Death… and me

The Middle Three Heavens… the Mo Clan…

Mo Qing Wu's small body was curled-up as she sat in front of the doorsteps. Her small hands were holding her cheeks, and her saddened eyes stared blankly into the distance; a worn-out scabbard was nestled in her bosom.

"Hah…" she sighed sadly. She had heaved a deep sigh in spite of her tender age; it indicated the vicissitudes that she had seen in her life.

Mo Qing Wu felt as if her entire world had changed.

Everything that she had known so far in this lifetime was in the past.

The present situation seemed to have changed beyond recognition.

[Those elixirs have been reduced by a dozen layers. Moreover, I can't find even one of those purple crystals which are considered to be priceless treasures when it comes to providing auxiliary aid to cultivation.]

[The elders of the clan would often come to meet me in the past. They would urge me to progress faster in my martial arts cultivation. There was always a gentle smile on their faces as they coaxed me into taking breaks and playing in between the practice sessions. But, no one comes to visit me anymore…]

[Father would hug me whenever we met in the days gone by. It was so much fun getting lifted-up in the air. I still haven't forgotten his heartfelt laughter. But, it's all in the past now… I haven't even talked to him in several months. ]

[We did meet once in a while, but those encounters were always rushed and hasty. He would heave a sigh whenever he would see me. After that, he would leave immediately. It seemed as if he was trying to escape from something. ]

Mo Qing Wu's fragile heart had started to become cold owing to all these reasons.

[Maybe Father doesn't like me anymore… Is it because my Three Yin Meridians are crippled?! ]

[But, am I no longer his daughter because my Three Yin Meridians are damaged? Wasn't I his Xiao Wu? Why did this have to happen? ]

[Are the Three Yin Meridians truly that important? Are they more important to him than his own daughter?]

[It's impossible for a cripple to contribute to the clan when it comes to a clan's strength and influence. So, does that mean I'm worth nothing in the eyes of the clan?]

[Am I of no value anymore…?]

Big drops of tears dripped from Mo Qing Wu's eyes as these thoughts crossed her mind.

[I don't want much… I just want Father to hug me and kiss me… I want to smile in my parents' arms once again. No, I want to cry for a while instead… just to feel the warmth of their embrace once again.]

[But, no one wants to hug me anymore.]

[Am I of no use to this clan…?]

She suddenly remembered the conversation between her parents that she had eavesdropped on, and felt an intense heartache as a result.

"The way Xiao Wu is nowadays… won't you console her? She's so young… How will she bear this?" her mother had said in a blaming tone.

"She'll have to bear this one day… even if she can't bear it now," her father's voice had ended with a long sigh. "It's true that no one can withstand falling all the way from the pinnacle. But, it'll become even harder and more unbearable for her when she grows up if she can't accept it now. So, we must teach her to accept the reality. Otherwise, it'll be harmful for her in the long run if we pamper and console her right now."

"Is there no hope for Xiao Wu's future…?"

"…" her father had sighed profoundly. Then, he had said, "Let's wait and see what happens. Let's hope that there's a clan that'll be willing to visit us with a marriage proposal for her…"

After that, her mother had started to sob. The mother's whimpers had reflected her sadness over her daughter's future prospects.

"A clan willing to visit us with a marriage proposal…" Mo Qing Wu was extremely young, but she had grown-up in a big and respectable clan. So, how could she have not understood the meaning behind this sentence?

[So, I've now been reduced to a mere tool for my clan to form an alliance through marriage?]

Mo Qing Wu's heart turned icy-cold.

[Second Brother doesn't come to see me either. He just sends people to deliver small gifts and toys from the Cang Lan Battlefront.]

All those little items had occupied her entire bedroom.

[But, I don't want all this stuff. I don't want it at all. What I want is my family's affection.]

Mo Qing Wu shouted in her heart. Her sorrow seemed to be incomparable.

