Death… and me

Rui Bu Tong wasn't alone when he arrived at the Mo Clan's residence; he had come with his two masters.

The members of the Mo Clan attached a great deal of importance to Rui Bu Tong's arrival; unlike the arrival of the other young masters.

The young masters who had visited earlier belonged to influential clans. And, they were acting as representatives of their respective clans. So, it was impossible to extract benefits from them. However, the same wasn't true in Rui Bu Tong's case since he and his masters were free birds.

They didn't belong to any clan.

People with such an enormous strength and influence were often treated as subjects of solicitation by the major clans of the Middle Three Heavens. Moreover, it was important to keep good relations with people like the Stealing God or the Thieving Ghost even if solicitation didn't work on them as it could prevent loss of wealth in the future.

Therefore, Rui Bu Tong and his masters were welcomed enthusiastically by the members of the Mo Clan.

The Clan Lord personally came out along with several of the clan elders to welcome their guests, and achieve a cordial connection with him.

However, everyone was left dumbstruck once they heard that Rui Bu Tong had come to visit Mo Qing Wu.

[What the hell is this? Why is an endless stream of people coming to visit Mo Qing Wu?]

The members of the Mo Clan were astonished by this. In fact, even Rui Bu Tong's two masters were very curious to see Mo Qing Wu. [We've never seen our disciple setting his heart on a girl. So, why has he come to see the Mo Clan's young miss?]

[Can it be that our Little Rui has taken a fancy to this clan's daughter?]

It could be said that these two old men had arrived in hopes of meeting their daughter-in-law… A large group of people marched towards Mo Qing Wu's small courtyard.

Rui Bu Tong jumped towards Mo Qing Wu as soon as she showed-up. He was beaming with joy as he started to chat with her.

This didn't surprise the Mo Clan. However, the Stealing God and the Thieving Ghost – the two infamous bandits capable of inflicting havoc upon the entire Middle Three Heavens – were stunned.

The two notorious bandits glanced at each other. They noticed each other's crooked noses. It was clear that they were annoyed.

They had come with the expectation to meet a Heavenly beauty… a fairy bestowed with divine fragrance. However, they couldn't have expected to see a young Lolita; she was so young that even her development hadn't begun yet.

They understood that there was no scope for a 'man-woman' relationship once they saw her. The two old men were visibly disappointed as they had been waiting a while for the day they would get to hug their grandson.

The Stealing God and the Thieving Ghost were sitting on the side with several elders of the Mo Clan. They were watching Mo Qing Wu as she chatted playfully with Rui Bu Tong. This made Mo Qing Wu feel awkward. So, she drew Rui Bo Tong into her room.

A burst of red flashes accompanied by the brilliance of starlight exuded from her head as soon as she stood-up.

Mo Wu Xin quivered with excitement. He stared at the bowknot on her head with rapt attention… He was left startled.

[I certainly wasn't wrong. This beautifully designed bowknot is indeed made-up of Red Cloud Steel and Star Iron. Even the 'Dreaming of a Gentle Dance' Saber is made-up of the same materials.]

[It takes an Emperor-level expert to even chop a chunk of the Red Cloud Steel. Who would be extravagant enough to make a bowknot out of it?]

[It's as delicate as a cicada's wing, and as light as a feather… It would've taken divine craftsmanship to carve such exquisite details.]

[I'm afraid that even a Monarch-level expert wouldn't have been able to achieve a feat such as this.]

Mo Wu Xin went over, and called Mo Qing Wu after Rui Bu Tong and his masters had left. "Little Wu, the bowknot in your hair… who gave you that?"

"Brother Ji Mo gave it to me," Mo Qing Wu blinked as she replied in an indifferent tone.

"What utter nonsense!" Mo Wu Xin got furious, [Ji Mo? Ji Mo of the Ji Clan? I can't possibly be in the dark with regard to our in-laws' wealth and influence.]

