I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 125 Slaying the Evil Corpse

"Senior brother, you're here! Come and eat, we haven't been waiting for you."

Other junior disciples were chewing food and talking indistinctly.

Pei Ju just stood there looking at what was being grilled, but it was clearly erotic meat.

When his gaze shifted over, it was naturally noticed by the people eating.

But they offered no explanation.

The person sitting in the innermost seat had a faint, eerie light in his eyes. In the previous scene, which might have been an illusion, he had only uttered the word "sit".

He is everyone's 'master'.

This time, he spoke up, saying, "Everyone is hungry; if we don't eat, we'll starve to death."

"Why don't we leave here?" Pei Ju asked.

“No one can leave here,” the master said.

"Why?" Pei Ju asked.

"Because this is the Avici Hell," the 'master' said with a mixture of awe and horror.

Pei Ju didn't believe it and drew his sword.

The Demon-Slaying Sword-Drawing Style.

The sword was drawn, forming a circle of blood-red light in the firelight. The sword slashed five or six meters through the air, enveloping everyone in the firelight.

Sparks flew everywhere in the firelight, and flames soared.

Amidst the flames, the four men disintegrated in the flashes of swords and fire.

Because his sudden advance was right at the edge of the firelight, everything in his eyes seemed like an illusion as the firelight receded. The firelight flashed and then disappeared. When he could see clearly again, all he saw was a lamp.

He was squatting in front of the corpse.

The corpse's empty eyes were like two black holes.

Pei Ju didn't say anything this time. Instead, he picked up the lamp, stood up, and walked outside.

This time he said nothing and walked into the darkness.

As he walked, he saw a cluster of firelight again, and in that firelight, he saw four people sitting there. This time, he spoke again: "Who are you?"

"I am..." The 'master' suddenly revealed a strange smile and said, "I am you."

Pei Ju felt a chill run down his spine and his scalp tingled.

He had considered many answers, but he never imagined it would be like this.

He stood there in silence for a while, then suddenly drew his sword. With a single stroke, the sword flashed and sparks flew, and the four people beneath his sword were like fluff burning in the flames.

This time, he opened his eyes wide, trying to see clearly how the illusion would take him back to that cave, only to find that he was standing right at the entrance of his own cave, having not actually gone far at all.

When he turned around, he saw the cave where he lived, and the dark area opposite was where the four of them had just been.

"Where exactly is this place?"

The thought flashed through Pei Ju's mind, and then he turned around and went back to his cave. He felt that no matter which way he went, he would still be able to return to this place in the darkness outside, so he went out again to verify it.

As expected, he encountered the four people sitting around the fire again. This time, he went there again and said, "You eat people?"

“No, we eat ghosts and monsters,” the junior sister replied immediately.

"That head is still there, and you're talking about ghosts?" Pei Ju said coldly.

The junior sister was clearly flustered and hurriedly said, "Second senior brother was possessed by a ghost, that's why we ate him."

“No, I think you’re possessed by ghosts, that’s why you’re like this,” Pei Ju said coldly.

The people who had been eating with their heads down suddenly looked up at Pei Ju, as if they had been exposed.

But their gazes changed, becoming chilling. Then one of them said, "You've found out, but it doesn't matter. We'll keep you around, because that way we won't lack food."

Pei Ju was secretly alarmed, but he remained outwardly calm and drew his sword.

The sword-drawing technique, used to slay demons, drew a half-circle of sword light, bringing with it a dazzling burst of fire.

He returned to his cave once again.

He found that he could get some information each time he went, so he went into the darkness once again.

A short while later, the four people were seen again.

He asked, "What did you mean when you said you were me?"

The 'master' just smiled strangely and said, "You can mean whatever you want. You can't kill me."

Pei Ju drew his sword.

The Demon-Slaying Sword-Drawing Style.

A circle of sword light, a patch of fire.

He returned to his cave once again, holding the lamp in his hand.

He decided to make some changes, putting the lamp back on the lamp stand and leaving the cave without it, walking step by step into the darkness.

In the darkness, the path in the cave was rugged and uneven underfoot.

He walked carefully, when suddenly he saw shadowy figures moving ahead. He couldn't see them clearly in the darkness. He stood there without greeting them, and an idea began to form in his mind.

He wanted to follow these shadows to see where they went.

So he started following them, but as he walked, he discovered that the shadows had vanished into thin air.

Then, other shadows appeared from other paths, and a group of shadows, upon seeing him, suddenly ran away quickly.

He was a little surprised.

But as soon as he turned around, he saw shadows rushing towards him. Even when he retreated to avoid them, they still crashed down. So Pei Ju could only use his sword finger to stab them out. The shadow-like figures shattered, and he felt that he hadn't touched anything.

He walked for a long time, and groups of shadows appeared in the darkness. They seemed to be walking with a purpose, or they seemed to be wandering aimlessly in the darkness.

Or perhaps they are searching for food in the dark.

He himself felt like he was part of it all, unable to escape.

Finally, he stopped and stopped running around like a headless fly.

He wondered if the fact that he hadn't encountered the 'group of four' again meant that the problem stemmed from not having a lamp. Was it all the lamp's fault?
He stood there, closed his eyes, and imagined what the cave looked like, and the lamp. Then he walked in the direction he felt, and after about ten steps, he saw a faint light.

After another ten or so steps, we came to a cave. Inside, we saw the lamps on the lamp stand.

He looked at the bed again and found a person lying on the table.

Just then, the person covered their head with the blanket and turned to the side, so it was impossible to see what they looked like.

He was startled, and a chill ran down his spine. Just then, he vaguely sensed that the other person was about to wake up.

A thought suddenly occurred to him: "Why don't I hide and see who he is and what he's going to do?" So he crawled under the bed.

