Firmament Sword

Xu Luo sprinted frantically, his heart hammering so hard it felt like it would leap from his chest. Only when he finally burst out of the Black Forest did he truly let out a sigh of relief.

”Finally… I’m safe!”

However, to Xu Luo’s complete surprise, he was tailed the moment he set foot in Black Wind Town.

Although his recent venture hadn’t lasted long, Xu Luo had matured a great deal. He was no longer the naive young man who had left home and the Imperial Capital for the very first time.

The moment he sensed someone following him, Xu Luo immediately executed the Shaking Light Step. On the bustling, crowded streets, he moved like a nimble fish, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

”Damn it, you think that kid sensed something? How is he so damn slippery?” a young man in his twenties couldn’t help but mutter to his companion.

”Anyone who could beat Li the Fourth so badly he couldn’t even fight back is obviously no pushover,” the other man said in a low voice. ”The higher-ups are paying close attention to this kid. We need to report this immediately. We can’t let him get away!”

”I hear the kid has a Divine Weapon on him, and some priceless Spirit Medicine…” the young man in his twenties said, his face alight with greed. ”If we find him first before reporting it, won’t all the credit be ours?”

”But… what if the kid gets away?” the other person hesitated.

”When Li the Fourth was alive, he was so high and mighty, he never gave us the time of day. Whether he lives or dies is none of our business,” the young man sneered. ”If the kid gets away… then he gets away. So what? We can just pretend we never saw him.”

With that, he glanced at the teeming street and added, ”Besides, he’s not the only young guy in a black cloak out here. If it wasn’t for that conspicuous backpack of his, neither of us would’ve ever spotted him.”

”That’s a good point,” the other man said. ”Alright, let’s look for him on our own. The kid just came out of the Black Forest. He’s probably either at a restaurant or an inn. Black Wind Town isn’t that big; we’ll definitely find him!”

”Exactly!” A greedy glint shone in the young man’s eyes. ’His plans were far more ambitious than just finding the person and reporting back.’

He wanted to take everything that lone traveler had!

Glancing at his companion, the young man sighed to himself. ’If I really succeed, I’ll have no choice but to do you wrong.’

Xu Luo deliberately headed for crowded areas. He didn’t appear to be moving fast, but in the blink of an eye, he had already covered several hundred meters. Forget those two tails—even if Li the Fourth, whose Tracking Skill ranked in the top three of the entire Black Wind Gang, came back to life, he wouldn’t be able to keep up!

Xu Luo was travel-worn and weary, and also starting to feel hungry.

But he didn’t dare rashly enter a restaurant or an inn.

’For the Black Wind Gang to become the number one power in Black Wind Town, their roots must run deep. They must have countless eyes and ears in this town. Places like restaurants and inns are especially conspicuous, so it’s best to stay away.’

With this in mind, Xu Luo bought a few pounds of cooked beef from a street-side food stall, along with a few large flatbreads from the stall next to it. Once they were wrapped up, he placed them directly into his backpack.

Any thoughts Xu Luo might have had about getting revenge on the Black Wind Gang had now vanished.

’I was tailed the moment I entered town. That means the Black Wind Gang is already onto me. Trying to get revenge under these circumstances would be suicide.’

Xu Luo decided not to linger in Black Wind Town. He would leave immediately!

’As for the Black Wind Gang, I’m sure they won’t be leaving here anytime soon. Once I’m stronger, I can always come back to settle the score.’

After buying his food, seeing that no one was paying him any mind, Xu Luo shouldered his backpack and sped down the road leading from Black Wind Town toward the Imperial Capital.

It was still early in the day. Xu Luo estimated that if he traveled at full speed, he should be able to reach another town before dark. That place was outside the Black Wind Gang’s sphere of influence; even if it wasn’t completely safe, at least it wouldn’t be as dangerous as here.

Just as Xu Luo was about to reach the town’s exit, he suddenly saw a commotion break out in the distance, in the direction of the exit.

”Stop him! Don’t let him get away!”

”Dammit, that’s the little bastard! Catch him and I’ll skin him alive!”

”Dammit, that little bastard is always so slippery! We absolutely cannot let him get away this time!”

”The Black Wind Gang is apprehending a fugitive! Bystanders, clear the way! If any innocents get hurt, don’t blame us!”

A wave of shouts came from the direction of the town’s exit, followed by a chaotic scene of tumbling men and horses. Many people who couldn’t get out of the way in time were knocked over, and the street descended into utter pandemonium.

’Just my luck!’ Xu Luo thought as he watched a large troop of horsemen galloping toward him from the town exit. He knew they weren’t after him, but he was sure they wouldn’t let him go if they spotted him.

In a flash, Xu Luo ducked into a nearby alley, planning to hide until they passed.

The alley was also lined with all sorts of shops. While not as bustling as the main street, it was still quite lively.

Keeping an eye on the commotion on the main street, Xu Luo headed deeper into the alley. After a few dozen meters, he saw a large group on horseback, blades drawn, thunder past on the main street.

Two or three of them peeled off and turned into his alley.

