The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 10: The Nameless Hero

“What exactly does the elder wish to ask? I will answer honestly to the best of my knowledge,” I replied hastily, thinking to myself, If you ask me about the soul transfer, I’ll just say I don’t know—because I truly have no idea what’s going on. “Very well. My question is this: you were poisoned by my junior disciple, yet you show no signs of poisoning now. Why is that?” Xiaoyaozi fixed me with a piercing gaze. Hearing this question, I breathed a sigh of relief. However, since I didn’t know the answer either, I decided to tell the truth. “Senior, I’m not sure what happened either. To be honest, I just took a short nap,” I said earnestly. “But now I’ve lost my memory—perhaps that’s a result of the poison?” I took the opportunity to shift the blame for my amnesia onto Xuan Yinzi. After hearing this, Xiaoyaozi was puzzled. Judging by this young man’s demeanor, tone, and expression, he seemed to be telling the truth. Yet surviving such a potent poison only to lose his memory was far too strange. During the treatment, Xiaoyaozi had actually used his inner energy to examine the young man. He indeed possessed no inner energy whatsoever and likely knew nothing of martial arts. Yet the poison had strangely dissipated on its own—a fact that struck him as highly peculiar. Could it be a unique natural gift? Xiaoyaozi suddenly recalled a legend: the founder of poison arts, the Five Mysteries Poison Sovereign, possessed a miraculous constitution known as the “Calamity Poison Constitution”—immune to all poisons and capable of detoxifying through sleep. Could this young man also possess such a once-in-a-century constitution? Xiaoyaozi fell silent, deep in thought. Standing nearby, Gu Yuntian noticed his master’s puzzled silence; the atmosphere grew a bit awkward, so he quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “I suppose our brother is simply exhausted, which is why he hasn’t fully regained his strength yet. He’ll be fine with plenty of rest.” “Hmm, that’s true. After all, young man, you showed extraordinary courage in saving Yun Tian and Miss Shi, as well as Zheng Family Village. Since your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, make sure to get plenty of rest,” Xiaoyaozi replied. “Stay here in my Xiaoyao Valley for the next few days. Recover fully before you leave—just treat this place as your own home.” ” After all, Xiaoyaozi was a grandmaster of his generation, widely read and well-traveled, having witnessed countless strange and extraordinary events. He really didn’t care much about these minor matters. In the Martial Arts World, aside from his hapless junior disciple, virtually no one dared to harm Xiaoyaozi—both because his martial arts had reached the realm of perfection and he was highly respected for his virtue, and because the Xiaoyao Sect had always practiced in seclusion, avoiding conflict with the outside world. “All right, thanks a lot, Senior!” I quickly agreed. To be honest, I didn’t want to leave either. The world out there is too chaotic, and I just wanted some peace and quiet. Now that I’d finally found a strong ally in Xiaoyao Valley, I was certainly going to make the most of it. If I went out there and ran into another Poison Ghost or Poison Demon, wouldn’t that be the end of me? Seeing that the conversation had run dry and that he’d done his duty as a host, Xiaoyaozi was about to leave when he casually asked, “Young man, do you remember your name? It’s hard to address you without one.” What’s my name? I really don’t know, but I do need one. Oh well, I’ll just make one up. “I really can’t remember,” I said earnestly. “How about I come up with one right now? Since I can’t remember my own name, let’s just call me ‘Nameless’—no name at all.” “Nameless?” As soon as I finished saying that name, I could clearly see Xiaoyaozi—who had been about to leave—jolt. It was as if he’d been struck by something; he quickly turned his attention back to me, while Gu Yuntian, standing nearby, actually cried out, his astonishment plain for all to see. “What’s wrong with ‘Nameless’? Is there something wrong with that name?” I was taken aback by their reaction. “Not exactly,” Gu Yuntian explained, seeing that I was completely in the dark. “Brother, you might not be from the Martial Arts World, so you’re unaware of this. There really was someone named Nameless. Hundreds of years ago, there was a man hailed as a Martial Arts Legend—his name was Nameless. Legend has it that Nameless founded the current South Sea Sword Immortal Sect. He was a master of the Heavenly Sword—a sword that embodies the unity of heaven and man—and achieved many great feats for the Martial Arts World. Later, legend has it that he went to the Sword Realm and was never heard from again.” So that name was actually that remarkable? I really hit the jackpot—I ended up taking the name of a legend in the Martial Arts World. “Then I’ll choose a different one,” I decided to play it safe. “No need,” Xiaoyaozi, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. “Since you, young brother, have arrived at my Xiaoyao Valley by a stroke of fate, and have also, by a stroke of fate, forgotten your name, perhaps this Namelessness is also Tianyi. We of the Xiaoyao Sect value following one’s heart and nature—so let’s just call you Nameless.” As he spoke, he fell deep in thought, as if some profound mystery had suddenly weighed upon his mind. Upon hearing this, Gu Yuntian’s face took on a strange expression; clearly, he didn’t understand his master’s intentions, and I was even more confused. But when you’re under someone else’s roof, how could you dare not bow your head? “All right, since you say so, Senior, I’ll go by Nameless.” I’m a straightforward sort of person myself; any name will do. “Oh,” Xiaoyaozi said. Seeing that I’d agreed, he unexpectedly fell deep in thought, as if pondering something very strange deep within his heart. He stared at my face for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Young brother, Nameless, would you be willing to become a disciple of my Xiaoyao Valley?”