Volume 1, Chapter 64: Flowers in a Mirror and the Moon on the Water Cleverly Deceive the Heavenly Sword

The Royal Hunting Grounds.

The Beast King looked down upon the crowd of humans, its aura growing increasingly fierce and ferocious. Bent on slaughtering these thieves who had dared to steal its offspring, it slammed down with a massive paw.

The wind of the palm howled, as wide as a giant door, its sharp claws resembling long sabers.

The person about to be struck scrambled away in panic, blown back several yards by the howling gale, and barely managed to stay on his feet. Regaining his balance, and consumed by surging anger, he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and let fly a rapid shot.

"Take down this beast!" the young elites shouted.

A fierce battle was on the verge of erupting.

High upon a hilltop not far away, Zhao Wujiang looked down at the battle, which was on the edge of exploding into intensity. In his eyes, this skirmish resembled nothing more than a swarm of tiny ants besieging a giant toad.

Having already secured the infant Beast King, he had no intention of lingering and decided to exit the hunting grounds first.

Yet, after running barely two steps with the baby Beast King cradled in his arms, he suddenly halted, his eyes flashing.

Just moments ago, he had caught a glimpse of the Regal Celestial Sword mounted on Long Zhan's horse.

The Celestial Sword possessed extraordinary might. Although he had intercepted Long Zhan and snatched half of it, the other half remained in Long Zhan's possession.

Long Zhan was growing too rapidly. Even with only half a Celestial Sword, he still posed a massive threat.

Furthermore, the person who had ambushed him earlier was one of Long Zhan's subordinates—undoubtedly acting on Long Zhan's direct orders.

Long Zhan had repeatedly tried to suppress him and had harbored murderous intent for a long time...

He could not simply walk away like this!

Since Long Zhan and the others were locked in a fierce battle with the Beast King, wasn't this the ultimate opportunity?

Zhao Wujiang's mind raced furiously as he hatched a plan. He patted the infant Beast King in his arms, plucked a few tufts of its fur, gripped them tightly in his hand, and then dashed frantically toward the battlefield.

Running faster and more agile than a monkey through the mountain forest, his facial features shifted dramatically, and his physique underwent a subtle transformation.

Amidst the whistling sound of flying arrows, the curses of the young elites, and the furious roars of the Beast King growing ever closer, he executed a sudden roll just as he was about to reach the battlefield.

His clothes scraped against the ground, quickly becoming tattered and coated with yellow mud and withered twigs. Shouting slogans about defeating the Beast King, he blended seamlessly into the crowd.

The Beast King was forced back by the joint assault of the young elites; after all, its flesh and blood could not indefinitely withstand such a barrage of arrows.

Exclamations rang out. There was strength in numbers. Since everyone present was a martial artist—and the vast majority proficient in mounted archery—dealing with a single Beast King together now seemed entirely feasible.

Another volley of arrows rained down. These golden-iron arrows were no ordinary projectiles; they had been specially prepared by the scions of noble and powerful households for the autumn hunt. Though costly, their destructive power was formidable, and quite a few shafts pierced directly into the Beast King's hide, causing blood to flow freely.

Constantly driven back, the Beast King showed signs of going berserk. Seizing the advantage, the crowd pressed the attack, closing the distance. They were now virtually certain that the Beast King was protecting its cub, which was the only reason it was blocking their advance.

Meanwhile, Long Zhan slowly drew the Regal Celestial Sword, determined to secure the cub under the Beast King's protection!

The very moment Long Zhan drew the sword, Zhao Wujiang, who had been keeping a close eye on his movements while mingling in the crowd, suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs:

"General Long, what is the meaning of this? Who doesn't know that this sword was bestowed upon you by the Emperor? Its power is immense!

We all agreed to hunt using bows and arrows on horseback. Now that you've drawn this Celestial Sword, even if you win in the end, won't it be an unearned victory?"

"Exactly! I've always admired Brother Long, but while everyone else is using archery, you actually pull out the Celestial Sword. Are you bullying us for not having one?"

"Unfair! That Celestial Sword is far too powerful. Even if you win, we won't accept it!"

Every time Zhao Wujiang shouted, he would duck down, scurry to a different spot, and alter his voice.

Reminded by these cries, the numerous young elites noticed the Celestial Sword in Long Zhan's hand and began to frown.

"Long Zhan, we are joining forces to fight the beast, and victory is within our grasp. Why are you pulling out the Celestial Sword? Could it be that you intend to swallow the Beast King's cub all for yourself?"

"We haven't even succeeded yet, and you're already drawing your sword. Are you guarding against us, or planning to stab us in the back when we least expect it?!"

