Firmament Sword

”There’s no need to rush. The internal situation at Celestial Brilliance is tense right now, and the Sect Leader is keeping a close eye on things. The Wang Family probably won’t dare to act rashly at a time like this. Regarding this matter... I think I’ll wait until after the annual competition to make a decision,” the old man said.

”Grandpa, are you waiting to see... who will come out on top between Luo Tian and Jin Ming?” Lu Qi asked.

The old man shook his head slightly and said calmly, ”Whether Jin Ming wins or loses isn’t actually important. From any perspective, Jin Ming... with the support of the Jin Family behind him... is a more suitable ally for us than Luo Tian!”

”But the Jin Family... they won’t care about us!” Lu Qi said.

”It’s true the Jin Family won’t care about us. But Jin Ming... he most certainly will!”

A look of profound wisdom filled the old man’s face as he said, ”If Luo Tian had never appeared in Celestial Brilliance, Jin Ming might not have paid any mind to our Lu Family. At that time, plenty of people were willing to pledge their allegiance to him.”

”But now... because of Luo Tian, many who originally planned to align with Jin Ming are starting to hesitate.” The old man smiled faintly. ”It’s easy to add flowers to a brocade, but such a gift is never cherished. It’s difficult to deliver charcoal in a snowstorm, but that kind of help sinks deep into one’s heart and is never forgotten.”

”If that’s the case, then why, Grandpa... did you still have me go say those things to Luo Tian?” Lu Qi asked.

”There are two reasons. First, I was looking for a scapegoat. If he had actually agreed to our proposal, he would have inevitably come into conflict with the Wang Family. When a conflict erupted between them, we wouldn’t have had to do a thing to sit back and reap the spoils.”

”At the same time, it would have served as a pledge of allegiance to Jin Ming.”

The old man’s eyes narrowed, a sharp glint within them. ”The conflict between Jin Ming and Luo Tian is already nearly irreconcilable. Therefore, if we had succeeded, we wouldn’t just be ’delivering charcoal in a snowstorm’—we’d also be helping Jin Ming eliminate a huge headache. Don’t you think... Jin Ming would have been deeply grateful to our Lu Family?”

”You’re brilliant, Grandpa! So... what’s the second reason?” Lu Qi asked, looking at his grandfather with open admiration.

Although the Lu Family was small, it had made great strides under his grandfather’s leadership. Including his grandfather, they now had three Supremes!

In Lu Qi’s eyes, his grandfather was not only a true warrior but also a brilliant sage, one who could lead the Lu Family to an even more glorious future.

”The second reason is that I’ve long suspected Luo Tian is the person from Baihua City... who auctioned the Nether Flower Seed! And based on the information you brought back, that’s all but confirmed!” The old man sneered. ”What’s more, it’s highly likely that the legacy Wanghai was after... was also taken by him!”

”How? That can’t be possible, can it?” Lu Qi asked, completely baffled. He wasn’t stupid, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out how Luo Tian had given himself away.

”When he saw your face, did he look surprised at all?” the old man asked.

Lu Qi shook his head. ”No. But doesn’t that just prove he doesn’t know me?”

”You’re wrong. The fact that he wasn’t surprised proves he *has* seen you before!” the old man sneered. ”The way you look now... any normal person would be startled to see you!”

Lu Qi fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly and said with resignation, ”You’re right. This face of mine... if you look closely, it’s not much different from a corpse’s.”

”You don’t need to be upset. As long as you properly cultivate the Cultivation Technique passed down to you by that Lord Divine Beast, you will one day become a top-tier expert. When that day comes... who will care what you look like?”

The old man’s voice softened as he continued, ”He saw you, yet he showed no unusual reaction. This means he has seen you before. He must have been inwardly shocked but forced himself to remain calm. Otherwise... you could have identified him as the man from Baihua City right then and there!”

”Okay... I understand that part. But Grandpa, why do you say he’s the one who took Wanghai’s legacy?” Lu Qi asked.

The old man said, ”When you spoke of the history between you and Wanghai, he hardly said a word before you moved on to other topics, correct?”

Lu Qi nodded. ”That’s how it was.”

”That’s it then!” the old man said. ”The reason he said nothing about your history with Wanghai is because he completely believed your story! And why would he believe you?”

The old man paused, looking pointedly at Lu Qi.

A look of sudden realization crossed Lu Qi’s face. ”I get it! The reason he didn’t question my history with Wanghai is because he’s the one who took his legacy! He was there, he knew what happened, so... he didn’t need to ask me any questions. He only needed to verify a few details to know I wasn’t lying!”

As he spoke, Lu Qi looked at the old man with awe. ”Grandpa, you’re incredible! To be able to deduce all this!”

”It comes with experience. As long as you’re experienced enough and pay close attention to detail, you’ll find... you can get to the truth of many things by peeling back the layers,” the old man said with a slight smile. ”Normally, when hearing about your history with Wanghai, especially the part about the legacy, anyone... would ask a few follow-up questions, if only out of sheer curiosity.”

