Chapter 232: Hua Guang

Great Lake Region, Great Lake City.

All around are waves; in the center, on one end of a small island seven or eight li long and about three li wide, a cliff a hundred meters high bears a stone fortress that stands tall like a great bird about to spread its wings.

Twenty-four rounds of thousand-zhang False Suns hang high in the dome, illuminating the entire water area.

The great lake is roughly oval, over three thousand li long at its longest and two thousand four hundred li wide at its widest; its deepest waters exceed ten thousand meters, and together with dozens of enormous yin rivers, the lake teems with countless aquatic life.

Seven or eight passages connect to the great lake.

Rather than calling them passages, they are more like river valleys.

Seven or eight large rivers, narrow as tens of meters and wide as three to five hundred meters, surge with whitecaps, howling as they rush in and plunge into the great lake. Along both banks lie beaches of varying width, where rows of crude dwellings have been built.

The stone fortress on that small island is the Lakeside City Garrison Commander's residence, while the scattered houses along those rivers are the homes of the city's ordinary folk, the folk who make a living harvesting aquatic products.

On the small island, by the cliff, a huge long stone slab is placed squarely.

From a small three-legged tripod, thin incense smoke curls; Hua Guang, dressed in a white fur robe, stands beside the stone slab, holding a finely crafted brush, and with full concentration writes stroke by stroke on a large sheet of white paper.

Papermaking.

This is an extremely profound art.

In other great regions of this world, even the most powerful forces still record events on animal hides, but only these great clans of Triple Linked City have inherited the ancient papermaking technique and have passed it down to the present day.

Triple Linked City's specialty is superb white paper that is radiant and pure, snow‑white in color, with a fine, tough texture; it is impregnated with special medicines, making the paper light and thin yet tough and durable, capable of long‑term preservation without insect or rot for hundreds of years.

Because of the papermaking art, the imperial library of Triple Linked City stores a vast number of classics.

Thanks to these classics, the core leaders of the Twelve Executor Clans have all acquired a touch of refined elegance; for example, Hua Guang, who loved calligraphy from childhood, has a flawless regular script that is unrivaled throughout the Triple Linked Region.

Although the number of high‑ranking officials in the Triple Linked Region who excel at regular script does not exceed thirty, Hua Guang's hand is indeed impressive; each character carries a hint of ancient simplicity and turbidity, yet the strokes flow smoothly and splendidly, imbued with a strong literary spirit.

Stroke by stroke, upright and proper.

Tall, handsome, and with a stern, ice‑mountain countenance, Hua Guang earnestly copied the Udumbara Clan's "Ancestral Precepts for Descendants" in full.

Afterwards he set down the brush, examined the dark, lustrous characters on the white paper, nodded in satisfaction, cleaned the brush carefully, and hung it on the rack beside him.

With a satisfied sigh, Hua Guang pointed, and a sheet of white paper six feet wide and three zhang long flew up, hovering upright before him. He stepped back seven or eight paces, hands behind his back, swaying his head as he recited the precepts for descendants word by word.

"Our ancestors possessed great wisdom… but now the clan chiefs and elders, each one, are as stupid as pigs."

Hua Guang sincerely recited his own copied precepts seven or eight times, shook his head, grinned, and his loose silver hair fluttered without wind; countless fine strands of sword intent burst from each hair, slicing the surrounding air with a continuous "hiss."

"Still, what's done is done; that bunch of royal fools from the Great Peacock Dynasty are simply too contemptible."

"But, you fools, you shouldn't have taken up arms personally… especially those clan women who married into the royalty… each one acted so ruthlessly that the Udumbara Clan's reputation is now ruined; among the Twelve Executor Clans, those hostile to our clan are probably the most numerous."

Hua Guang let out a light sigh and shook his head.

"In just a few years, the corruption and decay of the Twelve Executor Clans have become hardly any better than the Great Peacock Dynasty's royal household."

"How many people are there in the Great Peacock Dynasty's royal household? And how many are there in the peoples of the Twelve Executor Clans combined?"

"Can this tiny Triple Linked Region withstand the havoc wrought by so many of you?"

With a point of his finger, the white paper covered in splendid, upright characters was engulfed in flames and instantly turned into a wisp of green smoke.

"This world is defiled; my words ought not remain in this defiled world. Only by consigning them to Zhurong can they come pure and go pure…"

Hua Guang sighed, shook his head, and with his right hand snatched at the air; a longsword shimmering with faint jade light rang "clang" as it leapt into his grasp.

