Volume One: The Emperor’s Sword Chapter 48: Dreams Shattered Across the Ground

At the doorway, Yi Hongwen quickly sobered from his mix of anger and frustration, gradually regaining his composure.

"That's just your side of the story! With so many witnesses here, you can forget about slandering me!" Yi Hongwen declared righteously, confident he could prove he hadn't broken any sect rules.

There were plenty behind him—though rivals in love, when faced with a common enemy, he believed they would all vouch for him.

Sure enough, a young disciple stepped forward to testify, but before he could speak, Yun Que cut in.

"Actually, I believe you as well. How could a dignified Sword Disciple trespass into another's quarters? It seems this is truly a misunderstanding."

Hearing these words from Yun Que, the crowd was startled, yet found it reasonable. After all, Yi Hongwen was a Sword Disciple and a member of the Mu family; Yun Que, a mere Sword Servant, surely wouldn't dare offend him.

Yi Hongwen managed a dry smile in response, but couldn't shake a growing unease. It was as if he'd narrowly avoided a small puddle, only to find a bottomless pit waiting ahead.

Sure enough—

Just as Yi Hongwen was about to retract his foot, Yun Que cried out in alarm.

"My spirit stones! Where are my spirit stones?" Yun Que pointed at the empty table inside, shouting in despair, "The spirit stones I left on the table before I left—gone! All one thousand of them! That's my entire fortune, and it's been stolen!"

Yi Hongwen's vision went black. A thousand spirit stones—why not just rob a treasury? Even as a Sword Disciple of the Mu family, he couldn't produce a thousand spirit stones; how could a lowly Sword Servant possess such wealth?

And just leave them out on the table?

It was a blatant setup!

Yet there was nothing he could do. Yun Que stood outside the door, while he alone had a foot inside the room. He was the prime suspect.

"Nonsense! You, a mere lowly Sword Servant, couldn't possibly own a thousand spirit stones!" Yi Hongwen roared, unable to endure any more.

"Oh? You're right. I only left nine hundred and ninety-nine spirit stones on the table, not a thousand. So, how did you know the number?" Yun Que eyed him suspiciously.

If you're going to dig a pit, make it a trap within a trap. Fall as deep as you like.

Yi Hongwen was stunned, his mind momentarily blank, then he erupted in fury.

"Scoundrel! You think such crude tricks can frame me?" he shouted, pointing to his foot. "I only stepped one foot inside. You claim I stole your things—who would believe that? Do you take everyone here for fools?"

That last remark struck a nerve with many. They had come to challenge the Sword Servant who had teamed up with Mu Qingyao, but as rivals, many harbored resentment toward Yi Hongwen.

Yun Que analyzed calmly, "I'm just a lowly Sword Servant, while you're a lofty Sword Disciple. How could my eyes follow your movements? I only saw you step one foot inside, but in reality, you could have already taken the spirit stones and left."

He surveyed the crowd behind him, saying, "If anyone here has higher cultivation or sharper eyes than him, you may testify. But if you shield him, you'll be held equally responsible."

His voice suddenly turned cold, echoing, "I wasn't entirely clear before, so let me restate the Sword Palace rules. Trespassing into another's quarters and theft require restitution at ten times the value, a hundred strokes of the staff, and a fine of ten thousand silver taels, pending further investigation!"

At once, the place fell silent. No one dared speak.

What a joke! Tenfold restitution meant nine thousand nine hundred and ninety spirit stones!

Whether or not it was fabricated was beside the point—no one with higher cultivation wanted to get involved, and those with less dared not.

Spirit stones were a cultivator's lifeblood; no one would risk themselves for a rival in love.

Seeing no one step forward, Yi Hongwen's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected to provoke such a difficult opponent—a leech he simply couldn't shake off.

Had he known, he would never have come to the North Courtyard.

If he really ended up owing nearly ten thousand spirit stones, he'd never be able to pay it off in his lifetime!

At this point, Yi Hongwen finally felt real fear.

The seemingly harmless young man before him was a devil incarnate!

In truth, Yun Que didn't want to push someone to their limits, but he had no choice.

Mu Qingyao was like a goddess in the Sword Palace, admired by countless; and this was merely a team-up for mountain training. If others discovered his engagement with Mu Qingyao, the jealousy and wrath it would stir were unimaginable.

Better one hard punch now than a hundred later.

So Yun Que chose to make an example of Yi Hongwen, to deter others and spare himself future trouble.

"You—you're slandering me!" Yi Hongwen, humiliated and furious, tried to withdraw his foot from the room.

Yun Que was prepared. The two were close; Yun Que seized Yi Hongwen’s arm, activating his sword veins—his sword spirit left his body!

