Cohabitation with Sword Spirit

Chapter 522 - 23: Nameless Hero

Faced with the confidence of Wang Jiu, even someone as shrewd as Zhao Chenlu felt like a mouse unable to tackle a turtle.

Fortunately, she had grown accustomed to this kind of frustration long ago. During the Jiuzhou Era, she often returned in defeat in front of the Celestial Divine Sword. Therefore, she wasn’t too discouraged, and after saying goodbye to Wang Jiu, she began to seriously consider how to make him give up the position of Sect Leader.

Zhao Chenlu, with an Intelligence Index as high as 8 points, quickly came up with a hundred strategies with every step she took.

——

"Qingming, good evening."

Shen Qingming shivered all over and immediately drew her protective dagger, first aiming it at Zhao Chenlu, then considering the power disparity between them, she resolutely aimed it at herself, shouting fiercely, "What do you want? Be careful, or I’ll call Ah Jiu to help!"

Zhao Chenlu sneered, "If I really meant you harm, even if your dear one rushes over, it would only be to collect your corpse. Put away the knife, I’m here to help you."

Shen Qingming tightened her grip on the dagger, "Help me break free, or help me reincarnate?"

"...Can’t you look at life a bit more optimistically?"

Shen Qingming: "If you were me, could you be optimistic?"

"If I looked like you, I’d have killed myself long ago... Of course, I’m mainly referring to your figure. Objectively speaking, your face is not bad."

"What exactly are you here for!?"

Zhao Chenlu said, "To help you. Aren’t you against him becoming the Sect Leader? I’m on your side this time."

Shen Qingming was extremely surprised and after a long while, finally laughed and said, "Is it because after he takes office, he will finally target you?"

"...You’ve been thinking too simplistically again recently." Zhao Chenlu shook her head, "Don’t be so gloating. If he can target me, he can naturally target you too."

Shen Qingming sneered, "Me? I’m not like a certain someone who acts recklessly and offends everyone in the world. Why would Ah Jiu target me?"

"To weed out the weak and raise the average intelligence level of humans."

"Get out of here!"

Zhao Chenlu said, "Don’t rush to get angry. Calm down and think carefully. If that already inhuman guy takes over such a job, he’ll surely soar down an inhuman path. By that time, I will certainly suffer heavy losses, and your outcome won’t be much better!"

"I haven’t done anything bad, what bad outcome could there be? If he wants to create an ideal society, I’ll thrive in it."

"That ideal society has everything except him. Can you accept that?"

Shen Qingming fell silent immediately.

Zhao Chenlu said, "If your feelings for him are only at this level, then my visit today is entirely unnecessary. I will take my leave."

Shen Qingming quickly said, "Wait, count me in. Let’s stop him from becoming the Sect Leader... You must have already come up with an idea before coming to me, right?"

"Yes, I’ve thought of a way, but it requires your help to succeed."

"Let me hear it."

"Take this knife to him and tell him if he takes the position of Sect Leader, you’ll kill yourself in front of him."

"..." This shockingly stupid idea left Shen Qingming entirely astounded.

"I’m not joking. This is the most likely method to succeed right now. While he hasn’t taken the position yet and still maintains his humanity, threatening him with your life might actually make him yield. Once he switches to the Sect Leader mode, a mere human life won’t matter to him anymore."

"Then why don’t you go kill yourself!"

Zhao Chenlu said, "He’s not stupid, of course he knows I wouldn’t actually commit suicide."

"Am I more likely to?! I’m not stupid either!"

"But in his view, you’re mildly disabled, so nothing you do would be surprising. Only your threat will be effective."

"You, you..." Shen Qingming was so furious she felt it internally, but couldn’t find a logical way to argue back.

"But this is too despicable. Although I don’t support him as Sect Leader, Ah Jiu actually has a great interest in the Sect Leader’s work. Based on our relationship, threatening him with my life to make him give up on his preference is truly despicable..."

Zhao Chenlu sneered, "No wonder they say Holy Mothers grow out of intellectual disability. At times like these, you still have the thought for such mercy? What’s wrong with being despicable? During the Immortal Demon War, we used all sorts of despicable tactics to fight the Demon Race. Even your darling Celestial Sword Spirit was one of the most despicable strategy masters! If everyone had followed the Holy Mother’s call for peace, responding to demon claws with flowers and smiles, humanity would have been extinct a hundred times by now!"

Shen Qingming was drenched in scathing words, baffled, and after having empathized with Wang Jiu, was tagged as the criminal threatening human civilization?

Yet Zhao Chenlu’s words made some sense. In the face of a major situation, adhering to such details as means was indeed too foolish.

"Then... I’ll give it a try?"

Zhao Chenlu said, "Go ahead, go ahead. I’ll be cheering for you."

——

Ten minutes later, Shen Qingming returned with a mournful face.

