The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 36: Ake’s Invitation

Nameless hurriedly got dressed and opened the door to welcome her. “Senior Sister, what brings you here in the middle of the night to see Nameless?” Nameless asked politely. Last night’s events had been too chaotic; he feared his senior sister might think he was a lecherous young man, which could make their future relationship difficult, so he deliberately adopted a formal tone. But in truth, seeing Ake now, his mind was still filled with images of her from last night—the impression was too vivid to shake off. Ake remained composed when she saw Nameless open the door, but the moment he spoke, she blushed involuntarily. After all, last night had been the first time Ake had seen the body of a grown man—and Nameless’s physique was particularly striking, with smooth, delicate skin. The experience had left a profound impact on her, leaving her distracted all day long. It wasn’t until evening, when she felt she’d finally regained her composure, that she dared to come find Nameless. but the moment she laid eyes on Nameless, she lost her composure again and felt embarrassed. Seeing Ake’s state, Nameless felt helpless. It had been like this the entire way to Xiaoyao Valley today—whenever he spoke, Ake would grow flustered, leaving him at a loss for words. But since Nameless was, after all, more experienced than Ake, he steeled himself and said, “Senior Sister, it’s a bit chilly out here. If you have something to discuss, why don’t we talk inside?” Ake, however, hadn’t heard a word Nameless said. She’d been struggling to keep her composure, constantly reminding herself to stay strong and get used to being around men. After a long while of trying to steady herself, she finally began to calm down. Immediately, she adopted a stern expression and said, “We won’t go inside. Junior Brother Wu, please follow me—I have something to say.” Nameless was quite puzzled, but he couldn’t very well refuse, so he immediately stepped out of the house with Ake. The two walked along a winding path until they reached a bamboo grove. The area was open and deserted, bathed in bright moonlight. A stream murmured at the edge of the grove, and the air was fresh—it was, in fact, a picturesque scene. Seeing that no one was around, Ake stopped, and Nameless stopped as well, waiting to see what Ake intended to do. Suddenly, Ake drew a short sword from her sleeve—its blade glinting coldly—and pressed it against Nameless’s throat. Startled, Nameless did not flinch. “You must never, ever mention what happened last night to anyone,” Ake demanded in a trembling voice. Although it looked as if she were threatening Nameless, her crimson cheeks, trembling body, and tears threatening to spill clearly showed that she was far more nervous than he was at that moment. Nameless gave a wry smile and immediately made a promise. “Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I’d rather die than reveal what happened last night. I swear it on my life!” Seeing that Nameless had made his promise, Ake seemed to finally let her guard down. She sheathed the short sword in her hand, exhaled deeply as if a weight had been lifted, and her gaze toward Nameless softened considerably. “Here you go!” Ake pulled another package from her bosom—it seemed to contain a box—and handed it to Nameless. Nameless was completely baffled, so he had no choice but to take the box. It still felt warm to the touch, which puzzled him even more. “Senior Sister, what’s this?” “A token of gratitude!” Ake felt as if every extra word she spoke with Nameless would leave her gasping for air. Seeing Nameless accept the box, those two words just popped out of her mouth, and then she ran off at top speed without looking back. Nameless stood there dumbfounded, still unable to figure out why his junior sister had called him out in the middle of the night. It felt as though he’d been forced to accept this “thank-you gift,” and he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Whatever the case, Nameless had no intention of lingering out in the wilderness in the middle of the night. He carried the package back to his quarters. Upon opening it, he found a box covered in ornate brocade. When he opened the box, he discovered it contained red bean paste cookies—still warm, as if they’d just been made. He couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated. It seemed like quite a fuss for his junior sister to seek him out in the middle of the night just to give him a red bean paste cookie. Besides, using a red bean paste cookie to thank him for saving her life felt a bit like “a small gift with great sentiment”—yet he found himself in high