My enemies became my companions

Chapter 691 Forging a Sword from a Previous Life

As dusk approached, the temple bells rang out from the clouds.
The moonlight slowly spread along the mountain ridge, like a silent white veil, covering the branches of the ancient pines and the distant valley.

Yin Tingxue walked up the mountain along the road, with Zhou Yitang in front of her and her senior sister Lu Ying behind her.

Night mist rises from the valley entrance, gently sweeping across the dilapidated post road. A thin layer of frost has just formed on the stone steps, and each step makes a soft, rustling sound. This place is extremely high, offering a distant view of the snow-capped mountains.

The wind blew from behind the mountain, carrying the scent of newly melted snow. It was so cold it seemed to steal one's breath, yet in the next instant, it quietly melted into the warmth of one's sleeves.

The one-armed woman led her two apprentices uphill. They rarely saw any pedestrians along the way. When they did see the one-armed woman, they would consciously step aside and respectfully bow and pay their respects.

Finally, we arrived at the foot of a memorial archway.

Yin Tingxue looked around curiously. This was Sword Village. She had heard many rumors on the way, but now she saw that it was just an ordinary village on a snow mountain.

It's said to be a land of swords, yet no swords are seen there.

All that could be seen were rows of small houses, each one somewhat dilapidated.

Zhou Yitang led her two apprentices across the village streets to a slightly larger house, from which came the sound of hammering metal.

The heavy, muffled knocking echoed through the desolate twilight of the snow-capped mountains. The closer one got, the more one could feel the heat permeating the air, causing the snow on the eaves to fall in a soft rustling sound, like the heartbeat of the mountain.

Yin Tingxue looked around and found many blacksmithing tools. She thought that this was probably a blacksmith shop, but she didn't know what the difference was between these blacksmith shops that made immortal swords.
The shop has a wide storefront, but no doors, allowing the mountain winds and heat waves to mix as people come and go.

The walls were covered with all sorts of hammers, pliers, and files, each one heavy and dark, polished to a shine by the years and sparks. In the corners were piles of ores of different colors, some shimmering with starlight, others dark like congealed blood. The furnace was burning brightly, making the walls glow red. A huge bellows leaned to one side, like a sleeping beast.

Perhaps there is no difference.

Yin Tingxue thought to herself that whether it was forging plows, woodcutters, or immortal swords and divine weapons, the red-hot iron blocks would always have to be hammered and would hiss during quenching.

Human strength is finite, and so is the way of nature; perhaps there is no essential difference between them.

But then I thought, since this place is the land of swords, it must be extraordinary to attract Master Zhou to come here in person.

The law is invisible, yet it resides in the heart. Perhaps the law lies within it, for a mountain is not high if it is not high, but it is sacred if there is a deity there.

But Yin Tingxue thought about it again. "It's not that a mountain is high, but that it is sacred because of the immortals who dwell there." While that may be true, how can we generalize about things? Perhaps the higher the mountain, the more sacred the immortals.

The little fox always had a lot of ideas, going around in circles. Chen Yi would always tease her about it, but he also found her unusually cute.

Sometimes, Chen Yi would inexplicably get a sudden urge, scoop up the little fox, hug it tightly, roll onto the bed, and purr sweetly, "My little fox is the cutest! How can it be so cute?"

Every time this happened, Yin Tingxue would respond with a few words like, "Yes, I'm the cutest." But after he did it so many times, Yin Tingxue got annoyed. Not only did she respond very indifferently, but she also pointed out to him, "Chen Yi... this sounds a bit like you're being coquettish... how can you be coquettish with me..."

At that time, Chen Yi would often pause for a moment, making his face look a little stiff.

Finally, he naturally flew into a rage and took the opportunity to vent his anger, giving her a good beating. When she was sore all over and tears welled up in her eyes, she belatedly realized how petty this man was. Yin Tingxue felt a little wronged, but afterwards she still indirectly criticized him. Chen Yi was also soft-hearted at that time, and after being coaxed by her, he reluctantly apologized and coaxed her in a soft voice.

In this family, the usually domineering Chen Yi was always the most swayed by the little fox.

Thinking of this, Yin Tingxue felt as if she had been gently tickled by a feather, a slight itch mixed with warmth.

Suddenly, a loud "bang" of metal being struck rang out, interrupting Yin Tingxue's thoughts, and she immediately looked over.

A figure strode out from the inner room, illuminated by the firelight.

She was a robust woman, her coarse cloth clothes soaked with sweat and soot. Her hands were surprisingly large, with rough knuckles covered in calluses and old burn marks. She casually wiped her face with a towel draped over her shoulder, her gaze sweeping over Lu Ying and Yin Tingxue with a scrutinizing intensity, as if scanning cold iron.

Finally, her gaze fell on Zhou Yitang, the sharpness in her eyes instantly softening. She nodded slightly, her voice like muffled thunder:

"Master Zhou, you've arrived."

Unlike Chen Yi, who was disliked wherever he went, Master Zhou was always treated as an honored guest wherever he went... Yin Tingxue couldn't help but think this way.

In this way, they complement each other... They really do look like a married couple...

Yin Tingxue thought about it for a moment. Compared to others, she and Chen Yi didn't seem to have much of a couple's vibe. Often, one of them would be thinking about one thing while the other was thinking about another.

So it's better to be a second wife.

"What brings Master Zhou here today?" The strong woman spoke each word carefully, her pronunciation slightly awkward. Yin Tingxue overheard something; it seemed she usually preferred to speak plainly.

"Forging swords".

"For these two...disciples?" The strong woman glanced at the two women and then introduced herself: "My name is...surname Li, given name Kang, I don't have a courtesy name, just call me Sister Li."

Yin Tingxue nodded, and after Lu Ying finished her introduction, she also introduced herself.

Li Kang clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhou Yitang and said, "May I ask what kind of sword Master Zhou wishes to forge for me? If it is a fine sword, you may simply go and choose one that suits your needs..."

Before Li Kang could finish speaking, Zhou Yitang pointed at Lu Ying and said, "Her sword heart has already become clear."

Li Kang paused for a moment, then, "Then there must be a sword on the top floor of the Hidden Sword Pavilion to match it..."

Zhou Yitang then pointed at Yin Tingxue and said, "She has the ability to hear everything."

Li Kang was completely stunned.

The cold wind howled, and no one spoke for a long time.

"If that's the case... wouldn't it require... forging a sword using a past life?"

........................

Once again, I traverse the world of ignorance.

Compared to his initial wariness stemming from complete ignorance, Chen Yi had become somewhat irritable.

Back and forth, searching and searching, it was all the same streets and alleys, the surroundings were deathly silent, completely different from the bustling and lively atmosphere I had experienced in the past few days, the latter was like a dream bubble.

But in reality, he never truly left the world of ignorance...

Despite having accepted it, Chen Yi still couldn't hide his unease and longed to find the Ming Palace immediately.

The more I searched, the more I felt like I was going in circles.

What's even more unbearable is that there's a clueless girl next to him chattering away. They have no romantic feelings for each other, nor are they a Daoist partner, so naturally she can't possibly understand his feelings.

Chen Yi couldn't help but think subconsciously,
If only Yin Tingxue were here.

(End of this chapter)