Firmament Sword

He pretended to be oblivious and continued walking forward. On the ancient bluestone road, the piece of Gold shone with a dazzling light, as if it shone directly into the depths of everyone's hearts.

'Do I have the blood of a demon flowing in my veins too?' Xu Luo mused with a self-deprecating smile. He felt a surprising lack of guilt for personally shattering something so pure and beautiful.

Just then, a timid, childish voice called out from behind him.

"Mister, you dropped something!"

Xu Luo flinched, the mocking smile freezing on his face as he slowly turned around.

He saw a boy of about seven or eight, dressed in plain but clean clothes, standing before the piece of Gold. His large, bright eyes held a mix of curiosity and timidity as he looked at him.

Behind the little boy stood a very unassuming couple.

The man was in his thirties, sturdily built with swarthy skin and large, calloused hands and feet. He looked like someone accustomed to years of hard labor. His gaze, as he looked at Xu Luo, was entirely guileless.

The woman beside him was plain-featured with weathered skin. She seemed too shy to look directly at Xu Luo; the small town had never seen such a handsome young man before.

The onlookers gazed at the Gold with envy and astonishment, but not a single one showed any greed.

Xu Luo smiled and looked at the boy. "Hey, little guy, do you know what this is?"

"I know! It's Gold!" he chirped, perhaps emboldened by Xu Luo's gentle demeanor.

"And do you know what that means?" Xu Luo asked.

The little boy thought for a moment before saying with great earnestness, "Cotton candy!" He licked his lips and gulped before adding hesitantly, "And pretty new clothes! And cool toys!"

"Heh. 'Then why did you remind me?'" Xu Luo walked over, crouched down, and picked up the large piece of Gold. He smiled and said, "How about I give it to you?"

"I don't want it!" The boy suddenly looked insulted, his small face contorting with anger. He shouted, "My dad and mom told me never to take things that aren't mine!"

At that, an elderly man in his fifties nearby frowned at Xu Luo. "Young man," he said softly, "I don't know where you're from, but judging by your clothes, you're from an important family. You probably don't understand how things are here. We may be poor, but we live happily. We may have rarely seen Gold, but we know its value. Please, don't use it to corrupt a child's pure heart."

"That's right, young man," a middle-aged woman added, looking at Xu Luo with concern. "You might be very wealthy, but we don't envy you. It's obvious you're not happy. Are you going through something difficult? Don't get lost in despair. Whatever it is, it will pass."

"Hurry and put that Gold away! It's beautiful, but you'll be in danger if the wrong people see it!"

"Exactly. Don't flaunt your wealth. Young man, how can you not understand a principle that even we do?"

Everyone began to chime in, yet not a single person showed any interest in the Gold in Xu Luo's hand.

Xu Luo swept his Divine Sense across the entire street. To his astonishment, not a single person held any ill will toward him.

The corner of Xu Luo's mouth twitched, and then he broke into a laugh. A clarity he hadn't felt in a long time returned to his eyes. He gave the crowd a sincere bow and offered his heartfelt thanks.

Then, he turned to the little boy and apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to tempt you with it."

"I forgive you!" the little boy said, breaking into a wide grin. "My dad and mom say that any mistake made without bad intentions can be forgiven. I'm not mad at you. When I grow up, I'll be a hunter like my dad. I'll catch lots and lots of game, and then I can trade it for Gold, too!"

"Hahaha, little one, do you have any idea? You could hunt your whole life and never earn enough for a piece of Gold that big."

"That's right. For a piece that big? The last time I was in the county seat, I saw a rich man spend a piece of Gold no bigger than a fingernail, and it bought him a ton of stuff!"

"We're lucky if we can earn enough copper plates to get by. Gold... that's something you only see in dreams!"

"Well, at least today's walk wasn't a waste! I got to see real Gold, haha!"

The onlookers chatted and laughed, teasing the little boy.

The little boy lowered his head in embarrassment but muttered seriously under his breath, "I can hunt fierce beasts! I can sell them for Gold!"

Xu Luo stood up, smiling as he patted the boy's head. He then turned to the child's parents. "I've traveled a long way and was hoping to stay here for a while. I don't see any inns in town. Would it be possible for me to stay with you for a few days? Rest assured... I will pay you for your trouble."

The woman looked hesitant, but the young man beside her was more direct. "I'm only worried our home is too run-down for you. You might not be comfortable. But if you don't mind, staying a few days is no problem at all. As for payment... don't mention it again."

"But our home..." the woman began, hesitating.

The young man gave a simple smile. "I know what you're thinking. But you can tell this young man is probably going through a hard time and just wants to get away for a few days. I've met rich young men like him before. They go to poor places on purpose... what's it called... oh, for the 'experience'! To experience life!"

