Claiming the Throne of Gods, Starting from the Rebirth of Nezha
Chapter 134: Viewing Swords by Lantern Light While Drunk

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Viewing Swords by Lantern Light While Drunk

The sword light was chilly and as cold as autumn water.

Jiang Ziya was suddenly half-sober and said sheepishly, "The Cauldron of Poison hasn’t even been built yet, why draw your sword?"

He saw that Nezha only had his eyes on the sword’s edge, silent and speechless. He tried to sober up by stuffing a few more pieces of pickled vegetables into his mouth, but accidentally bit into some coarse salt, scrunching his facial features together, and had to drink two mouthfuls of wine to recover.

"The affairs in this Imperial Palace, what do they have to do with us? The Emperor, foolish king, of course, he’s going to act recklessly. If he didn’t do these things, there wouldn’t be talk of the Phoenix Calling from Qishan, with the Holy Master of Xiqi emerging. I say, let’s just wash up and sleep. If truly dissatisfied, wait for the day when Uncle takes the army and topples the world of Chengtang entirely."

After he finished speaking, he started pointing and directing, wagging fingers dramatically, one moment talking about attacking Qinglong Pass, the next about how to hit Jiameng Pass, and when done, glanced at Nezha.

"Stop looking at that sword already; everyone knows it’s a treasure, do you need to stare so closely? I’m telling you, this is Zhaoge, right under the Emperor’s watch. If you dare to break the law, don’t blame me, your uncle, for upholding justice and reporting you."

"No sleep; tonight, the sword is to be polished."

With that, Nezha really went looking for a whetstone at home.

As long as they weren’t heading to the Imperial Palace, anything was fine. So Jiang Ziya went to help, hauling a large bucket of icy well water.

Seeing Nezha sharpen twice, he angrily pushed Nezha aside and said, "That’s not how you polish a sword."

He stepped on the low stool on the ground and lifted the wooden bucket, pouring a good amount of clean water onto the whetstone.

The Seven-star Treasure Sword waved in front of his eyes, a chill surged directly to his face, and fine runes were engraved on the part of the sword body away from the edge.

Jiang Ziya, inspecting under the light, continuously praised, "Good sword, excellent runes, the essence of this iron has been enlivened. It’s a pity you don’t cherish it while using it, so much of the edge is damaged."

"Please, Master Uncle, teach me."

He glanced at Nezha again, sighed deeply.

Nezha was the first and only junior he met at the foot of the mountain; he truly didn’t want him to go.

Yet he dared not go himself.

The brand-new official robe on Jiang Ziya was now stained with water spots, yet he didn’t care, only placing the sword edge on the whetstone, saying, "A good sword doesn’t need frequent sharpening, but it cannot go unsharpened either. When honing a sword, use plenty of water, and grind in one direction along one side; otherwise, the edge will be damaged."

Nezha held the lantern in his hand very steadily; there was no wind indoors, and the flame did not flicker at all.

Jiang Ziya sharpened slowly, and when he finished, the night was deep.

In the night, the sword’s cold light was dazzling.

He raised his head and, reluctantly, handed the sword back to Nezha’s hands, meeting Nezha’s eyes, which were intensely black and purely bright.

Ziya seriously asked, "Are you really going to go?"

"Do I seem like I’m joking?"

"Do you know where the Cauldron of Poison is?"

"Under the Star Pick Building."

"Then Star..."

"Master Uncle, the Star Pick Building is so tall, as long as I’m not blind, I can always see it."

"Only destroying the Cauldron of Poison?"

"If possible, it’s best to kill King Zhou and Daji as well."

Jiang Ziya’s heart shocked, he looked up at Nezha’s eyes, only to see that the divine light shone brightly within them, seemingly ablaze with fire.

Flustered, he searched the ground, though he himself didn’t know what he was looking for, only murmuring, "You’ve drunk too much."

"Perhaps."

Nezha said, "King Zhou is tyrannical, and Daji ruins governance, so just kill King Zhou and behead Daji, why let the world be torn apart, people destitute? Master Uncle, I don’t understand."

Jiang Ziya cursed, "Fool, are you truly clueless or pretending?"

