Firmament Sword

The disappearance of Jiang Hanhai and Jiang Tianhai didn’t cause much of a stir.

This was because when the people from the Kaiyang Sect entered the mortal world this time, almost every one of them carried a different mission. Following the disappearance of Shangguan Qing and several other senior figures from the Kaiyang Sect, the disciples who had been staying at the posthouse also began to leave the Imperial Capital one after another, each departing to carry out their own tasks.

Xu Luo brought Huangfu Shishi back into the Imperial Capital City in a very leisurely manner. They had no guards with them and looked just like a couple deeply in love, returning from a spring outing in the countryside. They chatted and laughed all the way back to the Xu Family’s home.

The Xu Family was much livelier now than in the past. To say nothing of the power the Xu Family had now amassed—enough to make any great house in the Cangqiong Empire bow their heads—just the fact that the brothers Xu Su and Xu Luo were no longer single was a significant change.

This was especially true for Xu Su. Back when they were in peril, he had said he would marry both women at the same time. Now that the crisis was over, he naturally had to fulfill his promise. After that crisis, Xia Muyao had also finally come to terms with many things. Although her relationship with Guo Ying couldn’t be described as harmonious, they no longer clashed as they used to. Often, they would even communicate and talk with each other.

Xia Muyao’s family, of course, had no objections. To the Xia Family, the Xu Family had already been like a behemoth. Now, the Xu Family’s influence was at its zenith. The top noble houses of the Cangqiong Empire were all desperate to marry their daughters into the Xu Family and were green with envy over the Xia Family’s good fortune.

”Second Brother, where did you run off to? Mother is looking for you!”

Just as Xu Luo stepped into the house, he saw his elder brother walking toward him. Xu Su was beaming, his face glowing with health, and he walked with his head high and chest out—the very picture of a man with a joyous event on the horizon.

”I went for a stroll with Qiqi. What does Mother want me for?” Xu Luo replied with a smile.

”Good news!” Xu Su said, keeping him in suspense. He then nodded at Huangfu Shishi. ”Your Highness.”

”There’s no need to be so formal, Elder Brother. Just call me Qiqi,” Huangfu Shishi said with a faint smile. ”Otherwise, a certain someone will say I’m putting on airs like a princess!”

”Haha, you two lovebirds are so sweet. It makes one envious!” Xu Su teased them before taking his leave, saying he still had matters to attend to for his wedding.

Huangfu Shishi whispered nervously to Xu Luo, ”Hey, what do you think your mother wants you for? It couldn’t be... that she wants you to get married, could it?”

”What, you don’t want to?” Xu Luo chuckled.

”Heaven knows how many she wants you to marry at once!” Huangfu Shishi muttered, rolling her eyes.

By now, the two had walked to the rear courtyard. Along the way, they encountered many servants of the Xu Mansion, all of whom looked at them with awe.

The Xu Mansion was no longer the desolate place it once was. Many new faces had been added to the servant staff, and they were naturally filled with reverence for a legendary figure like Xu Luo. In contrast, the old retainers of the Xu Mansion were full of confidence in front of these newcomers.

”We watched the young masters grow up since they were children!”

That one sentence was enough.

Now, the Xu Mansion truly resembled a top family of the Imperial Capital.

At least, Luo Xinlan was very satisfied with the current situation.

”This is wonderful. These days feel like a dream. It would be perfect if it could stay this way forever!” Luo Xinlan said with a soft sigh, looking at Xu Ji. ”My greatest wish used to be that you would one day return safely from the battlefield, and our family could sit together for a happy reunion dinner...”

Women are emotional creatures. As Luo Xinlan spoke, her eyes reddened slightly, and her voice trembled a little. ”Back then, the thing I most anticipated, and also most feared, was news from the front lines. I hoped for news of your victorious return, and I never wanted to hear anything bad about you.”

”Lan’er, those days are all in the past. Isn’t this much better?” Xu Ji, dressed in a silk robe, narrowed his eyes and blew gently on the tea bowl in his hands. He looked less like a battle-hardened, iron-willed general and more like a wealthy patriarch.

”It is very good, but now those sects are suddenly meddling in worldly affairs, and our family has extensive ties to them. I’m truly a little worried...” Luo Xinlan sighed softly. She was different from ordinary mortal women; she had spent many years in a sect as a child. Although the Luoshui Nunnery wasn’t considered a major sect, to the mortal world, it was an existence to be looked up to.

Now, those behemoth-like sects that once existed only in legends were all entering the mortal world, their predatory stances enough to put anyone on guard.

If this had nothing to do with her family, Luo Xinlan wouldn’t have bothered to worry about it. But she was now well aware that her most beloved second son, Xu Luo, had deep entanglements with these sects.

Especially now that the Royal Family and the Xu Family were practically one, sharing fortune and failure. The Kaiyang Sect clearly wanted to control the Cangqiong Royal Family to control the entire Cangqiong Empire, gaining the upper hand under the guise of righteousness. If they had actually done a great deal for the Royal Family, it might have been excusable, but they wanted to gain everything without paying any price... That, of course, was intolerable.

