Ch. 17 - Skysword City

“Their identities don’t matter to me,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. “I only care about the outcome.”

Xu Zimo didn’t consider himself a bad person, but he definitely wasn’t a good one either.

He didn’t care about public opinion or how others felt. He simply did whatever he wanted.

When he was in a good mood, he might save strangers. When in a bad mood, he could just as easily slaughter an entire city that had nothing to do with him.

Xu Zimo once heard a story:

A god once asked a demon, “Why is it that when I kill just one person, everyone condemns me…

The demon replied: “Because you’ve saved so many people before, now that you’ve killed someone, they can’t handle the contrast. But I’ve always been a butcher, hands stained with blood. If I suddenly save one life, of course they’ll praise the change.”

It was a story full of irony.

For a good person to become a Buddha, they must suffer countless trials and hardships.

But a bad person? All they have to do is drop their blade, and they’re instantly considered enlightened.

The moment Vastsky appeared, Dark Thirteen felt a strong pressure.

“This one’s a real expert,” he muttered, hands gripping the sword at his waist, body tense and on full alert.

“He’s one of us. Relax,” Xu Zimo said to the others.

The group rode out together. Feng Buyu and the others still couldn’t figure Xu Zimo out, he was far too mysterious. This whole situation was beyond their understanding.

And who was this new man that had suddenly joined them?

By midday, drifting clouds had covered half the blazing sun, and the weather cooled slightly. The group finally arrived at Skysword City.

This ancient city had a history stretching back nearly a thousand years. It stood like a massive beast resting on the land.

From a distance, Skysword City looked like a giant sword piercing the sky, sharp and overwhelming.

Its brown city walls stood dozens of meters tall. Standing beneath them, one could feel an oppressive aura. The silent walls seemed to whisper tales of past glory.

Although the True Martial Sacred Ground ruled over the far west, it rarely managed the individual cities. Most of the time, it acted more like a watcher from above.

Over this western region, there were two major empires: Violet Sun Empire and Azure Wood Empire.

Skysword City was one of the cities under the jurisdiction of the Violet Sun Empire.

As the group entered the city, the bluestone-paved streets were crowded and bustling.

Vendors on both sides shouted to attract customers. Steam still rose from freshly made buns, and the aroma of stir-fried spirit beast meat filled the air from nearby restaurants.

Other stalls sold martial techniques, weapons, and pills.

Xu Zimo had brought along the two Darksky Tiger cubs with him this time.

He and Lin Ruhu each carried one. Stroking the sleeping cub in his arms, Xu Zimo smiled and said, “Let’s find an inn first.”

“Junior Brother Zimo, our sect has a branch in every city. We can head straight there,” Feng Buyu suggested.

Xu Zimo chuckled and said, “The branch in Skysword City might as well not exist. Still, let’s go check it out.”

Just as they were about to head out, they suddenly heard the urgent sounds of galloping hooves nearby.

Xu Zimo looked up to see a luxurious carriage charging through the city gates.

The Stage Two spirit beast, a Snow-Stepping War Stallion, pulling the carriage had clearly gone wild. It trampled over several pedestrians in its frenzy.

The carriage was barreling straight toward Xu Zimo’s group. The panicked coachman shouted, “Move! Get out of the way!”

Feng Buyu narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, bang bang bang, three of his vein gates opened in sequence.

He stepped to the front, hands glowing with a yellow light. He made the first move.

“Meridian Art: Primal Vajra Palm!”

As the crazed Snow-Stepping War Horse charged in, Feng Buyu slid one foot back, grabbed the reins on either side with both hands, and shifted his body slightly to divert the force.

With a twist, the horse’s body buckled and swerved to the right.

Because of the momentum, it stumbled and crashed hard into the ground.

The coachman was thrown out, and the luxurious carriage behind them shattered into splinters.

“Young miss, are you alright?” A squad of black-armored guards rushed over.

The leader was an old man in a black robe that completely concealed his body.

“Ow! That fall nearly killed me!” a young woman’s voice called from within the wreckage.

“Who dared trip up this lady’s precious war horse!?” she shouted, climbing out of the destroyed carriage.

She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, wore her hair in a ponytail, and had on a fine white brocade robe. She radiated spoiled arrogance.

Feng Buyu replied flatly, “It was your prized horse that went berserk and charged at us.”

“I’ll give you two choices,” the girl said, eyeing the group. Her gaze lit up when she saw the Darksky Tiger cub in Xu Zimo’s arms.

“Either you hand over that little tiger to me, or I’ll have my men chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs.”

“What a big mouth,” Feng Buyu snorted coldly. “Skysword City has its own laws. Does the City Lord’s estate just let you people go around killing at will?”

Xu Zimo glanced at Feng Buyu, thinking, This guy clearly knows nothing about how dangerous the world really is.

If you were just an ordinary person, and offended the wrong people, even if they couldn’t kill you in broad daylight, they could still sneak in at night and make you disappear. And who would care?

“City Lord’s estate?” the girl scoffed. “Do you even know who I am?”

“You’re from the City Lord’s family?” Feng Buyu looked around at the black-armored guards now surrounding them and finally caught on.

Meanwhile, the surrounding vendors and residents quickly backed away, whispering amongst themselves.

“Those people don’t look like locals.”

“Judging by their clothes, they’re probably from somewhere important… but unfortunately, they’ve pissed off the City Lord’s daughter. Everyone knows how spoiled Zhong Ling’er is.”

The girl stood with her hands on her hips, full of attitude. “Now that you know who I am, I assume you know what to do next.”

“Hand over the two tiger cubs, and I might consider letting you walk away.”

Comments