Sylvester swept his gaze over Fu Xuan from head to toe with eyes free of any worldly desire. With that figure, that bearing—cat ears would, of course, be the most fitting.
But unfortunately, he didn't have a single piece of women's clothing at hand.
Hmm. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing after all. A single man living alone—if he really had a pile of women's outfits lying around…
Eugh. Just imagining it made his hair stand on end. He had no such hobby.
As for pinching her cheeks or rubbing her feet…
Are we really at that stage in our relationship? Flirtatious banter and physical contact are two entirely different things.
If Fu Xuan got angry and pulled a "Man proposes, Heaven disposes" on him, could his scrawny body even withstand it?
Tomorrow he'd be opening his hundredth Trash Can and finally becoming a peerless expert. Was today really the time to face heavenly tribulation? Asking to be struck by lightning on purpose? He wasn't about to get himself killed just for breakfast.
As Sylvester weighed what request to make, he kept up small talk with Fu Xuan.
"Mm, the effect of those two pills should've been pretty good, right?"
It was meant to be nothing more than a casual remark—a seller checking on customer satisfaction.
But little did he know, Master Diviner had suffered a massive blow to her dignity that very morning.
Pads… pads… The whispers of the augurs still echoed in Fu Xuan's ears.
Sylvester's words had landed squarely on the cat's tail.
"Such worldly matters—I long ceased to care for them. Why bother asking?"
"Hm?"
The conspicuous gloom in her expression snapped Sylvester back to reality.
In his impression, Fu Xuan had always been calm and confident. Aside from that fleeting moment of fear before her duel with Phantylia during the Ambrosial Arbor incident, she had almost never shown negative emotions.
But today—she was uncharacteristically shaken, unable even to put up a front of composure.
What was going on? The effect was obviously very good.
Just looking at Master Diviner's figure, the two [Fenglong Pills] had clearly worked extremely well.
That size already surpassed most people. The moment she walked into the Divination Commission, surely—
The Divination Commission?
Gazing at Fu Xuan's pitiful look—like a drenched kitten—Sylvester's thoughts deepened.
"Hu~" Fu Xuan let out a long sigh, a bitter smile in her heart.
All that talk about not caring—it was a lie.
If she truly didn't care, why would she have stormed out of the Divination Commission in anger just now?
Fu Xuan, Fu Xuan. You're no child anymore. And yet you let something like this shake your mind. Even ran all the way here.
For what? To complain?
But how could he possibly understand such troubles?
"Wuh?"
Her wandering thoughts were cut short as Fu Xuan let out a startled sound, looking up in reproach at the man before her.
He had patted her head while she wasn't paying attention? Did he really take her for a child? Not even asking permission first—this man's behavior was still as casual as ever.
"Don't worry about it. Things like that don't matter. No matter what those two pills did—those who like Fu Xuan will still like Fu Xuan; those who dislike you won't suddenly change their minds. Since Fu Xuan is still Fu Xuan, there's nothing to be troubled over, right?"
"You… noticed?" Fu Xuan blinked, no longer swatting his hand away but averting her gaze instead. "But they all said—it's fake."
Sylvester gently ruffled her hair, speaking lazily. "Just think of them as a bunch of croaking frogs. I know a certain long-lived woman—fifty thousand years old, and her body was still underdeveloped. Then she was overtaken effortlessly by an eight-year-old girl."
"Fifty thousand years… how pitiful."
So, such a tragic woman actually existed?
Fu Xuan snuck a glance downward at her heart-guard mirror. Compared to that, she really was already very fortunate.
Seeing her mood ease, Sylvester felt pleased as well. Partly because he disliked gloomy atmospheres, but also from a subtle thrill.
She came to me with this kind of trouble. Doesn't that mean our relationship has grown closer? At least friends, right? After all, she's letting me pat her head. And I have to admit—Fu Xuan as a cat is quite adorable.
Mm, patting her head…
An immortal pats my crown, and my destiny… cough—binds my fate to longevity.
Ah, thankfully this world had no fifty-thousand-year-old women.
As Sylvester enjoyed the silken strands of her hair between his fingers, he thought perhaps this kind of "reward" wasn't bad at all.
But while he was lost in leisure, he failed to notice the shift in Fu Xuan's gaze.
