"What is this?"
"As you can see, it's a small bird."
"A small bird should have breath and a heartbeat. The unsanitary ones even have a stench."
"This one is very sanitary, and it's already dead."
"But it's still hopping, fluttering... um, staring at me."
"Don't you think it's beautiful?"
"Quite pretty. Um... don't get mad when I say this, but I think it looks like the kingfisher from Yu Fei Mountain."
"Because it is. This is a very intact dead kingfisher, preserved by Li Piaoqing and sent to me. I handed it to the Master Zai of Yang Yi Tower, who took two months to complete it."
"And then?"
"And then it became like this."
"Your Highness, if I may, a normal, ordinary kingfisher would hop, flutter, and stare. It only needs to be alive."
"But a normal, ordinary kingfisher cannot detect the whereabouts of a Famous Sword within fifty li."
"..." Pei Ye sat upright.
"Master Zai truly turns decay into magic," he said.
