Star Gate

Liu Long and Li Hao continued to ignore Hao Lianchuan. Liu Long wanted to leave immediately and get to work, but another question came to mind. “Is there anything you need me to bring or do?”

Who knew when he’d be back in Silver City upon this departure?

“Not much.” Li Hao smiled after searching through his thoughts. “But I left too hastily last time and forgot to burn some joss paper for my friend. If I could trouble you to make a trip, chief, and bring him a message for me that next time I visit, I’ll bring him quite a few Red Moon heads!”

Killing intent laced the words, but Li Hao spoke them very calmly and matter-of-factly. Even Mu Sen suppressed the urge to shiver through the screen. The young man seemed to have changed greatly on this trip to White Moon City.

Liu Long blinked before nodding without further word. He vanished from the screen as he left.

Mu Sen wanted to chat, but Li Hao cut him off as soon as he opened his mouth. “Inspector General Mu, Deputy Mu Lin says that he misses you very much and wishes for you to return to White Moon City as soon as possible.”

Mu Sen blinked. He misses me? Bullshit! But Li Hao wouldn’t lie... there’s no need to.

“I’ll go back on my next break.” The man nodded. “Who would’ve thought that my big brother would suddenly turn so sentimental?”

Li Hao smiled and said nothing else. Hao Lianchuan indicated for someone to hang up. When the line was closed, he looked at Li Hao with curiosity. “Mu Lin would tell you that he misses his younger brother?”

“He wants to beat up Mu Sen!”

Hao Lianchuan found himself at a loss for words. The kid was really turning crooked!

“Do you need my help forming the team?” Now that Hao Lianchuan knew about the team, he was very eager to lend a hand.

Sadly, he wasn’t a martial master, so Li Hao shook his head.

......

Li Hao didn’t linger for too long at the Night Watcher headquarters. He was a very busy person. He had sword dao to comprehend and a new team to prepare for. He wouldn’t have returned to headquarters if he didn’t have other stuff to do and Liu Long to contact.

......

One hour later.

Li Hao was once more at the Guards barracks—he’d come back on a run. It was very tiring, but he couldn’t use Director Hou’s car whenever he wanted to. There was no choice about it.

Mu Lin sniffed him out as soon as he entered the building and immediately appeared. He looked at the young man up and down and chuckled, “Was that the Flaming Phoenix Spear?”

“Yep.”

“It’s good that you’re back, the boss wants to see you!”

Golden Spear!

Li Hao was embarrassed to have just left the man behind earlier. “I really had matters to attend to earlier and also address my wounds. Senior Golden Spear isn’t mad, is he?”

“He won’t be,” Mu Lin said as they walked. “Our boss is a generous person, just slightly forbidding and old fashioned. The only thing you have to do is follow the rules! Remember to watch your language in front of him, he doesn’t like it when people crack jokes.”

Li Hao nodded. The two headed for the office area.

“Additionally, he knows about your fights with the centurions. He didn’t say anything, but don’t go nuts and challenge him. He’s very strong!”

“How strong?” Li Hao asked curiously. It was difficult to judge a martial master’s strength from visual appraisal. They would only know that the person in question was strong, but it was difficult to determine how strong.

“How strong?” Mu Lin thought for a bit, unsure of how to respond. “He’s just very strong. When we explored a ruin last year, the boss sent a peak Solar flying with one spear thrust. If he’s not on par with a Nova... I think he’s just about!

“He was strong in the early years, after all. Director Hou supported him a great deal then, so it shouldn’t be out of the question for him to rival an initial Nova now?”

Li Hao narrowed his eyes in thought, that did indeed make Golden Spear quite strong. But... strictly speaking, if the man had set foot into Dominator years ago and benefited from Hou Xiaochen’s support all along... and rivaled a Nova... That might make him the weakest in the trio with Tyrant Blade and Sky Sword.

Tyrant Blade had killed a Solar seven years ago. Sky Sword could kill some Novas in the central region. But considering that Golden Spear had relied on Hou Xiaochen to break Yuan Shuo’s will, Li Hao didn’t think further on it.

The two quickly arrived at a small building. A young man stood ramrod straight in front of it and looked at Li Hao. He seemed to be just thirty years old, if that.

“This is the captain of the boss’ bodyguards, his name’s Wang Qing,” Mu Lin transmitted. “He set foot into Dominator two years ago and is quite strong. He’s a blade user instead of a spear wielder.

“When it comes down to it, he might have a bit of a grudge against you. Your master killed two of the Four Blade Kings in Silver Moon, leaving only Tyrant Blade and Berserk Blade alive. This person is Berserk Blade’s disciple...”

If Berserk Blade is alive, where’s the grudge coming from? Li Hao thought for a bit and felt there was no other source aside from his teacher having beaten up Berserk Blade before. The man survived, which meant a grudge formed.

The young man knew a bit about Berserk Blade. Ever since characters from Silver Moon’s martial world began appearing one after another, he’d done some research. Tyrant Blade was the strongest among the Four Blades. Berserk Blade was quite strong as well to survive Yuan Shuo’s challenge—he disappeared from public view for many years after that.

