Chapter 1: Six Hundred Miles in a Hurry

  I went crazy for half a day, and as my body heated up, the dantian suddenly moved, and I felt a vast sword energy slowly flowing into the dantian like a river. I was overjoyed and couldn't help but mutter: "This is just like broadband, you have to dial in before you can get online."

  "What did I just say?"

  I couldn't care less about her right now, the sword energy in my body is surging and boiling over, making me even more excited. In the past, this was when I would practice sword fighting with Duan Tiangong. Now it's become second nature to me, if I don't move at all, I feel uncomfortable all over. Moreover, the sword energy has finally been unblocked once, just like a fully loaded submachine gun, not firing a burst is unsatisfying.

  I rushed into the yard, seeing that apart from flowers and grass, there was nothing else empty. I had no choice but to push my palms upwards towards the sky. I felt like my two palms were equipped with high-pressure water guns, "突" (a sudden movement), a stock of mountain-collapsing and sea-reversing sword energy suddenly and vigorously shot up into the sky, even producing a strong recoil force that pushed me back into a stumble.

  However, this sword energy did not stop there. It pierced through the dark clouds that had accumulated in the night sky, like a brush being thrust into thick ink. The surrounding cloud layers surged violently, and my sword energy stirred up a huge whirlpool. Then, the dark clouds above my head gradually thinned out and faded away, revealing a vast expanse of glittering stars...

  I was taken aback by this scene myself. The other day when I was at home, my sword aura didn't seem to be this strong, but as soon as I came here, how did it become so terrifying?

  At this time, someone also discovered the strange phenomenon on their head and shouted: "Look quickly, a hole has been pierced in the sky!"

  In the still of the night, this shout was heard far and clear. Many of the family guards who were keeping watch looked up in astonishment and also shouted out. Before long, even those who had already gone to sleep got dressed and came out, and they too were shocked into a stupor.

  The originally gloomy sky now seemed like a black glass dome covering the entire sky, but with a small area wiped clean, revealing a distant starry night sky. The scene was both magnificent and eerie. Regardless of age or sex, everyone in the mansion couldn't help but shout out, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

  "How did you come out, not even wearing a piece of clothing... Hmm, what's going on?" Little Yuan's face held an overcoat in her hand as she walked out of the house, looked up at the sky and couldn't help but be shocked.

  I smiled and said: "I did it, isn't it fun?"

  Xiaoyuan's face didn't listen to what I was saying at all, and she threw her clothes over me, repeatedly saying: "Hurry back, hurry back, you've just caught a chill and are standing in the wind again, tomorrow you'll be sick."

  I couldn't outdo her, so I had to go back to my room. The noise outside grew even louder. In this large and deep mansion, where the atmosphere was always dull and lifeless all year round, it was rare to have such an opportunity to make a commotion. From the servants to the masters, everyone seemed to be celebrating a festival. Before long, I heard the sound of footsteps and armor clanking. The young man who had sighed at me earlier, now fully armed and leading a team of guards, rushed to my courtyard gate. Two soldiers held torches in front of him. He shouted to stop the noisy crowd as he walked, although he was young, he seemed mature beyond his years. Everyone was driven back into their houses. He arrived at my door, just about to knock when Xiaoyuan's round face appeared. The young man whispered: "Nothing happened here, right?"

  Xiao Yuandian said: "Nothing, young master, is there something?"

  The young man looked into my room and asked: "Is Fifth Brother asleep?"

  "Just fell asleep."

  The young man hesitated for a moment and said, "Then I won't go in. The heavenly signs are abnormal, and Father is probably worried that a strong enemy has arrived. Green Sprout, you should be vigilant." It turned out that the little round face was named Green Sprout.

  Although this young man was in a hurry, his tone was quite polite. Green Lotus said: "Don't worry, Young Master."

  The young man nodded and took the person away again.

  Lv'e returned to the house and saw that I was already lying in bed, sighed and said: "After all, it's a hand and foot relationship, young master still cares about you."

  "I wonder what he means by 'strong enemy'?"

  Lu Ye sighed and said: "Probably the old master has offended someone, these years the mansion has been heavily guarded, it seems that nothing unexpected has happened."

  I rolled my eyes and said, "Do you have to be so serious?"

