Chapter 133: Shen Jizhou: "!!!!"

Want to see?

You can't just look at it standing right here at the main gate!

Not even letting someone through the door, what kind of hospitality is that?

A slight curve lifted the corner of Lu Yuan's mouth. Cradling the sword case, he stepped forward, making a show of opening it.

His movements weren't fast; in fact, they were deliberately slow.

*Click.*

A faint sound of a mechanical latch springing.

The sword case opened just a hair's breadth, a gap so small it was barely perceptible.

But at that tiny crack, Shen Jizhou's pupils abruptly contracted, his gaze locking fiercely onto that sliver.

Just as Shen Jizhou leaned forward, on the verge of losing his composure—

*Snap!*

A crisp sound of closure.

Lu Yuan shut the sword case again.

Sealed tight.

Shen Jizhou froze in place: "???"

Lu Yuan raised his head, a harmless smile on his face, and grinned at Shen Jizhou.

"Master Uncle~"

"It's windy out here, freezing cold. How about... we go inside to take a look?"

A muscle in Shen Jizhou's cheek twitched slightly.

To be honest, he was a hundred percent unwilling to let Lu Yuan set foot inside this courtyard gate.

This kid shows up carrying such a heavy treasure, says it's a token of gratitude—who knows what he's really scheming!

Let him in today, and tomorrow, will he be making himself at home?

What's the difference between that and selling off one's own daughter!

Shen Jizhou's Adam's apple bobbed as he forcefully suppressed the clawing, maddening curiosity in his heart, stubbornly remaining silent.

Lu Yuan, however, acted as if he didn't see his struggle, continuing with a sincere expression.

"Master Uncle, this junior truly has no other intentions."

"It's mainly that this case is too heavy. A young junior like me, my hands and feet aren't too steady. Holding it like this for too long, I'm afraid I might drop it."

"Wouldn't you agree that holding it at the doorway, you can't really see it clearly either?"

"I'll take it inside, place it on a table, and you can have a proper look!"

Shen Jizhou: "..."

The corner of Shen Jizhou's eye twitched again.

Bullshit!

He could see at a glance that Lu Yuan's qi and blood were brimming, his stance as solid as a boulder. Forget a sword case, even carrying a small mountain wouldn't make him budge.

A Celestial Master with shaky hands?

Trying to fool a ghost!

But...

Shen Jizhou's gaze still fell uncontrollably on that sword case.

His mind was a battlefield.

Fine!

What does it matter if I let him in?!

I, the master of Wuqing Temple, the leader of the Daoist community beyond the Great Wall, should I fear a mere brat?

It's just taking a look at a ritual sword!

Could looking at it make me lose my daughter?

What a colossal joke!

What is there to fear!

Why panic!

The next second, Shen Jizhou regained his lofty master demeanor, letting out a soft, disdainful snort from his nose, his tone indifferent.

"Come in."

Having said that, he turned abruptly and strode with large steps into the courtyard.

His pace was extremely fast, yet he deliberately maintained the composure of a great aristocratic family, his back as straight as a spear.

Lu Yuan grinned, objective achieved.

Holding the sword case, he unhurriedly stepped over the high threshold and followed behind Shen Jizhou.

Passing through one courtyard, rounding a carved moon gate, the two entered an elegant meditation room.

The room wasn't large, but its furnishings were extremely refined.

A rosewood desk lay quietly, bearing writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and a few yellowed Daoist scrolls.

In the bronze censer with *taotie* patterns in the corner, silver-frost charcoal burned silently, seeping threads of warmth into the air.

On the wall hung a painting titled "Pine and Crane Extend Longevity," its brushwork vigorous and powerful, the signature belonging to a long-deceased master calligrapher and painter from a previous dynasty.

Shen Jizhou sat down in the master's chair behind the desk, picked up the teacup by his hand, and took a small sip.

Only then did he lift his eyelids to look at Lu Yuan, who was still standing at the doorway.

His gaze had already regained its previous indifference and aloofness, as if that momentary loss of composure outside the threshold had never happened.

"Open it."

His voice was flat, betraying no emotion.

Lu Yuan acknowledged and, carrying the sword case, walked to the desk, gently placing the case on it.

His movements to undo the bronze clasp were deliberately slow, so slow it seemed every joint was rusting.

Shen Jizhou's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

"What are you dawdling for?"

Lu Yuan looked up, an innocent expression on his face.

