Ch636 - The Fifth Star Map

Upon hearing this report, the Sword Emperor’s expression grew grave as well. Even he would need at least one and a half hours to break through the fourth star map, yet Jiang Xu had accomplished it in only one hour—half an hour faster than himself.

The Sword Emperor began feeling uneasy. This sword had been passed down by his Great-Grandfather, and every generation of the Murong Clan had tried their hand at forging a bond with it, but after nine hundred years, no one had succeeded. Neither his Grandfather, nor his Father, nor he himself, nor even his five Sons could manage it.But now…

If Jiang Xu managed to forge a bond with this sword, the face of the Murong Clan would be utterly lost! However, Jiang Xu had already begun the process, so it was too late for anyone to intervene.What were they going to do?!

Had it been anyone else, the Sword Emperor would’ve quietly dealt with them underhandedly. But Jiang Xu was the Son-in-Law of that bastard Long Xingtian; if he killed him, Long Xingtian wouldn’t let it go. Then, all five of the Sword Emperor’s Sons might find themselves in danger. It truly was a difficult predicament.

Within the barrier, Jiang Xu sat cross-legged on a beast pelt with his eyes closed in meditation, while Liu Mufeng stood beside him, keeping a close eye on his wife’s every move.

After an hour of thought, Jiang Xu reluctantly opened his eyes and turned to face his partner. “Mufeng, this is so hard.”

At the sight of his melancholy expression, Liu Mufeng smiled and pinched playfully at the tip of his lover’s nose. “Don’t worry, you have three days. It’s only been two hours since we began.”

“Ai, that’s true.” After some thought, Jiang Xu nodded.

“Let’s forget about it for now; don’t stress if you can’t think of anything right away.” Liu Mufeng said as he gazed upon his lover. “Rest up, I’ll refine some medicinal pills to replenish your immortal energy. You’ve already broken through four star maps, which has certainly taken quite a toll on your strength. We can continue tomorrow with trying to decipher the fifth star map.”

“Okay, then you can refine pills. I’ll help you watch over.” Jiang Xu nodded in agreement.

“En.” Liu Mufeng nodded and stood up from the beast pelt with Jiang Xu’s hand clasped in his own, then rolled it away. He walked to one side of the barrier where he produced his own pill furnace and began preparing for the concoction.

What Liu Mufeng and Jiang Xu said inside the barrier was unable to be heard by those outside, but what they did while in there could be seen clearly through the translucent barrier.

“Liu Mufeng is…is trying to concoct medicinal pills?” The Third Prince blinked at the sight.

“That’s right, he’s going to concoct some pills.” The Fifth Prince nodded in agreement.

“A star map only appears for three days; why aren’t they taking this time to meditate and have an epiphany? Instead, they’re concocting medicinal pills—this is truly beyond belief.” The Eldest Prince watched disapprovingly as the couple busied themselves with their hobbies instead of focusing on their duties.

“It might be because he’s run out of ideas, so he’s simply refusing to think anymore.” Watching Jiang Xu assist Liu Mufeng, the Second Prince guessed that the latter hadn’t realized the deeper truths hidden within the fifth star map, hence why he had given up on pondering further.

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“An eleventh-level Alchemist? This Liu Mufeng truly is impressive.” Upon recalling that even the highest-ranked eleventh-level alchemists were tens or hundreds of thousands of years old, while Liu Mufeng was merely three thousand years old, the Fifth Prince was filled with admiration.

Before long, Liu Mufeng’s pill furnace began to emit fragrant medicinal aromas that wafted into everyone’s noses…

“How fragrant! I wonder what kind of medicinal pill Liu Mufeng is refining?” The Fifth Prince sniffed and asked with confusion.

“I can’t tell; I’ve never tried this type before.” Shaking his head, the Great Prince confessed he had not tasted such a pill. As both an Immortal Emperor and the Eldest Son of the Sword Emperor, Murong Qian was quite well-read on spiritual matters and recognized many level-11 medicinal pills—but even he had never encountered the one being concocted by Liu Mufeng.

“I haven’t seen it either.” The Second Prince shook his head as well, expressing his unfamiliarity. As an Immortal Emperor, the Second Prince frequently consumed level-11 medicinal pills, but he too had never come across the particular pill being refined by Liu Mufeng.

After collecting six blue medicinal pills, Liu Mufeng organized his pill furnace and began another batch. This time, he was producing a common recovery pill for cultivation energy, which the Eldest and Second Princes were quite familiar with.

“Wow, Liu Mufeng is so impressive. He can produce two batches of level-11 medicinal pills in a row like this. It seems his soul strength is quite robust.” Usually, after producing one batch of pills, an alchemist would need at least two hours to rest and recover before starting another batch. But they never imagined that Liu Mufeng could continue without taking a break, which meant he must have exceptionally strong immortal energy.

