Soaring the Heavens

“Tian Yu, Liu Xing. You don’t need to escort me any further.” Miao Yi called out the two ladies’ names directly, causing them to feel much irritation. Worse yet, they still had to reply to him with a smile.

This was still better than what Miao Yi did next. Under the gazes of the two guards by the entrance, Miao Yi took out twenty low-grade Orbs of Will and handed the two ladies half each. This reward was significantly higher than that of the two guards; it was tenfold of what they had gotten.

Yan Xiu couldn’t help his lips from twitching. If he recalled correctly, Miao Yi had given Qing Ju a thousand low-grade Orbs of Will. This difference was a little too much to be put into words!

With forced smiles, Tian Yu and Liu Xing tried to refuse, but Miao Yi insisted on rewarding them. He firmly stuffed the Orbs of Will into their hands and said with an earnest look, “You two deserve this much. When I’m not around, you must take good care of my Big Brother!”

‘Do you think we need you to tell us that?’ Tian Yu and Liu Xing felt incredibly awkward and could only grit their teeth and accept the reward. The problem was that accepting such a gift was a difficult thing to do. Once they chose to accept it, they naturally had to thank the other party, or else it would be impolite. The two ladies had no choice but to curtsy under the gazes of the two guards, saying, “Thank you for the gifts, Lord Miao!”

As they heard what the two ladies said, the two guards immediately felt a surge of respect for Miao Yi. ‘It seems this person really is the Hall Master’s sworn brother!’

“We’re a family. You don’t need to be so formal. You can stop sending me off now.” Miao Yi waved his hand as he called for the two ladies to halt.

Tian Yu smiled and said, “It’s alright. We will escort Lord Miao down the mountain.”

“Stay!” Seeing how they weren’t listening, Miao Yi immediately adopted a commanding tone. He then leaped onto his mount, with Yan Xiu, Qian’Er, and Xue’Er quickly following as well.

Miao Yi didn’t give Tian Yu and Liu Xing a chance to say anything else. With a wave of his hand, he said, “Let’s go!”

Miao Yi then galloped out the palace gates, with Yan Xiu and the others closely following behind him. Tian Yu and Liu Xing could only bid them farewell, saying, “We wish Lord Miao a safe journey ahead!”

As they watched the four riders make their way down the mountain, Tian Yu immediately turned to the guards and warned, “You two are not to mention what happened just now to anyone. If not, the consequences will be dire!”

Tian Yu and Liu Xing were obviously aware that Huo Lingxiao actually didn’t wish to recognize the existence of this sworn brother of his.

The two guards exchanged looks of confusion, but they still cupped their fists and acknowledged, “Understood!”

The two ladies then walked to the edge of the cliff, gazing at the departing figures in the distance. Tian Yu sighed. “This Lord Miao has finally left. Let’s hope that he will go as far away as possible and never set foot in Suppressing Second Hall’s domain ever again. Otherwise, given his lordship’s behavior, he would surely become a burden to Master!”

“Something’s not right, Elder Sister. Look. He’s stopped again,” Liu Xing said, pointing towards the mountain gates.

Tian Yu immediately looked over with her transcendence vision and saw that Miao Yi had stopped by the mountain gates. He was waving his hands around and seemed to be saying something as he sat on his mount. After which, Yan Xiu jumped down from his dragon steed and proceeded to stuff something into the hands of the two cultivators standing guard by the mountain gates.

Liu Xing asked in confusion, “Why is he still loitering around the mountain gates? Why isn’t he leaving yet?”

Tian Yu replied in exasperation, “Why else? He’s clearly handing out rewards again and telling everyone that the Hall Master is his sworn older brother.”

Liu Xing immediately turned to look at the two guards by the entrance. It turned out it wasn’t enough to just seal the lips of the other two. She couldn’t imagine how many more people Miao Yi was going to notify. Her expression twisted in dismay as she said, “It’s all over. Now every single person in Suppressing Second Hall will know that he’s Master’s sworn brother.”

“Let’s go! We have to inform Master.”

After making sure that Miao Yi and the others were truly gone this time, the two ladies quickly rushed back inside the palace. Along the way, they bumped into Fan Zizhang. With a face full of cold sweat, he greeted the two Aunties, who only slightly nodded in response. The two ladies then quickly made their way into the harem, where they saw Huo Lingxiao with a dark expression on his face. They then explained to him the matter of Miao Yi going around announcing that he was the Hall Master’s sworn brother.

