Firmament Sword

A calm voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. It wasn’t loud, but it struck everyone like a clap of thunder.

The somewhat noisy crowd suddenly fell silent. Everyone turned to look where the voice had come from.

Xu Luo!

The students’ eyes widened in astonishment as they stared at the handsome young man standing there with a placid expression, their minds struggling to process what was happening.

”Has he gone mad? How dare he speak to Young Master Wei like that?”

”Heavens, does he think he can just run wild on campus because he beat Li Tie and the ’Supersonic Kid’...?”

”Even Young Master Leng has never spoken to Young Master Wei that way, right?”

”This guy really has a death wish. Daring to say the Seventh Princess is his woman... haha, now this is going to be a good show!”

Immediately following this were all sorts of hushed discussions among the students.

Wei Ziting’s expression changed in an instant. The smile he wore moments ago froze on his face. He looked up at Xu Luo in disbelief, his face gradually turning livid.

’Xu Luo...’ he thought. ’Last time was just a fluke that you made it back from the Black Forest alive. You worthless piece of trash with a death wish, do you really think... I wouldn’t dare to kill you?’

”What are you looking at? You see a Marquis and don’t even bow? Is this how your Wei Family raised you? You who don’t know your place!” Xu Luo said calmly, a mocking smile even gracing his handsome face.

In front of everyone, Xu Luo threw the same words Wei Ziting had once used to mock his own brother right back at him. But Xu Luo’s status was different now. His words might seem arrogant, but they were justified!

It left Wei Ziting unable to retaliate!

”You... Xu Luo... You’ve gone too far!” Wei Ziting was completely enraged. To be ridiculed and mocked like this in front of the woman he admired—even the most calculating person would fly into a rage.

Huangfu Shishi had relaxed completely the moment she heard Xu Luo’s voice. Her face was calm, her eyes held a faint smile, and she seemed very interested in Xu Luo’s current demeanor.

Many students who had been hoping for the Seventh Princess to reprimand Xu Luo for his nonsense felt their hearts sink. They never would have imagined that the Seventh Princess wouldn’t refute Xu Luo’s outrageous ”blather.”

”I’ve gone too far? What a joke!” Xu Luo walked up to Wei Ziting, looked at him calmly, and sneered in a voice only the two of them could hear, ”You really have a death wish, don’t you? Sending people to kill me, was it? You listen to me good. This Marquis... I remember this. Sooner or later, I will come to settle the score!”

”You... What nonsense are you spouting? That’s slander!” Wei Ziting shouted, but a flash of horror crossed his eyes.

Giant waves crashed in Wei Ziting’s heart as he thought, ’Could it be that the Yuan Brothers completely failed? Did they even confess? This... This shouldn’t be possible! The Yuan Brothers should hate the Xu Family with a passion. And those two aren’t the type of spineless cowards to break. How could they possibly... have sold me out?’

Wei Ziting stared at Xu Luo, full of shock and suspicion, trying to figure out if Xu Luo was just bluffing.

But Xu Luo just laughed, ignoring Wei Ziting. He turned, walked toward the Seventh Princess, bowed slightly, and extended a hand.

”My beautiful Princess, I wonder... might I have the honor of inviting Your Highness to tour this great and beautiful campus?”

Xu Luo’s voice was like a minstrel’s, drawn out and melodic. He cut a dashing and suave figure, and his noble air made the eyes of many girls in the crowd light up.

The Seventh Princess suppressed a smile, keeping a straight face, but with a heart pounding in nervous anticipation, she placed her delicate hand in Xu Luo’s.

It was just like the role-playing games they used to play together many years ago when they were just children.

But back then, they were very young, and when they played, it was always just the two of them. The palace maids and eunuchs would all keep their distance.

Now, both of them had grown up. The boy from back then had become a dashing, handsome young man, and the girl had become a beautiful and noble Royal Princess...

Normally, the Seventh Princess shouldn’t be playing along with Xu Luo’s antics. But for some reason, facing the one boy who had ever been able to enter her heart, Huangfu Shishi felt nothing but joy, even forgetting about the crowd around them.

Wei Ziting’s face went from livid to pale, then from pale to pitch-black. He was burning with rage and seething with jealousy. He couldn’t believe that here, on campus, in front of so many people, the Seventh Princess would actually play along with Xu Luo’s antics!

Especially the words Xu Luo had just said to him—they were like a heavy hammer slamming into his heart, throwing him into complete disarray!

As the direct heir of the Wei Family, Wei Ziting was naturally privy to some of the family’s secrets. He knew that if Xu Luo ever got his hands on real evidence of what happened back then, this would no longer be a simple matter of two young men fighting over a girl.

It would concern the entire Prime Minister Wei Group... and even the future of the entire Civil Servant Group!

’No, I absolutely cannot let him live any longer!’ Wei Ziting schemed, staring at the backs of Xu Luo and the Seventh Princess as they walked away hand in hand. ’I have to find a way to shut his mouth forever!’

A faint blush appeared on Huangfu Shishi’s face, which was as fair and smooth as a peeled egg, making her look exceptionally charming and beautiful. She let Xu Luo lead her away at a slow pace, appearing calm but feeling flustered inside.

The students who had been hoping for Wei Ziting to fly into a rage and beat Xu Luo to a pulp on the spot were completely disappointed.