[You want to me to believe that the Ji Clan can make such a bowknot? Is this some kind of a joke?]

"It truly was him. He gave it to me when he came to visit," Mo Qing Wu tried to explain as she secretly whispered in her heart. [It was Brother Ji Mo who had brought it to me. But, I'm not going to tell you who had sent it to me…]

"It seems that you don't wish to tell the truth to this old man, do you?" Mo Wu Xin asked in an angry manner.

"Really! I'm telling the truth… "

"Humph!" Mo Wu Xin brushed his sleeve, and left. [Forcing a piece of information out of a little girl doesn't suit my status. But, I'm sure that Ji Mo didn't gift her this bowknot.]

[Each and every member of the Mo Clan can affirm this.]

[The Ji Clan would've rushed to the Upper Three Heavens if they had such an expert.]

"Make sure to tighten the watch on this courtyard. You're not to allow the Young Miss to go out as she wishes. Got it? If anyone comes in, then you must report it to the clan immediately," Mo Wu Xin issued a strict order. He then swaggered away.

Mo Qing Wu bit her lips as she stood motionless in her courtyard. Tears started to well up in her eyes. However, she held them back, [Humph! You people will treat me like a prisoner now?]

[Brother Chu Yang, take me away! You must hurry-up, and pick me. I don't wish to stay here for even a moment.]

*** ***

Gu Du Xing had to confront the mourning face of his foster father – Gu Yun Lan – as soon as he returned to his clan. His foster father used to have lush black hair earlier. But, half of it had turned white by now, and the remaining had turned frosty.

This middle-aged man had lost both his biological sons at the same time. This was indeed an unbearable blow to the Gu Clan's Lord.

"Foster Father! What happened to you?" Gu Du Xing cried out in alarm.

"Oh, Du Xing, you came back… Thank God you're back," Gu Yun Lan heaved a long sigh, and opened his arms to pull Gu Du Xing in his embrace. He then said, "I had gotten so worried when you ran away. I sent a group of people to find you, but they could bring no news related to you. Where have you been all this time?"

"I went to Iron Cloud. I've been staying there since," Gu Du Xing lowered his head as he replied with hesitation.

"I know… I know that you've been suffering. But…" Gu Yun Lan's soul-less eyes looked at the trees on both sides as he said, "Your Sister Xiao Miao's matter has damaged our clan's interests. The consequences were very serious. You must understand."

"I understand… I'll rush to the Sword Emperor's level very soon. Then, I'll save Sister Xiao Miao," Gu Du Xing declared firmly.

"Sword Emperor?!" Gu Yun Lan's body shook as he turned his head, and looked at Gu Du Xing. He carefully observed his adopted son whom he regarded as extremely important. He couldn't help but be surprised, "You, you… have you become a swordsman?"

Gu Du Xing's body was exuding a cold and acute sharpness; it was similar to the clanging sound of a sword being unsheathed. In fact, it was impossible for an ordinary person to stand before him, and endure this acute sharpness.

This was a unique feature of a swordsman.

"Yes, Foster Father," Gu Du Xing replied in a calm voice.

"What's your current grade as a Sword Great Master?" Gu Yun Lan hurriedly asked.

"I'm not a Sword Great Master anymore, Foster Father," Gu Du Xing replied. "I'm now a Fourth Grade Revered Sword Artist… at the peak! I should be breaking through to the Fifth Grade Revered Sword Artist within half-a-month."

"Ss***!" Gu Yun Lan sucked in a breath of cold air.

[It has been less than a year since Gu Du Xing left home.]

[He was only a fifth or sixth grade Sword Great Master when he left, wasn't he? So, he has leapt through ten grades in a matter of a few months!]

[This… how is this possible?]

"You… how did you manage to do that? Which Heavenly treasure did you consume?" Gu Yun Lan asked. [There is no explanation for this… other than a fateful coincidence involving him procuring some kind of 'World Spiritual Item'… His cultivation must've rushed to the peak in one fell swoop after he digested its medicinal efficacy.]

