Chapter 6: The Serious Consequences of Rash Vows

  In the morning, Liuyun walked out of the room with a tired face.

  A night's reflection, although he didn't think of a good solution, but he understood one thing: the wounds of the soul can only be healed with heart. Even if Shuiling doesn't want any compensation from him, he will try his best to do it. "His" mistake can never be made up for, Liuyun just hopes to be at peace.

  As he walked into the martial arts arena, he saw the guards practicing in the morning, and a thought flashed through Feng Yun's mind.

  "Xibo, come over here."

  "Young master, what orders?" Hibou wiped the sweat from his forehead and ran over.

  "From today on, you'll all have steamed buns for breakfast." Liu Yun said with a mischievous smile.

  "This......" Xibo doubted his own ears.

  "And besides, you have to buy the buns at that Water Nymph's shop on the street. Don't let her know you're from the Cade family." Flowing Cloud said and left, leaving Hippo in a daze.

  He later described those painful days in his memoirs: "It was a year that cannot be recalled. From the time someone sought forgiveness from Miss Shui, we began our long struggle with Baozi, to the point where we would vomit whenever we saw him."

  In the following days, two masked men repeatedly sneaked into Shuǐ Líng's home to treat Shuǐ Tiān's injuries and claimed to be distant relatives of Xiǎo Qiáng to thank the Shuǐ family for taking care of him.

  At the same time, a young man wearing a mask declared that Shuǐ Líng's baozi shop was under his protection, and anyone who caused trouble in the shop would be severely punished. After several young men who tried to take advantage of the situation were blown away by thunder magic on their way home, with their hair standing on end, no one dared to disturb Shuǐ Líng in the shop again.

  After Shui Tian's injury healed, Shui Ling'er kept asking Xiao Qiang about his relatives and wanted to visit them in person to thank them. Poor Xiao Qiang was confused and had no idea how he suddenly had several new relatives.

  Liuyun thought that after doing all these things, it would be of some help to her. But the situation did not develop as he had imagined.

  Some people who wanted to take advantage of Shuiling but failed spread rumors that she was the mistress of a big shot, causing many people who originally sympathized with her to start pointing fingers behind her back.

  The business of the baozi shop has become much quieter, and Shuiling, who is under even greater pressure, is also becoming more and more haggard day by day. Liuyun, who wears a mask to eat breakfast at the baozi shop, also notices that every time he enters the store, there are people gossiping behind his back. When Shuiling sees him, her smile is even more forced.

  Helpless, Liú Yún decided to go see her with his true face.

  A few days later, when Liuxing appeared at the entrance of Baozi shop, he suddenly stopped and turned around to shout loudly on the street: "Anyone who is curious about me, anyone who is curious about my relationship with Shuiling'er, come here!"

  "What are you doing?" asked Shuiling'er, who had rushed out of the store in a state of panic.

  Liú Yún didn't say a word, and waited until the crowd gathered around before gently removing the mask from his face. Since escape was impossible, he might as well settle everything once and for all today, Liú Yún thought to himself.

  "It's you!" Water Spirit's face suddenly lost its blood color, as if she had seen the most terrifying person in the world, and her body was also swaying.

  Liu Yun suddenly appeared at the entrance of Baozi shop, and with what happened during this period, it instantly triggered a burst of noisy discussions.

  He quietly looked at Shuǐ Líng, and from her eyes, he read a hatred as deep as the ocean.

  "You demon, I'm going to kill you!" Shui Ling'er suddenly burst out of the store, crying bitterly and holding a shiny dagger, charging straight at Liu Yun. She had been carrying this dagger with her since Liu Yun humiliated her.

  A glimmer of cold light drew nearer and nearer, like a serpent's tongue made of hatred.

  Looking at the white jade-like hands and dagger close to her, a strange thought arose in Liuyun's mind: "Those hands should be held and played with by someone who loves her. Using them to hold a murderous weapon is such a pity!"

  "The me of the past used it to reap life after life, how I miss those days!"

  "In those fiery days of special forces, I was a ruthless instructor!"

  "I am a bold warrior when I enjoy the thrill of narrowly escaping death!"

