Firmament Sword

”You people are going too far!” the driver said, his face flush with anger as he stared at the group opposite them. He had figured out who they were.

The Wei Family!

In Hongcheng, only people from the Wei Family would dare to treat Xia Muyao so disrespectfully.

Xia Muyao remained silent, her gaze cold as she looked at the arrogant young man in white. Deep in her eyes, a faint trace of contempt appeared.

’Become your concubine? Who do you think you are!’

Xia Muyao was furious, but she ignored them. Instead, she turned around, ducked back into the carriage, and said, ”Pay them no mind. Let’s go.”

”Yes, milady.” The driver shot them an indignant look, climbed onto his seat, and said coldly, ”Move aside!”

”You damn slave. I’m not moving. You really think you can run me down?” the weasel-faced young man from the Wei Family sneered at the driver.

The guards beside him cracked their knuckles, some reaching for their blades, ready to strike if the carriage dared to charge.

The arrogant, white-robed young man, however, maintained an air of indifference as he stood there, his gaze disdainful.

Xia Muyao’s icy voice came from inside the carriage: ”Wei Zi Yu, don’t go too far!”

”Xia Muyao, we’re acquaintances, so don’t blame me for not warning you. To be noticed by Young Master Xiao is a blessing you’ve accumulated over eight lifetimes. If you knew Young Master Xiao’s identity, I’m afraid you’d be crying and begging to be his woman...”

As he spoke, Wei Zi Yu glanced at the serene-faced Young Master Xiao before continuing, ”Don’t think that just because your future husband is the son of the Grand General of National Guardian, no one will dare to touch you. In the eyes of Young Master Xiao, the Grand General of National Guardian is less than nothing!”

”I was taken with you at first sight,” the white-robed Young Master Xiao finally said calmly. ”If you are willing, I can provide you a grander stage to display your strengths.”

Inside the carriage, Xia Muyao’s fair face turned pale with anger. She said coldly, ”I’m not interested!”

”Some people just prefer to do things the hard way,” Wei Zi Yu sneered. ”Don’t blame me for not reminding you. Offending Young Master Xiao will bring your Xia Family no good at all!”

”That’s none of your concern. Move!” Xia Muyao’s rebuke came from the carriage.

”And what if I don’t?” the white-robed Young Master Xiao said with a faint smile. ”Are you going to run me over?”

”In broad daylight, a group of grown men surrounding a helpless woman. Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word of this gets out?” A clear voice suddenly rang out from the edge of the crowd of onlookers.

Then, the onlookers automatically parted to form a path, and a tall, handsome young man slowly walked over.

”Hey, it’s the new Deputy City Lord!”

”That’s right! I heard he just performed a great service on the Southern battlefield and was made a Viscount!”

”So young and promising! At his age, not only was he made a Viscount by the court, but he’s also become the Deputy City Lord. His future is limitless!”

As the young man walked over, a wave of low discussion rippled through the crowd.

Li Hong looked coldly at the group blocking the carriage, wondering, ’How can I resolve this gracefully?’

The Martial Soul Squad became famous in a single battle. Its members all became renowned throughout the land and received rewards from the court.

As the strategist of the Martial Soul Squad, Li Hong was directly ennobled as a Viscount. His legitimate heir would automatically inherit the title of Baron, and his legitimate grandson the title of Lord. Although not a peerage passed down for generations, it was an undeniable fact that the Li Family had now entered the Empire’s circle of nobility.

If a few more outstanding talents appeared among his descendants, it wouldn’t be impossible for the Viscount title to be passed down indefinitely.

Even if no exceptional talents emerged among his descendants, the Li Family would still be a renowned noble house for the next hundred years!

To the Li Family, all of this was because their family had produced an outstanding descendant. But in Li Hong’s eyes, it was all because he had found a good leader!

Without Xu Luo, even if he, Li Hong, had gone to the battlefield brimming with brilliant strategies, it would have been for nothing. Without the right opportunity, without a charismatic leader to rally around, an organization like the Martial Soul Squad could never have formed. And without it, earning such monumental merits would have been out of the question.

The students from their group who returned from the battlefield and met the graduation requirements had all applied to graduate. Most of them returned to their respective families to serve them.

Because of his military achievements, Li Hong was made a Viscount. Having also earned the Emperor’s appreciation, he became the Deputy City Lord of his hometown, Hongcheng.

The Old City Lord was already over seventy. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that the position of Hongcheng’s City Lord would inevitably belong to Li Hong in the future.

The marriage alliance between the Xia Family and the Xu Family was no secret in Hongcheng. As one of Xu Luo’s ”brothers,” Li Hong was naturally even more aware of these matters.

He hadn’t contacted the Xia Family before because he had heard some things about them. Plus, Xia Muyao was, after all, Xu Luo’s sister-in-law. A rash visit from him would have seemed improper.

But behind the scenes, Li Hong had been keeping an eye on Xia Muyao. His leader’s sister-in-law was his sister-in-law, too. On his turf in Hongcheng, he couldn’t let anyone bully her.

