The golden glow faded.
Feixiao stood with one hand on her hip, gazing at the four ancient swords laid out on the table.
Fu Xuan was still resting. She had thought of opening her Third Eye, but the sharp aura of the four swords was almost tangible, strong enough to wound her vision even through the naked eye. If she forced it open now, the Aeon, Nous might have to reclaim shards of the gift THEY had once bestowed.
"Hm. The blades gleam with auspicious radiance, sword aura bursting with edge. Calling them fine swords would be an insult," said Feixiao. As a general of the Xianzhou, she naturally loved divine weapons.
She picked one up, only for its aura to suddenly burst forth, thrashing like it wanted to rip itself from her hand.
"Oh? Interesting." Feixiao's competitive spirit flared, and her Path power surged. A vortex of raw might roared through the small shop, a whirlwind exploding out from her center.
The sword resisted fiercely, its aura spilling in violent waves, shattering a porcelain bowl on a nearby table.
"W-what's happening?"
Those without strength panicked, cold sweat bursting from every pore. Instinct screamed at them: flee, now.
Fu Xuan formed a hand seal. Purple light flashed, and a barrier enclosed Feixiao and the sword, sparing the others from disaster.
Guinaifen quickly lifted her Jade Abacus. As expected, the barrage of comments came flooding in.
[Unlicensed Pilot: "What kind of sword is this? That golden glow wasn't from any ordinary Curio. But why won't the swords obey their wielder?"]
[Comedic Duo A: "Could it be a cursed sword? The Xianzhou has legends of such blades—how they corrupt the heart, drive swordsmen astray, and ultimately seize control. Terrifying, ten parts out of nine."]
[Definitely Is a New Nickname: "How could something like this be in a Trash Can? Don't tell me the shopkeeper is actually the sword's puppet, and now that he's made enough money, the blade's going to kill everyone and suck out our life force?"]
[Comedic Duo B: "Whoa! Partner, don't jinx us like that. If your crow's mouth comes true, don't drag me down with you."]
"Remain calm." Fu Xuan's cool voice carried to all present. "With me here, none of you need fear. Wait patiently."
With the Master Diviner's words, the crowd eased a little.
But watching the locked struggle between woman and sword inside the barrier, their nerves refused to settle.
Fu Xuan sipped her tea, feigning calm. Yet like the shifting warmth of the liquid in her cup, only she knew the true urgency flooding her heart.
Feixiao bore the curse of Moon Rage. If she went too far, she would lose her reason, transforming into her beastly form.
And with the unyielding sword pushing her further and further, her power was nearing its limit.
The energy inside the barrier grew ever more volatile.
At last, Feixiao's tightly shut eyes snapped open. Behind her, a pair of wing-like marks burst into blue-green light. She poured all of her Path power into her hands, wrapping and binding the sword in her grasp—a masterful demonstration of an Emanator of The Hunt's control.
"Behave yourself!"
The sword's might was crushed in an instant.
But just as victory was within reach, the other three swords suddenly quivered violently, their shrill screeches cutting the air. In the next heartbeat, they shot forward like assassins, piercing Fu Xuan's barrier as if it were paper, not even slowed a second.
This was bad! Those swords were about to kill the fox-woman!
Ahem. Sylvester gave a light cough. At once, the three flying swords lost all strength and clattered harmlessly to the floor. Only the blade in Feixiao's grip still resisted, struggling stubbornly.
As the system's master, he held absolute control over all Curios drawn from the Trash Cans, an automatic safety measure to prevent them from harming him.
"W-what's going on? Those swords tore through the Master Diviner's barrier like it was nothing, but that guy coughed once and they all went docile?"
[Unlicensed Pilot: "Hah! All of you who called him a fraud, better watch yourselves. If he unboxes the wrong thing, he won't even need to lift a hand to kill you."]
[Definitely Is a New Nickname: "S-so what? The Xianzhou is a society of law. Everything must go through proper procedure."]
[Comedic Duo A: "Oh, now you remember the law? Weren't you the one yelling he was a swindler, demanding his Credits, wanting him locked in The Shackling Prison? What happened to all that bravado?"]
[Comedic Duo B: "Yeah, exactly. You're just salty you didn't get a good pull, so you tried stirring things up. Who do you think you're fooling?"]
[Definitely Is a New Nickname: "Y-you're slandering me! And don't expect me to send any Trash Cans your way!"]
