Firmament Sword

Tears streamed down Xia Muyao and Guo Ying’s faces, but they didn’t blame Xu Su for his abruptness. Everyone knew what he was about to face. The four Transformation Realm Powerhouses were like four great mountains, weighing heavily on the hearts of all who knew.

Although Xu Su and Xu Ji had also broken through to the Transformation Realm, their true strength was far inferior to their opponents’. There was simply no comparison.

Once he left, it was very likely they would never see him again.

Xia Muyao nodded forcefully, tears streaming down her face. ”I, Xia Muyao, am yours in this life and the next. Go. Don’t worry about things at home. We’ll be here!”

Guo Ying bit her lip hard, tears falling as she said, ”Xu Su, you remember what you said. If you dare to die, I’ll chase you to the underworld and never let you go!”

Luo Xinlan’s eyes were red-rimmed. She fought back her tears, looking at the two young women and choking out, ”You are both good children. No one is going to die! We’ll all be fine!”

Little Fatty looked up, gently pushing aside his mother who was trying to stop him from speaking. ”Uncle,” he said to Xu Ji, ”let me go with Brother Xu Su!”

Sui Yan, who was standing to the side, added, ”Me too!”

”I’ll go too.” To some surprise, Liu Ruyu stepped forward gently. ”I’ll go with them and cover the rear.”

”Heavens, Xiaoyu, have you lost your mind? D-do you have any idea what you’re saying? Are you scared silly? You foolish child, how can you cause more trouble at a time like this?” The speaker was Madam Liu. She had no idea that her daughter, completely without her knowledge, had already cultivated to a realm beyond her comprehension.

Liu Xuan was also frantic, and he berated her, ”What time do you think this is? Stop adding to the chaos!”

A flash of hurt crossed Liu Ruyu’s eyes, but her beautiful face was filled with defiance. She offered no explanation, but stood her ground, her silence a form of resistance.

”Y-you... You’ll be the death of me!” Madam Liu clutched her chest, nearly fainting from anger at Liu Ruyu.

The Champion Marquis’s wife grew anxious as well. ”Xiaoyu, you can’t go!” she said.

Unlike Liu Xuan and his wife, she knew that her daughter-in-law-in-name was no ordinary person. But she already felt she owed Liu Ruyu and the Liu Family far too much. How could she agree to Liu Ruyu’s request to stay behind and cover the retreat at a time like this?

In the end, the entire group turned to look at Xu Ji.

Xu Ji’s voice was deep as he said, ”Enough arguing. If you consider me your leader, then you will follow my arrangements!”

Xu Ji’s words silenced everyone.

Was there anyone present who didn’t see Xu Ji as their leader?

Everyone knew that their survival, their very chance to break out of the Imperial Capital today, depended entirely on how this pillar of the Cangqiong Army orchestrated their next move.

If Xu Ji were to give up now, the group would have fallen apart long ago.

”Xu Su, take the Hidden Dragon Army and hold back all the rebelling soldiers. Luo Xinlan, Liu Ruyu, and Guo Ying, you are in charge of the women, children, and the elderly. Take them and leave immediately after the city gate is breached! I have already given orders to gather carriages and horses. Do not bring any unnecessary belongings. Anyone who disobeys, regardless of which family they belong to, will be dealt with under military law!”

”Sui Yan, Liu Feng, you both have military experience. I will give you a force of twelve hundred men. You will attack the East Gate directly.”

Xu Ji continued, ”The private guards of each family will be responsible for protecting the women, children, and elderly. You will all retreat first!”

”And what about you...?” Luo Xinlan asked, looking at her husband.

Xu Ji replied, ”I will be responsible for holding back any Transformation Realm Powerhouses who might appear. I will be the final rearguard!”

Then, Xu Ji looked at the crowd. ”Are there any other questions?”

Little Fatty raised his hand and asked cautiously, ”Um, General... why are we breaking through the East Gate? Isn’t its defense supposed to be the strongest?”

Xu Ji said calmly, ”Because we have our own people guarding the East Gate.”

HISS!

Many people in the room couldn’t help but gasp, and the way they looked at Xu Ji changed.

Xu Ji gave a wry smile. ”I knew you would misunderstand. This wasn’t something I arranged, nor do I have any ulterior motives. It’s just that one of my former soldiers is exceptionally loyal to me. He secretly sent someone to contact me just now. If we go through the East Gate, he can help!”

”That’s wonderful!” Everyone in the room breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Regardless, Xu Ji’s influence in the Cangqiong Army was immense. Even though Huangfu Haoyue had bribed many, there would always be those whose hearts remained with Xu Ji.

This was Xu Ji’s influence. If the old patriarch of the Xu Family were still alive, it would likely be a completely different scene. With a single order from the old man, a powerful armed force of tens of thousands of retired soldiers would have likely assembled in the Imperial Capital in an instant.

This was one of the reasons why Huangfu Haoran had been so wary of the Xu Family back then. The old patriarch’s influence in the military was simply too great.

In comparison, Xu Ji fell short, but he was still more than capable of making things happen in the Imperial Capital.

Once the decision was made, everyone immediately split up to take action.

The higher-ups of each family began to selectively relay parts of the plan to their respective family members, while also trying to appease them.

