Sword Shatters Stars

Chapter 9: Where there's a clue, there's a way.
"Second Brother, you've been a beast of burden for so long, haven't you come to your senses yet?"

"There's no point in arguing with selfish people like you!" the second brother said dismissively.

They had already argued about what Sun Ziyue was saying countless times half a year ago.

"We didn't want to be slaves on Tianlan Star for the rest of our lives, so we came to Tianwu Realm to defy fate. Second Brother, you insist on continuing to be a slave here. You're hopeless!"

Sun Ziyue was clearly angry; as she spoke, her voice faded into the distance.

Lin Xiufeng then ran over.

The second brother was surprised to see him arrive.

Sure enough, Lin Xiufeng asked:

"Second brother, how do we get to the Dream Continent that person mentioned? Is that place a faster way to become a Heavenly Warrior?"

"It's not something you should know right now! Once Tianwu Po is gone, he'll just be someone else's prey."

The second brother refused to tell, but Lin Xiufeng refused to give up.

"Just tell me, Second Brother!"

"Can't you understand nice words? If you want to go, go after Sun Ziyue! Just shout and beg him to take you as his subordinate, and he'll take you there!"

The second brother was already in a bad mood, and his expression immediately turned sour.

Lin Xiufeng was afraid that if she missed this opportunity, she would never have another chance to ask, so she said sincerely:

"Second brother, I can't possibly associate with the group that took Wang Qiang in!"

"I came to the Heavenly Martial Realm because of a blood feud. I must race against time. The sooner I become a Heavenly Martial Warrior and return to Linhai City, the safer my family will be."

"Second brother, please help me out and show me the way, okay? I'll never forget this favor!"

The second brother calmed down a bit, but he didn't budge, saying firmly:
"I can't tell you now, that would only hurt you!"

"Second Brother—" Lin Xiufeng wanted to say more.

"No need to say anything more! With the Heart of Heavenly Martial Arts, I will guide you further."

The second brother glared at Lin Xiufei, his attitude obvious.

Lin Xiufeng knew that there was no point in continuing to pester him; it would only make the other party dislike him more. She could only look for another opportunity.

'At least I know there's a shortcut to Dream Continent; maybe I can find out about it at the headquarters of the Seaside House…'

When the Heavenly Realm Beast saw its second brother, it turned around and ran over, and they went together along the same road.

Seeing that her second brother didn't care about the others, Lin Xiufeng deliberately said:
"I wonder how they are doing..."

"I can't die!"

The second brother was still in a bad mood, and his tone revealed impatience.

Lin Xiufeng remained silent.

Following the winding dirt road up the opposite hillside, the guards on the road recognized Second Brother, but still checked Lin Xiufeng's wooden plaque.

Since his second brother didn't say anything about waiting for the others, Lin Xiufeng just followed along.

After going up the hillside and down again, there were wooden houses built all around the mountain forest.

Lin Xiufeng asked curiously, "Is this the headquarters?"

"This is only a small part. The entire mountainous area ahead is the headquarters. We don't need to go inside; we can leave the supplies to the warehouse down there."

Seeing that Lin Xiufeng was listening and turning his head to look around, his gaze lingering on anyone he saw, the second brother guessed what he was thinking and said:

"Don't go asking around with your mere Heavenly Martial Soul level knowledge. You'll only get yourself into trouble. Do what's appropriate for your level of strength, and stop spouting nonsense and disrupting morale!"

"I understand," Lin Xiufeng readily agreed.

But in her heart she thought: 'I only listen to what my parents say selectively, do you think I'd listen to your lies?'

Seeing that his second brother knew many people here, Lin Xiufeng silently excluded those who greeted him, noted down those who gave his second brother a token nod when they met, and those who pretended not to see each other.

When they arrived at the warehouse and handed over the wooden crates, the person recording the transaction looked at the lids of the crates.

Before he could ask, Lin Xiufeng said:
"During the chase, the lid was knocked open, and a piece fell off."

"Open the wooden box, and the credit for escorting it will be calculated at 90%."

The man didn't say much; the second brother had already explained his experience of being intercepted.

Lin Xiufeng didn't care about merit; he was focused on finding out how to get to the Dream Continent and had no intention of spending his time working to accumulate merit.

He learned from the person at headquarters who kept records of supplies that they were sending not only the food they had handed over, but also grain harvested from the fields!
'What the top leader said was definitely untrue! This is clearly the branch office handing over supplies to headquarters and paying regular taxes!'

