Chapter 33: Kill You, and the Item Will Still Be Mine

"Do you think I am so destitute that I cannot afford a piece of jade?"

Looking at the miserable state of Xu Ruyan before him, an average person might naturally feel a flicker of pity. But Yang Le’s eyes remained full of wariness, and the sword in his hand never once wavered. As for the sword-shaped jade pendant in Xu Ruyan’s pale, trembling hand, Yang Le merely glanced at it, dismissing it immediately. It was just a piece of jade; even if it did not look like an ordinary object, he was not about to save Xu Ruyan—and invite a massive amount of trouble upon himself—for the sake of a trinket. Such a trade was one Yang Le would never make.

"This jade pendant is not something you can buy with money! Do you know why there are no sword cultivators in the Great Qian? It is because there are no Sword-Guiding Stones, no cultivation techniques, and no true swords imbued with sword intent!"

Seeing Yang Le’s utter lack of appreciation—even comparing the Sword Venerable Token, left behind a century ago by the Spirit Sword Venerable to grant access to a legacy site, to the base currency of the mortal world—Xu Ruyan grew frantic. She truly had not expected such words from him. As a sword cultivator, could he not feel the brilliant, piercing sword intent radiating from the token? Even if he were unmoved by the treasure, she was, if not a beauty who could topple kingdoms, at least a woman of striking appearance. Yet, the man before her remained completely indifferent. For the first time, Xu Ruyan doubted whether this youth was even a man at all.

Coupled with that cold, murderous gaze, Xu Ruyan began to wonder if the result provided by her precious Heart-Mirroring Stone had been a mistake. When she first met Yang Le, the Heart-Mirroring Stone had clearly indicated that the youth was a pure-blooded human with not a shred of demon blood in his veins. In an era where the demon race had ruled the Great Qian for a century, the existence of such a pure-blooded human was simply inconceivable. Even Xu Ruyan herself possessed a trace of Heaven-Swallowing Spider blood inherited from her ancestors. Seeing Yang Le’s absolute purity, combined with the stone’s display of his sincere and unclouded heart, she had sought him out after being heavily wounded, despite his failure to show up at the Linghua Pavilion as previously arranged. She trusted the Heart-Mirroring Stone. After all, her experiences had taught her that while the words of humans could not be trusted, the stone never lied.

But now, facing his undisguised murderous intent, Xu Ruyan began to panic. Could the Heart-Mirroring Stone be broken?

However, as a violent cough racked her body and she spat out a mouthful of blood, she lacked the strength to ponder why Yang Le was acting with such cold detachment. She knew that if no one saved her, she would die.

"By using blood as a catalyst, this item can unlock the legacy left behind a century ago by the innate-stage expert, the Spirit Sword Venerable. After passing the trials, besides the techniques and the sword intent, there is a profound iron sword that is rumored to be capable of shattering the heavens and achieving immortality."

Having explained the purpose of the Sword Venerable Token, Xu Ruyan looked at Yang Le again, her voice tinged with a hint of pleading: "Trade this for my life, and you will certainly not be at a disadvantage."

As she finished speaking, her internal injuries worsened significantly.

"I am somewhat tempted. This thing is indeed useful to me."

Yang Le watched the dying woman, his expression remaining calm. Even after hearing the function of the token, his attitude had not changed in the slightest. The object was good, and if what Xu Ruyan said was true, he was indeed interested. However, his interest was not in the so-called treasures of the legacy. He already possessed sword intent and sword momentum; the things provided by his system were far superior to anything some random master could leave behind. His technique, the Azure Cloud Sword Manual, was sufficient; having a better one would be nice, but its absence would not hinder him. As for the sword with the power to shatter the heavens—with his own Sword Spirit Bone, the blade in his hand was the only true sword he needed. Such a weapon was not enough to tempt him into courting trouble.

His only real motivation was simple: he wanted to see the legacy site. He wanted to see what the sword path of the Great Qian was like a century ago, and perhaps discover why it had vanished since. That was the root of his interest.

"Save me, and this is yours."

Seeing the subtle change in Yang Le’s icy expression, Xu Ruyan felt a glimmer of hope: "I have not lied about a single word I said. If I am lying, may my martial path end here." To increase her credibility, she even swore an oath upon her own martial path.

"But," Yang Le said, smiling at her, "if I kill you, this thing will be mine anyway. And killing you won't bring me any trouble."

"You..."

"Heart-Mirroring Stone, you have doomed me."

Xu Ruyan fell silent. Upon reflection, she realized that Yang Le’s words made perfect sense.

"So, you see, the result is the same for me. Give me a reason not to kill you."

Having stood for a while, Yang Le sat down at his leisure, while Li Qier, who had been quiet for some time, leaned against him—a fawning lackey basking in the reflected glory of his master.

"I am human, a pure-blooded human, and so are you. I warned you earlier; surely that is worth a life?" After racking her brains, Xu Ruyan felt desperate, coming up with a reason she herself found laughable. "The humans in the Great Qian are weak; we should help each other."

She knew how pathetic her argument sounded. But she had nothing else of value besides the Sword Venerable Token and the Heart-Mirroring Stone. The disaster at the Linghua Pavilion had been sudden. She had been presiding over a poetry gathering, using the Heart-Mirroring Stone to screen suitable human martial cultivators for the pavilion, when the Magnetic Prefecture troops suddenly surrounded the entire building. They claimed that members of the Linghua Pavilion had infiltrated the city to assassinate the Prefect, Zhang Jun. They attacked immediately, with many fifth-rank martial cultivators participating. Seeing the situation was hopeless, Xu Ruyan had fled in a panic, unable to bring anything else with her.

Helpless, she could only try to appeal to Yang Le’s identity as a human. Though she understood that he was not the type of person to be swayed by a few empty words, and that the "great cause of humanity" was likely meaningless to him.

"Humans? I don't care about what race anyone is," Yang Le replied, smiling brightly. "Whether human or demon, I don't care. I only distinguish between those who treat me well and those who harm me."

"So, I am going to die?"

Xu Ruyan was a smart woman; hearing his response, she suddenly realized that she was, in all likelihood, going to die.