"Master Uncle, don't be impatient. This sword case is quite old, the clasp is tight. I'm afraid if I use too much force, I might damage it for you."

Shen Jizhou: "..."

This little bastard is doing it on purpose!

Trying to manipulate me here!

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the spark of irritation that had been ignited in his heart.

No point arguing with this kid!

Once I've seen it, immediately, right away, I'll make him take his sword and get lost!

Seeing the timing was about right, Lu Yuan stopped dragging it out and applied a slight force with his hand.

*Click.* A crisp sound, the bronze clasp opened.

The lid of the case slowly lifted.

No treasure glow shot to the heavens, no sword energy swept forth, not even a hint of sharp, lethal aura leaked out.

Yet Shen Jizhou's gaze was as if seized by an invisible hand, nailed firmly to the dark, ancient jujube wood hilt resting in the case.

It was a ritual sword of archaic and unadorned form.

The blade wasn't like ordinary cold-forged steel, gleaming with a chilling light. Instead, it had gathered all its divine brilliance inward.

The entire body presented a deep chestnut-brown color. Looking closely, one could see extremely faint golden threads, like living things, slowly circulating within the wood grain.

At the guard, a fingernail-sized bronze mirror was inlaid. The mirror surface had long since oxidized, covered in a layer of gray, yet it could still vaguely reflect a human figure.

One glance.

Just this one glance!

Shen Jizhou's breath hitched violently, his eyes instantly widening into perfect circles.

A good piece!

This is a truly good piece!

A top-grade item among peak-tier ritual tools!

Even within the treasure vault of his Wuqing Temple, those that could rival this sword would absolutely not exceed the count of three fingers!

*Hiss!!!*

To be honest, Shen Jizhou had originally intended to keep his cool.

After all, from the moment Lu Yuan entered, he hadn't been up to any good; that little scheme of his was crystal clear.

But now, he found himself struggling to hold it together.

It wasn't entirely because this was a peak-tier ritual tool.

As the master of the number one Daoist temple beyond the Great Wall, what kind of grandeur hadn't Shen Jizhou seen?

One could even say, he himself *was* the grandeur!

The treasure vaults of Wuqing Temple, the offerings presented to the Heavenly Court, the collections of various fellow practitioners—he had seen plenty.

He wasn't so easily flustered by a single peak-tier ritual tool, especially not in front of this scheming kid.

But...

Lu Yuan's sword was different!

It was too special!

This sword was named "Profound Origin Evil-Slaying Edict"!

At its core, though taking the form of a ritual sword, it actually belonged to the category of a "Divine Edict"!

Using the sword as an edict, commanding gods and spirits, vanquishing evil and rectifying the righteous!

Such things were extremely rare in existence. Even scouring all Daoist classics, one might only catch glimpses in scattered records.

Even Shen Jizhou was seeing the real thing for the first time in his life!

For a moment, Shen Jizhou couldn't even bother to look at Lu Yuan's expression anymore. He practically pounced onto the desk.

Bending over, squinting, his face almost pressed against the sword case, he examined it meticulously, wishing he could embed his eyeballs right into it.

Lu Yuan stood to the side with his hands clasped behind his back, watching quietly.

He wasn't the least bit surprised by Shen Jizhou's current performance.

Don't be fooled by Shen Jizhou's worn-out Daoist robe, its cuffs washed white, into thinking he was some lofty master who was detached from worldly desires and material things.

Not at all, not at all!

What one wears and what one likes are two different matters.

It's like some old men worth billions, wearing cloth shoes and undershirts costing a few dozen bucks, yet hiding priceless antiques and calligraphy scrolls at home.

For them, clothing is merely for covering the body, while those treasures are spiritual sustenance, beloved treasures of the heart.

Shen Jizhou was this type of person.

No matter how simply he dressed, no one dared to look down on him in the slightest.

But that didn't stop him from being obsessed with top-tier ritual tools.

This isn't to say Shen Jizhou was greedy for wealth or anything; his fondness for ritual tools was like someone's love for antiques.

Not just because antiques are priceless, but also for the stories behind them, whose hands they had passed through, what kind of lineage they carried.

Moreover, these ancient, passed-down peak-tier ritual tools were different from antiques.

Those antiques you could at most look at, handle, appreciate.

But peak-tier ritual tools weren't just that; they had the most powerful aspect: they could actually be used!!

As for how Lu Yuan knew Shen Jizhou liked peak-tier ritual tools...

