Firmament Sword

A massive column of people, escorting several thousand prisoners and a vast amount of supplies, slowly departed.

Watching the column depart, Huangfu Chongzhi and the others finally let out a long sigh of relief. He said with a wry smile, ”It seems there really is strength in numbers. If they had attacked us today, we would have had no choice but to abandon these supplies and flee. For a group our size to take on a cavalry regiment of several thousand... it’s pure fantasy.”

Xu Jie stared blankly into the distance, in the direction Mo Yun had gone. The usually straightforward man suddenly had a gut feeling. He spoke up, ”She saw me, and... she recognized me!”

”How is that possible? You think everyone has a pair of freakishly sharp eyes like Third Brother?” Little Fatty said disdainfully. ”From this far away... you can’t see a thing. I think you’re just imagining things, Second Brother!”

”No, she definitely saw me,” Xu Jie said, his voice firm.

At this, Little Fatty turned his gaze to the carriage and said with a grin, ”Third Brother, is Second Brother right?”

Little Fatty had only been joking. He couldn’t believe that Xu Jie could see so clearly from such a distance, much less that someone on the other side could spot them and recognize Xu Jie.

But to his surprise, Xu Luo replied from inside the carriage with complete certainty, ”Second Brother is right. That woman is truly formidable. She has... capable people with her, people with exceptional eyesight. They definitely recognized Second Brother.”

”Th-that... How is that possible?” Little Fatty asked in disbelief. ”You’re kidding, right?”

”It’s true. I just don’t know why Mo Yun didn’t order an attack. Could it be that even now, she still doesn’t know Second Brother was the one who brought her to this?” Xu Luo murmured.

”Bullshit! Was I the only one responsible for her miserable state?” Xu Jie flared up, a mix of anger and shame. ”Which one of you didn’t have a hand in it?”

”Alright... Second Brother’s mad. But isn’t this a good thing? It saves you a trip to the Southern regions to find her. Now she’s right here. Whether you can make her fall in love with you... well, that’s up to your own abilities, Second Brother,” Xu Luo laughed. ”She’s a Tier Nine Great Sword Master. You’ve got your work cut out for you, Second Brother!”

Xu Jie pursed his lips. ”For that woman to appear here, she can’t be up to any good. We should figure out what she’s doing before we discuss anything else.”

”Hahaha, it seems our Second Brother hasn’t had his head turned by love just yet. That’s encouraging!” Little Fatty said, blissfully unaware he was courting disaster.

”I think you’re looking for a beating!” Xu Jie shot a glare at Little Fatty, who immediately took to his heels and fled.

In the past, he might have talked back to Xu Jie, but now his Second Brother was a Tier Nine Sword Master, while he... was only Tier Five. He couldn’t win a fight against him even with a handicap. If he didn’t run, what was he waiting for?

Huangfu Chongzhi watched the brothers jest from the side, a gentle smile on his face the entire time. The noble air about him was growing more and more pronounced. He himself might not have noticed, but anyone unfamiliar with him could tell he was extraordinary at a single glance.

”Alright, since they didn’t attack us, they probably won’t bother us again. We should use the cover of night to leave this place quickly,” Xu Jie said, a melancholy look on his face.

”Leave now? Isn’t that a bit rushed?” Little Fatty grumbled. ”The men and horses are exhausted. Can’t we just rest for one night before we go?”

”And what if they change their minds?” Xu Jie shot a glare at Little Fatty. ”I’m starting to think you really are asking for a beating,” he said coldly.

”Alright, alright. You’re in a bad mood, so I won’t argue with you.” Little Fatty flinched and began packing, albeit reluctantly.

There wasn’t much to pack, as they had already made thorough preparations earlier. At Xu Jie’s command, the convoy set off once again.

...

Zhou Bo came to Mo Yun’s side and said softly, ”General, I heard the Reconnoitre just spotted the Soldier who was the first to charge that day. That guy was clearly a spy sent to sow discord among us. General, why did you let them go?”

”You think I don’t know that?” Mo Yun said, her expression vexed. ”But have you considered this? The man’s performance that day was flawless. He fooled us, and he fooled all our soldiers. Even now, many of them remember him fondly. They say he embodied brotherhood, that he was righteous and passionate, that he dared to step up when no one else would and remained unyielding even after being gravely wounded... In a situation like this, you want me to tell them he was actually a spy? That he infiltrated our ranks to provoke the conflict with the supply train that left us homeless and in our current predicament? You tell me... how do you think they would react?”

Zhou Bo fell silent. After a long moment, he sighed and said resentfully, ”So we’re... just letting him go like that?”

”Let him go?” Mo Yun sneered. ”How is that possible? He’s the reason we’re in this miserable state. How could I possibly let him go? I’ve already assigned men to tail them. I’m going to see for myself just what kind of major players they are, to be able to bring me, Mo Yun, to this.”

”That’s more like it. We’ll capture him and show him no mercy. When the time comes, you won’t have to lift a finger, General. I will personally slice him into a thousand pieces!” Zhou Bo said coldly.

Mo Yun, however, frowned slightly. She seemed to disagree with Zhou Bo’s words but didn’t refute them. Instead, she just stared at the brightly burning bonfire and said, ”The nights in the North are cold.”

”They are. Back home, it’s still scorching hot this time of year,” Zhou Bo replied wistfully. ”I hear it’s even hotter in the lands farther south. They say during the peak of the heat, you can throw an egg on the ground and it’ll fry in an instant...”

