Chapter 32: Sword Vein
It was Old Luo who spoke.
"Little Heizi?"
The Steward hadn’t heard that name in a long time. He jolted and turned around.
He looked behind Wang Yue in confusion, but his gaze gradually filled with shock. "Luoo Xingyun? Master?"
"Master, you’ve returned!"
The Steward excitedly rushed over to Old Luo and grabbed his arm.
"Alright, alright. You’re a grown man, stop all this pulling and tugging!"
Old Luo shoved the Steward away.
Old Luo looked at Lu Changfeng and the others and introduced him. "This kid is a disciple I personally brought into the sect. His name is Li Hei."
"Master, you have no idea how badly our lineage was ostracized after you left."
"My assignment as a Steward in the Outer Sect is actually one of the better outcomes."
"Some of my other martial brothers were even expelled from the Sect," Li Hei began to lament.
Hearing this, Old Luo’s brow furrowed slightly. "What about that kid Zhao Xingtian?"
"Junior Brother Zhao..."
"Junior Brother Zhao threw in his lot with the main lineage. He’s already been designated as the heir to the Sect Master’s position," Li Hei said, gritting his teeth.
Old Luo’s face darkened.
"Have Zhao Xingtian come see me. Just tell him I’m back."
Li Hei cupped his hands. "I’ll go get him right now."
Old Luo sank into a chair, looking melancholic. He poured himself a cup of tea and downed it in one go.
Wang Yue’s eyes darted. He realized his family’s Tendon Transformation Retainer was far from ordinary. He leaned in and asked, "Retainer Luoo, so you’re actually from the Xuanyuan Sword Sect!"
Old Luo glanced at Wang Yue and said, "I know what you’re thinking. Since I’ve come personally, there will be no problem for Wang Shao to join the Xuanyuan Sword Sect’s Outer Sect."
"If he wants to enter the Inner Sect, it will depend on his own ability."
Wang Yue immediately pulled Wang Shao over to kowtow to Old Luo.
Old Luo reached out a hand and stopped them.
Meanwhile, Lu Changfeng hesitated. ’Should I just ask Old Luo to help me get into the Xuanyuan Sword Sect, too?’
Just then, Li Hei came walking back.
"Master... Junior Brother Zhao said... said he doesn’t want to see you."
Old Luo’s face turned livid.
"That brat."
"Which lineage is the main lineage of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect now?" Old Luo asked.
"It’s the Star Drift Lineage," Li Hei replied.
The Xuanyuan Sword Sect had three lineages in total: Starshift, Star Drift, and Moon Chasing.
Whichever lineage the current Sect Leader belonged to would become the main lineage for that generation, wielding all the authority within the Xuanyuan Sword Sect.
Old Luo was silent for a long time, then suddenly spoke. "So it was all a plot against me from the very beginning!"
"Li Hei, is there any problem with this boy joining the Xuanyuan Sword Sect’s Outer Sect?"
Li Hei nodded. "This much, I can handle."
"Then that’s that."
Old Luo stood up and walked toward the door.
"Master, where are you going?"
"I’m going to see my old residence. That’s not a problem, is it?"
"That place has been converted into residences for Outer Sect Disciples, Master..." Li Hei said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Old Luo stopped. "Forget it. I’ll just go down the mountain then."
"By the way, which lineage are you a disciple of now?"
Li Hei took a deep breath and replied, "Master, I’ve already switched to cultivating the Starshift Heart Method and joined the Starshift Lineage."
Old Luo walked down the mountain without turning his head.
Lu Changfeng and Wang Yue looked at each other. Ultimately, they waited until Wang Yue had finished arranging matters for Wang Shao.
Only then did the two of them hurry down the mountain.
The process had been complicated, but the goal of their trip was ultimately achieved: Wang Shao had successfully entered the Xuanyuan Sword Sect.
Lu Changfeng and Wang Yue found Old Luo in a tea stall at the foot of the mountain.
The old man was already drinking again.
Lu Changfeng and Wang Yue sat down on his left and right.
