Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 50 The Six-Winged Bee Part 2

Chapter 50: Chapter 50 The Six-Winged Bee Part 2

Lin Xin couldn’t really refuse him, after all, the two had shared life-and-death experiences, with a friendship forged in the flames of battle.

In the following days, he wasn’t in a rush to complete his mission. The task of delivering letters was handed over to Kong Yuhui’s people, and finding someone could be quickly resolved with the influence of the Peacock Sect.

He simply went with Kong Yuhui to the headquarters of the Peacock Sect, met a few internal martial arts masters who were also friends of Kong Yuhui, had a bit of drink together, and got acquainted with each other.

Then, he spent the rest of his time wandering around Peacock City’s bustling streets and alleys. Since arriving in this world, he had not truly experienced the nuanced customs and spirits of this place.

Street vendors carrying baskets selling oil tea and cakes were everywhere, with food stalls lined up one after another, and shop after shop connected in a row. Some alleys were so crowded that people had to squeeze shoulder to shoulder to get through.

Kids were seen enjoying candied haws, sugar figurines, and deep-fried dough cakes while girls browsed the stalls for pendants and necklaces. Most men gathered at locales of fireworks and drinks, often in exquisitely decorated buildings.

From time to time, one could see sedans passing by, and occasionally the Government’s horse-drawn carriages would pass with gongs, arrogantly clearing the way.

The city inside was still a picture of prosperity, not at all diminished by any funereal events.

Lin Xin became addicted to the deep-fried meat pies in an alley near the inn, eating them for five consecutive days without growing tired of the taste.

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On the sixth day, he got up early in the morning, changed into a pale green robe he had bought two days before, and tied a white jade belt around his waist. He packed all four Talisman Swords into a large box, sealed it, and left with it on his back, while wearing a common Longsword at his waist.

He looked much more normal than before. At least now, others could only see the large case and wouldn’t know whether it contained swords, a zither, or something else.

With the case on his back, Lin Xin was not worried about attracting attention and turned right after leaving the inn.

It was still early, the streets were quiet, with just a few old men pushing carts and hawking steamed buns and filled pastries.

Occasionally, one could see children in a hurry to go to their lessons at school.

Lin Xin turned into a narrow lane where an old lady with silvery hair was skillfully wrapping dough cakes and swiftly frying them one by one in a pot of oil.

A few boys and girls on their way to school were waiting in front of a cart, eagerly anticipating the fried cakes to be ready.

"I’ll have three today, with chive and minced meat filling," Lin Xin approached and handed over a Large Copper Coin. One Silver could be exchanged for a hundred Large Copper Coins, or a thousand Copper Coins. Each fried cake cost three Copper Coins, which was equivalent to the three RMB he used to pay for a large meat pie. A big meat pie almost the size of a person’s face for just three coins was indeed a bargain.

"Three with chive and minced meat? Coming right up," the old lady replied with a smile. A little boy next to her took the Large Copper Coin and gave Lin Xin a Copper Coin in change.

"Big brother, you’re here again?" The little boy sported two pigtails, looking almost like a little girl, fair and plump, probably only four or five years old.

"Yeah, here I am again," Lin Xin replied with a smile, reaching out to pinch the child’s cheek, which felt nice, cold and squishy like pudding.

"You always buy three of the largest ones, can you eat them all?" The child asked curiously. "I’m so awesome, even when I eat the big ones, I can only finish half..."

"Of course I can eat them all because I’m more awesome than you," Lin Xin said, stretching out his hands and playfully pinching the child’s cheeks.

"You... You’re lying..." The child’s speech slurred as he was pinched, and he quickly struggled free of Lin Xin’s grasp.

"Last time I went to play in the mountains, I ran into a big tiger and knocked it out with three punches. Afterward, Granny even praised me for being a good boy! Can you beat a tiger?"

"Wow, you’re so little and you knocked out a tiger?" Some school kids nearby opened their eyes wide in amazement.

"Tigers are so fierce!"

"Yeah, my dad says I have Innate Divine Strength!" the little chubby child boasted proudly.

"Innate Divine Strength," Lin Xin continued reaching for his face.

"Uh... let me go... I’ve got Divine Pow..." The chubby child struggled, failing to shake off Lin Xin’s grip.

"I’m calling you Innate Divine Strength... Divine Power...!" Lin Xin laughed heartily, playfully rubbing the boy’s chubby cheeks even more.

"I’m getting angry!!" The little chubby boy’s expression turned stern.

"When I get angry, even tigers are afraid of me! I warn you... don’t mess with me...!!"

Lin Xin couldn’t help but laugh even louder.

As he played with the little chubby child in front of the fried snack stall, the hot aroma of the oil wafted to his face, and he could smell a thick scent of grease.

While frying, the old lady had already handed out cakes to the waiting children, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

Lin Xin glanced at the weather; there was no sun, the sky was overcast, and it wasn’t hot, a bit chilly actually.

He was puzzled. In such cool weather, why would the old lady feel so hot and sweat so much?

