609: Making Waves

Making Waves

Senior Cheng Wei still looked the same as before. Wearing earthen-colored robes, a head of pure white hair, and a beard of the same color, he even still wore the emerald bangles on his wrists. And his expression was equally if not more shocked than Ming Yue. 1

"I- I thought you had died in the war", he said to her. 

She quickly walked closer to him, talking in a quieter voice. 

"Please don't spread the news around. I'd like to keep this a secret, at least for a little while", she said. 

"O-oh I see, don't worry, I won't tell anyone. We can talk in the Wildwood Pavilion! I have a lot to show you! But what about the other two?" he asked her, hinting at the other two elders. 

"Don't worry, I planned on meeting with the three of you before I left."

"I see, I see, in that case, we should go back to my pavilion! And don't worry, there is plenty of space for all of you!"

Having been reassured by her, Senior Cheng led everyone through the Craftmen's District before stopping in front of his store. Ming Yue looked at it, reading the thick wooden sign once more. 

"Wildwood Pavilion."

It was still the same, a stone building surrounded by a lush garden. 

"Alright, let's go inside, we can talk in my workshop!" 

Despite his old age, Senior Cheng seemed very excited as he brought them downstairs. In a matter of seconds, a fresh pot of tea was being served. 

"Alright, I'm going to get the other two so it'll be quick!"

Before Ming Yue could say anything, the old man quickly ran off to get the other two whilst several attendants were by her side, putting out a tray of cookies and other little snacks. Soon enough, she could hear very rushed steps as three people hurried down into Senior Cheng's personal workshop, even bursting out the doors and locking onto her. 

The young woman stood up and greeted them as well. 

"Senior Mei Zhen, Senior Zhang Guang, it has been a very long time." 

Mei Zhen, a strong and burly woman, owner of the Forge of Eighty-One Fires. 

Her skin was extremely tanned and covered in soot. She wore a leather apron over her work clothes which comprised of heavy pants and a short-sleeved shirt. Her body was well-proportioned and somewhat bulky as the work that she did require a great deal of strength. She tied her hair up into a bun and wore a red headband as well.

And Zhang Guang, a bald-headed man dressed in lavish clothes, owner of Treasured Gem Hall. 

There was a monocle on his right eye and he wore a ring on each finger on top of several bedazzled necklaces. A pale-skinned person who was certainly smaller than the woman he was with but in terms of strength, they were equals. 

The two of them were just quiet and shocked as Ming Yue just stood in front of them, waiting for some sort of reaction. But, it was quiet for several seconds until Mei Zhen finally said something. 

"I thought this was some sort of cruel joke but Cheng Wei, you're right. She's alive, she's really alive."

She looked at the elderly man before glancing at Zhang Guang, who was still somewhat stunned.

But then he spoke, recovering from his stunned state. 

"You know, when the war concluded, we heard that you sacrificed yourself to finish the fight. We didn't quite believe it at first but when Elder Shen came, we knew that it was deemed true. His return caused a lot of buzz around the city but as far as we know he was mourning for you. In fact, it seemed that several others mourned for you according to him." 

Ming Yue nodded.

"I've been told that before, I plan to return to Heaven's Gate and see them, seniors", she responded. 

"I see, then... when are you planning on leaving?" Cheng Wei asked. 

"At the earliest, tomorrow but I can stay here for a few days. I actually wanted to meet with you all before going." 

"Oh?" 

The three seniors all raised a brow as they looked at her curiously. And Ming Yue began to take off her equipment from the armor to her rings to her swords. 

"It's been over a year since I've been gone and while I've been doing my best, I need someone more skilled to do some maintenance on them", she said, holding out her equipment towards them. 

She was still dressed in a simple blue and white robe, holding out all of her possessions to them. 

"Not to mention, I hear that the two of you were looking forward to seeing a real Sword Spirit in person."

The moment, she said this, Mei Zhen and Zhang Guang's eyes lit up in an instant. 

"It's true?"

"You really obtained a Sword Spirit?!"

The both of them immediately looked at what she offered with excitement which soon turned to confusion. 

"There are two swords, is it Drifting Sky that became a Sword Spirit? Or is it this other sword? Hmm, this is strange, both their auras are strong but... which one could it be?"*

Mei Zhen pointed this out, leaning forward to examine both swords as did Zhang Quang. 

"Mm, I mean Drifting Sky definitely changed a bit. The slight red sheen on the blade, it's very faint but it's there. And the sockets, the wind, and lightning cores are still there although their appearance is slightly different."

Looking closer, he found something that not even Ming Yue had noticed all this time. 

"If it were before, they'd be in sockets. With a bit of work, you can take them out and even replace them with new ones but here... It seems that they had sunk into the sword itself, fully embedded into the hilt. You can't even take them out anymore."

Having given their observations, the duo looked at her. 

"So which one is the Sword Spirit?" they asked. 

Ming Yue then looked down at both swords. 

"You can show yourselves but don't hurt anyone."

Both seniors had maybe a second to process those words before suddenly feeling a dense pressure coming from both Blood Moon and the Black Blade. They produced a single howl, shaking the entire workshop before going quiet. All of this in the span of several seconds and the three seniors were left speechless. 

"Both of them are Sword Spirits. I renamed Drifting Sky into Blood Moon and this is Zhen Wu's Sword. I found this one in the Beast Continent", she explained, presenting both swords. 

But after that, the three seniors were just speechless. On the other side, Hongyu and the other beasts just sat there nonchalantly, even feeling a little bored from the conversation. 

"I... you must either have monstrous luck or the absolute worst fortune." 

Zhang Guang looked at her as he said this, his mouth was still wide open too. 

"Right, one Sword Spirit I can understand but two?! This is just ridiculous! I mean granted you must've suffered for it but still! Who in the world has not one but two Sword Spirits. Even more so, a pair of sword spirits that actually follow you?" said Mei Zhen. 

Despite her large figure and muscular build, it seemed as if she could collapse at any moment from shock. And among the three of them, Cheng Wei brushed it off first. 

"In any case, I'm sure that you want to make sure that they're in good shape. Is there anything else that you'd want to do? I mean, these two swords are already enough work but, you still have the rest of your equipment. Is there any request?" he asked. 

The young woman paused, looking down at what she had. 

While the Black Blade and Blood Moon were pretty simple to determine, the Shifting Clouds Armor as well as her accessories were harder to decide on.

"I..."

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