“This Liu Mufeng truly possesses incredible talent as an alchemist.” The Sword Emperor couldn’t help but acknowledge how skilled Liu Mufeng’s hands were; it seemed the Dragon Son’s Son was indeed naturally gifted when it came to refining pills.

After finishing his work, Liu Mufeng packed up the pill furnace and sat down on a beast pelt with Jiang Xu, resting together.

“Eat this medicinal pill, it will restore your cultivation power.” As he spoke, Liu Mufeng handed a medicinal pill to his wife.

“En.” Jiang Xu accepted the pill and placed it in his mouth.

Liu Mufeng gently kneaded Jiang Xu’s shoulders, saying, “If you’re unable to think, take some time to rest and adjust your state of mind. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself—we have three days. Even if we don’t succeed within those three days, we can try again from the beginning!”

As he listened to his lover’s gentle words of caution, Jiang Xu turned toward the man beside him and said, “You talk too much.”

Liu Mufeng smiled wryly at this. “What? Have you started getting tired of me?”

Jiang Xu grinned as he gazed into the man’s aggrieved eyes, then leaned over to wrap his arms around Liu Mufeng’s neck and pressed their lips together.

“Ummm…” After a brief moment of surprise, Liu Mufeng accepted his wife’s kiss, but wondered what his wife would think if he knew dozens of people were watching them from outside the barrier?

There were three types of barriers: one transparent, allowing those inside to see outside while also permitting outsiders to see inside; another opaque, preventing both sides from seeing each other; and finally, translucent, permitting those outside to see inside but not vice versa.

Liu Mufeng had used a translucent barrier; those outside could see inside, but not vice versa.

Therefore, Jiang Xu, who couldn’t see outside, naturally assumed they’d erected an opaque barrier. He was unaware that this barrier was translucent.

As for why Liu Mufeng would use such a translucent barrier, there were two reasons: First, he wanted others to witness his wife breaking his star chart contract with the Han Xing Sword and show off his wife’s abilities. Second, keeping Jiang Xu from seeing outside allowed him to focus fully on dispelling the star chart without distraction.

“T-This…”

Outside, everyone watching the scene unfold was astonished by the unexpected display of affection. They hadn’t expected the Second Prince’s Consort to be so passionate, kissing right away and seemingly unconcerned about their audience.

“Only three days have passed, yet you’re already distracted enough to kiss instead of pondering how to break the star chart. How ignorant!” Murong Qian watched the couple entwined, his face darkening further.

Watching his expression grow dark, the Second Prince laughed.Is it really the Emperor who’s not worried, and the eunuchs who fret? The person trying to contract the Han Xing Sword is not worried, why is my Eldest Brother worrying so much?

Jiang Xu stared at the man who had smiled down on him, perplexed. “What are you laughing about?”

“Don’t be so enthusiastic—I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself.” Liu Mufeng said helplessly as he gazed upon his wife.

At this, Jiang Xu rolled his eyes. “This image will disappear in three days; I don’t have time for these games.”

“I know, I wouldn’t keep you from your contract with Han Xing.” As Liu Mufeng spoke, he pinched playfully at the tip of his lover’s nose. “Are you hungry? Should I make you something to eat?”

“No need, I just finished some skewers, I’m not hungry. I need more time to think.”

“Take your time, no rush.” Liu Mufeng said while letting Jiang Xu lie across his lap and begin massaging his temples and head.

With his eyes closed, Jiang Xu enjoyed his husband’s massage as he repeatedly pondered the four star charts he’d seen earlier alongside the fifth one now before him.

After two hours spent lying on Liu Mufeng’s lap, Jiang Xu suddenly opened his eyes, startling the other man.

“What’s wrong?”

“Mufeng, I got it!” Jiang Xu exclaimed excitedly as he gazed at his lover.

“Oh? You did?” Liu Mufeng raised an eyebrow; he hadn’t expected his lover to figure it out so quickly.

“Yep!” Nodding, Jiang Xu tugged on his lover’s hand and crawled up from Liu Mufeng’s lap.

Outside the barrier, the Sword Emperor watched Jiang Xu leap forward, unleashing a sword strike that shattered the fifth star chart instantly. His eyes widened unconsciously, along with those of the other Four Princes.

“It broke! It broke! The fifth star chart is broken!”

“That’s right, Jiang Xu truly is gifted. He broke through the fifth star chart within only six hours!”

“How can you say six hours? The first two were spent meditating, refining pills, and kissing.

Even if we count every second, that’s still less than three hours.”

“Yes, yes, exactly three hours!”

“Three hours—only three hours to break the fifth star chart! Truly, a prodigy!”

The Sword Emperor’s expression grew dark as he listened to their discussions. With a flicker of movement, he led his four Sons away.