Chapter 160: Sister-in-law

Weeping Heaven! Lin Zhan had felt it more than once or twice.
Those legendary swords passed down through generations from the Sword Burial Peak, though varying in quality, each had once forged a brilliant chapter, and each held some deeply etched, unforgettable memory.
When such swords were destroyed, a phenomenon resembling the weeping of heaven would always appear. Naturally, the sensation lasted only an instant for some, while lingering a bit longer for others.
With Wu Shan’s demise and the Dust-Wiping Sword’s destruction, this weeping-heaven omen had appeared once again, inevitably leaving a certain impact on Lin Zhan’s heart.
Back when they had seized those longswords from Sword Burial Peak, at the assembly grounds at the end of the preliminary round, he had heard rumors more than once concerning the Sword Tomb Holy Land and those legendary swords.
Having experienced these celestial omens several times, including this one, Lin Zhan could not help but wonder: what kind of destination should a legendary sword have to be considered its ultimate resting place?
To fight to the very end alongside its master and be smashed to atoms, or to be buried in some forgotten place where no one ever asked after it?
"Sigh..." Lin Zhan let out a gentle sigh.
The Sword Tomb of Sword Burial Peak—perhaps only when he had the opportunity to set foot into that forbidden ground himself would he truly experience that special spectacle of ten thousand swords gathering together.
Ding-dong! The familiar sound of points being credited interrupted Lin Zhan’s deep contemplation.
Looking at the remaining disciples of Sword Burial Peak in the distance, who were still trembling with lingering fear, a wave of anger surged within Lin Zhan: "Entrusting the legendary swords of the Sword Tomb to these people is truly a heinous waste of heavenly treasures!"
Boundless murderous intent arose...
This was already a fiercely competitive grand tournament, compounded by targeted retaliatory actions; Lin Zhan no longer held an ounce of sympathy for these people—kill them all!
The experts were already gone, and against the remainder, Lin Zhan activated the white bone pagoda and unleashed the might of the Ink Sword. Though it took a considerable amount of effort and left him with a few minor injuries, he still successfully slaughtered them clean, one by one.
Points credited, all spoils of war pocketed, and those longswords sent into the Nine-Stars Space—this time, nothing could make him return them to Sword Burial Peak.
Lin Zhan turned back and found that Shui Xinxin had already recovered, sitting quietly on the ground and staring unblinkingly at him.
As for the red-tailed scorpion queen, it was nowhere to be found.
"You woke up long ago?" Lin Zhan asked aloud, guessing that she must have witnessed his entire killing spree just now.
Shui Xinxin’s face was still somewhat pale. She rubbed her small nose and hollered, "Damn it, you're quite badass! You wiped out all these people?"
"Badass my foot! If I hadn't dodged quickly just now, wouldn't I have been backstabbed by that ghost-forsaken poisonous scorpion of yours?" Lin Zhan walked around the spherical object formed by Wu Der, muttering in complaint.
"What poisonous scorpion? That’s the red-tailed scorpion queen, and she's very famous!" Upon seeing this, Shui Xinxin hurried over as well and talked back. But when she saw the red sphere and the changes in that droplet of liquid, she stopped in her tracks. "What is this thing?"
"You don't know?" Lin Zhan glanced at her sideways, somewhat suspecting whether she had said that on purpose. In Lin Zhan's memory, Wu Der had dissolved into bubbles, with only the scorpion queen standing triumphantly atop the sphere. Where else could the origin of that sphere come from if not Shui Xinxin?
Shui Xinxin rolled her eyes at Lin Zhan and cursed fiercely, "Damn it, do you really not know who I am? Then let me tell you: I used to be the sole direct disciple under Palace Master Ning of the Blazing Flame Peak's Scarlet Refining Palace: Shui Xinxin! Also, your sweetheart Yun Yin is now my senior martial sister, which also cost me my status as the only disciple, though that doesn't matter much... As for you, if you behave yourself, I'll call you brother-in-law. If you don't know what's good for you, I'll go tell my senior sister and have her divorce you! Let's see you act all smug then..."
Good grief, what kind of logic was this? It made no sense whatsoever.
However, Lin Zhan finally learned Shui Xinxin's true identity. According to her logic, Lin Zhan and Shui Xinxin really would be brother-in-law and sister-in-law in the future!
Without any rhyme or reason, Lin Zhan had gained an unearned sister-in-law, yet this sister-in-law was quite the bossy character!
Moreover, Lin Zhan associated this with that fellow named Jin Shi of the Jiangnan Daoist-robe clan who claimed to have eloped with his sister-in-law, causing his dark face to flush red.
Fortunately, this sister-in-law couldn't beat him. If she really acted up and caused trouble, he would just give her a sound thrashing and see if she dared to cling to the wrong powerful figures again!
A brother-in-law severely beating up his sister-in-law—that imagery felt a bit awkward and painful to contemplate. Lin Zhan coughed dryly twice and resumed his normal expression.
Luckily, for some reason, she didn't ask about her clone at the moment. Quick, let's change the subject first...
"It seems little Xin really doesn't know the origin of this pearl?" Lin Zhan asked politely.
Facing such a whimsical little loli, with no lollipop in hand, Lin Zhan could only resort to coaxing and deceiving her first.
"Whenever the red-tailed scorpion queen strikes, not even skin or bones are left behind. How could she possibly leave behind such a strange pearl!" The sister-in-law pouted, feeling deeply aggrieved.
That being the case, combined with the circumstance of Wu Der coming back to life from the dead, this pearl must be the crucial key to it all, Lin Zhan deduced.
The water droplet continued to change, absorbing the energy supply from the pearl and growing larger and larger. Inside it appeared a miniature silhouette of Wu Der, and then, the entire subsequent process was completed at an astonishing speed!
The water droplet burst open, and a brand-new Wu Der abruptly appeared right before the eyes of both Lin Zhan and Shui Xinxin!
One instinctively shouted, "Holy crap, what the hell!"
The other similarly shrieked in reflex, "Oh shit, damn it..."
Furthermore, both of them simultaneously retreated several feet, reacting no differently than if they had just seen a ghost.
Naturally curious, after retreating a certain distance, both of them stopped in their tracks, turned around, and walked back to see what on earth was going on.
This truly was no illusion, nor some supernatural event; Wu Der had genuinely been reborn!
As soon as this brand-new Wu Der opened his mouth, a puff of black smoke billowed out. He was probably terrified out of his own wits.
Perhaps due to the lingering effects of the red-tailed scorpion queen's venom, this Wu Der still seemed a bit not quite right. Right after spitting out the black smoke, he immediately blurted out, "Who are you... and who am I?"
Before Lin Zhan could react, Shui Xinxin dashed forward, grabbed Wu Der by the arm, and said excitedly, "Child, little Der-der, my dear child, you're finally back! I am your mother, and he is your father..."
"Your mother? Your father?" Wu Der looked confusedly at Shui Xinxin, then glanced at Lin Zhan, his gaze somewhat dazed.
"..." Lin Zhan walked closer with a head full of black lines, secretly circulating his spiritual energy. This sister-in-law of his was truly trying to defy the heavens!
"No, no, no, you are you, I am your mother, and he is your father..." Shui Xinxin tried desperately to correct him.
"I am you, you are your mother, and he is your father..." Wu Der was also struggling immensely.
"Go to hell! Your dad here doesn't have a moronic son like you!"
Shui Xinxin—she leapt up into the air and tapped her finger directly between Wu Der's eyebrows...