I'm Dead, Don't Miss Me, and I Won't Be Your Stand-In

*Under revision

Immortal Su Huai could seal away demons with one sword and split mountains with three.

Whether it was night ghosts and bandits, or plagues and raging fires, the Tengshan Sword Formation could dispel disasters and cure illness.

People called upon the Sword Immortal.

From emperors and ministers to woodcutters and village women, everyone bowed three times and kowtowed nine times before Tengshan, trembling with reverence.

Su Huai's whereabouts were mysterious. No one knew her name or what she looked like.

Year after year, it was always the same.

Until the day of the sword tournament.

Before the eyes of the crowd, the wild boy Su Huai had personally taken in lifted a battered blade and severed her innate sword bones.

"Forgive the desolation of the Demon Realm. We have no master craftsmen or fine weapons. I offer only this blade, and ask you to kill the Sword Immortal."

-

"The Demon Realm has a new king."

Xie Song had not entered the world for a long time. She was happy to hear the hubbub of people and leisurely brewed a pot of fresh tea.

People were furious that demons ran rampant in the human realm, while the dynasty, unable to withstand the unrest, fell into decline.

The demons, meanwhile, resented Su Huai for sealing away the spiritual energy with a single sword, leaving the Demon Realm nearly lifeless.

Grudges entwined, and karma was hard to dispel.

Idle chatter drifted through the teahouse.

"They say the new king began his bloody path to power with the Sword Immortal's corpse, still warm. He cut out her immortal bones and made them into a crown, which he never takes off. He uses it to challenge every schemer he meets: do you have the power to slay an immortal like he does?"

Xie Song thought, I never would have guessed that kid was such a freak.

She had long been looking forward to retiring and faking her death, and she was taking it all in stride.

But then the conversation turned to romance.

"They say the new king fell in love at first sight with someone in a dream. He's had a portrait made and is searching for her like a madman."

"Hey, miss, you look a little like the woman in that picture."

Xie Song laughed. She didn't take it to heart. "I'm just a drifter with empty pockets. If I can get paid enough to be a stand-in, I wouldn't mind."

*

"Borrow the fates of ten million lives to answer the call of all living beings."

The most unreliable Sword Immortal under heaven x Demon King of the Killing Path

The characters' values and views do not represent the author's.

Everyone has flaws; no one is perfect. The setting is entirely fictional, and the history is made up.

A practice piece.

2024/2/7

Theme: A sinful sword and a thousand demons, I shall seal their names