Lin Xiufeng recalled the scene of the branch confiscating their supplies...

They support the branches, but aren't the branches also supporting the headquarters?

What about headquarters?
What is the headquarters supporting?
After leaving the warehouse, the second brother taught Lin Xiufeng:
"If the boxes on the truck are a little missing, it's no big deal; you can say it's from the bumpy ride. But if the wooden crates on your back are also missing, it's not worth it." "I'll remember that."

Lin Xiufeng readily agreed, but seeing her second brother turn back, she worried that he would have to walk all the way back like this, so she said:

"Second brother, show me around."

"Go back after you're done. You can come to headquarters once you become a Celestial Warrior."

Lin Xiufeng followed for a while. He remembered that there was a wooden house ahead with people. He didn't make eye contact with his second brother, so he decided to use the excuse of needing to pee to go and ask around.

Before he could finish speaking, a person walked out from in front of the wooden house and waved to his second brother.

'We know each other! But we didn't say hello earlier?'

As Lin Xiufeng followed her second brother closer, the man lowered his voice.

"Second brother, come inside. I have something to tell you."

Seeing the two enter the house, Lin Xiufeng should have taken the opportunity to slip away and ask someone for information, but instead, she had a sudden inspiration and quietly followed them to the door to eavesdrop.

'It's mysterious and secretive; perhaps it can be used as leverage to exchange information.'

"...Second Brother, you know her too. She's Brother Zhao's niece. I have to take care of her! Could you do me a favor and take her back, and find an opportunity to send her to Dream Continent?"

"It's not convenient for us!" the second brother said, clearly unwilling.

"The seas to the west are quite turbulent lately, and I can't find anyone reliable to ask for help in the east. You must lend me a hand!"

"...Alright. But I won't be going out to sea to patrol so soon; it'll have to be early next month."

"I'll transfer her to your branch tomorrow, she'll work with you for now. Her name is Zhao Youyue, a young girl, but she's stubborn. Second brother, please take good care of her."

"Row!"

The two then chatted about other things.

Lin Xiufeng tiptoed away, preparing to slip away to ask someone nearby for information.

I didn't expect my second brother to have already come out.

Lin Xiufeng wanted to use the excuse of needing to urinate to leave, but her second brother said:
"Hold it in, you can pee whenever you want after you get over the hill."

"urgent!"

"What's the rush? You've only had a few sips of water the whole way here."

The second brother bluntly exposed him.

"Okay, I'll hold it in."

Lin Xiufeng sighed, thinking, "If they won't let me ask around, then I'll just have to keep an eye on you."

On the way back to the branch, the other people who had been traveling with us were indeed safe.

However, they lost all their supplies and were also injured.

One of them suffered the worst; first, his wooden crate was stolen and he was beaten, and later he was brutally beaten by a short man with a fierce expression.

Lin Xiufeng guessed it was Wang Qiang. He didn't want Wang Qiang to do bad things anonymously, so he mentioned it briefly:
"The short one? That guy's name is Wang Qiang. He was never a good person. He ambushed me and even tried to catch me as a thief. After he was exposed, he was thrown out of the village by Sister Yi."

"Wang Qiang, right? I'll remember that name!"

The man who had been brutally beaten by Wang Qiang was filled with resentment.

At 6 PM the next day, a young girl arrived, saying she was from the western branch and would be looked after by her second brother for a few days.

'My helper has arrived!' Lin Xiufeng looked at the 'benefactor' who brought him good luck with curiosity.

Zhao Youyue was about the same age as him, wearing jeans, and her white top was half-reddened by the red light of the sky.

She is a little over 1.8 meters tall, but she is pretty and quiet, and her first impression is that she is taciturn.

Her second brother asked her to greet him, but she simply said three words in a flat tone:
"Hello everyone."

Names, ages, and so on were not mentioned at all.

The second brother said, "The little girl is introverted, so please take good care of her. She can come with me on patrol tonight."

Zhao Youyue nodded without saying a word, her eyes filled with a cold indifference, revealing a story she couldn't quite fathom.

Lin Xiufeng didn't care; he was just waiting until the end of the month.

My second brother took Zhao Youyue with him every day until the end of the month.

....................................

Thank you to patron a98271 for the extra chapter.

(End of this chapter)