Star Gate

Chapter 573: Walking Out of Silver Moon (IV)

The Steadfast Duke wore a calm expression on his face. There wasn’t much sorrow to be seen, but killing intent overflowed in the depths of his eyes. He maintained calm on the surface and looked down at the heavyweights below.

“The manor will hold a grand worship ceremony in three days. Xing’er will oversee the rites! I am the deceased’s father and grandfather. Custom does not indicate that I should host the rites...”

His second son stood with a tragic expression below. He hastily rose to his feet. “Don’t worry, father. I will make the proper arrangements for big brother and Little Feng.”

Xu Qing didn’t say anything as he looked at his son. Perhaps his son was the happiest of all. With Xu Zhen dead, he would be the next duke. Although Xu Qing had other children, all of them were born to concubines. They did not have the right to inherit the duchy. But was just being a duke enough for Xu Qing?

“According to the family rules, our sacred object needs to be offered to the ancestors for three days during the grand ceremony. But we’ve lost one of the Windchaser Boots... ai! Even so, we cannot break with custom. The Windchaser Boot is exceedingly important, making the one we have left vital. You have to guard it well during the ceremony...”

“Father, in that case, why don’t we use a replacement?” Xu Xing asked hastily.

“Do you want to deceive our ancestors?!” Xu Qing looked remotely at his second son. “If the Xus don’t even dare take out their sacred inheritance and worry about it being taken from their Ancestral Hall, then is there a need for the Steadfast Duke’s manor to stand?”

You’re the one who said to be careful, I’m just going with your words. And now you turn on what you said? You’re impossible to talk to! Xu Xing grumbled internally.

Xu Qing ignored his second son and looked down below. “All of you are the mainstays of my household. I will have to trouble you during the ceremony! I will head to the army after the rites are over to request that the five generals be entered in the Pantheon of Heroes! The descendants of our two resident experts will be provided for until the Steadfast Duke no longer exists...”

The assembly broke out in grateful tears as they listened to his bracing words of comfort. As for whether or not it was true emotion, that was difficult to determine.

“Your Grace,” a middle-aged man asked in a muffled voice. “What should we do about Light Sword and the child Li Hao?”

Would there be a place for the Steadfast Duke’s manor in the eastern expanses if they did not avenge these deaths? The invincible king of the east had suffered such grave losses at the hands of borderland savages. It was impossible to accept!

“They’re all in Silver Moon...” Xu Qing’s voice trailed off. “But Silver Moon is not an impassable place! We’ll seal off the province first. If they refuse to emerge, we’ll wait a while longer before sending our army to trample them into the ground!”

His declaration invigorated the crowd.

“We’ll rip Light Sword and Li Hao to pieces when we catch them!” Someone gnashed their teeth.

“The duke should summon all powerhouses in the east and demand justice from Silver Moon. The royal family and nine ministries are turning a blind eye and deaf ear to the situation! Is there no reaction from them after the young master duke was killed?! The Steadfast Duke pacified the eastern reaches for the dynasty, but these are the dismal straits that befall him! It’s plain to see from this that the dynasty is rotten, decayed, corrupt, and incompetent!”

Righteous indignation rose from the crowd as they criticized the ministries and royal family. Some expressions among the assembly shifted with apprehension, but they didn’t dare say anything. They glanced at Xu Qing standing above them, guessing at the truth.

The royal family and nine ministries were idly sitting by after the Steadfast Duke’s son had been killed. If word of this got out, it would further highlight their incompetence and undermine some people’s confidence in the dynasty on a fundamental level. Plainly, the duke had his own ideas in mind.

The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving behind the duke and his second son Xu Xing. The duke watched the people leave and then turned to his apprehensive second son.

“Your big brother is gone. Although the two of you plotted unceasingly against each other in ordinary times, no scandals shall be permitted to occur at his ceremony! You are the next duke in his absence, so you should display the breadth of mind as appropriate for the Steadfast Duke. Look after the proceedings well. If you truly wish to become the next duke, you need to exact vengeance for the deaths of your brother and nephew!”

“Don’t worry father, Xing’er knows what to do!” Xu Xing raised cupped fists in assurance. Xu Qing, however, was tired and threw out a ring without another word.

“This is the Windchaser Boot. You will offer it to the ancestors during the rites. Do not be remiss in your duties!”

“Your child understands!” Xu Xing was overjoyed. He didn’t have the right to be in charge of the sacred object before—his brother had been tasked for its safekeeping for a while. It looked like father didn’t have any other choices in the wake of his brother’s death. That was nice! His brother had died well!

Xu Qing waved him off, dismissing the nuisance from his line of sight. He sighed after his son had proceeded far into the distance. The Xus hadn’t produced anyone particularly outstanding in the next generation. His two legitimate sons were mediocre when it came to martial dao talent. His eldest son became a supernatural, but his second son was very run-of-the-mill. He’d crossed the threshold of grasping the aura after being fed countless resources and dao comprehension weapons. He now had three of the supernatural locks of his four limbs saturated.

