Firmament Sword

Huangfu Shishi’s rigid body instantly went soft. She let out a sharp cry, spun around, and desperately clung to the person behind her, as if he would vanish the moment she let go.

”Hey… that’s not fair! You can’t be so selfish!”

”Even though I’m the big sister, Qiqi… you have to leave some room for us! I want a hug, too!”

Lianyi and Phoenix, two peerlessly beautiful women, approached with graceful steps, their faces wreathed in smiles. A moving glint of moisture shone in their bright eyes as they walked over.

Huangfu Shishi greedily took another deep breath of Xu Luo’s scent and murmured, ’It’s not a dream… This is wonderful!’

Then, she released her arms from around Xu Luo, reluctantly pulling away from his warm embrace. She immediately flashed a radiant smile at Phoenix and Lianyi, a smile of devastating beauty.

Phoenix and Lianyi took turns embracing Xu Luo, both of them incredibly reluctant to let go. However, noticing people approaching from outside, they could only restrain the emotions in their hearts.

”My, my! Cuddling in broad daylight! Are you trying to be a bad influence on the youth?” Master Mao flicked his tail and leaped onto the eaves of a nearby house, looking down on the young people from his high perch.

”Miaomiao, it’s been a while!” Xu Luo looked up and smiled at Master Mao.

”AHHHHHH! Kid, can’t you see that Master Mao is now a Holy Beast? Can’t you feel my powerful aura, so strong that I can no longer suppress it? And you still dare to call me Miaomiao… If it weren’t for these girls, Master Mao would’ve taught you a proper lesson!”

Miaomiao held his head high, sitting on the eaves and gazing down at Xu Luo with a provocative look in his eyes.

Xu Luo gave a cold smirk and shot a look at Master Mao. The cat’s fur immediately stood on end. He scrambled down from the eaves in a flash, then zipped behind a large flowerpot to hide. ”Kid, you’re actually playing for keeps! AHHHHHH!” he shouted indignantly.

Xu Luo chuckled and tossed out a stalk of Spirit Medicine. It was an old herb he had acquired on the Sect Continent, its properties suitable for all beast-type Cultivators.

The moment Master Mao saw it, his eyes glowed green. He stopped his squabbling with Xu Luo, and with a SWISH, he leaped out, transforming into a streak of light. He snatched the old herb and vanished from sight in an instant.

Phoenix shot Xu Luo a look, chiding playfully, ”You’re bullying Miaomiao the moment you get back. He helped us a lot while you were away. There were a few times we might have been in serious trouble if he hadn’t fought with all his might.”

Lianyi also nodded gently and said, ”Miaomiao is a good cat!”

Huangfu Shishi nodded vigorously in agreement.

Xu Luo gave a wry smile. ’A good cat? Fine… a cat is a cat, I guess.’

He could see that Miaomiao got along very well with his family, which made him happy.

Luo Xinlan and Xu Ji arrived together. Standing at the entrance to Xu Luo’s courtyard, they watched the young people inside with gentle smiles.

When Xu Luo had first returned, he had gone to see them.

This brought an incredible, joyous surprise to Luo Xinlan, who had missed her son so much she often shed tears in secret. Even Xu Ji, a man who was typically unflappable even in the face of disaster, had secretly reddened eyes before putting on a stern face and scolding Xu Luo, saying he had almost forgotten he even had a home.

It was Luo Xinlan who had rushed her son over to see his fiancées. After all, those radiant, beautiful women had missed Xu Luo with all their hearts, just as they had.

Luo Xinlan was already content that her son had come to see her first.

The three women came over with smiles to greet their future parents-in-law. Luo Xinlan and Xu Ji looked at them, beaming. Luo Xinlan said, ”Now, I can finally look forward to you giving me grandchildren!”

Hearing this, Xu Luo felt a sense of dread, while the three women beside him blushed profusely, though a moving light danced in their eyes.

Shortly after, Xu Su strode in from outside, accompanied by his two wives, Guo Ying and Xia Muyao.

Xu Su walked with powerful, confident strides, looking even more composed and steady than before. Seeing Xu Luo from a distance, Xu Su’s eyes reddened slightly, but he burst into a loud laugh. ”You rascal, you finally decided to come home!”

He rushed forward in a few steps, and the two brothers embraced fiercely.

Guo Ying and Xia Muyao also had happy smiles in their eyes as they stood to the side, greeting Luo Xinlan and Xu Ji.

After the brothers separated, Xu Su punched Xu Luo on the shoulder twice, then grimaced. ”Why is your body harder than steel?”

Guo Ying said with a smile, ”Don’t you always think you’re incredibly strong now, one of the top experts in the world?”

”Even the top expert is made of flesh and blood, not like this kid, who they say is a reincarnated star. His body is monstrously strong!” Xu Su grumbled thoughtlessly.

”What nonsense are you spouting!” Xu Ji frowned and scolded in a low voice.

The expressions on the other women’s faces also shifted slightly. This was a taboo topic in the Xu Family.

Ever since the news spread that the Xu Family’s second son, Xu Luo, was a reincarnated star, almost no one in the family dared to bring it up. A reincarnated star naturally had a grand origin, but… did that mean that Xu Luo didn’t really have much of a connection to Xu Ji and Luo Xinlan?

