Firmament Sword

”How did this whole mess get to this point? Second Brother... he really went too far this time!” Little Fatty grumbled. He downed a cup of wine in frustration, then looked up at Lan Xin beside him and slurred, ”Don’t worry, I’d never be like Second Brother...”

Lan Xin gave Little Fatty a playful, smiling glare and said gently, ”You wouldn’t dare!”

Little Fatty shrank back and chuckled sheepishly. ”Of course I wouldn’t dare...”

”Second Brother... he has his own difficulties. The biggest surprise in all this was probably Miss Liu. No one expected her to actually agree,” Xu Luo said with a wry smile. No one could have predicted this outcome.

”If you ask me, you can’t really blame anyone. Take Sister Mo Yun, for example. She couldn’t get past her own conscience. Her original reason for getting close to Second Brother was to get revenge, but she never expected to develop feelings for him over time... And she’s even pregnant with his child. If she had followed through with her original plan and hurt Second Brother, how could she face her child in the future? She couldn’t get revenge, and she couldn’t face herself. Her only choice was to run away from the wedding.”

Lan Xin spoke softly, letting out a faint sigh. ”And Sister Liu’s personality... she’s just so stubborn. Just because Second Brother saved her twice, she was determined to devote her life to him. She resolutely stepped forward when the Champion Marquis’s Mansion was about to face a huge scandal. It’s touching, but... she might be throwing away her life’s happiness just like that...”

Su Qianqian blinked her expressive eyes, looked at Lan Xin with admiration, and said, ”Wow, Sister, you know so much!”

Lan Xin’s pretty face blushed slightly as she said shyly, ”I... I just heard it from other people...”

Su Qianqian looked at Xu Luo with a grin. ”You rascal, did you know all along that your Second Brother was going to run from his wedding?”

Xu Luo put on an aggrieved expression and shook his head. ”How could I have guessed that?”

”Hmph, I don’t believe you. You two were whispering in that room for so long, and then he left right after. I refuse to believe you didn’t have some inkling,” Su Qianqian said, rolling her eyes, her face full of disbelief.

Xu Luo’s lips twitched. He said frankly, ”It’s impossible to say I had no inkling at all. Second Brother and the rest of us basically grew up together, so we know each other incredibly well. But what could I have done at that moment? Stop him?”

Little Fatty added from the side, ”Who would have thought Miss Liu would be so devoted... But Second Brother must have known. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fled in such a panic.”

”This is something only Second Brother can handle himself. There’s not much we can do to help.” Xu Luo then looked at Little Fatty and Suiyan. ”As for you two, stay out of the various affairs in the Imperial Capital for a while. Just focus on your training and raise your strength first.”

”What about you, Third Brother?” Little Fatty looked up at Xu Luo. ”The Imperial Capital is full of hidden currents right now, with so many families watching like tigers. Your family is bearing the brunt of it. How can we just put our minds at ease and focus on cultivating at a time like this?”

Lan Xin also looked at Xu Luo with some worry. Recently, there had been many rumors about him in the Imperial Capital. Many people had declared that they wouldn’t let anyone who opposed Prime Minister Wei have an easy time.

And almost all of those threats were aimed at Xu Luo.

Because in the past two years, only Xu Luo had truly stood against the Wei Family. And only Xu Luo had caused Prime Minister Wei, his son, and even the entire Wei Family to suffer one defeat after another.

So if you were to ask who the Wei Family hated the most right now, if Xu Luo claimed to be second, no one would dare claim to be first.

Although in many people’s eyes, this was a skill in itself. After all, not just anyone was qualified to be hated so intensely by the Wei Family.

But for Xu Luo, this was hardly a good thing. It still brought a certain amount of pressure.

The mortal world had, over countless years, formed a complete set of rules and systems. Within these rules, martial strength would never be the sole decisive factor.

Power determines the rules. Power includes martial strength, but it isn’t limited to it.

There were many other factors that determined one’s power, such as influence, intelligence, financial resources, connections, and so on.

Under these rules, the Xu Family was merely one of the stronger beasts in the jungle.

They were by no means the only one!

Xu Luo smiled faintly. ”Don’t worry, things haven’t reached that point yet. The main reason these powerful families have gathered in the Imperial Capital is that they’re afraid Prime Minister Wei will fall, and they’re just trying to protect themselves. If they don’t provoke me, then we can all live in peace. But if they do... hehe, do you think I’m the type to take a loss?”

As he spoke, Xu Luo glanced at Su Qianqian beside him. ”Besides, don’t I have little sister Qianqian to help me?”

”Hey, you! We already agreed, I’m absolutely not getting involved in your business. Don’t come looking for me!” Su Qianqian glared at Xu Luo, her beautiful eyes flashing with hostility.

Xu Luo laughed. ”Fine, I won’t ask for your help. Of course, if you were to offer your help, it would be rude of me to refuse, wouldn’t it?”

”In your dreams!” Su Qianqian huffed.

”Third Brother, I heard you had a small conflict a few days ago with Huangfu Haoyue, one of the Royal Family Descendants from Ying City?” Little Fatty suddenly looked up and asked Xu Luo.

Xu Luo nodded slightly and glanced at Su Qianqian.

