Chapter 23: The World’s Best Sword is Indeed a Good Sword

I have seen the same star.

Cheng Huan hadn’t expected that the moment she revealed her sword, everyone would be so dumbfounded. The Golden Cicada Pavilion assassins turned and fled in terror, their speed suggesting they feared being left behind and silenced with a single stroke. Before Cheng Huan could even ask why they were so afraid, they were gone.

With the crisis averted, Cheng Huan sheathed her soft sword at her waist and turned to find Mu Ge staring at her, mesmerized.

“What’s wrong?” Cheng Huan asked. “Are you frightened?”

Mu Ge snapped back to reality and looked at Cheng Huan’s waist. After a pause, she struggled to find her voice. “Was that… the Azure Frost Sword?”

“Azure Frost Sword?” Cheng Huan followed her gaze to her waist and understood. She drew the soft sword and held it out to Mu Ge. “You recognize this sword?”

She wasn’t deliberately showing off. It was just that when she first arrived in this Retirement Experience World, she started out living alone deep in the mountains, dealing with fierce beasts daily. The information she got from Little Hedgehog about her identity was also quite simple.

Because she had a flexible, razor-sharp long sword at her waist, she was a swordswoman living in seclusion among mountains and rivers. And that was it.

Her identity in this Retirement Experience World was thus sketchily confirmed, even more succinct than the last one.

Now, with the assassin calling her “Number One Sword Under Heaven” and Mu Ge recognizing her sword as the Azure Frost Sword at a glance, Cheng Huan could deduce from their reactions that her identity in this world was definitely not simple.

Mu Ge carefully touched the blade of the Azure Frost Sword. The touch was ice-cold, as if forged from frost. The sword body was flexible, resilient, and paper-thin. The bluebird pattern on the blade seemed to soar and shatter ice when swung, carrying a piercing, bone-chilling cold.

“The Azure Frost Sword, foremost of the Three Famous Swords, is a blade of exquisite elegance. Its wielder is the Azure Frost Recluse, ranked first on the Expert Ranking List.”

The Azure Frost Recluse was elusive; no one knew her whereabouts. All they knew was that her swordsmanship was transcendent, her internal energy profound, and her martial prowess unmatched.

Rumors about her were legendary. Not even their gender was known—until a rumor spread that someone had seen him, a man of striking handsomeness and poise.

Thus, on the Expert Ranking List, the Azure Frost Recluse was listed as male.

This had misled Mu Ge’s judgment, making her assume Cheng Huan was merely a disciple of that reclusive master.

But—

Mu Ge gazed at Cheng Huan’s warm and radiant face with confusion.

The title “Azure Frost Recluse” had been known since Mu Ge was an ignorant child. Over a decade had passed since. The Recluse should be the same age as her parents, and her appearance should not be so young.

Cheng Huan looked even younger than her by a few years.

Mu Ge couldn’t help but recall a rumor that both amazed and was doubted by the world: that the Azure Frost Recluse was an Immortal descended to earth, undergoing tribulation in the mortal realm. Since she was an Immortal, of course, she would be ageless and forever youthful.

Seeing Mu Ge stare at her face with a contemplative look, Cheng Huan asked, “What’s wrong? Is there dirt on my face?”

Mu Ge lowered her eyes. “Nothing.”

Cheng Huan touched her face. Seeing Mu Ge remain silent, she pressed on, “Aside from knowing my sword is called Azure Frost, what else do you know about me?”

Fearing she might appear too curious, Cheng Huan feigned profundity and tested, “Tell me. Let me see how the outside world has been spreading tales about me during these years of closed-door cultivation.”

Mu Ge murmured, “The world naturally holds you in reverence and admiration.”

Cheng Huan was dissatisfied with this answer. She wanted concrete details about this identity, not flattery and sycophancy.

But she didn’t dare ask too much, afraid of arousing the female lead’s suspicion. This world’s female lead was deep and calculating, not as innocent and easy to befriend as Lu Qing’an.

If she couldn’t get information from Mu Ge, she would wait until after leaving the mountain and delivering the female lead to the male lead. Then she would have no trouble getting information about her own identity from others. Thinking this, she wasn’t in a hurry.

Cheng Huan set the wheelchair properly, helped Mu Ge sit, fastened the seatbelt, and pushed her out of the mountain.

The two needed to speed up and reach the village at the foot of the mountain before nightfall to rest.

Mu Ge remained silent the entire journey. Her heart was a turbulent mess.

If Cheng Huan could be used by her, then the stolen treasure map of the Fanli Clan could be reclaimed. She could even personally exact vengeance and kill the enemies who slaughtered the Fanli Clan.

As long as Cheng Huan would help her, she would pay any price. Anything at all…

The vengeance for her annihilated clan—Mu Ge had to take it.

So many enemies, each a martial arts expert, each holding high positions. Standing alone, she couldn’t contend with them.

Right now, only Cheng Huan could help her.

She had to secure Cheng Huan’s assistance.

