Firmament Sword

Watching the old man nod with a grief-stricken expression, Su Qianqian finally succumbed to the blow. Clutching the red jade, she fainted.

Xu Luo caught Su Qianqian, then looked up at the old man and complained, ”You were too direct. She can’t handle a blow like that.”

The old man sighed, his face bitter. ”Don’t you think I know that? But we truly have no time to waste. Young man, as Qianqian’s grandfather, I’m begging you. You must help her.”

”Don’t worry,” Xu Luo said. ”I’ve told you, Qianqian is my friend. I will definitely help her.”

”No, what I mean is, from now on... I’m entrusting Qianqian to you.”

The old man coughed twice, a trickle of fresh blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. He smiled bitterly. ”Qianqian, this child... she’s never suffered any hardships in her life. She can be a bit willful, a bit mischievous, but her heart isn’t bad. I hope you can treat her well in the future.”

”Er...” The muscles on Xu Luo’s face twitched violently. He stared speechlessly at the old man. ’At a time like this, you’re actually talking about such things?’

The old man also felt helpless. He knew nothing about Xu Luo, but since the Ancestor had said the hope for the Su Family’s revenge lay with this young man, it must be true.

Now that the Su Family had been massacred, those people hadn’t obtained the family’s heirloom. They certainly wouldn’t give up. Once they discovered Su Qianqian was in the secular world, they would never let her go. If no one helped her, she would likely be in real danger.

With these thoughts in mind, the old man cast aside his pride, tears streaming down his face as he said, ”Consider this the plea of a dying old man—you must treat Qianqian well!”

’Is he really just forcing her on me?’ However, seeing the man’s pleading expression, Xu Luo found it hard to refuse him directly.

Xu Luo glanced down at Su Qianqian in his arms and gave a wry smile. ”This... Let’s see what Qianqian wants in the future.”

The old man’s mouth twitched. ’If not for the Ancestor’s instructions, I really would have wanted to slap this little bastard to death.’

’My granddaughter is a peerless beauty and so outstanding. I’m offering her to you, and you dare to make excuses?’

But he also understood that his request was indeed asking too much of someone.

Just then, the old man seemed to sense something. He spun around to look into the distance, a look of grim determination flashing in his eyes. He gritted his teeth. ”They’re here so fast! A bunch of inhuman beasts! Since you want to hunt us to extinction, this old man will grant you your wish!”

With that, the old man took one last, deep look at Xu Luo and Su Qianqian, who was leaning against him. ”Kid, if I can survive this... Heh, though that’s just a fantasy. I mean... if by some miracle I do survive, I will definitely find you again! If I die in battle, then, Qianqian... I’m counting on you!”

As the old man spoke, he turned to leave.

”Wait...” Xu Luo hesitated for a moment before asking, ”Senior, your enemies... what are their origins?”

The old man said softly, ”There’s no harm in telling you. Those people are from the Ancient Race Continent. Speaking of which, they... are actually of the same clan as my Su Family. We share a common ancestor. Although countless generations have passed and our bloodlines have long since diverged, we are ultimately kin from the same lineage. We never dreamed they would actually move to slaughter their own clansmen... Forget it. It’s enough that you know this. If one day, you truly have the power, then for Qianqian’s sake, please help the Su Family get its revenge!”

In the end, the old man couldn’t hold back and revealed what was truly on his mind. According to the Ancestor’s dying instructions, he wasn’t supposed to say any of this.

”If I have the power, I will help Qianqian,” Xu Luo said earnestly.

The old man nodded heavily, a gentle look appearing in his eyes. He said one last time, ”They’re about to catch up. I’m leaving. Farewell!”

”Farewell!” Xu Luo knew the old man was very likely never to return, and his heart was filled with complicated feelings as he watched the old man’s figure vanish into thin air.

Afterward, Xu Luo carried Su Qianqian back to her room, laid her on the bed, and began to contemplate this sudden turn of events.

’Will I be dragged into this...’ Xu Luo no longer wanted to dwell on this question. It had already happened, and thinking about it now was just needless worrying.

The most important thing right now was to soothe Su Qianqian’s emotions. If she acted impulsively and tried to seek revenge on the enemy, she would truly be beyond saving.

After calming Su Qianqian down, he would have to take her away from here.

Su Qianqian’s identity in the Imperial Capital, while seemingly mysterious, would surely become a problem once the experts from the Ancient Race Continent investigated this place!

Therefore, staying in the Imperial Capital was an extremely dangerous thing to do.

”Looks like I really have no choice but to take her with me this time,” Xu Luo murmured to himself with a wry smile, feeling helpless about being dragged into such a world-shaking vortex.

”I’m still too weak!” Xu Luo murmured. ”If I had overwhelming strength, I wouldn’t have to fear any danger or trouble.”

Xu Luo wasn’t a bleeding-heart saint, but he was by no means an evil person. Whether he liked it or not, he was already involved in this matter. Unless... unless he could bring himself to kill Su Qianqian with a single strike, take the red jade, and hand it over when her enemies came knocking. That way, there might be a slim chance of extricating himself.

