I Have a Sword

Of course, Ye Guan was referring to the plain skirt lady.

The black-robed man turned his gaze to Ye Guan. Ye Guan added, "Of course, I can't guarantee it."

Ye Guan believed that the reason his plain-skirt aunt managed to revive the members of the Tenth Hall back then was that they had just been killed and had yet to reincarnate.

If the individual they were trying to revive had already reincarnated, or worse, if they had been completely erased from existence, there wouldn't be anything for them to rescue.

Just then, the black-robed man asked, "Are you talking about the one who forged that sword?"

"Yes."

The black-robed man stared deeply at Ye Guan. "Can I meet them?"

Ye Guan immediately shook his head. "No."

"Why not?" The black-robed man's eyes narrowed.

The black-robed man sized up Ye Guan, who held his ground, remaining unfazed by the intense gaze.

Meet Plain-Skirt Aunt? She has been nice to me, but I will never take advantage of that kindness. Ye Guan certainly wouldn’t force her to meet anyone.

The black-robed man asked, "Are you sure she can bring someone back to life?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "I’m not certain she can revive someone who died a long time ago. Even if she could do that, I wouldn’t ask her to do it. My affairs have nothing to do with her, after all."

With that, Ye Guan turned around and walked away.

This is my issue, and I will deal with it myself. Since I can't help him, I'll just have to move on.

Just as Ye Guan was about to step out of the grand hall, the black-robed man asked, "Do you even understand what it means to bring someone back to life? It means defying the existing Great Dao of the vast expanse—the highest law that governs everything.

"Do you know what price you'll have to pay to do that?"

Ye Guan stopped, and a smile tugged at his lips. "I know you’re trying to provoke me, but any laws are insignificant for my aunt."

Without waiting for a response, Ye Guan walked straight out. As soon as his foot landed outside, the space around him shifted, and he found himself standing inside the hall.

Ye Guan turned to the black-robed man and frowned.

The black-robed man pulled out two potatoes from the stove, tossing one—roasted to perfection—to Ye Guan. "Try it."

Ye Guan didn’t hesitate. He peeled it open and took a bite of it.

The black-robed man asked, "How is it?"

"It’s good."

The black-robed man was about to say something, but Ye Guan beat him to the chase. "Don’t roast it next time."

The black-robed man stared at Ye Guan for a long while before bursting out into a peal of laughter. "You’re the second person in all these years to speak to me like that."

“If you have something to say, just say it."

The black-robed man took another bite of his potato and then asked, "Want to hear a story?"

"Sure."

The black-robed man chewed on his potato before falling into deep contemplation. Eventually, he said, "A long, long time ago, there was a boy—a prodigy blessed with a rare Heavenly Dao Soul.

"At the young age of twelve, he joined the most powerful clan, and his master treated him exceptionally well.

"He was seen as the future of the clan. When he turned thirteen, however, everything changed. On that fateful day, his master took him to a secret chamber and forcibly extracted his Heavenly Dao Soul…"

The black-robed man laughed bitterly and continued, "The boy finally realized that his master’s kindness has always been because of the Heavenly Dao Soul."

Ye Guan stared at the black-robed man and asked. "What happened next?"

The black-robed man took another bite of his potato before continuing, "The master had underestimated the power of that Heavenly Dao Soul and was struck down by it.

"The boy managed to escape, but he was missing a piece of his soul, so his talent vanished along with his power. Even worse, missing a part of his soul had left the boy in a constant daze, like a dull-witted child.

"The clan had no choice but to send him back to his village…"

The black-robed man tossed another log into the fire and went on, "Back in the village, the boy was completely lost, unable to take care of himself. Luckily, he had an older sister. His sister took care of him, but…"

The black-robed man turned to Ye Guan, and his eyes shimmered like the abyss as he asked, "Do you know how cruel people can be?"

Ye Guan remained silent.

"Once a prodigy, now a crippled fool," the black-robed man remarked, "The villagers took pleasure in his misfortune, laughing at him, mocking him. People are like that—resenting those with power and ridiculing those weak.

"At first, it was just sneers and jeers, but soon, they realized that the boy was truly helpless and completely useless. Then, they started eyeing the siblings' ancestral home and fields. The boy and his sister were just kids—how could they defend their property? Soon enough, the villagers seized their home and land…"

The black-robed man bit down hard on his potato, and his voice sounded as low as a mosquito's droning as he added, "With no home and no land, how were they supposed to survive? Worse, the boy was in a constant daze…

"The first night, the two slept in a barren field. The sister held her brother tightly, trembling in fear…"

Ye Guan listened quietly with an expressionless face.

The black-robed man continued, "Without a home, they slept in the open fields. However, how were they going to survive without any food?

"After two days of hunger, the sister tied her brother to a tree and went into the village alone. She returned at dusk with food in her arms."

The black-robed man closed his eyes slowly, and his voice grew even softer as he continued, "From then on, she went out every day, coming back with food. Sometimes men from the village would bring food to her, and the routine continued for more than half a year until the boy’s mind began to recover."

"When he realized what had happened; his pride couldn’t bear the ‘shameful’ things he believed his sister had done. He hit her, calling her a disgrace..." The black-robed man trailed off and lowered his head.

Ye Guan stood in silence.

After a while, the black-robed man's voice was barely a whisper as he said, "One day, his sister died. She was beaten to death by the women of the village; she was cursed at and beaten until she drew her last breath.

"As she lay dying, she held her brother’s hand and said, 'You must rise above…'"

Coca and Corlumbus's Thoughts

What an interesting way to tell his own story. So many questions… is this how you would tell your own backstory? Truly a questionable way in my opinion

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