γPS: A setting modification, the height of Qingpin Jian is changed to 1.4 metersγ
"She's called Qingpin Jian! What's so strange about that?" Gu Han, who had just recovered from his petrified state, gently stroked Qingpin Jian's black, smooth head with a warm smile. He was also very surprised, never expecting to find Qingpin Jian, a sword maiden of the ancient sword level in the game, in the Burial Sword Ground. Even more unbelievable was that Qingpin Jian, who could not be transformed into a sword maiden in the game, had actually successfully transformed into a sword maiden form in reality. Gu Han thought that in reality, it would be sealed and firmly locked just like in the game.
Liu Lei and Liu Nianlin exchanged glances and then each immersed themselves in their own tasks.
The old man Liu Lei entered his personal terminal's database to search for information on Qingpin Jian; while Liu Nianlin desperately tried to recall her memories, as she vaguely remembered hearing this name before!
The first to make a discovery was the Pavilion Master Liu Lei.
Liu Lei flipped through all the sword maiden data stored in the Sword Pavilion network but found not a single word about Qingpin Jian. However, when he checked the circulation data of the entire Burial Sword Ground, he made an unexpected discovery.
In the records from 2120, he found information about Qingpin Jian. That year was the sixtieth anniversary of Yuzhang City's establishment, and also the first year the Burial Sword Ground was officially set up. Qingpin Jian was among the first batch of broken sword maidens sent to the Burial Sword Ground, making her the oldest sword maiden in the Burial Sword Ground.
Yuzhang City was a base city founded by another Imperial Sword-level strongman from the era after the Sword Ancestor. When Yuzhang City was sixty years old, the Imperial Sword-level strongman was already very old and passed away a few years later. The Burial Sword Ground was the last mysterious area he left for Yuzhang City.
So, the question is, why did the Imperial Sword-level strongman who founded Yuzhang City specifically place a nameless, unremarkable Qingpin Jian in the Burial Sword Ground? According to the records, the 108 broken swords placed in the Burial Sword Ground alongside Qingpin Jian all had names, histories, and lineage records. Only Qingpin Jian stood out as unique.
Moreover, this young man, Gu Han, could actually call out Qingpin Jian's name! This was abnormal. Even with a wealth of information, he only found the name in the circulation data of the Burial Sword Ground, which had not been leaked. How did Gu Han know?
The best way would be to ask Gu Han about Qingpin Jian's information directly. But I am a senior! The Pavilion Master of the Sword Pavilion! If others found out I was asking a young man for sword maiden information, would I, Liu Lei, still have any face left? Although this old face doesn't have many years left.
"Young man! Let me test you. Do you know the origin of this Qingpin Jian?" Liu Lei, who had lived nearly 100 years, quickly came up with a cunning idea! He put on a demeanor of testing a junior, who would guess that this old senior was completely clueless about the question he posed?
Gu Han was still young and fell for it, answering honestly, "Qingpin Jian, forging era unknown. Originally a half-sword maiden, she was the square dance sword of the Sword Ancestor Liu Nianli's grandmother. According to the details in the initial 'Yue Wang Gou Jian' dungeon of 'Sword Maiden OL,' this sword was passed to the Sword Ancestor, who hung it on the wall of his bedroom. After the Great Catastrophe, when Liu Nianli went to the museum to find his mother, he left this sword in the room, and it has had no news since."
"Hmm! Hmm! Not bad! Not bad!" Liu Lei nodded continuously, pretending to be well-informed, but his mind was rapidly processing the information he got from Gu Han.
"I never thought Qingpin Jian's information was preserved in the game. No wonder I couldn't find her in the Sword Pavilion's database! It makes sense, when BAT developed 'Sword Maiden OL,' they screened all the world's data. Some hidden information was found and edited into the dungeon background, which is not surprising!"
"I remember that the things from the 'Honest Man Supermarket' ruins were later retrieved by the Sword Ancestor. Qingpin Jian was probably found and returned to the Imperial Sword-level sword holder who founded Yuzhang City. Yes, Qingpin Jian was originally a half-sword maiden, and the Imperial Sword-level strongman placed her in the Burial Sword Ground, hoping she would evolve into a true sword maiden! It must be so, I, Liu Lei, am indeed vigorous in my old age... Spit, cunning and crafty... Spit, let's just say vigorous in my old age!"
