Be Gentle, Immortal Master Chapter 179 - A Fool's Trap

Chapter 179 – A Fool’s Trap

The books were thick, and so of the passages were so dense that I had to read them a few tis to understand, so by the end of the morning, I only made it through the end of the second to. I did learn a lot about demonic swords though: the origins of their power and how they balance with the energy of the universe, the ways to tweak bonding techniques based on the user so as to minimize their demonic influence … There was even a reference to using heart's blood to cleanse the blades, which I suspected had contributed to the solution that Luo Ji's master found for Bai Ye. But nothing was ntioned of their effect on soone who isn't bound to them, and the authors all seed to agree that the power of a demonic sword is sothing that a human shouldn't attempt to fight against.

Well, fortunately I was no human, so I let myself feel hopeful as I ate a quick lunch and readied the herbs for a new potion. I managed to coax a new recipe out of Bai Ye while I took a break between the books—after my repeated reminders that searching for recipes would only waste more ti and, according to his theory, make more disappointed in the end, he grudgingly surrendered and told a combination of ingredients that worked well on driving out excess yin. I gloated at my success, and I was just about to set up the pot over the fire when I heard a knock on the front gate echoing in the distance.

I stiffened. It couldn't be the Gatekeeper returning already, could it? I quickly dismissed that possibility. Masters were never polite enough to knock, and I'd expect it the least from the Gatekeeper. Setting down the pot, I made sure that Bai Ye was still tucked in warm and comfortably, then scuttled towards the gate.

Sowhat to my surprise, it was Xie Lun. He offered an apologetic smile when he saw my rush. "Am I bothering you at a bad ti?" he asked. "I'm here to return a sword from your master. I can leave right away if you're busy."

Under my confused stare, Xie Lun handed a long sword that he was carrying on his back. I didn't recognize the blade—it must be from Bai Ye's huge collection in the vault—but from the weight and the ancient style of the carvings on the hilt, I could tell that it was a rare find. "He lent it to you?" I asked curiously. An ancient longsword like this must be one of Bai Ye's favorites, and it was hard to imagine him letting it out of his possession.

"He … gifted it to , in exchange for my help on sothing. But I've failed on what he asked to do, so I think it's only fair that I give this back to him."

Xie Lun's answer only made more confused. Since when did Bai Ye ask other people for help? And to go as far as gifting such a precious sword at that? I instinctively thought that it might have sothing to do with , and I gave Xie Lun a suspecting look. "What did he need your help for that's so important?" I asked.

He contemplated for a short mont. Then a sly smile crossed his face. "Your master made swear not to tell anyone about our deal … But that doesn't an you can't guess."

A deal serious enough to require him to swear? That sure made even more suspicious, and I turned the events of the past few months carefully in my mind. I rembered that Bai Ye had always worn a sowhat strange expression every ti he ntioned Xie Lun. From casually asking what I thought of him, to the barbed exchange between them last ti Xie Lun visited our hall … Then I rembered the words Xie Lun said to at Jade Temple and Clear Spring Village, about Bai Ye hiding his true intentions of giving Twin Stars, about the price he made pay by bringing back to life …

The more I thought about it, the more clueless I beca. I shook my head. "If anything, I'd only think that the two of you hate each other, and that's certainly no reason for him to gift you such a—"

I paused as the word "hate" suddenly detonated in my head. "He asked you to say those things to ?" I blurted. "How the dark power of Twin Stars is sothing that he could have and should have kept away from … How bringing back a person is an art that threatens them with dire consequences … He asked you to say those?"

Xie Lun grimaced. "Those are not the only things I said … Rember that your mood lifted after that trip to Clear Spring Village, Yun Qing-er. I wasn't only trying to make you more despondent."

That was a true statent. Xie Lun did also help recover from my most miserable days, with all the daoist revelations about leaving the past in the past and nothing lasting forever. I had been too lancholic at the ti to think too deep into why he said those, but now that clarity had co back to my mind, I finally realized that the revelations were … for , and he must've known exactly how I was feeling to be able to say things that comforted and encouraged so perfectly.

"He asked you to say those too?" I asked again, though I knew that Xie Lun wouldn't be able to give a straightforward answer. But I didn't need an answer. I should've expected it … Bai Ye wanted to hate him after seeing the vision in the crystal, but he didn't want to feel too much pain from the betrayal either, so he went so far as to plan this for …

A belated fear climbed up my spine. Out of all my friends, I trusted Xie Lun the most, and Bai Ye knew it. He picked the right candidate for this task. If I had waited a bit longer before looking into that crystal, my initial disbelief may not have been as strong, and Xie Lun's swaying may just have been enough to convince that all of this was Bai Ye's setup. With ti, with more of those daoist revelations that hit the right spot, I might totally end up treating this heartbreak as a lesson to learn from and start going down that path Bai Ye wanted for …

My grip tightened on the hilt of the longsword, and I gritted my teeth. He wasn't just a fool, but a devious one at that, and I was so close to falling into his trap!