Firmament Sword

Although the youth didn’t use his full strength, the kick was still incredibly forceful to Hong Fugui. It drew a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and left him with internal injuries, unable to get back on his feet for some time.

Hearing the youth’s words, the middle-aged man, Hong Fugui, nearly ground his teeth to dust. His eyes burned with intense hatred. He kept his head down, panting heavily as if trying to recover from his injuries.

After a long moment, he slowly raised his head. Looking at the youth, he forced a grim smile that bared his teeth. ”I’m sorry, Sir. I was wrong. I’m willing… to be your… dog!”

The youth roared with laughter, his eyes full of smug satisfaction. ”Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d been this sensible from the start? Why did you have to take a beating before you learned to compromise? Now listen up! Every miner in Daxing Town, regardless of age, must hand over thirty Spirit Stones each day. For every stone they’re short, they get one lash of the whip! And if the shortfall is too great… Limp Hong, you’ll be the one to suffer!”

Hong Fugui didn’t try to negotiate any further. He knew that in the face of such overwhelming strength, any resistance would only be met with even more brutal retaliation. So, he just nodded silently.

”You got all that? From now on, you are the overseer here. More miners will be brought here in the future. If you’re obedient, I’ll see to it that you’re handsomely rewarded one day. But if you think you can pull any tricks… well, you’re more than welcome to try!” The youth’s tone was chilling. With that, he turned and walked away.

Hong Fugui watched the youth’s retreating back with a complicated expression on his face. Only after the figure had completely vanished did he squat down in agony, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He then swore a silent oath. ’That’s right. To people like you, we’re nothing but a swarm of ants. But don’t forget that enough ants can kill an elephant! One day… One day!’

...

To the secular world, sects were like the heavens high above. For an ordinary person, entering a sect was considered almost as difficult as ascending to the sky.

The thought of opposing a sect was simply a joke. No matter how powerful a single person might be, they would seem insignificant before a sect with such a profound heritage.

Never in recorded history had something like this happened. Members of a major sect had suffered a disastrous defeat in the secular world—dozens of them annihilated, wiped out to the last man.

And the one responsible was, without a doubt, a young man from the secular world!

That night, the members of other sects who had already entered the Cangqiong Imperial Capital—all of whom had been rubbing their hands in glee, eager to make their move and claim a piece of the pie in the days to come—were collectively rendered speechless.

Even the handsome youth—the one who had nonchalantly declared his intent to sweep up all the beauties from the various sects—now wore a solemn expression on his roguishly handsome face.

”This Xu Luo… is really… something else. It seems I underestimated him,” the handsome youth murmured to himself as a flicker of intense battle spirit flashed in his eyes.

”Senior Brother… you’re not actually thinking of fighting that Xu Luo, are you? I’d advise against it. The main mission is what’s important. If our identities are exposed because of this, and the higher-ups hold us responsible, none of us will be able to bear the consequences!” the plump youth said from the side.

”Relax, I’m not that impulsive. I won’t make any rash moves until the mission is complete.” The roguish air returned to the youth’s face as he murmured, ”It just means I can’t make a move on those two beauties for now. Truly a shame.”

”Indeed, indeed. It’s like having a gourmet meal placed right in front of me, but I’m not allowed to eat it. The agony!” the plump youth said with a completely straight face.

”However…” The handsome youth’s tone shifted. He said pensively, ”I strongly suspect that this Xu Luo is deeply connected to our mission.”

”Huh? Senior Brother, you’re still on about this?” the plump youth asked, looking at him with a resigned expression.

”Just listen to me. I’ve been researching Xu Luo’s history these past few days, and I’ve found a lot of problems,” the handsome youth said calmly. ”The trajectory of his rise… is all wrong!”

”What’s wrong with it? It’s not like we don’t have geniuses like him where we come from. With exceptional talent, all they need is a single opportunity to skyrocket to the top,” said the plump youth.

”No, it’s not like that at all,” the handsome youth said. ”The Cangqiong Empire reveres the Big Dipper as its totem and performs a ritual once every century. If all seven stars light up, it’s a sign that the Empire’s destiny is secure and it will prosper for the next hundred years. If they don’t all light up, it signifies that the Empire is facing a great crisis…”

”So what? It’s just influencing celestial phenomena…” the plump youth said with some disdain. ”That whole song and dance might fool the secular world, but it’s not like you and I have never seen a truly powerful being commune with the stars.”

”But their ritual failed this time! The last star… didn’t light up! And afterward, sure enough, the Cangqiong Empire fell into major trouble. Look, their Royal Family suffered a huge upheaval; they were almost completely wiped out.” The handsome youth’s eyes narrowed as he murmured, ”And it just so happens that Xu Luo—who originally had such a weak constitution that he was prone to fainting spells—began his miraculous rise right after that Star Festival!”