All the gifts sent by Mo Tian Ji had been abandoned by her. They now lay stacked in a corner – like shabby and worn-out shoes.

"There's only one person in this world who perhaps still cares about me and loves me despite what I've transformed into." Mo Qing Wu held the worn-out scabbard in her bosom, and pressed her face against it.

"Qiao Qiao, you know that, don't you?" Mo Qing Wu whispered softly. "Brother Chu Yang is the only one who truly loves me and who would never turn his back on me like everyone else… "

"I wasn't aware of it back then. But, my Three Yin Meridians had already been crippled by the time I first met Brother Chu Yang. However, he still played with me every day, and told me all kinds of stories. He even sent a saber for me. I can tell by looking at it that it's an exceptionally good saber…

"Humph! Everyone had racked their brains to find a way to snatch that saber away from me." Mo Qing Wu chuckled as a proud smile appeared on her face. "But, no one knows that the saber everyone was willing to fight and kill over is nothing more than a toy that Brother Chu Yang had gifted to me."

"Brother Chu Yang, I truly miss you…" Mo Qing Wu's heart palpitated as she stared into the distance, and murmured in a weak voice. "I don't want to stay here anymore. I don't like it here even though this place… is my home."

"Young Miss, please go back to your room. It's cold outside." A maid walked over softly and quietly. She then said.

"Ah." Mo Qing Wu wiped her tears, and stood-up; she still held the scabbard close to her heart. Her face had turned expressionless. The bitter experiences that she had recently gone through had brought about a big change in her frame of mind.

[I won't allow others to see me cry even if I do… since no one cares about me anyway. My sadness will stay hidden in my heart. ]

[I won't allow anyone to make fun of my tears.]

[I'll cry to my heart's content when I see Brother Chu Yang the next time…]

The atmosphere inside the Mo Clan had been very depressing over the past few days. There was a place called 'Martial Arts Study and Training'. It belonged to a variety of deemed clans. However, it had started to experience violent movement ever since the Cang Lan Battlefront had undergone dramatic changes.

The seal had been split open.

The Cang Lan Battlefront was home to a myriad of spirit beasts. Their fur, pelts, and cores were circulated throughout the Middle Three Heavens as merchandise.

Moreover, the Cang Lan Battlefront was a place where human beings couldn't survive. People would enter this region in search of required things. But, they would complete their tasks quickly and hurry out every time.

The main source of income of various major clans came from there. Moreover, the Cang Lan Battlefront was the best touchstone to discipline the young juniors of the clan. However, these young juniors weren't supposed to venture deep into the Cang Lan Battlefront. They could only go there to challenge ordinary spirit beasts, hunt them down to hone their martial skills, and earn resources in order to increase their family's fortune.

It was the perfect place to gain fame and prestige for the young disciples.

This wilderness had been abandoned for thousands of years. This made it a home to numerous medicinal herbs. And, these medicinal herbs were greatly desired by all the clans.

However, the seal had recently been broken. And, no one would've imagined in their wildest dreams that the first ones to come out of the broken seal would be the people from the infamous 'Three Stars Divine Clan'.

They were the so-called mortal enemies of humanity from over ten-thousand years ago.

They occupied a large area right after they stepped out of the broken seal. Then, they used their innate instinctual skills to urge the spirit beasts. This induced the formation of several territories within the bounds of the Cang Lan Battlefront. All of these territories were different from each other, and kept to themselves.

However, they would rally together, and launch an attack whenever a human being entered the Cang Lan Battlefront.

This was similar to a group of undisciplined and unorganized spirit beasts getting transformed into a well-trained army.

Moreover, these territories were gradually expanding the boundaries of the Cang Lan Battlefront. And, this was a very serious matter for the various major clans of the Middle Three Heavens.

The major clans continued to endure this for a while. However, they finally agreed to issue the mobilization order after the New Year's Eve. They ordered the immediate return of their external personnel, and asked them to rush towards the Cang Lan Battlefield as fast as possible.