‘I just knew nothing good would come from revealing my identity to this sworn little brother of mine. This is truly frustrating!’ With his hands behind his back, Huo Lingxiao paced around the main hall for a while, then grabbed a teacup from the teapoy and gulped it down in an attempt to calm himself. As he slowly sat down, he asked, “What do you two think of this miserly little brother of mine?”

The two ladies looked at one another, a little reluctant to answer their Master’s question. They simply didn’t have anything nice to say.

Huo Lingxiao could see what the two ladies were concerned about. He waved his hand and said, “Speak your mind. I will not blame you for it.”

Liu Xing said cautiously, “Master, forgive me for being blunt, but this Lord Miao seems a little… conceited after finding out about your identity!”

Pa! Huo Lingxiao slapped down on the teapoy, nodding as he said, “I can’t even describe how angry he’s made me. You hit the mark exactly. That’s right—he’s conceited! This is absolutely outrageous! How dare he kill one of my men in front of me without my approval!”

Tian Yu mused to herself, ‘Don’t you think it’s a little too late to be saying this? He clearly made it so that you wouldn’t be able to do anything to him even if he did such a thing. You didn’t say anything to him earlier, so what’s the point in mentioning it now?!’ However, she still offered a different perspective on the matter and remarked carefully, “Master, why do I feel as though this Lord Miao is not as simple as he seems? I get the feeling that he’s actually very smart. While his actions might look brash and reckless at first, in truth, he’s very clear on how far he can push things so that no one can do anything to him. Think about it. If he really were such a simple man, how could he have possibly carved a path of blood through the other 180,000 cultivators in the Sea of Constellations and make it back alive?”

Huo Lingxiao nodded.

“Carved a path of blood through the other 180,000 cultivators?” Liu Xing couldn’t help laughing. “Elder Sister, why are you using the same words as Miao Yi when he was boasting about himself? Do you think someone that’s truly capable would toot their own horn like that? I think that this Lord Miao might have just gotten lucky. He’s also a little… a little…”

Huo Lingxiao lifted his head and asked, “Also a little what?”

Liu Xing whispered, “I think he’s also a little soft in the head.”

Huo Lingxiao nodded and said, “Liu Xing is absolutely correct. He is a little dim-witted. If he wasn’t, then he wouldn’t have threatened me at spearpoint and forced me to swear an oath of brotherhood in the plum garden.” He then got up and walked to the entrance with his hands behind his back, sighing as he said, “It matters not if he’s moronic or intelligent. I do wish this kid would try to use his head a little more and not create problems for me. The thing I fear the most is that his hubris will lead him to use my name to go around causing trouble. When that happens, what should I do? Should I help him or not? If I don’t help him, how will the others view me as his sworn older brother? And if I do, I’m afraid it will only feed his arrogance even further. Do I have no choice but to keep on cleaning up his messes?”

Just as Tian Yu and Liu Xing expected, a few days later, the news had already spread like wildfire: Mountain Chieftain Miao Yi of South Edict Manor’s Mount Calming Sea was Hall Master Huo Lingxiao’s sworn brother. It completely drowned out the fact that Miao Yi had killed all of Mount Calming Sea’s three major sect’s disciples.

Many were secretly speculating— ‘No wonder this Mountain Chieftain Miao was so arrogant and dared to kill so mercilessly. It turns out he’s Hall Master Huo Lingxiao’s sworn brother. With Huo Lingxiao supporting him from behind, it’s no wonder he could be so fearless!’ 

Despite the pile of written testimonies Miao Yi had given him, the three major sects were still a great pain in Yang Qing’s back. They all demanded that Yang Qing punish Miao Yi for taking matters into his own hands and killing his subordinates without first consulting his superiors. They wanted Yang Qing to appeal to the other territories and apprehend Miao Yi so that he could be dealt with accordingly. After all, the bastard had killed so many without any warning whatsoever. If the forces within the two Manors had known Miao Yi was going to go this far, they would never have allowed him to succeed. ‘Do you really think the forces of the three major sects within the two Manor were only there for show? Damn it, you killed all of our disciples in Mount Calming Sea in a single stroke and didn’t even leave a single survivor. How do you expect us to explain this to our schools?! You should’ve spared a few of them at least!’

It was at this moment that everyone caught wind of the news concerning Miao Yi and Huo Lingxiao’s pledge of brotherhood. Naturally, Yang Qing would not let such a perfect excuse pass him by. ‘I was just doing my job properly. If you have something to say, tell it to the Hall Master.’

The weight of a Hall Master’s name was nothing to sneeze at. That title would only belong to a cultivator of an entirely different class. That said, there were still a few members from the three major sects who ran to the Hall Master and complained.

