Firmament Sword

A warm current slowly emanated from his Dantian, nourishing Xu Luo’s injured organs. His Shaking Light and Kaiyang Star Souls flashed continuously, working in tandem to heal his wounds.

Xu Luo could clearly feel his body recovering—slowly, but surely.

His organs, displaced by the attack from the man from Tianquan, slowly shifted back into place.

Meanwhile, Xu Luo continuously circulated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, restoring his nearly depleted True Essence.

He sat perfectly still, like a statue, while a faint True Essence Aura isolated him from the outside world...

「Ten days passed in a flash.」

Xu Luo had recuperated in the dark, damp cave for the entire time. Once his physical injuries had mostly healed, he finally emerged.

He bypassed the roaring torrent of the waterfall and swam out of the pool.

Xu Luo was an average swimmer, but with the strength of a Great Sword Master, he easily rode the rapids far downstream.

Once ashore, he used his True Essence to steam his clothes dry. Xu Luo glanced back, his eyes lingering on the distant Divine Maiden Peak for a long moment before he turned and departed.

Xu Luo decided against going to the South Sea. The recent encounter had made him understand the gap between his own strength and that of the sect experts. Given his temperament, if he went to the South Sea now and saw his mother was unhappy, he would inevitably start a conflict with her sect.

Not only would he cause trouble for his mother, but he would also be left feeling powerless and frustrated. The sect experts, with their arrogant and overbearing attitudes, would undoubtedly mock and taunt him.

’So, I have to speed up my cultivation and become stronger. Then, I’ll definitely be able to bring Mother back!’

As Xu Luo traveled through the Cao Kingdom, he could no longer sense the lingering atmosphere of war. Great Yan had been defeated and was in no position to launch another campaign anytime soon.

From what he heard, Xu Luo learned that the Cao Kingdom’s Prince General, Cao Tianyi, had successfully ascended the throne. As for Cao Tianyi’s older brother, the former Emperor, he had reportedly committed suicide by self-immolation when the city fell.

Xu Luo was stunned for a moment upon hearing the news. He murmured, ”A man who colluded with a foreign nation and relentlessly tried to kill his own brother... would he really have such a fiery spirit?”

Then, Xu Luo shook his head with a wry smile and muttered, ”But what does that have to do with me? In any case, the civil war in the Cao Kingdom is over. From now on, it will be a vassal state of the Cangqiong Kingdom. I suppose I can count this as doing my part for the Xu Family and for Cangqiong.”

The thought of his family made his desire to return home even stronger, and he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.

Upon reaching the edge of the Endless Forest Sea, Xu Luo let out a long whistle. Soon, a cry echoed back from the distant horizon.

ROAR!

The roar of a tiger shook the forest, and all other beasts fell silent.

An ink-black figure came hurtling from the horizon!

After some time, the black figure finally reached Xu Luo. A massive, black tiger head drew near, its eyes showing a hint of a fawning expression, mixed with confusion. It seemed to be wondering where the powerful Spirit Beast that had terrified it so completely had gone.

Xu Luo reached out and stroked the giant black tiger’s head. The thought of Master Mao filled him with emotion. ’I wonder where Miaomiao is now,’ he thought. ’Has he returned to the Heaven-Swallowing Fox clan?’

”Want to come see the human world with me?” Xu Luo asked, stroking the giant black tiger’s head with a smile.

The giant black tiger hesitated. Although it couldn’t speak human language like Miaomiao, as a fellow High-tier Spirit Beast, its intelligence was by no means poor.

Xu Luo hadn’t taken it with him before because its massive size made it too conspicuous. He had summoned it now because he was thinking of the missing Master Mao.

’A powerful Spirit Beast mount like this should be enough to deter plenty of ill-intentioned people.’

In the end, the giant black tiger nodded and slowly lowered its body, allowing Xu Luo to climb onto its back.

Then, with a long roar, it transformed into a streak of black light and vanished from the Endless Forest Sea.

...

「Cangqiong Kingdom. The Southern city of Hongcheng.」

At this time of year, summer had yet to arrive in the north, but here in the South, the sweltering heat was already palpable.

The trees lining the streets offered plenty of shade, and the chirping of cicadas was incessant.

There were few pedestrians on the main street. A handful of elderly men sat in the shade, sipping tea and playing chess, looking quite relaxed.

This was the normal pace of life throughout the South once summer arrived.

Xia Muyao sat in a horse-drawn carriage. Beneath her eyebrow-length bangs, her beautiful eyes were clear and bright, full of a spirit that seemed capable of seeing right through a person’s thoughts.

The interior of the carriage was decorated in shades of pink, creating a cozy atmosphere reminiscent of a noble maiden’s private chamber.

Outsiders would find it hard to imagine that Xia Muyao, known as the ”cold-faced goddess” of the Southern business world, also had such a feminine side.

Xia Muyao’s bright eyes were half-closed as she leaned against the soft backrest, a hint of fatigue on her lovely face.

Thanks to the marriage alliance with the Xu Family, the Xia Family’s business had been booming lately, and the clan’s prospects were looking bright.

But precisely because of this, Xia Muyao found herself caught in a maelstrom that was leaving her utterly exhausted.

The Xia Family’s greatest rival in Hongcheng, the Wei Family, had been lashing out frequently due to the Xia Family’s rise. Their attacks, both overt and covert, were impossible to defend against completely.

