Volume One: The Sword of the Son of Heaven Chapter 51: He Still Has Me
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Unlike Mu Gui’s Thousand-leaf Sword, which could summon a gentle breeze, the moment Yun Que revealed the hilt of his own sword, every elder of the Mu family felt as though they were being stalked by a venomous serpent.
A chill ran down their spines, and they sat on pins and needles!
They longed to flee the hall at once, to escape the lurking danger hidden in the shadows.
Yet Yun Que merely drew the hilt, not the entire Si Snake Sword. As soon as the aura of the treasure appeared, he pressed it back into his storage pouch.
It was enough to prove he possessed an artifact; there was no need to brandish the sword of the Alchemist.
The hall was plunged into silence.
Including Mu Gui, all the Mu family elders were forced to reassess the young man before them.
With handsome features, a slender build, a straight back, and a composed air in every gesture, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary youth.
Yet since arriving at the Mu residence, not only had he not faltered under the family’s relentless pressure, but he had repeatedly turned the tables.
When it came to wealth, he’d thrown out two hundred thousand taels without blinking.
When it came to rare items, he produced a priceless soul stone with ease.
When it came to magical treasures, his artifact was tossed casually in his pocket, ready at hand, unlike Mu Gui, whose sword needed the protection of a formation.
When it came to composure, he maintained an easy smile from start to finish, betraying not the slightest hint of fear, as if merely playing with children.
By contrast, Mu Gui had been losing ground step by step, and in the end, even his composure paled in comparison, all his dignity going to the dogs despite his age.
At last, these elders of the Mu family began to feel a twinge of dread.
Even the calculating and dark-hearted Mu Wan could not help but be secretly astonished.
When the Mu family looked at Yun Que now, what they saw was no longer an ordinary youth, but a flood dragon stranded in shallow waters!
He was simply amusing himself, toying with a shoal of fish and shrimp along the riverbank!
In that moment, the elders all felt a deep sense of insignificance, like mere fish and shrimp in the presence of a dragon. The air of wealth and nobility they had cultivated over the years was shredded by a single youth, leaving not a trace.
Mu Gui slumped back into his chair, his old face pale as ash.
He possessed a certain level of cultivation—not high, but enough to sense the authenticity of a magical artifact.
The boy truly had a treasure!
He had boasted so grandly in this contest of wealth, and as the Mu family’s leading elder, he had not achieved victory!
It might appear a draw, but in truth, Mu Gui’s inability to suppress a child was tantamount to defeat.
It must be remembered, Mu Gui did not stand alone.
He represented a branch of the Mu family, a fortune amassed by generations of clan members!
Especially the Thousand-leaf Sword—an heirloom passed down from their ancestors, now in Mu Gui’s hands, belonging to the entire Mu clan, not to one man.
Family treasures of the Mu were to be inherited by the most gifted of the clan’s youth.
Aside from Mu Qingyao, inheritor of the Flower Spirit Sword, there were no other outstanding talents among the younger generation, which was why the Thousand-leaf Sword remained sealed away.
Mu Gui, by borrowing the family’s might, had still failed to outdo his opponent.
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Having relied on the family’s artifact to overawe, while Yun Que had merely fished out a treasure from his pocket, Mu Gui’s humiliation was complete.
After stowing the Si Snake Sword, Yun Que smiled gently, tapped his own forehead, and suggested that Mu Gui should remember to buy some medicine on his way home.
“Of all the things to compete in, you had to choose a contest of wealth,” Yun Que remarked with mock regret. “If you’d chosen a race to see who could die first, you’d have won easily.”
To repay a slight with another was only fair.
By now, Yun Que had no reason to spare his opponent’s pride.
From beginning to end, Yun Que had only one principle.
Insult me if you wish, slander me if you must—being the son of the Marquis of Coldwater had long accustomed him to such treatment.
But to shame my father, or the Yun family? That was something he would never tolerate!
Whether the Mu family or the royal clan, once his father or his family was involved, Yun Que would fight to his last breath.
Driven to madness, Mu Gui roared uncontrollably:
“Insolent brat! I’ll see this to the bitter end! My Mu family possesses the Thousand-leaf Sword and the Flower Spirit Sword—two artifacts! Produce two treasures of your own, and I’ll concede! Come, let me see the Yun family’s foundation, see what valuables your father Yun Changji left you!”
