Chapter 164 - 111: The Sword Nurtured for 30 Years, It’s Time to See Blood

In the courtyard, only Ouyang Chuan and Ouyang Yin were present.

The atmosphere was tense.

Ouyang Chuan was silent for a moment before he finally couldn’t help but ask, "Clan Elder, why didn’t you use your sword? No matter how strong Zhang Su is, he absolutely could not have withstood a single one of your strikes..."

He knew the Clan Elder’s strength very well.

When Ouyang Yin was young, he had made a name for himself with his swordsmanship.

He had slaughtered his way through a band of horse thieves with just his sword.

He had traveled south to challenge all manner of experts, relying on that same sword.

The sword was Ouyang Yin’s true foundation.

Although the Clan Elder’s three punches were also powerful,

compared to Ouyang Yin’s swordsmanship, those three punches were nothing worth mentioning.

If the Clan Elder had drawn his sword, how could Zhang Su possibly have withstood three moves?

Ouyang Chuan couldn’t understand.

All he had to do was draw his sword, and Zhang Su’s death would have been certain.

’Why didn’t he use it?’

Ouyang Yin remained silent for a moment, then slowly turned around.

His gaze fell upon Ouyang Chuan’s face, carrying a hint of coldness.

"Zhang Su can die, but he absolutely must not die in Hidden Sword Manor! Do you understand?"

Ouyang Chuan was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

"Clan Elder, are you referring to the Guiyuan Sect Elder behind Zhang Su?"

"Correct."

Ouyang Yin nodded slightly.

"Zhang Su is not some rogue wanderer in the Jianghu. He has a Sect and a master. If he dies in Hidden Sword Manor, it will bring a calamitous disaster upon us."

A chill ran through Ouyang Chuan’s heart.

He thought of the Guiyuan Sect.

The Guiyuan Sect was a Major Sect on par with Medicine Valley.

If Zhang Su died in Hidden Sword Manor, how could the Guiyuan Sect possibly let the matter rest?

Ouyang Chuan understood the Clan Elder’s concerns.

But he was still unwilling to accept it.

"But Zhang Su killed Ouyang Pu..."

"I know."

Ouyang Yin’s voice was still calm.

"Therefore, he will not return to the Guiyuan Sect alive."

Ouyang Chuan’s heart trembled. He raised his head to look at the Clan Elder.

Ouyang Yin’s face was expressionless, but a flash of icy killing intent glinted in his murky, old eyes.

Ouyang Chuan understood.

He even understood the implication behind Ouyang Yin’s words.

"Clan Elder, do you mean that Zhang Su can die elsewhere? For instance, on the road back to the Guiyuan Sect?"

Ouyang Yin said nothing.

His lack of denial was a tacit agreement.

Ouyang Chuan’s heart suddenly began to race.

’The Clan Elder is going to make a move on Zhang Su.’

’Not in Hidden Sword Manor, but on the road.’

If Zhang Su left Hidden Sword Manor and died on the road, no one could blame Hidden Sword Manor.

Even if the Guiyuan Sect investigated, they wouldn’t be able to trace it back to Hidden Sword Manor.

At most, there would be private speculation, but they couldn’t possibly raise arms against Hidden Sword Manor.

After all, Hidden Sword Manor was a power under the banner of Medicine Valley.

Thinking of this, Ouyang Chuan felt a sense of immense satisfaction.

’Ouyang Pu’s death can be avenged!’

’And we won’t have to worry about the Sword Nurturing Skill being leaked.’

Ouyang Yin said no more.

He turned and walked into the house.

The room was dimly lit, with only a faint glimmer of light filtering through a small window.

Ouyang Yin walked to a corner of the room and took a sword down from the wall.

This was the sword he had used in his youth.

The scabbard was black and unadorned, save for a coil of dark red silk thread wrapped around the hilt.

The thread had been worn smooth and shiny, a mark left by years of gripping the sword.

He hadn’t touched this sword in thirty years.

Thirty years ago, he had relied on it to dominate the Jianghu.

