"Open up—inspection!"
With a crash of boots and wood, Yanqing led a squad of Cloud Knights through the door. The Disciples of Sanctus Medicus inside froze in the sudden flood of sunlight. A few tried to fight; against the prodigy's blade, they never stood a chance.
It was the third day of the martial exhibition. Acting on Wei Yi's warning, Jing Yuan had tightened security yet again, and the Xianzhou had indeed flushed out multiple Abundance-spawn infiltrators bent on disrupting the event—like the ones now howling on the floor with tendons neatly severed.
"Doctor Wei read them like a book—they were never going to pass up this chance," Yanqing said with a faint smile. He glanced to his knights. "Take them away. Question them thoroughly."
"Yes, sir!"
"Sir Yanqing, you still have to compete. Leave this to us," one knight offered.
"I won't be late," Yanqing replied. "But if the rats in the dark aren't cleared, I won't have a calm heart on stage. A restless mind is taboo in a duel."
"As expected of Sir Yanqing," another knight murmured, admiration plain despite Yanqing's youth. His strength and steadiness already hinted at what he'd become.
—
"That kid's grown since his setbacks," Wei Yi observed at a street corner where the sun split the gaudy, bustling boulevard from a damp, shadowed alley—two worlds a hundred meters apart. The Knights were meticulous: strike first, disable or kill, and smother danger in the cradle. With crowds this dense, if even a single abomination slipped out, people would get hurt.
"You called it. They netted a lot," Feixiao said, amused.
"How'd you know exactly where they were?" she asked, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"A secret," Wei Yi sang, wagging a finger.
"Oh, you're hiding things from me now?" She nudged his ribs, smiling the smile that said you're not getting out of this.
"The world runs on equivalent exchange," he sighed, all implication.
"You'd bargain even over this?" Feixiao ground her teeth. He'd pitched a few "pranks" lately; she'd refused. He'd dropped the subject—only to spring it now.
"It's a good deal. A small price for a juicy secret."
"Mmm…" She hesitated. Curiosity gnawed; so did the memory of being "toyed with." Worse, he'd developed a new… technique: start at a low Kaioken, and the instant she relaxed—double it.
If he hadn't used his authority to patch her up the next day, she would've been bedridden.
Now that they weren't fighting to survive, his brain was… single-tracked.
Of course, he never crossed her lines. And—if she was honest—she sometimes enjoyed it too.
"Fine. But don't go too far."
"Never against your will," he promised. Bottom lines are sacred; break one, and the second comes easy.
"Talk."
"Simple. I've seeded avatars all over Luofu—every blade of grass has one. They're weak, but they can feed me intel."
"That's it? What if they just pull the plants?" Feixiao asked, dubious.
He jerked his chin toward the alley where another batch of abominations was being hauled out. "That's what happened. One wolf-nosed idiot sniffed out a trace of me. He thought ripping out greenery would help. A blank page with a black dot—can't miss it."
"And then he shared that tip, and half of them copied him," Wei Yi snorted.
"Clever," Feixiao conceded.
"Not without downsides," Wei Yi shrugged—just as an angry citizen's bellow and Yanqing's flustered apologies echoed from the alley. "Some folks like weeding. We'll apologize and make it right."
"You're something else," Feixiao said, shaking her head at the sight of the mortified prodigy bowing to a scolding uncle.
"Teacher? General Feixiao?" Yanqing trotted over, surprised.
"Just checking in. Don't overdo it," Wei Yi said, clapping his shoulder. "Save your edge. Stronger foes may show."
No net is perfect. Anyone who slipped his—either exquisitely cautious, or truly powerful—was walking far along their path. But with this much preparation? Even if multiple Emanators came, Wei Yi was confident he'd make them eat dirt.
Not that he'd rely on himself alone. Jing Yuan and General Huaiyan weren't pure bruisers; but put Marshal Hua, Feixiao, and Huang Quan in one line, and unless an Aeon came calling, most threats would think twice.
(And if the records were true, General Huaiyan in his youth had quite the temper. Not exactly weak. The sort to pinch out a "Buddha's Fury Lotus" for fun—grandpa only looked gentle with his granddaughter hovering.)
"Whatever comes, I'll cut it down," Yanqing said, fists tight with resolve.
"Good." Wei Yi's gaze flicked beyond him, catching a familiar silhouette as traffic thinned. "That's enough for today. Here—Immortal Happy Tea, my treat. Go on."
Yanqing accepted the coupon with a grateful bow and headed north. As the flow of people shifted, the blocked figure came clear.
Yingxing.
"Bold of you to stroll the Xianzhou. Not afraid of trouble?" Wei Yi said, grinning as he approached. For all that the Stellaron Hunters' warrant had been lifted, Yanqing and Blade together tended to spark… verbal duels. And Blade—an elder—would smack a mouthy kid.
Which was why Wei Yi had sent Yanqing away.
"Trouble? I am trouble," Yingxing said mildly, holding a skewer of Qiongshi fowl. "And the warrant's gone."
Wei Yi eyed the snack. "…Doesn't suit your vibe."
"Carrying it for someone."
"Ah." Probably Silver Wolf. Or Firefly. The Hunters were allegedly vacationing on the Xianzhou. Must be nice.
