Misguided practice of sinister cultivation techniques: Slander! The problem lies with you all, not me!
Chapter 95 - 94: Is the Curse of the Demon Blade Acting Up? (3.5k Subscriptions Please)

Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Is the Curse of the Demon Blade Acting Up? (3.5k Subscriptions Please)

After Duan Yun left, Leng Yimeng and Leng Yixue were still sitting in the tea house, visibly unsettled.

On the table was the tea personally poured by Old Demon Duan.

No matter what, the current Old Demon Duan was a significant figure they could only look up to.

Yet his manner was exceedingly polite, so polite it was frightening.

Leng Yimeng voiced her doubts, "He didn’t capture and imprison us; has Old Demon Duan gone mad?"

Leng Yixue shook her head, "I don’t know."

One shouldn’t bother guessing Old Demon Duan’s thoughts.

"Sis, what do we do now? Are we really going to help him find Doctor Xue?" Leng Yimeng asked, perplexed.

It was unexpected for her, not to have been captured by Old Demon Duan.

Leng Yixue fell silent.

"Do you really want to help him?" Leng Yimeng asked with surprise.

Leng Yixue bit her lip and said, "I just want to know the truth."

"Do you think what he said is credible? Would Doctor Xue lie?"

"What do you think?"

"You believe what the Old Demon says; could it be that you have feelings for him?"

"What about you?"

"I..."

After that, both sisters fell silent.

Having a deep connection from a young age, they naturally understood each other’s thoughts.

They were actually willing to believe Duan Yun once, even though he is now the infamous Demon.

The reason was that inexplicable fondness, or rather, Duan Yun had a mysterious allure to them.

The tale of the Demon and the Goddess Catcher was once a much-discussed topic in the Martial World.

It was the shame of the Qingqi Bureau, and the nightmare of the Goddess Catchers, yet in fact, some Goddess Catchers developed affection from hatred, ending up falling for the Demon.

There was more than one such Goddess Catcher.

Some of the predecessors who were rescued spoke the Demon’s name until their last breath.

This was an eerie matter, but it kept happening.

Between Goddess Catchers and the Demon, there seemed to be a peculiar natural attraction.

Leng Yimeng and Leng Yixue were not to that extent, but perhaps because Duan Yun could easily capture them yet he let them go, or maybe it was this strange attraction, it made them willing to believe Old Demon Duan this time.

As the two Goddess Catchers were caught in their conflicted emotions, a woman at the next table stood up and left.

...

Inside the great forge, a sweet-looking woman greeted Duan Yun.

This woman was sweet-looking, and her smile was sweet; if she wished to sell you something, it wouldn’t be easy to refuse.

Seeing her sweet smile, Duan Yun became somewhat wary, which often meant Silver slipping out of one’s pocket.

Wangchun City was just like that, like a forever insatiable young wife, able to effortlessly drain one’s savings.

"Young Hero, are you looking to buy a type of weapon?"

Duan Yun shook his head, "Not to buy, but to custom-make one."

"I see, a custom order."

Duan Yun took out the two Life Tokens and said, "Using these to make it."

The moment she saw the two Life Tokens, the sweetness in the woman’s eyes was replaced by a much more serious look.

"Young Hero, please follow me."

Duan Yun was invited into an elegant private room upstairs.

In the private room, the air was filled with the scent of sandalwood, and the table was set with clear tea and exquisite pastries.

Such treatment indeed made him feel the value of the two metal stakes.

Before long, a man dressed in blue entered the room.

The man had a little moustache and looked very shrewd.

Upon seeing Duan Yun, he carefully examined the stakes and cut to the chase, "Young Hero, this is high-quality Xuanlei Iron, and the mechanism inside is extremely intricate. It must be the work of a master craftsman. Are you really planning to melt them down for sword casting?"

To the man, this seemed almost like a waste of good material.

Likewise, he knew that these things were problematic; they were clearly possessions of someone, and whoever was robbed of them was definitely not an ordinary individual.

If these things are not melted and recast, the "Young Hero" standing in front of him will likely encounter plenty of trouble.

Duan Yun nodded, "I’m not used to these two items, I prefer swords."

"What requirements do you have for the sword, Young Hero?"

"Naturally, it should be practical, durable, and if possible, also good-looking and enduring."

