Firmament Sword

”What the hell is that guy Lin Chi playing at? Did he really not enter this town?” one of Wei Ziting’s confidants grumbled under his breath.

”Maybe he thought his own plan was too monstrous and had a change of heart?” another said.

”I doubt it,” Li Tie said from the side. ”Lin Chi is extremely stubborn. Once he’s set on something, nothing can change his mind. He’s either still planning his move, or he’s still on guard against us.”

Wei Ziting frowned but said nothing. They had been lying in wait on this small hill for two days now.

They had been keeping the small town under constant surveillance but hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.

This left the youths, who were determined to capitalize on the chaos, feeling rather dejected.

They had been certain Lin Chi would come to this town, and just as certain that he would go on a killing spree, thereby luring out Cao Tianyi’s army.

But they never expected things to turn out so differently from how they’d imagined.

Lin Chi never showed up in the town, and neither did Cao Tianyi’s army. And so they had spent two days exposed to the elements, hiding on this hill like a bunch of fools.

All for nothing!

”If there’s still no movement by the end of the day, we’ll have to think of something else, Young Master Wei. We can’t just wait here forever,” Li Tie said softly from the side. ”We don’t have to kill anyone, but we could start a fire...”

Wei Ziting’s eyes lit up. ”That’s right! If Cao Tianyi chose this place as a supply point, then the town must have provisions stored here. If we burn those supplies, we’ll definitely draw his men out!”

”A brilliant insight, Young Master Wei!” Li Tie said, thoroughly impressed.

”Brilliant, Young Master Wei!” the others quickly chimed in.

Wei Ziting gave a slight nod and said coolly, ”In that case, before nightfall...”

Before he could finish, his gaze suddenly froze. The others, just like Wei Ziting, instantly fell silent, their eyes locked on a point miles outside the town.

There... a column of troops had appeared!

From a distance, they could see dust billowing and banners waving in the wind.

There were hundreds of them!

Wei Ziting’s sharp gaze fell upon a banner, where the single word ”Cao” billowed in the wind.

It’s Cao Tianyi!

It’s really Cao Tianyi!

He had actually come to this small town!

This was completely beyond everyone’s expectations. They watched the approaching column, a mix of tension, excitement, and exhilaration.

Although they didn’t know what had drawn Cao Tianyi’s army here, the joy that their two-day wait had not been in vain filled everyone, including Wei Ziting, with excitement!

”Huh? Young Master Wei, look. The person next to the man who looks like the commanding general... doesn’t that look like Xu Luo?” Li Tie suddenly cried out in surprise.

”It really does look like him!” someone else said.

Wei Ziting narrowed his eyes, his gaze locked onto a figure in a black cloak among the troops. ”That’s right,” he said in a low voice. ”It’s Xu Luo!”

”What’s Xu Luo doing mixed in with the Cao Army?”

”Could he have defected to the enemy?”

”Gods, that can’t be right! Xu Luo is the son of the Grand General of National Guardian!”

The group immediately broke into a flurry of discussion.

Just then, someone timidly suggested, ”Could he have infiltrated the enemy’s ranks...?”

”Infiltrate my ass! Do you take Cao Tianyi for a fool? You think he’d keep someone of unknown identity by his side? There’s only one possibility: Xu Luo has defected to the Cao Army! He thought he could do it without anyone knowing, but he never expected us to be right here!” Li Tie cut the other man off, speaking through gritted teeth. ”Young Master Wei, this matter...”

Wei Ziting’s eyes were fixed on the somewhat slender youth in the column of troops. He raised a hand and said in a heavy tone, ”I will be the judge of this. None of you are to breathe a word of it to anyone! Otherwise...”

The people here all looked to Wei Ziting for leadership, and they immediately swore they would not speak a word of what they saw.

Li Tie still seemed unconvinced. Just as he was about to speak, Wei Ziting shot him a cold glance. ”Do you think I’ll let him off easily? It’s just that word of this absolutely cannot get out. If we alert the enemy and scare him off, then even if we report this, no one will believe us!”

”Young Master Wei is wise. I was mistaken,” Li Tie said, lowering his head to admit his error.

Wei Ziting thought for a moment, then continued, ”We’ve always underestimated Xu Luo. He seems like a good-for-nothing, but he’s actually quite cunning. It’s very possible he really has infiltrated the Cao Army. But, now that I’ve seen him... Hmph.”

”But where are the others?” someone suddenly asked. ”Huangfu Chongzhi and Xu Jie were with Xu Luo’s group. Where did they go?”

Wei Ziting’s eyes glinted. ”I don’t care why he’s in the enemy’s ranks,” he said in a low voice. ”This time, I’m going to make sure he regrets it.”

With that, he looked back at the others. ”You all saw what happened today with your own eyes. When I write my report, you will all sign it with me. Don’t worry. All you have to say is that you saw Xu Luo with Cao Tianyi’s men. That will be enough!”

...

”Your Excellency, I’m telling the truth!” Er Niu knelt on the ground, trembling as he kowtowed repeatedly. His voice was shaking.

Growing up, the highest-ranking official Er Niu had ever seen was the town mayor. But two days ago, he finally met someone even more impressive than the mayor.

