Borrowed Sword

Chapter 33: Xu Ziqing’s The Metamorphosis

Today, bright and early, the menial worker Xu Ziqing got up to work.

Liu Tianfeng’s courtyard differed from Niu Yuanshan’s small yard; it was larger and more luxurious.

Niu Yuanshan’s elegant small yard was tended by just four menial workers.

At the Liu family’s estate, there were as many as fifteen servants!

Just yesterday, the butler had hired three more.

Xu Ziqing was among those three.

Being new, he was destined to do the hardest, most tiring, and dirtiest chores.

All residences in the Dao Gate had small-scale dust-removal arrays.

That meant no matter how long you were away, your house wouldn’t gather dust when you returned.

Apart from that, everyday cleaning was minimal.

But only for dust.

So naturally, in the area Xu Ziqing was assigned, there had to be the family’s latrine.

“I hate this!” the delicate youth thought as he covered his mouth and nose with a cloth strip, working hard while cursing inwardly.

He hated that storyteller so much—for toying with his feelings.

“I was stupid. Really stupid.”

“I actually believed that if I went to Biyou Terrace on Wumeng Mountain, some expert would come down the mountain to pick me up.”

“Heh, I was so stupid, really,” he began self-reproaching.

That night of torrential rain, he had stood drenched at the foot of Wumeng Mountain for so long that he felt as if his soul had slipped away.

Oh, Xu Ziqing—though countless extraordinary encounter stories circulated in the Xuanhuang Realm, and rumors of destined opportunities abounded, how laughable of you to think such a momentous event would crash down on you?

You were nothing but a mere False Spirit Embryo!

Who do you think you are?!

Just because you were a sword prodigy since childhood, able to learn mundane martial sword techniques in an instant, you arrogantly assumed you could become a peerless sword cultivator?

“Wake up! Wake up!” he forced a bitter smile that night.

Mastering all mortal sword techniques—what good was that?

Wouldn’t you still be no match before a true cultivator?

“Father, mother, grandmother, younger sister—when will I avenge you?” Xu Ziqing murmured to himself, gazing up at the post-rain night sky at the foot of Wumeng Mountain.

Though his brows and eyes were delicate, giving him a feminine appearance, since elementary school he had trained in swordsmanship. His physical conditioning was far above ordinary.

Thus, standing in the rain for so long left him only with pale lips, no serious harm.

His trembling body was merely due to shock from cold.

His parents were both dead, and he carried deep familial hatred—a textbook protagonist setup.

Once again, the image of that storyteller flickered through his mind.

He looked so ordinary, yet his words, demeanor, and bearing were all flamboyant and vain.

At first, when Xu Ziqing saw him finish speaking then suddenly vanish on the spot, he thought him a transcendent master detached from the world.

Now, realizing that the other’s “playful” project was to toy with Xu Ziqing, he could only see that storyteller as an evil heretic.

On this post-rain night, he roared out loud to vent his emotions.

Then, the delicate youth suddenly bit his own lip with his teeth, nearly drawing blood.

Instantly sober, he looked toward the mist-shrouded Mountains Beyond Mountains.

Silently, he vowed: since he was already here, he would give his life—no matter the cost—to enter the Dao Gate!

At dawn, he began moving.

Unexpectedly, by chance, he really found a way in.

The butler at Liu Tianfeng’s house was recruiting three new servants.

“What a coincidence—recruiting servants today?” Xu Ziqing felt his heartbeat race.

It didn’t matter—servant or servant, he’d go get into the Dao Gate first!

But really—was it just coincidence?

Don’t forget, someone had been sent by the Organization right at this moment, to ensure he would come here as a servant!

......

Xu Ziqing’s The Metamorphosis thus began.

Because he was too delicate-featured, bearing no resemblance to tall, handsome men; he was a typical feminine-looking male, exuding zero masculinity.

Thus, the Liu family’s butler looked at him with odd expressions.

—What a boy who resembles a delicate female beauty!

A middle-aged man, so what if he’s a bit perverse?

Xu Ziqing was astute; he clearly understood what those looks meant.

He never expected that coming to Dao Gate as a servant would be so… fraught with danger!

Today, after finishing a pile of chores, he was summoned by the butler to gather somewhere.

All the servants began moving gifts, and together with Master Liu and Young Master, they headed to the small bamboo hut.

Along the way, many outer门 disciples respectfully greeted Steward Liu, then looked sideways at the pile of gifts.

Xu Ziqing eyed their robes and the outer-door tokens hanging at their waists with intense envy.

He couldn’t help but look down at the servant’s clothes he wore; adolescent pride made him keep his head lowered, burying it deeply, even though no one recognized him.

After arriving at the bamboo hut, he kept his head bowed.

Only during a gap did he faintly hear a conversation between the master and a young man, causing him to glance up at him.

He saw a figure exuding refined charm, exceptionally handsome.

He was the kind of classic handsome man by bone structure.

His brow bone was slightly prominent, and the tail of his brows curved upward, creating the legendary brow-shadowing-the-eyes effect, making his ink-black eyes even more profound.

He had a high, straight nose, well-defined facial lines, and a sharply outlined jawline.

A few unbound strands of hair fell over his forehead, adding a trace of unruly freedom.

Plus, Chu Huaixu’s broad shoulders and narrow waist filled out his robes handsomely, with no hint of frailness like thin paper.

Whether in posture or temperament, there was not a flaw.

Sunlight shone upon him, and Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but stare blankly.

Since he had looked like a girl since childhood and was mocked by peers for being effeminate, he always silently paid attention to tall, handsome men, envying and longing for them deeply.

Over time, his attention on such men even exceeded his interest in the opposite sex.

Because of this, although Chu Huaixu stood alongside the peerlessly beautiful Han Shuangjiang, his focus immediately fell upon him.

Xu Ziqing couldn’t fathom how such a man of charm could exist in this world.

Just then, he saw him smiling at the corners of his eyes and mouth, calmly conversing with the steward—an absolute demeanor.

After staring blankly for a few seconds, the sensitive youth once again lowered his head deeply out of pride.

What happened next took a bewildering turn.

Liu Tianfeng was certain that when he first asked Chu Huaixu if he needed a servant, his expression and his already-raised right hand clearly indicated refusal.

Understandable—living together with such a heavenly beauty, adding a third party would surely bring trouble.

The old man had lived long and knew youthful stirring.

Yet the bizarre scene unfolded.

Chu Huaixu glanced casually, and his gaze was completely captured by the delicate-featured short servant.

He immediately shouted: “I want him!”

It even seemed somewhat… impatient?

Everyone—including Han Shuangjiang—focused their gaze.

Xu Ziqing instantly panicked; the gifts in his hands almost slipped.

“Ah? Me?” he couldn’t believe this exceptionally handsome man was pointing at him.

His gaze was so decisive!

—I’ve chosen you!

Xu Ziqing’s heart began racing uncontrollably; he couldn’t understand how his fate could shift so erratically in such a short time.

Then, a scene he had experienced countless times before and was very familiar with occurred.

Xu Ziqing clearly felt everyone’s gazes first land on his face, then fixate on his Adam’s apple, and finally drift to his chest…