
“Tsk. Boss Su really says one thing and does another.” Zhou An spat to the side. “Though I suppose it is only natural. Even if the three of us were tied together, we might not be as handsome as Boss.”
Ma Hu came over. “I think I look more handsome than Boss Su.”
“What makes you think you are more handsome than Boss Su?” Zhou An asked, raising his brows.
“My left eye, my right eye, and my heart’s eye…” Ma Hu gestured as he spoke. “A man like Boss Su would be called a femme fatale in the old saying…”
“Oh, give it a rest.” Zhou An disdainfully tapped the back of Ma Hu’s head. “A femme fatale is used to describe monsters.”
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“Uh… Isn’t it used to describe women?”
“You are not much better than he is.”
…
Su Ye picked up a handful of pebbles and threw them at a venomous insect.
He nearly crushed it to death.
The Saintess hurriedly cast a spell, gently lifting the stones. Her brows drew together slightly.
“What are you trying to do?”
“If saving the world were compared to this pile of stones, then I would be that venomous insect,” Su Ye explained softly.
The Saintess put the insect away, lest Su Ye suddenly come up with another strange idea.
“After taking so many detours, is it not time to return to the point?”
“As expected of someone in the Marvelous Truth Realm. Nothing escapes you.” Su Ye grinned. “As one of the three great orthodox faiths, Buddhism restoring its strength would be no small merit.”
“You want me to bring out all the Buddhist treasures I have collected,” the Saintess said lazily. “Do you have an equivalent treasure to exchange for them?”
“No.”
“Then why should I play the great benefactor? Until the Demonic Cult is destroyed, I remain its Saintess.”
“I am willing to draw upon my future and make you a promise.”
“Your heart belongs to someone else. You cannot become my male favorite.”
“……”
The Saintess turned to Su Ye in astonishment. “Are you serious?”
“You are far-sighted and would never sacrifice the greater good for a minor gain… If you are willing to generously assist Buddhism, it will be enough to demonstrate your benevolence.” Su Ye smiled faintly. “What is wrong with possessing these qualities?”
“You…” The Saintess sighed softly. “You always manage to exceed my expectations. Go back first… When you leave, I will give you every Buddhist treasure in my collection.”
Su Ye and the three inept companions left the Saintess’s cave dwelling.
Money had appeased the discontent.
All that remained were words of gratitude.
On the elevated platform, black mist gathered and took the form of a towering figure.
“When did you become so generous, Nan Lian?” Helmsman Qi Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, his two swordlike brows drawn tightly together.
“Jealous?” The Saintess, Nan Lian, lightly touched Qi Zheng’s broad chest with her slender hand, her gaze alluring.
Qi Zheng said nothing.
Nan Lian turned toward the place where Su Ye had disappeared.
“You would never guess what he promised me.”
“What?”
“The position of Empress of the Western Regions.”
Qi Zheng turned his head in astonishment, his eyes trembling with shock.
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