Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 367 - 104: The Road to True Love Is Paved with Thorns

March 8, 2018

Looking at the clear sky overhead and the familiar mountains ahead, Zhao Jincheng took a deep breath. The cold mountain air, still mingled with mist, filled his chest, invigorating this square-faced cultivator.

It’s time to enter the battlefield.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day he was to go hunting for Demon Essence in the Southern City Mountains. According to the rules of Shen City, if one wanted to marry a woman from the Shen Family, they had to hunt a Demon Essence with similar cultivation to the woman’s on the Chaos Battlefield to prove their worth.

Zhao Jincheng found this family rule quite absurd, but on the other hand, the Shen Family has strictly enforced this tradition for thousands of years. Occasionally, when issues arise, they have contingency plans. For instance, if the woman’s cultivation was too high, making it difficult for the man to find a demon of equal level on the battlefield, the family allows him to make up the difference with quantity—in reality, the rule is meant to give leniency to many couples.

When the woman’s cultivation surpasses the man’s, making him unable to hunt an equivalent demon, sweeping the outskirts of the battlefield for lower-tier demons and creatures is also a workaround. Additionally, the family rules don’t require one to fight alone. Wealthy individuals can hire mercenaries, and those with connections can seek help from friends. Generally, it’s not to the extent of breaking up couples.

However, there are indeed exceptions.

As Zhao Jincheng walked into the battlefield surrounded by his entourage, he remembered stories he had heard in the Shen City Inner City.

The Shen Family’s rule, while usually not a hindrance, can still lead to tragedy if the difference in cultivation between the lovers is too great. Over two hundred years ago, a scholar of humble origin fell in love with a Shen Family heiress. That Shen Family princess was exceptionally talented, breaking through to the Cloud Flipping Realm at 23 and to the Rain Cover Realm at 35, only slightly less than a top genius. When she fell in love with the scholar, she had just broken through the Rain Cover Realm, possessing the power to destroy cities and nations with ease. Meanwhile, the scholar, despite his intelligence and gentle and responsible nature, had no affinity for martial arts and was truly incapable of even tying up a chicken. Additionally, he was impoverished and had no belongings when he fell in love with the Shen Family princess, having no money to hire mercenaries—in fact, mercenaries capable of challenging a Rain Cover Realm cultivator were rare across the continent—nor did he have the network to connect with any Immortal Family friends. Helpless, he had to rely on himself. Despite his physical weakness, the scholar had a keen mind and diverse interests outside of studying. He understood a bit of Mechanical Technique and could build simple wooden oxen and flowing horses, which he could barely use to bully the weakest demons comparable to stray dogs.

Such a romantic combination was destined for tragedy. Yet, faced with the unshakeable family rule, the scholar chose to forge ahead. Utilizing his deep understanding of mathematics, he broke down the situation he faced, finding a possible path within the impossible.

A demon or creature with a level equivalent to the Rain Cover Realm was extremely rare even on the Chaos Battlefield. According to the Shen Family’s calculation, to break it down to a level the scholar himself could hunt, he would have to hunt over a million of the weakest demons. And a million demons, regardless of the fact that on the Chaos Battlefield, demons are always a mix of strengths and weaknesses—even if they were the weakest demons, how many could a scholar, equipped with only the simplest wooden oxen, hunt in a day? Even if the demons were weak, the wooden oxen required power for operation and regular maintenance.

Based on calculations, in the most ideal situation, the scholar could only hunt a dozen or twenty demons a day, which meant it would take hundreds of years to hunt a million demons. Even cultivators found it difficult to live that long, let alone a mere scholar.

But the scholar was not discouraged in the slightest. In his calculations, the situation was not as bleak. Although he could only hunt a dozen or twenty demons a day now, his mechanical skills could improve. With experience accumulation, he could build more powerful mechanical puppets, and his hunting efficiency would continually increase. According to his learning curve and the resource accumulation curve of the Chaos Battlefield, in the most optimistic scenario, as long as five years would be sufficient for him to hunt enough demons and accumulate enough points to marry his beloved. Of course, considering the exceptional cultivation aptitude of his beloved, she was undoubtedly going to make advances during those five years, so in reality, it would take seven to eight years.

For most couples, seven to eight years is already too long. But the scholar firmly believed that he and his beloved could withstand the test of time, and thus he ardently studied Mechanical Technique. To pursue this goal, he even gave up the path of gaining civil service through examinations, transforming from a respected scholar into a craftsman frequently talked about.

