Firmament Sword

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Stone hadn't gone into the mountains during this time. In his own words: "This is a critical time for the female beasts to reproduce. If I go hunting now and happen to kill a mother nursing her young, my conscience wouldn't be able to bear it."

So, Stone had been busy building his new house. He planned to spend the summer finishing his new home and then go hunting again in the winter.

As for Xu Luo, he spent his days watching Stone work. Yes, watching him work so happily... so energetically.

After another round of drinks, the young wife deftly cleared the table while Little Stone ran off to play wildly. Xu Luo and Stone were left sitting on a stone bench outside the thatched hut, enjoying the cool evening breeze as they chatted casually.

"Brother Stone, you've been hunting in the mountains since you were a child. You must rely on that strong physique of yours, right?" Xu Luo asked casually.

"A strong physique... is not enough, actually. Experience in the forest and knowledge of the beasts are also very important." Stone, his face flushed from the alcohol, said with a smile, "But the most important thing is that you have to have a good weapon that suits you!"

As he spoke, Stone stood up, went back into the house, and brought out a sturdy cloth sack. He opened the mouth of the sack in front of Xu Luo and said with a laugh, "In here are all my treasures. In this world, after my wife and son, they're my best companions!"

With that, Stone took them out of the sack one by one.

A large, jet-black bow—one glance told you it couldn't be drawn by anyone without immense strength. Two quivers, each holding over a dozen arrows that emanated a cold aura.

A long saber, clearly forged from fine steel, gleamed with a cold, sinister light and looked exceptionally sharp.

Two daggers, both glinting coldly, were just as sharp.

In addition, there were two ropes woven from some unknown material that looked incredibly sturdy. Two beast traps, several snares...

Looking at all this, Xu Luo could almost picture Stone, fully armed, heading into the mountains to hunt.

A robust young man with a great black-iron bow slung across his back, a long saber in his hand, and two sharp daggers strapped to his legs, moving nimbly through the forest. Even when faced with ferocious beasts like lions or tigers, he wouldn't flinch, calmly drawing his great bow and felling his prey with a single arrow...

When Xu Luo shared this thought, Stone burst out laughing. Even his wife, who had finished cleaning up, leaned against the doorway, bathed in the glow of the twilight clouds, and looked at Xu Luo with a warm smile.

Although her features were plain, her smile was beautiful and held not a trace of mockery.

"Brother, you must have heard too many stories. Reality isn't as grand as you imagine, haha! I can tell you're a noble young master from a big city." Stone first teased Xu Luo with a hearty laugh before continuing, "Every time I enter the mountains, I have to be extremely careful. There are powerful, ferocious beasts in this forest. They're different from ordinary animals; they have intelligence nearly on par with humans. So, every time, I have to pray that I don't run into them. If I do and I anger them, it's basically a death sentence."

"And as for those fierce beasts—lions, tigers, leopards, and the like—I've actually only hunted a few. They're incredibly ferocious. While I pride myself on being an accurate shot—I'm not saying I can split a hair at a hundred paces, but I'm close—I'm still only human. There are times when my strength fails or my focus wavers. If I don't kill them with a single arrow, they'll retaliate with savage fury..."

"The old hunter who mentored me... his body grew old and weak. One time, he went hunting in the mountains alone and ran into a fierce tiger. He failed to kill it with one arrow and was eaten alive..."

As Stone said this, a touch of sorrow crossed his features. He gently caressed the large, jet-black bow and said, "This was his only belonging that I found at the place where he died. Later, I tracked down the tiger that ate him and killed it. I didn't touch the tiger's body. Even though it would have sold for a lot of money, I buried it instead."

Stone sighed and murmured, "Because my master was in its stomach, he had become one with it. If I sold the tiger, I would feel like I had sold my master, too..."

Xu Luo was silent for a long while before suddenly asking with a smile, "Brother Stone, what would you do if, one day, you lost all these treasures of yours?"

"Huh? What do you mean? They're my lifeline! They won't get lost!" Stone was taken aback at first, then he shot a wary glance at Xu Luo, as if wondering if this noble young master had taken a liking to his treasures.

'If he really has his eye on my treasures and offers to buy them, what should I do?'

'It wouldn't be a loss... I'm a good judge of character. This young brother is clearly no ordinary person, so why would he try to take advantage of me?'

'But these treasures have been with me for years. Especially this bow—it holds all my feelings and memories of my master.'

"Can't sell it!" Stone suddenly mumbled.