Well...

Guessed!

There's a saying: as above, so below.

What kind of person the master is, the disciples he teaches will mostly carry a shadow of the master.

Lu Yuan had interacted with disciples from Wuqing Temple a few times, especially the group Shen Shulan had brought with her before.

Lu Yuan remembered very clearly, back at the Zhao family, no...

To be precise, in his own backyard.

That day Lu Yuan was going outside Fengtian City to find the Life-Severing Wang Family, and Shen Shulan's group was guarding the backyard.

At that time, those people had brought out a ritual tool, intending to show off in front of Lu Yuan,

to talk about where this tool came from, how powerful it was, and so on.

So, based on that one instance alone, Lu Yuan could tell those people placed great importance on ritual tools.

You could say their Daoist techniques weren't refined, their cultivation wasn't sufficient, and they'd at most argue with you a bit.

After all, in front of Lu Yuan, a nineteen-year-old orthodox Celestial Master, they really didn't have much ground to stand on for rebuttal.

But if you said they didn't understand ritual tools, or that their ritual tools were garbage, those guys would absolutely get into an argument with you.

If one person was like that, it might be coincidence. If a whole group was like that, it was inevitably due to the entire sect's prevailing atmosphere.

The source naturally lay with the masters and patriarchs of Wuqing Temple.

And as the master of Wuqing Temple, Shen Jizhou was undoubtedly the source of this atmosphere, the biggest "ritual tool enthusiast"!

For Lu Yuan, this was a heaven-sent advantage.

Shen Jizhou had wanted to chase him away earlier, and Lu Yuan had been truly at a loss.

After all, Lu Yuan's two most eye-catching points were his fast cultivation speed and the wide range of things he knew.

Both of these were ineffective in front of Shen Jizhou.

Shen Jizhou was the master of the number one Daoist temple beyond the Great Wall.

No matter how much Lu Yuan knew, could it possibly be more than what Shen Jizhou knew?!

As for cultivation speed, his daughter Shen Shulan, though not as astonishing as Lu Yuan, was also a Celestial Master at twenty-six.

Dealing with this Shen Jizhou, Lu Yuan had absolutely no tricks up his sleeve.

Who would have thought...

Hey!

Shen Jizhou was actually so obsessed with peak-tier ritual tools.

At this moment, Shen Jizhou was already completely absorbed.

His eyes, usually calm and unrippled like an ancient well, now shone with startling intensity.

He stared fixedly at the ancient sword in the case, even forgetting to breathe.

The hand holding the sandalwood prayer beads had stopped moving at some point.

His fingertips trembled slightly.

After a long while, he finally found his voice again.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he dryly uttered two words.

"Good sword..."

The moment Shen Jizhou's full-of-admiration words fell,

Lu Yuan directly grabbed the Profound Origin Evil-Slaying Edict and casually handed it over, grinning.

"Master Uncle, why don't you hold it and look?"

"Give it a try, swing it a bit."

"What can you really understand with it just lying on the table?"

Shen Jizhou was startled and hurriedly reached out with both hands to receive it.

His manner was as if he feared Lu Yuan might be unsteady and drop the ritual sword.

The moment Shen Jizhou took the Profound Origin Evil-Slaying Edict, his entire demeanor changed instantly.

He held the dark jujube wood sword body with both hands, his movements gentle.

As if cradling a fragile thousand-year-old ancient porcelain.

His fingertips lightly traced the wooden grain.

Those usually calm and unrippled eyes now shone with startling intensity.

"Good..."

He murmured to himself, his voice so low only he could hear it.

"Good material... This is genuine Zhongnan Mountains lightning-struck jujube wood, and it's even old material over a thousand years..."

He suddenly looked up at Lu Yuan.

"Do you know that lightning-struck wood of this age is nearly extinct nowadays?"

"Even in Wuqing Temple's vault, you couldn't find a second piece."

Lu Yuan merely smiled and nodded, not making a sound.

And Shen Jizhou paid no more attention to Lu Yuan, his gaze returning to the sword.

"The sword body hides seventy percent of its edge, reveals thirty percent of its sharpness. This is the orthodox regulation for a 'Divine Edict'..."

As he spoke, he gently turned the sword, aligning the spine with the natural light filtering through the window lattice.

Within the dark chestnut-colored wood grain, faint golden threads seemed to flow, under the light revealing an extremely faint, almost imperceptible halo.

