Firmament Sword

Huangfu Chongzhi and the others were all stunned. Little Fatty muttered from the side, ”A BOGO deal on killing?”

The moment Su Qianqian saw Xu Luo return, she immediately flew toward him. Just as she was about to throw herself into his arms, she saw the young woman Sophie behind him and instantly froze like a startled rabbit.

Xu Luo sighed, walked forward, and gently hugged Su Qianqian. He comforted her, whispering in her ear, ”Don’t be afraid. I found you a little handmaiden to wait on you.”

Su Qianqian was too clingy with Xu Luo. She needed him by her side for everything to feel at ease, even when using the restroom or sleeping.

There should be a proper distance between men and women, and things couldn’t go on like this. That was why Xu Luo had hesitated for a long time after seeing Sophie, but still decided to bring her back.

He did it to find a companion for Qianqian, someone who could take care of her during times when it was inconvenient for him.

The moment Sophie saw Su Qianqian, however, she turned pale with shock and cried out, ”Sister Celestial Lady... You, what’s happened to you?”

Su Qianqian buried her head in Xu Luo’s chest, her pure, clear eyes filled with a trace of fear. She seemed curious about Sophie, wanting to look but not daring to.

Sophie couldn’t help but take two steps forward. Looking at Xu Luo, she asked, ”She... What happened to her?”

”Isn’t this the fine work of your Su Family!” Little Fatty, who had no concept of politeness, shot Sophie a cold glare.

”What does this have to do with the Su Family?” Sophie retorted, but then she seemed to recall her current predicament and shut her mouth. The indignation in her eyes, however, was plain to see.

’What a naive little girl...’ Little Fatty rolled his eyes and couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. Arguing with a child like her made him feel like an idiot.

Sophie didn’t have a good impression of this damn fatty either. Even though she’d been kidnapped and made into some handmaiden, the Sophie of this moment had yet to develop the awareness of one.

She looked at Su Qianqian and said, ”Sister Celestial Lady, it’s me, Fei’Er... You... don’t you recognize me?”

”Who are you? I don’t know you...” Su Qianqian said timidly, her voice very quiet.

This was unbelievable to Sophie. Her whole world felt turned upside down.

In her mind, the Su Family Celestial Maiden had been like a queen from the moment she arrived at the Su Family—proud, noble, cold, and aloof... looking down on all living things!

Her entire aura was so powerful that her peers could hardly breathe in her presence.

Even many figures of the older generation didn’t dare to act presumptuously before her.

But now, this Su Celestial Maiden looked like a child of just a few years old. Where was even a hint of the invincible aura she had possessed back in the Su Family?

It even seemed like her intelligence had become... um, very childish.

”Her Divine Soul is damaged, and she doesn’t remember the past. Do not mention it in front of her. Also, remember your duties as a handmaiden. Otherwise, while I may not kill women, I have countless ways to make you wish you were dead,” came Xu Luo’s icy voice.

Sophie shivered, the image of Xu Luo killing someone with his sword just moments ago flashing through her mind.

’He’s not just talking, and he’s definitely not joking. He really will kill people...’

’I’m not afraid of death, but wouldn’t it be a terrible injustice to die at his hands for no reason?’

’Besides... my parents and my fiancé’s family will all send people to rescue me. So, Sophie... you have to be strong, you have to survive!’

’I’ll just treat all of this as a form of training!’

Sophie cheered herself on in her heart, then nodded obediently. ”I understand. I’ll remember.”

For the next few days, Xu Luo led Huangfu Chongzhi and the others through the Vast Mountains, searching for various Spirit Medicines that could benefit the Divine Soul.

At first, Sophie was not used to being a handmaiden. In her family, she had been surrounded by maids and nannies her whole life. She was used to having her clothes handed to her and her food served to her—how could she possibly know how to take care of someone else?

However, after Little Fatty harshly threatened and scolded her a few times, Sophie finally learned some of the most basic skills for taking care of people.

Each time she was scolded, she would secretly cry, and then constantly pep herself up again.

’Come on, Sophie! Mom and Dad will definitely come save you! And my fiancé... where are you? Didn’t you say you liked Sophie a lot? Why aren’t you coming to save me?’

When Little Fatty repeated what he’d overheard to Xu Luo, Xu Luo couldn’t help but chuckle. ”Even in the mud, a lotus can grow unstained,” he said. ”This little girl isn’t a bad person. When this is all over and we’re ready to leave, we’ll just let her go.”

Little Fatty nodded. ”She’s actually really smart. With a bit of training, she could really become a qualified handmaiden!”

Xu Luo just smiled and said nothing. He had no interest in training a young lady from a great family to be a handmaiden.

As Huangfu Chongzhi continued to administer medicine to Su Qianqian, her condition seemed to improve slightly. At the very least, she wasn’t as timid anymore.

Of course, that might have been because she had grown familiar with them...

The little handmaiden, Sophie, also learned that Su Qianqian had ended up this way because she used a forbidden power while resisting people from the Su Family. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for Su Qianqian.

”I don’t know much, and no one ever told me about those things. I only knew that Sister Celestial Lady was highly valued by the Patriarch, but I never knew he would make such a decision. If it’s true, then I’m very disappointed in the Patriarch.”

”Brother Qingyi... as soon as he returned, he was locked up. The Patriarch said he made a grave mistake, an unforgivable one, even more serious than betraying the family. He might even be executed...”

