abnabooks Chapter 2: Pulling the Broken Sword, Sowing More Seeds
Chapter 2: Pulling the Broken Sword, Sowing More Seeds
The sharp, piercing sound, like a sword blade scraping against a brick wall, was crystal clear in a world where only the silent, swirling snowflakes fell.
It cracked again?
How many cracks were there this time?!
Bu Che's face was extremely ugly. He gritted his teeth and hurriedly turned around and ran towards the Ghost Shrine.
As far as the eye could see, wisps of smoke curled up, and the three incense sticks that had just been lit in the incense burner... went out!
Ominous!
This is a very bad omen!
The dough trembled, and the gaze shifted, landing on the shrine of ghosts and spirits.
But then, on the forehead of the porcelain statue of the ghost god in the shrine, three new cracks had appeared, slowly spreading...
You brittle devil, how could you be so brittle that you get three cracks in one go?!
Bu Che let out a miserable scream in his heart!
With the addition of three more cracks, the porcelain statue of the ghost and deity will have seventy-two cracks, reaching its maximum capacity to receive the thoughts of ghosts and deities...
In other words, this porcelain statue of a ghost or deity is ruined!
There's no way to ensure safety anymore!
Bu Che disregarded any reverence for ghosts and gods, reaching out with both hands and instinctively trying to press down on the porcelain statue of the ghost and god, attempting to push the crack back into place, to see if the crack could be healed, and then make do with it for a while.
This is almost an instinct that people have when they see a crack.
However, just as Bu Che touched the porcelain statue of the ghost god...
An invisible current seemed to burst forth from the porcelain statue of the ghost and god, rapidly spreading throughout his body.
at the same time.
A powerful sword cry, breaking free from constraints, resounded in my mind!
Bu Che squeezed his head into the shrine of ghosts and gods, covering the porcelain statue of the ghosts and gods, and seemed to be in a daze.
His mind was buzzing from the sword's cry, as if it were being turned into mush.
Once the sword's chanting subsided.
In the hazy and obscure consciousness, it was as if a blazing sun had risen on the horizon, its radiance piercing through the fog and restoring clarity.
The small porcelain sword, covered with countless fine cracks, that had been floating in his mind seemed to tremble slightly, and two or three strands of sword energy trembled out from the dense cracks.
The two characters, "拔缺" (bá quē), are intertwined.
Sword name: Baque!
Then, the sword energy dissipated and transformed into words.
[Sword Master: Bu Che]
【Sword Qi of the Broken Blade: None】
[The Path to Life: None]
[The chart showing the extent of the deficiency is quite impressive.]
[Soul Fragment: Ninth-Rank Earth Deity (10%)]
[A fragment of divine soul has been collected. It can be used to refine the missing sword energy and eliminate the sword master's own flaws. Refine it?]
……
Bu Che's heart stirred slightly, and he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of surprise!
In this world where one feels like they are walking on thin ice, the words formed by the intertwining of light before his eyes gave him a sense of security.
But Bu Che quickly calmed down and began to study it seriously, after all, it concerned his own life and was the capital for him to make a living in this world.
"Fragments of the divine soul? What is their origin?"
"Could it be that I touched the porcelain statue of a ghost or deity?"
"Because this porcelain statue of a ghost or deity is riddled with cracks, reaching the limit of its ability to absorb the thoughts of ghosts and deities... or is it that I can touch any porcelain statue of a ghost or deity?"
As Bu Che's vision cleared, his mind began to race, but there were too many factors involved, and he couldn't figure it out at once.
He loosened his hand, which was tightly pressed against the porcelain statue of the ghost god. The statue had already cracked, so it was impossible for him to press it back in.
As for wanting to try it again, there were no longer any conditions.
But at least I have a research direction in mind.
Porcelain statues of ghosts and deities can contain the scattered thoughts of ghosts and deities throughout the world...
"Therefore, fragments of the soul... are mostly the scattered thoughts of gods and spirits in heaven and earth."
"Since the soul fragments originated from a ninth-rank Earthly Deity, it means there must be even higher-quality soul fragments!"
……
Ten thousand years ago, the world changed drastically, blood rained down, gods fell, and corpses fell like rain.
Although the gods are dead, their spirits never perish. When gods die, they become ghosts, which are called ghosts and gods. The spirits of gods are also called ghost and god thoughts by the world!
The thoughts of ghosts and spirits permeate the heavens and earth, lingering for ten thousand years!
As the sun sets and the moon rises, the thoughts of ghosts and spirits will emerge in the human world, eroding people's will, causing them to lose their true selves and fall into a state of confusion.
The human body cannot bear the thoughts of ghosts and gods. Once infected by the thoughts of ghosts and gods, in addition to losing their will and true self, they will also be manipulated by the thoughts of ghosts and gods and become violent corpse demons!
In Bu Che's mind, the original owner's memories of "ghostly thoughts" couldn't help but surface.
"The thoughts of ghosts and gods... the soul thoughts of fallen deities, aren't they just fragments of divine souls?"
"So, by touching this porcelain statue of a ghost or deity, I took away all the ghostly thoughts that were stored within it?"
Bu Che's eyes lit up.
If that's the case, does it mean the spirit within the porcelain statue has been extinguished... and he's safe?
"It's not safe at all... The porcelain statue of the ghost god is ultimately broken and can no longer bear the thoughts of the ghost god. I also can't gamble on whether the 'Sword of Pulling the Flaw' can absorb the thoughts of the ghost god without relying on the porcelain statue as a medium. If I lose the gamble, I will die and my soul will perish."
"College students...should stay far away from gambling and drugs! They mustn't even touch them!"