"Of course, I’m pretending."

"Pretending yet asking me makes you even more foolish!"

After a long silence, Nezha cursed, "These cultivators are really fucking bastards."

"You yourself are a cultivator too."

Jiang Ziya reminded him, saying, "Since you’re determined to go, think less about other matters. Although Master Uncle doesn’t want you to go, I can’t stop you; so be it, I’ll risk my eyes to help you cast a divination."

Nezha laughed, "Thanks for the concern, Master Uncle."

"Concern my ass, do you really think I care about you? I hope you fail and come back dejected. If King Zhou and Daji die now, the world becomes peaceful, and how would I ever become a marquis, prime minister, or Grand Marshal of the World Army? At that time, I’ll probably be stuck working at this governmental office of Qintianjian until I die."

Nezha asked, "What’s wrong with that?"

"Certainly, it’s bad."

Nezha asked again, "What’s bad about it?"

"Everyone has their own aspirations."

Jiang Ziya spent his life seeking immortality and inquiry, yet stalled in the God Absorption Realm—without the Golden Core Technique he couldn’t enter through the Gate of Eternal Life.

After descending the mountain, he didn’t fall into despair only because before descending, the master had said he could enjoy the blessings of the Human World.

"But Master Uncle said before, that someone has cloaked the heavenly secrets about me, and no divination method could see through?"

"For distant matters, naturally, there’s no way, but for immediate concerns, others conceal and we have ways to counteract. Come, give me a drop of your heart’s sanguine blood."

"Heart’s sanguine blood, how does one take it?"

"Simple enough."

Jiang Ziya somehow produced a half-foot-long silver needle, upon seeing which, Nezha took a cold gasp.

Courageous as he was, when asked to take it by Jiang Ziya, he truly acted—though the pain of a needle penetrating the heart was unbearable even for Nezha, his face turned pale, and large sweat drops rolled down his forehead.

Once he obtained that drop of heart’s blood, Nezha felt all strength spent, more exhausting than fighting ten battles consecutively.

"Does it hurt that much."

"You damn."

"Alright, alright, stop being dramatic."

Jiang Ziya scoffed, took the heart’s blood, pressed it on his right index fingertip, wrote the character for "Hide" on Nezha’s forehead, then tossed a handful of copper coins onto the ground, casting his fortune.

After a good while, Jiang Ziya’s face turned paler than Nezha’s.

"Master Uncle?"

"I’m... alright."

Jiang Ziya exhaled, saying, "Indeed, there is fate within the unseen. I cast a bit; whether it be King Zhou or Daji, neither have reached their doomed moment, hence you cannot kill them."

"Master Uncle, are you trying to frighten me with made-up nonsense because you don’t want me to go?"

"Do I look like that kind of person? But since we already know going is futile, why exert yourself unnecessarily?"

Nezha laughed, "The day before yesterday, when Master Uncle was drinking with Accountant Gao, you said, knowing something cannot be done yet still doing it is—"

"Is being foolish."

Before Nezha could finish, Jiang Ziya interjected, saying, "The main point is, it’s bloody pointless."

"Master Uncle, I don’t believe in fate."

"Oh fine, after casting the fortune you don’t believe it; so when it’s favorable, you believe, otherwise, you don’t, huh?"

Nezha awkwardly scratched his head, saying, "It was just for good luck."

"Sigh, forget it, damn it, as long as you don’t implicate me."

"Rest assured, Master Uncle, wearing a covert night-suit, I know the ins and outs of this."

When drunk, one tends to boast, Nezha naturally spouted nonsense, having never worn any night-suit.

Nezha wasn’t planning to die, originally just vexed and restless, but thinking it over, he increasingly felt this endeavor feasible.

As tales recount, King Zhou was also mighty strong, but could his strength be greater than my own?

Daji may be stronger than the Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit, but how strong could she get?

Moreover, in previous lives, I was but a mere mortal, not fearing anything, and now that I cultivate immortality, still fearing left and right, what’s the point of such cultivation?

"Master Uncle."

Nezha looked up at Jiang Ziya and calmly said, "Damn you."

"I’ll thank you for my mother."

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