Chapter 694 – A Bit Sweet - Part 2

Inside the palace, Tang Aizhu was seated quietly, wearing his face.

As soon as she heard footsteps and saw him pull off the mask, she stood up at once and peeled off the human-skin disguise.

“Master,” she said urgently, “I heard the Divine Sovereign of the Divine Dominion was attacked. The entire nation is in chaos, and we had no word from you...”

“The dominion's ambition lies beyond the mundane.” Li Yuan waved it off.

Tang Aizhu froze, her face turning grim.

“Anyway, I killed him.” Li Yuan added casually. He didn’t give her time to react to that bombshell. “But never mind that. There’s something else I need you to help me with.”

Then he laid out the plan.

Lady Yu was notoriously jealous, but there was no way he was leaving Xie Yu behind. So he would take her away, under the guise of being Tang Aizhu’s sworn younger brother. Once things were stable and secure, then he’d come clean with Lady Yu.

No need to stir up drama when it could be avoided. Dodging trouble didn’t make him a coward, it made her smart.

Tang Aizhu was stunned speechless.

The Liu Clan? A vassal clan under Hundred Sword Sect?

She had to dig through her memory before she even remembered who they were.

How beautiful did this Liu Long have to be, to make Lord Yu go to all this trouble, not only to take her away, but to

marry

her?

Li Yuan seemed to read her thoughts and said directly, “She’s a reincarnator. In her past life, she was already my wife. For us to find each other again like this, it’s fate.”

Tang Aizhu stared at him blankly. “My lord...reincarnation is

real

?”

Neither she nor the other three had ever truly believed the

Lord Yu was reincarnated

story. They’d always assumed it was just a clever tale Lady Yu had cooked up. That this so-called reincarnated young lord was really just some monstrous genius she’d raised in secret, someone using the legend of Lord Yu to act with impunity.

“Of course it’s real,” Li Yuan said firmly. Then he added, “Once I’ve brought Yu’er with me, I want you to start spreading her name.”

His eyes narrowed, a faint glint flickering in the depths, and he pronounced each word with slow, deliberate weight.

“Founder of the Skygale Sect, Xie Yu. Make sure that name gets out. Every single word. No omissions. I want her name echoing across the entire land, north to south, east to west, as fast as possible.”

“Xie Yu?” Tang Aizhu frowned. She hadn’t heard the name before, but the Skygale Sect she certainly had. That sect had intricate ties with the Divine Dominion. Many of the dominion’s Divine Lords and Generals came from the Skygale Sect’s lineage.

“Ohh...” Tang Aizhu finally pieced it together.

Li Yuan flicked her forehead before her mind wandered too far. “It’s all true. Get moving. Confirm this Tang Yuan identity and spread the rest of the information immediately. First thing tomorrow, we leave for the Liu estate.”

Delays led to complications.

And Li Yuan never delayed.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A few days later.

“Tang Yuan? Tang Aizhu’s brother? Never heard of him,” one of the Liu Clan women said, frowning. “My eldest cousin once worked under Fairy Sorrow. He swears she had no family at all.”

“Could it be someone tricking our Long-Long?”

“With how chaotic things are out there, you really have to marry someone with a proper background,” another woman chimed in, one who fancied herself quite the matchmaker. “Look at Young Master Bao, he’s a real catch. Let this one slip and you won’t find another like him!”

Han Qiongniang sat stiffly, each comment making her more anxious. “I’ll... I’ll go ask around some more.”

The matchmaker patted her hand impatiently. “Young Master Bao is deeply devoted to your daughter. He’s already come by for a New Year’s visit. This is the perfect time to seal the match. Qiongniang, I’m telling you, if you keep dragging things out, even a man like him will lose patience..”

“Oh look, speak of the devil! There he is, just now!”

On the upper balcony, a crowd of gossiping women swarmed toward the railing like birds fluttering to the edge of a branch. Peeking through the pine trees and wintergreen, they spotted a dashing young man in white robes approaching with poise and grace.

That young man was orchestrating a group of retainers delivering New Year’s gifts to the Liu household.

All around, the uncles and elders of the Liu Clan greeted him with beaming smiles, engaging in polite chatter with a middle-aged man in luxurious attire.

That man was the patriarch of the Bao Clan, Young Master Bao’s father.

The Bao and Liu families had always been close, with plenty of back-and-forth over the years.

But the Bao Clan held slightly more prestige, which naturally tilted the conversation in their favor, the Liu Clan now playing the part of the eager host.

A tall, thin Liu clansman with a mole near his lip said admiringly, “The White-Robed Sword Gentleman, elegant and dashing as ever. If our Long-Long were to marry someone like him, it’d be a fine match indeed.”

Patriarch Bao gave a tight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Funny. I heard Liu Long ran off to meet a lover recently?”

A slick-talking Liu man in green robes laughed nervously. “Foolish girl! Pure nonsense! The daughter doesn’t know any better, and neither does the mother! Please don’t mind them, Patriarch Bao, ha ha ha...”

