Chapter Thirty-Nine: A Lone Sword Summons the Hidden Moon

Still, even so, the door remained tightly shut. It was as if Violet Lotus were in a deep sleep, utterly impossible to rouse no matter how hard I tried. I knocked harder on the door, waiting a long while, but there was still no response. Anxiety gnawed at me; perhaps Violet Lotus had taken advantage of my slumber to slip away alone to the mortal world, leaving me behind.

If that were truly the case, then—well, honestly, how could he do that? After all, I was a beloved, obedient disciple, admired by everyone. Why wouldn’t he want to spend a little more time with me?

“Open the door, please, open the door! Master, are you inside? If you’re in there, just answer me!”

Determined to silence the unease in my heart, I threw caution to the wind. My hand wasn’t strong enough to make a loud noise, so I decided to use my foot instead. I simply couldn’t believe that Violet Lotus would sleep more soundly than a pig.

Just as I raised my leg to kick, footsteps sounded behind me. I turned and saw Violet Lotus standing there with a slight frown, watching me.

“Master,” I greeted, standing upright and bowing respectfully.

Caught red-handed by him, I felt a bit anxious, worried I might have displeased him and would be scolded. I put on a pitiful face and said, “Master, Little Fish thought you’d already sneaked down the mountain alone and abandoned me.”

“Sneaked down the mountain?”

He seemed to frown even more at that and walked past me, pushing open the door and entering. “Come in as well.”

“Yes, Master.”

Feeling guilty, I behaved exceptionally well and followed him inside as he instructed. Though this wasn’t my first visit to Violet Lotus’s Azure Cloud Pavilion, I couldn’t help but feel excited, just as I had the first time. I looked around his chamber with great care.

The large water jar adorned with purple lotus flowers was truly unsightly, in my opinion unworthy of someone as distinguished as Violet Lotus. I resolved to find an opportunity to sneak back to the Demon Realm and bring him one of the exquisite crystal water jars from my Fish Joy Palace.

I tilted my head to gaze at the second floor, always curious about what lay above in Violet Lotus’s pavilion. Yet, I’d never had the chance to sneak up there and investigate.

As I was absorbed in my scrutiny, Violet Lotus’s voice suddenly called out, “Little Fish, come over here.”

“Yes,” I replied, though my eyes lingered on the tightly closed upstairs door, reluctant to look away.

“Little Fish, come here.”

This time his words were two syllables shorter, and I suspected he was growing impatient.

“All right, Master.” I dashed over to him and saw that he was holding a long sword. The blade was exquisitely clear, made of jade—was it merely decorative?

Unable to contain my curiosity, I said, “Master, this sword looks so strange.”

He nodded. “This sword is called Moonshade. Its blade is forged from Celestial Jade, its hilt crafted from the rare Balance Wood atop Mount Dai. It feels light in the hand and poses little danger to its wielder.”

Celestial Jade and Balance Wood from Mount Dai—those names sounded impressive and formidable.

“What about its effect on others, Master? Does this sword have any power against others?” I asked excitedly.

“It doesn’t do much harm to others either,” he replied.

Hearing that, my enthusiasm faded, and I slumped in disappointment.