The only one with the attic key, I often go there to clean and explore. At the top of the attic, I found many strange and rare things. As you can see, the first thing that catches the eye after climbing up the ladder is the unpolished wooden walls with two weapons.
Legend has it that there used to be an ancient profession called dart master, known for working for the living. They would do anything for you once paid, even something as extreme as killing the current ruler of the Imperial City. Apart from them, there are some dart masters who never kill, yet there are many who seek their services, offering bounties much higher than ordinary dart masters!
These people are called - Masters of Tian Dao! Each Tian Dao master carries two different weapons, a wooden sword and a silver spear. Some ignorant people often say that the wooden sword is used to deal with ghosts and demons, while the silver spear is for dealing with humans!
"Dealing with humans?!" I repeated in disbelief. Could it really be true that our ancestors were accustomed to killing like demons? Is it really as those people claim?
In the later part of the book, there are records that ghosts are also categorized into many types, some being intangible spirits that can only be vanquished with a blood-sealed peach wood sword, while others belong to the entity of corpse ghosts and can only be resolved with the weapon specifically designed to defeat them.
These things actually exist! I gently touched the guns and wooden swords on the wall, feeling a sense of tranquility in my heart.
Two hundred years ago.
"Brother Wu, why do stars fall from the sky? I guess you must see those stars often, they are the fleeting white lights streaking across the night sky." A man with stubble on his face ruffled the slightly pale hair among it and inquired.
He was Ye Juxi, a true master of Tian Dao, identified by the long spear behind him and the wooden sword at his waist.
Sitting next to him was a man with silver hair, named Wu Yuanhui, also a master of Tian Dao in the Tian Dao Institute, known to be brothers from the same school as Juxi.
Yuanhui didn't know what happened in the palace today because of Juxi, but just by the added scar on Juxi's once youthful face, he understood.
Helplessly, he took a deep breath, then made a fire in the courtyard to comfort Juxi, "Take it easy, brother. The Emperor has always treated us well, and now there is a crisis in the court, we must do our best..."
"I have done my best, but the Emperor just won't listen to me. He thinks compromise is the best course..."
"Your mistake! What are we Tian Dao Institute masters for? We can use force to deal with those bastards!"
Yuanhui and Juxi repeatedly interrupted each other, to the point where Yuanhui stood up, pulled out his silver spear, and shouted at him.
"..."
"Heh, I'm sorry, look at my habit of getting angry," Yuanhui, with a smile, put away his long spear apologetically, "Well, how about we go have a couple of drinks in the city?"
"Of course, you know, only alcohol can make blood and desires boil, right?" Juxi, finally relaxing his furrowed brows, said.
The gods said, in all things, there must be wine. A warrior with wine will never violate his vows.
When Juxi sees them, he must make some wishes. Perhaps this is another reason for him to believe in the gods.
To Juxi, the stars are just pieces of meteor falling to the ground, valuable materials he could sell to make a living, as the court could barely afford a few coins.
"Did you know, I forged my sword myself, but now this mysterious iron sword is almost unusable." Juxi sadly unsheathed his hunting sword.
Seeing Juxi so disheartened, Yuanhui, also a royal master of Tian Dao, was equally pained. He took out his finely crafted mysterious iron sword, stroked it a few times before handing it to Juxi, "Of course, if you don't mind, you can have my sword. Look, isn't it light? Even you can effortlessly wield it, and precisely because it’s light, it's exceptionally sharp, this kind of sword is indispensable."
"Oh, yes, I often practice swordplay. I must keep at it whenever I get the chance, I can't let myself slack off."
Juxi breathed a sigh of relief, took the sword, bid farewell to Yuanhui and left.
Juxi often walked to the most secluded corner of the gardens near the palace, where he would stretch his muscles and bones, trying to rid himself of the terrifying and annoying numbness pressing upon him, to stop the pain coiling inside him.
And there, Juxi discovered a young maiden draped in light green gauze, her hair knotted at the back of her head, seemingly admiring the flowers absentmindedly.
It was quite interesting; Juxi had never seen a girl coming to this secluded place before.
"Hey," Juxi approached trying to warn her, "Who are you? Don't you know this is a forbidden area of the palace?"
"Ah?!"
The girl seemed startled by his sudden appearance and turned around abruptly, colliding with Juxi face to face.
Juxi often met people from the palace, but this girl in front of him was clearly a new face!
