Be Gentle, Immortal Master

"The ancient way of sword forging has been gone for too long," Teng Yuan continued, "so it's no surprise that this comes as a shock to you. But in the old days, it wasn't unheard of for spirits to awaken from legendary swords and take on human forms. They are similar to immortals, as they don't age and don't require sustenance to survive. When they die, they enter the same cycle of life as we humans do."

He paused, letting the information sink in.

My first thought was that such a ridiculous possibility couldn't be real. But after the initial shock subsided, I realized that this was the only way to explain many things that didn't make sense before. The fact that the girl—my previous self—remained so young throughout the visions; the fact that the tell-tale crimson light from Twin Stars glowed all over her when she wielded them; the fact that Bai Ye said she needed the bonding technique to support her body …

And the fact that she called him master, despite Bai Ye never taking a disciple before. Because she wasn't his disciple … She was his sword.

"I had only suspected your identity at first," Teng Yuan added, seeing that I had made sense out of the news, "when I saw that Bai Ye had given you Twin Stars. Those swords have been locked away in a hidden place for hundreds of years. Even the Gatekeeper and I didn't know where to find them, so I knew there must be something special about you that warranted such privileged treatment."

I recalled the secret chamber inside Bai Ye's sword vault. I had only thought back then that he had kept Twin Stars locked away in fear of its power, but now that Teng Yuan mentioned it … "Did he hide the swords because of me?" I asked. "Would I be affected if something happens to them?"

"To some extent. Since the sword is your true physical body, its power is inseparable from yours. Certain damages to the blades can harm you, and certain adverse effects can be transferred to you."

"Such as poison?" I suddenly understood Bai Ye's reaction that time after hearing I had cut Chu Xi's spiritual pet with Twin Stars.

Teng Yuan nodded. "Honestly, if I were Bai Ye, I would've chosen to keep Twin Stars locked away before you gain enough power to fend for yourself. That was why I wasn't certain about my suspicion of who you were … until Bai Ye gave you the bait stone at Jade Temple. That stone is a useless artifact for most of us, but as a sword spirit, you will be susceptible to its effect, and it's possible that someone with the right type of spiritual power could use it to influence you." He paused, looking into my eyes. "I presume that Bai Ye has told you to keep it in a safe place and not hand it to anyone else. He does care about you."

That dull pain hit me again. I knew Bai Ye cared about me. Even though he never told me the reason, he always made sure to warn me against any potential threat, and he was always there to save me whenever I was in danger. But that was what made it so hard to understand him …

"Do you know what happened between them … between us?" I finally asked the question that had been heavy on my mind for over a month. "If he cared about me in the past as well … Why did he kill me?"

Teng Yuan's gaze darkened. He didn't answer at first. Instead, he looked at me as if he wanted to find some kind of hint from my own expression, and when he didn't find any, he said at last, "How much did he tell you about the incident with Twin Stars over two hundred years ago?"

So it was really related to that incident then. A bad omen rose in me. "He only said that Twin Stars went berserk because he let it grow too strong," I replied honestly, "and that it turned Mount Hua into a living hell. He didn't tell me the details … and I didn't ask."

"I can give you the details." Teng Yuan's voice turned cold. "Ninety-seven people died from it. Two hundred and forty-six injured. That was every single person at Mount Hua at the time. It happened over three days and three nights while the Gatekeeper and I were away on an errand. When we returned, the dirt was stained red all over the main peak, and the air smelled like blood everywhere we went. Even after two hundred years, it is a sight that I can never forget."

My heart stopped. I had expected it to be carnage, but over three hundred innocent lives … I couldn't bring myself to imagine Bai Ye doing such a thing. How far gone was he? And how could he possibly still want the power of Twin Stars after all this?

"That was when he killed me?" I asked. "I was one of those ninety-seven people?"

Teng Yuan stared at me again. Then he let out a cold laugh. "Have you never wondered why Bai Ye was forgiven for such a sin? Why he is still one of the most revered immortals at Mount Hua … and why the Gatekeeper and I, who remember every detail of that tragedy, still respect him as much as we ever did?"

I did ask myself the same questions many times before. "Because he was affected by the demonic power of the swords?" I ventured. "Because he didn't mean it?"

Teng Yuan shook his head. "You know he wasn't bound to Twin Stars. How could the power have affected him to such a degree?"

"Because …" I suddenly paused as an impossible thought emerged in my head. "Because …"

"Because he wasn't the one that did it." Teng Yuan helped me finish the words that I could no longer bring myself to say. "He owned Twin Stars, but he didn't wield them.. The one with blood on their hands … was you."