Firmament Sword

”Then what are we to do, Master Wei? If this continues, our Hongcheng Wei Family... we’re finished!” an elderly man of the Wei Family, one of Wei Dao Lin’s confidants, cried out, tears streaming down his face.

”You’re all perfectly aware of the evil the Wei Family has committed. But before this reckoning, we all clung to the hope that we’d get away with it. We thought it was no big deal when our children made a few mistakes. After all, on our home turf here in Hongcheng, who would dare cause trouble for the Wei Family?” Wei Dao Lin said with a bitter smile. ”But now, a fierce dragon has crossed the river. On top of that, we have the Old City Lord, who holds a deep grudge against our family, and the New Deputy City Lord, who looks on us with nothing but disdain... This time, the Wei Family is beyond saving!”

”But Master Wei, you can’t just wait here to die!” the man beside him pleaded.

Wei Dao Lin shook his head. ”I am the head of this family. If I die, the women and children might still have a chance to live. Even if they’re sold off, perhaps Prime Minister Wei will remember our shared lineage and lend a hand. But if I flee, then the Wei Family will be truly, completely destroyed! Do you think there’s anything the Old City Lord... wouldn’t do in his fury?”

In the secret room, the few members of the Wei Family looked at one another, breaking out in a cold sweat.

”Come, help me change my clothes!” Wei Dao Lin’s expression calmed, his commanding presence on full display. ”At the very least, I am a nobleman, a Count,” he said lightly. ”Before I die, I want to see him. I want to see what Xu Ji’s brilliant son, the Seven-Colored Marquis, really looks like. Does he have three heads and six arms, that he could single-handedly destroy my entire Hongcheng Wei Family clan? Heh... a true hero is born young.”

Weeping, a few old servants helped their master into the full regalia of a Count—ceremonial attire he never normally wore. On his chest, they pinned the Wei Family crest.

By the time Xu Luo saw Wei Dao Lin, the sky over the Wei Family Manor was tinged with a faint, bloody red. Rivers of blood flowed on the ground; on the Old City Lord’s order, nearly all the adult men had been executed on the spot.

The women and children were all herded together, guarded by the menacing soldiers of the City Defense Army.

When Wei Dao Lin emerged, several women of noble bearing acted as if they’d seen their savior, starting to wail and curse the City Defense Army, screaming that killing nobles would bring them a terrible death.

In response, soldiers from the City Defense Army, their faces masks of pure hatred, slapped them unconscious.

Wei Dao Lin’s heart clenched, but he said nothing. He just let out a long sigh toward the sky and said, ”Where is Xu Luo? I want to see him!”

Wei Dao Lin, a man past sixty, was dressed in the full regalia of a Count. With a powerful, majestic stride, he looked less like a prisoner and more like an officer reviewing his soldiers.

Xu Luo slowly walked out and looked at Wei Dao Lin without a word.

”So, you are Xu Luo? Good! An impressive young man, indeed!” Wei Dao Lin pressed his lips together tightly, looking at Xu Luo. ”There is one thing I wish to ask of you.”

”Ask of me?” Xu Luo looked up at the old man before him. ’If I’d met him somewhere else, my first impression would have certainly been a good one. There wasn’t a trace of hostility on him now, not a shadow of the arrogance he was known for. Who could imagine that a family led by a man with such a commanding presence would be so utterly evil, with a reputation that couldn’t possibly be worse?’

”I will die. I will write a full confession stating that everything the Wei Family has suffered today, we brought upon ourselves. It has nothing to do with anyone else. In return, you will release my family’s women and children. They... are innocent.” Wei Dao Lin’s voice was deep and he spoke slowly, each word a struggle.

”Master...” Many among the guarded women and children began to weep uncontrollably.

”This is exactly what the Wei Family has brought upon itself! Your clan, from the inside out, from man to woman, from old to young—you’re all rotten to the core!” the Old City Lord strode forward, practically spitting with rage. He stared at Wei Dao Lin and shouted, ”You dare say your women and children are innocent? That they’ve never done anything wicked? We have our principles, so we won’t kill them, but that doesn’t mean they’re good people! Wei Dao Lin... Master Wei, do you want me to show you the proof?”

”Old City Lord, we once had a friendship. Isn’t what the Wei Family is suffering today enough?” Wei Dao Lin sighed. ”Let it end here.”

