Firmament Sword

”Of course, it’s true.” Xu Jie sighed softly. ”You’ve done so much for my family, and I... I’m sorry.”

”Don’t say you’re sorry. I did all those things willingly.” A blush crept onto Liu Ruyu’s elegant face as she spoke softly, ”Besides, compared to you saving my life twice, what I did... is nothing at all.”

Anyone who wasn’t blind could see the affection in Liu Ruyu’s eyes.

Xu Jie sighed inwardly. After a moment of silence, he looked up, just about to speak.

Liu Ruyu gave Xu Jie a radiant smile and said, ”You don’t have to say anything. I understand. You can rest assured, I won’t force you into anything before you’ve seen Mo Yun. As long as... you have a place for me in your heart, that’s enough.”

As she spoke, Liu Ruyu lowered her head slightly and continued, ”Xu Luo is incredibly powerful now. He joined Celestial Brilliance and became the Senior Brother of the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden. He’s built an illustrious reputation for himself throughout the entire sect!”

”Really? That’s wonderful!” Xu Jie shot to his feet, pacing back and forth in his excitement. ”Celestial Brilliance! That’s the most powerful sect in all of Xi Hezhou, a Supreme Great Sect with a million-year legacy!”

Then, Xu Jie looked at Liu Ruyu and asked in surprise, ”How did you find out about this?”

”My master... has some history with Xu Luo’s master, so I heard about it. But they don’t know I exist,” Liu Ruyu said. ”If you want to find him, you can go now. Once you get to Celestial Brilliance, just mention the name Luo Tian, and they’ll surely receive you as an honored guest.”

”Luo Tian?” Xu Jie frowned slightly, then asked, ”Is that an alias?”

Liu Ruyu nodded. ”It is.”

”If I go looking for him, will I cause him any trouble?” Xu Jie hesitated, unsure if he should go find his brother right away.

”I don’t think it would be that much trouble, but he likely had his own reasons for joining Celestial Brilliance. If you’re worried about disturbing him, you could send him a message. I’m sure he’ll be very happy to hear from you,” Liu Ruyu said.

”You have a point. I should probably send him a letter first, just to avoid causing any negative consequences for him,” Xu Jie said with a nod.

”You can’t go back to Xuan City... The Jin Family won’t let you go.” Liu Ruyu looked at Xu Jie. ”So... what are your plans now?”

”They say one should read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles. I’ve read plenty of books over the years, but I’ve traveled far too little.” Xu Jie looked up at Liu Ruyu. ”Back in the Lower Realm, I went to a few places, but I wouldn’t call it real travel. And after ascending to the Divine Domain, I’ve just been stuck in one corner.”

”Yes, the Divine Domain is boundlessly vast,” Liu Ruyu said.

”So, I want to travel around and see things. I’m happy now that I have news of my brother. I’ll send him a letter, and then I’ll just wander for a while,” Xu Jie said. ”It’ll be a good chance to temper myself and broaden my horizons.”

”In that case... would you mind if one more person came along?” Liu Ruyu didn’t dare to look up, her voice was quiet, and her pretty face was flushed red all the way to her neck.

Xu Jie nodded. ”I couldn’t ask for more!”

In that instant, tears streamed down Liu Ruyu’s face.

...

...

「The Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition, Semifinals!」

First match: Jiang Botao’s prized disciple, Tang Xiao, versus Senior Brother Jin Ming. Second match: Ming Youyue versus Xu Luo.

The moment the matchups were announced, another wave of excitement swept through Celestial Brilliance. Countless people began to fervently debate who would claim victory and advance straight to the finals.

”If I had to pick, it’d definitely be Senior Brother Jin Ming and the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden, Luo Tian!”

”I actually think Ming Youyue is really powerful. She’s been seriously underestimated. Luo Tian is strong, sure, but for him to reach the top four in his first time at the Annual Competition is already a huge miracle!”

”Exactly, that’s what I think too. Miracles can happen, but at this stage, what really matters... is each person’s foundation. The Ming Family is a powerful Heritage Clan in Celestial Brilliance, and Ming Youyue was personally trained by her older sister! Ming Youyu was so powerful back in the day, how could her own sister be any different?”

”I feel like Tang Xiao isn’t weak either, he might have a chance to win. The more of a favorite someone is, the greater the pressure. So... I think in the end, the winner could very well be someone nobody expects!”

”I’m still betting on Luo Tian and Senior Brother Jin Ming. Only those two can make it to the finals. And, if I were to make a bold guess, I have a feeling... something unprecedented might happen at Celestial Brilliance this year. The one to become champion... will be Luo Tian, winning in his very first Annual Competition! He’ll be this year’s number one!”

”I have the same feeling! If they were still taking bets... I’d definitely put money on Luo Tian to win!”

”You just can’t figure that Luo Tian out. And his strength has improved immensely since the start of the competition. Forget everything else, just on that point alone, how many people here could do the same?”

While all sorts of discussions raged outside, it was perfectly quiet where Xu Luo was.

The semifinals were about to begin, and no one came to disturb him.