Shen Jizhou's breath hitched again for a moment.

"Five-Thunder Talismans..."

He stared at a certain spot on the sword body, muttering.

"Hidden within the wood grain, fused as one with the wood itself. This is refined using the 'Thunderfire Tempering Grain' method."

"After the talismans are completed, their traces are concealed with a secret technique."

"Those not proficient in this path would absolutely fail to notice."

He then looked at the small bronze mirror at the guard.

"This mirror..." He narrowed his eyes.

"It's not decoration; it's an adaptation of a 'Demon-Revealing Mirror.'"

"Though the mirror surface has oxidized, if it encounters an evil entity..."

"One only needs to channel true essence to activate it, and this mirror can reflect the entity's true form, leaving it nowhere to hide."

His fingers lightly brushed over the pommel.

There, an extremely fine engraving could vaguely be seen.

"Dootian Lawmaster Seal..."

His breath grew slightly tense.

"Engraved on the pommel, hidden within the decorative patterns."

"This is the 'Seal and Sword as One' method."

"The wielder of this sword, if versed in the Dootian Lawmaster related rituals,"

"can borrow the seal's power for augmentation, doubling the sword's might."

Lu Yuan stood to the side listening quietly.

Shen Jizhou seemed to have finished speaking.

But Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"Master Uncle, you're mistaken."

Hmm?

As soon as Lu Yuan's words fell, Shen Jizhou's movements froze.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze shifting from the sword to Lu Yuan's face.

Shen Jizhou had been completely entranced earlier. Though it seemed he was speaking to Lu Yuan, he was actually talking to himself.

Now, Shen Jizhou's eyes held displeasure at being interrupted by Lu Yuan.

And even more, a trace of anger at being contradicted by a junior.

After all, who was Shen Jizhou?!

Who in this world could understand peak-tier ritual tools better than Shen Jizhou?!

What a joke!!

At this moment, Shen Jizhou raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Lu Yuan.

"Oh?"

"Where was I mistaken? Please enlighten me."

Though he said "enlighten me," Shen Jizhou's expression clearly said one thing:

What the hell do you know?!!

Lu Yuan, however, didn't look at Shen Jizhou. Instead, he pointed at the small bronze mirror at the guard and smiled.

"This isn't any Demon-Revealing Mirror."

Lu Yuan looked at Shen Jizhou, a strange hint of a smile on his face.

"This object is called the 'Dragon-Locking Eye.'"

Shen Jizhou was taken aback.

This name, he had never heard of it.

"Dragon-Locking Eye?"

Lu Yuan nodded directly, seriously.

"That's right."

Then, Lu Yuan pointed at the sword body of the ritual tool, explaining earnestly.

"Master Uncle, please look. The foundational material of this sword is thousand-year lightning-struck jujube wood, its nature purely yang."

"It was originally the top choice for forging thunder technique divine weapons."

"But the senior master who forged this sword went against convention."

"He embedded the 'Dootian Lawmaster Seal' and the 'Northern Polar Demon-Repelling Institute Edict'—two forms of ultimate yin and extreme baleful energy—into the sword's foundation."

"One yin, one yang, should naturally repel and clash with each other."

"The slightest mishap would lead to the sword's destruction and the wielder's death."

"And this 'Dragon-Locking Eye' is the key to harmonizing yin and yang, suppressing the baleful energy."

"It is not made of ordinary bronze."

"Rather, it uses deep-sea dragon... that is, big fish from the deep sea, their scales ground into powder."

"Assisted by forty-nine secret medicinal ingredients."

"Refined in the Earth's Lungs Poisonous Fire for eighty-one days before it can take form."

"Its function is not to 'suppress souls,' but to 'lock.'"

"What it locks is the world-destroying, slaughterous aura within the 'Dootian Lawmaster Seal.'"

Lu Yuan spoke fluently, his voice steady.

Inside the quiet room, there was only dead silence.

The expression on Shen Jizhou's face was somewhat stunned.

What Lu Yuan said was too professional, and it didn't sound like nonsense, momentarily leaving Shen Jizhou dumbfounded.

But in his heart, Shen Jizhou completely disbelieved it.

Again, that phrase: What the hell do you know, Lu Yuan?!!

If you said your cultivation speed was fast, Shen Jizhou wouldn't argue with you.

After all, even his own daughter couldn't compare to Lu Yuan.