”First, he shot to fame on the secular battlefields, leading several major campaigns and making a name for himself across the land. He was hailed as a genius of the younger generation. Then, he entered the world of the sects, participated in a great assembly, and offended a small sect called Tianquan. He also offended an Elder from the Jade Balance Sect. And from what I’ve heard, some people from the Dubhe Sect already had a grudge against him…”

”Under those circumstances, not only did he come out unscathed, he actually seemed to be thriving. That’s not realistic!” The handsome youth glanced at his junior brother. ”If it were you in that situation, could you have accomplished as much as Xu Luo has?”

”If it were you, Senior Brother… maybe it would be possible… But if it were me…” Beads of sweat formed on the plump youth’s forehead, and he couldn’t help but wipe them away.

”You don’t have to flatter me. I couldn’t have done it either,” the handsome youth murmured. ”If it were me, I would have changed my name and gone into hiding long ago, found some deserted place to focus on my cultivation. But this Xu Luo has managed to stay in the public eye all this time. And today, he even dealt a vicious blow to the Dubhe Sect! We… we seriously underestimated his strength. It’s clear now that we need to re-evaluate this man entirely!”

The handsome youth was arrogant, but he had the power to back it up. He was no fool—not the kind of idiot who believes himself to be invincible. The moment he realized Xu Luo was no ordinary young man, he immediately revised his opinion of him.

”Indeed… That was a vicious blow. The Dubhe Sect has probably never suffered a loss that great,” the plump youth said, gloating just a little.

”So, you see? The Star Festival failed, and Xu Luo rose to prominence. He’s a young man with no powerful backer, no deep cultivation foundation. So how… did he get to where he is today?” As he spoke, the handsome youth grew more and more convinced by his own deductions, becoming visibly excited. ”Perhaps the key to our mission… lies with him!”

”Then… what’s your plan, Senior Brother?” the plump youth asked, also growing excited.

”We’ll start by grabbing his two women and see how he reacts!” the handsome youth declared.

”…” The plump youth was speechless, not expecting the conversation to circle all the way back to this. Still, after hearing his Senior Brother’s reasoning, it did seem to make a certain amount of sense.

...

When Xu Luo returned to the Xu Mansion, his father, Xu Ji, and his old brothers-in-arms were still drinking and reminiscing. As the middle-aged men spoke of the old days, their eyes filled with tears. When disagreements arose, they would jump to their feet, roll up their sleeves, and argue until their faces were flushed red.

Seeing this, Xu Luo felt happy for his father and his life-and-death brothers. Not wanting to disturb the atmosphere, he quietly returned to his own courtyard.

The signs of the earlier battle in the courtyard had already been cleaned away. Even the collapsed wall was being repaired overnight by a team of workers.

This, of course, was all arranged by Little Fatty.

Everyone was still there, waiting for Xu Luo. Besides the previous group, a few more people had arrived.

Li Wenxi, the Sect Leader of the Merak Sect, was there, along with Qiushuiduan and several other high-ranking members of the sect. With such a huge commotion at the Xu Mansion, it was impossible for others not to have noticed.

Clearly, it was another sleepless night in the Imperial Capital.

Seeing Xu Luo return safely, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Li Wenxi’s gaze, however, held a hint of gentle reprimand and concern. She felt that he had been far too reckless. The incident during the day was one thing; after all, the Dubhe Sect had come looking for trouble. But what Xu Luo did tonight… if word of it got out, it would be world-shattering, an incident that could tear the very heavens asunder.

”Xu Luo, do you intend to fight the Dubhe Sect to the death?” Li Wenxi asked, her limpid eyes gazing at him, full of concern.

Xu Luo gave a bitter smile. ”It’s no longer a matter of what I want. The Dubhe Sect… has no intention of letting me off the hook. You saw it during the day. Their people came here to provoke me. Then tonight, they came to kill—to slaughter my entire family. I’m not the one driving any of this. They are the ones who never had any intention of peaceful coexistence. Since that’s the case, why should I hold back?”

Qiushuiduan nodded earnestly from the side. ”Well said! That’s the right way to handle it! If they want a war, then give them one. Why worry so much? Since they’ve made their choice, then a war it is! If they can target the people close to us, why can’t we target the people close to them?”

”This is hardly the time… Must you add to the chaos!” Li Wenxi shot Qiushuiduan a glare before turning back to Xu Luo. ”Since you’ve already made up your mind, I won’t say anything more. Merak… will always stand with you!”

Li Wenxi’s words were a clear declaration of her stance, which was especially valuable at a time like this.

Everyone knew what it meant to oppose a major sect like Dubhe, yet she still stood by Xu Luo’s side without hesitation. He was deeply moved.

Just then, a Maid ran in, frantic. ”It’s terrible!” she shouted. ”The Princess… she was kidnapped on her way back!”