As he crawled under the bed, his mind and body suddenly became calm, free from any other random thoughts.

But then he heard the person in the bed wake up.

The person on the bed got up and sat there for a while, as if looking around the cave.

Then he got up, and Pei Ju could see the other man's feet. He walked to the lamp stand.

Pei Ju heard the other person recite a sentence: "When walking in the dark, you must bring a lamp."

Upon hearing this, Pei Ju was startled: "How did it change? What I saw before clearly said not to blow it out."

Then, Pei Ju heard the other person say, "It looks like there used to be a sword here."

"A wooden frame made of vines that grew by being nourished with blood."

"Don't look in the mirror."

"Little Stone is very cute, but don't disturb Him too much!"

"Where exactly is this place?" Pei Ju felt that the voice was somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember it for a moment.

Not long after, the man took the lamp and went out, plunging the cave into darkness.

But Pei Ju, who was hiding under the bed, didn't move. He suddenly heard footsteps.

The footsteps seemed to be searching for something in the cave. Suddenly, he turned around and came to the bedside. In the darkness, Pei Ju could vaguely see the other person's feet.

The other person's feet didn't move. It was too dark for him to see clearly. He looked carefully and suddenly noticed a head appearing at the other person's feet. It looked like an upside-down head, and it was looking down at the bed.

The moment Pei Ju met the other person's gaze, he was completely paralyzed.

Afterwards, he found his body stiffening and his eyes seemed to go blind; he could see nothing but hear.

Not long after, he heard footsteps that circled the cave once before disappearing.

Not long after, the footsteps returned, but after only a short while, they circled around and disappeared back into the darkness.

This time, he returned around the same time as before, but instead of wandering around the cave, he left quickly. Gradually, Pei Ju sensed that the other person seemed somewhat anxious.

They come back again and again, and leave again and again.

He also noticed that the other person's footsteps were getting lighter and faster.

Until one day, when he returned, he suddenly came to the bedside and shone the lamp he was holding under the bed.

Then he heard that the other person's breathing seemed a little rapid.

The other person dragged him out, but he cried out in surprise, stood up abruptly, turned around and ran into the darkness, without even taking the lamp.

Pei Ju only heard footsteps disappear, and not long after, he heard another voice.

“Master, our eldest brother has been possessed by a ghost. Let’s not keep him alive.”

It was a girl's voice, followed by two male voices echoing it.

Then there was silence, but after a while, a voice said, "Well, what a pity."

That voice is 'Master's' voice.

At that moment, only one voice screamed in his mind: "They want to kill me?"

"If they're killing me now, then who were they killing before?"

Pei Ju was somewhat bewildered, and even a little flustered.

Then, his body was lifted up and put into the darkness, but he could tell that he was put down not far away.

Then he heard a voice say, "Master, tell me, how many more times can he be killed?"

“I don’t know. Anyway, no matter how resilient he is, as long as we keep going, he will eventually break down,” the ‘master’ said.

Upon hearing this, Pei Ju decided to stop listening, because he had thought of something, or rather, a possibility.

His consciousness began to sink.

He sank into the deepest part of his soul, and there he seemed to see a lamp, and also a sword.

The lamp and the sword were both placed on a shelf.

He remembered that the talismans had previously described swords and lamps.

The sword is said to be "an ominous sword; once drawn, it will surely draw blood."

The lamp, however, is described as follows: "You must not blow it out with your mouth."

Then he heard another person read aloud what they saw: "When walking in the dark, always carry a light."

But at that moment, the light on the lamp he saw was very faint, as if it could be blown out by a wisp of wind at any moment.

So he went over, picked up the sword, and blew out the lamp.

In that instant, the sky seemed to be plunged into darkness.

Immediately, countless noises filled his ears, as if countless people were appearing before him, some malicious, some hypocritical, as if they were about to surge out of the darkness all at once, like a flood that would wash him away.

“They’re all ghosts.” Pei Ju stood in the darkness, drawing his sword.

"Slaying Demons with Sword"

A sword flashed, cleaving through the darkness as if the heavens and earth were being created.

New light appeared in the sky, and the light shone into his eyes like seven stars, dazzling and shining on him, as if it had fallen into his heart.

He sensed a mysterious power flowing through his heart.

Then, a flood of memories came to mind, and his heart quickly filled up, yet he felt exceptionally pure.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw himself sitting in a small room, with the lamp beside him already extinguished.

He couldn't help but look at the colorful stones embedded in the ceiling, which seemed to be shining in his eyes.

"Senior sister, what kind of place is this spiritual realm I just entered?" Pei Ju asked, looking at his senior sister sitting on the other side.

“It lies within your own state of mind,” Master Yu said calmly.

"But didn't you say you'd take me into a spiritual realm where I could gain the ability to control swords?" Pei Ju asked.

"Pretty much. Sword control doesn't just mean flying on a sword. It means completely mastering the sword within you. To achieve this, you need a strong mind. You have a sword heart, but it's not strong enough. That's why I'm letting you enter your own inner spiritual realm."

“There, everything you see and hear reflects the state of your own heart. It’s good that you were able to emerge on your own; you are now qualified to walk alongside me in the future,” said Senior Sister Yu.

Pei Ju looked at Senior Sister Yu, who then said again, "Didn't you say you saw another version of yourself before? That was your evil thoughts, or you could say your evil corpse. Although you tried to cut it off once, you didn't completely cut it off. You were able to break free from it in your own mental world, which means you have cut off the evil corpse."

"Evil does not refer to the superficial kind of evil, but rather to those negative emotions. I hope you can always keep your heart pure, so that the power of your sword will be strong."

(End of this chapter)