Mo Yun gave a soft chuckle but said nothing more.

Gazing at her beautiful face flickering in the firelight, Zhou Bo felt a pang of sympathy. The brash, heroic Female General of the past was gone. The Mo Yun before him now was like a wounded little girl, one who inspired pity. She had grown far too soft-hearted. In the old days, nearly half of today’s prisoners would have died by the sword.

The Mo Yun of old would have eliminated any destabilizing factor at the first opportunity... much less accepted that Bandit leader, Sheng Lin. With her old temperament, she would have lopped off his head and been done with it. Cooperate with him? Unthinkable.

’The General... has really changed!’

Zhou Bo was startled by his own thought. He then shook his head with a wry smile. ’In a situation like this, haven’t I changed too? Who could possibly remain unchanged?’

People, after all, are bound to mature over time.

...

The northern night was cold and the dew was heavy. The air was filled with the damp scent of grass. All was silent save for the sounds of the convoy’s advance and the occasional whinny of a horse.

Xiaohai did its best to suppress its aura to avoid spooking the horses in the convoy. It moved like a great cat, silently shadowing the group, appearing at the rear one moment and the front the next, taking on the duty of a sentry.

Xu Luo was uneasy tonight, feeling as if something was about to happen.

Encountering Mo Yun here was already strange enough. For her to appear in the North leading several thousand elite, battle-hardened cavalry... her purpose was self-evident. And from the looks of it, no one else knew. If war were to break out in the North and she decided to strike the Northern Army from behind, relentlessly harassing them, the blow would be absolutely devastating.

’No, I have to find a way to deal with this problem sooner rather than later,’ Xu Luo thought. ’The best way... would be to actually make her my second sister-in-law. Then... we’d all be family. What couldn’t we work out then?’ He narrowed his eyes, sensing the fluctuations in the night air. All at once, a warning flared deep within his consciousness!

”Not good!”

Even as the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly felt a piercing killing intent lock onto him. A bone-deep chill washed over him instantly.

It felt as if there was nowhere to hide, as if the threat came from all directions at once. A sense of powerlessness welled up in Xu Luo’s heart!

”ROAR!”

At that moment, a tiger’s roar suddenly echoed from the distance.

A tiger’s roar can silence a forest and send all other beasts into hiding, yet this cry from Xiaohai was filled with terror and despair!

”BOOM!”

Xu Luo’s body exploded from the carriage, soaring into the air. He could not stand by and watch Xiaohai be killed!

He pushed the Shaking Light Step to its absolute limit. His body left a trail of afterimages in the night sky, his speed was simply unbelievable. In a near-instant, he was right beside Xiaohai.

A man in black stood there, watching him coldly.

”So you were faking your injuries after all!” the man in black said, his voice icy and mocking. ”It seems following you in secret for so many days wasn’t a waste. You certainly know how to hide.”

”And you?” Xu Luo stared at the man and retorted coldly. ”A dignified disciple of the Merak Sect, maybe even an Outer Sect Steward. A man of such high status, yet you followed me like a dog for days on end. Should I be honored? Or should I laugh at your cowardice?”

”Little bastard, you’re at death’s door and still trying to be clever with your words. I’m done talking. Today, I’ll take your head!” the man in black said coldly. Then, his body suddenly shot forward. Like a flash of black light, he vanished into thin air.

Immediately after, an icy Sword Intent locked onto Xu Luo!

A powerful aura enveloped Xu Luo. It was the immense pressure of a High-tier Sword Venerable—a weight like a mountain that crushed any thought of resistance.

By this time, Huangfu Chongzhi, Xu Jie, and the others had rushed over. But under the High-tier Sword Venerable’s oppressive aura, they found it difficult to even move, let alone help Xu Luo face his enemy.

”All of you... deserve to die,” the man in black cackled. He suddenly reappeared in front of Xu Luo, his sword lashing out like a viper’s fang, stabbing toward the center of Xu Luo’s brow.

”Little bastard, die!”

”In your dreams, old man!” Xu Luo suddenly bellowed, his voice echoing through the night sky.

A brilliant blue light then erupted from Xu Luo’s hand as he thrust viciously at the man in black!

”Heh, you can withstand my pressure and even fight back. You’ve got some tricks, little bastard!” the man in black taunted.

”Old scumbag, I’ve got more than just a few tricks! I’m actually pretty damn formidable!” Xu Luo roared. A ball of light like a blazing sun erupted from his body as he lunged at the man in black.

”Oh, trying that same move again? Little bastard, you can’t rely on one trick forever. Do you really think you can get the drop on me again?” The man in black retreated hastily.

But then, the light engulfing Xu Luo’s body went out, as if it were a candle flame blown out in the wind.

The man in black’s expression changed drastically. ”Little bastard, you dare to bluff me?” he roared, charging forward once more.

”That’s right, old scumbag, I was bluffing you. What are you going to do about it?” As Xu Luo spoke, the light flared around him again. This time, a majestic power radiated from his body in all directions.

The power was staggering!

The man in black retreated again!

Xu Luo roared with laughter. Enduring the man’s immense pressure, he toyed with his opponent, repeating the feint four or five times until he had finally driven the man in black into a thorough rage.

He roared, ”Little bastard, even if you’re really using a suicide move, I’ll take my chances! If I don’t kill you today, I’ll kill myself!”

RUMBLE!

Xu Luo sneered back, his body... crashing directly into the man in black!