Firmament Sword

The army of the Da Han Empire never expected that the cavalry force ahead, with only half their numbers, would dare to initiate an attack.

The leading general sneered. ”They don’t know the meaning of death!”

The men beside him all revealed disdainful smiles. In their eyes, the enemy was indeed courting death.

They were all cavalry, and one side had double the numbers of the other. With such a huge disparity, daring to attack first—what was that if not courting death?

”I just don’t know where this group popped out from. Anyway, judging by their attire, they’re definitely not from our Da Han Empire’s army!”

”Could they be... nomadic tribes from the Northern Desert?”

”Who cares? Let’s wipe them out first! We can leave a few alive to interrogate later, and we’ll know everything!”

Just then, the opposing cavalry regiment was already charging. The leading general of the Da Han Empire raised his hand, swung it down fiercely, and shouted, ”Ch—”

He only managed to get half the word ”Charge” out before he suddenly saw a streak of black light shooting directly toward him!

”Protect the General!”

”Protect the General!”

The Personal Guards of this Da Han Empire General let out sharp cries, instantly forming a wall in front of him.

PFFT!

PFFT!

PFFT!

Like a needle through paper, the streak of black light pierced through seven or eight Personal Guards shielding the Da Han General, and then... it plunged violently into the general’s chest!

Its immense force still unspent, it carried the Da Han General’s corpse another ten-plus meters before brutally pinning him to the ground!

Even in death, the Da Han General couldn’t believe... this was real!

”The General is dead!”

”The General has been killed!”

”The General has fallen...”

For a moment, it was as if the entire Da Han Empire cavalry had fallen into chaos, erupting in panicked shouts.

In the blink of an eye, they were a dragon without a head. The entire cavalry regiment seemed to have lost its soul, and everyone was at a loss.

Although some mid-level commanders tried desperately to mount a defense, for cavalry, timing is everything!

By now, that terrifying troop had already charged right up to them!

What was even more frightening were the weapons used by this mysterious cavalry regiment... They were so sharp they struck terror into the hearts of the Da Han Empire’s cavalry!

Before their opponents’ weapons, the Da Han cavalry’s own felt like they were made of paper, shattering on contact!

After throwing that spear, Mo Yun stood back with Xu Jie, not joining the charge.

A chubby, robust little fellow squirmed in Mo Yun’s arms, babbling away as if fascinated by the battle before them... almost like he wanted to charge in himself.

’This little thing, I wonder if he’ll grow up to be a warmonger too?’ Mo Yun thought, looking at the child in her arms.

In the end, of the eight-thousand-man Da Han cavalry regiment, only just over two thousand survived, all of them wounded, fleeing in disarray like stray dogs.

It wasn’t until much later that Mo Yun and Xu Jie learned that the Da Han Empire cavalry regiment was Da Han’s Royal Knight Order!

Every single rider within it was considered one of the Da Han Empire’s most elite Soldiers!

And yet, they had been so thoroughly routed in this skirmish that they practically pissed their pants in terror. It was said that the incident sent shockwaves through the Da Han court, and the officials lambasted the military’s incompetence for a long time. Even Hao Liancheng, the top man in the Da Han Army, was implicated.

Mo Yun and Xu Jie didn’t think too much of it. While crossing the Da Han Empire’s territory, they encountered several other small military units and essentially fought their way through.

In the end, the matter alarmed the Da Han Empire’s military. Hao Liancheng dispatched a large force to encircle and annihilate them, but unfortunately, by then, Mo Yun and Xu Jie had already crossed the border between Da Han and Cangqiong, vanishing without a trace!

Hao Liancheng could only swallow this bitter pill, and his hatred for Cangqiong intensified.

...

”Father! Your unfilial son has returned to see you!”

With a cry of grief, Xu Jie fell to his knees before his father’s grave and wept uncontrollably.

Mo Yun knelt silently beside him, thinking, ’I am here now. Let me call you Father-in-law, and let me say... I am sorry.’

News of Xu Jie and Mo Yun’s return quickly spread throughout the entire Imperial Capital, and it also reached the Xu Mansion.

Madam Xu’s face was grim. Liu Ruyu sat there quietly, her expression unreadable.

”Ruyu, rest assured, when that unfilial son returns, I absolutely will not let him set foot in this house! Moreover, in this Xu Family, I will only ever acknowledge you as my daughter-in-law! Even if... that woman has borne a descendant of my Xu Family, I will not recognize her status!” Madam Xu declared indignantly, watching Liu Ruyu’s expression as she spoke.

Liu Ruyu smiled faintly and shook her head. ”Mother, you don’t need to say that. I said back then that I was willing to accept all of this.”

Madam Xu—or to be more precise, Duchess Jingguo—sighed softly and said, ”Child, you have truly been wronged...”

Liu Ruyu kept smiling, but something no one could decipher flickered in her eyes.

...

”Mother, your unfilial son has returned!” Xu Jie knelt at the entrance of the Xu Mansion, his face streaked with tears. Mo Yun knelt beside him, dressed in black, her unadorned face also tear-stained. The child in her arms, however, was gurgling excitedly.