But Xu Luo was simply incapable of doing such a thing; it severely conflicted with his moral principles.

So, for now, he could only take things one step at a time.

Looking at the unconscious Su Qianqian, her face still stained with tears, Xu Luo couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.

The events in Xu Luo’s small courtyard did not spread. When Xu Su came to say his farewells to Xu Luo, Xu Luo didn’t mention any of it to him.

The fewer people who knew about this, the better.

Xu Su left to welcome their father, Xu Ji. After seeing his brother off, Xu Luo returned to the room to find that Su Qianqian had woken up.

The once-lively, beautiful girl now lay motionless on the bed, her vacant eyes staring at the ceiling as tears streamed silently down her face.

”Qianqian, I don’t know how to comfort you. No one would want something like this to happen. But since it has, I still hope you can pull yourself together and live on. Only then is there hope for the future.”

Xu Luo sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Su Qianqian and consoling her softly.

Su Qianqian remained silent. Large, fat tears rolled continuously from the corners of her eyes. A silent cry was more heart-wrenching than a hysterical outburst.

”Be strong. Pull yourself together.” Xu Luo took Su Qianqian’s cold hand, pursed his lips, and said softly, ”I’m sure your family would want you to live a good life. They would definitely not want to see you like this...”

”But... I’d rather have... died with them than feel this heart-wrenching pain now!” Su Qianqian, still lying on the bed, finally spoke, her voice incredibly fragile.

”There’s only hope if you’re alive. If you died too, then the Su Family would be truly and utterly hopeless. Right now, at least you still have a chance for revenge, don’t you think?” Xu Luo said.

Su Qianqian silently shook her head, tears still falling. ”Actually, just now... even though I couldn’t handle the shock and passed out, I heard everything you two said. Xu Luo, don’t worry. In a little while... I’ll leave this place. I’ll go far away. I will absolutely not drag you into this!”

Xu Luo squeezed Su Qianqian’s cold hand and said softly, ”What are you talking about? We’re friends. How could I let you leave alone? Besides, you’re not naive enough to think that just by leaving, you won’t get me involved, are you? It’s all the same. If those people really trace the trail back to me, the outcome will be the same whether you’re here or not.”

”I’m sorry...” Su Qianqian was like a pitiful, homeless kitten, her voice extremely frail.

”Don’t say you’re sorry. We’re good friends!” Xu Luo said, then continued, ”The most urgent thing is for us to leave this place first. We need to hide, survive, and then improve our strength. When we’re strong enough, we can go and avenge them!”

”Do I... still have a future?” Su Qianqian asked in a weak, soft voice.

”Trust me, you do!” As Xu Luo spoke, he thought for a moment, then took the Jade Marrow Bottle from his Storage Ring. There were still twenty-seven Blood Pills inside.

Xu Luo poured out four pills, put them into a new, smaller jade bottle, and placed it in Su Qianqian’s hand.

”This Elixir is actually what I got from those Ancient Ruins. I’ve only taken one, and my power increased a lot. With your talent, maybe these four Elixirs can help you break through to a higher realm.”

”This...” Su Qianqian looked at the small jade bottle in her hand, her heart filled with a myriad of emotions. She had been very curious about what Xu Luo had obtained in the Ancient Ruins before, but he hadn’t told her.

Now that the Su Family had met with disaster, Xu Luo was actually giving her such precious Top-Grade Elixirs. This moved Su Qianqian deeply.

”Xu Luo, thank you!” Su Qianqian sat up and looked at Xu Luo with extreme earnestness as she thanked him.

”No need. We’re friends,” Xu Luo said.

Su Qianqian nodded forcefully, wiped the tears from her face, and said, ”Let’s go!”

...

The Su Family, descendants of the Ancient Race who had lived in seclusion on the Central Plains Star Continent for countless years, had been tragically massacred. The chances of Su Qianqian’s Grandpa Nine surviving were slim. Thus, as it stood, Su Qianqian was likely the sole remaining member of the entire Su Family.

Going from a true ”chosen daughter of heaven” to being homeless overnight had forced the young Su Qianqian to mature almost instantly.

The quirky and mischievous girl from the past was gone, replaced by a cold young woman whose heart was filled with hatred.

In the end, Su Qianqian left quietly. On the third day after she and Xu Luo had left the Imperial Capital, she took her leave without a word while Xu Luo was out buying food.

In the room, only a note was left behind.

”Xiaoluozi, I’m sorry, I’ve left. Grandpa Nine’s request was too unreasonable. Although I may be young and ignorant, I’m not completely oblivious. You’ve already helped me more than enough. Since you treat me as a friend and stood by me even after my Su Family suffered such a disaster, I can’t let you be implicated in this any further.”

”Don’t worry, I will hide myself well and won’t throw my life away recklessly. I’ve taken the four Blood Pills. Thank you for letting me have such a happy, carefree period in my life. And thank you for your comfort and your gift. I will always remember you. —Qianqian.”

After reading the note, Xu Luo let out a long sigh, his heart filled with melancholy.

Master Mao poked his head out of Xu Luo’s pocket, sighed as well, and grumbled, ”That little gal, she’s actually got some backbone...”