Most importantly, this particular Wei Family was a branch clan of the current Prime Minister, Wei Feng!

Before the Xia Family’s rise, the Wei Family had been the undisputed ”Kings of Hongcheng.”

They were arrogant and acted as if they owned the world.

Now, with the Xia Family’s rapid ascent, they were beginning to pose a subtle threat to the Wei Family’s dominance. To make matters worse, the Xu Family—the Xia Family’s marriage allies—were also rivals of the Wei Family.

The Xia Family was caught in the crossfire. The Wei Family had now turned its sights on them. Although nothing had been said openly, everyone knew the truth: there was only room for one powerful family in Hongcheng! Between the Xia and Wei Families, one was destined to fall.

However, these external pressures were not the true source of Xia Muyao’s deep-seated exhaustion.

While the Wei Family was indeed powerful, her future in-laws, the Xu Family, were certainly no pushovers.

The Xu Family’s prestige, in particular, had been soaring recently. Her future brother-in-law, Xu Luo, had transformed from a once-frail youth into one of the most influential and favored officials in the entire imperial court!

Even if the Wei Family wanted to resort to underhanded tactics, they would have to be wary.

When it came to direct competition in the business world, Xia Muyao had never been afraid of any rival.

The real source of Xia Muyao’s headaches came from within her own family!

When the marriage alliance between the Xia and Xu families was first arranged, it was met with unanimous approval within the Xia Family. After all, who wouldn’t be happy about securing such a powerful backer?

At the time, Xia Muyao was still young. And while she was known to be bright and clever, she had not yet revealed her prodigious talent for business.

Therefore, back then, the Xia Family had been thoroughly pleased with the arrangement.

But as Xia Muyao grew older, her extraordinary talent for business gradually became apparent.

She went from managing a single business to gradually taking over more and more, until she reached the point where the entire Xia Family enterprise could barely function without her.

This situation finally began to stir discontent among many within the Xia Family.

”A girl, no matter how capable, will eventually belong to another family. If we let her manage so much of our business, won’t she just take it all with her when she gets married?”

”Does the Xia Family have no men left? Letting a girl run the family business? If this continues, we’ll be the laughingstock of the entire city!”

”What’s most infuriating is that she’s using the illustrious status of her future in-laws to completely disregard us elders!”

”That’s right! Once she makes a decision, she doesn’t allow anyone to voice a different opinion!”

”If this goes on, sooner or later the Xia Family will just become an extension of the Xu Family!”

”This situation cannot be allowed to continue! We have to make a change!”

This was the kind of gossip Xia Muyao overheard herself on a daily basis. There were even more vicious rumors that those close to her didn’t dare repeat.

But these were just people venting their frustrations with words. What truly saddened Xia Muyao was that she had recently learned through her own information channels that members of the Xia Family themselves were involved in several of the latest attacks against their business!

”They just want to drive me away. Do they really have to go this far?” Xia Muyao murmured to herself, a desolate look flashing in her eyes. ”If I hadn’t promised Grandfather I would build a great legacy for the Xia Family before my marriage,” she whispered, ”do you really think I’d want this seat?”

With that, Xia Muyao heaved a long sigh and closed her eyes, trying to restore her energy. There were still many matters that would require her personal attention later.

Those who have never been in her position could never imagine the hardship and exhaustion that came with it.

They only ever saw the glamorous side.

Just as Xia Muyao closed her eyes to rest for a moment, the carriage lurched to a sudden stop.

If not for the fact that Xia Muyao possessed the strength of a Tier Nine Sword Disciple, the jolt would have thrown her right out of the carriage.

”What’s wrong?” Xia Muyao asked in a low voice, steadying herself.

The coachman was a longtime servant of the Xia Family, a superb driver, and fiercely loyal to Xia Muyao. Barring some unforeseen incident, he would never have allowed something like this to happen.

”Just stay inside, miss. I’ll handle this,” the coachman replied, his brow furrowed as he looked at the group of people blocking their path.

”Who are you people? Why are you blocking our way?” the coachman demanded. Though he was a servant, he served a great family, and he carried himself with an imposing air that reflected his masters’ prestige.

”You damn servant, this is no place for you to speak! Get your young miss out here to answer!” a youth with uneven eyebrows and a weaselly face sneered. Despite his vulgar appearance, he was dressed in lavish clothing. He looked at the coachman with contempt. ”What right do you have to talk?”

”Young Master Xiao, heh,” the weaselly youth said with a lecherous grin, his expression utterly revolting. ”Just wait, you’re about to see Hongcheng’s number one beauty. I guarantee you’ll be pleased!”

The plain-looking young man in white standing beside him, who carried himself with a cold and arrogant air, gave a slight, reserved nod but said nothing.

Xia Muyao had heard everything clearly from inside. She pushed the door open, stepped out of the carriage, and fixed her frown on the weaselly youth. ”Wei Zi Yu, what is the meaning of this?”

”So, Young Master Xiao? What do you think?” The weaselly youth ignored Xia Muyao, turning instead to the arrogant young man in white with a fawning smile. ”I wasn’t wrong, was I?”

”Mm, not bad,” the arrogant young man in white said coolly, his eyes fixed on Xia Muyao. ”She is... passable. She may serve as my concubine.”