For so long, Duan Yun had been using an entry-level iron sword, and now he could finally ask for something "handsome".

The man in blue nodded, "Understood. All the swordsmiths at my Great Furnace are masters from the Mo Sect, and they will surely meet Young Hero’s requirements. As for the size of the sword, do you have any specifications in mind?"

After Duan Yun stated his requirements, the man in blue nodded, "A deposit of three hundred taels."

"How much?" Duan Yun raised his brow.

He had anticipated that casting a sword wouldn’t be cheap, especially at a place like the Great Furnace, but he hadn’t expected it would be so expensive.

The key point was, this was just the deposit; once the sword was forged, he’d still have to pay another four hundred taels.

Providing the materials himself, the cost to forge a sword was outrageously high.

The man in blue cautiously said, "Young Hero may not be aware, but the casting process for Xuanlei Iron is extremely complex. I’m not exaggerating when I say that within the entire Wangchun City, only we are capable of casting it, and it’s a lengthy and laborious process. This truly is the lowest price."

Seven hundred taels of silver; he had caused a slaughter on the graveyard that day, and even looted valuables didn’t add up to this much.

Seeing his troubled expression, the man in blue said respectfully, "Young Hero, what do you think of this arrangement? After you have your sword cast, there will probably be about one and a half jin of Xuanlei Iron left from these stakes. At that time, you can give it to our shop as payment for crafting."

With that, Duan Yun roughly understood the value of Xuanlei Iron; it was indeed much more expensive than gold.

Thanks to the sponsorship of some old irons from the Thunder God and Mother Sect.

Duan Yun nodded and responded, "How can I be sure you won’t mix in something fake?"

This stuff was so pricey; he couldn’t afford to be careless.

The man in blue smiled, "Young Hero, you worry too much. You can’t trust the reputation of the Great Furnace? How about this: I’ll leave my wife with you, and you can return her when you come to collect the sword."

At that moment, the sweet lady actually walked over to Duan Yun, not shy in the slightest.

Duan Yun: "..."

Using his own wife as collateral, this truly is the style of the Mo Sect.

Duan Yun stood up and said, "I shall not take someone’s beloved from them. It’s sufficient to come and collect it at the agreed time."

Afterwards, he took the receipt and left.

Yes, Duan Yun had also figured it out: if this guy dared to be dishonest and skimp on his Xuanlei Iron, then he would kill him and all of his accomplices.

If one conducts business without integrity, he would swindle many people, cause countless to be ruined and lose their homes and lives. Killing such a man would be akin to removing a scourge for the people.

After Duan Yun left, the woman smiled sweetly and said to the man in blue, "I wonder how many more valuable things he has on him."

With his hand, the man lifted her chin and asked, "So, are you disappointed she didn’t take you with her to find out?"

"Not at all, I just think..."

"Don’t get the wrong idea about this man. At such a young age, he is capable of handling such a fine piece, how could he be mediocre?" the man in blue mused thoughtfully.

...

Shen Ying had just returned to Yuzhu Villa, only to hear the murmuring gossip of the Murong brothers— "So, is it a little sister?".

Shen Ying was not happy and said, "I just went out for a stroll. Who cares about any sister?"

Murong brothers saw her expression and burst into laughter, saying, "So there really is a new sister! What does she look like? Are you pretty, or is she prettier?"

"Shut up! Go to sleep! You don’t want your sister coming to kill you sometime! If you ask me, she should tear your mouth up before she kills you!" Shen Ying said angrily.

Murong brothers couldn’t help but express their surprise, "Getting this angry out of embarrassment? Just how pretty is this new sister?"

Shen Ying was so angry she almost threw a brick at him and then stormed off.

Bamboo.

Amidst the green bamboo, there was a pond of cyan-blue water.

Shen Ying was bathing in the pond with a frustrated expression, mingled with some worry.

She hadn’t expected that Murong brothers would actually be right.

It wasn’t just one sister this time, but two sisters, a pair of beauties at that.

From eavesdropping, she knew that these two sisters actually took a liking to Duan Yun, and despite knowing he was Old Demon Duan’s son and themselves being Goddess Catchers, they chose to help him.

Where are your Goddess Catcher principles?

