Firmament Sword

”...” Everyone looked at Xu Luo with disdain.

Shao Zheng, the youngest, emboldened by the fact that he was also from the Medicine Garden, spoke up bravely. ”Senior Brother, you’re such a smooth talker! We’re not idiots. That old guy was obviously looking for trouble the moment he walked in!”

This time, no one teased Shao Zheng. They all nodded in agreement, not a single one of them believing Senior Brother Luo’s tall tale.

If you could just persuade people, then what would be the point of us cultivating and practicing martial arts?

If persuasive education worked, there would be no more wars between nations!

Xu Luo smiled and stood up. ”Forget it. I see you’ve all lost your appetites. Let’s find another place for tea. You all want to know why, don’t you? I’ll just tell you.”

The moment they heard this, they all stood up. Ming Youyue’s gaze involuntarily darted to the red-and-white puddle on the floor... Her stomach churned again, and she quickly looked away.

Tang Xiao didn’t take back the Upper-grade Immortal Spirit Stone he had tossed on the table earlier, leaving it as compensation for the tavern’s trouble.

Everything that had happened in the tavern didn’t affect the bustling street outside. The people outside seemed completely unaware that a murder had just occurred in the tavern right next to them.

People’s lives went on, unaffected.

After walking out, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Inside the tavern, they had all been unconsciously affected by the oppressive atmosphere. Except for Xu Luo, everyone else had been influenced to some degree.

Ming Youyue clutched her chest and took several deep breaths of the fresh air outside. A bit of color finally returned to her pale face as she murmured, ”Only after coming out here do I realize how terrifying the world is. I suddenly miss home a little.”

Xu Luo looked at Ming Youyue with a serious expression. ”Junior Sister Ming, if you truly feel that way, then... I suggest you don’t participate in this mission. I believe if you just have a word with Elder Jiang and Elder Xie, they will understand.”

Ming Youyue could also hear the seriousness in Xu Luo’s voice. She blinked her bright eyes and stared at him. ”Why?”

”Perhaps... you might think we were a bit cruel, that we went too far, forcing a man who didn’t deserve to die to his death, right?” Xu Luo asked.

Ming Youyue thought for a moment, then nodded. ”Yes. That man’s words were foul, his mouth was disgusting... truly vile. But for something like that, a punishment would have been enough. Why did he have to die?”

Xu Luo chuckled. ”I won’t give you the other reasons just yet. Let me just ask you one question, Junior Sister Ming. If someone treated you like a woman from a brothel and spoke to you with vulgar language, how would you feel?”

Ming Youyue was taken aback for a moment, her pretty face blushing red. Then she said, ”But there’s a difference between men and women!”

”So you mean women need dignity, but men don’t?” Xu Luo asked with a smile.

”No... I mean... men can generally endure more than women, can’t they?” Ming Youyue said.

”Alright, let’s put that aside for now and talk about our reasons.” Xu Luo said with a gentle smile. ”From that man’s expression and tone, we could tell at a glance he wasn’t just talking. He has absolutely done that kind of thing countless times!”

”Ah? Is... is that true?” Ming Youyue’s face instantly flushed red, the blush spreading down her fair neck. But she turned her head to look at Yu Tianying, Yu Tianjie, Tang Xiao, and the others.

They all nodded silently. It was true they weren’t very experienced with the world, but they weren’t fools. The tone and expression of that whiskered man were clearly filled with lust. It was a feeling that only someone of the same sex could recognize at a glance.

The women from the brothels... they could also recognize it at a glance!

A simple girl like Ming Youyue, of course, couldn’t possibly imagine that such filth existed in the world.

Xu Luo didn’t let Ming Youyue feel too awkward and continued, ”That is one reason he had to die. Because that kind of person is human scum. To us, his background might be utterly insignificant, but what about to the ordinary people of this world? If he wanted to do something, who could stop him? Now... for the second reason he had to die...”

As he spoke, Xu Luo looked at Ming Youyue and said, ”If we weren’t Heavenly Brilliance Disciples today, but just a group of ordinary people, members of the lowest rungs of society, then... what should we have done if we encountered someone like that?”

”I... I hadn’t thought about it.” Ming Youyue bit her lip. In truth, she had already considered that possibility.

They were the favored children of heaven, peerless prodigies!

They were disciples of Celestial Brilliance, the most powerful Supreme Great Sect in all of Xi Hezhou!

In Xi Hezhou, there truly weren’t many who would dare to openly cause trouble for Celestial Brilliance.

Therefore, they had never thought about it... nor did they need to: ’What if I were an ordinary person and encountered injustice?’

They would never even consider such a question!

But today, now that Xu Luo had brought it up, it wasn’t just Ming Youyue; everyone else fell into deep thought as well.

”Yeah, if we weren’t Heavenly Brilliance Disciples today, and if Senior Brother Luo... hadn’t used his methods to trick that old guy into leaving, the outcome for us might have been completely different,” Wang Tong murmured.

