Firmament Sword

Xu Luo was also breaking out in a cold sweat. In reality, the only thing he had to win Cao Tianyi’s trust was the token Zhou Liang had given him.

And as for how effective this token would be, Xu Luo, who had hardly ever met Yuwen Shentong, had absolutely no idea.

Thankfully, a ruthless leader like Cao Tianyi had truly studied the high-ranking generals of the Cangqiong Kingdom. Who knows, he might have even planted spies among their ranks!

’Looks like when I see General Yuwen, I’ll have to tell him to clean house,’ Xu Luo thought.

Just then, Cao Tianyi spoke up. ”Coordinating with General Yuwen from the inside and out is no problem. But as you’ve seen, I only have five or six thousand soldiers here... I don’t have enough men!”

Xu Luo simply beamed at Cao Tianyi, saying nothing, just watching him with that same smile.

Cao Tianyi grew so irritated he couldn’t help but snap, ”What, you think I’d lie to a kid like you?”

”General Cao, you’ve been training troops in the Endless Forest Sea for years. Do you really only have these five or six thousand men? Do you truly intend to seize the Cao Kingdom’s throne with an army of this size? Heh... In that case, General, you’re not just underestimating your Brother Huang, you’re also underestimating the Great Yan backing him, aren’t you?”

”You little bastard, you won’t be happy until you’ve dug up all my secrets, will you?” Cao Tianyi suddenly muttered, unable to hold back a curse.

Xu Luo, however, just laughed cheerfully. Xu Jie, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. ’This works?’ he thought.

”Fine! I will dispatch twenty thousand men. Once we get word from General Yuwen, we’ll settle this together!” His true nature as a ruthless leader finally surfaced; decisiveness and a willingness to kill were the very characteristics of such a man.

Once he made a decision, he wouldn’t easily go back on his word.

”Excellent! Then, General Cao, how does this sound?” Xu Luo, also growing excited, stood up and said, ”Let my second brother, Xu Jie, take this Token to find General Yuwen. You, General Cao, must also personally write a letter for my second brother to take along!”

”Done!” Without another word, Cao Tianyi immediately took up his brush. He wrote a letter right there in front of Xu Luo and Xu Jie, sealed it with wax, and handed it to Xu Luo.

Xu Luo turned and handed the letter to Xu Jie. ”Second Brother, this is urgent. The success of this battle rests on your shoulders!”

”And you...?” Xu Jie asked anxiously. ’Since the deal is done, what are you still doing here?’ he thought.

”Me? I’ll naturally be staying here with General Cao. We need to coordinate from the inside!” Xu Luo said with a smile, giving Xu Jie a meaningful look.

Xu Jie thought he understood the look. He assumed Xu Luo was willingly staying behind as a hostage in the Cao Army, and he couldn’t help but worry. ”Why don’t I stay here? You deliver the letter!” he said.

”Hahaha! Little fellow, do you think your brother is staying with me as a hostage? You’re underestimating your brother’s intelligence, and you’re underestimating my magnanimity!” Cao Tianyi boomed with laughter. ”I’ll say something you might not like to hear, but your intelligence is a bit lacking compared to your brother’s. Haha! Now, go! Rest assured, your brother will not be mistreated in the slightest while he’s here! I... give you my word of honor!”

”This...” Xu Jie was completely bewildered. He truly didn’t understand why Xu Luo was staying behind.

Just then, Cao Tianyi said with an enigmatic smile, ”You two brothers can talk it over. I’ll step out for a walk.”

With that, Cao Tianyi strode out of the tent. The soldiers who had been surrounding it had already vanished.

”Third Brother, what are you really up to?” Xu Jie asked urgently. ”Since the deal is done, you should be leaving with me! Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain this to our other brothers?”

Xu Luo smiled. ”Don’t worry, Second Brother, I’ll be fine. Since I’m the one who negotiated this, I have to see it through. If I left and you stayed here, the entire nature of the situation would change. General Cao might not mind, but the other generals in the Cao Army might see it differently. There are still many things to be done, and I need to be here for them.”

”Alright. You have to be careful.” Xu Jie understood now. If he were the one to stay, he would be a hostage. But with his third brother staying, it was a gesture of sincerity.

”What about Instructor Zhou...” Xu Jie asked. ”Should I go see him first?”

”Don’t. Instructor Zhou is definitely one of General Yuwen’s men.” Recalling the Token Zhou Liang had given him, Xu Luo was almost certain that Instructor Zhou had to be working for the general.

”Second Brother, once you’re out, find Eldest Brother and the others right away. You must all rush to General Yuwen, deliver the message, and relay what’s happened here. That’s more important. I’m sure Instructor Zhou will understand,” Xu Luo said.

”Alright then. Be careful.” Xu Jie urged him one last time, then steeled himself and left the Cao Army’s main camp.

...

”That bastard Lin Chi is so damn crafty. He must’ve known we’d be tailing him. He’s been leading us in circles for days...” one of Wei Ziting’s lackeys said bitterly.

