"You may call me Duanmu Rong, or Miss Duanmu… but do not call me 'Miss Rong.'"
Duanmu Rong's voice was calm as she glanced at Dao Zhi. At the same time, she stole a look at Goku's group, inwardly startled. She hadn't expected every woman at his side to possess such peerless skill. She had seen it clearly just now—had Nongyu not held back, Dao Zhi would already be having tea with the Yama King.
"It's only a form of address—don't sweat the details," Dao Zhi replied with a roguish grin. But when he noticed Goku still holding Duanmu Rong's slender hand, he yelped, "Hey, hey! You there—let go of Miss Rong!"
Inwardly, jealousy simmered.
'Damn it! Even I've never held her hand, and this guy gets there first…'
"Be careful with this one. He doesn't have good intentions toward you," Goku said seriously to Duanmu Rong, cutting a side-eye at Dao Zhi.
"Come on! First time we've met and you're already blackening my name—that's low!" Dao Zhi protested.
"Who was just thinking, Damn it! Even I've never held her hand, and this guy gets there first…?" Goku asked mildly, smiling at him.
Dao Zhi froze. "What the—can you read minds?!" He flickered behind a tree, peeking out with exaggerated caution.
"You can really read minds?" Duanmu Rong looked at Goku, suddenly wary.
"He can do more than that," Chi Lian said with a sweet smile, her mature allure almost criminal. "Goku also has clairvoyant sight. Stand before him and you might as well be wearing nothing at all."
"W-What?!"
Dao Zhi and Duanmu Rong both blanched. Dao Zhi instantly jumped in front of her, righteous as a shield. "Don't be afraid, Miss Rong! I'll protect you!"
"Protect your sister. Move—I'm treating her injuries," Goku said, tugging Dao Zhi aside as if he weighed nothing. Soft white light flowed once more from his palm and spread across Duanmu Rong's wounds. "And don't listen to Chi Lian's nonsense," he added, earning a massive eye-roll from her.
Dao Zhi's heart pounded. 'I didn't feel a ripple of force—how did he relocate me like that? This man's methods are unfathomable!'
Watching Duanmu Rong's wounds close visibly under the pale radiance, his shock deepened.
'This is beyond Miss Rong's own medical arts… Who is this man? I've never heard of someone like him in the jianghu.'
"I am Dao Zhi," he said at last, cupping his fists. "Your skills command respect, sir. May I learn your name?"
"Goku," he replied with a smile. "And these women are my wives."
"W-Wives…" Dao Zhi stared at the four beauties, eyes going wide. "All four… are your wives?" His gaze brimmed with envy, jealousy, and heartfelt despair.
Duanmu Rong also stole a surprised glance at the women as they introduced themselves.
A moment later, Dao Zhi sidled up to Goku and whispered, "Big brother… could you teach me a few moves? Look at me—grown man, still single… heh heh…"
Goku looked him up and down and shook his head. "With your brains and your looks, I'd say the odds are… slim."
"That's just mean," Dao Zhi muttered and slunk off to "draw circles" in the dirt.
"Still… 'Goku' sounds familiar," he mused, then his eyes fixed on the sword at Goku's waist. They flew open. "Don't tell me—you're the legendary Sword God?!"
Two simple words—yet the weight behind them shook the heart. There weren't many stories about the Sword God, but each one was earth-shattering and beyond the reach of ordinary men.
As time passed, the tales about Goku grew ever more exaggerated—until rumor became myth. Doubt spread. Does such a man truly exist? After all, the figure in those legends had appeared only a handful of times, then vanished without a trace.
Whether others believed or not, Dao Zhi did—and the entire Mo Family did, too. Their Juzi had issued the highest directive: if they encountered a man named Goku carrying a demonic sword, under no circumstances were they to make him an enemy.
Those words confirmed the legend's truth. The Juzi of the Mo Family was none other than Prince Dan of Yan—a central figure in one of those very legends.
Remembering the fear and awe on the Juzi's face when he uttered the name, Dao Zhi's heart hammered. The Juzi's skill was already fathomless, yet merely speaking that name had unsettled him. What kind of terror must that man embody? Looking at Goku, Dao Zhi nearly stripped off his clothes to ask for an autograph.
"It's just a meaningless title," Goku said with a dismissive wave. For one who walked between worlds, honorifics held no weight.
