A weapon is just a tool for combat.
To be precise, a weapon is a tool used for attacking, and for that reason, it is also employed for intimidation and defense. When a weapon is used effectively, it should adhere to the principle of maximizing intended effects and minimizing collateral damage.
Anything that can cause harm, even psychological harm, can be called a weapon.
As long as it’s used for attacking, it can be as small as a simple wooden stick, or as formidable as a longsword, or even the entire Immortal-grade Mountain Protection Array of the Chaoyun.
These things are all weapons.
There is no doubt that a sword is a weapon.
But... Yun Qian has no need for weapons. The matter of protecting her has already been agreed upon to be handled by her husband, so no weapon could take over. Thus, the so-called weapon retains only the meaning of attacking the enemy.
If this sharp object were to be wielded as a weapon in the hands of a young lady, it’s hard to imagine what would become of the enemy.
After all, the very word ’enemy’ appearing in Yun Qian’s world is quite a bizarre occurrence.
The silver blade was reflected in Yun Qian’s eyes.
Li Zhibai drew the sword, and her sword intent stirred a gentle breeze that lifted Yun Qian’s long hair. As the black hair settled down smoothly, Yun Qian looked at the position of the sword hilt, breathing gently as her chest rose and fell.
She was very "interested" in her husband’s sword and wanted to take a look. Li Zhibai naturally had no reason to refuse.
However, just when Yun Qian’s fingers were about to touch the hilt, Li Zhibai’s heart suddenly turned cold, quickly retracting her hand as a dense unease enveloped her, as if... letting Yun Qian pick up a weapon was extremely dangerous, something she must never do.
As Xu Chang’an’s teacher, Li Zhibai had certain privileges with Yun Qian, allowing her to sense some of her uniqueness, but there was also a bottom line.
"What happened?" Yun Qian grabbed at the air, failing to get the longsword she desired, and couldn’t help but frown, staring at Li Zhibai: "Do you want this sword?"
Fighting with her for something?
This was something her husband had used, so it should stay by her side. That was her bottom line.
"No." Li Zhibai also felt a bit baffled, but she quickly collected herself: "Sister, this sword, though used by Chang’an for practice, is made of fine steel, very heavy."
With Yun Qian’s delicate and slender wrist, she probably wouldn’t be able to hold it well. Seeing Yun Qian’s liking for it, it wouldn’t be good if it weighed down her hand.
Li Zhibai always felt that whenever she saw Yun Qian, her mind became a bit hazy.
However, she was currently at a bottleneck in breaking through, refining her heart, and seeking enlightenment, so her unstable state of mind... was normal.
Li Zhibai placed the sword across the stone table, saying, "I’ll put it here; you try picking it up."
"?" Yun Qian’s expression softened somewhat. She walked over, staring at the longsword lying quietly on the table, with a glimmer of fascination in her eyes.
Li Zhibai could see Yun Qian’s fondness for the sword and was deeply perplexed.
"It’s just a sword. Do you really like it that much, sister?"
"I do." Yun Qian’s voice, tinged with reminiscence, was like a snowflake falling on Li Zhibai’s face, stirring ripples in her eyes, cool and refreshing her heart.
The longsword lay before her, and Yun Qian gazed at it.
The sword Xu Chang’an used for practice was simple and unadorned, something that could be bought on the Chaoyun with just a few contribution points; its hilt was merely wrapped with a layer of white cloth, with no unnecessary ornaments.
This was the purest kind of sword, devoid of any Spiritual Qi, a type one could purchase in a modest blacksmith shop in the mundanities of the world with silver taels. Such a longsword, placed within an Immortal Sect... naturally held no value whatsoever.
But in Yun Qian’s eyes, it was an invaluable treasure, a practice sword that had accompanied her husband for a year, gripped in his hand as he wielded it, drenched in sweat each day.
Xu Chang’an, having never learned swordsmanship in this life or past ones, had reached the entrance stage with great effort over this year, something that goes without saying considering the time he invested.
As a proxy of the Heavenly Dao, sometimes he would train all day and night, neglecting rest and food, spending more time with the sword in this year than sleeping with Yun Qian.
In Yun Qian’s "Treasure Box," even a red ribbon Xu Chang’an used as a child was preserved to this day, let alone his clothes and the longsword.
If these are not her treasures, then what are they?
Moreover... compared to other things, this sword was a treasure lost in the outside world; a "child" she had lost.
So Yun Qian sat at the stone table, her gaze burning as she looked at the longsword on the table, very fond of it, but in that first moment, she didn’t immediately reach out to touch it.
Yun Qian’s mystery laid there, and even with part of her memory actively sealed, the mere fact of her picking up a weapon would be enough to stir waves of oceanic magnitude.
Yun Qian had no idea about such matters, as she was uninterested.
"Sister really... does like it." Of course, Li Zhibai couldn’t understand what Yun Qian was so fascinated by. She herself was a woman, and she had studied swords for a while, having some shallow sword intent. She believed that swords didn’t inherently have anything to captivate young women. If they were beautifully crafted, it might spark a little interest, but Xu Chang’an’s sword was too plain, with no distinguishing features.
"The sword, once the leader of the Three Thousand Great Dao, with countless Sword Immortals birthed in ancient texts... Whether in the Immortal Sect or the mortal world, it holds a special place. Unfortunately, nowadays, swordsmanship inheritance is severed, and the sword path has dimmed..." Li Zhibai shook her head and said, "The sword, these days, seems more like an adornment worn to signify status than a weapon."