Volume One: The Emperor’s Sword Chapter 43: Don’t Leave, Sir

Soul stones possess the power to nourish the soul, and the Elder of the Gate is but a remnant wisp of a stone demon's soul. Since he obstructs every attempt at exchange, there must be something hidden.

Yun Que put on a troubled expression and said,

"I am in urgent need, so be it. As you said, Elder, the Sword Stone plus a thousand spirit stones—I’ll make the exchange."

Now it was the Elder's turn to look astonished. The senior disciple nearby waved his hands frantically, trying to dissuade Yun Que.

The Sword Stone was already as valuable as a soul stone; with an extra thousand spirit stones, one could exchange for two soul stones.

"Are you out of your mind? You would make such a trade?" The Elder’s wide mouth formed a round O, his face a picture of shock and confusion.

"I have no choice; I am in desperate need. Elder, please take out the soul stone," Yun Que replied.

The mouth on the stone door stretched into a thin line, the corners twitching.

"You hand over the spirit stones first! All one thousand, not one less!" The Elder tried to turn the tables, refusing to produce the soul stone first.

Yun Que, of course, did not have that many spirit stones, yet he appeared unhurried. He fixed the great door with a suspicious gaze and said,

"The rules of the Sword Palace’s treasury have never required advance payment. If you show me the soul stone and I cannot afford it, you may simply take it back. Are you afraid someone might rob you?"

"Of course not! Who would dare rob the Sword Palace’s treasury!"

"Then please, Elder, produce the soul stone."

"I—" The corners of the stone door’s mouth drooped helplessly, forming a bitter expression.

Even the senior disciple beside them grew puzzled. Usually, the Elder of the Gate was indifferent to disciples seeking exchanges, never one for many words. He would produce whatever was demanded outright, eager to send the disciple on his way.

But today, his behavior was the complete opposite—not only loquacious, but evasive.

Sensing the senior disciple’s suspicion, the Elder swiftly composed himself, his voice returning to indifference. "The soul stone, is it? Watch closely. This is the last soul stone in the treasury."

The door’s great mouth opened, revealing a stone the size of a goose egg, ink-black and seemingly unremarkable, its sheen somewhat dull.

The moment the soul stone appeared, the mouth snapped shut, as if terrified it would be snatched away.

Yun Que caught only a fleeting glimpse.

The senior disciple saw even less—before he could rub his eyes, it was gone.

From the Elder’s peculiar actions, Yun Que was all but certain he was concealing something. The soul stone in the treasury had clearly been drained by the Elder, and was far from its original purity.

After hiding the soul stone, the Elder grew pleased with himself, his mouth twisting into a look of malicious delight.

"The soul stone has been shown. Now, hand over your spirit stones."

A thousand spirit stones—a sum he was sure no mere sword servant could produce. As long as Yun Que failed, the soul stone would be safe.

Yun Que had intended to use the depleted state of the soul stone to force the Elder to hand it over, waiving the thousand spirit stones and trading only the Sword Stone.

But after seeing the true appearance of the soul stone, he abandoned the idea of exchanging for it altogether.

So these soul stones were the very same ink-black shards cut from the body of the tree demon!

No wonder Zhou Yuanliang coveted them—they were indeed treasures.

There was but one in the Sword Palace treasury, while Yun Que had no fewer than twenty-six in his own pouch!

By rough estimate, this haul was worth at least twenty thousand spirit stones!

He had thought that losing nine top-grade flying swords in the Misty Mountain had been a grievous blow, but now it seemed he had profited handsomely.

Seeing Yun Que silent, the Elder grew even more smug, his mouth splitting wide.

"What now, can't come up with it? Your boasting has come to nothing? Ashamed to show your face? A mere sword servant dreaming of a soul stone—keep dreaming!"

With a rustle, Yun Que drew a handful of ink-black stones from his storage pouch and sighed before the stone door.

"Soul stones are truly dear; a humble sword servant like me simply can't afford them."

The soul stones in Yun Que’s hand, in both luster and aura, were all far superior to the one in the treasury.

The mouth on the stone door stood straight and trembled, as if struck dumb by some terrifying sight.

If not for being a door, the Elder might have leapt up in shock.

Letting the soul stones tumble through his hands, Yun Que turned and strode away.

"Wait, don’t go! Hold on!"

The Elder’s anxious cry rang out, but Yun Que had no intention to linger; he had no idea what was happening in the great hall and needed to return at once.

"We can talk this over! Young man, don’t be in such a hurry! I have many treasures here—take anything you want in exchange!"

"Don’t leave! Sir, please, don’t go!"

As Yun Que left the Sword Palace treasury, the Elder’s mournful wails, like screeching metal, echoed behind him.

The old disciple guarding the treasury was left utterly dumbfounded.

In all his years there, he had only ever seen disciples treat the Elder with the utmost deference—never had the roles been reversed. It was unheard of.

After putting away the soul stones, Yun Que hurried back to the Northern Court.

He had noticed the soul stones’ fatal allure for the Elder—an advantage he might well use in the future.

In the great hall of the Northern Court, Xue Ziyi and the other two remained seated cross-legged, each struggling to maintain their formation seals.

The black mist had thickened, and a giant ghostly face hovered in midair, baring fangs at the three as if hurling curses.

Upon entering, Yun Que immediately closed the doors.

Shhh, shhh, shhh.

All three looked up in unison, eyes full of hope.

"As promised, I have returned with it."

Yun Que raised the soul stone in his hand.

The three let out a collective sigh of relief. With the soul stone, the formation could be restored.

"Junior Brother, go to the northern position and place the soul stone in the formation’s core," Xue Ziyi instructed.

Following her guidance, Yun Que set the soul stone in place and backed away to the doorway.

Xue Ziyi swiftly formed seals, and the eight halos in the hall blazed forth, the formation’s aura surging.

The black mist quickly receded, sinking into the ground.

The ghostly face grew faint, its mouth opening and closing ever faster until it vanished completely.

Yun Que kept his eyes on the face.

For some reason, he felt a strange sensation—as if the ghostly visage had been cursing at them.

Perhaps ghosts had tempers too, Yun Que mused.

When the black mist had fully dissipated, the eight halos in the hall condensed into eight candle flames, their true nature as a formation impossible to discern.

Xue Ziyi rose unsteadily, collapsing into a chair, thoroughly exhausted.

Ma Yong and Niu Bucai simply lay on the floor, gasping for breath, their spiritual energy clearly spent.

Yun Que helped each to a chair before sitting quietly beside them.

He did not immediately produce the Sword Stone.

He planned to find a reason to return it to Senior Sister at a later time.

Soul stones were too precious, and given that he was still considered a mere sword servant without cultivation, producing them so easily would only arouse suspicion.

"Fortunately, we had Junior Brother Yun; otherwise, tonight would have been a disaster," Ma Yong said, still shaken.

"Indeed, Junior Brother is so reliable—he returned with the soul stone so quickly," Niu Bucai added.

"This time, we were lucky to have Junior Brother," Xue Ziyi said, her voice still weary but more composed.

"It was nothing—just running an errand," Yun Que replied with a smile.

Xue Ziyi nodded gratefully, then hesitated.

"You must be curious about the ghostly face you saw. Since you witnessed it, I will tell you the truth, but you must not speak of this to anyone. It concerns the reputation of the Northern Court—if it gets out, our future will be truly hopeless."

"Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I will keep it secret," Yun Que replied solemnly.

"I believe you," Xue Ziyi said, taking a deep breath. Her expression was weary and helpless as she began, "To explain, we must go back seven years…"