Zhao Chenlu saw that expression and immediately knew the result. Covering his face, he said, "I knew I shouldn’t have asked you, a little girl with a failure aura."

Shen Qingming retorted angrily, "At least I tried! What else do you do besides making sarcastic comments?!"

Zhao Chenlu asked, "And how did you try?"

"I walked up to him and told him I absolutely oppose him becoming City Lord. If he’s determined, I’ll die to show him."

"Hmm, although the dialogue transition is a bit stiff, the meaning should be clear. What did he say?"

"...He said, as a steed, I don’t have the authority to end my own life, then showed me the relevant clauses in the Master-Servant Contract and deprived me of the ability to suicide."

As Shen Qingming spoke, she forcefully slid the short knife towards her neck, but the instant the blade touched her skin, the muscles in her arm automatically froze.

"See, I really don’t have the ability to commit suicide. So how about rethinking the strategy, like maybe you commit suicide instead!"

Zhao Chenlu pondered for a while and said, "That’s true, why not change the strategy—he may have prohibited you from suicide, but probably not from self-harm. After all, you still need to cultivate the Immovable Tyrant Body. So you could first injure yourself gravely..."

"Go to hell!"

Seeing the strong resistance from the opposite side, Zhao Chenlu had to reluctantly abandon this tactic for the moment and instead said, "Alright, alright, since you’re so uncooperative, let’s temporarily abandon this path and completely switch the strategy to figure something out from the Sect Leader old man."

Shen Qingming froze for a moment, then raised her eyebrows and asked, "Are you planning to make him give up the succession plan?"

"Ultimately, to stop him from becoming Sect Leader, there are only these two ways... To stop that old man from passing down the position, is there any good method?"

Shen Qingming frowned, thinking, you’re asking me this question? I didn’t even know the Saint Sect’s Sect Leader before, how could I possibly know how to change his mind?

While thinking, Shen Qingming casually responded, "Why don’t you threaten him with your life then, if he... hmm, if he can retract the succession idea, you commit suicide to show him, he’ll definitely agree."

Zhao Chenlu sneered, "You little girl have become quite sharp-tongued. But your words did give me a bit of inspiration..."

——

As a strategic genius, Zhao Chenlu quickly devised a complete plan and immediately found the current Sect Leader in Myriad Forms Garden.

"Old man, good evening!"

The greeting from outside successfully woke the seldom-sleeping Sect Leader of the Saint Sect.

"What’s your madness at this time of night?!"

Zhao Chenlu said, "Given your age, sleep for too long and you might not wake up again."

"I’m not a 300-year-old martial uncle yet, still far from the period of life degradation, and if it weren’t for the tons of messes you caused me to clean up, I wouldn’t need sleep at all... Speak, what’s the matter this time?"

Zhao Chenlu said, "Regarding the succession of the Celestial Divine Sword, I hope you can reconsider."

The Sect Leader was slightly taken aback upon hearing, and said, "I am indeed considering it, initially planned to pass down instantly, but when thinking of your relationship with him, I have to hesitate a bit."

"If a successor doesn’t make you feel ’he’s the one’ at first glance, then he’s inappropriate, should decisively abandon and choose another! You’re no spring chicken, please be an independent and exquisite Sect Leader!"

"Are you talking about women getting married!?"

Zhao Chenlu said, "What’s the difference? Both are one-on-one, once-in-a-lifetime, both establish an intimate non-blood relationship directly between two people, tell me what’s different!?"

As he spoke, Zhao Chenlu gritted his teeth.

The Sect Leader asked, "Jealous?"

"No kidding! Why else am I standing in your way?" Zhao Chenlu said, "In short, I believe this matter is inappropriate, I suggest you give it up."

"Why?"

Zhao Chenlu said, "For a legit reason, he’s already sacrificed everything to save human civilization, finally revived by chance, why should he bear such a tough burden again and toil for humans for decades? Can’t humans live independently without him?"

The Sect Leader sighed, "That indeed makes sense, the Sword Spirit senior’s kindness towards humans is ocean-deep, yet I have to first consider his threat with a petty mindset, truly shameful. Fortunately, Sword Spirit senior seems interested in this matter, reducing my unease somewhat."

"His interest stems from his misunderstanding of human society, and you take advantage of his misunderstanding to deceive him into taking on the burden—isn’t that too despicable?"

The Sect Leader nodded, "Thinking this way it indeed seems despicable, but I won’t thus treat Sword Spirit senior as a child without thoughts or responsibilities. Since he shows interest in this matter, he should understand the weight he must bear. Besides, you urgently came to me, is it because Sword Spirit senior plans to kill a chicken to warn the monkey after assuming office and start with you?"

Zhao Chenlu squinted his eyes and carefully examined the Sect Leader.

"You actually have this kind of brainpower, truly surprising."

"When have you ever seriously paid attention to me? May I ask, what’s my name?"

"...Sect Leader?"

"That’s my position! I’m asking for my name!"

"Uh, old man?"