Chapter 748: Disciple of the Heavenly Sword (6/10, Requesting Subscriptions)

Fang Yue felt a strange unease in his heart.

Why isn't this Special Envoy quickly delivering the Imperial Edict? Why is he chatting with me about family matters?

At that moment, the young Special Envoy had already risen from his seat, circled Fang Yue twice, then nodded, mimicking an old man's voice with a childish tone.

"Good, good. At your age, reaching the Human Realm in Martial Dao is truly worthy of the title 'exceptional talent.'"

…At my age?

Fang Yue's expression turned peculiar.

"How old do you think I am, Special Envoy?"

"Uh… you look quite young… two hundred years old?"

【HAHAHAHAHAHA!】

【PUPUPUPUPU!】

【Two hundred! Two hundred! Fang Yue, he says you're over two hundred! KOKOKOKOKO!!】

Before Fang Yue could speak, the parchment suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Shut up!

Fang Yue's face darkened.

By game age, I'm only two months old—two months from mortal to Human Realm's initial stage? That's an exceptional talent? That's a monster, damn it, you can't even speak properly.

And by physical age, I'm barely in my early twenties—how could I be over two hundred? You've got no sense of observation.

Of course, Fang Yue only thought these words in his mind—he could never say them aloud.

"What? Did I guess wrong? Then you're kind of old—are you five hundred?"

Even if I counted only my harvested lifespan, it hasn't even reached five hundred!

"Cough! Age isn't important—when will the Special Envoy announce the Imperial Edict?"

"Oh, right, right, I'm here to deliver a message."

The boy was thirteen or fourteen, but his demeanor, speech, movements, and thoughts were all childish, like a flower grown in a greenhouse, untouched by the world's cruelty.

Compared to him, You Sisi, only a few years older, was utterly mature beyond measure.

The Special Envoy returned to his seat and ordered Dou Hongyi and the others to enter.

Jing Yan and the others filed in one by one, glancing curiously at the Special Envoy but saying nothing.

The soundproof array was deactivated; the Special Envoy pulled the Imperial Edict from his sleeve.

Unrolling the scroll-like edict, he cleared his throat and began speaking slowly, before everyone's eyes.

"By the grace of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, this decree is issued!"

By the grace of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, this decree is issued!

As he read the words of the edict, half-real, half-illusory Ancient Scripts instantly appeared beside the Special Envoy and vanished just as quickly.

The next instant, his voice boomed outward, synchronizing to resound throughout Chunuan City.

At that moment, nearly everyone in Chunuan City heard the voice.

【!!!】

【Eat, eat!】

【That thing is edible!】

The parchment suddenly blurted out a terrifying statement.

You want to eat the Imperial Edict? Why don't you just let me die?

Ignoring the parchment's clamor, Fang Yue listened calmly to the content of the edict.

The white-robed Special Envoy seemed to struggle with each word, reading them slowly, barely stringing them together.

Yet he still recited every single word of the edict.

"By the grace of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, this decree is issued! From this day forward, summon 【White Robe Qing Guard】 Yese Liming to report to the Imperial Palace."

The voice echoed to every corner of Chunuan City; the crowd first froze, then erupted into chaos, buzzing with discussion.

"What?! The Emperor wants Brother Ye to report to the Imperial Palace?"

"Brother Ye is about to soar to the heavens!"

"The Imperial Palace… Qingcheng Huanggong—I've never been there in my life."

"Brother Ye! Brother Ye!"

The entire Chunuan City was abuzz with talk of this.

Yet the young Special Envoy, having just finished reading the edict, suddenly collapsed to one knee, as if drained of all strength, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, gasping for breath.

"Special Envoy!"

Dou Hongyi seized the opportunity, rushing forward to support him, showering him with concern—his heart swelling with joy: finally, a chance to prove himself.

While Dou Hongyi was showing his loyalty, Fang Yue and the others stood frozen in place.

The… Imperial Palace?

Me?

Fang Yue froze.

Only when the Special Envoy told him to receive the edict did he snap back to reality, quickly taking the edict into his hands.

【Give it to me! Give it to me!】

【I promise I'll eat just a tiny bit—you won't even notice!】

Later!

【No later! No later! Now! Now!】

Stop it!

Ignoring the impatient parchment, Fang Yue glanced at Jing Yan and the other three, then asked thoughtfully, "Special Envoy…"

"The Imperial Edict has been delivered; we no longer have superior-subordinate ties. In terms of Martial Dao, I am inferior to you—call me by my name."

"Then, may I ask what the Special Envoy's name is…"

"Tian Ruichi."

No sooner had the Special Envoy spoken than, before Fang Yue could reply, everyone around them suddenly gasped, eyes wide, faces stunned—as if a stone had plunged into a lake, stirring violent waves in their hearts. They stared dumbly at Tian Ruichi, mouths agape.

"Tian Ruichi?!!"

"What?! The Special Envoy is Tian Ruichi?!"

"Disciple of the Sword of Qing Cheng, Tian Ruichi of the Fengzhen Sword!"

Disciple of the Sword of Qing Cheng? Tian Ruichi of the Fengzhen Sword?

Is this guy famous?

Fang Yue felt puzzled; Jing Yan and the others looked equally bewildered—but Dou Hongyi hurried over and whispered an explanation.

"Lord Ye, the Sword of Qing Cheng is the Sect Master of the Tian Shan Sword Sect of Qing Cheng—his power is unfathomable, his presence as elusive as a dragon's tail. In his entire life, he took only one direct disciple: the recently accepted Tian Ruichi!"

Rumor says Tian Ruichi was born with a sword bone, advancing swiftly along the Sword Dao. Though young, his strength is extraordinary.

Not long ago, Tian Ruichi, wielding the Fengzhen Sword, challenged all peers in Qing Cheng—and defeated every one of them.

He suffered only two defeats: once at the tail of the Jibing Shengnyu of the Jibing Sect, and once at the hands of Mu Liu of the Qichai Guaiyan. After that, he ceased his reckless challenges and vanished from sight.

This matter stirred great buzz throughout Qing Cheng—it was the hottest topic of recent times.

No one expected that after his silence, Tian Ruichi had come to Chunuan City on the Emperor's business."

Tail?

Fang Yue's heart stirred.

He hadn't contacted the Tail in a while—yet now, from Dou Hongyi's mouth, he heard news of the Tail.

If Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu were here, he'd surely dance with joy, eager to meet the Tail.

But these two often met in reality; whether or not they met in the game didn't matter much.

Still, hearing news of the Tail made Fang Yue quite pleased.

I wonder how strong the Tail is now, and how he's doing.

"The Tail? You mean the Jibing Sect's Tail?" Jing Yan and Lin Ling suddenly grew excited and pressed on.

Only Chen Qing looked confused.

The Tail was someone Fang Yue and the others met during their time from Gu Yue Cun to Mo Cun; after leaving Mo Cun, they went their separate ways. His later exploits were mentioned only occasionally in idle chatter by Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu.

Chen Qing, however, was someone Fang Yue met in Qingsi County—he had no connection whatsoever with the Tail.

"You know the Tail?"

Tian Ruichi now spun around sharply, staring at Jing Yan and the others, his expression clearly darkening.

Jing Yan immediately understood his tone and hurried to say, "We know him—not well!"

Lin Ling glanced at Jing Yan, then quickly added, "Uh… yeah, not well."

"Hmph! No need for that. My grudge with her won't touch others! Next time, I'll defeat her properly—with my Sword Dao!"

(End of Chapter)