Firmament Sword

”First, if anyone tries to kill me, you have to protect me!” Xu Luo said, looking at the Heaven-Swallowing Fox. ”And my family. You’re responsible for protecting them too!”

”No way! Master Li refuses!” The Heaven-Swallowing Fox leaped up, furious. ”Master Li is not your pet! I have no obligation to protect your family! To be honest, Master Li doesn’t even care if you live or die!”

”Alright then. You *must* protect me... As for my family, if they’re in danger and you happen to be there, you can’t just stand by and watch them die. Otherwise, you won’t get a single shred of Star Power!” Xu Luo stated, his tone firm and decisive.

”This... Fine. Master Li will reluctantly agree. But you listen up, too! Master Li is not your pet and has absolutely no obligation to do things for you!”

”Fine, I agree. If I ask you to do something, I’ll naturally give you a satisfactory reward.” Xu Luo said, then continued, ”Second, you’re a Tier Nine Spirit Beast. It’s too conspicuous for you to go out with me like this every day. Can you make yourself less noticeable?”

”What’s so hard about that?” Master Li gave a cold smile, and his body instantly transformed into a palm-sized yellow kitten with sky-blue eyes. He looked utterly adorable. ”This should be acceptable, right?”

”It is, but you can’t call yourself Master Li anymore...” Xu Luo said.

”On what grounds? Master Li is a dignified Tier Nine Spirit Beast! A Heaven-Swallowing Fox! Do you even know what a Heaven-Swallowing Fox is? Hmph, you ignorant, tiny human. I doubt you’ve ever heard of the mighty Heaven-Swallowing Fox clan!” Although Master Li’s body had become minuscule, his tone was as arrogant as ever.

”But if you keep calling yourself Master Li and speaking so openly, do you think everyone else is an idiot? You think they won’t figure out you’re a powerful Spirit Beast? If you attract unwanted attention and someone tries to capture you, do you really think that as a single Tier Nine Spirit Beast, you can defeat all the powerful humans out there?”

Xu Luo said flatly, ”If that were really the case, humans would never have become the rulers of this world.”

Master Li wanted to retort but felt that Xu Luo had a point. He snorted and said, ”If I don’t call myself Master Li, then what should I be called?”

”How about Master Mao?” Xu Luo glanced at the miniature Master Li and chuckled slyly.

”Pah! What the hell is a cat? AAAAAH! This great one is a Heaven-Swallowing Fox! Not a cat! Not a cat! Human, open your eyes and see clearly! Master Li... is... a... Hea-ven-Swal-low-ing-Fox! Not a cat, AAAAAAAAH!”

”Look down on cats?” Xu Luo sneered. ”A cat has nine lives. It can die nine times. What about you?”

”Er... Master Li... Although Master Li is powerful, when you’re dead, you’re dead. How could a cat possibly have nine lives?” The great Master Li was a little bluffed. He had never seen a cat before, but he had heard the saying that cats have nine lives, which made him feel a bit insecure.

’Do cats really have nine lives? Are they even more amazing than Master Li?’

”Hmph, so that settles it, then. Cats have nine lives, and even they aren’t as arrogant as you. You go around calling yourself Master Li all day. It won’t be two days before someone captures you, skins you, gouges out your Demon Core, and uses your bones and blood for medicine...” Xu Luo said with a malicious expression.

’If it weren’t for this damn creature, how could I have been so seriously injured? And how could Lianyi have nearly wiped out the entire Wei Family in a fit of rage, putting herself in such a dangerous position?’

”Alright, alright! Master Li will listen to you. From now on, I’ll call myself Master Mao. Hmm, Master Li’s name is Miaomiao, so you can also call me Uncle Meow Meow!” The Heaven-Swallowing Fox, thoroughly creeped out by Xu Luo’s words, finally agreed.

”Miaomiao? Haha!” Xu Luo hadn’t expected the Heaven-Swallowing Fox to have such a cute name.

”Don’t you laugh!” Uncle Meow Meow snapped.

”Haha, okay, I won’t laugh. Hahaha! Miaomiao...”

”You’re asking to die!”

...

A Tier Nine Spirit Beast was indeed incredibly powerful, but Miaomiao the Heaven-Swallowing Fox was actually just a juvenile. It needed a massive amount of the Essence of Heaven and Earth and a long time to truly advance into a mature Tier Nine Spirit Beast.

Only then would it become truly invincible.

This was also the very reason it valued the Seven-Colored Light so much and condescended to stay by Xu Luo’s side, who possessed Star Power in his body.

In fact, the day Miaomiao entered the Imperial Capital, he had already locked onto Xu Luo’s location. But when he entered the True Martial Academy to catch that damned medicine thief, he suddenly sensed a terrifying aura!

The aura was very faint and intermittent; only a Tier Nine Spirit Beast like Miaomiao could barely sense it. It made Uncle Meow Meow, a Tier Nine Spirit Beast himself, tremble. He had no choice but to swallow his anger and lie in wait, not daring to make a move until Xu Luo had left the True Martial Academy.

Many things in the world are a matter of karma, as if destined by fate. If Xu Luo hadn’t used Shaking Light Burst, it would have been impossible for Miaomiao to sense the Star Power within his body.

And if that had been the case, Xu Luo would probably be dead by now.

...

”Uncle Meow Meow needs a lot of energy... Xu Luo, how about we make a deal? Why don’t you take out all of your family’s Spirit Stones, Demon Cores, and all sorts of top-grade materials... and give them to Uncle Meow Meow? Uncle Meow Meow is hungry, AAAAAH!”

As Xu Luo walked down the street, a palm-sized yellow kitten in his pocket was chattering away noisily in his ear.