Sun Xiaohong, who had also reached the finals in the Outer Sect’s competition and had already become the number one Outer Disciple, turned away everyone who tried to pay Xu Luo a visit.

She had only one thing to say: ”I’m sorry, the Young Master is in secluded meditation. If you wish to see him, please wait until after the Annual Competition.”

Faced with this new star of the Outer Sect, who was also a favorite of Luo Tian’s, these people could only leave without complaint. They all understood that this was indeed not a good time to disturb Luo Tian.

They had only come over to leave a good impression on Luo Tian and build some goodwill.

It was already a sure thing that Sun Xiaohong would become an Inner Sect Disciple after the new year. There were even rumors that a few senior figures, after watching her matches, had become interested in taking her as their disciple.

If that happened, Sun Xiaohong would also create a miracle of her own, jumping from an Outer Disciple, skipping the Inner Sect Disciple rank entirely, to become a Direct Disciple!

However, Sun Xiaohong was unwilling to become a Direct Disciple. As an Inner Sect Disciple, she could still stay here and serve by Xu Luo’s side.

Once she became a Direct Disciple, she would have to leave.

How could a Direct Disciple of Celestial Brilliance act as someone else’s Maid?

Even if the rules allowed it, no Elder would agree to their Direct Disciple serving as someone’s Maid. Not even if that person was the number one of the younger generation... it was out of the question, with no room for discussion.

”Young Master, can you please tell those people... I don’t want to leave you, and I don’t want to leave the Medicine Garden. I don’t care about the status of a Direct Disciple. If it weren’t for you, Young Master, I would still be suppressed in the Outer Sect. How would I ever have the chance to become an Inner Sect Disciple?”

Sun Xiaohong looked at Xu Luo with a pitiful expression. ”I only want to stay by your side, Young Master, and be your little handmaiden.”

Xu Luo smiled and said, ”That won’t do. Have you forgotten the ideals you had when you first joined Celestial Brilliance?”

”Of course I haven’t forgotten, but...” Sun Xiaohong looked at Xu Luo, on the verge of tears. ”Is it because... you’ve grown tired of me, Young Master?”

”When you first joined Celestial Brilliance, whatever your ideals were, I’m sure... becoming someone’s Maid wasn’t one of them.” Xu Luo looked at Sun Xiaohong seriously. ”I haven’t grown tired of you. All this time, because of you, I haven’t had to worry about a single thing. I’ve gotten used to having you take care of me.”

A happy smile appeared on Sun Xiaohong’s delicate face.

Xu Luo continued, ”But this is Celestial Brilliance, and you... you need to have your own aspirations! Becoming a Direct Disciple is something countless people dream of but can never achieve. You shouldn’t miss this opportunity.”

Seeing that Sun Xiaohong was about to say something, Xu Luo smiled. ”If... in the future, you still want to be by my side, then I think there will always be a place for you. But it definitely won’t be as a Maid. That would be... too unfair to you!”

Sun Xiaohong’s eyes reddened. She said softly, ”For you to treat me like this, Young Master... I feel both happy and sad. However, I will listen to you! Rest assured, Young Master, I will cultivate diligently and become someone truly useful. In the future, whenever you call for me, no matter when or where, I will definitely come to your side at a moment’s notice!”

”This... is my oath!”

Sun Xiaohong looked at Xu Luo with a solemn expression.

Xu Luo nodded, walked over to Sun Xiaohong, and gave her a light hug. ”Thank you,” he said.

”Brother Luo... Brother Luo...” Xie Yurou’s voice suddenly called out from outside the door.

She was one of the few people who could enter Xu Luo’s residence directly without being announced.

Sun Xiaohong quickly pulled away from Xu Luo’s embrace, her pretty face slightly flushed.

Just then, Xie Yurou pushed the door open and burst in excitedly, not even noticing Sun Xiaohong’s reaction.

”A letter for you!”

Xie Yurou held up a letter to Xu Luo. ”I never thought you had friends in the Divine Domain!”

Sun Xiaohong was also taken aback. She knew just as much about Xu Luo as Xie Yurou did, if not more. After all, she spent every day with him, taking care of his daily needs, yet she had never heard the Young Master mention any other friends in the Divine Domain.

Xu Luo was stunned as well. He took the letter, and a single glance at the handwriting on the envelope made him freeze on the spot, unable to recover for a long moment.

”What’s wrong?” Xie Yurou looked at Xu Luo. ”Is something the matter?”

An expression of irrepressible, joyous surprise spread across Xu Luo’s face. He didn’t answer Xie Yurou, instead tearing the letter open directly. The familiar handwriting inside instantly pulled his thoughts back many years...

...to the days when he and his four brothers were all together.

”It’s from my second brother!” Xu Luo’s eyes instantly reddened.

Whether it was Xie Yurou or Sun Xiaohong, it was the first time either of them had ever seen such an expression on Xu Luo’s face.

Xu Luo took a deep breath. He didn’t read the letter right away. Instead, he looked at Xie Yurou and Sun Xiaohong and declared, ”From this day forward, my name... is Xu Luo!”