Su Qianqian immediately jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. ”Hey, you! You’d better have a conscience when you speak. He was the one who had a problem with you! In fact, this young lady actually helped you! Not only are you not grateful, but you’re blaming me... A person has to have a conscience!”

Little Fatty shot Xu Luo a subtle, sympathetic glance. ’The women around Third Brother are all world-class beauties,’ he thought, ’but their personalities... are just as formidable!’

First, there was Lianyi, who, in a fury over Xu Luo’s injury, went on a rampage for his sake. She was audacious enough to directly mobilize the Hidden Dragon and trash all of the Wei Family’s properties in the Imperial Capital.

Then there was the noble, aloof, and incomparably beautiful Fengyue Tower Master, Phoenix. Although no one had ever seen her make a move, no one dared to cause trouble in the Fengyue Building.

As for the Royal Family’s Princess Huangfu Shishi, that goes without saying. Leaving aside her noble, imperial status, Huangfu Shishi herself was an eccentric and strong-willed young woman.

And now there was Su Qianqian—her identity a complete mystery, her power unfathomable, and, similarly, a young woman with an extremely strong personality.

Xu Luo sighed theatrically. ”Beautiful women are a disaster!”

Su Qianqian glared, her brows knitting fiercely. Combined with her sweet face, it only made her look more adorable, completely devoid of any real menace.

But Xu Luo knew very well that this girl’s temper was just like a cat’s. As long as you stroked her fur the right way, anything was fine. But if you truly provoked her, she would turn on you faster than you could flip a page.

The group chatted and joked for a little while longer before they all said their goodbyes and left.

Although everyone was in low spirits because of Xu Jie’s situation, what was done was done, and there was no point in dwelling on it. Little Fatty and Suiyan were now both eager to go home and test the effects of the Blood Pills.

For Suiyan, however, the ancient tome on Mechanical Skill, which looked as if it were forged from black iron, was what excited him the most!

The four brothers had each received Blood Pills. Inside the Jade Marrow Bottle, thirty-eight pills remained!

After Xu Luo arrived home, he found his older brother, Xu Su, and directly gave him ten Blood Pills.

”This... isn’t this a bit much?” Xu Su knew that Xu Luo had given Blood Pills to his sworn brothers. He looked at the small jade bottle in his hand, then at Xu Luo with some hesitation.

”Blood Pills are different from other things; they’re nearly impossible to replicate. This is our one and only chance for a massive surge in strength.” Xu Luo looked at his brother seriously, then chuckled. ”Aren’t you at a loss right now about how to face Sister Guo Ying and Sister Mu Yao? I have an idea for you.”

Xu Su looked at his younger brother with confusion and asked subconsciously, ”What idea?”

Lately, Xu Su had indeed been tormented by this matter, feeling completely lost. He was a classic descendant of a military family.

He had undergone the strictest training since childhood. Although he and Xu Luo were blood brothers, the upbringings they received were worlds apart.

From a young age, Xu Su’s feelings toward his family could be summed up in one word: fear.

His feeling toward his father could also be summed up in one word: harsh.

Xu Luo, on the other hand, had only ever felt warmth from his family and father. Of course, this was directly related to his frail constitution as a child.

Their different upbringings resulted in the two brothers having completely different personalities.

Xu Su was serious and did everything by the book. Xu Luo was cheerful, appearing simple on the surface but with a hint of cunning underneath, and he handled matters with flexibility, refusing to be bound by convention.

Xu Luo said with a smile, ”You don’t know how to face them both and can’t choose, right? It’s simple. You can disappear for a while. The Blood Pills are the perfect excuse. You can go into seclusion for a period of time and absorb all the energy from these ten Blood Pills!”

”Going into seclusion isn’t a problem, but won’t I still have to face them when I come out?” Xu Su said with a frustrated expression.

Xu Luo looked at his brother, speechless. ”My dear brother, you’re considered a Wise General in the army, a leading figure among the young commanders. Can you please not act so dense?”

”Watch your mouth!” Xu Su’s face hardened as he tried to project the authority of an older brother.

Xu Luo shrugged helplessly. ”I give up. After you come out of seclusion, your strength will far surpass Guo Ying’s. The only reason she dares to openly compete with Xia Muyao for you now is that she thinks her strength gives her the right, right? When your power is on a completely different level from hers, both she and Sister Mu Yao will do nothing but worship you. Even if they still fight amongst themselves, I’m sure you’ll be able to easily marry both of them and make them my sisters-in-law!”

”Really?” A tempted expression appeared on Xu Su’s face, and his eyes held a hint of anticipation as he looked at Xu Luo.

Xu Luo burst out laughing. ”So you were thinking of doing that all along...”

Xu Su said, somewhat irritated, ”What the hell are you laughing at? Don’t tell me you only have room for Qiqi in your heart?”

Xu Luo nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. ”Of course!”

”Like hell I believe you! Then what’s the deal with Lianyi? And what about Phoenix, the master of the Fengyue Building? And what about this Su Qianqian who followed you all the way back here?”

Furious and embarrassed, Xu Su fell back on his military demeanor.

In the past, he had been meticulously caring toward his younger brother, but that was because Xu Luo’s frail constitution had made him feel pity as an older brother.

The Xu Luo of today had long since grown into a true powerhouse. He could be directly scolded and beaten now.

As the older brother, however, Xu Su had never considered one question: What if he couldn’t win the fight?