*** ***

Inside the Continent Centre Citadel of the Great Zhao in the Lower Three Heavens…

Chu Yang and Gu Du Xing had been staying inside their den for a while now. In fact, they hadn't shown any signs of moving from there. Both of them were assimilating the gains that they had received from their recent trips.

Gu Du Xing had managed a breakthrough, and finally become a Fourth Grade Revered Sword Artist two days ago. He had taken a solid step forward with this breakthrough.

Chu Yang wasn't far behind either. The Nine Tribulations Sword had absorbed the remaining efficacy of the medicines from his meridians after robbing the Great Zhao's imperial palace. This had pushed him towards the breakthrough. And, he soon became a First Grade Revered Martial Artist.

Sword Spirit had tried its best to suppress both the Sword Edge and the Sword Point. However, both of them had managed to join forces. They had released a wild and ferocious hurricane. Chu Yang had already become a First Grade Revered Martial Artist by the time Sword Spirit was finally able to stop them.

Sword Spirit felt like crying after facing such a result. However, it didn't have any tears.

After all, the quantity of the remnants of the medicinal efficacy was too high.

The place where they were residing wasn't too far from the Heaven Reaching Tower. Therefore, they could keep tabs on the various activities and movements within the Heaven Reaching Tower. The Young Masters had gone to the Prime Minister's manor as they hadn't found what they were looking for in the ruins of the Golden Horse Riders Department.

They had put forward the following terms and conditions —

Mo Clan: [As long as the Prime Minister orders the Golden Horse Riders Department to hand over that sword — we would then…so and so…]

Ao Clan: [As long as the Prime Minister orders the Golden Horse Riders Department to hand over that sword — we would then…so and so…]

Xie Clan: [As long as…]

Li Clan: [As long as…]

Tu Clan: [As long as…]

Ou Clan: [As long as…]

All of them meant the same thing. It was, [We would do so and so… if Prime Minister Diwu doesn't order the Golden Horse Riders Department to hand over the sword.]

This was the first time that Diwu Qing Rou had understood how it felt to be beaten black and blue.

The Ao Clan, Mo Clan, and Xie Clan were fairly gentle in their approach, but the Tu Clan proved to be outrageous and unreasonable. Tu Qian Hao had stationed himself inside the Prime Minister's Manor, [I won't leave until you hand it over to us.]

Li Xiong Tu openly commanded his King level guards to exchange pointers with the Golden Horse Riders Department. Each one was supposed to come and 'exchange pointers' before leaving.

[Humph, you don't want to hand it over? Alright. Then, I'll keep bashing you until you do.]

Diwu Qing Rou would've deported them from the manor or would've silenced them by having them executed if they had been ordinary people. However, he was now dealing with the precious Young Masters of the major clans of the Middle Three Heavens. And, they obviously couldn't be treated as ordinary people.

Prime Minister Diwu didn't know how to deal with this.

He had urged Jing Meng Hun several times, [You should hurry-up and find that sword. Then, throw it out. Let them start the dogfight. They can go around barking and biting each other if they want to. I couldn't care less…]

However, Jing Meng Hun felt depressed, [Where am I supposed to find that sword?]

King level leader Jing was also very anxious. But, his only option was to swallow the humiliation, and call his subordinates to help him out with this task. [I can't blame them for destroying my headquarters. Moreover, I must also go and help them in finding the sword.]

The entire mountain had been tossed and turned over – to the extent that it was completely flattened, and the stones had been smashed to powder. This had left a big hole in its place. And, that hole continued to get deeper as the excavation continued for a long time. However, they didn't find anything.

This place would go on to become a stretch of fertile farmland later on. In fact, there would be no soil as delicate and fertile as the soil of this land.

The big hole would become a lake with the passage of time. And, that lake would give birth to a settlement of people. The immediate descendants would call it 'the Dark Moon Lake', and the following generations would change the lake's name to 'the Bright Moon Lake'.

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