"Here you go, they’re ready, your cakes," the old lady said, finishing the frying, and handed him the paper-wrapped goods after draining the oil.

"Good, thank you."

Lin Xin took the meat pie but suddenly sensed something was wrong. The old lady’s pupils seemed to be dilating.

Just as he received the pie, she suddenly plunged headfirst towards the scalding hot oil pot.

Lin Xin was startled and quickly grabbed her to steady her.

"What’s wrong with you?"

He pressed hard on the philtrum below the old lady’s lips with his hand.

"I... I..." The old woman’s pupils had already dilated, devoid of focus.

Lin Xin hurriedly set down the fried dough and gently lowered her to the ground, letting her lie flat.

"I..." The old woman was obviously not going to make it, her complexion pale, without a hint of color.

"Grandma... Grandma, what’s wrong with you?" The little chubby boy beside her had turned deathly pale, his speech trembling with fright.

"Bao Bao... Grandma... I’m afraid I’m not going to make it..." The old woman was so weak that she could barely speak, managing only to squeeze out words one by one.

"You... from now on, you must... take care of... yourself..."

In the brief dozen or so seconds the old lady spoke, her cheeckbones, which still had some flesh on them, visibly shriveled at an alarming rate. Her skin, already pale and full of wrinkles, turned as lifeless as bark, completely devoid of moisture.

Lin Xin felt the hand he was holding deflate like a balloon, rapidly withering away.

"Grandma...!" The chubby boy immediately burst into tears, "Grandma, please don’t die... I don’t want you to die..."

"Fatty... be good... Grandma... I’m sorry..." A tearful glint rose in the old lady’s eyes, "If only I could hold on a little longer... then... it would be... good..."

With her last gaze, the old woman gave Lin Xin a grateful smile. Then, her head tilted, and she breathed her last.

The little chubby boy, with tears and snot streaming down his face, lay on the old woman’s body, while the other children had long since fled in terror.

Some people nearby also gathered around, wanting to help, but they too turned pale at the sight of the old woman’s corpse.

"Another one! It’s that thing again!"

"It’s that disease again...!" "When will this ever end..."

"Let’s go, let’s go, don’t get infected!"

Cries rang out from the crowd, and the onlookers, fearing to linger, quickly dispersed. Only a few bold ones stayed behind, their hands behind their backs, watching the commotion.

Lin Xin felt uneasy in his heart. He gently let go of the old woman’s hand. The hot and steaming fried dough on his cart had lost its appeal.

He was about to stand up when he suddenly heard a very faint buzzing sound coming from inside the old woman’s body.

Looking down, he spotted a golden bee crawling out of the old woman’s left ear.

The bee was strange; normal bees had six legs, but this one had only two.

Moreover, it had three pairs of wings on its back, while ordinary bees had just one pair of translucent wings.

"What is this..." Lin Xin frowned, instantly feeling that something was off. The insect lifted its head and looked at him, its gaze alive and filled with ominous greed.

Buzz...

The bee with six wings took off swiftly, strangely unnoticed by others, as if invisible to them. It headed straight for the chubby boy, who was mere inches away.

Swoosh!

The longsword at Lin Xin’s waist suddenly lit up with a silver glow. The Inner Qi from the Second Layer of the Return to Origin exploded in an instant, transforming the blade into a streak of silver light and stabbing fiercely at the bee.

The bee was sliced into two pieces and fell to the ground.

The chubby boy and the few people around were startled by this sudden sword strike. They only saw Lin Xin inexplicably lash out with his sword at thin air.

By the time Lin Xin sheathed his sword and went to look for the bee’s corpse, he discovered that the two halves which had fallen to the ground had disappeared without a trace.

"Huh?"

He searched carefully on the ground but could find no sign of the six-winged bee anywhere.

The little chubby boy continued to weep on the old woman’s body.

After waiting a while, people from the Government arrived. The two officials, wearing masks, didn’t say a word upon seeing the state of the corpse. They just sighed and placed the old woman on a stretcher.

"Old rules, she can only be taken outside the city to be burned..."

The two of them carried her straight onto a nearby ox cart and left towards the outskirts of the city.

Lin Xin, watching the chubby boy crying with swollen eyes, left all alone, felt a pang in his heart.

He took the boy along and followed the cart out of the city.

Along the way, he learned through intermittent questions that the boy had always lived with his grandmother. He’d only seen his father once before the man vanished, and he hadn’t seen his mother at all. Other relatives were nowhere to be found, leaving just him and his grandmother dependent on each other.

Lin Xin asked if the boy had any other place or person to turn to.

Being only five years old, the boy knew little of the world, and his words were jumbled. He had no recollection of any other relatives.

Left with no other choice and finding himself unable to just abandon the boy, Lin Xin was somewhat relieved when, after the old woman’s body was burned, the sobbing chubby boy was approached by an older gentleman who ran a clothing store nearby. The man claimed he had always wanted a son and was childless in his old age; he wanted to adopt the boy.

Lin Xin, suspecting there might be something wrong with the six-winged bee he’d seen earlier, handed the boy over to the man, inquiring further about the boy’s circumstances.