”I was just out having fun when I ran into Su Qinglin. He said he was going to take me to do something really impressive, but in the end, he was killed, WAAAH...”

Over these few days, Sophie had intermittently shared some things about the Su Family. Although the little girl was smart, she was also kind and not at all cunning, saying whatever came to mind.

The news about Su Qingyi still made Xu Luo’s heart clench a little, but he also understood that it had been Su Qingyi’s own choice.

In Su Qingyi’s own words: This is my path!

To this day, Su Qingyi had not crushed the jade slip, which meant he had not yet encountered the most dangerous situation. Or perhaps, even if he were truly facing death, he wouldn’t want to ask Xu Luo for help.

Word of the death of the Su Family Patriarch’s great-grandson finally got out. At the same time, an even more explosive piece of news began to spread.

”The favorite great-granddaughter of a high-ranking Su Family Elder has been kidnapped by Xu Luo! It’s said the entire Su Family is furious and has sworn to settle the score with Beidou’s Eighth Star!”

”That Su Family Princess, named Sophie, is not only the most doted-on great-granddaughter of a Su Family Elder, but she’s also the fiancée of Bai Zhixiang—the sole future heir of the Bai Family, one of the most powerful families of the Ancient Race!”

”Bai Zhixiang is the strongest, and also the most low-key, person among the younger generation of the Ancient Race. Rumor has it his power is already infinitely close to the Saint Realm! And unlike other Bai Family disciples, Bai Zhixiang was established as the sole future heir of the Bai Family from a very young age!”

”The others might have the right to inherit, but in reality, none of them can compete with Bai Zhixiang. His personality is also extremely low-key, and he never shows off his strength. As a result, most people have no idea how powerful he truly is!”

”Even when Beidou’s Eighth Star’s name shook the world, Bai Zhixiang had no reaction and remained in closed-door cultivation. But this time, Beidou’s Eighth Star actually kidnapped his fiancée. Things are definitely going to get interesting now.”

”That’s right, Bai Zhixiang will never let Beidou’s Eighth Star off the hook!”

”A great battle is on the horizon. Perhaps it will be a fight between a dragon and a tiger!”

”Beidou’s Eighth Star’s greatest strength is Arrays. If he’s not given a chance to set one up, then the scales of victory will tip infinitely in Bai Zhixiang’s favor!”

”Beidou’s Eighth Star made an outrageous demand. He supposedly quoted an exorbitant price to the Su Family. If they were to agree, half of the Su Family’s treasury, accumulated over countless years, would probably be emptied.”

”There’s no way the Su Family will agree to those terms!”

”Beidou’s Eighth Star already abducted the Su Family Celestial Maiden, and now he’s kidnapped Princess Sophie. The conflict between him and the Su Family is now to the death!”

All sorts of discussions echoed across the entire Ancient Race Continent.

This time, many people grew excited. Since his debut, Beidou’s Eighth Star had trapped and killed too many experts of the Ancient Race. Now, he had finally provoked a terrifyingly powerful figure.

”Did you hear? Bai Zhixiang has come out of seclusion! He said he’s going to take Xu Luo’s head to calm his fiancée’s fears!”

”Wow, is that true? I’m so jealous of Sophie! With a fiancé like that, she must be the happiest person alive!”

”Bai Zhixiang had a fortuitous encounter in his youth and possesses great destiny. His power is heaven-shaking. Beidou’s Eighth Star is in trouble this time!”

”A powerful Elder from the Bai Family has spoken out, saying that Beidou’s Eighth Star has gone too far. He snatched away two of the Bai Family’s daughters-in-law, one after the other. This is utterly intolerable! The Bai Family will not sit by and watch!”

”Does this mean the entire Bai Family is going to make a move?”

”Heh, they’re just taking advantage of the situation. Don’t forget the saying: ’He who obtains Beidou’s Eighth Star shall ascend to immortality!’” someone summarized the Bai Family’s actions.

”Didn’t you say you were very valuable? But I’m not seeing it. Look, my terms are so simple, yet your family still won’t agree. Doesn’t that just prove that you have no status in their hearts at all!” Xu Luo said, grinning at Sophie.

Sophie shot Xu Luo a look and said irritably, ”You call those terms simple? They’d be fools to agree! With one outrageous demand, you want to empty half the Su Family’s treasury... How could they possibly agree to that?”

”And what about that fiancé of yours? Tell me, just how powerful is he?” Xu Luo asked with a smile.

”Him...” Sophie’s eyes couldn’t help but crinkle into a blissful expression. ”He’s definitely very powerful. He will descend on a Seven-Colored cloud, clad in Golden Battle Armor, and come here to save me! Hmph, you’ll be no match for him!”

As Sophie spoke, she made a face at Xu Luo and stuck out her tongue.

”Is that so? Then when he gets here, I’ll just tell him you’re my woman now!” Xu Luo grinned wickedly, trying to scare Sophie.

Sophie was instantly furious. She glared at Xu Luo. ”You’d be interested in a bean sprout like me?”

”A bean sprout is still a vegetable. After eating rich feasts all the time, trying something light for a change isn’t bad either,” Xu Luo said with a perfectly straight face.

”If you dare do that, I... I’ll...” Sophie grew frantic, her eyes turning red, but she couldn’t figure out what to say.

’Her life was in his hands. What could she do?’

’She couldn’t just go and die, could she?’

”Don’t... bully her.” At some point, Su Qianqian had come to Xu Luo’s side. She grabbed his hand and shook it gently, pleading.