His body moved like drifting clouds, flowing smoothly as he hurried along the cliff's edge, wielding the longsword and performing a set of extraordinarily flashy swordplay, with countless streams of light radiating outward.

As he walked briskly, brandished his sword, and sang softly: "The road is hard, the road is hard… many diverging paths, where now to stay? When the long wind breaks the waves, there will be a time; hoisting the cloud sail, I will cross the vast sea…"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!"

A clear, sweet laugh came from below the cliff; after a moment, Cang You stepped on the cold wind, carrying the Xuan Zhu on his back, and floated up onto the cliff.

Xuan Zhu held two large fish with silver scales and red patterns, smiling as she greeted Hua Guang: "Sir Hua Guang, today I'm lucky—I caught two red‑patterned silver trout… stewed in clear wine, it's absolutely delicious… I stewed it, would you like to drink with me?"

Xuan Zhu's eyes glimmered, unblinking, as she took in the tall, handsome Hua Guang, whose stature stood straight like a sword.

Hua Guang lowered his sword, gazed coldly at Xuan Zhu, and said: "I've said before—no outsiders are allowed up here."

Xuan Zhu looked hurt at Hua Guang: "I only heard you, Sir Hua Guang, reciting here… 'The Road Is Hard'…"

As Xuan Zhu was about to repeat the poem Hua Guang had just recited, he suddenly exploded in anger and shouted:

"Shut up, shut up—such a peerless poem, don't let it come from your mouth, for no reason defiling these excellent lines…"

Xuan Zhu's face stiffened slightly, then she broke into an even brighter smile, saying gently to Hua Guang: "Sir Hua Guang, do you have some misunderstanding about me?"

Setting down the two silver trout, Xuan Zhu twisted her slender waist, stretched her long legs, and was about to step onto the cliff.

Hua Guang's face froze like an iceberg; he fixed his stare on the leg Xuan Zhu was about to move and said coldly: "Whatever part of your body touches this pure ground, I will personally chop it off."

Xuan Zhu's body tensed; she wiped away her smile and looked pleadingly at Hua Guang: "Sir Hua Guang!!!"

Hua Guang shuddered, then shouted at Xuan Zhu: "Shut up, woman… if the clan head hadn't ordered me to help you search for the captive, I would have already had someone beat you out of my territory with a big stick."

Fixing his gaze on Xuan Zhu's pretty face, Hua Guang said disgustedly: "Half a month ago, what you did—did I not see it? It's simply… filthy, dirty, base, shameless… truly, there exists someone as gorgeous as a flower yet utterly depraved and filthy like you."

Xuan Zhu was left dumbstruck by Hua Guang's tirade of abuse.

After a stunned pause, Xuan Zhu narrowed her eyes and began to recall what she had done half a month earlier.

Then her expression suddenly hardened, that charming smile vanishing completely. Half a month ago, Xuan Zhu remembered that she had, on a whim, done a few things she found pleasing to the eye.

Wasn't it just eating a few bites of tender wild greens?

"Did you see that?" Xuan Zhu let out a light sigh.

Hua Guang coldly rebuked: "I almost wanted to gouge out my own eyeballs—utterly defiled… you, you, you staying here another day are polluting the feng shui and earth of my Lakeside City."

Xuan Zhu sighed: "I never expected you to have seen me; Sir Hua Guang, your cultivation is indeed high—I didn't even notice you watching from the side."

Hua Guang shuddered again and snapped: "Who was spying? Who was spying? I was merely doing my routine night patrol, randomly wandering about… I never expected to witness your despicable conduct."

Tears streamed down Xuan Zhu's face as she looked pitifully at Hua Guang and cried hoarsely: "It's not my fault; I was forced—those few beasts compelled me…"

Hua Guang regarded Xuan Zhu coldly: "Enough, woman—I've seen your ilk before… back in the Great Peacock Dynasty's royal household there were plenty of women just like you, so making excuses is useless."

"Perhaps those men first forced you, but what I saw was you actively seeking them out—utterly base, dirty, downright shameless and oblivious to decency…"

"Those bastards have already been sent out on patrol by me; for the rest of their lives I will not let them set foot in Lakeside City again. Under my command, we will have no lack of will or character, no fools who are easily hooked by women and unable to hold the line."

And you... Xuan Zhu, you bear in mind, if it weren't for the Family Head's order, I would have long ago sent someone to drive you out of Big Lake City with a big stick.

So, you being here, stay away from me... I'm somewhat of a cleanliness freak by nature; seeing you simply defiles even my gaze.