Yi Hongwen, at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, was outstanding among mid-stage disciples, though not equal to true Sword Heirs. He had never taken a Sword Servant seriously and tried to break free with spiritual energy, but in the next instant, half his body went cold, as if a heavy, terrifying sword had landed on his shoulder.

If he dared move, his head would be severed in an instant!

Death hovered above him!

The sensation was so vivid, it left Yi Hongwen petrified, his soul nearly fleeing his body.

"Justice lies in the hearts of men; you can't escape it," Yun Que said cheerfully, calling out to Wu Dachuan, "Bring paper and ink, let Senior Brother Yi sign and seal this note."

Wu Dachuan, always eager for excitement, quickly fetched materials and wrote up the IOU.

Staring at the note, with the stark sum of nearly ten thousand spirit stones in black and white, Yi Hongwen nearly fainted. He wanted to point at Yun Que and curse, but as he lifted his hand, a sudden pain shot through his finger.

He looked down to find a needle-thin hole pierced through his fingertip!

He hadn't even seen how he was injured!

His heart sank; he was now certain of the invisible heavy sword on his shoulder. He dared not move, only watching helplessly as his wounded finger was pressed onto the IOU, leaving a bloody fingerprint.

Yun Que blew on the blood, smiling kindly, "I'm a generous soul. Since you've signed the note, I won't pursue the hundred staff strokes."

Yi Hongwen realized the heavy sword's presence had vanished. He staggered back and frantically patted himself down, searching for the source of that terror.

To no avail.

"You—you're despicable! You forced a confession!" Yi Hongwen roared.

"Senior Brother Yi, surely you jest. I'm just a Sword Servant—could I possibly overpower you?" Yun Que replied innocently.

Yi Hongwen was left speechless, fury rushing to his head, his vision swimming.

"You'll never get a single spirit stone from me!" He finally regained his senses and spat, "Just you wait! I'll put a mirror in front of your door—every time you leave, you'd better look at yourself and stop daydreaming! Cousin Qingyao is the premier Sword Heir of the South Courtyard, the Sword Palace's fairy! The dream of every male disciple! Yet you, a lowly Sword Servant, aren't even worthy to dream!"

He ranted with the vigor of a shrew, even forming the classic orchid fingers in his agitation.

The crowd was delighted—Yi Hongwen was voicing their own thoughts.

To them, Mu Qingyao was an untouchable fairy, pure as crystal—how could a mere Sword Servant lay claim to her?

As Yi Hongwen shouted, even Wu Dachuan and Luo Xiaoyu lowered their heads, forced to confront the lowliness of their own status.

He wasn't wrong.

Lowly Sword Servants in the Sword Palace were treated as menials, with no right even to dream.

At that moment, a sword light descended from the sky.

Mu Qingyao, dressed in a blue skirt, appeared in the courtyard.

Everyone was stunned.

No one had expected the goddess to come to the North Courtyard herself. Many gazed at her in a daze, losing all sense of reason.

Mu Qingyao ignored everyone, striding straight to Yun Que.

"Come home with me."

Her voice was cold, but the words were so explosive that everyone's imagination ran wild.

A collective gasp seemed to echo through the courtyard, as if they all heard something shattering in their hearts.

It was the sound of dreams breaking.

What happened next shocked them even more.

Yun Que waved his hand and refused without hesitation, "I'm not going."

Yi Hongwen inhaled sharply again and again, breath caught in his chest, nearly suffocating.

The others fared no better; it was as if a mouthful of blood had lodged in their throats, almost enough to do themselves harm.

Not going?

There were countless people who would fight for the chance to polish Mu Qingyao's shoes, yet he refused to go home with her!

Mu Qingyao showed no emotion as she stepped closer to Yun Que.

Yun Que raised his chin defiantly, as if daring her to try anything.

A man stands by his word. If he said no, he meant it.

Unexpectedly, Mu Qingyao seized his hand without a word, soared into the air with her sword, and took him away by force.

This time, Yun Que was helpless.

He couldn't ride a sword—once airborne, there was no way back down.

In the courtyard, the disciples from every courtyard groaned in anguish, their spirits utterly crushed.

They had come to the North Courtyard to teach a lowly Sword Servant a lesson, only to be thoroughly defeated.

The swan had flown off with the toad; their dreams lay shattered at their feet.

Luo Xiaoyu remained puzzled, asking, "Why did Senior Sister Mu want Brother Yun to go home with her?"

Wu Dachuan scratched his head, lips twitching, "Maybe, perhaps, it's because the Mu family wants a bit of excitement."

He couldn't fathom why Mu Qingyao would take Yun Que home, but for once, Wu Dachuan's guess was right.

The Mu family would soon see excitement—enough to shock the entire imperial city.