As Mu Gui spoke, Mu Qingzhou’s face darkened at once.
His third uncle had gone too far.
It was one thing to quarrel with a child, but now he was dragging the fallen Yun Changji into it.
Everyone knew that if Yun Changji had left anything of value, the Yun family would not have fallen so far.
The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.
The smile slowly faded from Yun Que’s face. Though a hint of amusement lingered at his lips, the smile had grown icy cold.
“You really want to see?” Yun Que’s voice was flat and emotionless.
Mu Gui felt a chill crawl up his spine—momentarily cowed by a mere youth. Gritting his teeth, he barked,
“Enough nonsense! If you have anything worth more than an artifact, bring it out! I only wish to be thoroughly convinced!”
Yun Que nodded slowly, his right hand moving to the pouch at his waist.
A nameless sense of dread seemed to hover in the air.
To the Mu family, the youth before them was like a bored dragon, about to bare its claws at the unsuspecting fish and shrimp.
Even knowing it was an illusion, they could not help but feel a real sense of danger emanating from Yun Que.
Suddenly, Mu Qingyao strode forward and seized Yun Que’s hand.
“He still has me!”
Facing her family’s elders, Mu Qingyao gripped Yun Que’s hand tightly, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
Everyone—including Mu Gui and even Mu Qingzhou—was stunned.
Holding hands outside might be nothing, but here in the Mu residence, with all the elders present, Mu Qingyao’s act was a clear statement—she stood with Yun Que, even if it meant opposing her own family for his sake!
With Mu Qingyao at his side, even if Yun Que held only a single artifact, he could easily overturn the Mu family’s twin treasures.
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The eldest daughter of the Mu family, South Courtyard’s first sword of the Sword Palace, the most gifted prodigy in a hundred years, the greatest beauty of Yan Nation—Mu Qingyao’s worth far surpassed that of a mere magical artifact.
Facing the astonished gazes of all in the hall, Mu Qingyao spoke softly and coldly, “I should be worth at least one artifact.”
A gasp swept through the quiet hall—snorts, coughs, and sprays of tea erupted all at once.
The dignified eldest daughter of the Mu family was comparing herself to an artifact—Yun Que’s artifact, no less!
Wasn’t it obvious she considered herself his?
Amid the commotion, Yun Que smiled and said to the girl beside him, “No, you’re far more precious than any artifact.”
At this, the elders in the room grew even more resentful.
Mu Qingyao did not turn her head, stubbornly facing the elders, though her cheeks flushed pink and her heart pounded wildly.
“Disgraceful! Utterly disgraceful!” Mu Gui shouted in fury. “Mu Qingzhou! Look at your daughter—turning against her own family for an outsider! It’s true what they say—daughters always side with outsiders!”
Mu Qingzhou, who had been silent all this time, coughed and said, “My daughter has always been well-mannered and proper. She would never do anything to disgrace our family.”
Mu Gui retorted venomously, “Not a disgrace? Look at what she’s doing! In front of all these elders, she compares herself to a treasure and gives herself away, clinging to another man and refusing to let go—what a laughingstock!”
“Is that so?” Mu Qingzhou glanced at Yun Que and smiled. “Third Uncle, your memory is failing you. Yun Que is no outsider. He and Qingyao have been engaged since childhood. What harm is there in holding hands?”
Mu Gui was beside himself with rage. What he could not bear most was seeing Mu Qingyao close to someone else, for the closer she grew, the less chance his own grandson would have.
“Of course it matters! I do not consent to this engagement! The Yun family will never marry a single woman from the Mu clan—not even a maid!” Mu Gui shrieked, his beard quivering with fury.
He was in a full-blown tantrum.
Yun Que smiled, reaching his other hand toward his storage pouch.
Mu Qingyao tensed instantly, fixing her gaze on Yun Que and shaking her head.
Yun Que met her eyes and nodded gently.
The tacit understanding they thought they shared seemed to falter in that instant.
Their signals crossed.
Mu Qingyao understood the shake and nod to mean:
Don’t take out the Blind Snake.
Okay.
Yun Que understood the shake and nod to mean:
Don’t spare that old bastard Mu Gui.
Okay.