The Sword Spirit Has Designs on Me

At year's end, heavy snow fell as everyone at Kunlun Ruins was slaughtered.

Xiao Yi was trapped in the secret realm of her sect's examination. By a twist of fate, she escaped the massacre.

The mastermind kept pursuing her. Xiao Yi fled Kunlun Ruins with her master's broken sword, accidentally awakening a sword spirit that had been asleep for years after suffering a grievous injury.

The sword spirit looked no different from a human. When she walked alone at night, it was the only companion that could soothe her fear and make her feel safe.

It could rival the experts on the Hundred Battles List, and saved her from danger time and again.

Most importantly, it could braid her hair beautifully, cook delicious meals and pastries, and teach her to catch up on her cultivation, solve the case, take revenge, and fight her way through a river of blood.

Aside from its old wounds, which had yet to heal, and its occasional disappearances, it had no flaws.

Xiao Yi adored the sword spirit. She grew increasingly dependent on it and trusted it more with every passing day. They were together morning and night, and she even dared to fall asleep in its arms.

Still, sometimes things felt a little off. For instance, in her dreams, something as cold as a snake would climb up her wrist and grip it greedily. When she woke, she thought she saw red marks.

Several months later, Xiao Yi met her master's close friend from his youth.

"A sword spirit? Your master once cut his way through the Demon Realm alone and purged the eight wildernesses, but he paid for it with his natal sword. He was too proud to admit it, so he made a fake to fool the world. Where would a sword spirit come from?"

.

The candlelight was dim, and the curtains blurred the room.

A bundle of packed clothes and belongings had been tossed carelessly into the corner.

Xiao Yi, who was scared out of her mind, had clearly tried to escape, and had fallen hard, rubbed her aching head and opened her eyes. The chains around her wrists clanked, fully waking her. She met a pair of eyes blazing with possessiveness.

She suddenly remembered the heart demon her master had extracted from her when she was a child.

The "sword spirit" sat beside her, its beautiful tentacles flowing beneath its robe.

It gazed, sated, at her glistening red lips and lifted her chin with a fingertip.

"Running away?"

[IMPORTANT READING NOTES]

1. My neighboring serialized novel, So I'm the Villain, So What?, was originally going to use this premise. But while drafting, I came up with a new idea, so I changed the premise and setup and wrote a different story. I deleted the abandoned draft, and after starting this novel, I also changed the blurb and title. I really like this premise, so I made a few small changes and am rewriting it here.

The two books have these things in common: the heroine's entire sect is wiped out, and there is a revenge plot.

Differences: the plot and romance arcs, central premise, male and female leads, supporting characters, worldbuilding, and power system are all different. The books are unrelated, so please enjoy them without worry.

Theme: Strive to rise.