Even though Wei Ziting’s face was filled with fury and his eyes seemed to burn with fire, he made no move!

”Young Master Wei...” one of Wei Ziting’s lackeys called out, his face a mask of humiliation.

But Wei Ziting paid him no mind, ignoring his follower and heading straight off campus.

Leng Ping stood there, calmly watching everything unfold. He shot a mocking smile at Wei Ziting’s retreating back.

Sun Donghai stood there aloofly, an amused expression on his face as he watched the backs of Xu Luo and the Seventh Princess, then glanced at Wei Ziting’s. ”The military faction versus the civil servants... heh, interesting,” he said softly.

Zhao Mo and Wang Ziweng, two of the Imperial Capital’s top young masters, also wore profound expressions as they smiled and departed.

Meanwhile, Xu Luo, holding the Seventh Princess’s hand, had already passed through the academy gates. Although the path inside was lined with people, the two of them paid no mind and continued walking forward, hand in hand.

”Xu Luo, stop right there!” A sharp cry suddenly rang out from the crowd.

Everyone was taken aback for a moment. Who could be so bold? After even Wei Ziting had been bested by Xu Luo, and several of the Imperial Capital’s most renowned young masters had remained silent, someone was actually jumping out to challenge him?

Holding Huangfu Shishi’s hand, Xu Luo stopped and glanced at the person who had jumped out.

He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen, with a face as handsome as jade and a tall, slender figure. Although he wore a long robe that had been washed so many times it was fading, it couldn’t hide his extraordinary air, which made him stand out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.

Especially the folding fan in his hand, on which four elegant, flowing characters were written. It was as conspicuous as a firefly in the dark, impossible to ignore.

Beside Xu Luo, Huangfu Shishi furrowed her lovely brows, slightly displeased. ’This person is so annoying,’ she thought. ’Who do you think you are? Shouting his name so rudely. And what are you doing, waving that shabby fan around? Is it hot? Or do you think I’m supposed to be impressed by your calligraphy? So childish and ignorant!’

If Lin Chi knew he had made such a poor first impression on the Seventh Princess, one wonders what he would be thinking.

Right now, however, Lin Chi’s mind was consumed with jealousy, and he was thrilled. He was going to show the entire academy, right here and now, that so-called ”powerful authority” was nothing but a paper tiger—one poke and it would fall apart. It was not as scary as everyone imagined!

’I, Lin Chi... may be from a poor background, but so what?’

’Are kings and nobles destined by birth?’

”Xu Luo! First, within True Martial Academy, there are only fellow students, no high or low status. As a student of True Martial Academy, you use your noble title to oppress others. Do you feel no shame?”

”Second, who do you think the Seventh Princess is? How dare you flirt with her in public? What do you mean, ’the Seventh Princess is your woman’? Is she married to you? Has His Majesty decreed a marriage? Your actions show a complete disregard for the Royal Family!”

”Third, by forcibly dragging the Seventh Princess and parading her through campus, do you have any idea how terrible the consequences will be? Do you know how much damage this will do to the Royal Family’s image?”

”Fourth—”

The people listening were about to lose their minds. There was a fourth point... They couldn’t help but look at this brave, outspoken warrior with a sense of admiration, but one thought dominated most of their minds: ’This guy... really has a death wish!’

Leng Ping and the others, who had already decided to leave, now stopped in their tracks, watching the scene with great interest.

Although these top-tier young masters hadn’t chosen to oppose Xu Luo like Wei Ziting, that by no means meant they liked him.

They were more than happy to see this suddenly arrogant guy get taken down a peg and lose some face.

”Alright, that’s enough. No ’fourth’,” Xu Luo said, raising a hand to cut off the impassioned Lin Chi. He looked at him and asked calmly, ”Who are you?”

”I am Lin Chi! From a humble background. What? Are you, Young Master Xu, planning to oppress me just like you oppressed Wei Ziting? Well, I, Lin Chi, am not afraid of you!”

”Heh.” Xu Luo suddenly gave a faint smile and said to the Seventh Princess, who was frowning beside him, ”We’ve run into a lunatic. Qiqi, let’s go.”

”Mmm,” Huangfu Shishi replied. At Xu Luo’s side, she gave no outward sign of her thoughts, but in her heart, she had memorized the face of this annoying student from a poor family.

’Is being from a poor family something to be proud of? What’s there to show off?’

Huangfu Shishi was exceptionally intelligent, and she thought differently from ordinary people. How could she not see that Lin Chi was using his poor background to score points and gain sympathy?

If Xu Luo were to argue with him, he would be falling right into Lin Chi’s trap. Before long, rumors like ”Noble scion bullies good student from a poor family” would surely start to spread.

”Xu Luo... Don’t you dare answer me?” Seeing that Xu Luo seemed to be backing down, Lin Chi became even more spirited. With a furious shout, he performed a beautiful Sparrow Flip, leaping into the air to block Xu Luo’s path and drawing gasps from the crowd.

A smug look flashed in Lin Chi’s eyes as he stared down Xu Luo. ”If you don’t dare to answer me, you’re a coward, and you’re even less qualified to stand by the Seventh Princess’s side!”

”Are you done yet?” Xu Luo frowned at the combative young man before him. ”I’m oppressing you? Are you even qualified? Who do you think you are!”