"Princess Shan, this will be your room," Xuefeng said, gesturing toward the rightmost door of the courtyard. "The room in the center is mine, and Wuying stays in the one on the left."
"She lives with you? What kind of teacher lives with her student?" Princess Shan teased, her voice light but with an edge that hinted at something sharper.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Wuying snapped, her tone as sharp as a dagger.
"Alright, both of you, knock it off," Xuefeng interjected, stepping between them with an exasperated sigh. "No fighting in my courtyard, got it?"
He turned to Princess Shan, eager to defuse the tension. "You can take your veil off now. It's just us here."
Her eyes sparkled mischievously above the veil. "Oh? If you're that curious, you can take it off for me," she said, stepping closer, her challenge palpable.
Xuefeng hesitated only a moment before accepting. "If you insist." He reached up and gently pulled the veil away, revealing her face in full. She was stunning, as he'd expected, but the sight didn't quite knock the breath out of him as Wuying's unguarded beauty had earlier that morning.
Before he could say a word, she dropped a bombshell.
"I once swore to the heavens that I would marry the first man who took off my veil," she said, her voice soft and deceptively innocent. Then she leaned forward, resting her head on his chest, her full curves pressing against him. "I hope you'll take good care of me."
Xuefeng froze. His thoughts scrambled like rats in a maze. Can you be any more unreasonable? he wondered silently. He'd encountered his share of audacious people, but Princess Shan shot straight to the top of the list.
"You cannot do that! That's unfair!" Wuying barked, her voice tight with anger as she took a step closer.
"Everything's fair in love and war," Princess Shan replied, her grin mischievous as she stuck out her tongue.
"Alright, enough!" Xuefeng cut in, raising his hands to stop the escalating tension. He stepped back, disentangling himself from Princess Shan's hold. "Princess, what's your real reason for staying with the Liu Clan?"
She stepped back, feigning indignation. "I wanted to become friends with you, of course! But who would've thought you'd take off my veil? That changes everything!" Her tone was teasing, but there was an undertone that hinted at calculation.
Let her play her game for now, Ling advised in his mind. It'll be easier to get the Fate Fragment this way. Deal with her later.
Xuefeng sighed, resigning himself to the chaos. "Fine, whatever. We'll sort this out later. For now, check out the artifacts I picked up." With a flick of his will, a ring materialized on his finger.
"A Spatial Storage Ring!" both women exclaimed, their voices rising in perfect unison.
"What's the big deal? You told me to get one," Xuefeng said, confused by their reaction.
Wuying was the first to explain. "Most Spatial Storage Rings are Rank 3 or higher. Creating even a small space inside a ring is incredibly difficult. If someone succeeds, they usually make it large to justify the cost of production."
Princess Shan chimed in, her eyes gleaming with admiration. "How big is the space inside?"
"Just a few tens of cubic meters," Xuefeng replied, repeating what Ling had told him.
"That's a Rank 4 ring at the very least," Wuying confirmed, her expression equal parts impressed and envious. "To think you managed to claim one…"
"It wasn't easy. Let me show you what else I got." Xuefeng smiled and began pulling artifacts from the ring one by one.
First came a Rank 5 Spirit Armor, its intricate black and silver plates glowing faintly with protective runes. Then he displayed a Rank 5 Defensive Aura Artifact, which shimmered with a translucent blue light when activated.
The women exchanged glances, their expressions equal parts shock and admiration.
"Did you also get a Rank 5 weapon?" Wuying asked, her curiosity piqued.
Xuefeng grinned, pulling out a red sword. "Check this out."
The moment the sword left his storage, the air around it changed. Black flames erupted from the blade, dancing like living shadows. Xuefeng nearly dropped it in surprise, but the flames didn't burn him. Instead, they seemed to acknowledge his presence, wrapping around the sword like loyal hounds.
Wuying vanished in a flash, reappearing ten meters away, her instincts taking over. Princess Shan darted to the side, her movement so fluid it seemed almost supernatural.
"What… what a powerful aura," Princess Shan whispered, her eyes wide with awe.
"Is this the Founder's Sword?!" Wuying gasped, her voice laced with disbelief. "I've read about it in the Treasury records, but I never thought I'd see it in person."
