Volume One: The Emperor’s Sword Chapter Ninety-Four: Nothing Hurts More Than a Dead Heart

Hearing the brief exchange between Lengjiao and the shopkeeper, Yun Que felt a trace of discomfort.

The shop owner had no idea that the young woman standing before him had probably not much time left.

Yun Que did not step forward to greet her at once. Instead, he stood at the shop entrance, waiting for Lengjiao to finish her transaction.

For twenty spirit stones, Lengjiao bought a pill that could prolong life by a day or two.

The pill had an unpleasing name: the Last Breath Pill.

As its name suggested, it was a medicine taken at the edge of death. Not only was it exorbitantly expensive, its effect was enough to make one sigh in sorrow.

What was more, one could only take a few of them at most; after that, additional doses had no effect.

Taking the small porcelain vial containing the pill, Lengjiao stood silent for a moment, then turned to leave.

As she turned, she happened to see Yun Que at the door.

At last seeing her face, Yun Que could not help but feel secretly startled.

Lengjiao had grown much thinner. Her eyes were dim and lifeless; the whole of her was steeped in a deadened air, no longer bearing the vigor she had shown when she first came to the Sword Palace.

It had been only one month, and yet she had withered to such a degree.

"Lord Yun," she said.

Meeting an old acquaintance again, Lengjiao tried hard to lift the corners of her mouth into a smile, but no matter how she tried, she could not manage one. The smile that hung there was nothing but bitterness, with not a trace of joy.

"Quite a coincidence. I was just wandering around the market. How are you preparing for the Sword Son contest in a few days?"

Yun Que did not mention the dragon spirit root, because there was no need to ask; he already knew the answer.

If there had been even the slightest way out, Lengjiao would not have bought the Last Breath Pill.

"I won't be taking part," Lengjiao said softly, her eyes full of desolation.

With that, she turned and headed for the door.

Just then, a little girl of about ten ran in from outside, with two upright pigtails and a rosy face, carrying a large food box in her arms.

"Father! I got the pastries from Drunken Immortal Tower! They even gave me ten candles!"

The little girl skipped into the shop and set the large food box on the counter.

The shopkeeper picked her up and spun her around once, laughing happily. "My little girl is ten already, and soon she'll be all grown up! It's your birthday today, so Father will close up shop at once. We'll go home and eat together! Let's celebrate properly!"

"All right! Mother must be waiting anxiously!" the little girl said joyfully.

Lengjiao watched the girl's carefree innocence, and faint tears seemed to glimmer in her eyes.

Today was also her birthday.

Perhaps it was the last birthday of her life.

"Safe travels, esteemed guests."

The shopkeeper brought a handful of candies to the door and pressed them into Yun Que's hands, smiling as he said, "It's my daughter's birthday today. Come, come, take some candy!"

Luo Xiaoyu was the happiest of all, thanking him repeatedly and chattering sweetly with congratulations.

Lengjiao took only one candy and clutched it tightly in her palm.

Yun Que casually took two, peeled one, and tossed it into his mouth. Nodding, he said, "Nice and sweet. Since we've been given such sweetness, I feel I owe you something, boss. Do you have any Spirit Origin Pills? Sell me some."

"Yes! Yes!" the shopkeeper said at once. "Spirit Origin Pills are ten spirit stones each. Guaranteed quality. If it's fake, I'll pay tenfold!"

To think a big sale would come just as the shop was closing. Anyone who could afford Spirit Origin Pills was a proper patron indeed.

"I'll take ten." Yun Que slapped down one hundred spirit stones.

The shopkeeper quickly fetched a small porcelain vial, and instead of taking the spirit stones first, handed over the pills for Yun Que to inspect.

After opening the vial and smelling it, Yun Que nodded. Not bad. The spiritual energy was abundant.

Only after Yun Que accepted the pills did the shopkeeper happily put away the spirit stones, showing considerable restraint.

Seeing that Yun Que knew Lengjiao, the shopkeeper hesitated before saying, "If this lady is looking for pills that suppress bloodline power, you might try the auction house. You may well find something there. There will be a fairly large auction tonight, at Azure Talismans Pavilion right across the way, the one that specializes in talismans."

