Be Gentle, Immortal Master

Regardless of what I told Bai Ye, I couldn't clear those thoughts out of my mind for the rest of the day. The mystery of Twin Stars seemed to be growing day by day, and curiosity finally got the best of me. During his usual meditation time at noon, I decided to sneak into the library and try my luck at whatever information I could find on ancient swords.

I knew this probably wasn't the right thing to do. Bai Ye had told me repeatedly that it wasn't time for me to learn the truth yet, and I should've respected his decision. But somehow … somewhere deep inside, I felt as if a tiny voice was calling to me, luring and coaxing me to find the answer for myself. I could only hope that my instinct was trustworthy.

I hadn't visited the library ever since I switched my focus from medicine to sword. When I stepped into the familiar room filled with the scent of aged paper, I suddenly remembered that the last time I came here was … when I was looking for the dual cultivation technique that I overheard from Chu Xi. My heart fluttered at the memory of Bai Ye leaning over me against the wall, asking those questions that I could barely bring myself to think about properly. I couldn't help smiling. It had only been a month since then, but so much had changed.

Bai Ye always kept his books perfectly organized, so I went straight to the section of ancient weapon references. An assortment of leather-bound tomes and scrolls lined the shelves neatly, and I bent down to skim through the titles. I needed something that explained the spirit of the sword, or its connection to the power of its wielder, or—

A book on the bottom of the shelf caught my attention. "The Forging of a Demonic Sword".

I pulled the book out carefully. Bai Ye had mentioned Twin Stars was forged with demon souls, and that sounded like a demonic sword to me. Maybe this book would explain everything in more detail.

I sat down under the window and flipped the book open. The very first page caught my eye. "Three types of demonic swords were forged during the classical era. With demon flesh, a sword gains the power to create wounds that cannot be healed with common medicine. With demon blood, a sword gains the power to damage consciousness and shatters an opponent's spiritual roots. With demon soul, a sword gains the power to reap not only lives but also afterlives, sending its victims to the nether world that lies beyond the cycle of rebirth."

A chill climbed up my spine. Twin Stars was the most powerful type of demonic swords? How did such blades capable of reaping people's souls come into Bai Ye's possession?

I read on, saving the questions for later. "Hundreds of demonic swords are known to exist. Because of their constant need for fresh blood to stay sharp, most have inevitably dulled and dwindled in power as of this date, but those that survived the test of time have all created legends of their own."

I skimmed through the next section quickly. Those legends read like horror stories to me. Entire villages wiped out and towns destroyed. Men and animals alike slaughtered in gruesome ways and drank dry. And the scariest part was, the swords hadn't done those themselves. It was the wielders that willingly took such actions.

Did the demonic power from the swords affect their users in some way? I couldn't help but wonder. It wasn't unheard of for swordsmen to be influenced by blades that have collected too much blood debt in their past. And if that was the case …

I didn't dare think further. The book didn't mention Twin Stars, and I was somewhat grateful for it. If it had ever affected Bai Ye in ways similar to what other demonic swords did to their owners … I didn't want to know it, and I didn't want to suspect that this was the reason why he wanted to keep me in the dark.

My hands trembled slightly as I turned the pages further. Focus on reading instead of speculating, I told myself. Stop imagining things. There wasn't too much time left to linger, and the book was thick.

The next section went on to describe the bonding between the sword and the wielder. "Demonic power of a sword achieves its maximum strength when channeled through its wielder's spiritual power. The exact process varies by the sword, and each sword can only bind with one wielder during its lifetime. Once the connection is established, the wielder can control the blade at will through his consciousness. An example is illustrated below."

Channeled through the wielder's power … varies by the sword … Was the meditation technique in the cave chamber the bonding technique for Twin Stars then? But if so, why would Bai Ye ask me to practice it if he had already bonded with the swords? He was able to communicate with it and control it at will, and if each sword could only do so with one person, then what was the purpose of me practicing the bonding technique?

I went over the illustrations all the same and continued reading. But the more I read, the more questions were raised instead of answered. "Due to the fact that demonic swords are inherently strong in yin power, they are almost never suitable for women. Even for men, only those who are exceptionally strong in yang would be able to overcome the demonic power's influence. Beware."

I stiffened. Nothing made sense anymore. If what the book said was true, then why would Bai Ye give Twin Stars to me in the first place?

The time was getting close for Bai Ye to return from his meditation, and I knew I wasn't going to get any of my questions answered today. I sighed as I closed the book in my lap and stood up. Maybe he was right, and I would've been better off not knowing any of this at all.

I returned the book to its original spot on the shelf and quietly left the library.