Seven Swords, Eight Trees

Nearly two minutes passed. Suddenly, Fu Hua's finger stopped moving halfway down the katana's blade. Then, visibly to Shu, Fu Hua's hand started to tremble.

Even if it was just for a split second, Shu still caught it.

The scene froze for another couple of seconds. Fu Hua lowered her eyes, sighed, and handed the katana back.

"Shu, this katana…" Fu Hua started, then trailed off, hesitant. It was clear Fu Hua wanted to know something, but Shu could also sense a strange emotion coming from her.

It was like… fear?

"Never mind…" The question in Fu Hua's mouth ultimately turned into a long sigh, a heavy sense of loss enveloping her.

"Fu Hua, are you alright…" Shu took the katana, quickly hiding it behind his back, trying to keep Fu Hua from seeing it.

"I'm fine… just… stirring up sad memories…" Fu Hua shook her head, then bent down to pat Li Sushang's head. "Sushang, you wait here obediently, Master Shifu… needs to step away for a bit…"

Li Sushang stiffened the moment Fu Hua's hand reached out, but facing Fu Hua's gentle voice, she nodded with unusual seriousness.

Shu wanted to say something, but didn't want to interrupt, and could only watch Fu Hua walk towards the yard with slightly unsteady steps.

Watching Fu Hua walk quite a distance away, Shu suddenly darted over to Li Sushang, who was still sitting ramrod straight, and crouched down to whisper in her ear, "You know your Master Shifu better. What's wrong with her?"

Li Sushang shook her head stiffly. "I don't know. Master Shifu has never patted my head before."

That serious?!

Shu looked at Fu Hua in shock, who had stopped in the yard in front of a few trees. "Has your Master Shifu ever been like this before?"

Li Sushang frowned, thinking hard for a long time. "Maybe… yes? But I forgot when it was…"

You were probably still a toddler back then.

Shu sighed, turned his back, and, making sure Fu Hua couldn't see, carefully examined the stolen katana over and over.

Whatever the reason, part of it definitely had to do with this katana. Let him see what was so special about it…

Shu narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the blade, studying it again and again. After a couple of rounds, Shu copied Fu Hua, placing his hand on the blade, slowly feeling it…

Huh? Why was the blade a bit bumpy?

Shu found something important and quickly focused his attention, closely examining that spot.

"This katana… um…" Li Sushang's hesitant voice came from beside him. Shu paused and immediately held the katana out to Li Sushang.

Help me see if there's anything weird about this katana.

Li Sushang frowned deeply, reached out, and gently stroked the area Shu had been feeling, then suddenly realized something.

"This katana is reforged from pieces!" Li Sushang exclaimed softly, then wore a puzzled expression. "Strange, the material is really good, but why would it be reforged into this weird shape?"

Reforged? Shu heard a new term.

Wasn't this weapon something those two Deadman were born with? Why would she say it was reforged?

And what did she mean by "weird shape"? Was this katana trash?

But it cut through iron railings like butter.

Even Li Sushang could see the confusion on Shu's face. Immediately, Li Sushang puffed up proudly and pointed at the katana. "Look, there are obvious bumps on the blade, and the whole katana has a really uneven quality."

Shu silently glanced at the katana in his hand.

Where's it obvious?

Li Sushang continued, showing off her own sword, "Look, the blade of this sword has very uniform quality and no bumps."

"Now look at that katana. The quality is as good as this sword in some places, but in other places, it's more than a grade lower, it's like… uh…"

"Like cookies with chocolate chips mixed in?" Shu understood what Li Sushang was trying to say.

"Huh?" Li Sushang looked blank, and nodded somewhat confusedly. "Uh… kind of, I guess…"

Shu lowered his head, looking at the katana, lost in thought.

What did Li Sushang mean? She meant that the material making up this katana was the same grade as the material of the sword in Li Sushang's hand, but during reforging, some fragments were left in the blade…

And that meant…

Shu's heart sank.

Were those two Deadman… people from the Taixu Temple…? And Fu Hua had recognized the issue with this katana at a glance. How familiar would she have to be with the sword that became the raw material to do that?

Familiar enough that – even if you are no longer yourself, I can still recognize you at a glance?

"Li Sushang." Shu spoke softly, "Does everyone at Taixu Temple have a sword like yours?"

"Of course not!" Li Sushang shook her head quickly. "This sword was passed down to me by my mother! Its original name was [Ranxiang]! Now that it's with me, I haven't decided what name to give it yet…"

Hearing the sword's former name, Shu's heart leaped, and he subconsciously looked up at Fu Hua in the distance.

At this moment, Fu Hua was crouching in front of those trees, one hand resting on one of them, seemingly talking to it.

"Swords like this… there are seven of them, right?" Shu's words were hesitant, yet carried a strange certainty.

"Of course! Only seven people have swords like this! My mother is one of them, but now it's my turn!" Li Sushang was only seven years old after all. Even if she could sense the heavy atmosphere, when it came to something she was proud of, she still puffed out her chest with pride.

Shu lowered his gaze, looking at the proud Li Sushang. He opened his mouth, and finally reached out to pat Li Sushang's small shoulder.

"Then, you must protect this sword well, and never let anyone take it away from you again, understand?" Shu said softly.

Li Sushang blinked, then nodded vigorously.

"I definitely will!"

"That's good." Shu closed his eyes, sighed, and after a moment of hesitation, gripped the katana in his hand and walked towards Fu Hua.

"Fu Hua." Reaching Fu Hua's side, Shu spoke softly, but after starting, he didn't know what to say next.

My condolences? Sorry? Or pretend he didn't know anything and let Fu Hua reveal it herself?

This wasn't a simple heart-to-heart; this was true – farewell.

Lost for words, Shu could only crouch down beside Fu Hua, kneeling in front of the trees, staring blankly at the few trees that clearly weren't very old.

No more, no less, exactly eight trees, varying in height, and of different species.

Peach tree, willow tree, plum tree, apricot tree, two pine trees, a maple tree, and in the center, surrounded by the seven trees, a ginkgo tree that was noticeably shorter than the rest.