  "Go to sleep quickly, I'll come to wake you up early tomorrow to pay respects to the mistress," said Lu'e with a glance at me. She then blew out the lamp on my bedside table and floated out of the door.

  How can I sleep when lying in bed? From crossing over to now, I've been in a state of bewilderment. The situation seems not complicated: my appearance is very similar to that of this Fifth Young Master, who probably encountered some unpleasantness and ran away from home. His family happened to run into me while searching for him, and they half-dragged, half-carried me back, thinking I was him. Throughout the process, I had no chance to explain myself, nor could I have explained anything anyway. Of course, none of this matters; if this young master isn't dead, he'll return sooner or later, and even if he is dead, it has nothing to do with me. I'm just lamenting how fate toys with people - such a coincidence happened to me! The only comforting thing is that my sword aura is still there. My priority now is to find Old Mom and Su Jing.

  At that time, I made up my mind to follow Su Jing, and it wasn't necessarily an impulsive decision. In a very short period of time, I had already figured it out - even if I couldn't go back forever, coming here was still worth it. Over there, I could only muddle along and wait for death, and at most, my old man would suddenly become obsessed with me joining the club, but I was just a high-level mixed-up person. But on my mother's side, she needed me too much - even if it meant being a burden, I should be by her side.

  After sorting out my thoughts, I made a decision: I'll just treat the Honglie Empire as a fleeting cloud, and tomorrow I'll set off to find my mom!

  Like this, I tossed and turned on the unfamiliar bed for half the night, and only fell asleep when it got light. In a daze, that small round face with green hair seemed to have called me twice, but I was too sleepy and confused to respond properly.

  Just as I was half asleep, Qing'e suddenly pushed me hard and said urgently: "Get up quickly, the mistress has come to see you."

  "Who?" I asked bewilderedly.

  "Madam!" Qing E hurriedly said: "Let you get up, but you don't get up, instead Madam comes to see you first!" As she spoke, footsteps came from the doorway, and a middle-aged woman's voice anxiously asked: "How is Old Five? After soaking in the water for half the night, has he caught any illness?"

  I sprang up in a hurry, put on my pants, but just as I was about to open the door, a noblewoman with a full head of pearl decorations walked in quickly. Judging from her age and tone of voice, she should be my mother, but what's embarrassing is that there's also a beautiful young girl following behind her. In a panic, I slipped back into bed again, although it was sudden, Green Lotus couldn't help but laugh at my disheveled appearance, then stood aside.

  The noblewoman took three steps and then two to come before my bed, grasped my hand in one swift motion, and said sorrowfully: "Xiao Wu, how could you be so heartless? Now that you're gone, how can I go on living?"

  I let out a deep sigh, in this situation, what else could I say? Could she believe me if I said I wasn't her son? All I could do was silently let her hold my hand. The noblewoman saw that I was dazed and worriedly asked: "Has this child suffered some kind of shock?"

  I muttered: "Uh, I'm fine, don't cry..."

  The noblewoman was taken aback and cried even more sorrowfully: "Look, she doesn't recognize people anymore."

  I had no choice but to call out tentatively: "Mother?" It seemed like that's what you were supposed to call her in ancient times.

  The noblewoman was shocked and sat up: "How dare you call me 'mother'?"

  I unexpectedly said: "Aren't you my mother?"

  The noblewoman saw my silly appearance and was inexplicably amused, wiping away tears as she scolded: "I'm not your mother, which one is? But didn't you always call me Mother before?"

  I kept scratching my head, calling my own mother "mother", isn't this too formal? Filming "The Palace of Great Ming"?

  "Ah, you're finally sensible now. Come on, tell Mom, are you frozen?" She pulled my hand and asked.

  "I muttered: 'It's okay, it's okay...'"

  The noblewoman burst into tears again: "Why are you so foolish? Even if you can't cultivate that sword energy, being a civil official isn't bad either?"

  I suddenly felt enlightened and understood the crux of the matter. I casually asked: "Why can't I cultivate sword energy?"

