He was around seventeen or eighteen years old, clad in cyan clothes, who displayed excellent swordsmanship. Baleful Devil White Ape… That was it. Judging from all the signs, he had to be the maniac killer.
That was really something!
The large inspector with thick black hair had only heard about Ding Hao before, but he never expected that ruthless lunatic to be so powerful. Judging from the previous night’s battle, Ding Hao didn’t seem to have used his best moves, and yet the boy had managed to drive the three-apertured Demon Royal away. The inspector could tell that Ding Hao was even better than the rumors implied.
The inspector made a decision as he considered.
“I have to report this matter to the Holy Palace of Mysterious Frost as soon as possible.”
Ding Hao had single-handedly saved the time-honored Guo City this time. It was a huge contribution and he had to report it. As for the rewards, that would be decided by the Palace seniors.
Moreover, he had also heard that Ding Hao’s background had never been as simple as it seemed on the surface.
It was rumored that Ding Honglei, the chosen girl, had especially gone out of her way to act as an inspector in Snow Province for Ding Hao’s sake. Many insiders in the Holy Palace of Mysterious Frost had speculated that Ding Hao and Ding Honglei might be related. If that was the case, then Ding Hao’s background would be truly terrifying.
The Demon Clan had been making trouble in recent days. The entire Northern Region and even the entire Land of Infinity were becoming increasingly chaotic. Everyone had to plan for themselves.
Given his status as the inspector of the Holy Palace of Mysterious Frost, he also had to make plans in advance.
“What? Did you fight with the mysterious expert last night? You’re really…” The city lord of Guo City flopped onto a big chair and felt cold inside.
Zhu Hong was obediently kneeling on the cold ground in front of him.
The young master of the City Lord’s Mansion had his injured arm wrapped in white gauze; blood seemed to be seeping through the gauze. The once proud and arrogant young city lord looked just like an innocent kid. He didn’t even dare to breathe heavily while keeping a flustered expression.
He had just given an honest report of the things that had happened the day before.
He did not dare to hide anything or make any exaggerations.
“Well, your mother passed away early. All these years, I’ve been taking care of Guo City and spent little to no time educating you, so I feel really sorry toward you. You’ve been acting recklessly in the city and I have been letting things slide. Now, you nearly got into big trouble. Let the cut hand be a lesson to you, and don’t you even think about revenge, or you’ll be doomed once you consider that idea.”
The city lord was hurt during the fight with the Demon Royal and had yet to recover. It was rare to see him looked a little old at the moment.
“Dad, I’ve realized my mistakes. I’ll never dare to think about taking revenge.” Zhu Hong obediently knelt on the ground, looking earnest and sounding genuine.
The city lord nodded as he said, “That’s good to hear. You should bear this lesson in mind from now on. There are always people greater than you out there. If you still act as recklessly as you used to, you’ll finally end up offending someone who even I couldn’t afford offending. The entire City Lord’s Mansion might cease to exist by then. I’ll go look for a great inscription weaponsmith to forge an iron hand for you. You should stay grounded in the yard for one year first, to reflect upon yourself and to cultivate.”
Unlike his old arrogant self, Zhu Hong agreed humbly.
The city lord nodded somewhat in relief as he saw that his son retreated with the guards, looking obedient as if having changed into another person. He believed that he had never slacked at governing Guo City during all those years and had also won its people’s admiration. It was only his troublesome son who had been weighing on him. It would also be a good thing if his son could change himself through this lesson.
The city lord turned to look at the square-faced Master Wu.
“Master Wu, I believe you’ve been in my mansion for ten years.” The city lord looked thoughtful.
Master Wu appeared to feel embarrassed; he hurriedly bowed to say, “Yes. It has been ten years and ten months. You’ve been treating me generously all this time. I was reckless this time, almost getting young master into trouble and making a terrifying figure our enemy. I should be held completely responsible for this… I don’t think I should stay in Guo City anymore. Today, I’m here to ask for punishment and to resign.”
The city lord waved his hand as he smiled. “Please don’t say something like that, Master Wu. You’ve been defending us against demons, teaching guards, and have many other achievements under your belt. It’s my troublesome son who has been troubling you. What happened last night was something we couldn’t have foreseen, so you don’t have to blame yourself for it. And the great expert never made things difficult for you, did he? So please don’t mention anything about resigning again because I won’t accept it. I hope you can stay in my mansion and continue to help me.”
Despite his will to leave, Master Wu decided to stay in the end.
However, he grew even more grateful to the city lord.
While the aftermath was still affecting Guo City, Ding Hao was already hundreds of miles away as he traveled with the Camel Caravan.