It had been a while. Wei Yi realized Blade had changed.
"You've changed."
"Oh?" A ghost of a smile. "How so?"
"More human. Your emotions show."
"You mean I wasn't human before?"
"You looked like a debt collector whose clients all defaulted—ready to cut first and ask never," Wei Yi said cheerfully, glancing at Yingxing's hands. No bandages now—just long, steady artisan's fingers. Wei Yi hadn't broken the immortality curse, but he'd given the smith his hands back.
"Time," Yingxing said. Two gunblades shimmered into being. He tossed them to Feixiao.
She caught them, surprised. "For me?"
"I've seen your blades—and how you fight. You're the Heavenly-Smite General. Stop using junk. Seven centuries, and the Foundry's 'masters' are still useless. What have they been doing—drinking?"
"Hey. Those were made by Zhumin's best," Feixiao frowned.
"Zhumin…" Yingxing's eyes cooled. "Aside from one… the rest are wine sacks and rice bags."
He didn't name Huaiyan, but Wei Yi didn't need him to.
Yingxing turned to go.
"Where's mine?" Wei Yi called after him.
"You need weapons?"
"…Fair point," Wei Yi said. With so many authorities, what could steel add? If he could win, he didn't need it; if he couldn't—he still couldn't. And if it came to that… call the wife. Soft rice? Eat it hot.
By the time Wei Yi finished that thought, Yingxing was gone.
"He really has changed—closer to the fierce but open man he was seven hundred years ago," Wei Yi mused.
"His biggest knot is cut. And you fixed the demonic yin in his body and his hands. If he stayed gloomy, that would be rude," Feixiao said.
"True." Wei Yi eyed the gunblades. "Want to test them?"
"No need. My old pair's officially retired," Feixiao said, weighing them with obvious delight. "They're curio-class. Near-indestructible. And there's a built-in path-force amplifier—no more special rounds. I just pour will into the steel and fire."
Compared to these, her "top-tier Xianzhou standard" blades were… wood beside alloy.
—
"You're late, uncle."
Yingxing rounded a corner, skewer in hand. Yunli was already waiting.
"Generous, uncle. Way better than a certain stingy doctor—he makes me pay him back with interest," she chirped, taking the snack.
"We're done," Yingxing said, patience thin. A stray abomination had charged him earlier; Yunli had cut it down first, then extorted the skewer as a "rescue fee." He'd indulged her.
"Don't be so cold. If I hadn't shown up, that thing would've been a headache," she said.
"I could've handled it."
"Sure. And blown your cover doing it. The warrant's gone, but there'd still be questions," she smiled.
Yingxing's eyes flickered. "You know me?"
"Everyone knows Blade. I prefer Yingxing. I've traded notes with smiths across the fleets; your name still comes up. Even my dad can't forget you. I'm curious," she said frankly. "Come to my place?"
"I'm a notorious criminal. You're the beloved granddaughter of the Seven-Heaven General. There's nothing to say," he said, turning away.
Yunli watched him go, regret in her eyes. "Self-sabotaging," she muttered, patting Old Iron. The sword hummed in answer.
—
"Back, Yunli? I heard you crossed some Abundance-spawn. Any injuries?" Huaiyan asked from his chair when she returned.
"I'm strong, Grandpa. They couldn't touch me. Right, Old Iron?" she grinned, tapping the blade.
"Good. But never relax. The spawn are sly. Expect dirty tricks," he said gently.
"Relax! That move you taught me—what was it, Stacked-Wave Ruler? I've got it down. I could tangle two exchanges with Hulei now!" she bragged. "Oh, and I saved someone today."
"Oh? Who? Were they hurt?" Huaiyan asked.
"It was—" She hesitated, then shook her head. "Just a traveler. Forgot the name. He bought me a skewer to say thanks."
"Good, good."
She'd meant to tell him she'd seen Yingxing. But remembering his bent shoulders, she kept it in. If Yingxing refused to meet, forcing it would only hurt Grandpa.
"Grandpa," she murmured later, chin on his shoulder, "if I did something wrong one day… would you forgive me?"
"Why ask? Of course. We're family. You're a good child. If you err, it will be haste, not malice," he said.
"Would you still… want me?"
"No matter what you do, you're the child I raised. Even if the world calls you unforgivable, how could I not worry?" he chuckled, glancing at the time. "Enough. Bed, Yunli. I'm tired."
At the window, moonlight silvered a cracked jade pendant in Yingxing's hand—engraved with two characters: Yingxing. It had shattered once; with his hands restored, he'd tried to mend it. The fissures remained. Some things never return to what they were.
I read your troubled fate and grant you this jade. May it ward a little disaster. From today, learn under me. If you wish to learn, I'll teach you. No complaining. My students are no mediocrities.
The old voice rolled through his mind.
"To this day, no one in the Foundry has surpassed me…" he murmured to the moon. "Master…"
After days of high-tension bouts, the exhibition reached its peak. Yanqing and Belobog's Luca gave the crowd a brilliant match.
And the Swordmaster Selection came to its final bout:
Former Luofu sword chief Jingliu vs. Yaoqing's current sword chief Suyi.
....
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