The temperature in the room plummeted instantly. Fine ice crystals condensed across the walls, shimmering with a dreamlike, ethereal glow.

“What is this…” Li Fuxi stood frozen, her breath hitching in her throat.

The water-blue longsword traced a graceful arc through the air, flying toward her of its own accord. It nuzzled her arm affectionately, the blade emitting a sharp, cheerful hum.

“A spirit treasure! You… you’ve upgraded into a spirit treasure!”

Li Fuxi’s voice trembled as she reached out. The sword settled obediently into her palm, vibrating slightly as if responding to her touch.

[Ding! Successfully gifted Earth-grade Spirit Treasure Essence. Return triggered: 100x Spirit Treasure Essence.]

[Item Description: Essence of an Earth-grade spirit treasure. Can elevate an artifact to a Low-grade Spirit Treasure, with a small probability of reaching Mid-grade.]

Li Fuxi shook with excitement. Suddenly, she turned and pulled Zhang Xian into a fierce hug. “Thank you!”

Her soft, full figure pressed against him, bringing with it a faint, delicate fragrance. Caught off guard by the “ball impact” from his master, Zhang Xian stiffened on the spot.

Realizing her impropriety, Li Fuxi hurriedly let go, her face flushing a deep crimson. “I-I was just too excited…”

“Understood, understood.” Zhang Xian coughed dryly. “Master, bring out the other sword as well.”

“What?” Li Fuxi’s eyes widened. “You have more?”

She shook her head vigorously. “No, that is too precious!” She didn’t know the exact nature of the liquid he had used, but she had never heard of an item capable of forcibly upgrading an artifact’s grade.

A spirit treasure’s value couldn’t be measured in spirit stones. The sword she now held was worth more than their entire flying boat.

Zhang Xian smiled. “You wield dual swords, Master. We can’t favor one over the other. For a collector like me, such an imbalance is unacceptable.”

Li Fuxi bit her lip. Unable to resist the temptation, she retrieved a second, golden longsword from her storage pouch. “Is it really okay? This must be astronomically expensive…”

“Not at all!” Zhang Xian took the blade and repeated the process.

A moment later, the second sword ascended. It danced joyfully through the air, playfully chasing the blue sword and scattering specks of golden stardust.

Li Fuxi’s heart pounded. An unprecedented sense of happiness welled up within her. She stole a glance at Zhang Xian and found him smiling at her, causing her ears to burn.

He is too good to me!

“Master, do you have any other high-grade artifacts? Bring them all out,” Zhang Xian said gently. “I can upgrade them all for you.”

“N-no need!” Li Fuxi panicked, hurriedly stowing both swords away. “I-I just remembered I have something to do!”

She rushed out the door without looking back. She couldn’t stay a second longer; an emotion she had never experienced was making it difficult to breathe.

[Ding! Current Favorability: 60.]

Zhang Xian watched her flustered retreat and shook his head with a smile. He knew that for a sword cultivator, elevating their life-bound treasure was a debt far more profound than mere spirit stones.

Let her calm down first.

Zhiyin happened to be passing by and saw Li Fuxi fleeing the cabin in a panic. “Interesting,” she murmured, turning toward Zhang Xian’s door.

Knock, knock!

“Sister Zhiyin?” Zhang Xian opened the door, looking helpless. “Why are you here too…”

“What? Am I not welcome?” Zhiyin’s eyes curved into crescents. “You look well. It seems you don’t need any comforting.”

Zhang Xian stepped aside. “What would I need comforting for?”

Zhiyin glided inside and placed a yellowed book on the rosewood table. The title read: Great Liang Unofficial History. Zhang Xian’s pupils contracted.

“Master Fuxi bought it from a pirated bookstore,” Zhiyin said, her lips lifting slightly. “I borrowed a copy. As for Pavilion Master Yun… she likely has one as well.”

Zhang Xian opened the book. It recorded his deeds in Liang in excruciating detail, including his past with his numerous wives. His finger paused on an illustration of himself gazing at a tombstone.

“I went through so much trouble to have Yu Yun erase my influence,” Zhang Xian chuckled wryly. “Only to be exposed by a pirated book.”

No wonder their attitudes had changed. They pitied him. They had also likely seen through his fabricated identity as a “Young Master from a minor world.” If he had truly held such power back then, he wouldn’t have watched his wives wither away.

They were all choosing silence, encouraging him in their own gentle ways.

“Sister Zhiyin,” Zhang Xian closed the book. “Aren’t you and Supervisor Wei curious?”

“Everyone in this world has secrets,” she replied calmly. “Do you think Su Ling and I gained consciousness by mere chance?”

At the door, she glanced back. “We ask about right and wrong, not origins. Prying into privacy only leads to a crooked path.”

“Set your mind at ease. Su Ling and I are with you. And with Su Ling’s support, First Seat Su Yuanshen will follow. You have nothing to fear in the Southern Region.”

A warmth spread through Zhang Xian’s chest. He had real allies now.

As night fell, Zhang Xian sat cross-legged in his room, regulating his breath. Suddenly, he received a message from his master.

“Come to the hot spring pool.”

Zhang Xian nearly lost control of his Qi. So sudden? Is she taking the initiative? To comfort me, is she willing to make such a… sacrifice?

I’m not mentally prepared yet. What should I do?

When he pushed open the door to the hot spring room, thick mist swirled around him. A water mirror barrier isolated the area from any prying senses. Through the watery curtain, he could see Li Fuxi’s graceful silhouette.

“Master,” he greeted.

The water rippled. Li Fuxi’s voice came through, forced into a calm that couldn’t hide a subtle tremor. “We must intensify our cultivation. I must take revenge for my master… and you must take revenge for your wives.”

“This spring has been infused with high-grade spirit stones and your spiritual liquid,” she continued. “The effects are enhanced.”

Zhang Xian recalled his previous experience. “My realm isn’t high enough. I’m afraid the energy from high-grade stones will be too violent. Last time, I was nearly scalded…”

“I have considered that,” Li Fuxi interrupted. Her shadow shifted closer to the curtain. “I will use my water energy to temper and harmonize the force. With me here… you can endure it.”

“Then… thank you, Master.”

A long silence followed before a soft, almost imperceptible reply came: “Between master and disciple… there is no need for thanks.”