A Chance Encounter of Sword Masters

When both emperors finally come into agreement, they went separate ways. It is almost dawn, the Hu emperor and his doctors went back to his palace. Some questions have emerged in his head after he knew that he had dodged the danger earlier. He wonders how those two people did not get affected by their poison. Though his heart is troubled, he just keeps the question in his mind. Just like what the doctors did. They keep all their curiosity in silence and all they felt are extreme confusion. How? This question will remain in the depth of their hearts.

As for the two figures, they continued their journey. When daylight came, they are still inside the territory of Hu Empire but the scenery is now very isolated. No single person can be seen in the streets except them. Their distance is getting farther away from the capital of Hu Empire and they are almost in the exit border when the night struck again.

The next kingdom is the Hong Empire. Unlike the Hu Empire, the young emperor is not worried of passing in this empire. This is the most open empire in the region. Most people who are living in their capital are from foreign lands. These people were usually exiled from the kingdom where they first live and seek new beginnings at the Hong Empire.

The emperor of Hong Empire had allowed such people to stay with proper payment of their taxes. It can be said that the emperor in this kingdom is very business minded. He values money and takes pride of the diversity of his territory. No matter whom it is or what kind of person wants to stay in the Hong Empire, they can stay as long as they are capable to pay.

Ye Shin has started feeling the effects of no sleeping for several days. She is now exhausted and sleepy. She knows that if she did not get sleep soon, she won't be able to secure the safety of emperor He Mo. The two decided to stop in the isolated place and have their rest.

There are no inns in the area so the two decided to just build a camp. They found a perfect spot. The area is woody. There are no houses around and only various big trees that are mightily standing along the road. Ye Shin set two hammocks on the branches of the tree for them to lay their bodies. The emperor did not complained of this arrangement. He is also excited to experience the life of a wanderer.

Before Ye Shin is undertaken by sleepiness, she manifested her weapon and let it float on the ground in between their two hammocks. The appearance of the Spiral Sword is now very ordinary. Once the sword placed in the middle of them, both went to sleep.

Ye Shin and emperor He Mo automatically dozed off the moment they laid down their bodies in the hammocks. One of them has not been sleeping since they left the He Empire while the other was completely sleepless last night. Both are dead tired because of last night. The lady had also used her inner force to slaughter few people, this is why she needed enough rest to recover! They sleep like a log on their hammock in the stillness of the night.

Ye Shin's consciousness has left her body the moment she closed her eyes. She is no longer mindful of their surroundings, which is a very rare of her but this is not negligence of her duty at the emperor's bodyguard at all! The lady actually imbued some of her consciousness unto the Spiral Sword. If the sword detects any form of hostility, may it be from human or wild animals living in the area, it will react accordingly. Eradicate hostility!

The two were still in a deep sleep when six figures appeared and surrounded them. These six people are standing above the trees where the hammocks are clinging in. Each of the six people have swords strap at the back of their body. They are Sword Masters!

Sword Masters are different from Sword Cultivators. Although both of them is adept practitioner of swords but the gap is big. The former does not manifest their weapons using inner force. Only the bloodlines of Sword Cultivators are capable of using inner force to form a weapon. The Sword Masters use and rely on metal swords. Some of them are black smiths or the creator of the swords from metals and also repairs the weapon while others are plain fighters.

"Bro! There's a beautiful maiden here!" one of the six people who happened to be near Ye Shin stated excitedly.

"And what is that sword on the ground? Is that a double fuller long-sword? These two are probably from a poor family. Their weapon is pitiful" another commented when he noticed the ordinary appearance of the Spiral Sword.

"Are they the same like us? They are Swords Masters also, right?" one of them asked. The Spiral Sword remains on the ground as the six people continue their conversation. There is no hostility from the six people so the sword did not react at their arrival.

"Maybe they are fellow brothers. This area must be a safe place to sleep. We can have rest here." someone suggested and the rest of them nod their heads in agreement.

Just as they are about to jump in the ground, a large snake fly in! The snake is fast and it is heading in the direction of their youngest member. The boy was startled by the snake that he had forgotten to draw his own sword. All the other five were looking at him worriedly. There is no enough time to save their youngest from the snake's attack!

At that moment, the Spiral Sword vibrated on the ground. At first, the six people did not notice of the weapon's reaction. They are too busy looking at the snake. After the Spiral Sword detected the hostility of the snake, it vibrated fiercely and quickly slashed the snake. When the lifeless body of the snake falls on the ground, they were shocked! The Spiral Sword returns to its original position.

"The sword has a consciousness!" One of the six people finally noticed the movement of the sword. He is the same person who asks about the sword earlier. His views on the weapon immediately changed. It is not just a double fuller long-sword!

"This... let's check the weapon!" someone said and the six of them agreed then jumped on the ground.

"The weapon has an ordinary appearance. Even I would be ashamed to wield this sword." another member said while examining the Spiral Sword's body.

"But we all saw it clearly, it definitely saved our youngest brother's life from the snake without someone wielding it!" one member declared. To be able to awaken the consciousness of a sword the owner must have a strong connection of the weapon.

"These two people are not ordinary. They are stronger than us!" one of them also commented with full of respect and admiration in his tone.

The surrounding was filled with murmurs and whispers as the six excitedly looked at the Spiral Sword. Nobody dared to touch the weapon when they learned that it has a consciousness. They just look at it with awe in their eyes. Their noise finally awakens the lady in the hammock. She retracted the Spiral Sword and looked at the six people who were sitting in the ground.

Once the Spiral Sword was gone, the six people immediately stand up. A different awareness and new perceptions quickly came to their mind. At first they thought that the ordinary weapon had awakened its consciousness but now they are surprised and astonished! No matter how strong the owner of the weapon is, it cannot make the weapon vanished in the air! The things they have assumed were completely wrong! These people are not Sword Masters! These thoughts came to their minds.

As the six people glances at the two hammocks, they are greeted with the soothing appearance of the lady that is already observing at them. The six Sword Masters realized that it is this lady who is the master of the weapon. How powerful and young she is! They looked at her solemn face for a while. The lady did not also speak anything to them.

"Sister, sorry to disturb your rest." the six people managed an apology at the same time. They saw the lady lifted her body out from the hammock. She glanced at the emperor's direction before looking back at them.

"Don't make any more noise." she told them softly.

They immediately understood that the lady does not want her companion to be disturbed. The six people nodded at her. It's a good thing that she did not get angry of them for disturbing her sleep, the six secretly thought. When Ye Shin's eyes look towards to the youngest of the group, she noticed his tired appearance. She pointed her hammock and offered it to him.

"You can use it. I have gotten enough sleep." Ye Shin told the boy. She is not awkward when dealing with strangers as she and her father always encountered different people in their daily lives in the past. When the youngest of the group heard her offer, a big smile suddenly spreads on his face. He smiled widely and then nods his head several times. Without any hesitation, the boy climbed at her hammock and slept.

The other five sword masters were about to scold their youngest member for his boldness in front of a stranger but the lady had already told them to be quiet. They could not help it. The boy is still young and has not yet learns the meaning of qualms!

They saw the lady sat on the ground where her companion is sleeping above. The lady does not appear to mind if her clothes will get dirty. Her actions gathered admiration from them. She just sat there serenely and closed her eyes.

After few breaths of being reluctant, the other five sword masters had completely decided to sleep on the ground where the youngest member is sleeping above. They drifted to sleep with both amazement and few questions about the two people's identity in their mind.