Based on the bits of information from Gu Han, Liu Lei quickly concocted what he believed to be a flawless origin story for Qingpin Jian. Surprisingly, this purely imagined story was 70% close to the truth, but the crucial 30% was off by a mile.
Fortunately, Liu Lei never knew what that missing 30% meant until his death; otherwise, he would not have passed away so peacefully!
On the other side, Liu Nianlin was completely at a loss about how to react to this sword maiden, Qingpin Jian. She had thought for a long time and couldn't figure out which sword maiden it was, only to realize that this little girl was actually something passed down from her ancestors.
Through this explosive news in her head, Liu Nianlin finally remembered where she had heard the name Qingpin Jian. When she was about five years old, there was a sudden earthquake in the family's ancestral land. Uncle Gai Nie, holding her to safety, had said with a strange expression, "Is Qingpin Jian still alive?"
Liu Nianlin now recalled that she could see fear, hesitation, sorrow, worry, joy, guilt, and various other emotions on Uncle Gai Nie's face, all at the same time.
"It seems I need to report this to the family!" Liu Nianlin, recalling these memories, felt that the appearance of Qingpin Jian was not so simple. She must report this to the family.
βββ
"Right, Miss Nianlin, you haven't found Yixian Jian yet, have you!" At this moment, Liu Lei remembered the main task. He had been so captivated by Qingpin Jian that he hadn't noticed that Liu Nianlin's sword maiden was not with her.
"Found it!" Nianlin said coldly, raising Yixian Jian. "But it seems I made a wasted trip."
"Indeed, it didn't work out!" Liu Lei stroked his white beard. "This is not surprising. After what Yixian Jian has been through, it's natural that she doesn't want to synchronize with you. I would say your family's obsession is too deep. Why must you cling to Yixian Jian? Isn't it better to let her be free?"
"I want freedom too, who will give it to me?" Nianlin shot Liu Lei a glare. "Sorry, Grandmaster, I'm taking Yixian Jian back. If you have any objections, feel free to complain to the Council!"
"Take it! I'll pretend this sword never existed here!" Liu Lei waved his hand. He was an old man on the verge of death and didn't want to offend the Liu Nian family. Even if he reported it to the Council, they might not remember his good deeds. Why bother?
"This sword... is in pain." Suddenly, a voice like a cold winter wind rang out. It came from the little girl in Gu Han's arms, her expression serious and earnest. "She has something to say, but Qingpin can't hear it clearly."
"Can you hear Yixian Jian speaking?" Liu Lei squinted. "That's impossible. Yixian is currently in a deep sleep."
"She is really speaking. Don't believe me? Listen!" Qingpin Jian was still very serious.
"Ha ha! I'm old, my ears aren't good. I can't hear clearly." Liu Lei's old face wrinkled. "Lady Qingpin, how can you hear her more clearly?"
"Get closer! Let me touch her!" Qingpin Jian patted the arm that Gu Han was holding her with. Gu Han understood and carried her to Nianlin's side.
Qingpin Jian extended her small hand and barely touched Yixian Jian. She closed her eyes, her lips moved slightly, and the baby fat on her face rippled. "She is very angry! She has decided to come out!"
"What? What does 'come out' mean?" Nianlin was stunned. At that moment, she suddenly felt the sword essence in her body surge into Yixian Jian, and Yixian Jian began to emit a brilliant light!
Yixian Jian had actually synchronized with Nianlin!!! After holding it for forty minutes with no response, it suddenly started to synchronize!!!
"Senior Yunxiao! Is this normal...?" Seeing Nianlin enter the synchronization state, Gu Han swallowed hard. "A delay of a few dozen minutes, this kind of thing, should be normal, right...?"
"Old... Old... I..." Liu Lei stammered, unable to make sense of the events that had almost overturned his lifetime of experience and common sense.
In the end, Liu Lei could only point at Nianlin helplessly. "Young man, their family's affairs can't be judged by common sense. There are very few normal people in their family."
βββ
"I will kill you! You always cling to me! Cling to me! Ruin me! Ruin me! I will kill you!" The sword maiden Yixian, dressed in a red qipao, raised Yixian Jian and said these words to Nianlin's forehead.
In these words, Gu Han could hear endless resentment and sorrow.
By the way, this scene seemed familiar to Gu Han...