They reached Emerald Province through the teleportation space gate early in that morning.
That was a district covered in trees in one of the dozen provinces of the Northern Region.
Hua Huai’an and Gu Shaochu had only learned about the previous night’s events the next day. The two were surprised by the fact that they had slept through it so soundly. It was regretful that they had failed to witness the legendary battle. However, they still wouldn’t have dared to stay for too long in Guo City so they left through the teleportation space gate, one by one.
At noon.
“Why is Xing’er acting like a completely different person?”
Gu Shaochu became slightly surprised by the fact that his proud and willful younger sister, who never took other men seriously, seemed to have changed into another person.
She actually rarely sat on the last carriage and kept hanging around where the nerd Ding Hao was, revealing her feminine side. She even talked in a gentle voice, turning from a savage girl to a graceful lady, acting quite affectionately toward Ding Hao. Gu Xing’er was actually very patient, even though the boy would only reply from time to time.
“What is going on?
“Does Xing’er have a thing about this nerd?
“But that’s impossible!
“My sister has always been too vain, always enthusiastic about martial arts. She once said that the man she would be willing to marry had to be a young genius at the Primordial realm, a real dominating kung fu expert. So all these years, all those sect disciples or rich merchants proposing marriage to her have been cold-shouldered.
“As to those nerdy scholars, she doesn’t even care about them.
“Why did she suddenly change so much overnight, looking like she’s really chasing after the nerd Ding Hao?
That was an unbelievable sight.
“Was it because of Ding Hao’s good looks?”
Indeed, even Gu Shaochu had to admit that the nerdy Ding Hao was truly the prettiest man he had ever come across during his adventurous years.
Moreover, he carried himself elegantly; his masculinity made him look rakish, like an exiled immortal. Any ordinary girl would immediately scream and sink into his charm at the very first sight of him.
“Did my sister finally surrender to the allure of men, even though she never cared about them?
“That makes sense.
“Everyone loves good looks, and few women can resist Ding Hao’s.”
As he thought of that, Gu Shaochu felt both pleasantly surprised and concerned.
He felt pleasantly surprised because his twentysomething and willfully younger sister had finally opened her heart to men; he wouldn’t need to worry about her future marriage anymore. He felt concerned because the nerdy Ding Hao was weak and a mere scholar. He wouldn’t have the strength to decide his fate in the cruel world they lived in, where everyone worshipped power. “If she marries him, will he be able to protect my willful sis who keeps getting into trouble?”
On the way, Gu Shaochu was lost in contemplation.
Many people in the caravan and escort agency also noticed the change in Gu Xing’er, the thorny Black Rose; all of them were dumbfounded at the sight.
“So the Black Rose is into men too!”
Soon, the few days’ trip came to an end.
They were teleported to the Sword Province when the space gate reopened.
For Hua Huai’an, the boss of the Camel Caravan, it was a moment when he could finally heave a sigh of relief.
Except for running into a Blood Demon Wolf and a Double-headed Giant Bear on their first day on the road, their trip had been rarely smooth, without any major problems. Even during their night marches, no demons nor monsters had approached them, either. The situation had been quite strange, as if dangers would avoid them wherever they went.
“It would be good if everything could be as smooth as this on our way back.”
Lights flashed in front of his face. The space gate had finished teleporting them; Hua Huai’an took a step forward and saw something bright.
People’s voices flooded him. The sun was dazzling in the sky and he saw people milling about. Various tall and magnificent buildings stood in the distance; there were four lifelike War God statues hundreds of meters high behind them. They gave out strange pressure, as if they were alive.
That was the Sword Province.
It was the biggest Human Clan city in the Sword Province—Sword City.
It was also home to the biggest sect in the Sword Province—The Extermination Swordsmanship Sect.
Hua Huai’an had been to the Sword Province various times in his many business trips, having stepped out of the space gate again and again; however, he would always feel stunned and excited every time he stood there.
No one could imagine the magnificence and glory of Sword City unless they had been there. The tall buildings that seemed to have been built in the sky, marble boats, waterside pavilions, pavilions with upward eaves, a building floating in the sky, and the massive statues… all of it made this place look almost like a city that would only exist in legend.
Sword City was a famous ancient city in the entire Northern Region, even in the entire Land of Infinity.
It had stood the test of time for almost ten thousand years and had always been protecting the Human Clan. Legend had it that the ancient city sat on one of the eight earth veins related with the luck of the Human Clan in the Northern Region, impacting their fate.
The Extermination Swordsmanship Sect was the sect that owned such a glorious and time-honored city.
