Chapter 739: The Divine Sword Can Fell Stars
Chapter 739: The Divine Sword Can Fell Stars
After piecing together the full story, Xu Bai did not rush to make a commotion.
Instead, he first notified the Tianliang Province Garrison Command, sealed off Mount Wuliang, and had Fu Xingchi and the other two taken into custody. Then he held his position and waited for City Lord Nangong Shirong to return.
His superior had given specific instructions before leaving. A subordinate's duty was to follow them.
Besides, the disappearances at the Wuliang Wall over the years were not entirely unconnected to his superior.
Before becoming the City Lord of Tianliang Province, Nangong Shirong had served as Commander of the Tianliang Province Garrison Command. For an incident this large to occur in his jurisdiction without his notice...
If someone chose to attack him publicly over it, the charge of dereliction of duty would stick no matter what he said. Nangong Shirong had only just risen to City Lord, and his position wasn't stable yet.
He had climbed to power by stepping on Xiang Rongxin, and had offended many people in the process. One careless move, one exposed weakness, and a coordinated assault from every side could drive him out of the City Lord's seat before it warmed under him.
As his trusted confidant, Xu Bai had to carry that burden alongside him.
Xu Bai secretly copied the files on the missing-persons cases, then went to the Administration Hall to receive Guan Xingxiu, who had come once more to demand an accounting.
Xu Bai had met Guan Xingxiu in Lanlin Province in his past life. Back then, the man had looked slovenly and worn. Now he stood like a drawn sword, making no attempt to hide the edge he projected.
"Greetings, Senior Guan..." Xu Bai said, cupping his hands in salute.
"Any news on Changge's whereabouts?" Guan Xingxiu's eyes narrowed as he studied Xu Bai's face. His originally aggressive tone had softened somewhat.
"We've found clues. I believe we can give you an answer soon," Xu Bai said, neither servile nor overbearing.
"Your efficiency is so poor that in Tianyu Province, you'd already have been dismissed and investigated," Guan Xingxiu said with a cold snort.
Xu Bai lowered his head and said nothing.
"I'll give you seven more days. If there's still no result by then..."
A golden flying sword shot out and hovered above the Administration Hall.
"Don't blame me for being impolite," Guan Xingxiu said, his tone icy. His figure began to fade.
He left only the small golden sword behind, radiating a chilling murderous intent.
The Falling Star Divine Sword...
The almost tangible killing intent pricked at Xu Bai's skin, forcing him back a step. He looked up at the golden sword hovering overhead, and seemed to see a vision: a single blade arcing into the sky, and a shower of stars falling in its wake.
This sword was not unfamiliar to him.
In his past life, when he had traveled with Huangfu Song to Lanlin Province to build the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array, they had borrowed this very Falling Star Divine Sword to suppress the province's unruly local cultivators. At that time, Guan Xingxiu had fallen to the Spirit Transformation realm, but with this golden sword in hand, they had travelled unimpeded. Even Dao Unity cultivators had given it a wide berth.
That alone spoke to how extraordinary the Falling Star Divine Sword was.
Now, looking up at it, Xu Bai felt no anger. He studied it instead.
This sword is no weaker than those held by the elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect. No wonder Guan Changge admired it so much.
Feeling the incomparably sharp aura emanating from it, one that seemed determined to cleave through all things, Xu Bai's mind sank into contemplation.
Some time later, Nangong Shirong's voice, laced with anger and wariness, startled him back to himself.
"That old bastard goes too far. If I weren't so outmatched..."
Xu Bai pretended not to hear the rest and cupped his hands in salute. "You've returned, Sir."
"No wonder Old Guan came charging in here like a house on fire the moment Guan Changge ran into trouble, demanding an accounting. Turns out that boy is the son of his old flame." Nangong Shirong waved a hand, signalling Xu Bai not to stand on ceremony, and dropped into a seat. Schadenfreude colored his voice.
"So Guan Changge is Guan Xingxiu's illegitimate son?" Xu Bai asked, a flicker of understanding crossing his face.
Nangong Shirong's next words caught him off guard. "No, there's no blood between them at all. Just a tired old story of unrequited love. Old Guan looks like a cold-blooded killer, but underneath he's a sentimental fool. Even after his old flame married someone else, he never forgot her, and he's doted on her son ever since. He loved the house and the crows on its roof, so to speak.[1]
"If I hadn't gone to see Immortal Venerable Jicheng, I never would have learned any of this." Nangong Shirong's tone carried a knowing smirk.
Xu Bai listened in silence, his face giving nothing away. The jabs traded between Dao Unity Immortal Venerables were not something a minor Nascent Soul cultivator like him had any business wading into.
Immortal Venerable Jicheng, Chief Commander of the Myriad Immortals Alliance's Garrison Command. In my past life, he died early, withered away by a curse during the war against the Five Elders Council. In this life, he's still alive and well, firmly in control of the Garrison Command. Judging by Nangong Shirong's tone, the two of them go back a long way.
"Once that old bastard Guan Xingxiu gets riled up, not many can stand in his way. He might not even spare Immortal Venerable Jicheng's feelings. We'd best clear this up quickly. How's the search for Guan Changge coming along?" Nangong Shirong finished muttering to himself and got to the point.
Xu Bai gave a detailed account of the disappearances he had uncovered in Tianliang Province over the years.
"The Wuliang Wall?" Surprise flickered across Nangong Shirong's eyes, as though something had stirred a memory. "Who else knows about this besides you?" he pressed.
"I haven't told a soul, Sir. I've been waiting for your return," Xu Bai said firmly.
Nangong Shirong looked deeply satisfied. "Good. The previous disappearances never happened. This is an isolated incident, nothing more. The last thing we need is people drawing baseless connections.
"You're coming with me to the Wuliang Wall. Let's see if we can fish that boy Guan Changge out of there." Nangong Shirong gave the order.
"Understood!"
Soon, Nangong Shirong arrived at the base of Mount Wuliang, bringing only Xu Bai and three other Nascent Soul cultivators he trusted with his life.
The mountain's smooth, polished surface showed no images now.
They kept their distance and observed from afar.
Nangong Shirong's gaze grew distant, as though lost in an old memory. After a long moment, he spoke in a low voice.
"This Wuliang Wall... I came here once, back when I was still a Nascent Soul cultivator. I had an encounter here too."
The other three Nascent Soul cultivators said nothing. It was Xu Bai who finally spoke, a note of surprise in his voice. "Sir, do you mean you also once saw something strange on this wall?"
Nangong Shirong chuckled softly. "It wasn’t that I saw it. I was trapped inside this Wuliang Wall myself.
"But I broke free quickly, so I wrote it off as an illusion born from contemplating the Dao. In all the years since, I never heard of anyone else going through the same thing, so I let the memory fade."
1. 爱屋及乌 (ài wū jí wū) It means that when you love someone or something, you come to love everything associated with them, even things you would normally dislike or ignore. ☜