Firmament Sword

”So, you’re saying... Wei Feng wanted to completely erase his family’s tracks? Then this incident... would become a story about bandits killing you, and imperial troops killing the bandits. In that case... wouldn’t that mean the Crown Prince would get all the credit? For avenging you? If that’s true, isn’t the prince that old scoundrel Wei Feng found the Crown Prince? Why are you still saying he was framed?” Su Tong asked Xu Luo, his face a mask of confusion.

Xu Luo and Huangfu Chongzhi exchanged a glance and smiled. ”Your sixth brother is really something else!”

Huangfu Chongzhi also smiled bitterly. ”He’s always been much more capable than me. He’s incredibly intelligent.”

”I... I don’t understand what you’re saying.” The corner of Su Tong’s mouth twitched. He usually prided himself on being an intelligent general, but in front of this group, he suddenly felt like he wasn’t smart enough.

Little Fatty and the others just sat there silently, lost in thought.

Xu Luo said, ”Actually, no matter the outcome, the Crown Prince wouldn’t have received any praise for this. If we had all died, even if the troops he sent had annihilated those bandits, so what? Besides, who gave him the authority to deploy troops privately? What was he trying to accomplish by deploying troops on his own?”

It finally dawned on Su Tong. A look of horror crossed his face as he said, ”That’s right! His Majesty would definitely wonder if the Crown Prince sent troops to kill you!”

”Yes. That’s why only we, the ones who were actually there, could figure out the key to all this,” Huangfu Chongzhi said softly with a sigh.

Xu Luo sneered. ”More importantly, Wei Feng didn’t think they would succeed. So, he sent his son next, which led to everything that followed. The Crown Prince... he was just a scapegoat who took the fall for the whole affair.”

”That... really is unfair,” Su Tong said. ”If that’s the case, then you all...”

”We can’t say anything. We don’t know anything.” Xu Luo shook his head with a bitter smile. ”Never mind the fact that I’ve already taken in those soldiers. Even if we went to His Majesty about this, we have no proof. Would he believe us?”

Su Tong couldn’t help but smile bitterly as well. ’It’s true,’ he thought. ’If it were me, I wouldn’t believe it either. I definitely wouldn’t believe that Wei Feng would team up with the Sixth Prince to do something like this.’

”Wei Feng’s only miscalculation in this whole affair was his son. He never expected Wei Ziting to fail, even with fifteen thousand of the Wei Family’s private soldiers. The only one to blame is Wei Ziting for his greed. He didn’t just want to eliminate me; he also wanted to swallow up Mo Yun’s remaining forces. How could that ever have worked?” Xu Luo sneered. ”If Wei Ziting had just led those fifteen thousand private soldiers to attack me directly... well, then we might have truly been in danger.”

The thought sent a chill down Su Tong’s spine. ”That old scoundrel Wei Feng really has planned for every contingency! It’s a shame that for all his lifelong cleverness, he ended up with a son as stupid as a pig! A son who, to top it all off, thinks he’s a genius.”

”I get it now,” Little Fatty chimed in. ”The reason Wei Feng confessed in court about his family’s private army was to cover up the attack on us! And His Majesty took the opportunity to brush that incident aside.” He continued, ”But then he used the private army as an excuse to depose the Crown Prince... It seems His Majesty has been dissatisfied with the Crown Prince for a while now! Otherwise, why would he make such a decision without a proper investigation?”

Xu Jie coughed lightly. ”Alright, these are internal matters of the Royal Family. We shouldn’t speculate.”

Little Fatty nodded and shut his mouth.

Xu Luo smiled. ”Brother,” he said, turning to Huangfu Chongzhi, ”it seems your younger brother is quite thoughtful when it comes to you.”

A cold, sharp light—a rare sight from him—flashed in Huangfu Chongzhi’s eyes. He said flatly, ”The truth... will come out eventually. When it does, I’ll ask him myself: Was I, his older brother with no status, no position, and no power, really that terrifying to him?”

Since this concerned the internal conflicts of the Royal Family, no one else could chime in.

Su Tong gave a bitter smile. ”None of us imagined there was so much hidden intrigue. If I hadn’t come here, I would have gone on thinking the Crown Prince was behind it all.”

”Who did it doesn’t really matter. What’s important is that we’re all still here, alive and well.” Xu Luo gave a faint smile. ”General Su, you must be tired. I’ll have someone prepare food and wine. We’ll have a good drink with you tonight.”

Su Tong shook his head. ”The fighting at the front is tense right now. I only came because the Grand General was worried about you, Second Young Master, and wanted me to check on things. Now that I see you’re doing much better than we imagined, I can rest easy. I will be sure to report this back to the Grand General.”

”Leaving already?” Xu Luo looked at Su Tong. ”Isn’t that a bit rushed?”