  "But now I'm a damn villain, a rapist!"

  "Heavens! Why won't you let a soldier die on the battlefield, but instead make me live with a bad reputation?! I don't believe in this evil fate, I will defy heaven once!"

  At the moment when the dagger was about to pierce his body, Liú Yún raised his hand and grabbed the small white hands with lightning speed.

  The crowd watching in a circle fell silent after the initial exclamation. Xiao Qiang ran out of the store and stood beside Shuiling, looking at Liuyun with horror.

  "Shui Niang, I don't want to die like this. I'm still alive, maybe I can make it up to you!" Looking at the pale and weak Shui Ling'er, Liu Yun said calmly.

  Liú yún's right hand took out a dagger and then lightly swung it to the left, cutting a small wound on his wrist, and fresh blood gushed out instantly.

  Liú yún dropped the dagger, his right index finger dipped in fresh blood, quickly drawing some strange symbols in the air.

  "With fresh blood as a guide, under the witness of heaven and earth spirits, make a sacred vow: I am willing to atone for my past mistakes!"

  "Heavens! That's a blood oath!" A cry of surprise rose from the crowd.

  Blood oath, the most ancient and sacred vow on the Blue Moon Continent. Legend has it that only noble men can use it, and once sworn, if not fulfilled, will fall into hell for generations to come. Although no one knows whether this legend is true or not, as the continent's most sacred vow, it is something that no one dares to profane.

  After Liuyun finished his oath, there was a moment of silence around him. Shuiling raised her head, her tear-filled eyes gazing at him blankly.

  "Isn't that right? Just casually pick a vow from that pile of broken books and recite it, would it have such great destructive power?" Liu Yun looked at the crowd around her, frozen like mud statues, and thought to herself in puzzlement.

  Under the unexpected intelligence, Liú Yún occasionally saw this strange oath in a book and associated it with women's soft ears, liking to hear such oaths. He used it today, but he didn't think that this blood oath would bring him even more trouble.

  Kaslo smiled with narrowed eyes after learning of the matter: "On the Blue Moon Continent, when a man makes a blood oath to a woman, it means he will spend his life protecting her, even dying for her. Generally speaking, only extremely devoted men would make a blood oath to their beloved women. Of course, you are an exception."

  "Things are getting more and more complicated." Liuyun regretted in her heart, "In the past life, how did I cultivate the bad habit of making vows..."

  Imperial Capital, Imperial Palace.

  "Is that blood oath true, Linglong?" Princess Xiangyu couldn't connect the sacred blood oath with Liuyun.

  "Yes, Princess." Linglong replied thoughtfully with her head tilted to one side.

  "You little girl, you'd better speak clearly." The princess said with a pout.

  Then Linglong told the news she had heard in detail, and then joked: "What's wrong, princess? Is it a little sour?"

  "You're looking for a fight, aren't you, Linglong?" Princess Xiangyu gave her a cold glance and ignored her, lost in her own thoughts.

  "It's a good show, but I don't know how much of it is real. A person like that, even if he's reformed now, what can he do? Hmm, for him, spending the rest of his life safely with a girl might be a good thing. But will that girl forgive him?"

  "Blood oath, this person is not talented, but can still do some earth-shattering things. He is evil in this way, and also good in this way. On the stage of the empire, is he a clown or really a role?"

  Although Liuyun was no longer related to her, thinking of that blood oath, Xiangyu Princess still felt a bit uncomfortable in her heart, after all, that person had been her fiancé.

  "Practice, practice, and get a good head on your shoulders." Zǐ Wén sat down on the ground, kicking away the shield beside him with one foot. "I'm such an incompetent soldier. Should I tell my son in the future that when I was a soldier, I followed some young noble to the countryside to sunbathe?"

  "Haha, your son doesn't even know where he is yet." The several guards around them laughed at this.

  "Alright, stop grumbling. This is a task entrusted by the master, we must do it with care." Xi Po walked over and patted Zi Wencheng's shoulder.