But when it came to the ability to appreciate treasures...

Then you, Lu Yuan, better step aside!!

When he, Shen Jizhou, was playing with peak-tier ritual tools, forget you, Lu Yuan, even your own father might not have been born yet!!

Knowing Shen Jizhou didn't believe him, Lu Yuan immediately said,

"Master Uncle, bring this small bronze mirror closer and take a careful look, then you'll know!"

Shen Jizhou frowned, glanced at Lu Yuan, and finally brought the small bronze mirror right before his eyes.

For a moment, Shen Jizhou wished he could press his eyeball against the so-called "Dragon-Locking Eye."

Very quickly!!

He saw it!

Beneath that layer of gray, he saw an extremely faint, scale-like pattern!

Moreover, the feeling this "mirror" gave him was indeed different from any Demon-Revealing Mirror he knew of!

It was a sense of... extreme restraint, as if an ancient ferocious beast was sealed inside, ready to break free at the slightest disturbance!

He had previously only thought it was a Demon-Revealing Mirror, never imagining its fundamental function was actually this!

This... this completely overturned his understanding of ritual tool forging!

"This... how... how is this possible..."

Shen Jizhou murmured to himself, a barely detectable tremor in his voice.

These theories, forget seeing them, he hadn't even heard of them!

Wuqing Temple had a thousand-year legacy, the scriptures in its repository were as vast as the sea, yet there had never been a single word about a "Dragon-Locking Eye"!

Seeing his flustered appearance, Lu Yuan chuckled inwardly.

You, Shen Jizhou, may be a super master steeped in peak-tier ritual tools, but I, Lu Yuan, am not some clueless kid either!!

In fact, when it came to breadth of knowledge, Lu Yuan had the "Heavenly Craftsmanship" manual rewarded by the "Vanquish Demons and Exorcise Evil" system, which recorded various peak-tier ritual tools.

To compare knowledge of peak-tier ritual tools?

Hmph!

Shen Jizhou!

You're far behind!!

Lu Yuan's "Heavenly Craftsmanship" treasure tome recorded the forging methods and secrets of almost all ritual tools from ancient times to the present.

This level of knowledge reserve was, for Shen Jizhou, nothing less than an avalanche on the cognitive level.

A dimensional strike, one might say.

"Therefore."

Lu Yuan's voice, neither loud nor soft, rang out like a great bell, abruptly jolting Shen Jizhou from his stunned shock.

"To activate this sword, one absolutely cannot rely on ordinary true essence infusion."

"If brute force is used to activate it, the 'Dragon-Locking Eye' will shatter in an instant."

"At that time, the overwhelming baleful energy sealed within the 'Dootian Lawmaster Seal' will go completely out of control, and the consequences... would be unimaginable."

Shen Jizhou's throat moved, emitting an extremely dry swallowing sound.

There existed such a ritual tool?

That even true essence couldn't be used?

Then...

He slowly raised his head, his gaze like torches, staring fixedly at Lu Yuan. In his eyes, besides shock and doubt, there was actually an additional trace of... an inquiring intent.

And as he said this, there was even a faint hint of anticipation in Shen Jizhou's eyes. Could it be...

Lu Yuan had been waiting for this very sentence.

He let out a slight sigh, his expression taking on a touch of profound mystery.

"It requires a specific Profound Origin Edict as a guide, with heart and spirit united as one, to resonate with the true forms within the sword."

"Only when person, sword, and edict merge into one can a ten-thousandth of its divine power be activated."

That faint glimmer in Shen Jizhou's eyes exploded!

Anticipation instantly transformed into blazing brilliance!

"Edict?!"

For the first time in front of Lu Yuan, he did not conceal the intense fluctuation of his emotions.

Lu Yuan understood in his heart.

It's done.

For a grandmaster like Shen Jizhou, steeped in the path of ritual tools, ordinary divine weapons and sharp blades were merely icing on the cake.

But this kind of ancient ritual tool that required an "edict" to activate held a completely different significance.

How to explain this...

Let's give an example. On Earth, cars have developed to electric vehicles, and things like gears have gone from manual transmission to automatic.

To the extent that before Lu Yuan crossed over, Earth had even seen the emergence of intelligent driving.

Turn on the little blue light, leisurely cruise.

The vast majority of people couldn't resist this change.

Previous dream cars like BBA, childhood dreams, now compared to refrigerators, color TVs, and big sofas, became pure old-fashioned relics.