The shopkeeper came to the door and pointed out the direction for them. It was not far at all; they could see it as soon as they stepped outside.

Lengjiao's eyes brightened for an instant, then quickly dulled again. She gave a numb nod of thanks, not daring to place any hope in it.

Before leaving, Yun Que lowered his voice and asked the shopkeeper, "Boss, do you have any ghostly objects or the like for sale?"

"No!"

The shopkeeper jumped, looking at Yun Que with wary suspicion. "If the guest wants such wicked things, you should also try the auction house. There may be some there. My little shop only sells pills. It's a small business, and I never do evil."

Yun Que nodded and did not frighten him further.

After leaving the shop, Yun Que said to Lengjiao, "We're free today, so let's go see the auction."

"Good, good!" Luo Xiaoyu clapped in approval.

"I won't be going. Even if there were such miraculous pills, I couldn't afford them. Farewell, Lord Yun."

Clutching the candy tightly in her hand, Lengjiao turned to leave, her entire being bleak and old as if she were a centenarian.

"Even if you can't afford it, knowing some leads would still be good," Yun Que said.

Lengjiao only shook her head and walked off with numb steps, like the walking dead.

Watching her back, Yun Que was silent for a moment, then dashed after her in a few strides and slapped a hand onto her shoulder.

"Hey."

Lengjiao instinctively turned back, and in the next moment she was lifted clean off the ground, both feet dangling in the air.

Grabbing her by the collar, Yun Que roared, "You were pretty spirited in Goose Gate Town, weren't you!"

"When they threw rotten eggs at me as a kid, you laughed and clapped too!"

"When I climbed trees to steal from bird nests, didn't you sneak under the trees to pilfer eggs as well!"

Lengjiao was stunned by this barrage of accusations. Hanging in midair, she looked bewildered and at a loss, frozen in place.

She did not know what madness had possessed Yun Que to drag up these old matters and bring them up as if calling her to account.

Lengjiao felt deeply wronged.

It was not as though she alone had laughed; everyone in Goose Gate Town had laughed at you.

"Back in the Sword-Testing Tower, who was it that said, 'Do not despise a poor youth'!"

As Yun Que lowered his voice, he suddenly tightened his wrist and flung Lengjiao hard to the ground.

The impact left Lengjiao even more dazed. The candy in her hand flew out, and she crawled on the ground, wanting only to retrieve it and reach out for it.

But Yun Que's foot came down on the candy first.

"No..."

Lengjiao tried to stop him, but with a sudden forceful stomp and grind, the pretty candy was crushed to pieces.

She stared blankly at the shattered candy.

At last, the grievance in her heart could no longer be contained. Tears surged out like a bursting dam, and she let out a great wail of weeping.

She cried as if the sky and earth had collapsed.

She cried with unrestrained abandon.

Yun Que stood by her side without saying a word, only accompanying her in silence.

Grief is greatest when the heart is dead.

If Lengjiao was not awakened, she would be finished completely.

So Yun Que had used the most extreme method.

Break before mending.

The candy he had crushed represented the last shred of her attachment. Only by doing this could her fighting spirit truly be awakened.

A number of onlookers had gathered, pointing at Yun Que and whispering among themselves.

A grown man bullying a girl was deeply contemptible to the crowd, and several of them even rolled up their sleeves in outrage, ready to uphold justice.

"Bullying a woman in broad daylight? Do you think there are no men left in Great Yan?"

"That pretty-boy needs a good beating!"

"He looks like a Sword Palace disciple."

"So what if he's a Sword Palace disciple? That gives him the right to run wild and bully people? Have we no law left!"

"He looks kind of familiar. Isn't that the Frostwater Marquis?"

In an instant, the crowd scattered like birds and beasts at the mention of the Frostwater Marquis.

A Sword Palace disciple was nothing much, but the disaster star of Great Yan was not someone any of them wanted to offend. No one wished to be tainted by bad luck.

Luo Xiaoyu was thoroughly frightened by Yun Que's actions and shrank into a corner, stuffing all the candy in her hand into her mouth.

She learned a lesson.

What you hold in your hand is not necessarily yours.

Only what you swallow is truly yours.

A tool's insight was always this direct and simple.