Death… and me

Diwu Qingrou frowned and sank into deep thoughts, "If this person isn't him… Then, in this world, there would be an opponent that I can't match myself with! While indirect strategies are ingenious, straightforward conspiracies are even more frightening! And it makes me feel threatened and terrified."

"Who is he exactly?"

Diwu Qingrou was perplexed. He actually stood in front of the map for the whole morning.

This small courtyard belonged to the Diwu clan. But the Diwu clan had long attached itself to the Zhuge clan. This was why the Diwu clan managed to gain such a small area in recent centuries.

As Diwu Qingrou belonged to the direct line of descent in the Diwu clan, he got to own this small courtyard. What's different from the other areas was that there's no servant in the small courtyard.

This place was entirely owned by Diwu Qingrou himself! In this place, Diwu Qingrou dared not to believe any other person.

So, although he stood here for the entire morning, there was no one who disturbed him. After a long while, he shuddered and recovered from his stupor. He said quietly, "Although I can't understand this… there are definitely some reasons to it, only that I didn't think of it now."

"Everyone thinks that the Nine Tribulations Sword Master is in the Middle Three Heavens now and he can't get up here. So, although everyone is taking precautions now, the defenses are not really ironclad…"

Diwu Qingrou smiled lightly, retreated a few steps and extended his fingers to lightly place it in the South-East direction of the map. His eyes looked deep with significance.

The Xiao clan's territory.

"The Chu clan is here. The Chu clan is only a small clan," Diwu Qingrou gazed at the grain-sized region on the map and muttered, "Flat Mountain Ridge."

Diwu Qingrou quietly looked at this region on the map strangely. After a long time, he muttered, "Before the passageways of the Nine Heavens was closed, the last batch of people who entered the Upper Three Heavens contain the Chu clan's eldest young master and his son… I heard that this son had disappeared for many years. He was finally found this time around…"

He slanted his head and smiled as he muttered, "I heard that the son of this eldest young master of the Chu clan is called Chu Yang… this is really interesting…"

He looked even more perplexed, "From the strange phenomenon of the heaven and earth, this was ignited when the Nine Tribulations Sword Master was comprehending the Nine Tribulations. And that place is very far away from the entrance of the Upper Three Heavens…"

"Since he was comprehending the Nine Tribulations, he wouldn't appear in front of other people. And the eldest young master of the Chu clan wouldn't pull such a person over and recognize him as his own son, then immediately drag him to return to the Upper Three Heavens together. There was definitely no time for this…"

"If the Nine Tribulations Sword Master was in the Middle Three Heavens, and Chu Yang was in the Upper Three Heavens…" Diwu Qingrou said as he groaned and felt his own brain going to explode, "What's the matter? What's exactly the matter?…"

The nine great clans never seriously regarded the small clans that weren't within their own control. In the eyes of the power-holders of the nine great clans, there was really no need to regard these small clans highly.

For those who weren't regarded seriously by the nine great clans, similar attitudes naturally apply to the law-enforcement officers.

So, even the entry records made by the law-enforcement officers before the Nine Heavens closed the passageways contain only the records of people who were within the nine great clans. As for Chu Feiling's return with his son, the record only mentioned vaguely: Chu Feiling from the Chu clan has returned with his wife and child.

Only this sentence.

Everyone who read this had forgotten about this soon after they saw it.

Only Diwu Qingrou was sensitive to the word 'Chu' after he listened to this news, and he secretly investigated this news in detail.

And he realized that this 'child' was actually Chu Feiling's son who had been lost for eighteen years.

Then, Diwu Qingrou inquired about this 'child' again and finally got to know: The missing descent of the Chu clan who was just found is called Chu Yang!

Diwu Qingrou clearly remembered that he dropped the teacup he had in his hands on the floor when he saw the name 'Chu Yang'. The astonishment he had was ineffable. Then, Diwu Qingrou seared this matter deep in his heart!

He was even a bit excited — Is the hope of the Diwu clan really going to be ignited?

But the news that the Nine Tribulations Sword Master was locked up in the Middle Three Heavens made Diwu Qingrou confused once again.

"Should I make a trip?"

Diwu Qingrou raised his head and looked in the direction of the secret base of the Zhuge clan. Then, he suddenly remembered that there was still an extremely important matter waiting for him to manage. This matter had dragged on for a long time, and he hadn't heard any development of this matter. He could not help but frown and mutter, "After this matter ended, I'll go personally to the South-East region."

…

In another place, two persons were scratching their heads in perplexity.

Dong Wushang, Rui Butong.

The duo had followed the law-enforcement officers to come up to the Upper Three Heavens. They had already been here for half a month.

The law-enforcement officers didn't break their promise, and had indeed introduced Dong Wushang a teacher who was a Sword Saint. But after this teacher met Dong Wushang once, he immediately returned to his closed-door training.

The reason was that Dong Wushang had a conversation with the teacher after they met.

The teacher had originally started this conversation in a bid to examine Dong Wushang's capability, but… the result was beyond his expectation.

Sword Saint, "Why do you practice sword?"

Dong Wushang, "Because I like it."

The Sword Saint turned silent.

Dong Wushang didn't speak any further.