[But, such fateful encounters only exist in legends. Could it truly have happened to Gu Du Xing?]

"I haven't consumed any Heavenly treasure. Instead, I met an exceptionally talented person, and trained under him. This is the reason why my cultivation has been progressing by leaps and bounds," Gu Du Xing replied insipidly.

"So, it was by your own talent and hard work… But, enhancing one's cultivation by ten grades in just a few months… is simply beyond anyone's expectations," Gu Yun Lan exclaimed in excitement as he looked at Gu Du Xing. A bitter yet gratified smile appeared on his face as he said, "It seems that the Heaven has decided to shower mercy on my pitiful self. My Gu Clan will not perish after all."

"Du Xing, you must look after the clan. The clan will be counting on your support from now on." Gu Yun Lan continued, "The funerals of your brothers have only ended a few days ago… "

Gu Du Xing hesitated for a while. He then stated in a resolute manner, "Foster Father, actually… I already know about Gu Yan Yang and Gu Yan Yue's deaths."

"You know about… Gu Yan Yang and Gu Yan Yue's deaths," Gu Yun Lan whispered to himself unconsciously; he kept on repeating the same sentence over and over again. It seemed as if he couldn't believe his own ears. He finally turned his head as his hawk-like gaze landed on Gu Du Xing, "You already know about their deaths?"

"Yes," Gu Du Xing replied in a heavy tone.

"How come you know about that?" Gu Yun Lan's voice had turned icy-cold.

"I obtained the news shortly after they had been killed," Gu Du Xing found it difficult to reply.

"So, you weren't the one to kill them, correct?" Gu Yun Lan let out a breath of relief. "It's fine as long as it wasn't you… "

"The fact that I didn't kill them… doesn't detach me from their deaths… as it was my brother who killed them," Gu Du Xing said in one breath. "He killed them for me. I didn't know anything about it until after it had happened. But, I still didn't wish to keep Foster Father in the dark."

"Your brother?!" Gu Yun Lan's voice seemed to have an intense desire to kill. "I had a thought when they brought your brothers' corpses — Xie Clan's Xie Dan Qiong wasn't famous, but he was still a rising star. So, how could he have dared to kill your brothers? Things shouldn't have escalated enough to cause such a tragedy even if they'd had disputes in the past. But, I see now… The truth is entirely different from my speculation."

"Who is your brother?" Gu Yun Lan asked in a deep voice.

"I can't tell you," Gu Du Xing's facial expression remained firm as he said. "I'm willing to shoulder all the responsibilities; no matter what he has done. Foster Father can kill me right here and right now if he feels wronged in his heart. I would rather choose to die than to betray my brother."

"Good! I admire your sense of loyalty," Gu Yun Lan let out a cold laughter. "Du Xing, do you think that you're all grown-up and ready to spread your wings? Do you think that you've nothing to fear because your brothers are out of the picture, and you're the only one left to inherit the Clan Lord's position?"

"Foster Father, please believe me. I could never have such thoughts," Gu Du Xing lowered his head and said. But then, he looked-up, and added fearlessly, "I've always believed that a real man always bears the responsibility of his actions. Things done can't be undone. It doesn't matter what they are. There's no scope for regret later on. Therefore, I'll undertake all the responsibilities.

"A person must always be upright in their conduct. There's no bending involved in the way of my sword… That has always been my code of conduct. You would've never found out if I had intended to hide the truth from you. There is no evidence to prove what happened. In fact, even Xie Dan Qiong wouldn't have been able to find evidence of his innocence.

"But, I must say that I chose to be honest with you because I didn't wish to deceive you," Gu Du Xing declared. "Who will assume the responsibility for my brother's actions… if I don't?

"I'll have no complaints; regardless of your decision. But, I would happily choose to die over selling my brother out."

Gu Du Xing's forceful voice was backed by a firm and resolute look in his eyes.