Guo Ying lowered her head as if she had caused trouble. Beside her, Xu Su’s mouth twitched. He seemed to want to say something but ultimately held his tongue.

Beidou’s Eighth Star… Those three words carried too much weight.

Seeing the atmosphere in the courtyard turn a little strange, Xu Luo suddenly laughed and looked at everyone. ”What’s wrong with all of you?”

Luo Xinlan’s eyes were a little red. She looked at Xu Luo, a hint of hesitation in her voice. ”Xiaoluo…”

”Mom, you gave birth to me yourself, didn’t you?” Xu Luo said with a smile.

”You brat, of course I gave birth to you myself! You’re a piece of my own flesh!” Luo Xinlan couldn’t stop tears from trickling down, but her face was filled with relief.

Xu Luo said, ”Well, that settles it, then. I am still me. I’m your and Dad’s son, and Big Brother is my full-blooded brother! As long as that hasn’t changed, as long as you didn’t adopt me from another family… what does it matter what other people say?”

”That’s right! Never mind being a reincarnated star from the heavens; even if you were a reincarnated Immortal, you are still my, Xu Ji’s, son in this lifetime!” Xu Ji glanced at the crowd and said, ”I told you my son would never change, but you all insisted on treating those groundless rumors as if they were fact!”

Everyone started to laugh. Luo Xinlan rolled her eyes at her husband. She didn’t say it out loud, but she thought, ’I wonder who it was that couldn’t sleep at night and kept sighing…’

Rumors were terrifying. They could turn two inseparable people suspicious of each other and cause two friends who would die for one another to gradually drift apart.

That was why the entire Xu Mansion had always been very sensitive about the news of Xu Luo being Beidou’s Eighth Star.

”Alright, it’s all in the past. I’m back now!” Xu Luo said with a grin, draping one arm over his mother’s shoulder and the other over his father’s.

It had been many years since he had been so affectionate, and both Luo Xinlan and Xu Ji were deeply moved.

Just then, the sound of children’s voices came from outside. A boy and a girl, both just learning to walk, came toddling in. A few servants followed carefully behind them, afraid the two would fall.

The two toddlers ran to Guo Ying and Xia Muyao’s sides, respectively, calling out ”Mommy” in their reedy voices. Then they looked at Xu Luo, who was standing there, with a mixture of curiosity and shyness, not knowing who this uncle was or why he had his arms around their grandpa and grandma.

”These two are?” Xu Luo was a little surprised. He remembered that when he left, his big brother had just gotten married. He hadn’t expected that his children would already be old enough to run around.

Indeed, time loses all meaning during cultivation. In a flash, two or three years had passed. Even he had grown from a somewhat naive youth into a mature young man.

”Xu Yan, call him Uncle!” Guo Ying said, picking up her daughter, her face lit with a blissful smile.

”Hello, Uncle!” the little girl, who looked like a porcelain doll, chirped in a high-pitched voice. Her large, bright eyes looked at Xu Luo with curiosity.

”This is my niece? Here, let me hold her!” Overjoyed, Xu Luo walked over and took Xu Yan from Guo Ying’s arms.

The little girl opened her arms, nestled into Xu Luo’s embrace, and even started to giggle.

Guo Ying was surprised. ”That’s strange. This child is usually very shy with strangers. Other than her grandparents and her father, she won’t even let the people who care for her every day touch her!”

Huangfu Shishi pouted with a hint of jealousy. ”It’s true. She won’t even let me, her aunt, hold her. Hmph, playing favorites!”

Lianyi and Phoenix chuckled softly.

Luo Xinlan said, ”It’s true, Yan’Er is very shy. I didn’t expect her to be so close with her uncle.”

”Of course! I’m her real uncle, after all!” As Xu Luo spoke, a piece of dripping-green jade suddenly appeared in his hand. It was engraved with numerous inscriptions. Even someone who didn’t know what it was could tell from its lustrous sheen and translucent quality that it was no ordinary object.

Not to mention, the Xu Family was now full of powerful Martial Artists. The potent life force emanating from the jade moved everyone present.

Guo Ying said with a serious expression, ”Xu Luo, this… it’s too valuable. It’s not suitable for a child!”

Xu Luo smiled and waved his hand, hanging the jade piece around Xu Yan’s neck. ”It’s just a Magical Artifact, for my little niece’s protection. It’s nothing worth mentioning.”

At that moment, a wronged little voice piped up from the side. ”Uncle is playing favorites! You only held my little sister, not me! And you didn’t give me a gift!”

”HAHAHA!” The entire group burst into laughter.

Xu Luo laughed as well. He handed Xu Yan back to Guo Ying, turned around, and picked up the handsome little boy. ”Do you know who I am?” he asked with a smile.

”Mommy said you are Xu An’s uncle, my daddy’s younger brother!” The little boy, Xu An, looked at Xu Luo without any shyness. His crisp, childish voice was incredibly cute.

”Your name is Xu An? Who gave you that name?” Xu Luo asked.

”Grandpa, of course!” Xu An cast a slightly disdainful look at this somewhat unfamiliar uncle. Then he suddenly turned his head to look at Huangfu Shishi and the others, whispering in Xu Luo’s ear, ”Uncle Xu Luo, are all those pretty big sisters your wives?”

Xu Luo’s mouth twitched, his face darkening as he stared at the little rascal.