Chapter 1: Perplexity

  Shen Du's thoughts were immersed in the battle three years ago. After Murong Ling took Pei Xuehan away, he had already felt the breath of death, especially after witnessing Pei Xuehan's ghostly speed and super strong sword energy condensation and defensive power. At that moment, he completely lost his desire to live.

  In the past, he used half a month to leap from Sword Hand to Sword Master, and easily fought evenly with Murong Ling. At that time, he was so self-satisfied and confident that he thought he could surely revive the Shen family, enter the Death Capital, and compete with his elder brother Shen Gang, still believing that he was the best swordsman.

  After entering the Imperial Prison, with just a casual swing of the thousand-pound sword in hand, dozens of swordsmen can be easily slaughtered, and relying on one's own strength, even the strongest Sword Master can be killed.

  Arriving at the Imperial Capital's Great Prison, 98th floor, when he met Su Shen's mother and learned her renowned technique as the Sword King, the Nine Underworlds Slumbering Sword Manual, he thought that he too would soon enter the realm of a Sword King.

  As expected, after taking the power pill given by Murong Ling, he experienced the power of a mid-term Sword King. At that time, the so-called sword masters standing in front of him were nothing but ants.

  However, it was at this time that he encountered Lou Fang, the second master of the Great Sword Sect. Lou Fang was also a sword king and could block his attacks with just a wave of his hand. This shock was obviously only a blow to Shen Dou's fighting spirit. Later, Fu Xingbo showed off the kind of terrifying power that existed in near-legendary, super-strong swordsmen of the Sword Emperor level.

  He still doesn't know to this day what kind of skill Piao Xiao Bo used to block his attack, or at what speed he pierced his own heart, and when Lou Fan used his sword energy to destroy his meridians.

  "No!" Shendu felt a severe headache, dropped the small sword that had not yet been unsheathed from his hand, and covered his head with both hands, struggling in pain and crying.

  Just then, a loud quarrel broke out outside the window.

  A rough-voiced woman tore open her throat and bellowed: "I told you all a long time ago, that kind of person can't be saved, but you didn't believe me. Now he's awake, so let him leave as soon as possible."

  Another woman's voice was much softer, and the tone was extremely low, Shen Du heard it somewhat vaguely, only to hear her say: "......No matter what, I will respect his own decision......"

  Judge people by their voices; Shen Dou could tell it was Fei Lao just by listening.

  It seems that in the three years he had been here, he had caused a lot of trouble for Feilu. Feeling guilty, he walked out of the room and found himself on the third floor.

  In this place, three-story buildings are rare, so the view is extremely wide, and that endless desert stretches to the horizon, giving people a sense of bewildering fear.

  Where should I go and where am I going?

  Shen Du was deeply perplexed, he couldn't drag this body to find Shen Yu Xi, nor could he hide under a woman's protection. Thinking so, wasn't Fei Lu also a woman? He stepped down the stairs and saw Fei Lu chatting with a middle-aged beautiful woman at the door, so he tiptoed, preparing to slip away from the back door.

  "Eh, where are you going!" Feilu's eyes and ears were sharp, and he immediately sensed Shendu's presence.

  Shen Du's face was apologetic, he turned around and looked at Fei Lu with a smile, saying: "I'm really sorry, I didn't think my existence would cause you so much trouble. In that case, I'd better leave."

  He clutched the jade plaque with Shen Aotian's name on it, thinking that the man who had fought against Fu Xingbo that day might be this very person. He also shared the same surname, Shen; what kind of connection did he have with the Shen family? He must find Shen Aotian and get an answer.

  "What, you want to leave? Just now you said you wanted to repay me. You haven't even fulfilled your promise yet, and you're going to sneak away like this without saying goodbye? Is this the behavior of a true man? Is this the behavior of a gentleman?" Fei Lu collected the smile on his face and spoke in a cold voice with a look of disdain.

  Shen Du heard this and was shocked, repeatedly asking himself if this was the behavior of a true man, if this was the behavior of a gentleman. From a very young age, his grandfather had taught him that as a man who stood tall and upright, he must keep his promises, once spoken, they must be acted upon, otherwise, he would not be considered a man, nor would he be considered human.

  "Sorry!" Shen Du furrowed his brow and said, his expression and tone extremely complex.

  Feilu, being the master of the city, instantly saw Shen Du's inner struggle from the injuries he had suffered and the unusual aura emanating from his body. He judged that Shen Du was no ordinary person. Walking up to Shen Du, Feilu comforted him, "Even if you have higher ideals and want to gain a broader sky, you must wait until your injuries are healed and you possess even greater strength before you can leave this place, understand?"

  This moved Shendu to tears, staring at Feilu in shock and amazement. Wasn't that sentence about wanting a wider blue sky exactly what Shendu had been longing for since childhood? With a moved expression, he said: "Thank you, Feilu." Looking closely at Feilu, her pale skin was crystal clear, delicate and charming, making Shendu feel somewhat infatuated.

  Feilu immediately sensed Shendu's abnormality, picked up his fist and hit it on Shendu's shoulder, the force of this punch was not light.

  "Ah ha!" Shen Du exclaimed as he fell to the ground, shocked and asked: "What are you doing?"

  Feilu sneered, "Men, every single good thing!" As he spoke, he was about to step forward and add another kick.

  But Shen Du's reaction was also very quick, and he swiftly got up and escaped through the back door.

  Feilu didn't give up either and chased after him.

  The backyard was a vast sword-practicing field, where various precious swords were placed, and dozens of men were practicing their swordsmanship. They were all fully focused, with their swords flying in the air. Seeing this, Shen involuntarily stopped in his tracks, filled with sorrow.

  Feilu stopped beside Shendu and asked softly: "Are you interested in becoming a part of this place?"

  "I, I really can?" Shen looked at his nearly crippled hands and asked with a sob.

  "Don't worry, you can do it!" Feilu didn't understand why Shendu was crying, but kept encouraging him.

  Shen shook his head, slowly crouching down on the ground, muttering softly: "When I was young in the Shen family, Grandfather had also told me this. At that time, I was only six years old and didn't understand anything about martial arts training. Looking at my older brothers and sisters practicing sword fighting, they all seemed so energetic and lively. Although I admired them, I always felt that I couldn't be like them. It was Grandfather who kept encouraging me to grow up... but now, now..." Now, the Shen family no longer exists.

  Feilu didn't fully understand Shendu's language, but he squatted down and patted Shendu's shoulder, saying: "Now there is still me, I will always be by your side to encourage you, support you."

  "Is this really true?!" Shen Du was truly hard to believe, that this woman who had never been familiar with him before would actually give him such a heart-shaking promise. He was so moved that he wanted to hold Fei Lu in his arms, as if only by doing so could he express the gratitude in his heart.

  But Feilu stood up, his eyes cold and stern: "Don't think too much, I don't have any other intentions towards you. I just want to witness whether there is really a miracle in this world, whether someone like you, a waste person, can still pick up the treasure sword and regain their former glory."