Softly, she asked: "And you? Do you truly not care about such things either?"
Hm?
It was like waking abruptly from a sweet dream. Sylvester's hand froze.
What's this? Why was the pressure suddenly on him?
Seeing he hadn't answered, Fu Xuan raised her head, staring directly into his eyes. "You really do prefer women with a figure like General Feixiao's, don't you?"
Sylvester grumbled inwardly: Come on. I've never been picky with beauty. It's beauty that's picky with me, alright?
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to actually say that aloud.
This was a dangerous subject. Answering poorly would tank his favorability in an instant.
So, he put on a thoughtful look before replying solemnly: "I've never thought there was anything lacking in Master Diviner. Fu Xuan should not deny herself. In my eyes, Fu Xuan has always been the perfect woman. My favorite type."
Hss~ so cheesy.
Even Sylvester himself got goosebumps from saying it.
But that was fine. If it made him squirm, then the effect on Fu Xuan would be even stronger.
"P-perfect woman…"
Sure enough, inexperienced as she was in such matters, Fu Xuan immediately fell into fluster.
From her neck upward, her skin flushed visibly red. Sylvester could even feel faint warmth rising against his hand.
Fu Xuan's head spun as she muttered: "Frivolous… shameless."
Ah, what a blunder. Why had she come to him of all people to complain?
This man… this man…
And yet, perhaps that was why she came to him.
Whether it was when the [Teleport Scroll] had left her mired in regrets of the past, or yesterday when Skott had tried to humiliate her—
Whenever she faced hardship, he would appear, using whatever ridiculous means he had to ease her worries.
Mm, even if most of those means were absurd.
Time drifted by. Perhaps a system's worth, perhaps only a single minute. But both of them quietly basked in the moment.
Soon, the click of high heels echoed up the stairs. Like startled birds, the two of them sprang apart.
Feixiao arrived on the second floor, finding Fu Xuan sipping tea calmly at the table and Sylvester yawning lazily in a lounge chair.
Her eyes flicked between the two, a mysterious smile tugging at her lips.
As the great general of Yaoqing and its fiercest warrior, her instincts were sharp. She could clearly tell the two hadn't been in this state ten seconds ago.
But she didn't particularly care—only found it amusing.
Fu Xuan spoke: "The Divination Commission was free of pressing matters today, so I came here hoping to open a Trash Can and perhaps add another treasure to the Xianzhou. But the shop was so busy that everything sold out early. So, I simply stayed to enjoy a cup of tea."
Sylvester quickly chimed in: "Yes, exactly. General Feixiao must have come for the same, no? Though everything's sold out today, starting the day after tomorrow, supply will increase by ten more Trash Cans daily. If you like, I could reserve a few for you."
Feixiao's eyes lit with interest, and she nodded. "Reservations, hm? Not a bad idea. But this time, I'm not here for the Trash Cans. I came to see Fu Xuan."
Fu Xuan frowned slightly. Being named directly almost certainly meant it was no trivial matter. "What happened?"
Feixiao's expression turned grave. "Specialists from the company's headquarters have arrived. Not small fry like Skott. But members of the Ten Stonehearts—three of them, in fact. They claim they've come to apologize for the company's recklessness yesterday. But it's clear to everyone they're here to secure a formal agreement with the Xianzhou, to prevent conflict over the Curio Trash Cans."
"Such a thing?" Fu Xuan had already expected the company's arrival. After all, no one would easily give up on Trash Cans capable of producing priceless Curios.
But three Stonehearts at once—that was daunting. Negotiations like these would inevitably be a battle of words, draining as much mental strength as any battlefield clash, with traps lying in wait for the careless.
Feixiao said, "In the last war, Yaoqing once fought alongside the company, so we owe them a favor. That's why it's best I don't step forward this time. General Jing Yuan has summoned you back to lend your aid."
"I will return to the Seat of Divine Foresight at once."
Bidding farewell to Feixiao and Sylvester, Fu Xuan departed swiftly.
Sylvester stroked his chin, musing: "Ten Stonehearts, huh… shouldn't be a problem."
Though the company would stop at nothing for profit, the Stonehearts were not the sort to resort to crude measures like kidnapping or extortion.
The one he was truly worried about was Aventurine.
With that guy's luck, would he end up pulling all the best things from the Trash Cans?