It couldn’t be helped. After all, not everyone agreed with the choice to flee.

In many people’s eyes, even if the regime in the Imperial Capital changed and Huangfu Haoyue was staging a rebellion, there was no need for them to flee with the Xu Family.

Among them, the Liu Family had the most intense reaction.

They believed that just because one of their daughters had married into the Champion Marquis’s Mansion, it didn’t mean Huangfu Haoyue would exterminate their entire clan over it.

Liu Xuan had always been benevolent and was completely unable to persuade his agitated family members.

Many members of the Liu Family were extremely displeased that Liu Xuan had forcibly summoned them to the Grand General’s Mansion, and some even began to cause a scene.

”The best way to solve this is to announce that we are expelling Liu Ruyu from the Liu Family! From now on, she has nothing to do with us! I’m sure no one will bother the Liu Family then!”

”That’s right! A married daughter is like water thrown out the door. As long as the new ruler isn’t insane, nothing will happen to the Liu Family!”

”Liu Xuan, by forcibly gathering us here like this, aren’t you just trying to harm us?”

”There’s nothing more to say. We’re not leaving! Our businesses, our homes, everything is here in the Imperial Capital. Why should we just give it all up for nothing?”

”Exactly! We won’t choose to leave!”

The group of Liu Family members was in an uproar, nearly all of them pointing their fingers at Liu Xuan.

In contrast, while there were a few disgruntled individuals among the Liu, Sui, and Xu Families, they were, on the whole, clear-headed enough to understand the situation. Staying meant certain death, while leaving offered a chance at survival. They didn’t cause much of a fuss.

As for the families of Guo Ying’s guild members, most were common folk with little worldly experience. The majority had never even set foot on Vermilion Bird Avenue, let alone entered the Grand General’s Mansion.

Faced with their fate, they had almost no power to resist. Although some grumbled in their hearts, they couldn’t make any waves. At most, they just panicked and whispered amongst themselves in private.

Liu Xuan never imagined that his well-intentioned actions would be interpreted this way by his own family, that they would think he was trying to harm them. He trembled with rage.

Just then, Liu Ruyu slowly walked out, her voice clear and cold. ”All of you, shut up!”

Her voice was imbued with immense Spiritual Power, and the clamoring crowd instantly felt their heads spin. Dazed and confused, they were rendered almost speechless.

”Anyone unwilling to go may leave immediately!” Liu Ruyu said coldly. ”If you waste any more time here, don’t blame me for enforcing military law!”

”Hahaha, that’s hilarious! What right does a mere woman like you have to say such things?”

”Who the hell do you think you are? You’re already married off, but even if you were still part of the Liu Family, you would have no right to speak here!”

”Don’t think you can order us around just because you married into the Champion Marquis’s Mansion. It was a marriage in name only, and even if it weren’t, the Champion Marquis is dead now. What do you have to be so arrogant about?”

Several high-ranking and influential members of the Liu Family verbally attacked Liu Ruyu with such harsh words that even Luo Xinlan and the others couldn’t bear to listen.

The Champion Marquis’s wife flew into a rage. These members of the Liu Family were utterly shameless! Not only were they verbally abusing her daughter-in-law, but they were even dragging her dead son and the entire Champion Marquis’s branch of the Xu Family into it.

But it was Madam Liu who truly exploded. She pointed at the crowd and shouted, ”What a bunch of ungrateful fools! If that’s how it is, there’s nothing more to say. All of you, get out! From this day forward, my husband and I have nothing to do with any of you!”

”Hmph, fine, we’ll leave! What’s the big deal? As soon as we’re out, we’ll find *them* and explain that you forced us!”

”That’s right! We don’t believe they’ll do anything to us!”

”The Liu Family is a scholarly family, and we’ve always stayed out of politics. What can they do to us?”

Muttering amongst themselves, the large group of Liu Family members walked right out.

Liu Xuan watched them go, trembling with rage. Among those who had just spoken were his own brothers and sisters!

Madam Liu gently comforted him from the side. ”My dear, don’t be angry. To each their own. If that’s what they believe, we can’t force them. If this continues, we’ll delay what’s truly important!”

Liu Xuan could only let out a long sigh and shake his head with a bitter smile. ”Forget it. I’ve been a failure as a Patriarch. Let them be.”

In the end, of the several hundred members of the Liu Family, fewer than fifty remained, all of them from Liu Xuan’s own branch.

The schism had finally come to an end.

Luo Xinlan watched quietly from the side, sighing and shaking her head inwardly. ’This is the downside of a large clan. When there are benefits, they all swarm forward. But the moment danger appears, each one runs faster than the last.’

”Alright, there are no more disagreements. Let’s set out immediately!” Luo Xinlan announced loudly, looking at the crowd.

The rumble of wheels, the neighing of horses... The vast procession set out from Vermilion Bird Avenue, heading for the Imperial Capital’s East Gate.

Meanwhile, Xu Su, leading the three thousand soldiers of the Hidden Dragon Army, had come face to face with Yuan Jing and his ten thousand troops!

High up in the sky above, another Transformation Realm Powerhouse stood in a standoff with Xu Ji, the two of them locked in a cold stare.