For a moment, she felt somewhat angry.

Because she felt her liking for Duan Yun was similar.

So, you’re like this with every sister, huh?

You womanizer!

Thinking of this, Shen Ying couldn’t help but get heated, and even had the urge to chop Duan Yun up!

The thought startled her.

She couldn’t help but think of the curse of the Demon Blade. She had promised Duan Yun that she would never chop him because she thought such a thing would never happen.

And yet, here she was, actually contemplating it...

How bizarre.

Could it be that what Murong brothers said was true?

Am I really his sister?

Same father, different mothers? Same mother, different fathers?

Wait, if it is the problem with my father, does that mean those twin Goddess Catchers are also my sisters?

Impossible!

That’s too preposterous.

Even though she knew it was ridiculous, Shen Ying’s expression did not relax and was even more worried.

The rippling blue water caressed her body, and as she grazed her chest, her originally unremarkable curves suddenly became exceptionally full.

Surprisingly not any smaller than Leng Yimeng and Leng Yixue.

The silvery moonlight reflected on her satin-like figure. Sometimes, even Shen Ying felt shy looking at herself.

But now she had no time for that.

Because she thought it might really be possible that she was related to those two Divine Catchers.

The women of the Shen Family had always been known for one trait—big chests.

And those two sisters had big chests too.

No way...

For two consecutive days, Shen Ying neither cooked nor brought back anything to eat, as if someone had offended her.

During such times, Duan Yun usually wouldn’t bother her.

Women, after all, always have those few days every month; poking at them during such times would only invite trouble.

But he had avoided her, and yet she took the initiative to come and pick a fight with him.

Whether he was practicing with a sword, she’d say his posture was ugly; if he was eating, she’d say he ate as much as a pig; even washing his face would warrant a comment like "Why is your face so big, you’re simply wasting water!".

My handsome face is comparable to Takeshi Kaneshiro, how could it be big!

Duan Yun finally couldn’t bear it and said, "Did you eat gunpowder?"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

With that said, Duan Yun quickly made his escape.

This was the first time Duan Yun realized just how apt the saying "tigress" was.

He couldn’t help admiring Murong brothers for being chased by five such "tigresses."

The pressure wasn’t any less than him, the Young Hero Duan, who had faced numerous demons in battle.

At night, Yuzhu Villa was silent.

No matter how imposing Old Demon Duan’s reputation was or how attractive the traces on the graveyard were, no one would go there at this hour.

After nightfall, both Yuzhu Villa and the graveyard behind it returned to their usual spooky and profound atmosphere.

The three people including Duan Yun went to bed after washing up.

However, in the middle of the night, they were suddenly awakened by a series of knocking sounds.

Thump thump thump!

In the dead of night, there came a series of knocks on the door.

The knocking wasn’t loud but wasn’t soft either, neither fast nor slow, giving off an eerie vibe.

A visitor?

The very statement that Yuzhu Villa had a visitor was peculiar.

Apart from them, who would come to such a haunted place?

Duan Yun and Shen Ying were the first to come out.

The two of them walked toward the main gate, but as they approached it, the knocking stopped.

The dim moonlight shone on the courtyard, enveloping it in darkness.

"Who’s there?"

Duan Yun stood at the door, calling out.

No response. All was silent, as if the knocking just now was an illusion.

Duan Yun carefully opened the main gate and was startled.

Because at the gate stood three figures.

Three scarecrows.

The one in the middle was dressed in bright red clothes, just like a groom.

The shadows of the wall covered their bodies, making it impossible to see their faces clearly from this angle, which only added to the creepiness.

Were those scarecrows the ones knocking?

Duan Yun and Shen Ying couldn’t help but recall the rumors about scarecrows on the mountain, feeling a shiver run down their spines.

Could it actually be a ghost?

With that thought, even Duan Yun felt goosebumps all over.

Holding Wen Rou, Duan Yun cautiously approached and realized the "groom" had a piece of skin on its face.

He wasn’t sure if it was pigskin or something else, but it was pasted on the scarecrow’s head, with eyes and a nose drawn on it with an ink brush.

The moonlight was faint, and as the face was shadowed, it wasn’t clear to see.

Suddenly, Duan Yun felt that this face looked familiar.

Familiar?

This is...