Sword Saint, "Where's your sword?"

Dong Wushang, "It's in my hands."

"Not in your heart?"

"No."

"If you don't have your sword in your heart, how do you practice?"

"If I have my sword in my heart, the saber will enslave my heart. If I have the sword in my hands, only then will I be the sword's master!"

…

The Sword Saint sank into deep thoughts and announced that he was going to return to his closed-door training. The conversation thus ended here. Then, with some resentment, pity, regret and melancholy… he left the last sentence, "I'm not fit to be his teacher."

The Sword Saint was actually testing Dong Wushang on his comprehension of saber arts. Why do you practice sword? For the sake of humanity, defence or killing people… any of these would suit his comprehension of sword arts.

But Dong Wushang was a simple person. Amidst his ignorance, he only used a sentence 'Because I like it' to answer the Sword Saint's question.

Yes, anything couldn't match these three words: I like it!

If one didn't like sword arts, even if he was told that the entire heaven would be his should he practiced his saber well, he wouldn't practice. Because he didn't like it!

If one didn't like it, he still wouldn't like it even if he was threatened to die.

So, the simplest answer that Dong Wushang gave was, on the contrary, the purest form of comprehension. Not only the Sword Saint didn't achieve his goal, but he was also punished by the opposite party — although Dong Wushang himself didn't have such intention.

But the Sword Saint clearly felt that he was reprimanded by Dong Wushang: You've long deviated from the original direction of practicing saber! Practicing sword isn't for killing people, nor for defense, nor for the sake of humanity. Because when you started to practice sword, you're only two or three years old.

How would a child who was two or three years old know about murdering or protecting humanity?

Choosing to practice a sword among all other various choices of weapons is just because of an instinctive love for it! Nothing more! As you grew old, you've gradually ornamented this choice.

But, when you moved towards these ornaments, no matter whether they are noble or not… one common point holds without exception: You're already not practicing sword purely for your love for it!

You've turned against yourself! Although you've already become mighty…

Thus, the Sword Saint became silent.

Next, he had originally wanted to make a comeback, so he asked: Where's the saber? Again, Dong Wushang simply said: It's in my hands…

Then, by an extension, the Sword Saint had become a slave of the sword.

The Sword Saint felt he had lost all his face. As he was ashamed, at the same time, he still delivered a shocking blow. So, he scrapped to return to closed-door training.

The law-enforcement officers were shocked.

When Dong Wushang intended to leave, the law-enforcement officers didn't want to let go of him. But that Sword Saint, who was engaging in closed-door training, abolished his one-and-a-half-day training just for the sake of interceding for Dong Wushang.

"Let him go! Only a free sword is then a real one. If he is forced to stay, swords would break!"

Dong Wushang wasn't apprenticed, but he became friends with the Sword Saint. Although this friend of Dong Wushang vanished when he finished saying these words…

So, Dong Wushang, Rui Butong and Mo Lei'er went out of the Law Enforcement Hall.

But, after coming out, Dong Wushang instantly realized he was a bit impulsive in making his decision.

Because gold or silver wasn't valuable at all in the Upper Three Heavens. What was valuable was crystals.

But, the three of them were most lacking of crystals. Although they had brought gold and silver with them, they realized that they were penniless! This feeling was very strange.

But at this moment, Mo Tianji's scheme was revealed.

How would Mo Tianji not know Dong Wushang's temper? So, Mo Tianji deliberately matched an assistant for Dong Wushang: Rui Butong.

Rui Butong had always kept his real capabilities hidden, but… Rui Butong had a prominent identity: the sixth master of Heavenly Armament Pavilion, and a student of Stealing God and Thieving Ghost.

Everyone would know what the Stealing God and Thieving Ghost specialized in.

Rui Butong was indeed capable of stealing. So, as long as Rui Butong was here, even if they had become paupers, it wouldn't be a big deal. Because… they would become rich in the next instant.

In fact, although Mo Tianji had matched these three people at the last minute, it was really a seamless plan.

They'd just arrived and didn't have anything with them. What to do? Steal!

After they had some achievements and got a foothold, there would be another outstanding talent for managing internal affairs: Mo Lei'er. She's a Black Devil. She could keep a huge killer organization well. Dong Wushang only had a little family background, so how would Mo Lei'er not manage Dong Wushang well?

Once the three expanded their foothold and began to develop, Mo Lei'er would turn into a commander.

On the other hand, Rui Butong would naturally be the Finance Minister: How could anyone steal things from him?

Rui Butong was notorious among his brothers for being miserly and greedy for money… second only to Ao Xieyun.

Ao Xieyun was a natural miser, while Rui Butong's miserly character was cultivated…

So, when the three people were together, Dong Wushang's only task was to deal with their enemies at full blast! As long as he was able to blast forward, the other brothers would definitely be behind him to keep his ass clean!

No matter how big a business he could create, the other brothers would definitely manage that business well!

So, not till an hour passed, Rui Butong had wandered about for one round, and when he came back, he had 20 or 30 more blue crystals, and a hundred or so more blue crystals in his pockets.

After three days had passed, Dong Wushang found it difficult to let Rui Butong go to steal again. Thus, he wore a veil on his face and took his brothers and wife to rob directly…