"Pretty cool, huh?" Xuefeng asked, swinging the sword experimentally. On his third swing, the blade drank deeply from his Spirit Qi, consuming nearly a quarter of his reserves. A crescent of black fire exploded from the sword, cutting through the air with a terrifying roar.
Princess Shan barely had time to dodge as the fiery arc slammed into a large boulder near the courtyard pond.
Boom!
The boulder shattered into a dozen pieces, scattering fragments across the ground. Black flames licked at the debris, devouring even the flowers nearby.
"My lilies!" Wuying cried out, horror etched across her face as she watched her favorite flowers burn to ash.
Xuefeng gulped, sheepishly lowering the sword. "Oops."
Before anyone could say more, multiple Shadow Guards flickered into the courtyard, their Spirit Artifacts drawn.
"Young Master, are you alright?" one of them asked urgently. Their eyes widened when they caught sight of the sword's aura.
Realizing their Young Master was responsible for the chaos, the Shadow Guards shifted their attention to the unruly black flames that continued to spread like living shadows.
"Extinguish the flames, now!" Wuying barked, her voice slicing through the tension like a blade.
"Yes, ma'am!" the guards replied, springing into action. Their Spirit Qi flared as they worked to contain the otherworldly fire, but it fought back, clinging to everything it touched as though alive.
Xuefeng quickly shoved the sword back into his ring, the flames snuffing out as it disappeared. He let out a shaky breath. "That thing's trouble."
Princess Shan straightened herself, brushing dirt off her soiled dress with a huff. "Trouble? If I hadn't rolled away in time, I'd be a pile of ashes right now!" she snapped, glaring at him. "Are you seriously only at the Spirit Grandmaster stage? That attack felt like something from a Spirit King."
"It wasn't me! The sword did that on its own!" Xuefeng protested, gesturing wildly as if to separate himself from the destruction. "It has a mind of its own or something."
"That's exactly why you shouldn't touch high-rank artifacts without proper training," she shot back, her tone sharp but underpinned by genuine concern. "You're lucky it didn't consume you."
Xuefeng grimaced. She had a point, even if she was being dramatic. Ling, why didn't you warn me about this sword? he asked silently, hoping for backup.
Why? Because I assumed you wouldn't swing a Rank 5 artifact around like a toddler with a stick, Ling retorted dryly. Maybe next time, don't wave it around unless you want to burn the whole courtyard down.
Great. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Xuefeng thought, rolling his eyes. Still, he resolved to tread more carefully. Princess Shan was right—this wasn't something he could afford to handle carelessly.
It took nearly ten minutes for the Shadow Guards to extinguish the flames. By the time they succeeded, several of them were visibly drained, their Spirit Qi reserves significantly depleted. They cast furtive glances at Xuefeng as they finished, a mix of fear and respect gleaming in their eyes.
"All clear, ma'am," one of the guards reported to Wuying before disappearing into the shadows with the others.
"Okay, dismissed. I'll handle things from here," Wuying ordered, her voice calm but firm.
The guards vanished without hesitation, leaving the courtyard eerily quiet once more.
Princess Shan arched an elegant brow. So, Wuying commands the Shadow Guards, does she? That explains her confidence, she thought, her lips curling into a sly smile.
Wuying turned on Xuefeng, her finger jabbing lightly but insistently against his chest. "Promise me," she said, her tone low and serious, "that you won't use that sword again until I've taught you how to wield a Spirit Artifact properly. That thing isn't a toy, Xuefeng. You could've killed someone—or yourself."
Xuefeng nodded, humbled by the gravity in her voice. "I promise. No more playing with fire," he said, raising his hands in surrender.
Wuying's expression softened, but only slightly. "Good. Don't make me regret trusting you with that thing."
"How's your Spirit Qi?" Princess Shan asked, cutting into the conversation with a suspicious look. "Artifacts like that drain Qi like crazy. With three Rank 5 artifacts in your dantian, plus that stunt you pulled, you must be on the verge of collapse."
"I'm fine," Xuefeng replied casually. "I'm refining Spirit Essence to replenish what I lost." The words left his mouth before he realized their significance.
Both women froze, staring at him as though he had just sprouted a second head.