Ch639 - Getting a Father for Free

Liu Mufeng couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows at the sight of everyone gathered around him when he opened the barrier. His gaze landed on his two adoptive Fathers first.

“Greetings to the Emperor Father, greetings to Godfather!”

Jiang Xu was both surprised and taken aback upon seeing them. He hadn’t expected that his two Godfathers would travel all the way here to visit them here in the Sword City.

Long Xingtian rolled his eyes at Jiang Xu’s question. “Are you still asking after me? You little brat, I’m not dead yet! Are you bored out of your mind looking for another Dad while I’m still alive?”

“What?” Jiang Xu blinked, wondering if his Father meant the Sword Emperor by any chance.

“All right, Xingtian, Mufeng andXiaoXu are tired now; let’s return to the city.” Qing Chen tugged lightly on his lover’s sleeve, pleadingly saying, “Come.”

“Right!” Long Xingtian glanced at his Son-in-Law, then waved his sleeves as he led Liu Mufeng and Jiang Xu away from the Sword Forest.

As soon as they were gone, the Sword Emperor also swiftly took his Sons back home.

With the protagonist gone, the cultivators surrounding the Sword Forest began to gossip amongst themselves.

“Jiang Xu is truly incredible, to have contracted the Han Xing Sword!”

“Indeed, he certainly lives up to his reputation as the son of the Sword Emperor and the Dragon Emperor’s Son-in-Law—what a difference he makes.”

“I think the Dragon Emperor seems rather unhappy that the Sword Emperor stole away his Son-in-Law. Perhaps Jiang Xu will not recognize his lineage after all?”

“Who knows? Either way, it won’t matter if Jiang Xu returns to the Murong Clan; everyone already knows he’s the Sword Emperor’s Son.”

“Yes, everyone already knows, regardless. Even though illegitimate children are often viewed negatively, they’re still biological Sons nonetheless. Jiang Xu is the Sword Emperor’s Son, while Liu Mufeng is the Dragon Emperor’s Son. In the future, these two Immortal Emperors may become in-laws.”

“That’s right. If these two Immortal Emperors become relatives, wouldn’t the others be feeling uneasy?”

“Aiya, that’s none of our business. Let’s talk about Jiang Xu’s soul sword instead.”

“Soul sword? Who knows?”

“I think it’s some kind of special cultivation technique, but it can fuse six people’s soul power at once—how terrifying!”

“WJBTTB! W STTY YQsT XQLJN jU’A SQJLY STm AdiQsTA mTiT MUAd LA qfmTiSUY LA dIfAT lUqiTPT WPPfidLY kPqTifiA.”

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“jJI, IfP vooOtmNL aoRJtOtI, NAmJt NLL!”

“jOD qDeI INe fm oNXJI IJyIJ AOt mCJ VNImJt mO gJ NgLJ mO ADIJ CfI gJNIm RJm’I IODL ROEJt, gDm COE zfz ufD VDAJyq Nyz TfNyq xD zO fm?”

“TaIbI’t JwSN JwI IgrSGwGEQJw: EaIN’bI iJwHIH rGbEwIbt.”

“wfJBTB qLidJTiA? DJgTYQTaLgYT! nQU vUSTJN QA dIT lTGfJB CiQJGT fS dIT biLNfJ VYLJ!”

“They must be bonded partners; otherwise, there’s no other explanation for why their soul powers could be fused so perfectly. It has to be a bonded partner relationship.”

“To think they’re actually bonded partners. The Second Prince sure is good to Jiang Xu.”

“Absolutely. Not only is he skilled at refining pills, but he also has high status and is devotedly in love with Jiang Xu. Truly a rare gem among partners.”

“Indeed!”

**********

Inside the Palace of the City Lord’s residence.

The Sword Emperor, Father and Sons were driven out by Long Xingtian, who took over their quarters to chat with his own family: himself, his wife, and their two children.

“What? Everyone in the Upper Heavenly Domain knows I’m the Sword Emperor’s bastard now? How is that possible? Why did this spread so quickly?” Jiang Xu was stunned upon hearing Qing Chen’s words.

“I thought it was quite odd as well.” Qing Chen accepted a warm cup of tea from Liu Mufeng and frowned deeply.

“Indeed,XiaoXu only said some joking words to anger that Eldest Prince back then; even if he did say it on the streets, it’s impossible for everyone in the Upper Heavenly Domain to know about it within two months.” Liu Mufeng also found this peculiar.

“Then what do you think is going on?” Long Xingtian glanced at them both, feeling rather dismayed.

“How would I know? These past two months, I’ve been working on deciphering the star maps.” Jiang Xu shook his head and expressed his ignorance.

“I suspect it has something to do with the Han Xing Sword,” Liu Mufeng pondered aloud. “Han Xing Sword is a holy sword passed down from the Murong Clan’s ancestors. If it were taken by someone else, it would bring shame upon the Murong Clan. Thus, I believe this was intentional on their part. Now everyone knows that the sword was bound by the illegitimate Son of the Murong Clan, Jiang Xu, which essentially means it was bound by a member of the Murong Clan. This brings great honor to the clan.”

“Because of the Han Xing Sword? Then if someone else had been contracted, would the Sword Emperor recognize them as his Son?” Jiang Xu was quite curious.

“Stupid. If it were anyone else, the Sword Emperor would’ve killed them already, so how could he have waited until now to make the bond? Do you think that over these many years, you are the only genius swordsman who could successfully bind with the Han Xing Sword?” The Dragon Emperor rolled his eyes at Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu paused before understanding fully. “So, it wasn’t that no matchless genius ever came along, but rather that the Murong Clan secretly dealt with those geniuses and reserved the sword for their own clan member’s bonding. But I—I am the Dragon Emperor’s Son-in-Law, so the Sword Emperor couldn’t possibly do such a thing, hence this rumor?”

