Dragon Hermit

Upon seeing this object, Yao Shigu took it from Xia Yan with trembling hands, as if he had just sighted upon a rare treasure. After a long while, he let out a long breath and returned it to Xia Yan. “Xia Yan, since my senior brother has already given it to you, then it’s yours. None can take it away, not even me.”

Half a piece of a black carving knife was in Xia Yan’s hands, this carving knife has only its lower part left, and its upper part was missing. The broken end’s surface was uneven, and it seemed like it was broken by an immense force.

“But, my master and martial uncle asked me to hand it over to you…” Xia Yan said hesitantly.

“You don’t have to do so.” Yao Shigu looked at Xia Yan with an affectionate gaze and said, “Actually, your master didn’t ask you to give this knife to me, rather he wanted you to get something from me.”

“What is it?” Xia Yan asked in confusion.

“Let’s first go upstairs, I will explain it to you slowly.” Yao Shigu pulled Xia Yan’s hand and went upstairs, but after they took only two steps, the former recalled something and turned his head around to say, “Lil Ting, give a call to your sister and ask her to come back at noon for the celebration.”

“All right, grandpa!” Yao Ting rolled her big eyes around and swept Xia Yan and her grandpa with her gaze. It was a wonder what was in her mind!

The Antique Collectibles Store had two floors, and the antiques exhibited on the second floor were even more refined. It could be discerned with a glance that they were quite expensive, and if those antiques were all genuine goods, then the Yao family’s net worth reached at least a hundred million, and they probably also had better goods, which they didn’t bring out for display.

Xia Yan was quite confused, but he still followed Yao Shigu and went into a room on the second floor. Thereafter, he sat on a chair made out of rosewood.

Yao Ting brewed two cups of teas and placed them in front of Xia Yan and Yao Shigu, before she sat down on the sofa.

Yao Shigu took a cup of tea and drank it silently. He didn’t utter a single word, and Yao Ting and Xia Yan would obviously not break the silence before him. After ten minutes, Yao Shigu let out a long breath and said, “Martial nephew Xia Yan, do you know the origin of this half piece of the carving knife.”

“I don’t know,” Xia Yan shook his head and said, “My master has never informed me of it, and I have come over just to hand over this knife to you.”

“When did my senior brother take you as a disciple?” Yao Shigu asked again.

“Ten years ago,” Xia Yan said.

“Did he… Ever mention me?” Yao Shigu’s gaze was quite complex.

“Master has never mentioned you before I went out.” Xia Yan said inwardly, [Some melodramatic event must have happened between those two fellow apprentices.]

“Sigh!” Yao Shigu let out a long sigh and quieted again for a while. He said, “Since your master didn’t inform you of this, then I won’t shoot my mouth off…”

[F*ck!]

Xia Yan was quite frustrated. [Martial uncle, martial uncle, you are too unfair, even if you want to keep people in suspense, you still shouldn’t do this. This isn’t any different than leaving people hanging in the air.]

While Xia Yan was criticizing Yao Shigu inwardly, the latter stood up and opened a safe embedded in the wall. He took out an exquisite wooden box from it and handed it over to Xia Yan. He asked with a smile, “Xia Yan, can you guess what’s inside the box?”

“The other half of the carving knife?” Xia Yan said hesitantly.

Yao Shigu was taken aback, and he caught sight of Yao Ting laughing up her sleeve as she nodded at him. He laughed at himself and said, “Is it so easy to guess it?”

They opened the box, and it really had the other half of the carving knife. Xia Yan took it and put both halves of the knife against each other. Both halves fit tightly, and it was obvious that they were once a single entity.

“After fifteen years, I finally managed to see the whole Passion Knife again.” Yao Shigu shook his head repeatedly with his face filled with excitement.

“What… What knife?” Xia Yan and Yao Ting shouted at the same time.

It was really weird to see an old gentleman utter a name such as “Passion Knife”, and this really didn’t fit with his image. This was such a good carving knife, yet they took a pretentious name for it, didn’t they? Besides, this pretentious name was also quite banal.

“It’s the Passion Knife!” Yao Shigu uttered its name again and said slowly, “It’s only a passionate knife that can create moving pieces of art.”

“It’s only a passionate knife that can create moving pieces of art… My master has said the same thing.” Xia Yan wore a pensive look, and he couldn’t help but say. “It turns out that this proverb originated from this knife.”

“You are mistaken, this proverb existed long before this knife, hahaha.” Yao Shigu laughed heartily.

“Xia Yan, when my senior brother left fifteen years ago, he left the following words. He stated that if someone shows up with half a piece of the Passion Knife, then that said person is his disciple, and it’s also the inheritor chosen by him, which means that he’s our school… Headmaster.”

“Headmaster?” Xia Yan and Yao Ting were both dumbstruck. [Did the change into a martial art ? This doesn’t make any sense!]

“Is it so strange?” Yao Shigu laughed and stroked Yao Ting’s head. He said, “Every industry has its schools and sects, painting industry have schools, calligraphy industry have schools, and even the lowest profession such as swindlers have many schools, let alone our carving industry, as the Confucious was a great sect leader. So, what’s so strange about our One-knife School having a headmaster?”

“Is our school’s name One-knife School?” Xia Yan asked out of curiosity.

“That’s right!” Yao Shigu nodded and sighed. He said, “Your master’s skill is far better than mine and he made a name for himself as Han Yidao. My skill is too embarrassing to show, and that is why few people know me. If that said event didn’t occur in the past, the headmaster would have been your master.”

“But now, our One-knife School’s headmaster is you.” Yao Shigu looked at Xia Yan with a fervent gaze, and said excitedly, “Xia Yan, can you show me your pieces of art?”

Xia Yan quickly took the wooden carving of a tiger descending the mountain from his backpack, and handed it over to Yao Shigu. “Martial uncle, what do you think of it?”

“A ferocious tiger descending the mountain, all youngsters should have such an imposing manner. Your master and I are both old tigers, satiated tigers that climbed up the mountain.” Yao Shigu took the wooden carving and examined it carefully for a long while. He sighed with satisfaction and placed the wooden carving on the table, before he passed down the Passion Knife to Xia Yan. Shortly after, he pulled up his long robe and knelt in front of Xia Yan.

“Martial uncle, what are you doing?” Xia Yan was startled. He quickly got out of the way and reached out with his hand to help Yao Shigu stand up

“Grandpa, what are you doing?” Yao Ting was also agitated and she quickly held Yao Shigu’s other arm.

“Lil Ting, get out of the way!” Yao Shigu waved his hand at Yao Ting and didn’t let her approach him. Soon after, he faced Xia Yan and said, “Xia Yan, I’m not kneeling to you, but to One-knife School’s inheritance. Sit down, if you don’t let me pay my respect, then I won’t have the face to face my senior brother in the future.”

“Martial Uncle, you…” Xia Yan still wanted to try to dissuade him against this, but upon seeing the resolute look plastered on this old man’s face, he realized that any further words would be just a waste of breath. He cast an apologetic glance at Yao Ting and sat down on the sofa. He held the two pieces of the Passion Knife with both hands and stuck them against each other.

Yao Shigu knelt again and kowtowed solemnly to the Passion Knife three times. Shortly after, he stood up and said, “Headmaster…”

Immortal Dreamer basically did not contact me much in awhile. So, maybe stuff happened.

Anyways, here is the new translator, lordjoker!