Chapter 203 - 191: Star Singing Longsword

Chapter 203: Chapter 191: Star Singing Longsword

Neither the courtyard nor the detached wooden house inside had changed much at all. The furnishings were just as Meteor University had provided.

If one had to point out a single change, it would be the wooden training dummy that had been carved with Sword Intent.

This further confirmed Gu Qingwu’s suspicion: Li Heng was a man who cared only for the sword, with little interest in other matters.

At least from what she had gathered so far, he didn’t seem like someone who cared for material possessions.

"Please have a seat, Senior Sister Gu. This is just the stool the university provided. I don’t usually pay much attention to this sort of thing, so I hope you don’t mind."

Gu Qingwu didn’t sit down, however. Her gaze fell on the university-issued tea set on the table, and she asked Li Heng, "What do you usually drink? Tea, plain water, or alcohol?"

Li Heng didn’t understand the reason for her sudden question. But thinking back to last night’s events, he paused for a moment before giving a fairly open response.

"I’m fine with any of them. Tea and plain water are both good. As for alcohol, I can drink it now. After all, I was underage before my senior year of high school and wasn’t allowed to."

"I’d never had alcohol before coming to Meteor University," Gu Qingwu said. "Now, I’ll have a little now and then."

’Senior Sister!’

’You’re a real conversation killer!’

Hearing her words, Li Heng was momentarily at a loss for how to respond. After the brief complaint in his mind, he spoke up to ease the atmosphere and change the subject.

"Right! With alcohol, it all depends on the person and the occasion. Anyway, Senior Sister Gu, were you wanting to ask about..."

Hearing Li Heng tactfully try to steer the conversation toward its purpose, Gu Qingwu didn’t seem to mind. After a brief pause, she produced a rusty sword and gently placed it on the table.

Li Heng had been curious about what Gu Qingwu wanted to talk to him about. ’What’s the meaning of this, suddenly pulling out a rusty sword?’

Though a little confused, his curiosity got the better of him, and he looked at the rusty sword.

Name: Xingyin (Damaged)

Type: Soul Energy Equipment

Value: Common (Originally High Epic)

Effects:

1. Slightly enhances the wielder’s strength.

2. The item is extremely unstable and fragile.

3. The item can be reforged under specific conditions.

4. The personal sword of the former Young City Lord of Li Liang City. Its whereabouts later became unknown for various reasons.

——

’Xingyin?’

’The personal sword of the Young City Lord of Li Liang City?!’

’How does Gu Qingwu have something like this?’

Li Heng had only intended to give the rusty sword a cursory glance, but the information that one look revealed left him stunned.

This Xingyin Sword’s original quality was likely High Epic, but now it was merely Common. The reason was easy enough to understand—a lot of time had passed.

But Li Heng didn’t understand why Gu Qingwu would have this sword.

"You look a little confused, Li Heng. Do you have some thoughts on this sword?"

Gu Qingwu had been watching all of Li Heng’s reactions closely. She had naturally seen the flicker of confusion on his face and so asked him directly.

"Oh! I was just a little curious why you’d be carrying a rusty sword around, Senior Sister Gu. This sword is..." Li Heng feigned ignorance and trailed off, prompting her.

"This sword... I’ve shown it to many people, including some masters of the Sword Way. Every single one of them told me it’s useless now. They said it would shatter with the slightest use—that it couldn’t even withstand the Alliance’s most basic Swordsmanship..."

Gu Qingwu didn’t answer his unspoken question directly. Instead, she continued with her own explanation. Li Heng didn’t interrupt, listening patiently for what she would say next.

"What do you think of this sword, Li Heng?" Gu Qingwu asked again after her explanation.

"It looks quite old," Li Heng replied quickly, sticking to the obvious. "It must have been a fine sword in its day!"

"This sword... its name is Xingyin. I brought it out of an Illusion Stele."

"Xingyin? That’s a poetic name!" Li Heng continued to play along, waiting for her to get to the real point.

"I doubt I’ll ever be able to meet this sword’s original owner again," Gu Qingwu said. "However, you have certain characteristics that are... similar to the original owner of the Xingyin Sword. So there are a few things I’d like to ask you. I hope you don’t mind. I don’t mean anything by it!"

——

’Huh?’

Hearing her say this, Li Heng suddenly fell silent. It was at this moment that he began to understand why Gu Qingwu had taken such an "interest" in him.

’This damaged Xingyin Sword... Gu Qingwu must have encountered the Young City Lord of Li Liang City when she entered the Smoke Illusion Mountain Stone Boundary Stele.’

’Then, within that illusion, something must have happened between her and the Young City Lord—something she can’t forget—and in the end, she managed to bring the Star Singing Longsword out with her.’

’Since she can’t experience that illusion a second time, she has no way of seeing the Young City Lord again. And because I have some traits similar to him, she came looking for me?!’

Based on the information he had, Li Heng made a rough guess. This Senior Sister Gu was likely reminded of the person whenever she saw the object, and had some sort of love-hate entanglement with the Young City Lord inside that illusion.

’Since she can’t see the Young City Lord, I’ve become his "substitute"!’

Li Heng didn’t really care about being a substitute. After all, he had no romantic interest in Gu Qingwu. She didn’t have a figure as good as Bao Yaoyao’s or a voice as pleasant as Bai Shasha’s; she was just a somewhat "mysterious" senior sister.

Besides, Li Heng could understand her to some extent. After all, his own experiences from the Ancient Dust Continent Dungeon flashed through his mind from time to time—especially Hongyu and Mo Ya, who appeared most frequently.

So, he felt a bit of empathy for Gu Qingwu. At the same time, he was also curious. What traits did he have that were so similar to the Young City Lord of Li Liang City?

"You’re being too polite, Senior Sister Gu! If you have something to ask, just ask. You’ve helped me out before, so this is a chance for me to return the favor."

Now that he had a rough idea of the situation, Li Heng didn’t think it was a big deal. He felt no pressure at all and was quite at ease.

Hearing his tone and seeing his attitude, Gu Qingwu didn’t respond immediately. She just stared into his eyes for a short while before speaking.

"Li Heng, aside from longswords, what else do you like? For example, what are your hobbies?"

Li Heng replied, "Too many to count! I like playing video games, reading novels, things like that. To put it simply, I just like to have fun."

"Then what are your thoughts on romantic relationships?" Gu Qingwu pressed.

"Well... I haven’t really thought about getting a girlfriend yet."

Gu Qingwu asked, "Why?"

’Well, obviously!’

’If I got a girlfriend, could I still run Dungeons in peace? And there’s always the chance my Golden Finger would be exposed.’

’So, a girlfriend was out of the question for now. However, he had previously considered the idea of occasionally meeting up... you know, a man and a woman helping each other out without getting involved in each other’s lives.’

Despite his internal monologue, Li Heng replied aloud.

"I guess there are two reasons. First, my power is still too low. I wouldn’t dare get involved in a relationship before reaching the Grandmaster realm. The other reason is... I’m only eighteen. I’d rather wait until I’m a little older."