Sword Among Us

The four disciples of Sword Sect slowly mentioned their troubling and sad past!

They were originally four rather good disciples in Sword Sect, but one time, when they went out to carry out an important quest, they accidentally lost an important treasure they were supposed to escort in secret.

Since the quest was carried out in high secrecy, only the four of them and a few elders in Sword Sect knew about it, so the matter turned complicated and troublesome.

On their way back to Sword Sect, they found themselves surrounded by members of their sect.

Fortunately, their relationship with the people in Sword Sect was pretty good, so they did not cross swords with them. However, their sect members told them that once the news spread, the great elder of Sword Sect believed that they had leaked word of the treasure or kept it for themselves. They were to go back to Sword Sect to plead guilty for their crimes, and if they resisted, the people sent by Sword Sect had even been given the orders to kill them.

When the four thought about it carefully, they realized that the people from the elder council were probably behind it. They fled and lived off the land for years while they hid their names and searched for news regarding the lost treasure.

Recently though, they suddenly obtained news that the son of a great elder had received the sect master’s recognition and was promoted to become the successor of the inner sect. The reason behind it was because that great elder’s son had retrieved the lost treasure.

There were rumors saying that he had retrieved it from the four’s hands, and when the four heard it, they realized that it had become even more impossible for them to wash away the stain, so the thought of taking revenge took root in their hearts.

Hence, they chose a place to practice their sword formation every day. They wanted to meet the despicable father and son pair in Sword Sect and make them learn a lesson.

“This is something of Sword Sect itself. What use is there in telling me this?”

Happy might pity the four disciples, but when he thought about how the quest involved a person in a high position within a top-class system-allocated sect, he did not feel confident.

The quartet’s faces turned dejected, but one of them collected his courage and said, “Indeed, we should not think about dragging you into this mess, but we know that your name has spread across the lands, and the sects pay a lot of respect to you, Young Swordsman Happy.”

He stopped talking for a moment before he said, “Besides, this treasure is actually related to a great secret within Sword Sect.”

“Hmm?”

Happy’s eyes lit up with endless curiosity. A secret of a great sect was usually a divine weapon or an ultimate weapon, which was a great temptation to any martial artist.

“A few years ago, the secret that Sword Sect asked us to escort was a few pieces of a divine weapon! Young Swordsman Happy, I wonder if you’ve ever heard of the story of Heaven Crystal.”

When Happy heard the name, his heart trembled, and he cried out in surprise. “Heaven Crystal?!”

“That’s right. Many years ago, it once belonged to the Nangong Clan. It later dominated the world of martial artists for a period of time. Heaven Crystal was its name, and it killed many people.”

The four nodded while speaking, and their expressions were filled with excitement. “Some people said that those who get Heaven Crystal can also obtain Heaven Crystal Sword Technique. It contains endless power, and even the gods and spirits avoid it.

“Several years ago, we obtained a request from the sect master of Sword Sect, and he asked us to escort the pieces of Heaven Crystal to the mighty clan in the north. They wanted to use the strength of the Nangong Clan and the mighty clan in the north to repair Heaven Crystal.

“But much to our surprise, we were ambushed by our own people on the way. We managed to survive, but the pieces of Heaven Crystal ended up in the hands of Sword Sect.”

When Happy heard them say that, he suddenly could not hold back from laughing coldly. “What a complicated turn of events. Looks like Heaven Crystal did not return to your elder, but your sect master.”

The four looked at each other, and their expressions were full of dejectedness.

Even though they had thought of what Happy told them, they did not want to admit to it. However, it was fact that Heaven Crystal had been tasked to be escorted by a few disciples even though it was an incredibly important treasure! That was more than a little careless, and it showed that there were plenty of loopholes in the plan.

On top of that, the sect master of Sword Sect did not show any intention of investigating the matter. He just went straight ahead to reward the great elder’s son.

This made the four feel aggrieved and incredibly angry. They wanted to make something burn and vent all the grievance and anger they had suffered over the years!

“What’s the use in you telling me this?” Happy contemplated their words deeply before he said, “Right now, Heaven Crystal is back in Sword Sect. Do you want me to steal it or go up to Sword Sect to kill someone to help you exact revenge? Am I really that simple of a person in your eyes?”

“Young Swordsman Happy, that’s not what we meant. We do not dare to have such thoughts.”

The disciple who had been speaking all the while was a rather level-headed person. He used a heavy sword, and he seemed to be the core of the group.

“We have received more news,” he explained. “It seems like Sword Sect intends to transport Heaven Crystal once more to work with the mighty clan in the north and the Nangong Clan. They want to repair Heaven Crystal.”

Happy was silent for a while before he asked, “Who is the person in charge of escorting the pieces this time?”

“A top-tier fighter in the elder council. I heard that the sect master will be personally leading the group, and he will be staying some time in the mighty clan in the north,” the abandoned disciple of Sword Sect answered. While he spoke, he enunciated his words clearly, and he could not hide the hate in his voice.

Happy stared at him. “So, they really intend to work together this time.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Based on what we understood over this period of time, regardless of whether it is the mighty clan in the north or the Nangong Clan, their strength is no longer as great as before. Even if they work together, they are not Sword Sect’s opponent.

“A few years ago, Sword Sect intentionally used the plan to deceive the public and stall for time. Even though the relationship between the three parties became tense because of it, now that they’ve obtained Heaven Crystal again, they might be certain that the two clans cannot fight against them and want to obtain the Heaven Crystal Sword Technique inside once they used the two families to repair it!”

When Happy heard the abandoned disciple’s answer, he nodded slowly. He finally believed their words.

The eight aristocratic clans were indeed not that strong, while Sword Sect was on par with the six top-class system-allocated sects. They could easily suppress any of the aristocratic families.

However, they gave up on four disciples for a divine weapon. Such a method really disgusted Happy.

“What do you want me to do?” Happy looked the four in the eye and said, “I am not strong. It’d be impossible for me to steal Heaven Crystal. So I wonder, what is it that you wish for me to do?”

The four looked at each other.

The person in the lead then said, “It’s like this. Over the past few years, we have been paying attention to the Nangong Clan and the mighty clan in the north. We have even cultivated a few disciples of our own before placing them at Sword Creation Lake in the mighty clan in the north.

“We’re waiting for the moment when Sword Sect will take action to repair Heaven Crystal. I hope that you can lend us a hand at that time and seize the repaired Heaven Crystal.

“Of course, we are just trying to vent the hate in our hearts. We don’t dare to ask you to show your face. We will be in charge of making a mess of the situation and attracting their attention. Young Swordsman Happy, please take action during the chaos and take away Heaven Crystal.”

“When is the operation?”

“The earliest will be in two months,” the leader answered. “Sword Sect will need half a month to send Heaven Crystal to the mighty clan in the north. And to repair it, they will need at least a month and a half, which is two months later. This is the information we got from the mighty clan in the north. Once they’re done, we will send a letter to notify you.”

‘Two months later. That means it will be very close to the time of the fight I promised One Emperor.’

Happy frowned.

But when he thought about Heaven Crystal, which was the divine weapon that shocked the world in the Legend of Emperors and remembered how it was a weapon at the ranks of Tiger, he felt fire burn in his heart, and in the end, he nodded and agreed to it.