As a result, Huo Lingxiao dropped a pile of jade archives on their faces and chastised— ‘These testimonies were written by your own members themselves. I have read through all of them from front to back. Are you telling me that those who have committed insubordination, plotted conspiracies, and defied their superior’s orders should not be killed? Do you think that just by bundling up your three major sect disciples together, that you can ignore the rules of the Celestial Nation? Are you trying to commit treason? All those who are guilty will be punished with death, just like Shen Fenghua!’

Huo Lingxiao was an extremely proud person, so he didn’t announce to the public that Shen Fenghua had been killed right in front of him, and instead said that he was rightfully executed for colluding with those scum from the three major sects in their insubordination! ‘This proves that I’m a fair and just leader; I even killed my own trusted aide!’

As soon as news of this spread, the three major sects immediately stopped their advances, having found the perfect excuse to explain themselves to their schools— ‘It’s not that we’re incapable. It’s just that Miao Yi has someone backing him up!’

That said, the forces within Suppressing Second Hall were also secretly speculating behind closed doors— ‘It sure is nice to have someone backing you up like Miao Yi does. Even after making such a huge commotion, there’s still someone to support you!’

On the other hand, Yang Qing couldn’t help but feel suspicious about this incident. On one rainy day, where the verdant mountains were enveloped by the misty droplets, Yang Qing was pacing around within a beautiful pavilion. He mused, “Miao Yi really is the Hall Master’s sworn brother?”

Qing Mei replied, “Everyone within the entire Suppressing Second Hall’s domain already knows about this, and the Hall Master doesn’t seem to be refuting it either. It should be true.”

Yang Qing reached out to touch the trickling raindrops, lightly shaking his head as he remarked, “If Miao Yi had been the Hall Master’s sworn brother right from the start, why did the Hall Master draft him in for the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade?”

Qing Ju asked, “Could they have pledged brotherhood only recently?”

Yang Qing waved his hand and replied, “Impossible! Huo Lingxiao isn’t a fool. To swear an oath of brotherhood with Miao Yi at a time like this means that he’s placing himself directly against the forces of the three major sects. Huo Lingxiao wouldn’t make such a careless mistake, not unless he had nothing better to do… Also, I feel as though Miao Yi has always had a relationship with Huo Lingxiao. This whole incident seems like a plan that Miao Yi has intentionally laid out. That’s why he dared to brutally slaughter so many people—because he knew that Huo Lingxiao would step forward and clean up his mess for him. He had absolutely nothing to fear from the start. However, this doesn’t explain why Huo Lingxiao would want to send Miao Yi to his death in the Sea of Constellations… How perplexing. How truly perplexing!”

Yang Qing repeatedly shook his head in confusion. Even if he was some kind of omniscient celestial, he had no way of understanding the underlying motives behind these recent events…

Within the mountain forest situated five kilometers away from the illustrious capital city of the Fifth Earthly Branch, Lin Pingping and Luo Ping stood atop one of the mountains, taking turns to be on the lookout.

Qian’Er had already sent news to Lin Pingping some time ago that Miao Yi would be coming to the capital city, and she’d asked her to make the necessary preparations for his arrival. After estimating the duration of Miao Yi’s journey, Lin Pingping left the capital city ahead of time to receive him. She had already been waiting at this spot—five kilometers away from the capital city—for almost two days now, afraid of being disrespectful to Miao Yi by being late.

Luo Ping obviously knew that Miao Yi would be coming to the capital city to meet the Overlord, and had looked for Lin Pingping many times to find out about the approximate date of his arrival. As the other party had taken great care of her on many occasions, Lin Pingping couldn’t refuse him. It wasn’t something that she had to keep secret anyway. This was how Luo Ping ended up waiting together with her at this particular location.

Who was he kidding?! Miao Yi was a survivor of the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade—he surely had a great amount of wealth on him. Such a major customer was enough for Luo Ping to temporarily cast aside all his other affairs, just so he could welcome him. If he managed to handle this connection well, then he’d be able to make a profit equivalent to multiple transactions in a single sitting. How could Luo Ping possibly miss out on such a golden opportunity to improve relations?

“They’re here!” Luo Ping suddenly shouted as he pointed towards the distant black dots along the highway.

Lin Pingping hastily came out of the tree shade and activated her transcendence vision. After confirming that it was really the person they’d been waiting for, she anxiously nodded. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t seen Miao Yi for a long time, but she felt even more in awe of him from a distance.

The two of them quickly pulled out their mounts, then rushed down the mountain on horseback. As they reached the highway, they dismounted again and continued to wait by the side.