If his last lock of the limbs was also saturated, that would catapult him into special territory. This was the road taken by most premier modern day martial masters.

The duke looked at the north, a cold light glittering in his eyes. Revenge was necessary after the death of his son, but Light Sword had been so bold as to actually take the Windchaser Boot... They would be feuding to the death over this.

“Silver Moon...” Xu Qing snorted. Let’s see how long you can strut around for! That Li Hao was probably cowering with terror at the moment and wouldn’t dare leave the province in the short term. Ying Hongyue had made a good move, but the news had spread too far and wide that it gave Silver Moon time to shrink back in on themselves.

In this regard, it would be even harder to recover the boot for the foreseeable future.

......

On land.

Li Hao was utilizing Panther as a steed. The dog wriggled around, wagged its tail, shook its head, then looked back to lick the young man...

“What do you want?” Li Hao smacked his hand down. “Out with it if you’re unhappy. You’re happy if you don’t say so otherwise. What’s with all the licking??”

“Arf arf arf!”

“Speak human speech! Not talking means you agree to this! Hurry up, don’t take the wrong path. We’re in a rush here!”

“Arf!” Tears brimmed in Panther’s eyes. I can’t manage human speech, but I don’t want to be your horse. This sucks!

“C’mon, faster.” Li Hao forced its head back around. “The faster you get there, the less you’ll be carrying me. The longer you drag this out for, the longer I’ll be riding. Doesn’t that make sense to you?

“I don't want to ride a dog either, it’s embarrassing for me. But you’re so fat that you need to lose some weight. Otherwise, you won’t be able to run around next time we fight. I’m doing this for your own good because you’re too fat. What if the powerhouse that activated your bloodline wants to torture you again next time I bring you to Battle Heaven? Wouldn’t that be horrible?”

That makes sense! But... forget it!

The dog drooped its tail out of resignation and ran swiftly in the direction that Li Hao pointed it in. One had to say, it was a monster spirit dog at the end of the day. It was very fast and crossed the beach in the blink of an eye like the wind.

Li Hao smiled and wanted to lean against something when the wind howled against his ears. There was nothing to lean on, so he called out to Panther, “Lift your tail so I can rest against it. This position isn’t very comfortable.”

“Arf arf arf!” protested Panther.

“I’m cultivating. Sword energy will leak out when I cultivate and I won’t cultivate if I’m not in a comfortable position.”

Smack! Panther raised a tail ramrod straight.

Li Hao pursed his lips. Panth was definitely a greedy dog!

They were now on the edge of the North Sea. If they followed the coastline east, they would pass through the northern and southern continents. Apart from the seas separating the land, there was also a mountain range between them. The four continents were mostly divided in a similar manner, with the central continent in the middle.

If one looked down with a bird’s eye view, the four continents and the central continent were in a massive basin. They were bordered by mountains and the four continents were separated by the four seas. In the middle was the biggest central continent.

There were nineteen northern provinces, twenty-two central provinces, and twenty-one eastern provinces. The eastern continent was large and fertile, hardly as barren as Silver Moon. It was said that the east was so rich that they’d built an East Sea Bridge upon the water where the sun rose. It crossed the sea and connected directly to the central region. It was a remarkable feat of engineering that humanity was overawed by.

Granted, the same was feasible by supernaturals of this age if they were so willing. If those of the earth, metal, and water attributes allied together, they could also create a bridge spanning the sea. Even so, only the eastern continent had created one such an East Sea Bridge. It was proof of how rich the east was, how many powerhouses and supernaturals they had.

The Xus weren’t the only tyrant of the twenty-one provinces, but they were the overlord in name. Apart from the title of the Steadfast Duke, the duke also had another duty of Admiral of the East Sea. He commanded the eastern navy!

Granted, the seas now were populated by pirates. The so-called navy existed in name only. But so long as the duke retained this title and possessed enough strength to execute on it, he could recruit a massive navy and dominate the East Sea. The nine ministries wouldn’t be able to obstruct him.

......

Various information ran through Li Hao’s mind as he watched the scenery flash past him. Silver Moon was so far in the north that it was starting to freeze over in October. Wintry gusts howled through the land. The North Sea was also cold, but slightly better than Silver Moon. It wasn’t as obviously arctic. Further east was still a cool domain, but it slowly warmed up.

The wind that scraped past them like knives slowly became a warm, gentle breeze. Not only that, but Li Hao also discovered a strange phenomenon. Even the time zones were different after traveling for so long. It was day before, and it was still day after prolonged running!

The world was so vast that all manner of curiosities could be found! The area behind him was caught in a big storm, but he quickly set foot into another locale with the sun shining bright. On one side was pouring rain and on the other strong rays of light. Li Hao straddled the border for a second, surprise in his eyes. He might have never seen such a superb sight in his entire life if he didn’t leave Silver Moon!