Firmament Sword

”Xu Luo, can you please take me out for a stroll around the Imperial Capital?” Su Qianqian’s exceptionally beautiful eyes were filled with hope as she gazed at Xu Luo, her voice syrupy sweet. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought she was a little sister wheedling her big brother.

Three days had passed since Xu Luo and the others returned. By the end of the banquet that day, nearly everyone had gotten drunk. Ultimately, the only one who remained sober was the pregnant Mo Yun.

Xu Su, who rarely drank, accepted every drink offered that day and successfully became the first to get drunk. He was followed by the heavy-hearted Xu Jie, who was the second to pass out.

Under Lan Xin’s lethal glare, Little Fatty didn’t drink much, but his tongue was still loosened enough to sing a litany of Xu Su’s praises to Xia Muyao and Guo Ying.

Toward the end, Xia Muyao and Guo Ying started a drinking competition. The outcome went without saying; alcohol tolerance had nothing to do with one’s power. Although Guo Ying was very strong, she couldn’t avoid intoxication. Xia Muyao’s tolerance was slightly better, but Guo Ying could use her True Essence to temporarily suppress the effects of the alcohol.

By the end of their competition, both of them had passed out.

Then, as Su Qianqian watched, dumbfounded, Xu Luo ordered a few of the Xu Family’s maidservants to take his older brother Xu Su, Guo Ying, and Xia Muyao to a room together.

”Are you sure they won’t try to kill you tomorrow?” That question didn’t come from Su Qianqian, but from the stunned Little Fatty, his words slurring.

Naturally, Xu Luo ignored him.

The next day, no one came looking to kill Xu Luo, though both Xia Muyao and Guo Ying shot him unfriendly looks. However, faced with his completely innocent expression, they both retreated in defeat and hadn’t returned to the Xu Mansion since.

As for Xu Su, on the other hand, he had grown increasingly friendly toward Xu Luo...

Su Qianqian had originally been disdainful of worldly things, but after chatting with Lan Xin and Mo Yun, her interest was piqued. For the past two days, she had been constantly begging Xu Luo to take her out shopping.

The very idea of shopping gave Xu Luo a headache. He had always resisted it, even back when Lianyi was by his side, to say nothing of a mischievous girl like Su Qianqian. There was no telling what kind of trouble she might stir up if he took her out.

With Xu Jie’s wedding day fast approaching, Xu Luo didn’t want too many people to know he was back.

But Su Qianqian had been pestering him for two days straight. If he refused again, he feared the girl would throw a tantrum. In the end, Xu Luo had no choice but to helplessly surrender to her tyrannical pressure.

”Fine,” Xu Luo said, his expression serious. ”But let’s get one thing straight beforehand. This is the capital of the Cangqiong Kingdom, not your sect. You are not to cause any trouble.”

Su Qianqian nodded her head vigorously. ”Don’t worry,” she said with a beaming smile, ”I definitely won’t cause you any trouble!”

Xu Luo rolled his eyes. ’Heaven knows...’ he thought.

Xu Luo had wanted Su Qianqian to wear a veil, or she would attract too much attention, but she vehemently refused.

”It’s not like I’m ugly, so why should I cover my face? I won’t do it!”

”Fine, have it your way,” Xu Luo said. ’If you’re not afraid of trouble,’ he thought, ’then what do I have to fear?’

The only reason Xu Luo was keeping such a low profile upon his return to the Imperial Capital was for other reasons. Otherwise, with his fearless nature, he wouldn’t have cared. Even back when he was too weak to cultivate, he had never truly been afraid of anyone.

The most prosperous area in the Imperial Capital was naturally Cyan Dragon Avenue. This incredibly bustling street was lined with every kind of shop imaginable, and the dazzling array of goods made Su Qianqian’s head spin.

In that moment, Su Qianqian looked exactly like a sheltered country girl seeing the big city for the first time. Everything looked novel and exciting, and she wanted to buy everything she laid eyes on.

Eventually, Xu Luo’s hands were completely full. ”My lady,” he protested with a pained expression, ”are you satisfied now? I can’t carry another thing!”

”Oh, come on. Can’t you just put everything in your ring?” Su Qianqian asked, giving Xu Luo an innocent look.

”Wouldn’t that be a bit too conspicuous?” Xu Luo rolled his eyes at her. ”A Storage Ring... You think just anyone has seen one of those? Besides,” he added, ”most of the stuff you’ve bought is useless!”

”How are they useless?” Su Qianqian retorted. ”Everything I bought is useful! Do you want me to explain the purpose of each one to you?”

”Let’s just forget it. But how about we call it a day? It’s not like you’re leaving tomorrow, we can always come back!” Xu Luo said. Inwardly, however, he was thinking: ’Tomorrow I’m getting Little Fatty to ask Lan Xin to go shopping with you. You couldn’t drag me out here again if you beat me to death!’

Su Qianqian bit her lower lip, giving Xu Luo a pitiful look. ”You just don’t want to be with me anymore. I’ve never been to such a lively place in my whole life... My parents never pay me any mind...”

