Chapter 237 The Lord Will Live Forever

On the west bank of Butterfly Creek, lies the ancient Yue sword shop.

Inside the towering sword-making workshops, the craftsmen, bewildered by the orders, left and headed towards the Dragon-Slaying Platform.

It was nearly noon, and the sun was about to rise high in the sky.

Among the craftsmen, a few hunched and aged swordsmiths suddenly turned their heads and stared blankly at the sword furnace that had been dormant for many years on the mountainside under the clear sky.

Most of the other craftsmen were completely unaware of what was happening. Instead, they looked with curiosity at the figures of the blue-clad servants and black-clad men who had suddenly appeared in the sword shop, patrolling and keeping watch.

Just as all the craftsmen in the sword shop were being led by managers such as Liu Zilin and Liu Fu to the Dragon-Slaying Platform on the riverbank.

Liu Zian was squatting on the edge of the Dragon-Slaying Platform near the water, bowing his head and placing a memorial tablet, along with incense burner, fruit plate and other sacrificial items in an orderly manner.

"Brother, you died a terrible death. Today, my third brother and I have come to avenge you."

Liu Zian lit three incense sticks and sighed.

Before all the spectators had arrived for the ceremony, Liu Zian turned to his entourage on the high platform and whispered:

"You all go down and keep watch. When the third brother arrives, have him come up and pay his respects to the eldest brother."

"yes."

The attendants retreated to the ground below the platform, leaving only Liu Zian and a young county magistrate who was bound on the high platform.

"Hehehe..."

A strange, low laugh echoed from Liu Ziwen's open-air memorial tablet.

"Brother, why am I so happy to see you die?"

Liu Zian's back was turned to the crowd below.

“My father gave you all the family property, but you are still not satisfied. You use the concept of filial piety to bind me every day.”

"You really want to be the big brother?"

He whispered in a voice no one could hear:

"Even though you can't cultivate Qi, you expect us to stay with you obediently. You're unhappy that I'm in contact with the Jade Cup Fairy, and you even want to give up the Cauldron Sword to the Wei family, just to exchange for those few powerful positions."

"But once you embark on the path of Qi cultivators, you must be wary of alienation and not get too close to the top power, or go against the grain."

"In the end, it's not about sacrificing for the family's interests at all, Liu Ziwen, you're just selfish and self-serving..."

They heard the footsteps of Liu Zilin and the others returning from below the stage.

Liu Zian smiled shakily as she slowly stood up. She first wiped her face, then turned around, her expression now normal, and went to greet him.

As Liu Zian passed by someone, he suddenly heard a statement:

"You killed Liu Ziwen."

Liu Zian glanced at the young magistrate who had suddenly spoken, but continued walking, smiling and shaking his head:

"No, it was you who killed him, Ouyang Lianghan, you are the murderer who killed my elder brother."

At this moment, Liu Zilin had already walked over, looking expectant, and said:

"Second Brother, everything is ready, and all the men have been summoned."

"Well done, Third Brother."

Liu Zian patted Liu Zilin on the shoulder and raised his chin, gesturing for him to pay respects to Liu Ziwen's memorial tablet.

Everything is in place.

He turned his head, his eyes crinkling with a smile, and walked towards Ouyang Lianghan, slowly drawing his waist knife.

Boom—

Boom—

Just then, a series of explosions came from afar, like thunderclaps in a clear sky, echoing throughout the sword shop.

Liu Zian and Liu Zilin were both startled. Looking into the distance, they could vaguely see strange green flames rising from outside the ancient Yue sword shop, which looked quite familiar.

Then came a series of thunderous roars and charges, as if they were about to blow the tops of everyone's heads.

Liu Zian and Liu Zilin suddenly turned to look at each other, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt: "Burning Sky Shark Oil?"

"Master, Third Young Master, something terrible has happened! It's the county government officials!"

Liu Fu rushed over with his men:

"The county government found these commoners and militia from who-knows-where, and they crossed the river on those official boats. They're attacking our sword shop like madmen, throwing strange oil everywhere and blowing up the sword furnaces..."

Liu Zilin's face darkened: "How is this possible! Who gave these scoundrels the audacity? We're already being lenient by not going after them, yet they dare to attack our Liu family!"

Liu Zian frowned and suddenly asked:

"Who's organizing this? That coward surnamed Diao is too afraid of death to have the guts. And that hothead surnamed Yan doesn't have the prestige or means to rally the people..."

"I don't know yet. But I did see people from the county government among them."

Liu Fu looked distressed:

“These troublemakers seem organized and disciplined, so there must be someone in charge behind them. But our people were caught off guard and are retreating and trying to defend themselves. We haven’t seen our leader yet.”

On the high platform, Liu Zian and Liu Zilin looked at each other in bewilderment.

Liu Zilin's face was grim, and he gritted his teeth: "Could it be that bitch Xie is back?"

"Hahaha……"

Suddenly, a loud laugh came from behind.

"Ouyang Lianghan, what are you laughing at!"