Xu Luo couldn’t help but roll his eyes. ’I wonder what moron pissed off the Black Wind Gang’s scum to make them cause such a scene,’ he thought. ’And now I’m dragged into it.’

As he was thinking, Xu Luo reached a small intersection. He had just turned a corner when he nearly collided with someone coming from the opposite direction.

”Watch where you’re going…”

”Watch where you’re going!”

”Huh? It’s you?”

”It’s you?”

The two spoke at the same time, each blaming the other for not looking where they were going. Then they saw each other’s faces and froze.

The person who had nearly bumped into Xu Luo was the very same grimy youth who had sold him information at the inn when he first arrived in Black Wind Town... No, on second thought, it was a girl.

She clearly recognized Xu Luo as well. With a wary glance around, she grabbed his arm and whispered, ”How dare you show your face so brazenly in Black Wind Town? Don’t you know you’re on the Black Wind Gang’s wanted list? They’ve mobilized this whole force just to catch you…”

As she spoke, the girl dragged Xu Luo through a winding series of alleys. Just before Xu Luo was completely turned around, she pulled him into a small courtyard. After shutting the gate, the girl patted her chest, heaved a long sigh of relief, and looked at Xu Luo. ”I just saved your life,” she said with righteous confidence. ”So, how are you going to thank me?”

Xu Luo couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He looked at the girl and sneered, ”Do I look like a sucker to you?”

”You do…”

The word slipped out before the girl could stop it. She quickly followed it with a cheeky grin. ”No, no, not at all! But you know I’m not lying. The Black Wind Gang really is looking for you. If it wasn’t for me, you would’ve been caught!”

”Bullshit!”

Despite the noble education he’d received as a member of the Royal Family, Xu Luo couldn’t resist the urge to curse. He pointed at the grimy tomboy before him and snapped, ”If you hadn’t meddled, I would have been safely out of Black Wind Town by now! Those people weren’t after me at all! It looked more like they were after… huh? What’s wrong with your leg? You’re injured?”

As Xu Luo spoke, he suddenly noticed the girl’s body was trembling slightly. Looking closely, he discovered that her grimy black pants had been stained red with fresh blood!

The girl’s face was deathly pale. She bit her lower lip, looking at Xu Luo with a pitiful expression, her body swaying. She seemed to want to say something, but instead, her body went limp and she collapsed.

’So, I guess I spoke too soon when I said I was unlucky!’

Xu Luo looked at the unconscious girl, tempted to just walk away. It was a no-brainer: whoever could infuriate the Black Wind Gang enough for them to mobilize such a force and hunt them down like mad across Black Wind Town must have offended them terribly.

’Help her?’

’I can barely protect myself as it is. Helping her would just invite even bigger trouble!’

’Especially now that she’s seriously injured and unconscious. Taking her along would make her a dead weight.’

’Don’t help her?’

But looking at the pitiful sight of the girl’s grimy face, completely drained of color, Xu Luo couldn’t bring himself to be so cruel.

Finally, he grit his teeth. ’Anyway, there’s no way to peacefully resolve things between me and the Black Wind Gang,’ he thought. ’If they caught me, they wouldn’t let me off easy either.’

’So what’s one more problem at this point?’

With that thought, Xu Luo sized up the small courtyard. It looked very inconspicuous.

The surrounding area looked like a slum, filled with rows of similar-looking small courtyards. As long as the Black Wind Gang didn’t mobilize a massive force for a house-by-house search of the entire town, this place should be safe.

Xu Luo checked for any trail of blood. Thankfully, the girl had been smart enough not to leave one.

Xu Luo lifted the girl into his arms, pushed open a door, and laid her on the bed in a room on the west side of the courtyard. Then he quickly scanned his surroundings.

The room was very clean, the bedding neatly folded. A faint, pleasant scent hung in the air, making it feel like a young woman’s bedroom.

Xu Luo glanced at the grimy girl and had his doubts. ’Is this really her home?’

But saving her was the priority. Xu Luo gently shook the girl. She let out a soft groan or two, likely from the blood loss, but showed no sign of waking.

Then, Xu Luo looked at her wound and found himself in an awkward position.

It seemed she had been stabbed with a sword at the very top of her thigh. Although the wound was on the outer side, it was clearly in a place a young woman wouldn’t let just anyone see.

If he hadn’t realized she was a woman, he wouldn’t have had so many reservations. But, as it was, he had discovered her secret.

Looking at the girl’s increasingly pale face and the blood that was already beginning to congeal, Xu Luo knew that if he didn’t act now to save her, she might die.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Luo used Water Blue to slice open the pant leg on the girl’s injured side. A flawless, jade-like, fair leg appeared before his eyes.

If not for the ghastly wound on her outer thigh—not large, but alarmingly deep—the sight of her beautiful leg alone would have sent one’s imagination running wild.

First, Xu Luo took a bottle from his backpack. It contained an antiseptic solution that Huangfu Chongzhi had prepared, specifically to prevent wounds from festering.

Perhaps it was the cold, stinging sensation of the solution on her wound that jolted the girl awake.

Her breath hitched, suddenly coming in rapid gasps.