Mu Ge turned her head toward Cheng Huan, who seemed to sense her gaze. Cheng Huan curved her lips and asked again, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Mu Ge said quietly.

Her eyes flickered a few times. She recalled the rumors about the Azure Frost Recluse. Among them, one rumor appeared utterly absurd, yet the world believed it with surprising conviction.

Mu Ge’s expression grew solemn. She clenched her hands resting on her lap.

Exiting the mountain, the two arrived at Lingchang Village below. Only then did they learn the mountain they had stayed on was called “Lingchang.” The village, nestled between mountain and water, was named Lingchang Village.

The villagers were warm and hospitable, and they welcomed Cheng Huan and Mu Ge, the two strangers, with great kindness.

Hearing that they had been lost in the mountain for days and had just managed to escape, everyone expressed pity and sympathy.

The Village Chief took them to his home, giving them a clean, tidy guest room and serving them hot, delicious food. His broad smile made both feel as if they had left one world and entered another.

Cheng Huan had been in the mountain too long. Now, seeing so many people, she felt somewhat excited.

Mu Ge, on the other hand, felt touched because the villagers reminded her so much of her own clan—warm and kind, treating others with sincerity. Unfortunately, the heavens were blind. The Fanli Clan had treated those guests from afar with sincerity, but when night fell, those guests turned into beasts devoid of humanity, massacring and extinguishing the clan that had welcomed them so warmly. They set fires and killed people, not even sparing babbling infants.

Absolutely ruthless! Utterly cruel!

Seeing Mu Ge with no appetite and a troubled expression, Cheng Huan guessed that the villagers’ hospitality had reminded her of her clan and stirred painful memories.

There was little Cheng Huan could say to comfort her. After all, it was the revenge of an exterminated clan. A few words couldn’t dissolve the hatred and grief in Mu Ge’s heart.

But Cheng Huan couldn’t just ignore her. She looked around the room. Though clean and tidy, there wasn’t even a handkerchief to wipe tears.

Mu Ge kept her head low. Even as tears welled in her eyes, she didn’t want to show her weakness.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cheng Huan’s hand extend toward her. Mu Ge looked at the white object offered before her. Without raising her head, her voice muffled, she asked, “What is this?”

“A paper handkerchief.” Cheng Huan had just extracted it from a past mission world. She had tried several modern mission worlds, but only one had paper handkerchiefs, because in that mission world, she was a supermarket owner.

Worried Mu Ge wouldn’t understand, she explained, “For wiping tears. It’s also very fragrant.”

It was indeed fragrant. Mu Ge caught the faint floral scent from the handkerchief.

Seeing Mu Ge not move, likely out of excessive caution about taking objects from strangers, Cheng Huan folded the handkerchief and gently dabbed at Mu Ge’s face, wiping away the tears at the corner of her eye. “I know your heart is filled with pain and sorrow, beyond your control. But the deceased are gone. The living cannot hide in memories, weeping in agony. You must look forward.”

Mu Ge raised her eyes, her gaze reddened, tears glistening at the corners. Her lips trembled, and she choked, “But… I… I’m afraid…”

Cheng Huan understood her fear completely.

Even though this world’s female lead was resilient, determined, and deep-scheming, she was still just a girl who had only recently come of age, raised in Fanli Valley, sheltered by the Holy Elder and her clan, never having weathered the storms outside the valley.

Now, forced to endure the devastation of her family and home’s destruction, who wouldn’t be unable to accept it? Who wouldn’t be afraid?

Cheng Huan lifted her hand and patted Mu Ge’s shoulder, comforting her. “Don’t be afraid. Everything will get better.”

After the female lead meets the male lead, the main storyline of revenge and treasure hunting would begin.

The male and female leads of this world had been betrothed since childhood. The male lead had been poisoned as a child, and the Manor Lord of Yujian Manor brought him to Fanli Valley to seek the Holy Elder’s detoxification. That was how the two met. The Holy Elder and the Manor Lord then arranged a child betrothal, to be married when they came of age. But just as the female lead came of age, she suffered the annihilation of her clan. Yujian Manor heard the news and rushed to help, but it was already too late. Fanli Valley completely vanished from the Jianghu, leaving only a burned ruin behind. The female lead had fallen off a cliff, her fate unknown. The male lead searched relentlessly and finally met her in Bochuan.

And before that meeting, all the suffering and sorrow were borne by the female lead alone.

Compared to Lu Qing’an, this world’s female lead had indeed suffered much more.

Thinking this, Cheng Huan sighed and continued to console her. “You must believe that surviving a great disaster means your fortune isn’t…”

Cheng Huan braced her hands against the bed frame behind her, barely steadying herself so Mu Ge’s lunge didn’t knock her over.

Mu Ge wrapped her arms around Cheng Huan’s waist and buried her face in the crook of her neck, sobbing. “My family, my friends… they’re all dead. I’m the only one left. Cheng Huan, I’m truly so afraid…”

Cheng Huan paused, straightened up, and gently stroked Mu Ge’s back, her voice warm. “You’re not alone.”