  "To be honest, these two years of following the young master, we've all become trash in other people's eyes. Even the servants at the mansion look at us with disdain. But who isn't a man with blood? We're just greedy for this one young master, what can we do? So we follow him, learn to do bad things and seek thrills, searching for temporary pleasure to numb ourselves." Zi Wencheng said in a low voice, recalling those days, a hint of pain and regret flashing in his eyes. "On the way to Kaidenburg, I got into trouble at an inn and the young master cut off one of my fingers, but I felt happy inside! Because I thought the young master had changed, and I was thrilled about it! Who knew he just stopped doing bad things and settled down here to live out his days?"

  "Yes, I don't know when this kind of day will end. Captain, when are you going back to the Imperial City to talk to the old master? Let us return to the army. This way of living is suffocating, it's better to die on the battlefield." After hearing Ziwu Cheng's words, Tieli also spoke up.

  "Yes, captain, you have to think of a way."

  "We can't go on like this forever!"

  "Tell it to your grandfather!"

  The team members all gathered around Xi Po's side, chattering and talking.

  "I'm telling you brothers, let's not think too much for now. Anyway, we've only just arrived, let's just consider it a vacation. If I get the chance, I'll talk to the old master about it."

  Sympathizing with his teammates' thoughts, Xibo couldn't think of a good solution either, and could only shake his head helplessly, speaking out to advise them.

  Liú Yún stood at one corner of the martial arts arena, gazing at the gathered guards and listening to their conversation, lost in thought.

  As a former soldier, he deeply felt the pain of having nothing to do in his depressed days after parting with his lover.

  Death, sometimes is not scary, what's scary is being alive but achieving nothing, watching the youthful years slipping away bit by bit. Even in his days as an instructor in the special forces, he hoped that one day he could step onto the battlefield of blood and fire, to write a glorious chapter of his own.

  Someone once said that a long-lasting peace would make an army lose its value, but he thought that a long-lasting peace would even more make a soldier lose his direction in life. Because battle is the dharma of a soldier's life.

  "Hmm!" He cleared his throat and walked towards his teammates.

  Seeing the flowing clouds, the team members stood up from the ground one after another, lined up under Hippos leadership, and their expressions were all somewhat frightened. After all, discussing the master behind his back was an unforgivable thing.

  Facing his own guards, Liú Yún began his first speech on the Blue Moon Continent.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I heard some of what you said earlier. Don't panic, I understand your feelings. Before leaving the Imperial City, I met a stranger who lifted the curse on me and taught me many things, giving me a new life. Just now, I made a blood oath to a girl I once hurt, vowing to spend my life making up for past mistakes. This has taught me a lesson: those who come out to make trouble will eventually have to pay the price. I know my reputation was terrible in the past, and while you followed me, you were only slightly better than me."

  The team members' mood relaxed with Liuyun's words, and they burst out laughing. Liuyun waved his hand to stop the laughter and said seriously:

  "From today on, I hope you and I can work together to bury that evil young man and the wicked people around him in a grave. When we emerge, we will all be reborn. The past misdeeds do not mean they are forgotten just because they have become history. We must use our own hands to redeem those sins. The process of transformation may be painful, I hope you can all persevere."

  "I have another announcement to make. His Majesty the Emperor has granted me the title of Viscount, and I am allowed to form a private guard of 200 men. You will be the first batch of members in this guard, which means you will return to military life as soldiers once again. However, I can no longer see any semblance of a soldier in you. Therefore, I have decided that three days from now, we will begin intensive training to restore your original military bearing and turn all of you into true strongmen."

  After finishing speaking, looking at the crowd of guards with shocked faces, Liú Yún's heart couldn't help but feel a thrill of satisfaction. "If I don't show my power, you all think I'm a sick cat. You little ones, watch me take care of you."

  He left the crowd to slowly digest his words and turned away. Deciding to form his own guard, Liú Yún had three reasons. Firstly, after the blood oath, he suddenly thought that if Shuǐ Líng ér encountered any danger, he wouldn't have enough power to protect her, after all, this was a world where the strong ruled; secondly, he couldn't bear to watch his subordinates lose hope in life; thirdly, he was really bored and needed to find someone to bother. However, as for his training methods, whether they would produce a batch of freaks or a miracle, Liú Yún had no idea.