Volume One: The Emperor’s Sword Chapter 80: I’ll Buy You Candy When We Get Back

Before Yun Que’s eyes, the floor was covered in vines that swayed slowly like seaweed beneath the water, exuding an unspeakable eeriness. Mu Qingyao and her companions no longer dared to move recklessly, their faces filled with shock.

At that moment, a single word echoed in the hearts of everyone present, including Yun Que.

Tree Demon!

No one had expected that the tree demon that once escaped from Misty Mountain had burrowed deep into the Mu family’s mine!

The moment Yun Que saw the emerald vines, he quickly moved to Mu Qingyao’s side.

“Conceal your presence, move back,” he whispered.

As he spoke, he also returned the little dog, Lucky, to the spirit beast space within his storage ring.

Mu Qingyao instantly understood and did her utmost to suppress her aura while slowly retreating.

The vines before them were clearly not the demon’s true body. If her flower spirit root aura were detected, it would immediately provoke the tree demon’s attack.

Fortunately, Yun Que had warned her in time, and Mu Qingyao withdrew without incident. As the vines sensed nothing unusual, they continued their slow swaying, showing no sign of aggression.

Once Mu Qingyao had retreated to a safe distance, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

No wonder cracks had appeared in the mine—so it was the work of the tree demon!

By the torchlight, Yun Que noticed that the vines were wrapped around something at the center of the cave, its shape resembling a sword. Through layers of entwined vines, he could faintly see clusters of green leaves within.

The Thousand-Leaf Sword!

To confirm his suspicion, Yun Que, relying on his Sword Meridian, sensed faint, invisible sword energy emanating from the green leaves within the vines.

It was indeed the Mu family’s treasured artifact, the Thousand-Leaf Sword!

Yun Que stepped back a few paces, glancing around. This space had once been a secret chamber, but after the tree demon forced its way in, the door was destroyed, creating the open terrain they now saw.

“Why would the tree demon appear here?” Luo Xiaoyu murmured.

“It was likely drawn by the sword’s aura. The Thousand-Leaf Sword is of the wood element, as is the tree demon. Materials and artifacts of the wood element possess a natural allure for tree demons,” Zhou Yuanliang explained quietly.

His explanation matched Yun Que’s own suspicions.

Mu Gui had hidden the sword deep within the family’s mine, and the escaping tree demon from Misty Mountain happened to discover it, making its lair here to absorb the artifact’s energy.

Judging from the fact that the tree demon had only wrapped it in vines, its absorption was quite limited. Otherwise, it would have hidden the sword within its true body.

“The artifact is here, but where’s Yi Hongwen?” Zhou Yuanliang asked, raising his torch to search the area.

Soon, they discovered something amiss.

Near the exit, an odd cocoon stood against the wall, taller than a man, completely wrapped in vines and bulging with unknown contents.

From within came muffled cries, as if someone’s mouth had been stuffed.

Yun Que slashed at the cocoon, cutting open a gap.

Inside was a living person!

It was Yi Hongwen.

“Help! Help! Please save me, I don’t want to die!” Yi Hongwen’s weak and miserable voice rang out, his face drained of all color, and a foul stench seeped from the vines below him.

No one knew how long he had been trapped, but he had clearly been terrified out of his wits.

Yun Que only cut away the vines around the man’s head and then withdrew his flying sword, showing no intention of further aid.

Zhou Yuanliang was even less inclined to help, standing aside and watching with glee.

Yi Hongwen dared not shout, fearing he might draw the attention of the tree demon. It was bad enough being trapped, but if the demon itself came, not even his bones would remain.

After much effort, Yi Hongwen finally calmed himself and recognized Yun Que.

“It’s you!” he exclaimed in shock, unable to fathom why Yun Que was here. Then he quickly softened his tone, pleading, “Junior Brother Yun, please don’t hold a grudge. Save me, and I swear never to oppose you again in this life!”