Seeing a flicker of genuine sadness in the depths of her eyes, Xu Luo’s heart softened. ’Looks like being born into a great sect isn’t necessarily a happy life after all,’ he thought.

Just as he was about to speak, a soft laugh came from nearby. ”What is it you desire, little lady? My master can buy it for you! Why follow such a stingy man?”

Startled, Xu Luo and Su Qianqian both turned toward the voice.

A very handsome young man in lavish clothes was smiling at Su Qianqian. He was the one who had just spoken.

Beside him stood another man, tall and slender, with sharp brows and bright eyes. He appeared to be twenty-five or twenty-six years old and wore bright yellow robes. His black hair was draped over his shoulders, giving him an air of nobility mixed with a hint of wildness.

”Master?” Su Qianqian looked at the lavishly dressed young man in surprise. ”You’re dressed so well, but you’re a servant?”

The smile on the lavishly dressed young man’s face instantly turned cold, his brow furrowing. If not for the sweet, beautiful girl standing before him, he likely would have already lashed out.

Since when did anyone dare use such a vile word as ”servant” to describe him, Murong Feng?

”I am no one’s servant. I am a follower of my master,” Murong Feng explained patiently to Su Qianqian.

”A follower... Isn’t that just a henchman? And a henchman... is basically a servant. Am I wrong?” Su Qianqian asked, looking at Murong Feng with wide-eyed innocence.

Murong Feng was left speechless with rage. He couldn’t tell if this girl—so beautiful it was hard to look away—was genuinely clueless or deliberately mocking him. Either way, her words were grating.

”That’s enough, Feng. Why bicker with a young lady?” the handsome, yellow-robed young man said with a slight smile. ”In my heart, you will always be my brother.”

A warmth spread through Murong Feng’s chest, and he nodded firmly. ”Master, I was wrong.”

”There’s no need to be so formal. How many times have I told you? We can just address each other as brothers,” the yellow-robed youth said gently.

”Master saved my life, and I follow you of my own free will!” Murong Feng declared with a sincere bow.

”How boring. Xu Luo, let’s go!” Su Qianqian had no interest in this display of master-servant devotion. She had grown up seeing plenty of loyal retainers, and the ones in her family never put on such a theatrical show. In a true crisis, however, a Su Family servant would lay down their life for their master without a moment’s hesitation!

Xu Luo found the scene equally uninteresting and boring. He nodded and turned to leave.

Upon hearing his name, however, the yellow-robed youth’s eyebrow twitched. He murmured, ”Xu Luo?”

Xu Luo turned back and glanced at the yellow-robed youth.

The yellow-robed youth said nonchalantly, ”My name is Huangfu Haoyue.”

Something stirred in Xu Luo’s mind. He recalled Little Fatty mentioning a young man from a collateral branch of the Royal Family who had entered a sect at a young age. His father was a Prince, and his fief was Ying City.

While Xu Luo thought this, his expression remained impassive as he calmly met Huangfu Haoyue’s gaze. ”Is something the matter?”

”You’ve never heard of me?” Huangfu Haoyue’s voice was light, betraying no emotion, as if he were just chatting with a friend. Yet anyone could feel the powerful aura emanating from him.

Beside him, Murong Feng glared at Xu Luo, his face contorted in anger, as if not knowing his master’s name was a heinous crime.

”Never have,” Xu Luo replied, shaking his head. His tone was neither provocative nor enthusiastic, merely flat.

”Heh. But I’ve heard of you.” Huangfu Haoyue chuckled softly, stopping Murong Feng before he could speak. Without a hint of displeasure on his face, he looked at Xu Luo and said, ”I hear you’ve become quite the man of the hour in the Imperial Capital these past couple of years. It made me wonder: what could possibly cause a waste-case who once fainted just from beating a drum to change so drastically in little more than a year?”

Although Huangfu Haoyue called Xu Luo a waste, his tone was completely serious, devoid of any hint of sarcasm. It was as if he were earnestly exploring a genuine question.

Xu Luo’s brow twitched. This Royal Family Member certainly bore him ill will, that much was clear. But more importantly, he was a man of extreme pride.

He couldn’t even be bothered to muster any emotion to accompany his insults. His earnest tone made it sound not like a taunt, but like a statement of fact.

Su Qianqian was growing angry. She could bicker with Xu Luo, act spoiled around him, and even secretly plot against him.

But no matter what, in the time she had been in the Cangqiong Imperial Capital with him, Xu Luo had always treated her well and had never wronged her. Because of that, Su Qianqian had come to see him as a friend.

To see these two clueless, self-important men sneering at Xu Luo filled her with rage.

But since Xu Luo himself hadn’t gotten angry, Su Qianqian could only suppress her own fury for now. After all, she had promised him she wouldn’t cause trouble. While her experience in the Jianghu was limited, she wasn’t an idiot; she didn’t want to bring unnecessary problems down on Xu Luo.

Xu Luo looked up at Huangfu Haoyue and suddenly chuckled. ”Royal brat, don’t go looking for trouble. Otherwise, I’ll make you scurry out of the Imperial Capital with your tail between your legs!”