Firmament Sword

But compared to a true Transformation Realm Powerhouse, the gap was not small in the slightest. It was massive.

Xu Su then whispered into Xu Ji’s ear, ”Dad, I want to go check on Xia Muyao and Guo Ying...”

Xu Ji nodded. ”Bring them with us!”

”Dad... is that... appropriate?” Xu Su hesitated. Of course, he wanted to bring them both along. After all, staying in the Imperial Capital posed a huge risk, especially given the considerable animosity between the Xu Family and Huangfu Haoyue.

Now that Huangfu Haoyue had launched a palace coup, he would certainly not spare anyone connected to the Xu Family.

”They are both my daughters-in-law. What’s inappropriate about it? Go, quickly!” At this critical moment, Xu Ji didn’t hesitate in the slightest and acted decisively.

Originally, he had been somewhat displeased with Guo Ying’s control over the Imperial Capital’s underworld forces, which was why Xu Su had asked the question.

...

”Xia Muyao, even though I’m cooperating with you this time, you need to remember it’s not because I particularly like you, but because of Xu Su...” Guo Ying looked at Xia Muyao, her face showing a hint of coldness as she added, ”You are his fiancée.”

Xia Muyao gave Guo Ying a wry smile and sighed softly. ”Forget it. I actually accepted this long ago. You’re the one who’s always been hung up on it. Xu Su is becoming more and more exceptional, and I don’t want to see him upset.”

Guo Ying glanced at Xia Muyao in surprise, her face flushing slightly. The other woman’s sudden concession left her feeling a bit abashed. She nodded silently, then walked out of the room to face the several hundred gang members outside.

”You may have heard some rumors. That’s right, the Imperial Capital has fallen under new rule. The situation is dire. Once Huangfu Haoyue gets his bearings, he won’t spare us. So, you now have two choices before you.” Guo Ying spoke slowly, then continued, ”The first choice is to follow me. We will go to the Grand General’s Mansion together. These treacherous villains are causing chaos now, but there will come a day when they are put down. When that time comes, I don’t need to spell it out—glory and riches will naturally be yours!”

”The second choice...”

Before Guo Ying could finish, a unified voice rose from below: ”Gang Leader, say no more! We are willing to follow you, to go through hell and high water for you. We will not shrink from any danger!”

Guo Ying’s eyebrow twitched. She nodded and asked, ”Is this... what all of you truly want?”

A leader in the gang named Du the Second, a tall and sturdy man with the strength of a Tier Three Sword Venerable and considered Guo Ying’s right-hand man, stepped forward and said loudly, ”We may be gang members, and in the eyes of many, we’re no better than thugs. But we have our own conscience and principles! Huangfu Haoyue plotted to usurp the throne, murdered the Emperor and Empress, and harmed many Military Generals. We may not be very powerful, but we are absolutely irreconcilable with a person like that!”

”That’s right! We are his sworn enemies!”

”Let’s fight them to the death!”

”What’s a beheading but a bowl-sized scar? In eighteen years, we’ll be back as heroes once more!”

”We won’t be spineless cowards!”

The gang members had long known about their Gang Leader’s connection to the Grand General’s Mansion and had always been proud of it. Now, with Huangfu Haoyue’s rebellion and his intent to destroy the heroes in their hearts, how could these hot-blooded men possibly tolerate such a thing?

”Good. In that case, I thank you all. There’s no time to lose. Disband immediately, go home, and bring your families with you! The situation is critical, and I can’t make you many promises. I will say only this: if there is danger, I will be the first to charge forward! If anyone is to die, I will be the first!”

Guo Ying’s voice was cold and resolute, each word landing with force.

But the gang members, all of them hot-blooded men, were incredibly moved. They roared, vowing to follow Guo Ying to the death.

Watching from the side, Xia Muyao was also moved by the passionate atmosphere. A thought rose in her mind: ’That guy Xu Su really lucked out. Two wives, one civil and one martial... Ptooey, why am I even thinking like that?’

...

By the time everyone had gathered at the Grand General’s Mansion, it was late at night.

A crowd of people was gathered in the reception hall of the Grand General’s Mansion. The originally spacious hall now seemed somewhat crowded.