Li Hong also knew this Wei Zi Yu from the Wei Family—a sinister, scheming young master who was quite well-known in Hongcheng. As for the Young Master Xiao beside Wei Zi Yu, Li Hong didn’t recognize him. But judging from the aura the man exuded, his background was anything but ordinary.

But since he had stumbled upon such a situation, he couldn’t just ignore it.

”Li Hong?” Wei Zi Yu sneered, looking Li Hong and his uniformed guards up and down. ”You should stick to being the Deputy City Lord and not meddle in things that don’t concern you. If you do, we can still be friends. Who knows, maybe when I see the Patriarch of the main family, I’ll put in a good word for you. You might even get a post in the provincial government...”

Li Hong naturally knew who the ”Patriarch of the main family” Wei Zi Yu spoke of was. He smiled faintly. ”Young Master Wei is quite a figure here in Hongcheng, but your actions today... are somewhat beneath you. Plotting to abduct a woman in broad daylight... now that I, the Deputy City Lord, have witnessed it, I must naturally step in.”

”Don’t push your luck.” Wei Zi Yu’s face grew cold as he sneered, ”A petty Viscount who’s only been Deputy City Lord for a few days wants to meddle in other people’s business? Why don’t you look at your own family’s standing? The Li Family only became nobles thanks to you. Be careful you don’t drag them back to being commoners after just a few days. If you know what’s good for you, act like you saw nothing and scram!”

Li Hong’s expression darkened as well. He said coolly, ”Since you’ve put it that way, there’s nothing more to be said. I’m definitely getting involved in this today!”

The white-robed Young Master Xiao, who had been silent on the side, finally spoke up. ”I never thought a minor noble from the Mortal World would dare to be so arrogant and reckless. Heh, how interesting.”

”Young Master Xiao, please calm down. Just leave this to me,” Wei Zi Yu said, startled. He might have threatened Li Hong, but he knew perfectly well that while a mere Viscount and Deputy City Lord was insignificant, his title had been personally bestowed by the Emperor!

Moreover, Li Hong was riding the momentum of a great victory and was currently in high favor. Forget Wei Zi Yu, even the patriarch of their Wei Family—the Prime Minister Wei Feng, whose power overshadowed the entire court—wouldn’t pick a fight with Li Hong at a time like this.

’If Young Master Xiao gets angry and kills Li Hong, things will get messy. Young Master Xiao can just dust himself off and leave, but our Hongcheng Wei Family will surely be implicated. At that point, I’m afraid even the Patriarch won’t be able to protect us.’

As Wei Zi Yu calculated in his mind, he walked up to Li Hong, glanced at the gawking crowd, and whispered in his ear, ”Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Young Master Xiao is from a sect. If you think you can afford to offend a sect, then by all means, get involved!”

Li Hong’s heart skipped a beat. ’A sect...’ That word was distant and unfamiliar to most commoners in the Mortal World. But to the nobility, it was like a colossal mountain. No one dared to lightly offend a sect.

They were transcendent and aloof, yet they influenced the Mortal World at every moment!

Sect disciples were all exceptionally talented and powerful. Most importantly, just like the army, sects were extremely protective of their own!

If a sect disciple was bullied, the consequences would be severe.

’But... they’re targeting my leader’s sister-in-law. I can’t just stand by and do nothing, no matter what!’ Li Hong thought. He narrowed his eyes, then smiled and cupped his fist toward Young Master Xiao. ”If Young Master Xiao is fond of beautiful women, this humble one happens to have many lovely maids. I can send a few peerless beauties your way. As for today, how about giving me a little face?”

Wei Zi Yu rolled his eyes and sneered inwardly: ’Who do you think you are?’

The arrogant, white-robed Young Master Xiao over there sneered, ”What do you think you are? Why should I give you face?”

Li Hong’s brow furrowed slightly. In a low voice, he said, ”Is Young Master Xiao determined to make this ugly?”

”HAHAHAHA, how amusing. So what if I am? What can you do about it?” Young Master Xiao gave a cold laugh, and a powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body.

The surrounding crowd of onlookers cried out in alarm, all of them stumbling backward as they stared at Young Master Xiao in horror.

The guards around Li Hong also turned pale, looking worriedly at their master. They knew they had provoked a powerful figure they couldn’t afford to offend.

Just then, Xia Muyao stepped out of the carriage. She looked at Young Master Xiao with a cold gaze and said flatly, ”If you dare to use force, I will kill myself. I don’t care who you are. If I die, the Xu Family will not let you go!”

”Haha, quite the fiery personality. The Xu Family... Oh, I’m so scared! The Xu Family you speak of, are you referring to the Grand General of National Guardian of your Cangqiong Kingdom? In my eyes, he’s not even worth a fart!” Young Master Xiao sneered disdainfully.

ROAR!

A low beastly roar suddenly echoed from the distance. A wave of panicked cries erupted on the long street as an ink-black behemoth came walking toward them, letting out deep growls as it moved.

A handsome youth was riding the beast. His clear eyes were fixed on the arrogant, white-robed Young Master Xiao as he said, ”You’ve got guts. Try saying that again.”