[Rear Wheel Spins: "Eh? Who said we wanted freebies? We just can't stand folks like you. The shopkeeper said it was about luck—bad luck, and suddenly you refuse to admit it? Here's an old saying for you: 'Bitter at the fortunate, sweet to the rich; stew spoiled, fog fouled; society ruined, morals drowned; no virtue, no justice; bootlicking, bamboo-picking.' That's you to a T!"]
Hoo. Amid the bickering, Feixiao exhaled a long breath. After straining to the utmost, she had finally subdued the sword.
She flourished the blade through several dazzling flowers, and the more she wielded it, the more natural it felt. Unsatisfied still, she broke into a full sword dance.
The fox-woman drew plum blossoms in the air with every stroke, her flowing dance more painting than combat, a living scroll unfurling from her center. The tap of her boots and her agile movements fused into a rhythm so entrancing the onlookers were spellbound.
When the dance ended, Feixiao stared at the sword in her hand, unable to put it down. In all her years of military service, she had never encountered a weapon so strong. Not even old Master Huaiyan's proudest creation could compare to half of this blade's brilliance.
It had taken all her might as an Emanator of The Hunt to barely subdue it. In anyone else's hands—even Fu Xuan's—the effort would have been futile.
And there were still three others.
Feixiao picked them up, her heart filled with awe.
Weapons on par with Emanators—such things truly deserved to be called universe-shaking.
"Thanks." She first offered Sylvester her gratitude. Without his intervention, the three blades would have ended her life before she had the chance to tame the one.
But his action only deepened her doubts. To make those three swords fall so utterly powerless… was Sylvester really the incarnation of an Aeon?
Then had Fu Xuan's injury earlier been staged, all for the sake of luring… a fox?
For the first time in her life, Feixiao wavered in her own judgment. But she did not want to believe the latter. To be precise, she refused to believe it.
If it were true, then not only was this man's strength unfathomable, so too was his cunning. Every word, every display before now—none could be trusted.
But if that were so, why lure a fox? Why invite her suspicion at all? What could be the point?
Her thoughts spiraled like a chain of paranoia, contradictory fragments clashing in her mind without resolution.
"You're welcome. Protecting my guests is only natural."
Sylvester wore a mysterious smile, as if brushing off something trivial.
That should be enough to confuse her for a while.
He sighed inwardly. Having an Emanator prying into your secrets daily would crush anyone under the weight.
She had already decided—tomorrow, she would send Jiaoqiu and Moze to rotate shifts, keeping Sylvester under constant watch.
Feixiao felt more and more certain: unraveling Sylvester's secrets would be the most meaningful part of her journey to the Luofu.
As for the mission the Marshal had entrusted… with weeks still to spare, she would manage.
She turned with a bright smile to Sylvester.
He nearly leapt out of his seat. Had it not been for his brain's quick reflexes, he would have lost composure entirely.
There was nothing for it—once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of a rope.
"Little brother, I'm finding you more and more interesting," she said, ending with a wink that shot straight into his heart.
What is going on? You're supposed to be cowed by my elusive, unprovable aura of power—held back by doubt. So why are you pressing forward instead? That makes no sense at all.
Sylvester felt more keenly than ever that Feixiao was his nemesis. He had always trusted in his wit and scheming.
He could win over Fu Xuan herself, silence the Trailblazer Stelle without a word.
Fu Xuan, more cunning than he, had been utterly taken in by his bluffs.
Yet all the effort he'd put into creating an aura meant to intimidate Feixiao… had backfired completely.
What is this even supposed to be?
"Sylvester, why don't you resolve everyone's doubts? We still don't know the origin of these four swords," Fu Xuan finally spoke. Watching the exchange of looks between him and Feixiao left her inexplicably unsettled.
And she had no position to say more.
So, 'getting back to business' made the perfect excuse.
At her words, the crowd pricked up their ears, eager to hear Sylvester's explanation.
Were these truly the universe-shaking Curios? They looked strong, yes—but compared to the warships outside, the gap seemed enormous.
Sylvester nodded, then spoke slowly. "These are the [Four Swords of Slaying Immortals]."
"They are supreme Curios born from the very fabric of the cosmos. Together, they form the Slaying Immortals Sword Array. Unless multiple Aeons intervene directly, even an Emanator has but one fate before them—to be slain without fail."
"No way!" the crowd cried in unison.
Slay… an Emanator?!
Had he misspoken, or had they misheard?
Fu Xuan and Feixiao exchanged a glance, both finding only helplessness mirrored in the other's eyes.
Such a revelation, made public… who could say whether it was blessing or disaster.