It had been especially rowdy since tasting the blood of the Gu Disciple, it's nature grown from the slaughter of countless people, innocent or otherwise, making a bloodthirsty blade of Living Metal.
It vibrated at his hip.
"Elder Yu." Shou Xin spoke.
Elder Yu turned solemn at the sound of his title.
"I, as the Master of the Shou Clan, am honored to have such an esteemed guest and also ashamed to ask this of you. Please, allow me to use my personal weapon as the base."
"Master Shou, I, Elder Yu would be honored if you used your personal weapon for this."
Elder Yu smiled and Shou Xin nodded seriously.
Following Elder Yu they arrived at the center of the large courtyard before the Heart Mind Pagoda.
Setting the Sea Spring Sword upon the courtyard and the sheath laid at it's side, Shou Xin gazed down at his naked blade, the countless pieces of souls trapped in the metal seemingly staring back at him.
"Let it rest, we will work under the moonlight when the Yin Qi of the world is at its highest, it will assist with the process of metal work."
"Master Shou!" A voice called!
Elder Yu turned back catching sight of a pair strange pair.
One had flowing blonde hair that looked about as straight as a jagged stream, and the other was a man with short hair that looked like it'd been chewed by a beast, both of them wore strange clothes with different emblems.
One had a sword pointed downwards and a pair of wings extending from either side as though to encompass everything.
The one had a flood dragon which coiled around the bottom of the blade till the very point as though the blade itself were a flood dragon, it's body sown onto the emblem as though it were a reflection in the metal.
"The uniforms for the clan have been getting put off for quite a while because we did not wish to take any direction without your word!" Yui Luo said excitedly, "Which one does the Master believe is the best? Mine is meant to signify that within the blade of a Shou swordsmen is the heart of a flood dragon which history fought against the true dragons, an emblem which shows fortitude and bravery!"
"Mine is meant to show that no matter how far one runs, nor how well one believes they are hidden, if they should provoke the strength of the Shou, they will never escape it's reach." Liu Gang said plainly, "The wings are those clipped off a True Dragon, only those with the most powerful minds can dare to look at the blade."
Shou Xin looked at the two emblems for a brief moment, then he turned to Elder Yu.
"I am sorry about their antics."
"This is an important step for a clan, is it not? If you are to reign for hundreds of years, it is crucial that the emblem is not one to be taken lightly!" Elder Yu seemed excited over it as well.
Shou Xin glanced at Elder Yu and then at Liu Gang and Yui Luo who clearly expected an answer right away.
Feeling a slight headache coming on, he didn't think too much.
"The Head will have a combination of the two. To represent the strength of a True Dragon, and the brave, stalwart nature of a Flood Dragon, so future heads never forget who they are. As for the disciples, have the base emblem be a sword tilted downward, and nothing else. As they gain their recognition for each of the three traits through life or death, add those little pieces. Those all three, the Wings, Flood Dragon and the sword pointed to the sky, will get the chance to aim for Patriarch succession. As for the special unified thing that will make it easily identifiable among the hundreds of sword emblems out there… add an executioner's platform underneath the hanging sword. In this way, even the regular disciples will never forget their oath to the clan which they carry on their back."
The three of them looked at him, shocked.
Elder Yu seemed to be on the side, writing down a note detailing the meanings behind the emblems.
"Should the Shou Clan become a great clan, then it will be important." He thought calmly as he put away the note.
"Yes, Master!"
"Right away, Lord."
The two left shortly after.
---
As Shou Xin saw Elder Yu off, he slowly headed off to the top floor of the Heart Mind Pagoda, where several things had piled up, namely various threats and such.
He set those which were clearly written as threats aside, and only read through the normal, well, as normal as it could get, those ones.
Of all the letter's, there were only two which didn't reek of killing intent and Qi.
He calmly looked over the only two letters left between the stacks of papers.
"A red seal, and a black seal."
He quietly picked up the red seal first, for no other reason than because he had to choose one.
It didn't have a name and seal on the front wasn't really a seal, just a wax to close the letter.