Berserk Blade was said to be adept at the Blood Eruption Berserk Blade. Yuan Shuo once mentioned that this was a very ferocious blade method of the ancient civilization. According to what the professor read, the Blood Eruption Berserk Blade was just one out of a series of blade methods. There were even stronger ones such as Emperor Slayer Blade or Divine Annihilator...

Just those names alone were stunning. However, they all seemed lost to the passage of time. Berserk Blade was known through Silver Moon, but he used only the Blood Eruption Berserk Blade.

The two carried on a transmitted conversation as the evenly-proportioned Wang Qing noted at Mu Lin. The man’s right arm was slightly thicker than his left arm; he turned to Li Hao and said calmly in a neutral tone, “Centurion Li, we should spar when you have a free moment.”

Li Hao looked at him and nodded. He didn’t say anything in refusal. Berserk Blade’s disciple! He may not be weak, but could he be stronger than Mu Lin?

“Boss is upstairs, please head up!” Wang Qing stepped aside to let the two through.

......

Mu Lin transmitted as he took the stairs, “That kid is very strong and knows the core essence of the Blood Eruption Berserk Blade. He’s comprehended blade intent.”

“Mmhmm, is his master still alive?”

“He is,” Mu Lin responded silently. “Berserk Blade has always been alive, just not in Silver Moon these days. He’s only just returned a few years ago and now works for the army. I haven’t inquired about specifics, but I hear that Commander Yu values him highly.”

He’s joined the Silver Moon Division? Li Hao’s eyes darted around. Many of these veteran martial masters had chosen to join various institutions. Golden Spear was in the Guards, Berserk Blade to the Silver Moon Division, and Southern Fist joined the royal family... They’d all received innumerable benefits, hadn’t they?

“Why did Wang Qing come to the Guards then?”

His master was in the Silver Moon Division, why wasn’t he there?

“Wang Qing’s blade intent is different from his master’s, it’s more similar to our boss’ spear intent. The spear flashes out like fire and is ferocious without compare! Although Berserk Blade’s weapon is also fierce, it lacks a bit of force compared to our boss’ spear intent. Thus, Wang Qing himself chose to come here because of our boss.”

Li Hao understood. The two reached the second floor as they conversed. It was a massive place that was entirely Golden Spear’s. A receiving room greeted them at the head of the stairs. Golden Spear was in an office further inside. He had no secretary—Wang Qing functioned as his secretary.

“Come in!” came Golden Spear’s voice before Mu Lin announced themselves.

Mu Lin walked in with Li Hao. Golden Spear sat both upright in his chair and displayed a stiff smile when he saw his visitors.

“Sit!” Mu Lin sat down without hesitation. Li Hao followed his head.

Golden Spear stood up and scanned Li Hao’s face. “Yuan Shuo’s disciple, I have seen some of your strength. You are a credit to your master.”

“Thank you for your high praise, senior!”

“You don’t need to call me senior. We are in the army, so call me sir!”

“Yes, sir!” Li Hao was very biddable. He raised his head to meet Golden Spear’s appraisal as he wasn’t afraid of the veteran martial master. The look in his eyes was very sharp and his body extremely tall and strong. He looked to be in his fifties and had a boxy face. Stately dignity emanated from his face.

Silver Moon citizens tended to be on the towering side as the province was situated in the north. People in the north were taller than those in the south.

Golden Spear looked back at the young man staring at him. He simply gazed silently without flaring his aura. Upon seeing that prolonged consideration brought no fear into Li Hao’s eyes, a small smile appeared on the man’s face.

“You’ve got courage! But there are certain rules that must be followed after one joins the army. As a martial master, I know very well that martial masters do not like being constrained!

“But since you’ve decided to join, then certain compromises need to be made! Li Hao, I will not oversee you in normal times, but you must listen to orders when we conduct missions. You may not make unilateral decisions!

“This is one rule, the second is that you are permitted to build your own team, but you must be responsible for them to the last! Losses are permitted, but you are unfit for your position when the losses grow too big. You are to resign if you lose more than thirty percent of your people!

“Martial masters like adventure, but some like to use other people in their adventures. For all of their pros, martial masters have a severe con of being too alone and selfish! This is a universally acknowledged flaw. Other than one’s own family and discipline, everyone else’s life is up to fate! Such are the rules of the martial world, but you must recall that this is the army!”

Golden Spear pointed at Mu Lin. “This guy likes to go at things alone too! He was once a centurion, but quickly lost nearly half of his men. Thus, he was removed from his position. Although he’s a deputy now, that’s just a nominal title. He doesn’t lead any troops as he doesn’t have the right to!”

Mu Lin looked on dejectedly. He swiftly defended himself when he saw Li Hao look at him. “That’s not it! I was just unlucky that time and ran into huge danger. I was as responsible as I could! Forget it... I won’t explain myself. The army doesn’t give us chances to explain ourselves.”

He was morose as although the position of deputy was high, it didn’t have the true authority that the centurions wielded. He wanted to lead troops too... but Golden Spear wouldn’t give him the chance.

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