Firmament Sword

”You... Xu Luo, you’ve gone too far!” Li Tie’s face flushed crimson. He was well aware that Xu Luo’s current status was something he could likely never reach in his lifetime, but he just couldn’t accept it.

A weakling mocked by everyone just a year ago had suddenly shot up to become a Third-Grade Official of the court, a Seven-Colored General, a Marquis... In his eyes, he still saw Xu Luo as nothing more than an ordinary student from True Martial Academy!

The kind of student who had barely scraped into True Martial Academy by pulling strings!

”I told you to get lost, are you deaf? You looking for a beating?” Liang Ziyi stood up, his face grim as he walked toward Li Tie.

The aura of one who had fought life-and-death battles on the battlefield slowly emanated from him. His eyes were like daggers as he stared at Li Tie and barked in a low voice, ”Get lost!”

Li Tie suddenly shivered, a flash of fear in his eyes. But this was a military camp, after all. He knew they couldn’t do anything too drastic to him. Steeling himself, he said, ”Fine, Liang Ziyi. This grudge today... I’ll remember...”

SLAP!

Liang Ziyi moved like lightning. Before Li Tie could even react, he was struck by a vicious slap across the face!

The sound was crisp and loud. The force of the blow sent Li Tie spinning around twice in place, leaving him completely stunned.

”You... You dare hit me?”

”I told you to get lost. Are you fucking deaf?” Liang Ziyi looked at Li Tie coldly and said with contempt, ”You’re just a dog throwing its weight around because of its master. Go cry to your Young Master Wei!”

Li Tie saw a flash of icy killing intent in Liang Ziyi’s eyes. He finally lost the nerve to act tough. It finally dawned on him that the people before him had truly been on the battlefield.

For a young man like him who had never been to war, the cruelty of the battlefield was something he could never truly grasp just by imagining it.

But he could still clearly feel that murderous aura, which was so palpable it felt real.

By the time Li Tie returned to Wei Ziting’s side with one half of his face red and swollen, news of the incident had already spread rapidly.

”Li Tie got hit? Haha, he deserved it! He should’ve thought about who’s in the Martial Soul Squad before daring to provoke them.”

”Yeah, I’ve disliked him for a while now. So what if the Martial Soul Squad is resting? They’re warriors who crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood!”

”A guy who doesn’t dare go to the battlefield and is willing to be a house slave for the scion of a powerful family dares to provoke Xu Luo? Does he think his status as a Third-Grade Official is just for show?”

”Speaking of which, the Martial Soul Squad has really brought honor to our True Martial Academy. Haven’t you seen how those Soldiers who usually look down on us are full of admiration when they mention the Martial Soul Squad?”

”Exactly! They convinced the Prince General of the Cao Kingdom to join forces with us, crushing the Mo Yun Battle Department’s fifty-thousand-strong army. The Martial Soul Squad played the decisive role in that resounding victory!”

”The Martial Soul Squad is the pride of True Martial Academy! We are proud of them!”

”Actually, Young Master Wei... *cough cough*, he also performed a great service this time, haven’t you heard? His men cut off the Yan Army Grain Dao. The battle report has probably already been sent to the Imperial Capital by now. I’m afraid it won’t be long before the Emperor’s reward is announced. So it’s understandable that Li Tie is acting a bit arrogant!”

”Understandable my ass! First of all, we don’t even know if Wei Ziting really earned that military merit. But even if he did, what’s that got to do with Li Tie?”

All over the Southern Group Army’s rear headquarters, students from True Martial Academy gathered in clusters, discussing what had just happened.

Regardless of which side they were on, not a single person spoke up for Li Tie!

This group of students from True Martial Academy all had their own pride and dignity.

No one would say much about seeking patronage from the children of the rich and powerful for the sake of one’s future. But the vast majority who did so were extremely low-key. Almost no one was like Li Tie, who became a completely different person after finding a backer.

Even when seeing old friends he used to be on good terms with, he would put on airs and act high and mighty, which people found utterly repulsive.

Wei Ziting narrowed his eyes, his handsome face tinged with anger. He looked at Li Tie’s half-swollen face and asked in a low voice, ”Did they... really say that?”

”Young Master, how could I lie to you? They were just too arrogant and overbearing!” Li Tie’s eyes were a little red. As someone who had always been proud and ambitious, he had stumbled before Xu Luo time and time again. Deep down, Li Tie hated Xu Luo and his group to the core.

”Mm, you’ve suffered. Don’t worry, I’ll get even for you sooner or later.” Wei Ziting consoled Li Tie in a gentle voice, then had someone take him away for treatment.

Afterward, a happy smile actually appeared on his face.

’Xu Luo, it seems the matter of the Yan Army Grain Dao really has nothing to do with you after all! This attitude of yours... are you jealous of me?’

Wei Ziting hadn’t sent Li Tie to provoke Xu Luo because he was getting carried away by his success; he was testing Xu Luo!

If the incident with the Yan Army Grain Dao really was related to Xu Luo’s Martial Soul Squad, then even if Xu Luo could hold his tongue, the hot-tempered Liang Ziyi and Liu Feng would absolutely not tolerate such a provocation.