Inside the Xu Mansion, Duchess Jingguo sat ramrod straight in her chair, her face grim. She remained silent, no matter how the steward beside her tried to persuade her.

”Old Madam, the Young Master was wrong, but this matter... Ai, you can’t blame him entirely...” The old steward had been with the Xu Family for over forty years. He had watched Xu Jie grow up and knew his character, so he tried to change the Old Madam’s mind.

”If my daughter-in-law refuses to forgive him, then nothing anyone says will matter!” After a long silence, the Old Madam finally spoke.

”Madam, Madam, it’s terrible! The Young Madam... she’s gone!” A pretty Maid ran in, flustered, holding a letter in her hand.

Duchess Jingguo froze on the spot. She shot to her feet, exclaiming, ”What did you say?”

”The Young Madam... is gone. This servant searched her entire courtyard but couldn’t find her...” The Maid handed over the letter, speaking urgently as tears welled in her eyes.

It could be said that everyone in the Duke Jingguo’s Mansion held Liu Ruyu in the highest regard. When chaos had erupted in the Imperial Capital back then, if Liu Ruyu hadn’t stepped forward in time, everyone in the mansion would have likely suffered.

Although this Young Madam’s status was in name only, almost everyone in the Xu Mansion treated her as the true Young Madam. They all hoped that when the Young Master returned, he would be with her, not that Female General from an enemy nation...

Duchess Jingguo took a deep breath and opened the letter. Staring at the handwriting, which looked nothing like a woman’s script, Madam Xu’s eyes gradually grew moist.

After a long moment, she sighed softly and murmured, ”Such a good girl... My Xu Family... was not fated to have her! We weren’t blessed enough to have such a wonderful daughter-in-law!”

With that, she let out a long breath and waved her hand. ”Forget it. Tell that unfilial brat to get in here... No, don’t let him see me. Bring the child to me... On second thought, let that woman and the child come see me together.”

...

”Have you heard? Second Brother is back.” The first thing Little Fatty said after arriving at Xu Luo’s residence was about Xu Jie.

Xu Luo nodded. ”I already knew.”

”Ai, Liu Ruyu left. She didn’t go back to the Liu Family, either. I heard Marquis Wen, Liu Xuan, is hopping mad at home, absolutely furious. He says he’s going to find Xu Jie and settle the score...”

”This kind of thing...” Xu Luo sighed.

”Third Brother, that Liu Ruyu... she’s not simple!” Little Fatty leaned in and said in a low voice, ”I heard that just as Liu Xuan was about to go settle accounts with Xu Jie, someone delivered a letter to him. After reading it, Liu Xuan immediately called things off. That letter was the one Liu Ruyu left for him!”

”How do you know so much?” Xu Luo gave Little Fatty a surprised look.

Little Fatty said smugly, ”I’m a walking encyclopedia, you know. Is there anything in the Imperial Capital I don’t know about? What I’m trying to say is, Liu Ruyu... is hiding her true abilities! You know about how she stepped up during the chaos in the Imperial Capital and helped the Duke Jingguo’s family escape disaster, right?”

Xu Luo nodded. He too was somewhat surprised by Liu Ruyu’s strength. He didn’t know how a delicate noble lady could possess such formidable martial power.

”I heard that Liu Ruyu inherited the bloodline of her ancestor, Liu Bai, and achieved the Dao through literature... It’s quite incredible!” Little Fatty said with a hint of regret. ”It’s a pity Second Brother didn’t cherish her. Otherwise, we might have gained a powerful ally!”

Xu Luo smiled and patted Little Fatty’s shoulder. ”Becoming strong ourselves is what truly matters. Come on, let’s go see Second Brother. He must be feeling pretty down right now and probably doesn’t have the face to see us.”

”Right, let’s go find him! That guy, he ran away for so long, I thought I’d never see him again in this lifetime!” Little Fatty said angrily, but his eyes were turning a little red.

...

Liu Ruyu—a woman whose beauty and talent were unparalleled in the Imperial Capital. She had braved the gossip to marry into the Xu Family; when the Xu Family faced disaster, she stepped forward, displayed immense strength to repel their enemies, and afterward became extremely low-key, living in seclusion and serving her mother-in-law.

From being mocked at the beginning to becoming an object of respect in the eyes of all the Imperial City People, it had taken Liu Ruyu less than a year!

Now that Xu Jie had returned, she had departed just as quietly, and no one knew where she had gone.

As Xu Jie looked at the letter she had left behind, even though Mo Yun was the only woman he truly loved, a sense of melancholy still welled up in his heart.

At this very moment, outside the Imperial Capital City, a woman in white hovered in mid-air. Her features were as beautiful as a painting, and her every move was like that of a Fairy.

Turning back, she glanced at the majestic Imperial Capital, gave a serene smile, and then rode the Wind and departed.

Afterward, eyewitnesses insisted they had seen the young lady of the Liu Family ascend to immortality.

This legend, too, was told in the Imperial Capital for many years to come.