Su Tong smiled. ”It was hard enough just to find the time to come. I appreciate the offer, Young Master. Once this war is over, I will certainly come to your door asking for that drink. When that time comes, I hope you won’t turn me away, Second Young Master.”

Xu Luo smiled and shook his head. ”Of course not. Let me see you out, General.”

With that, Xu Luo and his group walked Su Tong out. The others followed at a distance, leaving Xu Luo to walk ahead with him.

Su Tong said softly, ”Second Young Master, the Grand General has seen all your hard work over the past year. He’s very happy for you. He rarely mentions it, but we can all tell that no one is happier about your transformation than he is.”

A warmth spread through Xu Luo’s heart. He smiled. ”I’ve always been proud of my father, too.”

”But there is one thing you need to be careful about, Second Young Master.” Su Tong’s smile vanished, his expression turning serious. ”The Grand General knows you are investigating the incident at Wansong Town. Before I left, he specifically instructed me to tell you to stop. The situation is far too complex. Even if you uncover the truth, it will only bring you trouble, with no other benefit.”

Xu Luo raised an eyebrow. He looked at Su Tong and suddenly asked, ”General Su... are you one of my father’s Divine Soldiers?”

Su Tong was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. ”You figured it out?”

”Heh. Besides my father’s most trusted men, who else could know so much?” Xu Luo chuckled. ”As for this matter, tell my father not to worry. I know what I’m doing. I have to continue investigating. In fact, I’ve already gathered a great deal of evidence. I just won’t reveal it at a time like this. Tell him not to worry. I’ll be fine!”

Su Tong nodded. ”Then I can be at ease. By the way, your older brother is on a mission. He told me before he left that if I got the chance, I should tell you that you’re doing a great job.”

”My big brother said that?” Xu Luo broke into a happy smile. It had been a long time since he’d seen his brother. He remembered how, when they were children, whenever he was bullied, his exceptionally intelligent older brother would instantly turn into a brute and go fight the other kids.

Xu Luo had once asked Xu Su about it. ”Why don’t you use your wits to outsmart them?”

Xu Su’s answer back then was: ”They use their words to hurt you, so I’ll use my fists to show them that fists... are always tougher than words!”

Remembering this, a happy smile spread across Xu Luo’s face. After a moment of silence, he asked, ”He... won’t be in any danger, will he?”

Su Tong sighed softly. ”When is a soldier’s mission ever completely safe? But still, with your brother’s abilities, he should be fine.”

”Alright, Second Young Master, don’t see me any further.” Su Tong said, pulling on his reins. He glanced at Xu Luo. ”Take care of yourself, Second Young Master!”

Xu Luo waved goodbye to Su Tong and returned to Huangfu Chongzhi and the others.

Little Fatty’s face was contorted with anger. ”Damn it! I never thought that old scoundrel Wei Feng could be so insidious. And the Sixth Prince is no better!”

Huangfu Chongzhi gave an awkward laugh. After all, he and the Sixth Prince shared an unbreakable blood bond.

But Xu Luo waved his hand dismissively and smiled. ”Alright, we’re far from the action and can’t see what’s happening anyway. Besides, do you really think the Crown Prince will let himself be used as a stepping stone?”

”Are you saying the Crown Prince has another move to make?” Little Fatty asked.

”I don’t know if he has another move, but I do know that after being Crown Prince for so many years, it’s impossible he doesn’t have some power of his own. He certainly won’t take being deposed lying down. When the time is right, he’s bound to strike back.” Xu Luo said softly, ”But... that has nothing to do with us. The most important thing for us now is to train and improve ourselves. That’s the only path forward!”

”Exactly! Hey, Sui Xiaoshi, this big brother is about to break through to the rank of Tier Six Sword Master. How about we have a go?” Little Fatty said, looking at Sui Yan with a provocative grin.

Sui Yan glanced at Little Fatty with disdain. ”You think you can handle it?”

”Holy crap, that’s it! Sui Xiaoshi, today I’m going to show you what your Fourth Brother is made of!” With that, Little Fatty lunged at Sui Yan.

Not to be outdone, Sui Yan charged forward to meet Little Fatty head-on.

The two ’brothers’ immediately started trading blows with a flurry of whacks and thumps.

Xu Luo, Huangfu Chongzhi, and Xu Jie watched the spectacle from the side. Just then, Mo Yun, who had been absent since Su Tong arrived, appeared beside Xu Jie, watching the two brothers fight with great interest.

”They’re just going at it like that, and you, their ’older brothers,’ aren’t going to stop them?” Mo Yun asked with some curiosity.

Xu Jie laughed. ”This is your first time seeing this, isn’t it? They’re used to it. Besides, this is a good chance to see how much they’ve improved lately.”

The corner of Mo Yun’s mouth twitched. Suddenly, she gave Xu Jie a tender, bewitching look—a coquettishness he had never seen from her before. She purred, ”Second Master, I’d like to see how much you’ve improved recently, too. Why don’t... we have a little match of our own?”