"But our house is so dilapidated!" the woman said, fiddling with the hem of her clothes, clearly embarrassed.

"It's no problem, I can get used to it," Xu Luo said with a smile. "I've slept out in the mountain forests many times before."

"Then it's settled!" the young man declared. "Wife, go fetch some wine and buy some good food. I'm going to have a few drinks with our young friend!" He then looked over at the elder and the others who had spoken up. "You all want to join?"

"Ha! The most worldly hunter in town is treating? Of course we'll go!" the others laughed.

"Great! Come over in a bit, all of you!" the young man declared with a magnanimous wave.

Xu Luo expected the wife to complain, but to his surprise, once her husband made the decision, she didn't utter a single word of protest. She simply took the little boy's hand and went to buy the wine and food.

Xu Luo took out a piece of silver. It wasn't large, but to the townspeople, it was still a considerable sum. He offered it to the woman for the groceries, as he didn't have any copper plates on him...

But the young man's eyes widened. "What kind of host makes his guest pay? Put it away! If you don't, then you can forget about staying with us!"

Xu Luo gave a wry smile and had no choice but to put the silver away for the time being. He then followed the young man, accompanied by a few other townspeople, to his home.

Only upon arriving did Xu Luo realize just how... humble the young man's home truly was.

It consisted of three low, mud-brick rooms that looked quite dilapidated, standing in stark contrast to the larger, bluestone houses nearby.

The young man, however, seemed perfectly at ease. "This is my home!" he said to Xu Luo with a smile.

It was the elder who explained to Xu Luo, "Stone has had a hard life. He was an orphan who was raised by the whole town. He started hunting in the mountains as a teenager and built this house with his own two hands. Then he married a wife and had a child. That's why all of us in town admire him so much!"

"And isn't Stone about to start building his new house?" someone else added. "When it's done, it'll probably be the best house in the whole town!"

"That's right. Stone has become a famous hunter over the years, known for a hundred li around. Even some of the gentry in the county seat have heard of him!"

Faced with everyone's praise, the young hunter, Stone, seemed a little embarrassed. He scratched his head and laughed. "Why bring this up in front of a real nobleman?"

Everyone laughed, not seeming to treat Xu Luo with any particular deference due to his status. It was as if, in their eyes, all people were equal.

Even though they could all tell Xu Luo was a wealthy young master, no one showed him any of the fawning servility that usually accompanied such status.

Soon, the woman returned with the wine and food. She worked deftly, and a tempting aroma quickly began to waft from the kitchen of the small thatched cottage.

The elder seemed moved. "Stone, you found a good wife! She's gentle and virtuous, an excellent cook, and most importantly, she gave you a son. Before you know it, you'll be a grandfather doting on your grandkids!"

Stone scratched his head. "I'm not thinking that far ahead. My biggest dream is just to make sure my wife and son can live a good life."

"That's a solid dream," Xu Luo remarked from the side, his thoughts drifting to his own parents.

'His father, Xu Ji, had once said something similar: "My greatest achievement in this life wasn't becoming a General or how many battles I won... my greatest achievement was marrying my wife and having two sons! As long as my wife and children are happy, that is the greatest accomplishment of my life!"'

'I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing...' Xu Luo was suddenly overcome with homesickness, a longing for his family.

Then, the woman served the food and wine. They were simple, rustic dishes, yet each one gave off an enticing aroma. Even Xu Luo felt an impatient urge to taste them.

This surprised Xu Luo. 'This simple feeling...' he thought with a sigh, 'how many years has it been since I've felt something like this?'

He looked at the others and saw they were much the same, all wearing looks of eager anticipation.

A sudden understanding dawned on Xu Luo. Faced with a piece of Gold worth a fortune, these people had remained completely unmoved. It wasn't because they didn't know its value. On the contrary, with the exception of Little Stone, every single one of them knew exactly how much the Gold was worth.

Yet they hadn't been tempted, nor had they felt any greed. It was a simple principle, etched into their very bones: You don't take what belongs to others. Because if you do, you might gain something, but... you will lose so much more.

But when faced with a simple meal, they all looked on with covetous eyes. That was because this meal... was more than just a meal. It symbolized the unity of the town, the friendship between these neighbors.

This was something they could take. And in taking it, no one would lose anything. Instead, everyone... would gain something more.

When it came to gain and loss, these ordinary, worldly people actually saw things more clearly than anyone.

The greatest philosophies of life aren't always spoken aloud. Sometimes, they are simply lived... by the most ordinary people in the world.

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