The vast majority chose more advanced cars.

But there was still a small minority, or rather, fervent car culture enthusiasts.

They liked the most ancient vintage cars, those purely mechanical old cars!

Another example, weapons on Earth. There are many, many weapons: automatic rifles, semi-automatic rifles, all sorts of messy stuff.

They like the rhythm of bolt-action rifles from WWII, they like the *ping* of the M1 Garand.

There are even those who like flintlock muskets!

And this "Profound Origin Evil-Slaying Edict" was exactly that for Shen Jizhou!!

For the cultivators of this world, for Shen Jizhou.

Abandoning the currently powerful, easily activated talismanic treasures, instead painstakingly studying those long-obsolete, ritualistically cumbersome ancient forbidden techniques—

what they pursued was no longer mere power.

This Profound Origin Evil-Slaying Edict that required an edict to activate was, for Shen Jizhou,

a way of "tracing back to the roots," a path of the Dao, an unparalleled sense of accomplishment from mastering a lost legacy!

This "Profound Origin Evil-Slaying Edict" was Shen Jizhou's "Dao"!!!

Especially since this was also a peak-tier item among peak-tier ritual tools!!

This is like what...

It's like a history and literature enthusiast finding that legendary imperial jade seal...

The one engraved with "Commissioned by Heaven, May He Have Long Life and Eternal Prosperity"!!

"To be honest with you, Master Uncle."

Lu Yuan appropriately revealed a look of regret.

"As for the second half..."

"To this day, I've searched everywhere without success. It's truly a lifelong regret."

Shen Jizhou's breath hitched violently.

The first half!

Even if it was only the first half, it was enough to push open a door he had never seen before, leading to the world of ancient secret techniques!

He looked at Lu Yuan, his lips quivering. The words "Could you let this old man take a look" were already rolling on the tip of his tongue, almost about to burst out.

But at the last moment, they were forcefully pressed back by his powerful pride.

No!

Absolutely not!

Who was he?

The master of Wuqing Temple, the leader of the Daoist community beyond the Great Wall!

How could he lower himself to beg a mere brat!

But the itch in his heart felt like billions of ants were gnawing at it, making him feel as if sitting on needles, restless and uneasy.

Lu Yuan took in every subtle trace of struggle on his face, the corner of his mouth lifting in a barely perceptible curve. He abruptly changed the subject.

"However, this junior believes this might actually be a heaven-sent opportunity!"

"Wuqing Temple has a thousand-year legacy. The repository holds ancient texts and secret manuals as vast as the sea..."

"Perhaps, clues about the second half of this edict lie hidden within some dust-covered ancient volume!"

"So, my initial idea was to give this sword and the edict together to Senior Sister Shulan."

"With Senior Sister's talent, if she could find the second half in the future, she would surely make this sword shine with divine light again!"

Lu Yuan paused here deliberately, observing Shen Jizhou's expression.

Then, he continued as if having a sudden realization.

"But then I thought again, and felt it wasn't appropriate."

"Senior Sister Shulan is at a critical period of advancing her cultivation. Focusing single-mindedly is the right path!"

"How could I let her expend her mental energy on this elusive second half of the edict, delaying her cultivation?"

"I imagine, Master Uncle, your earlier refusal to let me in was also out of this love for your daughter, fearing my mundane matters would disturb Senior Sister's quiet cultivation, right?"

"Master Uncle... I was presumptuous."

Lu Yuan's words were spoken with genuine emotion, as if he truly had Shen Shulan's Dao path in mind.

Shen Jizhou's expression shifted from conflicted, to stunned, to a trace of bewilderment.

What... is this kid talking about?

"Since that's the case, how about..."

Lu Yuan looked at Shen Jizhou with a smiling expression, slowly unleashing his final trump card.

"How about this sword and the first half of this edict be gifted by this junior to you, Master Uncle!"

"You, Master Uncle, are virtuous and prestigious, your learning probes the heavens and humanity. In your leisure time, browsing through the ancient texts in the repository, perhaps you could... find this lost second half for Senior Sister Shulan."

"This way, Senior Sister's cultivation isn't delayed, and this fine matter can also find a resolution."

"What do you think?"

Having said that, without waiting for Shen Jizhou to react,

*Snap!*

He decisively closed the sword case, lifted it with both hands, and respectfully pushed it right in front of Shen Jizhou.

Shen Jizhou: "!!!!"