Liu Zian's eyes sharpened as he glanced at the panicked craftsmen watching from below the stage, then he rushed to stand behind the young magistrate.

Liu Zian grabbed his hair, holding a cold, white blade, and sneered:

"You think they had time to save you? You think we're talkative fools who let people escape?"

Liu Zian turned his head and quickly gave the order:

"Liu Fu, let the brothers hold out a little longer."

"Third brother, bring me the memorial tablet so I can see with my own eyes the head of my enemy!"

Liu Zian grabbed Ouyang Lianghan's hair ornament, who was laughing so hard he was doubled over, and dragged him to the edge of the high platform without delay, exposing him to the many craftsmen below.

The decapitation operation is ready.

Against the backdrop of a series of explosions that were getting closer and closer.

Liu Zian's eyes flashed, and he reached into his sleeve with his right hand, pulling out a bronze mask.

But his hand was only halfway out.

But someone was faster than him—referring to the act of pulling out the mask.

Liu Zian's eyes widened suddenly, and what he saw reflected in his eyes was... "Ouyang Lianghan" with his eyes closed, head tilted back, a smile on his lips, silently removing a mask from his face.

"You...you...how come you have it too..."

Liu Zian's eyes were filled with disbelief and incredulity.

Liu Ashan placed the bronze mask he had removed at his feet.

He knelt on the ground, shackled all over, and his wooden face, tattooed with the character "Yue" on it, had never laughed so heartily. He smiled at the swordsmiths and his former colleagues below the platform:

"It's the real magistrate who's come to our rescue. Don't follow the Liu family down this dark path."

"People say that bad people come from remote and impoverished areas. We in Wuyue Longcheng are indeed ashamed to have the tyrannical Liu family, but we are by no means all of them are cowards and petty villains. I disagree..."

Liu Ashan's words came to an abrupt end.

Because Liu Zi'an had already rushed forward like a madman, punching and kicking Liu Ashan.

"Damn it! Liu Ashan, are you out of your mind?!"

Unable to contain his anger, Liu Zian unleashed a torrent of violence, brutally beating the victim.

"Ouyang Lianghan is an outsider. He jumped into the water to save him, and then acted as a lackey, willing to die for him. Now his aunt is even beheading him. Are you out of your mind? Huh? Is he some ancestor who jumped out of your family grave?!"

Liu Ashan struggled to his feet, his face bruised and swollen, but he still held his head high, tilting his swollen face up to glance at Liu Zian and Liu Zilin.

“Ancestors? Then your master is no match for you two unfilial and immoral descendants of the Liu family, who only bring shame upon your ancestors.”

His eyes, swollen and bruised, could only barely open a tiny slit, yet to the onlookers, they appeared utterly contemptuous, and he uttered eight words:

"Private interests may last for a time, but public interests will last forever."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zian and Liu Zilin's eyes turned even redder.

"You're asking for it!"

A flash of white light appeared on the high platform.

He was subjected to a torrential downpour of punches and kicks, and a sharp blade that drew ever closer to his neck.

Although the taciturn man was kneeling on the ground with a broken leg, he still stood up straight, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

“Dragon…Dragon City is not just home to one…one family with the surname Liu.”

"Sir, I saw it, I really saw it..."

Liu Ashan swayed precariously, raising his bruised and swollen face, struggling to make out the small Jiangnan town in front of him, nurtured by Butterfly Creek yet deeply scarred by disaster, and murmured hoarsely:

"Then I gazed upon my humble abode, and with great joy... I ran forth."

Someone chuckled softly.

Some people were red-eyed and angrily cursed.

Some people remained indifferent and watched from the sidelines.

At a certain moment.

A sudden silence fell over the platform and its surroundings.

A stream of scalding blood from the throat artery splattered onto the hard, ancient stone bricks of the Dragon-Slaying Platform.

Like the brilliant sunrise bursting forth from the dark horizon in the east at dawn.

The artisans below the stage fell into a deathly silence.

Liu Zian's trembling hands tried twice before he finally managed to insert the red blade back into its sheath.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, Liu Zian, his face grim and ashen, stepped forward and used a scabbard forged from black iron to smash the familiar bronze mask that once belonged to the Jade Cup Fairy to pieces.

Immediately, the Liu family head's bloodshot eyes quickly scanned the sky.

He led the silent Liu Zilin and Liu Fu away from the Dragon-Slaying Platform in a panic.

Beneath the ancient, high platform, a group of craftsmen stood silently, stunned.

On the platform ahead, only the back of a man remained motionless, facing the crowd of craftsmen below while his body turned towards the stream and the county town.

...

Ouyang Rong suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

The spray of blood he expelled splattered all over Yan Liulang's concerned face as he turned back.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Caught off guard, Yan Liulang wiped the blood from his face with his palm: "Your Excellency, what happened to you!"

Ouyang Rong, who was leading a large force to attack Jianpu and desperately advancing towards Zhanlongtai, slowly stopped in his tracks. He leaned against a section of the ruins of a destroyed building beside him, covered his mouth, and vomited blood.