Yun Que had no concern over gaining or losing an enemy. Hands behind his back, he said, “I don’t want to waste time. I’ll ask, you answer. Tell the truth, and I’ll save you. Lie, and you can stay here and die.”

“Yes! Yes! I swear I’ll tell the truth!” Yi Hongwen vowed.

“Why did you come here?” Yun Que asked.

“I… I came to find high-quality copper ore for refining artifacts,” Yi Hongwen blurted out, but seeing Yun Que’s half-smile, his heart skipped a beat and he quickly corrected himself, “I—I came to retrieve something. My grandfather left a treasure here for me.”

“What is it?” Yun Que asked flatly.

“A… a sword,” Yi Hongwen stammered.

“The Thousand-Leaf Sword, right?” Yun Que cut to the chase.

“How did you know?!” Yi Hongwen was stunned. How could Yun Que know his family’s secret? His grandfather would never have told anyone.

“Do you still want it?” Yun Que pointed to the sword-shaped mound of vines in the distance.

“No, no, I don’t!” Yi Hongwen shook his head frantically.

He hadn’t even touched the sword before being trapped here. Without rescue, he was as good as dead. How could he care about the sword when his own life was at stake?

“You said so yourself. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it,” Yun Que remarked, taking out a dagger.

Yi Hongwen thought he was about to be rescued, but before he could rejoice, Yun Que handed the dagger to Luo Xiaoyu.

Yi Hongwen watched in disbelief as Luo Xiaoyu boldly walked into danger, slicing through the vines with crisp snaps and effortlessly retrieving the long-coveted artifact.

Accepting the Thousand-Leaf Sword, woven of green leaves, Yun Que patted Luo Xiaoyu on the head and said, “I’ll buy you some candy when we get back.”

Luo Xiaoyu beamed and nodded, caring nothing for the artifact itself.

Yi Hongwen looked on, nearly coughing up blood.

Candy in exchange for a magical artifact?

What a joke! Even if he bought every candy shop in the capital, he’d never be able to trade for a real artifact!

Seeing Yi Hongwen’s pitiful state, Luo Xiaoyu kindly cut a few more slits in the vines, allowing him to crawl out on his own.

While the tree demon remained unaware, the group hurriedly left the sword’s hiding place.

Reuniting with Mu Qingyao, Yun Que handed her the Thousand-Leaf Sword, only for her to refuse.

“Take it. The sword’s been retrieved,” Yun Que said in confusion.

“You keep it. I have the Flower Spirit Sword,” Mu Qingyao replied.

“That’s not right. These are your family’s twin swords. What if I lose it? I can’t afford to pay you back. Besides, I have plenty of enemies. If someone snatches it, I’d never get it back. The tree demon still has nine of my flying swords stuck in it, after all,” Yun Que joked.

“Let it be lost, then. I don’t care. If even you can’t protect the Thousand-Leaf Sword, it would be just as unsafe in my hands,” Mu Qingyao said gravely.

Sensing her sincerity, Yun Que grew serious. “Very well, I’ll keep it for now. Consider this sword your great-uncle’s dowry for you.”

Mu Qingyao nodded in agreement.

With the sword now a dowry, its future belonged solely to Mu Qingyao and Yun Que, and had no further ties to Mu Gui or Yi Hongwen.

Zhou Yuanliang and Luo Xiaoyu listened enviously nearby.

Zhou Yuanliang thought: A trip to the mine, and she gains another artifact as a dowry. The life of the rich is beyond imagination.

Luo Xiaoyu thought: When will I get to eat the wedding sweets of Senior Sister Mu and Senior Brother Yun?

Yi Hongwen, who had scrambled after them, was thinking: It’s not even your family’s artifact! How can you just declare it a dowry? Where’s your shame? Where’s your integrity? How can humans be so shameless?

As the group retreated to the fork in the tunnel, Yun Que once again heard the sound of something striking against the walls from the right-hand passage.