”HAHAHAHAHA! Let it end? You actually have the gall to tell me to let it end? Wei Dao Lin, do you remember what you told me years ago when I begged you to rein in your family’s juniors?” The Old City Lord threw his head back and roared with laughter, but when he looked down again, tears were streaming down his face. In a voice choked with grief, he cried, ”You told me that commoners... have no rights! That to nobles, they’re worth less than cats and dogs! Back then, Wei Dao Lin, did you ever think about stopping?”

”Indeed. That is why the Wei Family is facing this catastrophe today. I ask for nothing else, only that the Hongcheng Wei Family can leave behind a trace of its bloodline...” Wei Dao Lin’s voice was hoarse as he turned his gaze back to Xu Luo. ”I know about the feud between the Imperial Capital’s Wei Family and your Xu Family. I’m not asking you to show special mercy, only to spare these women and children. Give them a chance to live. If they are sold off, they will surely have no chance of survival...”

”So you’re also aware of how much the people of Hongcheng detest them?” Xu Luo sighed softly, then said, ”Hand over all the wealth your Wei Family has extorted from the people of Hongcheng over the years. And I don’t mean some of it—I mean all of it. You know you can’t fool me. Then, produce the evidence of the Hongcheng Wei Family’s crimes over the years. A single letter of confession is not enough; I want to see more! Do these two things, and I will give the women and children of your Hongcheng Wei Family a path to survival. I guarantee they will leave Hongcheng and be provided for for the rest of their lives. But if any of them think of seeking revenge...”

”They won’t, absolutely not!” Seeing that Xu Luo only mentioned these two conditions and didn’t even try to involve the Wei Family in the Imperial Capital, Wei Dao Lin let out a long sigh of relief. Over the years, the Hongcheng Wei Family had done far too many shady things for Prime Minister Wei. If those things were ever exposed, even if they couldn’t topple the Prime Minister, it would still leave him utterly disgraced.

He didn’t know that Xu Luo had no need for that information. Xu Luo already held a mountain of evidence regarding Wei Feng’s crimes. It was just that under the current circumstances, even if he presented it, he wouldn’t be able to topple Wei Feng. Therefore, the additional proof from the Hongcheng Wei Family was of little consequence.

In the future, on the day Prime Minister Wei truly lost his power, Xu Luo wouldn’t need to gather anything; countless people would naturally line up to hit a man who’s down.

”Young Master Xu, I believe you!” Wei Dao Lin nodded at Xu Luo, then looked at the disgruntled Old City Lord and said with a bitter smile, ”Now I finally understand how you must have felt back then when you lost your niece. Old City Lord, before I go, I offer you my apology. Please, don’t hate me.”

The Old City Lord felt a storm of conflicting emotions, his expression shifting uncertainly. After a long moment, he sighed heavily and waved a dismissive hand. ”Forget it. A dying man’s words are sincere. Why should I stoop to arguing with you now?”

Wei Dao Lin nodded, then turned to the crowd of women and children with a solemn expression. ”Our conversation just now... did you all hear it?”

As soon as he said this, cries erupted, and the large group descended into chaos.

The City Guard Army didn’t bother to intervene, simply surrounding them to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to escape.

”All of you, stop crying!” Wei Dao Lin’s voice suddenly boomed.

The crowd immediately fell silent, and only the sound of soft sobbing could be heard.

Wei Dao Lin sighed. ”What is there to cry about? For all these years, you’ve enjoyed lives of wealth and splendor. A debt must always be paid, and a wrong must always be righted. I have something to say to the children among you. Remember this: from this day forward, you must never, ever entertain a single thought of revenge! Anyone who does so shows me the greatest disrespect! I may be long dead, but I will be watching you!”

As he spoke, Wei Dao Lin’s voice softened. ”Learn to be ordinary people. Be good people. In the future, don’t think about becoming officials, and don’t think about revenge. To be able to live a peaceful, ordinary life... is, in its own way, a kind of happiness.”

Cries of ”Grandfather...” and ”Great-grandfather...” rose from the crowd, followed by low weeping. ”We will heed your teachings...”

”Alright. I have said all that I need to say.” Wei Dao Lin glanced at the young women in the crowd. ”Those of you who can marry... should go and get married. Marry an ordinary man. Try living an ordinary life. Forget your past wealth and splendor. Just think of it as a dream.”