Old Luo took a sip of wine and began his explanation without being prompted.
As it turned out, Old Luo had once been the top disciple of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect’s Moon Chasing Lineage.
He was once a strong contender for the position of Xuanyuan Sword Sect’s Sect Master.
"Among the three lineages of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect, our Moon Chasing Lineage’s Swordsmanship is the hardest to cultivate, and it also has the highest requirement for Talent in Swordsmanship."
"Therefore, the Moon Chasing Lineage always has the fewest disciples, but they can often easily crush Martial Artists of the same level."
"After the Xuanyuan Sword Sect split into three lineages, the position of Sect Leader basically always fell into the hands of the Moon Chasing Lineage."
"The problem started with my master. He was on the verge of succeeding to the Sect Master position, but he chose to betray the Sect and join the Demon Moon Concealing Sect."
"The day he betrayed the Sect, he killed many Sect Elders. He also struck me with his palm, damaging my Root Bone..."
Lu Changfeng, listening off to the side, felt a jolt. ’The interface shows Old Luo’s Root Bone as Middle A Class.’
’To still have a Middle A Class Root Bone after such an injury... Old Luo’s original Root Bone must have been truly extraordinary. Just as you’d expect from a candidate for Young Sect Leader of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect.’
At this point, Old Luo paused for a moment and continued.
Although he was also a victim, others in the Sect didn’t see it that way. They all believed that Old Luo was his master’s most prized Direct Disciple and must have been an accomplice.
The rumors grew, and eventually, a radical faction emerged, calling for the annihilation of the Moon Chasing Lineage.
In the end, it was only when Old Luo voluntarily left the Sect that these calls were silenced.
"Looking at it now, it seems the Starshift and Star Drift Lineages were afraid I would become the next Sect Master, so they used the situation to move against me."
"If I had been tougher, perhaps the Moon Chasing Lineage wouldn’t have ended up in such a state."
Old Luo gulped down another mouthful of wine.
He gently gripped the longsword on the table.
"You two, before the fighting starts, you should leave quickly."
Wang Yue was startled. But Lu Changfeng, whose senses had grown sharper since he began cultivating the Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill, had already detected the sound of overlapping footsteps surrounding the tea stall.
"Go!"
Lu Changfeng grabbed the bewildered Wang Yue and started heading in the direction of Luocheng.
A figure slowly approached from the distance, blocking Lu Changfeng’s path. "You’re not leaving until we find what we’re looking for."
"Zhao Xingtian, let them leave. The item is on me," Old Luo’s voice came from a distance.
Lu Changfeng stopped, keeping his distance. ’So this is Zhao Xingtian.’
’He must be Old Luo’s former disciple from the Xuanyuan Sword Sect.’
The information of the young man before him had already appeared on the interface.
Name: Zhao Xingtian
Root Bone: Upper A
Talent: High-Grade Talent [Sword Vein]
Lu Changfeng’s eyelid twitched. ’Another High-Grade Swordsmanship-type Talent.’
’Before setting out on this trip, my copy interface had already refreshed. I’d been saving the charge specifically for a moment like this, hadn’t I?’
After a moment’s thought, Lu Changfeng cupped his hands toward the young man. "So you’re the Young Sect Leader of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect! It’s an honor. We’re from the Wang Family of Feng City. Old Luo and I are good friends, despite the age gap. You must be that disciple he’s always talking about with such pride, right?"
Lu Changfeng stepped forward, extending his hand, intending to copy the talent with a handshake.
Zhao Xingtian’s eyelid twitched violently. ’Proud of me? Mentions me often?’
"You and him are... friends despite the age difference?"
Lu Changfeng’s hand remained extended. When Zhao Xingtian didn’t take it, Lu Changfeng didn’t seem embarrassed at all and just nodded. "Yeah, Old Luo and I often drink and play chess together. He’s always talking about you..."
Zhao Xingtian reached out, shoved Lu Changfeng aside, and cut him off.
"Get lost!"
Lu Changfeng went with the push, stumbling backward.