“That’s right. You little rascal, if it weren’t for your Father’s protection, you’d be dead long ago—how could you possibly succeed in bonding the Han Xing Sword? Keep dreaming.” With this, the Dragon Emperor rolled his eyes once more.

“Oh!” Hearing Long Xingtian’s words, Jiang Xu nodded repeatedly.

“This Sword Emperor is truly calculating. Right now, everyone outside must be saying ‘the Sixth Young Master of the Murong Clan, Jiang Xu, has bonded with the holy sword left behind by their ancestors’ and ‘the Sword Emperor has raised a good Son.’ How infuriating!”Qing Chen thought to himself.

“Chen’er, do you see now how these old bastards are truly despicable? Let me tell you, I beat them up because they deserve it. If not for the Heavenly Dao’s constraints, I’d kill every single one of them. Not a single one is good; all of them pretend to be righteous on the outside while their bones are filthy beneath.” The Dragon Emperor wore a contemptuous expression.

At this, Qing Chen smiled. “I remember Master Mu once said that so-called righteous sects are nothing but hypocrites who dare to act but not admit. We, on the other hand, are true scoundrels—we don’t care what others think and we’re always willing to stand by our actions.

We’re much more honorable than those lot!”

“En, my wife is right: This husband of yours is indeed a true scoundrel—so what if someone tries something with me?”

“Emperor Father, Godfather, what should I do now? Should I clear things up and let everyone know that I’m not the Sword Emperor’s Son? Or should I go find him and ask him to help clear things up?” Jiang Xu sounded utterly dejected as he brought this up.

At this, Qing Chen sighed sadly. “By now, I’m afraid it’s too late to come forward and declare you aren’t the Sword Emperor’s illegitimate child.”

“Indeed, word has spread even to the Dragon Clan’s territory. The Elders of the Dragon Clan have been chasing me everywhere, asking if you are really the Sword Emperor’s bastard son. How can I explain myself? Even jumping into the ocean wouldn’t wash away the rumors.” Long Xingtian also seemed deeply vexed by this prospect.

“Then…then what do we do?” Jiang Xu frowned as he turned to his partner.

“XiaoXu, there isn’t much we can do at present. You just have to accept that you’ve received a free Father from your holy sword contract.”

“Pfft…”

Qing Chen couldn’t help but burst out laughing, nearly spilling his tea in the process.

“Heh heh, heh, I love hearing that. That old fart deserves nothing more than to ‘gift’ you something like that,hah!” Long Xingtian laughed heartily with him.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t want such a gift even if it were free. My Master dotes on me, and my two Godfathers both care for me plenty already—what use would I have for so many Fathers?” Jiang Xu continued morosely.

“It can’t be helped, who made you contract with the holy sword passed down from the Murong Clan’s ancestors? This fatherhood is something you must accept whether you like it or not. Afterward, we’ll simply recognize the Sword Emperor as our Godfather. Once that happens, the rumors outside will naturally die down.” Liu Mufeng said helplessly to his partner while looking at him.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you,” Jiang Xu nodded and agreed.

“Mufeng, how has Sun Jian been doing with his apprenticeship?” Qing Chen looked at his Son and asked.

“Oh, the Sword Emperor said he’d let Sun Jian try the Tianyuan Sword Formation. If he successfully breaks through within three months, he may become one of his disciples. It’s only been two months; we still have another month left before we know the result.” Liu Mufeng answered while looking at his Godfather.

“Succeeding in breaking the sword formation? Why make things so complicated? That old man, he just wants a disciple, what’s all this fuss about? Honestly, I think he needs a good beating.” The Dragon Emperor was quite displeased upon hearing this.

“Emperor Father, the Sword Emperor has his own rules and regulations. Since he said so, we should follow them to the letter. Even if Sun Jian fails, he’ll still give you face and allow him to stay.”

“That’s true. If he dares kick him out, I’m gonna beat him up!”

“Mufeng, before, when you fused your soul power withXiaoXu’s, did you use the technique from that set of scrolls you gave me?” Qing Chen turned to ask his son.

“Yes, the cultivation method I gifted Godfather is specifically for cultivating one’s soul power. Emperor Father and Godfather are also bound together by contract, so if there’s ever a need, you two can try fusing your soul powers as well. Fusion requires practice; only through more repetitions will the coordination improve. Using one’s partner’s soul power allows for greater mastery.” Liu Mufeng poured another cup of tea for his Godfather and explained further.

“Oh, I see.” Nodding, Qing Chen expressed his understanding; he had been cultivating the soul cultivation technique given to him by his Son all this time. In truth, his own soul power wasn’t weak either, but this was the first time he’d seen anyone fuse their soul powers with another’s, and he had never attempted it himself.

“This is quite interesting. I saw how the six soul powers fused together, and the power they wielded is comparable to that of an early-stage Supreme Immortal Emperor—truly astonishing.” Long Xingtian too became intrigued upon hearing this.

“If Emperor Father is interested, you can cultivate this technique alongside Godfather. There is also a dual cultivation method within this technique, which would be very suitable for contracted partners!”

“Dual cultivation, how does one practice?” Upon hearing ‘dual cultivation’, Long Xingtian’s eyes lit up.

“Umm, that…that you should ask Godfather,” Liu Mufeng said with a smile, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Oh, right, why am I asking you? I’ll ask Chen’erwhen we get back home.” As he spoke, Long Xingtian turned toward his wife.

Under his lover’s gaze, Qing Chen rolled his eyes. “That technique isn’t available to you yet, since you still haven’t mastered the basics.”

“No matter, no matter, I can learn it slowly over time.” Smiling, Long Xingtian nonchalantly replied.