The paper was smooth and spotless, even as he checked around it for any sort of traps containing Qi or some mystic art, it still did not wrinkle or get oil from his finger tips on it's surface.
Focusing his Sanguine Sword Qi on the tip of his finger, he created a small finger knife and cut open the seal.
Instantly a sense of danger overwhelmed him, but it was gone just as fast like an illusion, yet in that single moment his Sanguine Sword Qi had wrecked the entire room as it he had activated his field in less than a second.
The room, now sliced apart in various places, was left with really only the chair he sat on in tact, and the black seal envelope.
His face changed from more relaxed to solemn as he read the letter out.
It carried no sender, only a recipient.
"How are you?"
Were all the words on the long piece of paper.
His gaze narrowed.
As one from the Shou Clan, his education since he was born was all about espionage and manipulation, learning everything to survive a second longer and perhaps even succeed.
In a moment, his Sanguine Sword Qi flowed into the paper and it began to burn from the top down, words flowing out of the page in the form of ashes.
"The Yan Clan has noticed your movements. Multiple fighters have been dispatched to assist in your assassination. They're each Third Chain with a Fourth Chain captain. I can't say more."
Without a name nor seal, he could still feel in his gut who it was, quietly he retracted his Qi, and the ashes fell, being carried out on the breeze.
As he watched them fall, he noticed the black envelope which floated where it was.
His instincts told him one thing, and one thing alone.
'Danger.'
Yet, Shou Xin's gaze was resolved, he had faced threats before, and he would in the future, he was sure of it.
"Being timid will only result in suffering." Shou Xin grasped the black envelope.
Upon opening it, nothing special happened, only a few words were written on it.
"The External Affairs Branch of Sea Spring greets Little Master Shou. If you wish to, then… greet us back."
Shou Xin quietly looked up, his gaze flowing over every nook and cranny of the room, yet nothing could be seen despite the holes he made with his sword leaking light inside.
Instead, he felt at a crossroads.
The External Affairs Department.
His father had told him of such beings who worked in the External Affairs, and that all of them were monsters many times his own strength.
This was one of the few things Shou Xin had ever managed to hear his father say, as he did not say much and when he did, Shou Xin was normally not there.
Walking down into the library, he looked through the bookshelves, only a few records salvaged from the noble estates had the words External Affairs recorded, and it was always a footnote.
"Each direction has a Direction Lord, which has five Hall Master beneath him, and each of them has five Mansion Head's beneath them, which each have at least five States beneath their command." Shou Xin read the lettering detailing the power structure outside of the Exiled Court, which was considered a holy land for cultivation, but also the core of the world, "For such a large organization, they must have many branches which means they are likely a piece of the Exiled Court stationed here in Sea Spring Province."
This however only lead to more questions, which he could not find answers to in the records.
He folded the letter and placed it within his robes, it was dangerous to enter into something one did not understand, he knew this better than anyone.
By the time he had finished searching through the library, night had fallen and he stepped out from the Heart Mind Pagoda.
Within the courtyard, his Sea Spring Sword shone brightly, having been laid out to absorb the sunlight and then be cooled by the moonlight, it was perfect, a light sheen across the blade.
"Are you ready?" Elder Yu's light footsteps echoed as he entered the bamboo forest.
Shou Xin glanced his way and turned his gaze back to the sword before nodding.
His Sanguine Sword Qi flowed everywhere like countless sharp webs exploding from a single point as he walked towards the sword.
His instincts screamed at him.
Begged him.
Don't do it.
Yet, Shou Xin ignored it, his gaze fixed on the Sea Spring Sword.
Just as he was about to touch the handle, his mind snapped as he realized something.
"There is no wailing nor killing intent?" Shou Xin quietly looked around and found that Elder Yu was gone.
----
Elder Yu yelled, "Don't!"
Yet, Shou Xin seemingly couldn't hear him as he grabbed the Sea Spring Sword's hilt.
"Damn!" Elder Yu rushed forward, "I underestimated the accumulated evil in it, it's not truly done purifying!"
He reached out for the Sword Stone which laid beside the blade and in a quick motion, he forced it down Shou Xin's throat engraving a few words on it!