Half a month had passed since the tragic incident in the Imperial Capital. Xu Luo had fully recovered seven days ago, but at Lianyi’s suggestion, he stayed home for another eight days.

During this time, Xu Luo and Lianyi had been waiting for the Emperor to issue a decree stripping them of their Commandery Princess and Marquis titles, but it never came.

This weighed heavily on both Xu Luo’s and Lianyi’s hearts.

The Wei Family’s destroyed shops were all being rebuilt. It was unclear what benefits Wei Feng had received, but in any case, he had not made a sound since that day, becoming silent and low-key.

It was already the end of the year, and with the new year approaching, Xu Luo decided to make a trip back to the True Martial Academy. He guessed that Qiqi must have been worrying about him every day during this period. Yet, the smart and sensible girl had restrained herself from visiting him at the Xu Mansion.

After all... her status was what it was.

A Royal Family Princess’s actions on campus could be laughed off by others, but if she were to publicly visit the Xu Mansion, it would certainly cause a lot of misunderstandings.

And those misunderstandings would not be a good thing for the current Xu Luo and the entire Xu Family.

Especially since... His Majesty probably already had some unfavorable thoughts about the Xu Family. At a time like this, the Seventh Princess was caught in the middle, in the most difficult position of all.

”Uncle Meow Meow is hungry! Starving to death, AAAAAAAAH!” Miaomiao continued to bombard Xu Luo’s ears, using a telepathic voice that only Xu Luo could hear.

”Don’t even think about it. If you’re hungry, figure it out yourself,” Xu Luo said with a deadpan expression, while his mind was busy contemplating a strategy for the current situation.

’The Royal Family’s suspicion of the Xu Family isn’t a recent development. In fact, long ago, back in the time of my Xu Family’s ancestors, the Royal Family had already placed many restrictions on us for our overwhelming achievements...’

’Once, the first ancestor of my Xu Family followed the Cangqiong Kingdom’s Emperor to conquer the world. The two were even sworn brothers. At that time, my family’s first ancestor held the title of National Guardian Marshal!’

’Later, that National Guardian Marshal became the Grand General of National Guardian. The title was passed down through the generations, and although the rank was not lowered further, the power that came with it was slowly stripped away...’

’The only thing left is a core force jointly controlled with the Royal Family—the Hidden Dragon Army that Sister Lianyi deployed a while ago. This core force, which only takes orders from my Xu Family, is probably what the Emperor fears the most, isn’t it?’

’But there is an ancestral decree from the Royal Family: As long as the Royal Family stands, the Xu Family will not fall, and the Hidden Dragon Army will not change masters.’

As Xu Luo thought this, he couldn’t help but sigh. ’The founding monarch of the Cangqiong Kingdom was an insightful man! Back then, my Xu Family’s ancestors conquered seventy percent of the vast territory the Cangqiong Kingdom possesses today! He left behind this ancestral decree precisely because he feared that future generations of the Royal Family would grow wary of the Xu Family and strip away our last bit of power.’

’The founding monarch... he was a man of loyalty and righteousness. Although he didn’t make the rank of National Guardian Marshal hereditary, he didn’t fail his sworn brother. It’s just his descendants... Heh. Gratitude is something that always fades with time, eventually disappearing completely.’

Xu Luo mumbled to himself.

But Uncle Meow Meow in his pocket was extremely dissatisfied with Xu Luo’s dismissiveness. He roared into Xu Luo’s ear, ”What, you think Uncle Meow Meow can’t find treasures on his own? Hmph, hmph, hmph, hmph, just you wait! Your Master Mao will definitely leave you stunned!”

With that, he turned into a yellow bolt of lightning and shot out of Xu Luo’s pocket, disappearing in an instant.

Xu Luo shook his head slightly and let out a long breath. Finally, some peace and quiet for his ears.

His thoughts returned to the thousand-year-old entanglement between his family and the Royal Family.

’The Cangqiong Kingdom has been blessed by the Big Dipper, enjoying over a thousand years of prosperity. In times of peace, Military Generals naturally lose their standing. This is especially true for a powerful Military Merit Family like my Xu Family, which has faced all sorts of suppression from the Civil Servant Group. Fortunately, my Xu Family has been loyal for generations, so the successive Emperors couldn’t go too far. It was mostly just a matter of reclaiming power.’

’Then, a few decades ago, neighboring countries started causing trouble. At that time, my grandfather... he was entrusted with a critical mission at a moment of crisis and began decades of military campaigns. He achieved brilliant military honors, allowing my Xu Family to shine brightly once again...’

’Afterward, my father took over for my grandfather, continuing to fight in the Border Region and likewise earning countless military merits... The Royal Family’s suspicion of the Xu Family must have started around then, right? My grandfather disappeared without a trace while he was still in his prime. Perhaps... that was related to this as well.’

’Now, my brother has also joined the army, and I, the good-for-nothing, have suddenly become not so useless anymore. Sigh...’

Xu Luo let out a long sigh and thought, ’The thousand-year-old Xu Family has accumulated far too deep a foundation. Even His Majesty, if he wants to deal with us, has to use the method of first showering our family with glory and then slowly ”killing us with praise.” But the problem is, my Xu Family... has never had any disloyal intentions!’

’So, Your Majesty... I hope you can maintain a tolerant heart. A narrow-minded monarch is incapable of commanding his subjects!’

At this moment, a thought suddenly struck Xu Luo: ’Back then, my father was schemed against, leading to his defeat in battle, and grandfather resigned and left shortly after. In that whole affair, was the dominant force... really just the Civil Servant Group led by the Wei Family?’

Thinking of this sudden possibility, combined with the Emperor’s unprompted decision to ennoble Lianyi as the Princess of Vulture and himself as the Seven-Colored Marquis... Xu Luo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He muttered, ”I hope... that’s not true!”