spirits. He picked one up to taste it, and it was truly delicious. The next day, the sun was already high in the sky when Nameless finally got up, having finally shaken off the fatigue of the past few days in a restful dream. Stepping out of his room, he intended to pay his respects to his master first. After walking a short distance, he heard the clanging of metal—it sounded like a blacksmith at work—and couldn’t help but follow the sound. He saw a burly old man forging iron, swinging his hammer with great strength. Nameless’s approach startled the old man. He paused his hammer and looked over at Nameless. Recognizing him, he smiled kindly. “I suppose you must be the Head of the Valley’s newly accepted third disciple?” Nameless didn’t know there was such a place in Xiaoyao Valley. He immediately clasped his hands in greeting and asked, “My name is Nameless. I’ve just returned to Xiaoyao Valley. May I ask who you are?” Seeing how polite Nameless was, the old man gave a good-natured chuckle. “When the young master visited last time, this old servant happened to be out. I’m a servant here at Xiaoyao Valley—people call me Lao Gu. I usually handle odd jobs for the Valley Master.” So that explains it. Nameless recalled that his master had mentioned an old servant who’d been with him for many years, named Lao Gu. It seemed he’d finally met the man in person. “I’m afraid I’ll be troubling you from now on, Senior.” As soon as Nameless saw Lao Gu, he found him to be honest and approachable, and his fondness for him grew instantly. “You’re always welcome, Third Young Master!” Lao Gu replied cheerfully. “By the way, you got up late—you haven’t eaten yet, have you? The kitchen is over there. Go ahead and have something to eat.” Hearing this, Nameless realized he was hungry. From yesterday until now, he’d had nothing but a red bean paste cookie, so naturally he was famished. Without further ado, he headed to the kitchen to eat. After eating his fill, it was time to pay his respects to his master. He went to his master’s quarters and greeted him. Xiaoyaozi had been up for quite some time and was cultivating his qi in the courtyard. Sensing Nameless’s arrival, he opened his eyes. “Ming’er, you’re here.” “Master, your disciple greets you,” Nameless said as he bowed to Xiaoyaozi. “Did you rest well last night?” Xiaoyaozi asked. “Very well, thank you for your concern, Master.” Nameless didn’t want to mention that Ake had been looking for him. “Hmm, that’s good. Today, you must first expel the remnants of the Xuan Nu Gong. Until they are completely expelled, you must not practice any internal cultivation; otherwise, your internal energy will backfire, and the consequences will be very serious,” Xiaoyaozi admonished Nameless. “Yes, this disciple will keep your teachings in mind,” Nameless replied immediately. “By the way, although you can’t practice internal energy yet, you can learn martial arts techniques and lightness skills. Which ones would you like to learn?” Now that Nameless had finally returned, Xiaoyaozi was ready to begin teaching him martial arts. “I’m not very gifted, Master, so I don’t know which martial arts to learn,” Nameless replied, unsure of what to choose. “As you know, my Xiaoyao Sect has two lineages. One is the internal martial arts lineage passed down from the Yingyue Palace—specifically the Xiaoyao Fist and Xiaoyao Palm, which your senior brother Gu Yuntian chose. and the other is the external style passed down from the Martial Arts World legend Wuming—specifically the Xiaoyao Sword and Xiaoyao Blade, which Ake chose. You may study both schools, and eventually I will teach you both, but to start, you must choose just one: fists and palms, or sword and blade. Which one would you like to learn, Nameless?” Xiaoyaozi patiently explained everything in detail to Nameless. Fist and Palm, and Sword and Blade—Nameless had actually seen both of these martial arts in action. The Fist and Palm were used by Gu Yuntian during his battle against the Poison Sovereign, while the Sword and Blade were used by Ake during her fight against the Yechacha. Judging by their effectiveness, the Fist and Palm were clearly superior, but for some reason, just thinking of Ake made Nameless feel amused. Since he would end up learning both anyway, he might as well choose the Sword and Blade to start with. “Master, I want to learn swordsmanship,” Nameless replied in a clear voice to Xiaoyaozi. “Very well, then let’s start with the Carefree Sword Technique,” Xiaoyaozi said with a smile, though a faint sense of worry crept into his heart. Nameless had indeed chosen to begin with swords and blades—bringing him one step closer to the prophecy of Master Xian De.