Grasping Evil

Five Types of Sword Techniques

Ning Fan stood at the empty courtyard. The Qixi Festival had ended and it was now the beginning of autumn. The floor in the courtyard was filled with fallen leaves but no one was there to clean it.

As dusk fell, Ning Fan looked at the sky and saw the bright red sun setting in the west. From that scene, he seemed to have gained a vague understanding of something but at the same time, he found it even more difficult to comprehend.

He remembered Old Devil’s advice to bask in the sun more frequently to prevent losing sight of himself in the journey of cultivation.

He thought of Zhihe’s young delicate appearance as she stood gracefully in the snow.

He recalled all the previous scenes of killings he encountered and he could vaguely see an unreachable giant which was ten thousand zhang* (3.33m per zhang) tall standing at the end of the sea of blood. A single step from that giant would be able to wipe out Seven Apricot City in its entirety!

He seemed to notice Emperor Moksha hideously grinning as his ears heard innumerable voices of mockeries which resounded from all directions.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Ning Fan's mind became more and more chaotic. This was the sign of losing oneself in cultivation! He had once gotten in the same situation before. What he lost control of was his lust which was then relieved with Zhihe’s help.

This time, what he lost control of was his desire to kill. It could not be solved without killing anyone. But if he kills someone, this desire would be rooted in him deeper and deeper and eventually, he would completely lose himself one day!

“The reason why Qiuling brought me to Gusu was to prevent me from being consumed by my killing intent… If I yield to that intent, wouldn’t I be letting her down?!”

“I, Ning Fan, do not kill because of my thirst for blood but because of the perseverance of my Dao! I am a devil cultivator but I am different from other devils!”

*Puff*

In the courtyard, a wild gust of wind rose, making the leaves on the ground to swirl.

Despite the overwhelming killing intent which appeared within his mind, he firmly decided on not killing anyone in Gusu City and neither would he succumb to his killing intent!

After a long while, darkness gradually filled the sky. Ning Fan opened his eyes and they flashed with clarity this time.

After forcefully suppressing his killing intent, his state of mind improved slightly once again.

At the same time, he heard a few knocks from the door outside the mansion.

Along with the knocking sound, he also heard a soft gentle voice.

“Is Young Master Zhou asleep? Little Stone from my house has taken your things, I have come to return it to you.”

*Door squeaks*

Ning Fan opened the door with a flick of his sleeve. A good-looking woman wearing a linen dress and a thorn hairpin was standing outside the door.

She looked like she was in her late twenties and wore a set of linen clothes with her black hair tied with a white cloth. Her appearance looked prim and proper but her expression was filled with sorrow, as if someone in her family had died.

She carried a basket of eggs in one hand while holding the fine sword which was wrapped in silk cloth in the other.

Seeing the door open itself while Ning Fan was still standing in the courtyard, the good-looking woman could not help but think of the rumors about this mansion being haunted and began to feel a little scared.

However, when she remembered that her child had taken someone else’s possession, the woman gathered her courage and stepped into the courtyard with her soft shoes.

“You are?” Ning Fan asked curiously.

“I’m Bai Su, Little Stone’s mother. I heard Little Stone saying that the Young Master lent this sword to him to study. But this sword is too precious. It is a rare divine weapon. Little Stone is still young. If this sword is lost, there is no way we can afford to compensate for the sword even if we sell off all of our family assets. Therefore, I purposely came here to return to you this sword.”

Bai Su tried hard to keep a calm face, but it was still difficult for her to conceal her fear.

Gusts of chilly wind kept blowing in the courtyard. Her gaze swept across the dark surroundings and found out that not a single lamp was lit. Moreover, the young man who was standing in front of her was overly young and handsome. 

Is Young Master Zhou who bought this haunted mansion a demon…? I think yes. Such a good sword can only be owned by the demons in the legends. How could a mortal swordsman have such a fine sword?

Bai Su’s husband died of illness six months ago. She still had not taken off her mourning dress and lived with Little Stone alone.

She knew that she was quite a beauty in this city. If Ning Fan was indeed a demon, it would be a grave mistake for her to enter this haunted mansion at this moment. If she falls into this demon’s hands, her purity would surely be at risk.