  The little beauty who followed the noblewoman in said in a crisp tone: "Fifth brother, why mention these again? You can't cultivate sword energy because your meridians are naturally blocked, and it's not that you're not diligent enough. Besides, serving the country doesn't necessarily mean you have to rush onto the battlefield; being a wise and capable official with a broad vision can also make you famous in history." The little beauty's voice was sweet and pleasant, her eyes bright and teeth white, although she spoke in formal and polite language, but her eyelashes fluttered, clearly not entirely insincere.

  The noblewoman said: "With your two elder brothers serving the country, our Shi family has already done its part for the nation. I don't ask anything else of you, just this one thing, Mother only asks that you"

  It's better to stay at home in peace, rather than having the empress worried sick every time you two brothers go out on a campaign. In Mother's eyes, you two are just a pair of brainless beasts, not even comparable to my little Wu."

  The young girl covered her mouth and smiled: "Auntie said so, I don't know how sad the two brothers would be."

  The noblewoman turned her head and glared at her: "I dare you to go tell them?"

  My heart warmed up, knowing that this noblewoman loved her son dearly and was trying to make him happy. I had just recognized my own mother, people have the same feelings, so I took the noblewoman's hand and patted it, saying: "Mother, don't worry, I won't do anything foolish from now on."

  The noblewoman finally burst into laughter, pulling my hand and asking this and that. The young girl occasionally chimed in with a sentence or two. I was afraid of saying something wrong, but didn't dare not respond, so I had to play along and chat nonsense with them, making the two women laugh out loud. The noblewoman sighed: "Although Xiao Wu did something foolish, his personality has become much more cheerful." The young girl smiled and said: "Brother Wu probably understands now."

  I chatted with them, but my heart was getting more and more anxious. Although they were all mothers, after all, this mother is not that mother. My own mother still didn't know how to get there. Taking advantage of a moment, I pretended to ask casually: "Mother, do you know the way to the Women's Country?"

  "The noblewoman slightly raised her guard and said: 'Why are you asking this?'"

  I casually said: "I heard that the local customs and people there are very special."

  The noblewoman said: "There is a war at the border of Women's Country, you want to go and play, wait for some time and I will let someone accompany you." But in an instant she said, "No way, you are not allowed to go anywhere!"

  "I'm going nowhere."

  The noblewoman said: "I see you're also tired, take a rest for the next few days." She glared at me and emphasized, "No more nonsense!"

  After the noblewoman and that little beauty left, I hastily pulled up my pants. Qing'e said with surprise: "Aren't you supposed to be resting?"

  I said with a serious face: "Lü'e come here!"

  Lu Lian saw my solemn expression and walked over, saying: "What's wrong?"

  I pressed her onto the chair, looking into her eyes and said: "Young master, I let the water flood my brain yesterday and it's not working very well now. By the way, what was I doing before the accident yesterday?"

  Lu Miao said with a hint of annoyance, "You only told me you were going to Jinhu for a boat ride, but by dinner time, you still hadn't returned. And to make matters worse, I found out that not even one of your attendants was with you, so I had to report it to the master."

  My heart skipped a beat, and I had an ominous premonition. I calmly asked, "Is my dad very disappointed that I didn't cultivate the sword energy?"

  Lu'er's expression turned gloomy as she said, "What's the point of saying all this again?"

  I waved my hand and said, "Was I often bullied in the past?"

  Lu'er hesitated and said: "This..."

  I completely understand the typical rubbish stream

  This original body of mine, that Fifth Young Master, had a very powerful innate talent, which was that he didn't have any attribute that couldn't be cultivated with sword energy. It's easy to imagine how much disdain he received in this family that valued martial arts over literature - someone went boating on the lake alone, and it seems things are more serious than I thought. This kid really doesn't want to live! Originally, following the usual development, he would definitely cultivate some heaven-defying skill, but unfortunately, he didn't even get to see the day when he could proudly show off his skills before kicking the bucket. Who knows if this kid has already sunk to the bottom of the lake? From other people's attitudes towards me, it can be seen that this kid was a proud and arrogant person who didn't want to learn martial arts or literature, and in the end died from depression. I've guessed the beginning of the story, and of course, I've also guessed the ending. In short, one sentence: Who made him not the main character?

  I thought of that little beauty and pretended to be very casual, saying: "Wasn't that girl just now the eldest miss?"

  Green looked at me strangely: "Yes."

  "What's her surname again?"