Therefore, he had Li Tie, who held an old grudge against Xu Luo, go and provoke him as a final test to prove that the Yan Army Grain Dao incident had nothing to do with Xu Luo and his men.

Now, Wei Ziting had the answer he wanted.

’The Yan Army Grain Dao has nothing to do with Xu Luo and his Martial Soul Squad!’

Reaching this conclusion, the last weight was lifted from Wei Ziting’s mind. He let out a long breath and thought to himself: ’As long as this has nothing to do with Xu Luo, then it doesn’t matter if it was a natural disaster or someone else’s doing. This achievement... belongs to me, Wei Ziting!’

’I, Wei Ziting, am the one who contributed most to cutting off the Yan Army Grain Dao! This fact... no one can change it!’

An astonishing light flashed in Wei Ziting’s eyes as he thought coldly, ’At that point, the military merit I’ve earned won’t be the slightest bit inferior to Xu Luo’s. My actions will have even influenced the entire Southern war theater! I’d like to see how the Emperor will reward me then. When the time comes, my father can take the opportunity to propose a marriage to the Emperor, asking for the Seventh Princess’s hand... Who could possibly stop me then?’

As he thought this, a cold sneer flashed in Wei Ziting’s eyes. ’Xu Luo, when the time comes, I will make you watch with your own two eyes as the Seventh Princess throws herself into my, Wei Ziting’s, arms! And everything I lost because of you... you will pay me back double!’

At this thought, Wei Ziting couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh, his expression smug.

Just then, one of his trusted subordinates came running over, his face filled with anxiety. Seeing Wei Ziting from afar, he called out urgently, ”Young Master Wei, it’s bad! Something’s happened!”

”What’s with all the panic? Show some decorum!” Wei Ziting said, displeased, rebuking him with a frown.

’I, Wei Ziting, am about to become a powerful man who can marry a Princess, yet my subordinates are so undisciplined,’ Wei Ziting thought. ’I’ll really have to teach these people a lesson later.’

”Young Master Wei, something big has happened! Those... those Reconnoitres... they’ve all been suddenly detained! And... it seems... someone from the palace... has arrived!” The subordinate finished, panting, his forehead beaded with sweat.

”What? What did you say? Say that again!” Wei Ziting suddenly roared. ”Which Reconnoitres? Are they the heroes who cut off the Yan Army Grain Dao? Who? Who has the audacity to do such a thing?”

”It... It seems to be... General Xu’s... order...”

Wei Ziting let out a furious, low roar. He strode over and snarled at his subordinate through gritted teeth, ”What exactly is going on? Explain it to me clearly!”

”I-I don’t know either! I just heard that someone from the palace arrived, and right after that, General Xu ordered all those Reconnoitres to be detained. Then... then I rushed over to report to you.”

A dark cloud settled over Wei Ziting’s handsome face. He snorted coldly. ”Take me there. I want to see for myself who has the gall to detain a group of heroes who influenced the entire Southern war!”

Meanwhile, the entire Southern Group Army headquarters was in an uproar.

”What? The people who destroyed the Yan Army Grain Dao have been detained? Is that true?”

”I heard someone from the palace came. No one knows the specifics yet.”

”What’s there not to know? It’s simple. Wei Ziting has thrown mud at Xu Luo and his men before, slandering Xu Luo for secretly colluding with a general from the Cao Kingdom with ill intentions. If he can do something that shameless once, he can certainly do it a second time!”

”This whole thing... feels strange. I’m suddenly getting a feeling that the ones who cut off the Yan Army Grain Dao weren’t Wei Ziting and his men.”

”And think about it, the Martial Soul Squad vanished right after Mo Yun’s Military Department was defeated. I have a hunch that maybe the Martial Soul Squad was the one who did it!”

”Hahaha, if that’s really the case, then Wei Ziting, that Young Master Wei... he’s had his face slapped again!”

”Slapped? You’re thinking too simply. This is blatant fraud! He’s trying to steal someone else’s military merit! That’s a major crime!”

...

Wei Ziting stormed toward the Central Army Tent, fuming. Along the way, many people gave him strange looks.

Li Tie, his face still half-swollen, also heard the news and hurried to follow along with a large group of Wei Ziting’s trusted men, wanting to ask what had happened.

But upon seeing the incredibly ugly expression on Wei Ziting’s face, they all knew better than to speak and kept their mouths shut.

Li Tie’s heart grew uneasy. He suddenly recalled that when he went to provoke Xu Luo, the eyes of Liang Ziyi and that damned fatty Liu Feng seemed to be filled with ridicule, utterly dismissive when he mentioned Wei Ziting’s military merit.

’Could it be...’ Li Tie didn’t dare to think further. If that was really the case, then forget about his men—even Wei Ziting himself... would probably have a hard time saving his own skin this time!

Falsely claiming military merit was a capital offense, enough to get one beheaded!

Especially when the military merit in question was such a monumental achievement.

And Wei Ziting’s expression, no matter how you looked at it... seemed to betray the fact that his scheme had been exposed. That ferocious anger seemed to be nothing more than a mask for the panic in his heart!

’Was choosing to follow Wei Ziting really the right decision?’