Zhong Jiuyan was more direct. He said softly, ”If Senior Brother Luo didn’t have those skills today, then under that old man’s oppressive might, we would have had no choice but to call for Elder Jiang and the others. If we had tried to tough it out, the result might have been...”

Zhong Jiuyan didn’t finish his sentence, instead casting a subtle glance at Tang Xiao.

Tang Xiao rolled his eyes and said angrily, ”I would rather die in battle than be humiliated!”

Everyone understood the meaning behind Zhong Jiuyan’s words. If they had stubbornly refused to call for reinforcements, it was even possible that help wouldn’t have arrived in time.

In that case... Tang Xiao, one of the most outstanding young disciples of Celestial Brilliance, after being subdued, would very likely have been truly... violated by that servant... that whiskered man.

If that had happened and the matter was exposed, the entire reputation of Celestial Brilliance... would have been severely damaged, and it might have never recovered!

At the thought of this possibility, everyone couldn’t help but shudder. If that had really happened, their deaths wouldn’t have been enough to atone for their failure!

They would have all become unforgivable sinners!

”And all this... just because of a trivial matter.”

”Yes... it might have just been a casual trap set by Jin Ming, waiting for a group of rookies like us to fall into it.”

”But what an effective trap it was, and so devastating!”

The group exchanged glances. They had reached this conclusion on their own; Xu Luo hadn’t even had to say it.

Seeing that they had figured it out for themselves, Xu Luo felt a sense of relief. ’Their experience is lacking and they’re still green,’ he thought, ’but they are true geniuses. With a little polishing, they will grow into a generation of true powerhouses! Not just powerful in strength... but powerful in heart as well!’

The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became, and the deeper their hatred for Jin Ming grew. In the end, they were all drenched in cold sweat, gritting their teeth.

Ming Youyue looked at Xu Luo apologetically and said, ”I’m sorry, Senior Brother Luo. I was too willful and naive. I apologize! Please give me a chance. I still want to participate in this mission. Believe me, I won’t show any more hesitation!”

Yu Tianying also cupped his fists at Xu Luo with a look of admiration. ”Senior Brother Luo, I misunderstood you before and even spoke ill of you in private. I was wrong. You are more than worthy of being the leader of this team! No one is more suitable for the role than you! From now on, whatever you say, I’ll do! I won’t have any more doubts or hesitation!”

Lv Di, Wang Tong, Zhong Jiuyan, and the others all voiced their support as well.

Right there in Qingchuan Ancient City, on that bustling street, the group of young people finally cleared up the misunderstandings between them and united as one!

They just stood there as the flow of people on the street automatically parted around them, with no one even paying them any attention.

This was naturally due to the aura they exuded. For them, being a great hermit hidden in a bustling city was a simple matter.

High up in the sky, Xie Wanrou nodded with satisfaction and murmured, ”I wasn’t wrong about this little guy. He really has the air of a leader!”

The Old Golden Monkey, standing beside her, scratched his head. ”How on earth did that little guy manage to trick that old fellow, whose strength is above the Initial Tier Ultimate Venerable, into leaving?”

Xie Wanrou glanced at her beloved man and said with a smile, ”Isn’t it obvious? A mental attack!”

”Of course I know it was a mental attack, but the problem is... that little guy is only at the Peak of Great Saint Realm, while the other guy is above the Initial Tier Ultimate Venerable! That’s a whole major realm of difference!” the Old Golden Monkey grumbled.

”That... must be what makes him special,” Xie Wanrou said with a smile. ”With him on this mission, I feel much more at ease.”

The Old Golden Monkey also nodded. ”I quite agree with that point!”

How could they be at ease with a group of Celestial Brilliance’s top young elites traveling alone? That was why Xie Wanrou and the Old Golden Monkey had secretly followed them from the start, afraid they would fall into a trap.

But now it seemed that with Xu Luo around, they wouldn’t suffer any major losses. In their minds, this young man, Xu Luo, was already on par with many of the wily and calculating old-timers.

If Xu Luo knew what they were thinking, what would he think? Would he be happy, or would he sigh that there’s always a higher mountain?

The group then found a teahouse, sat down, and quietly drank their tea.

Their restless moods finally settled, and they all sat there in quiet contemplation, even forgetting to press Xu Luo about what method he had used to trick the Ultimate Venerable old man into leaving.

After this incident, everyone seemed to have matured a great deal, as if they had grown up overnight.

They also finally understood that the saying ”the human heart is sinister and dangerous” was no mere platitude.

A seemingly ordinary little conflict had a huge conspiracy hidden behind it. Once caught in it, they would be doomed beyond redemption!

After a long while, Ming Youyue finally said, ”I was so foolish. To think I felt indignant on his behalf before. Only now do I realize what kind of person he truly was.”