I Have A Sword-Chapter 1255: A Trick

In a dimly lit room, Ye Guan sat across from Fan Shan's grandfather. The closed windows made the room feel slightly stuffy.

Fan Shan's grandfather stared at Ye Guan without speaking.

Ye Guan broke the silence. "Senior, you saved my life. I harbor no ill will toward you, nor do I intend to bring trouble to your family."

The old man picked up his pipe. Then, he packed it with loose tobacco, lit it, and took a deep puff. After exhaling a cloud of smoke, he said, "You're no ordinary person."

Ye Guan nodded.

The old man added, "Someone severed your arms. Clearly, you have enemies, and powerful ones at that. Am I right?"

Ye Guan nodded again.

The old man seemed satisfied with Ye Guan's honesty, and his expression softened slightly. "Young man, Little Shan is a kind and simple girl. Her thoughts are straightforward, unlike yours, which are much more complicated. I'm not wrong, am I?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Senior, are you asking me to leave this place and stay away from Little Shan?"

The old man nodded without hesitation. "That's right."

"I completely understand your concerns, Senior. But are you truly willing to let Little Shan spend her entire life here as a criminal?"

"Do you realize how dangerous your thinking is?"

Ye Guan looked puzzled.

The old man shook his head. "Young man, I can't tell if you're fearless because of ignorance or if you've been spoiled by recklessness in your past.

"Either way, you speak and act without careful consideration. If you don't want Little Shan to remain a criminal, it means opposing the entire Heavenly Tomb Empire. Do you have any idea of the level of power the Heavenly Tomb Empire possesses? Clearly, you don't. And if you don't understand it, how can you so recklessly make such bold statements?

"We bear the status of criminals. In the Heavenly Tomb Empire, there is no lower status than that. To erase our criminal status, the empire would have to amend its laws because our identity as criminals is recorded in its celestial laws.

"Do you truly believe you can compel the Heavenly Tomb Empire to erase our status as criminals? Do you have any idea how deep the waters of that empire run?

"Young man, when you act, you must consider the consequences. You can't simply speak or act on impulse. We are ordinary people, not heirs of those with power.

"There's no one backing us to shield us from our mistakes. Often, one misstep can lead to irreversible consequences. Do you understand?"

Ye Guan nodded. "I've learned my lesson."

Those words came from his heart.

In the past, he often acted without much thought because of his father and aunt. Consequences? He had never really cared about them. Because he always had his family to clean up his mess.

But now? He had to be extremely careful about the ramifications of his actions.

The old man studied him and said, "Still, I'm pleased. Your words show that you're not an ingrate, and you repay kindness.

"But remember, you should only do things within your means. Don't let your attempts to repay kindness bring trouble to others. Even worse, don't let it drag both them and yourself into dire straits."

"I understand," Ye Guan said seriously.

The old man added, "That young man who spoke to you earlier likely holds a high rank in the Heavenly Tomb Empire. Be cautious around him."

Ye Guan nodded. "Thank you for the advice, Senior."

The old man looked at the door and exclaimed. "What are you doing standing there?! Come in!"

There was no response.

The old man frowned and grimaced. "I can see your feet."

The door opened.

Fan Shan walked in with a cheeky grin. "Grandfather."

The old man sighed softly. The girl was truly incorrigible.

Ye Guan looked at her and smiled as well. She was innocent, bubbly, and kind-hearted, making her naturally likable. But

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However, the old man's words had reminded him of his current predicament. He was struggling to protect himself, so he couldn't make any promises lightly.

Some debts of gratitude were best remembered and repaid only when he could do so.

"Come on, come on, it's time to eat!" Fan Shan exclaimed, giggling. She tugged on the old man's arm and led him outside, winking playfully at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan chuckled and followed them.

***

The small town had an official residence, and it was the only one of its kind here. No one knew when it was built, but it had always been there, though it was quite shabby.

When Tian Chen returned to that so-called official residence, he immediately began studying the broken sword and the damaged pagoda. Despite trying many methods, he couldn't awaken their dormant spirits.

The middle-aged man suggested, "Have you tried channelling spiritual energy into them?"

Spiritual energy! Tian Chen's eyes lit up. He quickly opened his palm, and a stream of spiritual energy rushed into the broken sword and the damaged pagoda.

The sword and pagoda trembled faintly.

Tian Chen was overjoyed. "They really do need spiritual energy!"

Excited, he poured in more spiritual energy.

However, half an hour passed, and the broken sword and damaged pagoda showed no further reaction. The spiritual energy he poured into them had disappeared like a rock thrown into the ocean, disappearing without a trace.