"It's… really you, then." Dao Zhi swallowed, eyes drawn back to the sword at Goku's side. "Is that the number one weapon on the Armory Roll—the Demon Sword? I've only seen pictures—never the real thing. May I… admire it?"
"Go ahead," Goku said. With a flick, the sword shot forth and—zheng!—planted itself upright in the earth.
"So this is the Demon Sword ranked first on the Armory Roll… What a magnificent shape!" Dao Zhi breathed.
Even Duanmu Rong couldn't help but look closely. Legends held their own gravity.
"No wonder it's number one," Dao Zhi said, circling it. "This design outclasses the famed swords by ten streets." He reached toward the hilt.
"Don't touch it. If you're hurt, I'm not responsible," Goku warned lightly.
"So the rumors are true—there's a will inside the blade? Now I'm even more curious." As the King of Thieves, mysteries tugged at Dao Zhi like lodestones.
To be safe, he gathered his strength and grasped for the hilt—
"Foolhardy," Chi Lian sniffed, amused malice glinting in her eyes. Xue Nu and the others only shook their heads. Aside from Goku—and the women the sword acknowledged—no one could wield it. Touch it unbidden, and you were lucky to survive.
"Ah—!"
The instant Dao Zhi's fingers brushed the hilt, a shriek tore from his throat. Blood-red demonic qi exploded from the blade and hurled him backward. He smashed into a tree and spat blood.
"Dao Zhi!" Duanmu Rong rushed over and helped him up. "Are you all right?"
He waved weakly and stared at the sword, awestruck. "Still alive… As expected of the world's foremost divine weapon. I'm not even qualified to lay a finger on it…"
"You should count yourself lucky," Chi Lian said coolly. "If Goku hadn't suppressed the sword's aura, you'd be dead." She stepped forward, drew the Demon Sword from the earth, and returned it to Goku's side.
"Huh? Why weren't you harmed?" Dao Zhi asked, astonished.
"It's Goku's sword, it wouldn't dare injure me," Chi Lian replied, giving him a look reserved for fools.
"So the sword practices discrimination now…" Dao Zhi forced a wry smile.
"The foremost divine weapon truly is extraordinary," Duanmu Rong murmured. "Just as the legends say—a spirit dwells within the blade."
When the marveling faded, Duanmu Rong turned to Goku and bowed. "We owe you our lives, Sir Goku. Without you, the Mo Family would have suffered a disastrous loss today."
"Leader Dao Zhi, Miss Duanmu," a Mo disciple hurried up and saluted, "the brothers have assembled. What are your orders?"
Dao Zhi nodded, then cupped his fists to Goku. "Brother Goku, words can't express my gratitude. If ever you need me—anything within my power—I won't refuse. We still have urgent business and must leave at once. Would you honor us by visiting the Mo Family sometime?"
"No need. Go on," Goku said with an easy wave.
"In that case, we'll meet again," Dao Zhi said, saluting before leading the disciple away.
"Take care," Duanmu Rong added with a nod, then turned to depart.
"You're just going to let her leave?" Chi Lian's eyes, sultry and dangerous, slid to Goku.
"Hehe, we'll meet again," Goku said with a faint smile. His gaze lingered on Chi Lian's mature, bewitching figure and vivid lips; with no outsiders left, he pulled her into his arms and lowered his head to "claim" those lips.
Xue Nu and the others flushed and dutifully looked away.
Not long after, Ying Zheng crushed Chu, and within two years, he destroyed the last remaining kingdom—Qi. At last he realized the ambition of unifying the land, becoming the first emperor to rule a united China.
Yet the wars did not end. In the shadows where lamplight could not reach, many still coveted the fall of Qin—most of all, the Hundred Schools. The age of chaos continued.
Then an even more startling rumor spread: Gai Nie, the strongest swordsman of Qin, lauded in the jianghu as the Sword Sage, had— for unknown reasons—defected from Qin. And so, the story began.
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"This used to be a peaceful, harmonious village," Nongyu said, brows knitting as she surveyed the broken walls, scorched earth, and blackened stumps. "To see it laid so low… Ying Zheng has a heavy ledger of sins."
On the dirt road, people in ragged clothes trudged forward under the cold eyes of mounted guards on tall horses…
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🎉 Shoutout to meech! 🎉
A huge thank you to meech for joining my Patreon and supporting the journey! Your support means a lot and helps keep the chapters coming faster. Welcome to the VIP club! 🙌✨
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New fic is out