Du Chengfeng could confirm that it was probably not the sword’s issue.

If it were Ruan Shantao himself, this Rectangular Sword might indeed have slipped up, as when it was in the old man’s hands, this Bladeless Sword indeed never killed anyone — but having fallen into Du Chengfeng’s hands, this sword had killed dozens at least; it was no longer some Non-Killing Sword.

Moreover, this sword had an intent to kill towards that young emperor even stronger than Du Chengfeng who wielded it.

After all, Du Chengfeng did not know the young emperor, and their connection was merely because of his cheap teacher. Coming to Jiankang to slash with this sword was no different to him than killing a fly in the kitchen — in contrast, this Rectangular Sword harbored a true, deep-seated hatred for the emperor, as its original owner had lowered his proud head due to an imperial edict.

Therefore, even for the sake of this sword, Du Chengfeng had to make a special trip; otherwise, he feared the sword might one day jump up and knock him on the head.

However, after Du Chengfeng had specially come, the sword itself couldn’t achieve it.

Du Chengfeng found it hard to describe that sensation. Although he could confirm he had struck a human body, the sensation felt as if he had struck hard metal or tough rubber tires — if one hit could be counted as a case, after three consecutive strikes, Du Chengfeng could confirm that it was a kind of special protective technique.

"Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt? Hard martial art training?"

Du Chengfeng inexplicably recalled those miraculous cultivation techniques from wuxia novels he had read long ago.

Could such bullcrap actually work?

"I have to find a way to get my hands on it!"

Du Chengfeng almost instinctively made the decision.

As days passed, Du Chengfeng gained some understanding of this world, and regarding the power system of this world, he had a basic judgment — if he had to use a word to describe it, Du Chengfeng thought the best term would be "high attack low defense."

So-called "high attack" meant strong offensive power, relying on a mysterious and unreasonable force called Evil Qi, making everyone ferocious like tigers in battle. But when it came to defense...

It became quite awkward.

Evil Qi only made one’s blade swings swifter and could even unleash some incredible Evil Qi attacks, but this thing hadn’t shown much enhancement to the human body itself — although Evil Qi penetrating the body could indeed increase strength and agility, it couldn’t toughen the flesh and blood body against attacks.

Not to mention Evil Qi penetrating the body, even at the stage of releasing Evil Qi, getting stabbed would still bleed, and if stabbed in a vital area, dying on the spot wouldn’t be surprising.

Of course, to protect this fragile flesh, people often wore armor, but at most, it could block some ordinary weapons. When faced with weapons carrying intense Evil Qi, the defense of the armor was extremely limited — if encountering the release of Evil Qi, thick armor was no different from paper, as Evil Qi was just that unreasonable.

Even those who couldn’t withstand Evil Qi invasion and turned into enormous monsters ultimately just gained more flesh; the flesh and blood body still couldn’t withstand the blade light of Evil Qi release.

This also made Du Chengfeng always feel a bit anxious. For instance, lying in bed sleeping soundly, if two experts started fighting and smashing through houses, several blades of light slicing over could kill him on the spot without giving him a chance to get up.

But now, he had found a way to sleep peacefully.

As long as his defense was up, he wouldn’t fear slashes of blade light. Of course, Du Chengfeng didn’t expect to block everything; even if he could block part of it, preventing immediate death and giving him a chance to counterattack, it would suffice.

However, even with a strong demand, Du Chengfeng wasn’t foolish enough to directly ask, which would undoubtedly allow the other side to seize an opportunity over him, and he had no intention of helping this young emperor with anything.

Fortunately, he had a second choice.

Though being an emperor might not mean great martial prowess, there would certainly be martial arts practice in daily life — which meant that if he could get his hands on this young emperor’s weapons, he could use his unique methods to spy on the secrets this young emperor concealed.

Of course, he wouldn’t directly ask for his sword.

Rather than make a request and haggling, he preferred a more direct approach.

He meant to take it for himself.

"Wait, minister, are you serious?"

Upon hearing Du Chengfeng’s request, the young emperor was momentarily stunned.

"Minister, you actually want to stay overnight in the palace?"

"You lack proper guidance!"

Du Chengfeng said with a straight face.

"Look at your thin arms and legs. If I slash you three times and you still don’t react, how can you qualify as an emperor! You... why are you looking at me like that, do you think I’m unqualified to teach him?"

Saying this, Du Chengfeng simply raised the Rectangular Sword in his hand.

"See this sword! This is Ruan Shantao’s personal sword! I’m his direct disciple! How could I possibly not be able to teach someone!"

"This..."

Looking at the sturdy arms thicker than tree trunks, the robust body nearly seven feet tall, and the familiar Rectangular Sword, many courtiers found themselves speechless.

At this moment, it seemed like they were returning to times past, recalling the terrifying experiences of their youth.

They dared not have any opinions because this Bladeless Sword had truly broken their bones in the past. The only concern now was the young emperor’s own feelings.

But when they turned their gaze to the young emperor, they saw the young sovereign’s eyes shining brightly.

"It’s wonderful that the Grand Master thinks this way!"

Saying so, the young emperor approached, taking Du Chengfeng’s hands and even touching Du Chengfeng’s arms.

"So strong...so unbelievably strong..."

Though he had just taken three slashes, the young emperor showed no resentment towards Du Chengfeng; instead, with an excited expression, it seemed as if he’d discovered some incredible treasure.

"Grand Master, I’ve decided; tonight, you must stay overnight in the palace, and I must share the bed and listen to your guidance all night!"