Huáguāng's words were extremely harsh, even to the point of being spiteful and venomous.

Xuan Zhu let out a long sigh, retracted the leg she had stepped out, stood on Cang You's back, coldly stared at Huáguāng for a while, then she 'puchi' laughed out.

What a fine Huáguāng, sir... Alright, I understand, well, when I lack sufficient confidence to get you into my hands, this young lady will absolutely not appear before you again.

Hehe, however, Huáguāng, sir, you need to be careful... Once I get hold of you, you won't be able to leave me for the rest of your life.

The prouder and more fastidious you are, the more I want to destroy you.

You need to understand... Before me, what does your status as a direct descendant of the Udumbara Clan amount to? Hehe, it won't be long before you become my dog.

Xuan Zhu gazed at Huáguāng with a smile as lovely as a flower.

Huáguāng felt a chill run through his heart, as if a venomous snake had fixed its gaze on him, making his whole body uncomfortable in waves.

His longsword let out a resonant boom, a blue phantom of a giant whale materializing above it, raising its head to emit a deep, resonant long cry.

Huáguāng gripped his longsword, stared at Xuan Zhu, and coldly spat out two words: 'Scram.'

Xuan Zhu's gaze shifted as she looked at Huáguāng, and she softly laughed: 'I like that word "scram"... Next time, I'll say those two words to you in the same way, of course, the tone won't be so heartless; instead, it will be very gentle and affectionate.'

Every word Xuan Zhu spoke was a provocation to Huáguāng.

Huáguāng's response was to swing his sword down at her pretty face.

Xuan Zhu laughed, closed her eyes, and deliberately lifted her flower‑pretty face toward Huáguāng's longsword.

Snow‑light swirled over Xuan Zhu's skin as she put on her most charming smile, her most graceful pose, with an attitude of willingly dying beneath Huáguāng's sword, she brought her face down to the blade's edge.

This move had never failed her before.

Even the fiercest, most ruthless people, when faced with Xuan Zhu's display, would go soft, sheath their swords, and then she would enjoy a pleasant leisurely pastime.

But this time...

Huáguāng wore a cold smile and brought down his sword without mercy.

When the blade was about to graze Xuan Zhu's cheek, she finally realized that Huáguāng was not the same kind of man as all the men she had encountered before.

She let out a hoarse, angry roar, startled and furious, and hastily shrank her body backward.

The sword tip nearly scraped her cheek as it swept past, a razor‑thin sword qi sliced her skin, leaving on her pure, exquisite face a three‑inch‑long cut deep to the bone.

Fresh blood spurted out with a 'shua' sound.

Xuan Zhu winced in pain as her cheek twitched, she flung her eyes open, and with resentment and despair she bellowed at Huáguāng: 'You must destroy me? How can you be so...'

She still wanted to make a final effort, desperately trying to break through Huáguāng's defenses.

Huáguāng hesitated not, thrusting his sword toward her chest, and he said coldly: 'The Family Head's order is to have me help you capture those people... Fine, kill you, I can still help you capture those people.'

The sword light reached its peak, in an instant piercing Xuan Zhu's front garments; she clearly felt the bone‑chilling chill on the tip of the blade.

This handsome, cold‑featured fellow is truly a ruthless, heartless bastard who feels no pity for beauty!

Xuan Zhu cursed silently in her heart, she put away that faint daydream deep inside, and her body surged backward, leaving faint afterimages.

Cang You suddenly raised its forepaw, and with a 'ding' it blocked Huáguāng's longsword.

The sword blade and Cang You's claw collided, sending sparks flying, yet neither suffered any damage.

Huáguāng took a deep look at Cang You's massive claw, and coldly praised: 'What a hard claw... a pity, such a spirit beast following such a filthy, impure person.'

Xuan Zhu hovered in the distance, hands on her hips, the wound on her face healing rapidly without leaving a trace.

She coldly laughed at Huáguāng: 'Huáguāng, I remember this sword grudge; you'd better remember, you will sooner or later fall into my hands, and I will make you...'

Xuan Zhu's body trembled slightly, excitement flushing her cheeks.

Just thinking of Huáguāng being tormented by her made her so excited she could hardly speak.

From afar came a dozen sharp tearing‑through‑the‑air sounds; a dozen azure beetles turned into green shadows shot forward, landing one after another in Huáguāng's hands.

Huáguāng raised his brow, coldly saying: 'Good, I've found them...'

Xuan Zhu instantly broke into a grin, her eyebrows lifting as she smiled.