Patriarch Bao said coldly, “Tang Aizhu doesn’t have a younger brother. This Tang Yuan is a fabrication.”

“Of course, of course,” a smooth-talking Liu clansmen in green chimed in, chuckling. “That mother of hers came home acting like she was showing off, bragging about this so-called younger brother of Tang Aizhu. Naturally, once we heard the name, we didn’t dare treat it lightly, immediately started digging into it. And guess what? Just like you said, Patriarch Bao. Fake. Completely fake!”

Patriarch Bao snorted. “My son has extraordinary talent in swordsmanship. I want him to settle down early, to keep his mind focused on martial arts. You’d better speak to Liu Long’s family. Once she’s married into our household, she needs to stay in her place, manage the home, support my son, and nothing more. If she has a bit of temper, best rein it in.”

He stood with his hands behind his back, posture proud and arrogant.

To him, Liu Long’s reputation as the Swift Sword of Southriver was just a fancy title. Nothing special.

But just then, the sound of commotion echoed from afar, raised voices, sharp and urgent.

“Liu Long! Patriarch Bao is here, and you’re still hiding inside? Don’t you know how to behave? What did your parents teach you?” a stern voice rang out, one of the Liu elders.

A second later, the clash of weapons rang out, sharp and sudden. Then a clear metallic chime echoed.

KLANG!

The sound sent a ripple through the Liu estate.

Swordsmen from the family guard rushed forward, tense and ready for battle.

The Bao and Liu elders paused their discussion and hurried toward the disturbance, joined by the gaggle of gossiping aunties from the upper floors.

And there Liu Long was, surrounded by guards. She was dressed in flowing crimson robes, a long sword in hand.

Her red sleeves danced in the wind, her blade gleaming cold and sharp.

“How dare you!” one elder roared. He turned toward Han Qiongniang with a furious glare. “Is

this

how you raised your daughter?”

But then, his eyes drifted to the man slumped on the ground.

It was Liu Bao, a skilled fighter within the clan, better known in the martial world than Liu Long herself.

Yet he had been soundly defeated.

Worse, he looked

afraid

.

As soon as that realization hit, the Liu guards surged forward to surround her.

Han Qiongniang was already panicking, rushing ahead, but before she could say a word, the crimson-robed swordswoman lifted her chin, eyes like frost as she swept a gaze across the courtyard.

Then she spoke, cool and unshaken, “Have any of you heard of the Hundred-Battle Sword Sovereign?”

A hush fell over the crowd.

The Hundred-Battle Sword Sovereign was an elusive, almost mythical figure of the martial world, known throughout the north and south. Always masked, this martial artists had challenged the greatest swordmasters across all sects and schools and never once lost.

Once, a sect leader who had been publicly defeated by the Sword Sovereign flew into a rage and hired assassins to ambush them.

The result was every last assassin dying. The sect leader was found dead in his own home.

Among martial artists who had not yet reached the transcendent realm, the Hundred-Battle Sword Sovereign was unquestionably at the top. In fact, their Stormgale Sword was ranked eleventh on the Jianghu’s Legendary Skills list.

And now...the Hundred-Battle Sword Sovereign was standing right in front of them.

The Stormgale Sword moved like a raging tempest, swift, overwhelming, and utterly suffocating. A legend of the martial world, undisputed and untouchable.

Yet, no one knew who this legend truly was.

All they knew was that the Sword Sovereign was utterly

devoted

to the sword, as one might be to a lover.

And those eyes, glimpsed from behind the mask, only ever softened when they gazed upon a sword.

Before anyone could respond, Xie Yu opened her mouth.

“I am the one you speak of.”

Her voice fell, and silence swept through the courtyard like a cut from a blade.

She reached behind her with her left hand and unhooked the mask that had somehow appeared at her waist. With graceful, practiced motion, she lifted it and pressed it to her face, the iconic mask of the legendary Sword Sovereign.

Then she said quietly, “To the elders of the Liu Clan, don’t do anything foolish.”

On the ground, Liu Bao’s voice trembled. “It’s her...her sword was too fast. She really is the Hundred-Battle Sword Sovereign. It’s her!”

No one in the Liu household said a word.

Then, from the side, Patriarch Bao burst into laughter, loud and mocking.

“Well, the Hundred-Battle Sword Sovereign’s made quite a few enemies. Looks like the Liu Clan’s in for a storm of trouble.” He turned and said to his son, “Let’s go. We shouldn’t have come today.”

The Liu Clan was left dumbfounded, unsure of how to react.

It had all happened so fast.

One of the elders stared at Xie Yu, disbelieving. He simply couldn’t accept that the girl who’d grown up right under their noses, the quiet, well-mannered Liu Long, was the famed, fearsome Sword Sovereign.

Xie Yu didn’t bother explaining. She simply turned and walked back inside.

She had someone waiting in her heart. A man who, in his past life, was the greatest of his era and now ruled the Tang Clan.

So why keep hiding?

She would wait for him here.

That evening, the head of the Liu Clan personally came to speak with Xie Yu. Their conversation was private and brief. Afterward, he quietly left.