Mu Ge: “…”

Cheng Huan realized her words were ambiguous and corrected herself, “I mean, you won’t be alone.”

You’ll meet your male lead, and the two of you will walk hand in hand toward revenge and a bright future.

Mu Ge’s eyes flickered, and she whispered, “Then… will you always… stay with me?”

Before Cheng Huan could answer, she felt the wetness and warmth on her neck. She pursed her lips. “…Probably.”

At least until they meet the male lead, she would.

The flicker of surprise in Mu Ge’s eyes vanished in an instant. She hadn’t expected Cheng Huan to agree so readily.

Perhaps that rumor was indeed reliable.

Mu Ge lifted her head, grateful. “Thank you, Cheng Huan. Without you, I would probably have died in that mountain long ago.”

Cheng Huan looked at her reddened, tearful eyes. “Don’t say nonsense. You wouldn’t have died.”

Even according to the original plot, the female lead wouldn’t have died in those barren mountains.

The male and female leads chosen by the Heavenly Dao were like unkillable cockroaches—unless they courted death themselves.

Mu Ge curved her lips; her eyes shimmered like clear springs.

She hugged Cheng Huan. “Cheng Huan, you’re so good to me.”

Cheng Huan looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky, thick clouds gathering as if a storm was about to break.

Her gaze deepened, and she suddenly asked, “What if one day you discovered that my kindness to you was all for ulterior motives? Would you hate me?”

Mu Ge’s brows furrowed slightly, and her heart clenched.

She pulled back, her eyes appearing pure and innocent, a look of confusion on her face. “What do you mean? Could it be that saving me… was with some hidden motive?”

Cheng Huan had previously said she wasn’t interested in the treasure. Was all this just a feint?!

Did she want to gain her trust first, then extract the treasure’s location from her?

But if it were a scheme, wouldn’t saying this arouse suspicion?

Wasn’t that contradictory?

Mu Ge couldn’t understand Cheng Huan. From their very first meeting, she had never truly grasped what Cheng Huan was thinking.

Her understanding of Cheng Huan was far too superficial, while Cheng Huan seemed to know her inside and out. This put her at a severe disadvantage in her current situation.

Cheng Huan shook her head. “Not you. It’s about an old acquaintance of mine.”

“An old acquaintance?”

A friend of the Azure Frost Recluse.

Mu Ge relaxed slightly and asked, “What happened between you two?”

Cheng Huan said flatly, “Nothing. It’s all in the past.”

She glanced outside. A light rain had started to patter down. “It’s getting late. Let’s sleep early.”

With that, Cheng Huan turned over and lay on the other side.

Mu Ge looked at Cheng Huan’s silent back. When she spoke of that old acquaintance, there was a faint trace of nostalgia on her face.

That old acquaintance must have had a deep relationship with her.

A close friend?

Or a beloved?

If a friend, it was fine. But if a beloved… that could be problematic.

Mu Ge bit her lower lip, lay down, and inched closer.

At that moment, Cheng Huan’s mind was on Lu Qing’an, and a pang of guilt welled up in her heart.

After all, back then she had only been good to Lu Qing’an to quickly exit the Experience World. In the end, Lu Qing’an misunderstood her and was left heartbroken and in pain.

Now, hearing Mu Ge say she was good to her, Cheng Huan felt dazed for an instant.

With her eyes closed, Cheng Huan felt a tightness in her chest. She took a deep breath to ease the blocked sensation, only to have her breath knocked out of her by a hand suddenly wrapping around her waist.

“Cough, cough…” Cheng Huan stared at the hand on her waist and turned to look at Mu Ge, who was pressed close. “What… what are you doing?”

“I’m scared, Cheng Huan.”

“?” Cheng Huan was baffled. “What are you afraid of?”

Weren’t they out of the mountain already?

A clap of thunder boomed outside the room. Mu Ge flinched and abruptly burrowed into Cheng Huan’s waist, trying to meld their bodies together.

She shakily said, “I… I’m afraid of thunder.”

The female lead was afraid of thunder?

She had read the world’s main storyline. The female lead could casually play with spiders and venomous snakes in Fanli Valley, so how could a thunderclap make her tremble in fear?

Little Hedgehog: 【Perhaps the female lead, having just suffered the annihilation of her clan, is severely traumatized inside. So it’s normal for her to be afraid of thunder.】

Cheng Huan considered it. That was possible.

The female lead was still young, inexperienced in the world, raised with pampering care since childhood. Being afraid of thunder was somewhat plausible.

But—

Cheng Huan tried to move a bit. “Um, Mu Ge, you’re holding on too tight. I’m having trouble breathing.”

Mu Ge awkwardly released her grip and guiltily shifted back. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Cheng Huan turned over. “If you’re afraid…”

A blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening rumble of thunder.

Cheng Huan saw the terror in Mu Ge’s eyes—those clear, transparent eyes, like starlight, in the instant the lightning flashed.

She paused, then reached out and pulled Mu Ge into her embrace, gently patting her trembling back. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”