Xu Luo’s temperament seemed gentle, but in reality, he was extremely unyielding and couldn’t be suppressed by brute force. He even dared to make a move against a major figure like Shangguan Qing. How could he possibly be made to compromise?

”Let’s just take it one step at a time. When I was fighting on the front lines, many battles seemed uncertain, even hopeless. Before a fight, we would be nervous and afraid. We would think of all of you, terrified we might never see you again...” Xu Ji’s voice was deep as he recalled the past, his heart filled with emotion.

”My husband...” Luo Xinlan gently squeezed Xu Ji’s rough hand and called out to him affectionately.

”But in the end, didn’t we make it through all of that?” Xu Ji set down his tea bowl, squeezed Luo Xinlan’s hand in return, and said with a smile, ”Our son is already outstanding! And I believe he will only become more so in the future! I’m his father. I know him. If he has the guts to stand up to those people from the Kaiyang Sect, he must have the confidence to back it up!”

Then, the Grand General King added smugly, ”He gets that from me!”

”Pah!” Luo Xinlan shot her husband a look and feigned a spit. ”You’re so shameless!”

”Hehe.” Seeing his beautiful, middle-aged wife acting like a young maiden, her charm boundless, Xu Ji couldn’t help but grin foolishly.

When Xu Luo walked in with Huangfu Shishi, they happened to witness this very scene.

Huangfu Shishi immediately blushed, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

Luo Xinlan was even more mortified. As a mother, to be caught flirting with her husband by her son and future daughter-in-law was terribly embarrassing.

Xu Ji, at least, had a thick skin from his years of experience. He shot Xu Luo a fierce glare.

Brother Luo’s own thick skin, a natural inheritance from his father, allowed him to say innocently, ”The door was open...”

”Ahem...” Xu Ji’s mouth twitched slightly. He then put on the air of the Patriarch and smiled at Huangfu Shishi. ”Welcome, Princess. Please, have a seat.”

This wasn’t Xu Ji putting on airs; his current status and position had long since surpassed that of a Royal Family princess. Properly, Huangfu Shishi should be the one to salute Xu Ji.

Huangfu Shishi blushed slightly and bowed to Xu Ji and Luo Xinlan, then said softly, ”Uncle and Aunt, you can just call me Qiqi.”

”Yes, Qiqi, you’ve truly grown more and more beautiful!” Luo Xinlan looked at Huangfu Shishi with a satisfied expression, praising her sincerely. Then she immediately said, ”Xiaoluo, I called you over because there’s something I want to discuss with you. It’s perfect that Qiqi came with you. Let’s talk about your wedding!”

”Er...” Xu Luo’s handsome face twitched. ’Just as I feared.’ He forced a strained smile and said, ”Mother, isn’t... Elder Brother’s wedding not even held yet? You should worry about his wedding first. Mine... there’s no hurry, right?”

As he spoke, Xu Luo glanced guiltily at Qiqi beside him. It wasn’t that he had ideas about other women; he was just too young and had an instinctual fear of something like marriage.

”What do you mean, no hurry? Children from other families your age already have their own kids running around! Your brother already gave me enough to worry about; his situation is only just now settled!” Luo Xinlan scolded. ”Or are you saying you’re not satisfied with Princess Qiqi?”

’Tsk... is she my mother or Qiqi’s mother...’ Xu Luo grumbled internally. Feeling a burning gaze from his side, he quickly answered, ”How could that be? Qiqi and I are childhood sweethearts. We have a great relationship, how could I not be satisfied?”

”Then that settles it! What else is there to say? Good things come in pairs. You and your brother should just have your weddings together! Then hurry up and give me two big grandsons!” Luo Xinlan said, her face beaming with joy.

Beside them, Huangfu Shishi stared at Luo Xinlan, dumbfounded. A wave of shyness washed over her, accompanied by a boundless sense of sweetness.

Xu Ji watched from the side with a grin, not interrupting. He seemed quite pleased to see his son in such an awkward state. Inside, however, he was thinking: ’This kid has changed so much since the Star Festival. It’s good that he’s become more confident, but he’s also become so inscrutable that even I can’t see through him anymore... Seeing him like this, I finally get a bit of satisfaction as his father.’

Huangfu Shishi glanced at Xu Luo, and suppressing her shyness, said softly, ”Aunt, it’s not that Qiqi is unwilling to marry now. For one thing, Xu Luo... has other female confidantes. If I marry him like this, it seems... unfair to the others. Also, my parents...”

As she spoke, Huangfu Shishi’s eyes began to well up.

Luo Xinlan sighed softly and looked at Huangfu Shishi with a benevolent expression. ”Silly child, I’m a woman too. By doing this, how much are you making yourself suffer? Besides, the reason I want you to marry now is also because your father and mother are no longer with us... I want to give you a home. From now on, you can think of me as your own mother...”

Tears streamed down Huangfu Shishi’s cheeks. PITTER-PATTER. Her heart felt as if it were melting. Tear-stained but smiling, she looked up at Luo Xinlan and cried, ”Mother!”

”Good child!” Luo Xinlan stood up, walked over to Huangfu Shishi, and gently hugged her.