  "Stella, you're not really going crazy, are you?"

  I waved my hand and whispered, "Too bad, can't do it with a close relative!" I already knew that "myself" was surnamed Shi, but what the specific name was couldn't be asked again. You can't ask others what your own name is, or you'll definitely blow your cover.

  "I'm going out for a walk." I bid farewell to Lü'è, with my hands behind my back, and walked out of the courtyard, wandering around. From what I had gathered earlier, I knew that the Shi family was indeed a military family, and judging from their mansion, they should be high-ranking officials holding significant power.

  The old man, probably the pillar of this family, is an official of unknown size. The courtyard of the Shi family is mostly built with blue bricks and red tiles, looking solemn and majestic. Without seeing the armored soldiers on the empty land, you can feel a strong military atmosphere, which is quite different from the delicate and elegant demeanor of the old general's mansion. I passed through two screens and three courtyards before exiting the backyard. In front of me, there are many buildings, probably where the Shi family elders work. Across a path is the Shi family stable. On my way here, I met many servants and maids, most of whom ignored me or just nodded slightly when they saw me, calling me "Young Master Wu". It seems that my status in the family is not high, but I don't care. Seeing the stable, my heart moved again: I want to steal a horse and rush to the border of the Women's Country. They probably won't notice, right?

  I strolled casually to the front of the stable, where I saw a row of stables built in a straight line, housing about 500 or 600 horses. The people below were busy cutting grass, fetching water, and grooming the horses. Seeing that no one was paying attention to me, I quickly snuck into one of the stables. Before I could take a closer look, I heard someone say from behind a pile of hay: "I think the country of Nü is in trouble this time. The 50,000-strong Flying Phoenix Army is trapped on the mountain, and the people of Yóu have betrayed their alliance. The 100,000-strong army of Hei Jí Sī is stationed at the foot of the mountain. Although the great general of Nü has arrived with reinforcements, they can only watch from a distance."

  As soon as I heard this, my ears perked up and I looked towards the grass mound. Yesterday, the big-bearded man who brought people to find me was cutting grass while discussing with his companion: "The situation is unfavorable, if we continue like this, the 50,000 Flying Phoenix Army won't be able to hold on, and the Female Nation will become like a horse that has lost a leg, unable to jump again."

  The person beside him laughed and said: "You're just a horse keeper, why bother with such thoughts?"

  Da Hu Zi said: "If the Daughter State really falls, we Hong Lie will not have a good day either. You know why Hei Ji Si attacked the 18 Alliance States first? They knew that the Daughter State would definitely take action, and their main purpose was to see our attitude towards Hong Lie. If we don't send troops, they can be at ease and **."

  The person next to him rolled his eyes and said, "You're even more fierce than the old man!"

  Big Beard chuckled: "I also heard these from the generals under Old Master's command, how could I have such skills?"

  The man next to him said, "It's a pity that the Women's Country is really going to be destroyed. I've heard that all the women in their country are beautiful."

  Another person joked: "What's the point of being beautiful, if you want to sleep with them, you'll be married off in a sedan chair, your mother only has one son, would she be willing?"

  That person said earlier: "Even if she is willing, my wife won't be."

  Everyone burst out laughing.

  I turned out from behind the stable, they found me and hastily restrained their laughter, each of them lowering their hands to say: "Young Master Wu."

  I waved at them and walked straight up to Big Beard, asking: "How did you know all that just now?"

  Big Beard said with a hint of embarrassment: "The battle reports from the border, there are at least eight or nine letters every day, these have already been spread around, but our people in the mansion still know more than those ordinary folks." As he spoke, Big Beard's face took on a proud expression.

  I grabbed his shoulder and asked urgently: "Then do you know how far the border of Guo State is from us?"

  The big-bearded man leaned on the scimitar, looked up at the sky and thought for a moment: "Ordinary communication soldiers take more than a month to come and go, which is at least several thousand miles."

  I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat: "So far?"

  "But if it's an urgent military report that requires a relay of horses every 600 li, without changing riders, then it would take only 7 days to arrive."

  "What about sending those 600 li by express?"

  The big-bearded man spread his hands and said: "I don't know about that. Although I'm a horseman, I've never run six hundred miles in my life!"

  Division

  No dogs, no blood?