"Or perhaps you're trying to force us to retreat so you can monopolize the spoils?"

Nearly all the young elites present came from imperial lineage or high-ranking official families. Accustomed to being pampered and enjoying special privileges, they had watched the Beast King being pushed back and grown closer to the prize, only for Long Zhan to pull out the Celestial Sword?

What was the meaning of this?

Was Long Zhan the only one entitled to special privileges today?

By what right?

"Exactly, by what right? Everyone has put in the effort, yet you want it all to yourself!" Zhao Wujiang lowered his voice, feigning righteous indignation as he yelled in the crowd. With everyone's eyes fixed on Long Zhan, absolutely no one paid any attention to him.

Long Zhan's expression grew increasingly dark, but knowing he could not afford to provoke the public rage, he let out a cold snort:

"Fine, if I don't use it, I won't use it! Without the Celestial Sword, I can still achieve victory relying solely on my own ability!"

"You say you won't use it, but who knows if you'll use it at the crucial moment? The sword is in your hands!" a cold sneer rang out from the crowd. Long Zhan looked around for the source, but could not spot who had spoken.

Suddenly, a figure approached him rapidly. Feeling a trace of wariness, Long Zhan's guard dropped slightly when he recognized the approaching person. It was not one of the other young elites, but rather the subordinate he had dispatched earlier to harass Zhao Wujiang.

"General," Zhao Wujiang said, cupping his fists. Then, casting a fierce glare around at the young elites as if sharing a common hatred with his master Long Zhan, he stepped forward and respectfully extended his hands:

"My General is open and aboveboard. Since he said he won't use it, he will not use the Celestial Sword to bully everyone here.

General, please leave it in this subordinate's custody and go deal with the Beast King to claim your destiny!

With the General's skill, let alone without the Celestial Sword, even riding single-handedly into battle, you will undoubtedly take first place!"

Long Zhan glanced at his subordinate, whose clothes were tattered and caked in yellow mud—evidently, dealing with Zhao Wujiang had been exhausting work. Lowering his voice, Long Zhan asked:

"The task I gave you..."

"General, rest easy..." Zhao Wujiang lowered his head and bowed, speaking in an equally low tone:

"During this hunt, Zhao Wujiang will never come to interfere with you again, nor will he pose the slightest threat to you..."

Receiving the reply he wanted, Long Zhan felt a surge of elation and let out a cold laugh. Did Zhao Wujiang really think he could just slack off and enjoy a moment of peace without consulting him first?

Once he secured the Beast King's cub, he would go back and wrest that tyrannical Celestial Sword from Zhao Wujiang. The Celestial Sword belonged to him, Long Zhan!

"Hmph. It seems Brother Long was rather reluctant to put down the Celestial Sword after all. Were you secretly pondering how to use it against us?"

Seeing Long Zhan's subordinate speak with such righteous conviction while Long Zhan showed no intention of temporarily removing the sword from the battlefield, another wave of mockery arose:

"So much for supreme talent—it's nothing more than relying on favoritism!"

"Watch your tongue! If you show any more disrespect to my General, don't blame me for discarding past camaraderie!" Internally, Zhao Wujiang mentally gave a thumbs-up to the person provoking Long Zhan, but his exterior remained fierce.

Long Zhan waved a hand. Reluctant though he was, the Regal Celestial Sword had already recognized him as its master; he had no fear that this subordinate would betray him!

He was confident his subordinate neither had the ability nor the daring to do so!

Thus, he handed the Celestial Sword over to his subordinate.

Carefully adjusting the soft saddle on the horse's back, Zhao Wujiang received the Celestial Sword with both hands:

"The General will surely outshine all others and show everyone who the true supreme prodigy is!"

Hearing his subordinate's flattery, Long Zhan felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Snorting coldly at the crowd, he whipped his horse into a gallop and chased after the Beast King.

Unwilling to fall behind, the others whipped their mounts as well. The Beast King was already injured; they could not allow Long Zhan to seize the initiative and take the cub!

Clutching the sword, Zhao Wujiang was engulfed in a flurry of flying dust and thundering hooves. Within moments, a thick cloud of dust obscured his figure.

No one noticed that as he adjusted the saddle on the horse, he had tucked several tufts of infant Beast King fur into the padding.

The hazy yellow mist drifted through the forest toward the Beast King's lair, but by the time the dust settled, Zhao Wujiang's figure had already vanished.

He was running wildly in the exact opposite direction of the lair. Grimy and disheveled though he looked, he cradled the sleeping infant Beast King tightly in his arms, while his armpits and both arms clamped securely around the Regal Celestial Sword.

With no one else around, joy blossomed across his face. He no longer needed to hide, and a brilliant smile finally broke through.