Li Tie added, ”Lin Chi might be arrogant, but he’s no simpleton. Still, that arrogance is his greatest weakness! Don’t worry, he’ll definitely go through with it. We just need to keep watching from the shadows. As soon as the Cao Army shows up, we’ll follow them secretly. With so many of us, you think we can’t handle a single Lin Chi?”

Wei Ziting gave a slight nod. That’s what he was thinking, too.

’If Lin Chi massacres the small town, he’ll immediately go into hiding afterward. Then he’ll wait for the Cao Army to arrive and tail them in secret.’

’But he’s only one person. When the time comes... all I have to do is...’

A chilling smile crept onto Wei Ziting’s lips. ”We don’t need to let Lin Chi lead us in circles anymore. We can just lie in wait on the outskirts of the town. Even if he backs out and doesn’t do it, the Cao Army... will always need to resupply!”

”Young Master Wei is brilliant!”

”Such foresight, Young Master Wei!”

The group of followers all chimed in at once with their flattery, leaving Wei Ziting feeling extremely smug.

...

Lin Chi finally sensed he was no longer being followed. He sneered and muttered, ”A bunch of incompetents, thinking they can ride my coattails for an easy score? Dream on!”

With that thought, Lin Chi sped toward the small town.

Upon entering the town, Lin Chi found a small tavern and sat down, ordering a few dishes and a jug of wine.

The tavern was quiet, with only one other patron: a middle-aged man with white hair, dressed in white, sitting with his back to Lin Chi and drinking silently.

Lin Chi couldn’t help but glance at the man a few times, but he couldn’t sense anything unusual about him—not even a ripple of True Essence, let alone any strong vitality. Seeing that full head of white hair, he figured the man must be ancient and frail.

And so, Lin Chi paid him no mind.

The tavern’s owner was a man in his seventies with a head of graying hair. His old eyes were somewhat cloudy, his face was a canvas of wrinkles, and he walked at a slow pace.

”Hurry up,” Lin Chi prompted with a frown.

”Yes, yes, coming! Please be patient, sir,” the old man said, bringing over the food and wine.

”Grandpa, I’m back!” A little girl of about seven or eight ran in through the tavern door, greeting the old man with a cheerful face.

”Ah, Yaya’s back! Go and play in the back room. Grandpa will give you a chicken leg later!” Seeing the little girl, the old man’s wrinkled face bloomed into a smile.

”Hey, old man, enough with the chatter. Can’t you see I’m hungry?” Lin Chi said, slamming his hand on the table.

The little girl flinched, startled. She shot a timid glance at Lin Chi before quickly running toward the back.

The old man’s face was a mask of apology as he repeatedly offered his regrets.

Throughout it all, the white-haired man in white made no move, as if nothing in the world concerned him.

Lin Chi was indeed hungry. The tavern’s food was nothing special, but it was more than enough to fill his stomach.

The sky was gradually darkening. The old man lit the lamps, making the little tavern a bit brighter.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Lin Chi thought, ’Let’s start... right here!’

”Over here, the bill!” Lin Chi waved, taking out a piece of silver and placing it on the table.

The old man’s face lit up when he saw the silver. ’This customer may have a bad temper, but he’s certainly generous,’ he thought happily. ’With this silver, I can buy Yaya two new outfits and even send her to the best school in town!’

Filled with joy, the old man walked toward Lin Chi. He didn’t notice that the white-haired man’s brow had suddenly furrowed, or that the hand raising a wine cup had paused for a fraction of a second.

But in the end, the white-haired man made no other move.

He drained his cup in one go, tossed down a sizable piece of silver, and said in a low voice, ”Keep the change.”

With that, he turned to leave.

The old man’s face was wreathed in joy. ”Thank you for your generous...” he began to say.

He had barely gotten the word out when he suddenly felt a chill in his chest. He instinctively looked down to see a gleaming Long Sword buried to the hilt in his torso.

”You... You...” The old man’s eyes widened. To his dying breath, he had no idea how he had offended the sneering young man before him.

Lin Chi yanked the Long Sword free and spoke coldly to the white-haired man, who had already reached the door, ”Think you can just walk away? Did you ask for my sword’s permission!”

With a flick of his Long Sword, a blast of Sword Qi shot out, aimed squarely at the vital point on the white-haired man’s back.

”You can go to...” Before he could finish his sentence, the white-haired man whipped his head around. His gaze shot toward Lin Chi like a pair of sharp arrows.

BOOM!

Lin Chi felt as if his head had been struck by a boulder. His mind instantly went blank, and he let out a cry as he vomited a mouthful of blood.

Then, he felt his wrist suddenly move against his will.

The hand holding the sword was being pulled by a powerful and bizarre force, guiding the Long Sword toward his own neck!

”No!”

Lin Chi struggled with all his might, letting out a furious roar.

But it was futile. Under the control of that immense power, Lin Chi could only watch, wide-eyed and helpless, as his own hand brought his own sword slashing toward his neck.