”Because no Martial Artist could possibly be indifferent to a powerful, ancient legacy!”

”There’s another key point here you might not have considered. Let me give you a hint... the Xie Sisters!”

Having said this, the old man opened his eyes and gazed at Lu Qi.

”The Xie Sisters?” Lu Qi’s brow furrowed slightly. A look of confusion first crossed his bloodless, pale face, but it was quickly replaced by delight. ”I’ve got it! First, the Xie Family and the Wang Family are at odds! So, if it means striking a blow against the Wang Family, the Xie Family would certainly spare no effort!”

”Then, the Xie Sisters... somehow found out that Wanghai was searching for that legacy and took note of it.”

”Assuming Luo Tian is the mysterious person from Baihua City, then we have Xie Yudie, the noble lady of the Xie Family. She’s obsessed with flowers and was dead set on obtaining the Nether Flower Seed! So, she would have certainly contacted that mysterious person.”

”Even though Wanghai managed to get the Nether Flower Seed by leveraging the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden, who’s to say... there was only one seed to begin with!”

Lu Qi grew more and more excited as he spoke, feeling as if he were uncovering the truth. ”After the Xie Sisters made contact with the mysterious person, they must have obtained a Nether Flower Seed. Then... to get revenge on Wanghai and strike a blow against the Wang Family, they told that mysterious person—Luo Tian—about the legacy!”

”If that’s the truth, then... everything makes perfect sense!”

”Luo Tian is the mysterious person from Baihua City who auctioned the Nether Flower Seed, gaining immense wealth and the right to enter Celestial Brilliance. He also snatched Wanghai’s legacy, and his current meteoric rise in Celestial Brilliance is, in all likelihood, thanks to that very legacy!”

”No wonder... No wonder a Heritage Clan like the Xie Family would show such favor to someone like Luo Tian, who has no backing. It turns out... they knew the truth all along!”

At this, Lu Qi froze, stunned. He muttered, ”If we could get our hands on Luo Tian’s wealth and that legacy... wouldn’t the Lu Family’s fortune be made?”

The old man watched Lu Qi with an approving gaze, immensely proud of his grandson’s insight. He nodded. ”Exactly... That’s why I had you go and probe Luo Tian. The reason I didn’t tell you everything from the beginning was that I was afraid you’d give the game away. Heh heh, just as I thought. That Luo Tian would never in a million years have guessed that we weren’t trying to join him, but were sounding out his secrets!”

”So what’s next...?” Lu Qi asked, looking at his grandfather with excitement.

”Next... we find a way to let Wanghai know,” the old man said with a smile, ”that Luo Tian... is the mysterious man from Baihua City, the one who stole his legacy! I’m sure the now half-mad, half-crippled Wanghai won’t disappoint us!”

Lu Qi nodded forcefully. ”Leave it to me! I’m certain... Wanghai will be thrilled to learn who stole his legacy. Then... he’ll definitely try to kill Luo Tian. It would be perfect if they could fight to the point of mutual destruction!”

”If Luo Tian kills Wanghai outright, that would be even more perfect!” the old man added with a chilling smile. ’If you won’t take the bait... I’ll force you to bite!’

”Knowing Luo Tian’s temperament, he’s more than capable of doing it. If he really does kill Wanghai, things will get very interesting. The Wang Family would probably no longer have the energy to cause trouble for us,” Lu Qi said excitedly. ”Besides, Senior Brother Jin Ming... I’m sure he would also love to see such a development.”

”Exactly. Then, when the time comes, while they’re locked in a life-or-death battle... we’ll seize the opportunity to fan the flames from the shadows a little. Heh... And then, heheh.” Lu Qi couldn’t help but chuckle darkly at the thought.

A satisfied expression also appeared on the old man’s face, though his heart held a trace of regret. His grandson, after all, was no longer truly human and would never be able to become the Patriarch of the Lu Family.

’But... letting him become a powerful, hidden pillar of support from the shadows wouldn’t be so bad either!’

The great weight that had been pressing on the old man’s heart was finally lifted. He couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief and mutter, ”To think... the key to breaking this stalemate would turn out to be this young man. He is truly a great benefactor to our Lu Family!”

A cold glint also flickered in Lu Qi’s eyes. He felt not a shred of guilt. On the contrary, the thought was deeply satisfying.

Although he had no real grudge against Luo Tian, his own monstrous, inhuman state stood in stark contrast to Luo Tian... who had become a dazzling new star throughout Celestial Brilliance. Deep in his heart, he felt an overwhelming jealousy.

’Luo Tian... I bet you’d never imagine an arrow like this being shot at you from the shadows, would you?’ Lu Qi thought, a smug smile involuntarily spreading across his pale face.

Neither the old man nor the young one noticed the figure standing silently as a ghost just outside their window. Not a single one of the guards outside had detected his presence.

The grandfather and grandson inside the room were utterly oblivious!

Only after the grandfather and grandson had finalized all the details of their plan did the figure drift away, vanishing into the night in an instant.