Immortal Ascension Tower - Book 1: Reborn! [CH 1 - 75]

Chapter 36 - If Only It Had Been Different...

Ran Min and Ge Bin trembled and they both lifted their heads, their mouth gaping and their eyes (well, Ran Min's eyes... ?), widened. Everyone else in the room also had the same reaction, even Bi Liang couldn't help but be slightly startled and take a step back.

Cheng Hao smiled "Your plan was truly excellent, it would most likely have been a success: thug #1 would be the bad cop and thug #2 the good cop. I would have a bad impression on #1 which would change due to him actually not being bad in the future and occasionally giving out incredibly useful info while #2 would be branded as loyal and also kind and respectful deep in my mind, truly smart! Too bad..." Cheng Hao's smile turned into a grin and his eyes glinted "... That your own disguises fooled you!"

Ran Min opened his mouth about to say something when he realized that Cheng Hao was no longer in front of him. He heard the sound of metal hitting the scabbard and Cheng Hao reappeared holding the older man's blade in his hands

"Remarkable weapon. Ran Min, descendant of the Ran family, a powerful family of legendary swordsman, their swords impeccable and incredibly sharp due to the mysterious ores used during the smelting process..."

Cheng Hao looked at the blade and then turned towards the pale Ran Min who was still searching for the blade in his scabbard. Cheng Hao continued.

"You have made two mistakes: the first, a Ran swordsman's weapon is composed not of metal but of special ores smelted in the lava in the craters of an active volcano. They would be tempered over and over which would give them a special luster and make it similar to iron"

Cheng Hao played with the weapon, executing tens of beautiful strikes as he continued his explanation. It almost looked like he had been practicing with that sword for years.

"The only exception would be that these ores would not rust as they are not iron and they would be many times as durable as this blade of black iron, these scars may have fooled other people into thinking that the blade might have gone through many battles, but it only makes it more obvious that it is not an original blade"

Cheng Hao threw the weapon in the air and let it fall down embedding in the floor for a few centimeters. He lifted his hand and Li Biang, also understanding the child's intentions, materialized a knife made out of Aura.

Cheng Hao smiled and nodded "Thanks elder brother! Now, let me tell you a tale! About a thousand years ago, the Ran family was suddenly attacked by a mysterious expert of that time. He slaughtered his way through the Family's castle and when he got in front of the gates to the main hall, the few soldiers standing there deserted, leaving their swords behind to run faster"

Cheng Hao chuckled and thought in his mind 'You children, you better listen to your teacher, this tale comes from first hand experience! I still remember the rivers of blood of the Ran Family flowing on the roads like water during a flood, the bodies piling up on the sides of the road... And their lives getting extinguished with but a wave of my hand!'

He slashed at the blade horizontally and the sword embedded in the ground divided in two.

"To avoid that to happen again, they imprinted each of their swords with a special symbol, a qilin, their family's mark. Every weapon had then been enchanted with magic and connected with their wielder's life, meaning that if the sword broke, the person swinging it would die too... Now, does this Ran Min look dead to you? Also... Every swordsman in the Ran family is left handed!"

Everybody in the room turned to look at an ashen face Ran Ming and they saw that his right fist, his only fist, was tightened so much that it had turned white.

Cheng Hao laughed "Ahaha, truly, your disguise might have given you a mysterious past that might have saved you from inquiries by your new targets, and kept your past safe for a while. Unfortunately for you, it is just your bad luck that I stumbled here, you see..."