“Why?” Zhang Xuan asked lividly.
To have to push his younger sister down a path that he knew she would never be happy with… No matter what, the Luo Clan was still one of the most powerful Sage Clan in the Master Teacher Continent. They might be second to the Zhang Clan, but they were definitely not subordinates of the Zhang Clan. Shouldn’t they at least possess dignity worthy of their positions?
Honestly speaking, if he had not heard the news directly from the Young Master of the Luo Clan, he would have thought that he was hearing fake news!
That is your own younger sister! How can you possibly sacrifice her for a mere political marriage?
Realizing that he had lost himself in the moment, Luo Xuanqing forced himself to calm down before replying quietly, “There are some things that you aren’t qualified to know given your current standing and identity. Even I only have a partial understanding of the matter.
“I only know that in order to push forward this marriage, our Luo Clan has already sacrificed far too much. If it fails to go through, not only will our Luo Clan be in deep trouble, even mankind could very well find itself facing a catastrophe!”
“Mankind?” Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes in skepticism.
To say that the failure of the marriage going through would actually result in a catastrophe for mankind, was this for real?
Was it not making a mountain out of a molehill?
No matter how he looked at it, Zhang Xuan just could not help but find Luo Xuanqing’s words utterly nonsensical.
Judging from the look on Zhang Xuan’s face, Luo Xuanqing could tell that the other party would not agree to his request if he did not make things clear today. So, he hesitated for a short moment before saying, “On the account that you are a trustworthy person and a brother of mine, I can share the news with you. However, this matter has major implications, so you mustn’t speak of it to another soul. Otherwise, it could possibly lead to a disastrous outcome!
“In truth, the marriage between the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan concerns the secret behind the Celestial Amulet of Legacy!”
“Celestial Amulet of Legacy?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes slowly widened in astonishment as he heard those four words.
He had heard of the Celestial Amulet of Legacy before. It was an artifact left behind by Kong shi, and it served as a key to the Temple of Confucius where the Great Codex of Spring of Autumn lay. Was the marriage between the Zhang Clan and the Luo Clan really that important?
If Kong shi’s most powerful artifact was really at stake, then saying that the entire fate of mankind was at stake would really be no joke!
“Indeed! However, I only heard of this news while eavesdropping on the conversation between our First Elder and clan head, so unfortunately, I’m not too sure about the exact circumstances surrounding the matter,” Luo Xuanqing replied grimly.
That is my younger sister we are talking about! How can I possibly be willing to shove her into the embrace of a person she has no fondness for?
If not for the complicated circumstances surrounding the issue, putting aside him, not even the elders of the Luo Clan would allow this marriage to go through! After all, given his younger sister’s talent, there was a good chance that she could surpass even their ancestors!
Once that happened, what would the Zhang Clan count for?
Nothing at all.
Well, that was unless the young prodigy of the Zhang Clan was even more powerful than her.
But again, such a possibility was only minuscule at best. After all, in so many years, the only one whom he had seen come close to matching up to his younger sister was the young man standing before him, Zhang Xuan.
“Given what is at stake, regardless of whether it’s me or my younger sister, this is a responsibility that we won’t be able to escape from. More importantly, this matter involves her as well. In any case, that man has to be killed at all costs. However, I can’t do it myself, and there’s no one other than you that I trust enough to entrust such an important task in!” After saying those words, Luo Xuanqing directed a deep gaze at Zhang Xuan.
“This…” Zhang Xuan found himself at a loss for words.
He knew that Luo Xuanqing was in a difficult position.
Even though he was close to Yuan Xiao, Bi Hongyin, and the others, it was unfortunate that they were affiliated with other major powers. They could be trusted under normal circumstances, but if there was a conflict of interest somehow in the future, they could very well choose to sacrifice their friendship to support their own clan. After all, they would soon take on important roles within their own clans, and by then, they would be responsible for the overall welfare of their clan. With such a heavy responsibility on their shoulders, they would have no choice but to sacrifice their personal will at times.
Considering that the reputation of the Luo Clan and Zhang Clan were at stake for this matter, it would not be a good idea to entrust this matter to them.
And after eliminating them from the picture, the only one who could be trusted and would not have any conflict of interest was him.
“What’s your choice?” Luo Xuanqing asked intently.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to accept your request.” Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Even if there are many things at stake, what does that have to do with me?
Why should I sacrifice my everything in order to fulfill others?
Besides, to make me assassinate myself… How do you expect me to accept such a request?