Ning Fan did not know that he was already being suspected of being a demon in Bai Su’s eyes.

He did not even know that this woman wearing a mourning dress was worried that he would deprive her of her purity.

“Oh, you’re Little Stone’s mother… You came to return the sword? That sword is of no use to me. I don’t mind giving it to Little Stone as a gift. You don’t need to return it to me…”

Ning Fan shook his head and said. But after hearing his words, she immediately said with a stern expression and she seemed to have forgotten her fear.

“Young Master Zhou, I disagree with you! I believe Young Master must be a swordsman for being able to own such an excellent sword. As a swordsman, how could you regard a sword as something insignificant let alone give it away to others without proper consideration?! Even though my husband died early and he wasn’t a swordsman, he was once the most famous blacksmith in Gusu City and he had seen countless popular swordsmen. He once said that as one decides to become a swordsman, one should be connected with their swords! One should have a strong connection with his sword where both of them become one. The sword lives and the wielder survives; the sword breaks and the wielder perishes!”

Bai Su’s words were like a burst of sweet rain showering on Ning Fan’s heart.

Originally, Ning Fan was unable to comprehend sword intent from the sword. He only felt that something was missing. At this moment, however, he seemed to have an epiphany of it after hearing Bai Su’s words!

“Yes! The reason why I couldn’t condense sword intent is because I’m lacking any affection to swords! A swordsman should be fond of swords!”

However, Ning Fan disagreed with Bai Su on the part about ‘the sword breaks and the wielder perishes’.

He only nodded his head and sincerely agreed with her point where she said ‘fond of swords’.

It can’t be wrong! What’s inside Little Stone is indeed an obsession and attachment to swords!

Only those who have great passion for swords can be adept at them!

Only those who are adept at swords can grasp its intent!

A hint of enlightenment hit Ning Fan and a trace of sharp and vigorous sword qi rose around Ning Fan’s body. This sword qi made Bai Su who had some knowledge in swordsmanship become filled with disbelief. Her jaw slightly dropped as she looked at the current Ning Fan.

“W-What an incredibly strong sword qi! I’ve been staying in Gusu for twenty-nine years but I’ve never seen such an amazing sword qi!”

Originally, Bai Su only thought Ning Fan as an inept swordsman who did not treasure swords.

At this moment, only then did Bai Su realize that Ning Fan was an expert who deeply concealed his capabilities.

“Sword, return!”

Ning Fan looked at the sword which was wrapped in silk cloth in Bai Su’s arms and called it. A tremendous telekinetic force surged and fetched the sword into his hand.

“Power of telekinesis! It’s clearly a technique that can only be performed by a swordsman with very strong Neigong!”

Bai Su’s eyes were brimming with shock. That feeling of shock, however, became a hint of shyness.

The strong telekinetic force had not only taken the sword away from her, but it also brushed past her chest. It made her feel as if a pair of invisible hands had violently squeezed her bosom.

It was clearly an accident that Ning Fan failed to notice. It was also impossible for Bai Su to reveal such a shameful thing.

Her beautiful eyes then stared at Ning Fan who was focused on his sword. She believed that a swordsman who was as skillful as him would definitely not commit such a lowly thing as touching her bosom.

“I suppose that was just an accident… This Young Master probably is a peerless swordsman! If my husband had not died, he would definitely have had no regrets in his life being able to witness Young Master Zhou’s excellent sword and meet such a swordsman in this world…”

“My husband’s lifelong wish was to let Little Stone become a peerless swordsman. If I let Little Stone learn some skills from him…”

The woman looked at Ning Fan and then shifted her gaze at herself and sighed gently.

The set of white clothes on Ning Fan’s body was sewed with a type of fabric that she had never seen before. Without a doubt, she thought that he must be a person from a wealthy and respectable background.

As for her, the condition of her family declined after her husband died. How would she have extra money to let her child become an apprentice to a good master like him…

In her eyes, Ning Fan was definitely the best master in terms of sword techniques in Gusu City!

Little Stone can’t afford to be an apprentice to a master like him…

A while later, Ning Fan withdrew all his aura force. He unwrapped the cloth and perused the sword which was gleaming with green light. This time, the look he had in his eyes was different.

Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel