Firmament Sword

”You want it too?” Xu Luo’s gaze on Wei Ziting was filled with ridicule and scorn.

Wei Ziting’s expression flickered. He was in a bind. He said coldly, ”This matter never had anything to do with you in the first place. This young master would like to see just what evidence you can produce!”

”Still trying to bluff your way out of this? If my third brother produces the evidence, will you go and die?” Liu Feng walked up to Xu Luo, sneering at Wei Ziting.

”Hmph. So what if he does? At most, it will only prove we did this together!” Wei Ziting said coldly.

Liu Feng’s mouth twitched violently. A look of disbelief filled his eyes as he exclaimed, ”I have to say, Wei, you’ve really decided to be completely shameless! Fine! Master Fatty has no experience dealing with a thick-skinned bastard like you. You win!”

With that, Liu Feng turned and walked away without a backward glance.

’He was truly at a loss for words. To steal military credit to such a degree... Wei Ziting was truly in a league of his own, unprecedented in his shamelessness.’

At this point, the Champion Marquis, Xu Zhongtian, was also growing angry. He shot a cold glance at Wei Ziting. ”This is no child’s play. If Xu Luo and his men produce evidence proving they were the ones who severed the Yan Army Grain Dao, then you... Wei Ziting, will face a series of charges: falsifying a military report, deceiving a superior, and fraudulently claiming military merit! When that time comes, even if you are Prime Minister Wei’s son, the state has its laws and the army has its regulations. This General will follow the rules and have you beheaded as a public example!”

Wei Ziting gritted his teeth and said coldly, ”General Xu, are you so certain they can produce evidence? But of course... Xu Jie is your son. Naturally, you’d side with them!”

”You’re full of shit! You bastard! You little brat who still smells of milk, you dare accuse our Grand General of favoritism?” A War General stepped forward from the side, furiously rebuking Wei Ziting.

Xu Zhongtian, however, didn’t seem to mind. He smiled faintly and said, ”It is fine. We must defend the right of others to speak. However, one must also take responsibility for the words one speaks...”

With that, without even glancing at Wei Lei who stood to the side, Xu Zhongtian barked, ”Men! Seize Wei Ziting!”

”Sir!” A few soldiers, fierce as tigers and wolves, immediately rushed forward. Unafraid of any resistance from Wei Ziting, they pinned him down, pulled out ropes, and bound him on the spot.

Wei Ziting did not resist. He wasn’t so foolish as to be unaware that if he fought back now, no one could complain if he were to be cut down on the spot.

But his eyes radiated an icy chill as he laughed sinisterly. ”Good. Very good. I’ve really learned something today! Xu Luo... I’ll be waiting for you to bring back that evidence...”

Before he could finish, Xu Luo said with a smile, ”No need to wait. You want to see the evidence, don’t you? I’ll take you there myself!”

At his words, everyone froze, looking at Xu Luo in complete confusion.

Xu Luo simply smiled without further explanation. He looked at Xu Zhongtian and said, ”General, if you want proof, I must trouble you to dispatch some men to represent all our brothers-in-arms and accompany me back to One-Line Heaven Gorge. I believe that once you see it, you will all understand.”

”Kid, you’re still being mysterious at a time like this. Fine. Since you’ve put it that way, I will agree to your request!” Xu Zhongtian looked at Xu Luo sternly and said in a heavy voice, ”However, if you cannot produce any evidence, then your entire Martial Soul Squad will also be subject to military law!”

At that moment, Huangfu Chongzhi, Li Hong, Xu Jie, and the other members of the Martial Soul Squad all stepped forward and declared in unison, ”If there is no evidence, we are willing to be punished by military law!”

Xu Luo looked at them, his heart filled with warmth. ’Outsiders might not understand, but I know full well that I never told anyone about leaving words on the cliff face.’

’It was just a whim at the time, casually leaving a line of text there. Who could have imagined it would become the key evidence determining who truly deserves the credit for this achievement?’

’So, for Huangfu Chongzhi and the others to step forward now and support me without hesitation truly lit a fire in my heart.’

Xu Zhongtian then appointed thirty-some men to form a party that would accompany the Martial Soul Squad into the Cao Kingdom’s territory.

With their grain supply destroyed, morale within the Yan Army was plummeting. Grand General Wu Xiaxian had no good options. He could only send men to gather grain and fodder from all over while simultaneously commanding his main force to fight the Cangqiong Army to the death.

But at a time like this, why would the Cangqiong Army be foolish enough to fight a desperate Yan Army? Besides, the Yan Army itself was filled with dissenting voices.

Many of them were completely against launching an all-out assault at this juncture. Their men were weary and their horses exhausted; they lacked favorable timing, geographical advantage, and popular support. If they could still win a battle under these conditions, it would be a miracle.

Though unwilling, Wu Xiaxian was powerless to change the situation and ultimately decided to retreat.

But it was at this very moment that the Grand General of the Cangqiong’s Southern Group Army, Xu Zhongtian, suddenly ordered a full-scale advance, catching the Yan Army completely off guard!

An incredibly fierce battle erupted!

On one side, the Cangqiong Army’s morale was soaring. They were as fierce as wolves and tigers. The tale of the Martial Soul Squad’s repeated miraculous achievements had spread to every corner of the Cangqiong’s Southern Group Army, greatly inspiring all the soldiers.

Their desire for battlefield glory was stronger than ever before!

On the other side, the Yan Army’s men and horses were exhausted, their morale was at rock bottom, and they were plagued by internal disunity and widespread dissatisfaction with Wu Xiaxian.

There was also the crushing defeat of Mo Yun’s Military Department and the fact that their allies, the Cao Kingdom’s Royal Family, were too preoccupied with their own troubles to help...

All these factors combined finally brought the mighty Yan Army to its breaking point, on the verge of collapse.

From the moment the great battle began, the Yan Army was already showing signs of defeat.

A resounding, decisive victory was just around the corner!

...

Wei Ziting’s bonds had been removed. Xu Zhongtian had taken Xu Luo’s advice to let Wei Ziting see the evidence with his own eyes. Otherwise, this noble young master from the Imperial Capital—who, in his several months in the army, had learned nothing except how to thicken his skin a thousandfold—would surely claim the evidence was fabricated.

Wei Lei was also in the party. As for those who had originally claimed to have severed the Yan Army Grain Dao—the Wei Family servants who had served as Reconnoitre—they weren’t so lucky.

They were all imprisoned in the Southern Army Headquarters, awaiting their sentence.

Their fates were all but sealed. Regardless of the outcome of this affair, they would not meet a good end.

Such was the tragedy of the common folk in this world. When a great personage made a mistake, there was a chance for redemption. But when the lower class erred, there was never anyone to save them.

Even Young Master Wei, who had sworn to grant them a fortune, was now too preoccupied to spare them a thought.

The party traveled along the Yan Army Grain Dao, heading toward One-Line Heaven. The journey was quiet; they didn’t encounter a single Yan Army supply convoy.

That the Grain Dao had been severed was now an indisputable fact.

”General Guo, look. This is where we left our mechanisms,” Xu Luo said with a wicked grin to a general in his late thirties beside him. ”We were worried the Yan Army might try to circle around from another direction, so we had Sui Yan, who is an expert in Mechanical Skill, set these traps. Don’t underestimate them. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you give it a try?”

”Oh? Right here? This is just a small grove of trees. What kind of mechanisms could there be?” This General Guo’s strength had already reached the realm of a Tier Seven Great Sword Master. He was affiliated with the Southern Military Department and was specifically in charge of verifying military achievements.

Furthermore, General Guo had another identity: he had once studied at the Royal Academy, making him a Heavenly Son’s Disciple!

In other words, General Guo was the Emperor’s man!

As he spoke, General Guo calmly started walking forward along the path. His expression was placid. While he didn’t think Xu Luo was merely bluffing, he was also extremely confident in his own abilities.

’As a Tier Seven Great Sword Master, if I can’t even walk confidently through a small grove, wouldn’t I be a laughingstock?’

One step, two steps, three steps...

General Guo took over a hundred steps without incident. A playful smile touched his lips as he turned back. ”Young Master Xu, are you certain there are really mechanisms here?”

”Hehe, why don’t you try a few more steps, General Guo?” Xu Luo said with a confident, beaming smile, watching the general from a distance.

”Fine, I’ll walk...” General Guo carefully inspected the grass at his feet. Sensing nothing out of the ordinary, he strode forward boldly.

”One... two... three!” Xu Luo counted slowly. As he reached three, a sudden change erupted ahead!

General Guo took a step, and the ground gave way beneath him. A shrill, piercing whistle suddenly tore through the grove, accompanied by a series of deep, buzzing roars.

About thirty arrows shot toward General Guo from all directions and at various angles. At the same time, massive tree trunks seemed to fall from the sky, slamming violently onto the path behind him.

These massive trunks completely covered over a hundred meters of the road!

For a moment, the people standing behind could only feel as if the small grove had gone berserk, constantly erupting with all sorts of noises.

The huge tree trunks that missed their target slammed violently into other trunks swinging from the opposite direction, creating a series of thunderous crashes!

Then, they fell to the ground in a tangled mess, completely blocking a hundred-meter stretch of the path!

Meanwhile, General Guo, at the very front, had been on high alert. Sensing the incoming arrows, he let out a shout and leaped into the air. With a flash, his Long Sword was unsheathed. Sword Qi surged, and in a flicker of light, he batted all the arrows away.

But when he landed back on the ground, he was covered in a cold sweat.

He looked on in horror as Xu Luo approached, stepping over the massive trunks blocking the path. ”This... this is the mechanism you set?” he asked, his voice laced with lingering fear. ”Was this Sui Yan’s work?”

Xu Luo smiled and nodded. ”What do you think?”

”You rascal, what do you mean, ’what do I think’? Do you know you almost injured me just now?” General Guo panted, pointing at Xu Luo as he chided him with a half-laugh. ”If I hadn’t been on my guard, I would have been wounded. If my luck was bad, I could have been shot dead!”

”Gods, to think such a terrifying trap could be laid in such an ordinary-looking grove. It’s horrifying! If it hadn’t been General Guo walking up front, wouldn’t he have been shot full of holes, like a porcupine?” one of the dispatched representatives exclaimed from the crowd, his face pale.

As for Wei Ziting, the color had long since drained from his handsome face.

At this point, if he still didn’t realize that it was Xu Luo’s squad who had severed the Yan Army Grain Dao, he would have to be a complete idiot.