That man wore a military uniform, and the mayor had been bowing and scraping beside him with a fawning smile. Er Niu thought that man was already incredibly powerful.

But he never imagined that today, an even more terrifying dignitary would arrive. The very same officer who had been so haughty in front of the mayor was now walking meekly behind this new personage, his head bowed!

’This is unbelievable...’

Er Niu was now filled with regret for having seen what he saw that day, and even more regret for having a loose tongue and telling people about it.

If he could do it all over again, Er Niu swore, he would never again crave the admiring gazes of others and spout such nonsense.

”You only saw the man in white clothes with white hair standing outside, who destroyed this little tavern in an instant, and then left holding Old Zhang’s granddaughter? You didn’t see anything else?” one of Cao Tianyi’s men asked.

”That’s really all I saw, I swear!” Er Niu was on the verge of tears. ’Which immortal did I offend to deserve such bad luck?’

The other townsfolk watched from a distance, none of them daring to approach.

The charming young widow stood watching with a worried expression. Finally, she summoned her courage, walked forward, and knelt beside Er Niu. ”I can prove he isn’t lying!” she said to Cao Tianyi.

Cao Tianyi looked at the woman before him with interest, realizing she must be the young widow mentioned in the reports. With a faint, enigmatic smile, he asked, ”And who are you? How can you prove it?”

”I... I’m his sweetheart! I married my late husband to try and ward off his illness, but he died on our wedding day, and I became a widow. My parents-in-law fell ill one after another, grieving for their son. As a weak woman, I couldn’t possibly care for them on my own. It was the kind-hearted Er Niu who helped me look after them, and in the end, he even paid for their burials...”

As she spoke, the young widow’s eyes reddened. ”Er Niu is a good man. Before she passed, my mother-in-law took my hand and told me to spend my life with him. It’s just a shame that we have no money and can’t get married...”

”You are a woman who takes responsibility, and Er Niu... is a good man as well. Very well, I believe you,” Cao Tianyi said with a smile. ”Since that’s the case, I will grant your wish and bestow a marriage upon you! Men, bring one hundred taels of silver over...”

Er Niu and the young widow looked up, stunned. They never imagined that not only would the great lord not punish them, he would actually reward them!

One hundred taels of silver!

Gods, it was an amount they wouldn’t dare even to dream of!

The other townsfolk looked on with envy, and the mayor came scurrying over. ”Er Niu! Little widow! Hurry up and thank the Grand General!”

As if waking from a dream, Er Niu and the young widow began to kowtow and express their gratitude.

Cao Tianyi gazed at the spot where Old Zhang’s tavern had stood. After a long moment, he sighed. ”Let’s head back.”

Xu Luo, however, was quite curious about the white-haired man. ”General, do you know Qiushuiduan?” he asked.

”Sigh... it’s a long story.” Cao Tianyi didn’t hide anything from Xu Luo. On the way back, he began to tell the story of him, Qiushuiduan, and a certain woman.

”Back then, I was still a Prince. I had decent talent from a young age and was chosen by a Hidden Sect within the Cao Kingdom to become a disciple. A few others, all very talented, entered the sect with me.”

”Qiushuiduan’s talent was far greater than mine. He was always a legendary figure in the sect. But at the time, there was an even more outstanding woman in our sect. By the time she was sixteen, she had already broken through to the realm of a Tier Nine Great Sword Master!”

”Back then, she was the dream girl of nearly every young man in the sect. Qiushuiduan was in love with her, and I was no exception...” A nostalgic look appeared in Cao Tianyi’s eyes.

”We were carefree back then, and our days were happy. Later, she was designated as the next Sect Leader. Then, my father the emperor passed away. Other princes in the Royal Family tried to contest my elder brother for the throne, so I left the sect and returned to the mortal world to help my brother secure his position. In a flash... so many years have passed.”

Cao Tianyi sighed softly and gave a bitter smile. ”After leaving the sect, I lost almost all contact with them. My fellow disciples from those years all went their separate ways. I heard that... Wenxi never ended up marrying Qiushuiduan. It wasn’t until a few months ago, when Qiushuiduan suddenly appeared in the Endless Forest Sea—his black hair turned completely white—desperately searching for all kinds of Spirit Medicine, that I was alerted. After extensive investigation, I finally learned the truth of the matter.”

”It seems Wenxi suffered a cultivation deviation. If she doesn’t receive treatment within half a year, I’m afraid...”

Cao Tianyi sighed again. ”But for a cultivation deviation... I’ve never heard of any Spirit Medicine that can cure something like that. Qiushuiduan’s hair probably turned white because of it. That man... he’s truly devoted. Even after all these years, he still hasn’t forgotten her.”

Hearing this, Xu Luo’s heart stirred. ”A cultivation deviation? How could that happen?” he asked.

”I’m not sure. Many things can cause such a result.” Cao Tianyi shook his head slightly, then added casually, ”By the way, you’ve heard of the world-renowned Fengyue Building, haven’t you? That’s my sect’s enterprise in the mortal world.”

Those words struck Xu Luo’s mind like a bolt of lightning.