Bu Che suppressed the impulsive urge to go all in.
We still need to find a way to obtain the Peace Money. This is the most urgent and important thing. Only when we are safe can we focus on studying the "Baque Sword".
Bu Che took a deep breath and refocused his attention on the Baque sword.
Refining the spirit and soul can transform flawed sword energy and eliminate the sword master's own defects...
This made Bu Che worry. As an outstanding college student who excelled in all aspects of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor, what major flaws could he possibly have?
What if we can't pull anything out?
With this thought in mind, Bu Che's gaze fell on the [Deficiency Diagram]. Could he see his own shortcomings by looking at this diagram?
That being the case...
Let's take a look.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, a scroll slowly unfurled before his eyes, displaying layers upon layers of illusory figures, each with written text on it.
[Sword Master Bu Che's Drawing Image]
[Those who can be replaced: physically weak, lazy, foolish, impulsive, arrogant, selfish, petty, impatient for quick success, unrealistic, etc.]
……
Without a doubt, his worries were unnecessary.
That really hurts, Old Sword!
Bu Che decisively put away the drawing of the "Bai Que Tu" (a symbol of the severance of power), vowing that if he looked at it again even once, he would be a dog!
"call--"
In order to survive in this chaotic and precarious world, and to become a better, more perfect person!
"Refine it! Refine it thoroughly!"
Bu Che made a decisive decision.
[Soul refinement complete, Sword Qi transformation successful]
[The Way of Heaven has its flaws, and so do humans. The sword energy that removes these flaws is used by the sword master to randomly remove them.]
The sword energy cuts through imperfections, eradicating the flaw of "laziness." From laziness comes diligence, from imperfection comes the Way, and from imperfection comes the seed of the Way of "diligence."
The flowing light before my eyes transformed into intertwined and shimmering characters, like a dream.
The next moment, Bu Che felt a terrifying sword light suddenly enter his body from above, like a laser, sweeping across every corner of his body, making even his cells tremble.
After a moment of confusion, his eyes gradually cleared, and a sense of emptiness emerged from the depths of his eyes.
Bu Che felt that something was missing from his soul and body.
Oh, less laziness.
Hmm~!
Bu Che's heart stirred slightly.
……
[Sword Master: Bu Che]
【Sword Qi of the Broken Blade: Laziness (-10%)】
【Cultivating the Path to Enlightenment: Seeds of the Dao - Diligent Cultivation (Ninth Rank, 10%)】
……
Looking at the prompts that appeared on the panel, Bu Che fell into confusion and deep thought.
"Cut off laziness, and diligence will naturally take root and sprout... But what the heck is this 'planting more seeds through diligence'?"
Every effort will eventually yield results.
Sow diligent seeds, reap diligent harvest; diligent people cultivate, and I will reap the harvest.
The thought arises, and prompts immediately appear in a complex interplay.
Bu Che fell silent.
The diligence that cut off laziness and elevated itself has condensed into a seed of the Tao, as if buried deep in his heart, waiting for the day it will take root and sprout.
"Crack... Clang..."
The porcelain statues of ghosts and gods, covered in cracks, were broken into pieces, with fragments scattered all over the shrine and even slipping out, leaving a mess.
The commotion was quite loud and startled Bu Che, who was engrossed in studying the Baque Sword.
The broken porcelain statue of the ghost god, with its cracked eye fragments, landed right in front of the incense ash from the kowtow in the shrine, as if staring straight at Bu Che.
As if a cold wind had swept by, a figure seemed to have appeared out of nowhere in the dilapidated house.
When Bu Che looked closely, he found that the spot where there had been a figure was now empty.
Are you seeing things?
Bu Che shivered inexplicably.
"This place is not safe to stay for long."
Without the spirit-ghost porcelain statue to hold his thoughts, he felt like he was surrounded by people everywhere.
After quickly packing his things and putting away the money the original owner had earned through hard work, Bu Che left the dilapidated house and headed towards the village entrance.
Xiali Village, at the village entrance.
Amidst the howling wind and snow, the caravan, comprised of figures wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats, quietly gathered.
The mule was snorting hot air from its nostrils, and its body was piled high with goods.
When Bu Che arrived with his cheeks red from the cold wind, he didn't attract much attention. He quietly found a spot in the group, joined them, and squatted down to wait for the caravan to depart.
Perhaps due to the increased wind and snow, the caravan's departure time was postponed considerably.
After squatting down and curling up, Bu Che felt much warmer.
With the increase in the number of people, Bu Che felt much more at ease. Even if the thoughts of ghosts and gods were to erode him, they should at least spread their influence evenly, instead of just heading straight for him.
Quietly squatting down, I intend to carefully study the "seed of the Tao" I obtained after eliminating the minor flaw of laziness.
Plant more frequently...
Nine grades, many diligent planting...
Is there a rank? Is it related to the rank of the divine soul absorbed?
Just as Bu Che's thoughts were wandering.
A strong, pungent smell of dry tobacco, masking the chilly wind and snow, entered Bu Che's mouth and nose.
Bu Che squinted his hazy eyes and raised his cheeks, which were red from the wind and snow.
An elderly man dressed in simple cloth, strong and healthy, with more than a dozen tobacco belts hanging from his waist and a ceramic pipe in his hand, was looking at Bu Che with a sympathetic expression.
[Focusing on a diligent individual who has dedicated ten years to a specific field, will the show feature multiple instances of their hard work?]
In an instant.
Bu Che's eyes lit up; in his eyes...
The old man seemed to come walking on light, as if dispelling all the gloom in the world.