“I want to know why.”
A deep frown appeared in between Luo Xuanqing’s forehead. He thought that the young man would accept his request unhesitatingly, but he had been rejected instead.
Zhang Xuan paused for a moment, and eventually, he still decided against revealing his identity. “To tell you the truth, I have some urgent matters at the moment, and I need to head over to the Zhang Clan right now. I don’t think that I’ll have the time to head down to the Qingyuan Empire and assassinate that man.”
Even if he wanted to reveal his identity, this was not the right moment to do so! If he had to do it, it should be done before the Zhang Clan with him carrying the air of a conqueror!
“You need to head over to the Zhang Clan? For what?” Luo Xuanqing was visibly surprised to hear that news.
“The Zhang Clan is holding its Clan Assembly very soon, and Jian Qinsheng hopes that I can challenge the Xingmeng Sword Saint’s successors so as to exact vengeance for the humiliation he has suffered in the past,” Zhang Xuan explained.
“Jian Qinsheng? That old sword freak? I do recall him having a grudge with the head of the Zhang Clan. Indeed, this is a good opportunity to put down the Zhang Clan, so you should definitely go.” Luo Xuanqing was dazed for a moment before nodding in realization.
“What happened between the two of them? Is their grudge really just due to the difference in the Sword Quintessences they have comprehended?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.
The Sword Quintessence that Jian Qinsheng had comprehended was relating to the Flowing Water Swordsmanship, a defensive Sword Quintessence. Even though he had never seen the Xingmeng Sword Saint’s swordsmanship before, it should be safe to assume that the Sword Quintessence that the latter had comprehended was vastly different from Jian Qinsheng’s.
Otherwise, the Zhang Clan’s genius, Zhang Xu, would not have been rejected by the will of the Third Sanctum Head.
“Actually, it isn’t that complicated. Do you know where the title ‘Xingmeng Sword Saint’ originated from?” Luo Xuanqing asked.
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
All he knew about the Xingmeng Sword Saint was that the latter was the incumbent head of the Zhang Clan, the father of the young prodigy. As for his true name and the origin of his nickname, he really did not know a thing at all.
“Could it be that his name is… Zhang Xingmeng?” Zhang Xuan asked with a frown.
It would be truly hilarious if the head of the Zhang Clan, one of the top experts on the Master Teacher Continent, had such a feminine name.
“Of course not! In truth, the ‘Xingmeng’ in ‘Xingmeng Sword Saint’ refers to two different individuals. It’s derived from taking the ‘Xing’ character from the name of the head of the Zhang Clan and the ‘Meng’ character from his wife’s. When addressed separately, they are known as Sword Saint Xing and Sword Saint Meng. However, due to the overwhelming prowess from the combined might of their swordsmanship, which struck fear even in the hearts of the elders of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, they eventually came to be collectively known as the Xingmeng Sword Saint!” Luo Xuanqing explained.
Hearing that, Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in astonishment.
In order to become an elder of the Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters, one’s cultivation needed to have exceeded Saint 9-dan, and yet, the both of them were still able to instill deep fear into the hearts of such experts. It was already beyond Zhang Xuan’s imagination how powerful they could possibly be.
“Indeed. Back then, the both of them traveled across the entire Master Teacher Continent as a pair, and there was nearly no one who could match them. Even your teacher is filled with praise for them! Eventually, Sword Saint Xing inherited the position of the deputy clan head and received the deepest heritage of the Zhang Clan, thus pushing his strength and swordsmanship to greater heights. On the other hand, Sword Saint Meng has rarely appeared since then, and as time went by, her previous reputation ended up being heaped on Sword Saint Xing instead, resulting in very few knowing of her existence,” Luo Xuanqing explained.
As a core member of the Luo Clan, Luo Xuanqing was well-informed on those who stood at the top echelon of the Master Teacher Continent.
“I see. However, what does that have to do with Elder Jian Qinsheng? Could it be that he lost tragically to Sword Saint Xing back then?” Zhang Xuan asked doubtfully.
If there was not a deep-seated grudge between the both of them, there should not be a need for Jian Qinsheng to make use of the Zhang Clan’s Clan Assembly to get back at Sword Saint Xing, right?
That was almost as good as declaring his hostility toward the entire Zhang Clan!
“Lost tragically? Tragically is an understatement…” Luo Xuanqing shook his head.
“If the news I have is accurate, it would appear that Elder Jian Qinsheng used to be a fervent pursuer of the Meng Sword Saint!”
