"It can't possibly be Aha THEMSELVES… could it?"
A strange thought surfaced in Jing Yuan's mind.
The moment it struck him, his expression changed. "Master Diviner, you said the one under the Aeon's gaze became an Emanator of what Path?"
"The Emanator of Elation. Though I've yet to meet her myself, judging from the radiant afterimage left behind, there should be no mistake," Fu Xuan replied.
Upon hearing this, sweat appeared on Jing Yuan's brow. His usually steady face shifted ever so slightly as he forced a dry laugh.
"Hahaha… surely it's just a coincidence."
"General Jing Yuan, could it be that you've thought of something?" Since arriving in Luofu, Fu Xuan had never seen him like this.
Not even during the rebirth of the Ambrosial Arbor or the Stellaron disaster had Jing Yuan ever shown such a forced composure.
"Jing Yuan, don't be so secretive. If you've got something on your mind, why not tell us straight? If Jiaoqiu acted like this, I'd certainly scold him for it," Feixiao pressed, clearly sensing that Jing Yuan had some peculiar idea and urging him to speak.
Jing Yuan took a deep breath and said to Fu Xuan, "Surely you've investigated this shopkeeper's background?"
Let his family background be spotless, Jing Yuan prayed silently.
At this, Fu Xuan hesitated. Her sharp tongue fell unexpectedly quiet.
Not because she hadn't investigated, but precisely because she had. She had examined Sylvester's file thoroughly—and it was the strangest one she had ever read in her life.
She wanted to gloss over it, but remembering her duties as Master Diviner of the Divination Commission, she chose to present it in the most direct, unembellished form.
"Sylvester. Male. Age twenty. Born in Xianzhou Luofu. Species: Human."
So far, everything was normal. But…
"At the age of one, his parents died. At the age of three, his grandparents passed away. At the age of five, his hometown was destroyed by natural disaster."
"Such a tragic background?" Feixiao exclaimed.
Even the fox-folk, once enslaved by the Borisin, rarely had families so unlucky.
But her sympathy quickly turned into disbelief.
"At the age of six, despairing, he attempted suicide by drowning. Instead, he trained himself in swimming and survived."
"At the age of seven, despairing, he attempted suicide by jumping from a building. A sudden draft blew him back inside—he survived."
"At the age of eight, despairing, he attempted suicide by poison. It turned out to be counterfeit. He reported it to the Alchemy Commission and survived."
…
"At the age of twenty, despairing, he attempted suicide by hanging. After two and a half minutes, an earthquake struck, the house collapsed, yet he emerged unscathed."
"Yesterday, he opened the shop 'Curio Trash Cans' in Exalting Sanctum."
"This half a lifetime… truly, he who is content is always happy," Feixiao muttered, her eyelids twitching, her elegant face pulled taut. Even her snowy fox ears drooped.
What kind of absurd record was this? Attempting suicide once a year? Yet surviving each andevery time? Was this tribulation or anniversary?
With vitality like this, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus would have to call him brother, and even the Borisin would be forced to address him as elder.
She remembered seeing a phrase on Jade Abacus once. What was it called? The "Xianzhou King of Survival"?
Fu Xuan kept her composure with difficulty. "The text is exactly as recorded in the Seat of Balance's official files, without a single omission."
It was official data?
Even Feixiao, usually so forthright, found herself at a loss for words.
As they stared at each other in stunned silence, they suddenly heard Jing Yuan murmur, "As I thought."
The two turned to him at once.
Feixiao ventured, "This was within your expectations?"
The look in both Fu Xuan and Jing Yuan's eyes clearly conveyed their true thought: You haven't lost your mind, have you?
Jing Yuan coughed lightly, and with his usual composure, explained slowly. "This record, while… unconventional—"
"Just call it ridiculous," Feixiao said, folding her arms.
"—still has one very important point. Did you notice it?"
"Is there actually any valuable information here?" Feixiao thought carefully but found nothing of worth.
"The absence of information is the most important part," Fu Xuan revealed directly.
"?" Feixiao blinked in confusion.
"Exactly," Jing Yuan said gravely. "The Seat of Balance works by strict rules. Their records would never be this careless. This file has a very clear purpose: to cement Sylvester's identity as a Luofu native. Yet it offers not a single living witness."
Hearing this, Feixiao recalled the content of the file and realized Jing Yuan was right. She sighed.
"Amazing. On paper, he's a native of Xianzhou, but no family or friend exists to corroborate it. His annual suicide attempts prove he's never once left Luofu. The document contains no information at all."
She went on, "And yet this one page locks his identity as a Luofu native. No one can vouch for its authenticity, but no one can deny it either—because it bears the official endorsement of the Seat of Balance!"
"Precisely." Jing Yuan nodded. "It's almost certainly a masterful forgery. And though it brims with contradictions, it cannot be overturned."
"Jing Yuan, who is he really?" Feixiao asked. She might not match Jing Yuan or Fu Xuan in strategy, but as a general, she was no fool. If Jing Yuan raised the matter, there was surely profound reasoning behind it.
"An Emanator of Elation created under an Aeon's gaze. Curios that only an Aeon can destroy. And now this nonsensical file." Jing Yuan sighed. "My friends, is it not already obvious?"
Feixiao's eyes widened. The thought was too bold. Never had she imagined that one of those legendary supreme beings might dwell among mortals.
Fu Xuan's shock was greater still. She had indeed noticed the oddities in the file, but had never considered this. After all, she had spoken to Sylvester up close. He had seemed nothing more than an ordinary man with a fondness for jokes.
But… was it truly impossible?
She now doubted herself deeply.
Had Jing Yuan not voiced it, she might never have thought of it in her lifetime. But now that the seed was planted, it was like a crack in the dam—tiny, but unstoppable.
And in truth, they were not entirely wrong. Sylvester's file was precisely what Jing Yuan suspected: a record beyond verification, impossible to disprove, officially certified by the Seat of Balance. Unless they could somehow unearth Sylvester's records from Earth, there was no way to refute it.
"This is speculation, nothing more. The claim is far too outlandish for me to state as fact." Jing Yuan, seeing the two of them getting carried away, hastily tempered his words.
"But this man's importance is undeniable. In this, Master Diviner was correct—we underestimated him."
"I wouldn't call your words baseless," Feixiao said. "But as Fu Xuan noted, the real question is how we should treat him."
Fu Xuan thought deeply. "His ability to produce such rare Curios, coupled with his carefree attitude, shows that material wealth likely holds no meaning for him."
"Master Diviner, you've spoken with him directly. Did you notice any particular preferences?" Jing Yuan asked.
Fu Xuan recalled her conversations with Sylvester: his obsession with selling Trash Cans, and… his repeated teasing remarks toward herself.
'Fu Xuan is so cute.'
Remembering his flippant words, her face flushed, and it felt as if white steam rose from her head.
To repeat such things before her superiors would be far too humiliating.
She stammered, "He… Sylvester, he seems especially fixated on selling Trash Cans. And also… his words are extremely frivolous, lacking any proper… ah, what I mean is, he tends to…"
Watching usually composed Fu Xuan stumble so badly, Jing Yuan's interest sharpened. He understood her well. If Sylvester were truly some lecher, Fu Xuan would have dismissed him with cold scorn, not fumbled like this.
"Master Diviner, is it correct that Sylvester has yet to marry?"