Xu Luo couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head. "I don't want to buy your treasures. I'm just asking, if you suddenly lost them one day, would you feel devastated? Would you feel like you no longer had the courage to hunt the fierce beasts of the forest?"

"Well..." Stone scratched his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Of course I'd feel a sense of loss. Think about it... most of these things have been with me since I was a kid. I got them by hunting in the mountains, selling my quarry, and saving up bit by bit, until I could finally afford to have them forged at the best Blacksmith in the county town. They're like my family. If they were gone, my heart would ache. I'd be devastated."

"But... to say I wouldn't have the courage to go into the mountains and hunt fierce beasts anymore? That's not true!" Stone said with a look of certainty. "If I really lost them, I could just have new ones made. And even if I didn't have the money for that, I could use my experience to set snares and dig traps in the mountains... I could use all sorts of methods to catch prey."

"Experience..." Xu Luo murmured softly, then fell into a thoughtful silence.

The vexing question seemed to have killed Stone's mood for conversation as well. As if imagining how he would feel if he actually lost his treasures, he began to cherish them all the more, carefully putting each one away.

Xu Luo sat there, lost in thought, motionless, until the last wisp of the sunset clouds was swallowed by darkness.

The young wife finally nudged her husband worriedly and whispered, "What's wrong with the young brother? Is he going to be okay?"

Stone shook his head gently. "He'll be fine. He's probably just had a realization about something. That question of his really made me uneasy. I have to guard these treasures well and make sure they never get lost!"

The young wife shot her husband a look and chided him softly, "Are they more valuable than your son and me? Honestly. Even if they were lost, you'd still have us. We'll never be separated!"

"You're right! Now that you put it that way, I feel much better! They're just tools. Even though I'm attached to them and rely on them, that's only because they've been with me for so long. If I got a new set of tools, I'd probably forget about these ones after a few years, right? But my wife and son are the most important treasures in my life! As long as I have you two, I have the confidence to get back on my feet no matter what difficulties I face! Because I have your support, a strong body, and more importantly, I have a wealth of experience!"

"I believe in you!"

From inside the room, the soft sound of Stone and his wife's conversation reached Xu Luo's ears without a single word missed.

For Xu Luo, who was already on the verge of an epiphany, this was the final push. In that instant, his thoughts became completely clear!

'That's right, the Seven Star Souls... over the years, they gave me so, so much. An ordinary person could never imagine what kind of help that was.'

'But even if this hadn't happened, they were bound to leave eventually!'

'They belong only to the sky!'

'Not to the earth!'

'How could they stay in this world for too long?'

'Perhaps that's precisely why the Seven Star Souls chose to sacrifice themselves without hesitation when facing that avatar of the Kunpeng.'

'Because they belong to the sky!'

'How could I be so selfish... keeping them by my side for my own sake?'

'Stone is right. With experience, a strong body, and the care and support of family, why would I lose confidence?'

At this moment, the deepest part of Xu Luo's heart was finally illuminated as never before.

It was as if a lamp had been lit, shining directly into the depths of his soul!

His lost and bewildered soul had found its direction, its guide.

The heart that had become fragile and devoid of confidence after the departure of the Seven Star Souls instantly grew strong!

Xu Luo could clearly feel the qi and blood in his body surge in that instant. Several blockages in his meridians were cleared at once, and he even showed signs of an impending breakthrough!

'I can't break through here... I can't bring any danger or killing intent to this quiet, peaceful town,' Xu Luo said to himself.

Then, he bowed deeply toward the room of Stone and his wife.

This bow was to thank the ordinary couple who had, unintentionally, resolved the greatest confusion he faced, allowing him to achieve mental clarity and travel onward without his former burdens.

Next, Xu Luo took out a basic manual and an advanced manual on Qi Cultivation and placed them on the stone bench outside.

He didn't leave gold or silver, because wealth stirs greed in people's hearts. The townspeople were simple and honest and might not have any ill intentions, but if word got out, it would likely only bring disaster to Stone's family.

His Storage Ring contained countless sharp weapons, but Xu Luo didn't take any out. After all, those were just external objects. As Stone had said, at worst... he could just have a new set forged!

Because the Stone of today already had the ability and financial means to have several sets of hunting tools made.

Only something that could fundamentally change Stone and his future generations would be truly useful to them!

Therefore, Xu Luo left behind a basic manual on Qi Cultivation. With this, Stone's family would sooner or later produce an outstanding descendant. And with the advanced manual, they could truly rise above the rest!

Xu Luo left the small town without a sound, melting into the night to once again embark on the journey that was his alone!

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