In the following five years, his mechanical skills advanced significantly, even more rapidly than anticipated. With his human frailty, he built many powerful mechanical magical treasures. Though he couldn’t call upon the Heaven and Earth Spirit Wind himself, through exquisite calculations and his strong theoretical background, he designed mechanical puppets that a mortal could operate. Within a few years, he hunted thousands upon thousands of demons in the Southern City Mountains, from the weakest earth dogs to the formidable mutated demons, none could escape his hunt. By the fifth year, he had already accumulated enough points to marry his beloved.

However, when the scholar’s beloved arrived at the Chaos Battlefield, filled with joy to find him, he said this to her.

"Ah, it’s you. Sorry, I almost forgot... Are you talking about the wedding? Haha, I didn’t expect you were still waiting, so sorry about that... But honestly, let’s forget it. Over these years I’ve delved into Mechanical Technique on the Chaos Battlefield and have been amazed by its exquisite subtleties, the vastness of its mysteries, which even a lifetime might not fully comprehend. Life is short, my time is so valuable, and it truly shouldn’t be wasted on romantic entanglements. You’re such a good catch, quickly find a good family to marry into, don’t waste time delaying on... Oh no, I mean, don’t waste time on me."

After hearing that story, Zhao Jincheng was practically in awe of the scholar.

Life is a journey of seeking true love, yet most people are confused by temporary illusions, mistaking fleeting passion for true love, leading them to make wrong decisions and regret it for life. A person who can resolutely let go of the past and pursue true love at a crucial life juncture is truly worthy of admiration.

Even though he ended up getting beaten into a concussion by the furious Shen Family princess, forgetting several years of memories when he woke up, spending the rest of his life happily with the princess... at least his record of resistance spread throughout in unofficial histories.

And this is precisely the spirit Zhao Jincheng seeks to emulate.

In the past 30 years, Zhao Jincheng always thought his ideal partner should be a woman akin to a celestial maiden, with elegance and dignity like his sister by five or six parts—of course, such a woman isn’t someone an ordinary man could match up to, so he had always been striving hard.

But the moment Zhao Jincheng saw Shen Qingming, he realized that his past self had been walking the wrong path all along.

The petite and charming girl who was nearly 15 years old, yet still with a delicate and lovely figure, was his true love!

And to pursue true love, he would stop at nothing.

At that thought, Zhao Jincheng’s expression slightly cooled, and he asked the Guiding Dog beside him, "Have you prepared everything I asked for?"

Beside him, a raspy-voiced middle-aged man nodded, "Rest assured, Young Master, the brothers are all prepared."

Zhao Jincheng was still not at ease, "There might be a fierce battle, check everything again."

The middle-aged man first nodded in agreement and gave some instructions to the people behind him, then frowned as he asked, "May I ask, Young Master, why would there be a fierce battle today?"

Of course, the servants were aware of Zhao Jincheng’s purpose for going to the southern mountains: to hunt demons following the Shen Family rules. However, Shen Qingming’s cultivation was only at the peak of the Wind-Rising Realm, at best akin to the Initial Tier of the Cloud Surge Realm. With Zhao Jincheng’s strength, he could easily kill dozens of demons of this level with a wave of his hand, so why so meticulous? Even if there were risks, the only risk would be Zhao Jincheng losing his direction in life in those mountains...

"Our enemies might not be just demons," Zhao Jincheng said lightly.

Zhao Jincheng spoke with a calm tone, but the man’s expression changed, "Then—"

Seeing his reaction, Zhao Jincheng smiled, "Don’t worry, they’re not formidable opponents, not worth wasting time on... Besides, in such matters, the stronger the opponent, the more interesting it is. Only true love won through defeating strong enemies is real love, otherwise, so-called true love is no different from Mr. Jiao."

"Young Master, forgive me for speaking out of place, but there’s no need to take the words of the Lord City Lord too seriously," said the man.

Yet, Zhao Jincheng’s face suddenly became stern, his square face scanning left to right like a Phase Array Magnetic Detector, and then he gestured with his hand for his subordinates to hold their tongues, "Be careful, there might be an ambush."

Meanwhile, atop a mountain a hundred miles away, the Celestial Divine Sword Spirit gently nodded.

"It seems they’ve noticed, notify them to prepare for inducement."

Beside him, Li Wanqing, Li Chaolu, and Li Xinyu all nodded solemnly in response, each drawing their weapons.

For today’s battle, they had received great support from the two Deputy City Lords, but dealing with the main target, Zhao Jincheng, was something they had to handle personally. Shen Jinghai and Shen Yueying had already done more than enough, bearing the backlash of True Essence.

Yet facing a fully armed Rain Cover Realm cultivator, whatever they could achieve was indeed anxiety-inducing, even the usually most unruly Li Wanqing was holding her breath, focusing with utmost seriousness.

Whether they could rescue Shen Qingming depended on this battle!