Tian Chen frowned. However, he didn't give up and poured more spiritual energy into them.

An hour later, his face was dark. Seventy percent of his spiritual energy had been consumed, but the sword and pagoda still showed no response.

Tian Chen grew puzzled. "What's going on here?"

He stopped pouring spiritual energy into them and contemplated the situation. It was worth noting that with his level of power, the amount of spiritual energy within him was akin to an ocean.

Despite throwing nearly seventy percent of his spiritual energy reserves, the sword and pagoda were still unresponsive.

The middle-aged man said, "Congratulations, Ninth Highness."

Tian Chen was slightly taken aback. "You're saying that I've stumbled upon precious treasures?"

The middle-aged man nodded. He stepped closer to the sword and pagoda, studied them for a moment, and then earnestly said, "These two artifacts are no ordinary items. If Your Highness can awaken their spirits and have them recognize you as their master, you will hit the jackpot."

"Yes, I know." Tian Chen chuckled. "Ordinary artifacts can never absorb this much spiritual energy, yet these two have consumed so much of mine without a trace. Clearly, they're exceptional. No wonder that young man said that they have spirits and choose their own masters. It seems he's confident they'll return to him someday."

The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed slightly, and he coldly asked, "Your Highness, should we...?"

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

Tian Chen sighed helplessly and said, "Ah Weng, how could you have such thoughts? That young man and I have made a fair trade. Moreover, when he handed over these two artifacts, he clearly stated that they have spirits and will choose their own master.

"If they won't choose me, it won't be his fault. And I'm a gentleman who accepts the consequences of a gamble. If we resort to underhanded tactics against him, what would that make us? Won't we be worse than scoundrels?"

The middle-aged man immediately bowed deeply. "It was my mistake to suggest something so silly."

Tian Chen spoke earnestly, "Ah Weng, remember this—when dealing with villains, we can use villainous means. When dealing with good people, however, we must act with integrity.

"Don't be so quick to harbor thoughts of killing. If one day we provoke someone we shouldn't, it won't just harm ourselves. It could bring disaster to our entire clan. Understand?"

Ah Weng quickly bowed again. "Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

Tian Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at the broken sword and damaged pagoda in front of him.

"That young man is very confident, but so am I. I'm a descendant of the Tian Clan, carrying not only the Tian bloodline but the ancestral dragon energy of our lineage.

"I refuse to believe that these two artifacts won't choose me as their master. I'll make sure that young man regrets it completely! Hahaha..."

With that, he resumed pouring his spiritual energy into the two artifacts.

He exhausted all of his spiritual energy, but the two artifacts remained completely unresponsive.

Both Tian Chen and Ah Weng were left stunned, staring in disbelief at the sword and pagoda. Tian Chen exclaimed, "How can these two artifacts consume so much spiritual energy? They've actually exhausted me!"

Ah Weng's expression became serious as he said, "These two artifacts might be far more powerful than we initially thought."

Tian Chen nodded. After carefully examining them, he turned to Ah Weng and said, "Your turn."

Ah Weng hesitated for a moment before he said, "Your Highness, there's a seal in this place that restricts us from using our cultivation freely. While there's no danger here in this small town, we are scheduled to inspect the Desolate Border Wall tomorrow, so if I also exhaust my spiritual energy..."

Tian Chen thought for a moment and said, "It shouldn't be an issue. The Desolate Border Wall has been quiet for years. I refuse to believe that we'll encounter any issues tomorrow. Come on now, pour your spiritual energy into these two artifacts. I want to see how powerful they truly are."

Ah Weng had no choice but to comply, and he poured his spiritual energy into the two artifacts.

The pagoda trembled slightly.

Tian Chen saw that and grew excited. "Quick, quick! The pagoda reacted! This must be a truly valuable treasure!"

Ah Weng continued pouring energy into the artifacts. About half an hour later, Ah Weng's face turned pale. He had used up half of his spiritual energy, yet the pagoda had gone quiet again.

"Your Highness, something feels off," he remarked, sounding puzzled.

"The pagoda and sword are like bottomless pits. My spiritual energy flows into them, but I can't sense any feedback... And this pagoda, it trembles now and then, but I feel like it's deliberately tricking us into continuing to feed it energy."

Tian Chen frowned slightly and shook his head. "That seems unlikely. This pagoda is definitely not an ordinary artifact. Higher-level artifacts are usually extremely proud and won't behave in such a sleazy manner."

Ah Weng hesitated. "Then should I keep pouring my spiritual energy into it?"

Tian Chen was about to respond when the pagoda trembled slightly again. He became excited and exclaimed, "It's responding! It probably just needs a little more energy. Come on, keep pouring!"