"I...I'm fine...You lead the brothers and keep going."

Ouyang Rong stared blankly up at the sky, murmuring:

"The mask is gone... Ah Shan's mask... is gone..."

He coughed up blood, gasped for breath, and tried to take deep breaths repeatedly, but blood continued to flow from the corner of his mouth.

Not long ago, Ouyang Rong had just accumulated a little spiritual energy in his dantian, which was now running rampant and disordered, like a glass of clear water that had temporarily become murky.

This strange injury is very similar to the sudden vomiting of blood that occurred when the Jade Cup Fairy first awoke.

Yan Liulang frowned, looking troubled, and hesitated to speak.

At this moment, Aqing, who had been closely following the main group, ran forward panting and took out a handkerchief to wipe Ouyang Rong's mouth.

But the latter dodged it.

Ouyang Rong trembled slightly, turned his head away, and haphazardly wiped his bleeding mouth with the back of his hand, which was covered in bulging veins, leaving half of his face covered in blood. But he didn't dare to turn his head to look at A Qing.

Not even a glance.

"Brother Yan, is Master alright?" Aqing asked, flustered and at a loss.

Yan Liulang swallowed hard.

Since they met, the blue-clad constable had never seen the young magistrate show such fear and pain.

Ouyang Rong suddenly stood up, his short black hair hanging low, his hands bracing against the wall, and he struggled to walk forward.

All I heard was his trembling voice commanding:

"Liu Lang, immediately send me a hundred men, and you lead the rest of the main force to continue the attack on Zhanlongtai."

Yan Liulang was taken aback: "This...where is Your Excellency going?"

“Go do what I need to do. You guys… continue to the Dragon-Slaying Platform, as soon as possible, you must… you absolutely must find Ashan.” Ouyang Rong said blankly, “He has been waiting for us for too long.”

"Yes, ma'am."

"Wait, there are also these 100 people. You can choose from them. Those under 20 or only children in their family, if either of these two conditions is met, are not allowed to be chosen."

Yan Liulang and A Qing were both stern.

Ouyang Rong wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve and said softly:

"Also, give me all the remaining Burning Sky Shark Oil."

Under the young magistrate's unquestionable tone, Yan Liulang had no choice but to accept the order and go to select manpower and arrange for the shark oil.

Ouyang Rong held the Moonlight Sword horizontally with both hands, standing alone with his back to the direction of the Dragon-Slaying Platform, staring blankly at the secluded sword furnace on Little Lonely Mountain that had been dormant for many years and was unremarkable, but now its sword energy soared straight to the heavens.

His expression was unusually calm:

"Ah Shan, your master is coming to keep you company."

...

If you were to look out from Xiaogushan at this moment...

The riverbank on the west side was lined with official boats.

Below, the vast ancient Yue sword shop was billowing black smoke, occasionally bursting into eerie green flames, accompanied by the sound of the sword furnace building collapsing.

At the foot of the mountain, the sounds of fighting and strife between constables, militia, and private soldiers echoed continuously.

Liu Zian silently withdrew his gaze.

On the mountain path leading to the mountainside, with a gloomy face, he led Liu Zilin, Liu Fu, and his direct servants in a hurry toward the Jia-character sword furnace.

The sight of the Liu family's sword shop, which had been operating for many years, engulfed in flames caused Liu Zilin to grit his teeth, his face filled with grief and indignation, and he was heartbroken. On the way up the mountain, he cursed Ouyang Rong's ancestors a hundred times over.

Liu Zian, who was walking at the front, was focused on his journey and ignored everything.

He would only glance briefly at the sun overhead occasionally before continuing his journey toward the Jia-character sword furnace.

Fortunately, it was not yet noon, the time the old man had instructed to inform the Wei family.

The plan is still under his and the old man's control.

Liu Zian let out a long breath, a hint of relief in his eyes.

He heard the angry voice of his impulsive, impatient, foolish third brother behind him.

Without making a sound, Liu Zian reached into his robes and touched a translated sword manual and a brand-new bronze mask that was gleaming with a ghostly light.

Although the original plan encountered an annoying accident and the promotion to the ninth rank was not achieved, there were still backup plans.

For example... secretly take away the Mo family sword box containing the Ding sword in advance, and find the sacrificial offering later. Get the item first, put on the mask and leave.

The group finally arrived at the Jiazi Sword Furnace halfway up the mountain.

The door to the sword furnace room was tightly shut at the moment.

As Liu Zian walked to the lawn in front of the sword furnace room, he suddenly stopped.

He stared at the silent, dilapidated wooden door in front of him, and frowned slightly.

Liu Zian turned his head and looked around, then suddenly raised his hand, and the group of followers behind him immediately stopped.

He turned his head slightly to indicate:

"Third brother... and Liu Fu, you two go in first, visit the old gentleman, and let him know I've arrived."

"Yes!" Liu Zilin and Liu Fuqi were stunned, but nodded without hesitation, and took the lead in pushing open the door and entering the Jia-class sword furnace room...

(End of this chapter)