Xu Ji, Luo Xinlan, Xu Su, the Champion Marquis’s wife, Xu Jie’s nominal wife Liu Ruyu, Liu Ruyu’s parents and family, Sui Yan and his mother along with a few elders from the Sui Family, Little Fatty Liu Feng and his father the Duke, Xia Muyao, Guo Ying, and others were all gathered together.

Xu Ji’s brows were tightly knit. Even though he was an ever-victorious general on the battlefield, the current situation was not so easily resolved.

Huangfu Haoyue had hidden his intentions too well. No one had ever imagined he would do something so ruthless, even going so far as to kill the Sixth Prince.

Moreover, what shocked and enraged Xu Ji the most was that the Sixth Prince’s trusted general, whom he had carefully groomed for many years—the famous young general of the Cangqiong Empire, Yuan Jing—had at some unknown point defected to Huangfu Haoyue!

He now controlled four of the city gates, completely sealing off the entire Imperial Capital!

From the court, there was news that Wei Feng had already sided with Huangfu Haoyue. Following his lead, although the other Civil Servants had not openly expressed their support for Huangfu Haoyue, very few had voiced any opposition either.

”That bunch of Civil Servants! In times of peace, every one of them is a master at scrambling for power and profit. But the moment a crisis hits, they fucking cower. They’re just a bunch of trash! Not a shred of integrity among them!” Liu Feng gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, wishing he could just slaughter the lot of them.

”The most important thing now is how we are going to leave the Imperial Capital,” said Liu Ruyu’s father, Liu Xuan.

Originally, even with the upheaval in the Imperial Capital, it wouldn’t have had much to do with a scholarly family like the Liu Family. At worst, they could just keep a low profile and remain silent. After all, no matter who was in power, they couldn’t possibly kill everyone.

But a daughter of the Liu Family had become the Champion Marquis’s daughter-in-law, and now the Champion Marquis had been killed. To say that Huangfu Haoyue wouldn’t come looking for trouble with the Liu Family after he stabilized the situation was something not even the Liu Family themselves believed.

This was not a world of democracy; it was a world of absolute monarchy!

Collective punishments like this happened from time to time even in eras of peace, let alone in a situation like the present.

Therefore, the Liu Family had immediately packed their valuables and sought refuge at the Grand General’s Mansion.

Liu Xuan was also a great master of calligraphy in the Cangqiong Kingdom. Although he hadn’t reached the level of his ancestor Liu Bai, he was still extremely famous in the present day. For this reason, even someone like Xu Ji was very courteous to Mr. Liu.

”Mr. Liu is right. The most important thing right now is how we break out of the Imperial Capital. We have a large number of women and children with us, so we must have a foolproof plan,” Xu Su said from the side.

Xu Ji glanced at the crowd, then said to Luo Xinlan, ”What is the status of the Hidden Dragons?”

Luo Xinlan said softly, ”All the Hidden Dragons have been assembled. They can move out on your command.”

”Sigh... To think that after all these years, the day has finally come to use the Hidden Dragons.” Xu Ji’s eyes reddened slightly. The thought of the late Emperor Huangfu Haoran, who had already been killed, sent a pang of pain through his heart. Even though Huangfu Haoran had spent years keeping the Xu Family in check, Xu Ji had to admit that he had been a wise ruler!

He was a Monarch to whom Xu Ji was willing to devote his loyalty. Now, the two of them, monarch and subject, were separated by death, never to meet again.

Xu Ji’s hatred for Huangfu Haoyue had reached its absolute peak.

”Xu Su, from now on, the Hidden Dragons are yours to command. No matter what, you must delay the enemy for me! Ensure a successful breakthrough for everyone here!” Xu Ji ordered.

”As you command!” Xu Su stood up and glanced at Xia Muyao and Guo Ying. Seeing their tense faces filled with nervousness, he suddenly laughed out loud. He walked over to them, first pulling Xia Muyao into a tight hug before letting her go.

Then, he walked over, pulled Guo Ying into a firm embrace, and let her go. He declared loudly, ”You two, protect yourselves and follow orders! If I make it back alive, I’m marrying both of you!”