But for these thirty years, the sword had been shelved, and he had never drawn it again.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to draw it, but that he couldn’t.

Those who cultivate the Sword Nurturing Skill cannot draw their swords.

Ouyang Yin had once said that the sword is an external object, while the person is the foundation.

That wasn’t wrong.

But the real reason he didn’t draw his sword was the Sword Nurturing Skill.

He had been nurturing his sword for thirty years.

Thirty years.

He hadn’t drawn it even once.

Even when teaching Ouyang Pu, he only gave verbal instructions and never demonstrated in person.

He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to resist drawing it.

After thirty years of accumulated Sword Nurturing, his spirit had been refined to a state of extreme purity.

Ouyang Pu had nurtured his sword for three years, and his Spiritual Power was already considerable.

Ouyang Yin had nurtured his sword for thirty years; it was impossible to imagine how strong his Spiritual Power had become.

Once he drew his sword, not even he knew how powerful that single strike would be.

But the moment he drew it, thirty years of Sword Nurturing would be all for naught.

All the refined Spiritual Power would be unleashed in that single strike.

Then, everything would return to zero.

Ouyang Yin had originally thought he might never draw his sword again in this lifetime.

He would live out his days peacefully in Hidden Sword Manor, watching Ouyang Pu grow up and take his place.

’That would have been enough.’

But now, Ouyang Pu was dead.

His thirty years of hard work had all been invested in Ouyang Pu.

With Ouyang Pu dead, how could he not feel hatred?

Ouyang Yin gently caressed the scabbard.

After thirty years, dust had settled on the scabbard. He lightly blew it away.

The scabbard was just as it had been thirty years ago, completely unchanged.

"Old friend, you haven’t moved in thirty years. I wonder if you’re still sharp?"

Ouyang Yin murmured in a low voice.

He gently gripped the hilt.

The thread on the hilt was worn shiny, but it still felt the same in his hand.

Thirty years, and nothing had changed.

"Clan Elder, you’re going... to kill someone?"

Ouyang Chuan couldn’t help but ask.

Ouyang Yin held the sword horizontally before him. It was not yet unsheathed, but the sharp edge that had been dormant for thirty years was already faintly palpable.

"A sword that’s been nurtured for thirty years ought to taste blood!"

Ouyang Yin’s voice was calm.

"Although this trip should be foolproof, one must always prepare for the unexpected."

He paused, then raised his head to look at Ouyang Chuan.

His gaze was sharp in his murky old eyes.

"If, by any chance, I don’t return, you are not to investigate, and certainly not to seek revenge. Just assume I am dead. Do you understand?"

Ouyang Chuan’s heart shuddered.

’The Clan Elder is giving his last words!’

"Clan Elder, you will certainly return safely..."

Ouyang Yin waved his hand dismissively.

"That’s not what I want to hear."

Ouyang Chuan gritted his teeth and said in a heavy voice, "I... I understand. If you do not return, Hidden Sword Manor will absolutely not investigate, nor will we seek revenge. We will act as though you died of old age within the manor..."

His voice trembled slightly.

Ouyang Yin nodded.

"As long as you understand."

He stood up and tucked the sword into his belt.

"I’m leaving now."

With that, Ouyang Yin took his sword, turned, and left.

Although Ouyang Yin was old and frail, at this moment, where was there any sign of frailty?

His back was ramrod straight, and his steps were steady and powerful.

With a few leaps and bounds, Ouyang Yin’s figure vanished.

Ouyang Chuan stood in the courtyard, watching the Clan Elder’s gradually disappearing back, an empty feeling growing in his heart.

The Clan Elder was a dignified Danjin Martial Artist, and one who had nurtured his sword for thirty years at that. Killing a mere Huajin Martial Artist should be a sure thing; there shouldn’t be any problems.

’But what if something really does go wrong...?’

Ouyang Chuan didn’t dare to think about it.

If the Clan Elder didn’t return, the sky would truly fall for Hidden Sword Manor...