The little sword was indeed too tiny, and Lin Zhusheng felt a bit curious, so he stopped in his tracks.

Noticing him halt, the person sitting behind the window, who was seriously polishing his beloved sword, instantly stood up. He pointed at the small sword hanging on the wall and waved his hand, saying, “Little friend, do you want to take a look at this sword?” His hand moved so quickly it almost left an afterimage.

The shopkeeper was just too enthusiastic, so Lin Zhusheng turned around and walked toward the window.

As he got closer, he realized that the shopkeeper was still wearing the attire of an inner sect disciple, but the disheveled state of his clothes was on par with his own, making it hard to distinguish at first glance.

The enthusiastic shopkeeper took down the tiny sword and introduced it, saying, “Don’t be fooled by its size; it’s actually quite impressive.”

That was a statement that sounded contradictory no matter how you heard it.

He gestured with the small sword, pretending to demonstrate it to a little cat. If the cat could walk upright, this sword might actually be more suitable for it.

“This can really grow larger,” the shopkeeper leaned out from the window, pointed at the end of the sword’s hilt, and said, “There’s a formation here that can make the sword grow. I spent quite a while figuring it out.”

Lin Zhusheng looked up and asked, “How big can it get?”

The shopkeeper pointed at the room they were in, then made a “2” gesture with his fingers, saying, “Twice the size of this room, no deception.”

Although he couldn’t recall why he would need such a large sword or what use it would have—perhaps it was indeed useless, as the price had dropped repeatedly since he started selling it, and still, no one was interested—he could see that it was indeed a labor of love, no fakes involved.

Twice the size of a room.

It was obvious which would be more stable to stand on, a house twice the size or a narrow wooden sword. Or rather, he could roll around on it without any issues. No joke, Lin Zhusheng’s eyes lit up.

He felt like he had found a way to overcome the difficulties of sword control.

His face couldn’t hide his emotions at all; when his eyes brightened, it was especially obvious. The shopkeeper’s eyes also sparkled, feeling that this deal had a chance to go through, and he urged again, “If you like it, you can take it home right away. The price is fair and negotiable.”

His request had shifted from wanting a good price to just wanting someone to buy it so it wouldn’t hang around his shop anymore.

A sword that could freely grow and shrink, Lin Zhusheng thought the current price was quite reasonable. He didn’t try to haggle like he would with other items, but instead, he happily pulled out the money.

His backpack was full, leaving no room for the newly purchased sword, so he casually took out a small snack and handed it over.

Unexpectedly, besides the money, he also gained an extra snack, and the shopkeeper expressed his gratitude while holding the treat.

Saying “no need to thank me,” Lin Zhusheng waved his hand and left with his newly acquired sword.

【You have obtained: Big Sword】
【Usage restriction: User must reach LV5】

“……”

Lin Zhusheng paused in his steps, “Huh?”

Great, there’s a level restriction.

His brain raced, and he quickly returned to the task center, accepting the quest to clear the small monsters on the mountain, and he ended up taking on a bunch of them, leaving with the admiring gazes of others.

Thanks to the big sword’s usage restriction, he spent the next few days hunting and clearing small monsters. Maybe it was just an illusion, but he felt like his little wooden sword had even started to show signs of wear.

After several busy days, he got so caught up that he forgot to bring snacks to the distant library for Wuqi until he casually glanced at the mountain next to the library after finishing up with the small monsters. That’s when he remembered the library’s existence.

Doing anything is about practice; from initially chasing small monsters all over the place to now taking them down one by one without wasting energy, he saved quite a bit of time. Today, he just happened to have time to visit the solitary fierce beast before closing time.

It was already evening, and most of the people in the library had left, making it the perfect time for him, a disheveled person who hadn’t had time to change clothes, to sneak in.

The sunset was even more magnificent than the sunrise, painting the distant mountains in shades of orange and red, with the buildings silhouetted against the light, casting only a dark shadow. The evening mist had already begun to rise.

In the square courtyard, a person holding an umbrella had their white hair illuminated in red. They looked up at the birds flying high above, their golden vertical pupils following the movement. Noticing the commotion, they turned their head, stumbled slightly, and looked this way.

As Lin Zhusheng walked and brushed off the leaves from his clothes, he greeted with a smile.

The golden vertical pupils blinked, and Wuqi completely turned to face him, mimicking his gesture by raising a hand.

Lin Zhusheng, as usual, offered a snack, and after finding a place to sit down, he also took a bite of one.

Perhaps because they hadn’t seen each other for several days, Wuqi rarely took the initiative to speak, asking, “Did you… get bullied?”

Probably because he hadn’t spoken for a few days, his originally smooth speech had slowed down again, and his tone sounded a bit strange.

“Bullied?”

Chewing on the sweet snack, Lin Zhusheng reacted, glanced down at his clothes, then waved his hand, saying, “No, I did this to myself. I’ve been busy these past few days; it’s always like this.”

He also kindly explained why he hadn’t come by in the past few days.

Wuqi continued to look at him, his body suddenly leaning forward slowly, his white hair sliding down, and he reached out a thin hand.

“?”

Feeling a bit strange, Lin Zhusheng paused his chewing, the unchewed snack stuffed in his cheeks, making his face puff up.

Wuqi pulled out a leaf that was tucked inside his clothes.

Unexpectedly, this person was quite kind-hearted. Lin Zhusheng quickly resumed chewing, swallowed the snack, and thanked him.

Wuqi asked, “Will you not come often in the future?”

Lin Zhusheng couldn’t guarantee he would come every day, but he probably wouldn’t come infrequently either. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I’ll come by to read when I have time.”

It seemed like he had a lot to catch up on after not talking for several days. Today, Wuqi was unusually chatty, asking about his life: “Are you very busy outside every day?”

“Outside” referred to the area outside the library. For someone who had been trapped here for over a hundred years, the world was divided into two parts: this courtyard and the area outside.

Bringing up this topic reminded Lin Zhusheng that he still had a task to “make Wuqi recognize a master.” He quickly straightened his posture, nodded, and began to describe the outside world enthusiastically: “There are many things outside, and many things to remember. The peach blossoms halfway up the mountain are starting to wither; in a while, we should be able to eat peaches.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “The peach blossom pastries I brought you before were made from the peach blossoms over there. Do you want to go see them?”

Wuqi looked down at the iron shackles extending from his feet.

Lin Zhusheng also looked down and said, “If you recognize a master and no longer harm the innocent, you can leave here.”

He also helped to pick out potential masters, saying, “The sect leader is great; he’s strong and a good person. The elder is also fine; although he looks like a serious old man, he’s actually quite easy to talk to and fun, and he won’t bother you much.”

“I won’t recognize a master.”

After he helped pick out two options, Wuqi just shook his head, his golden pupils turning to the distant mountains, which were mostly blocked by the eaves, then back again.

The recommendation failed, and Lin Zhusheng could only say “oh.” This matter was indeed not going smoothly, which was no surprise.

“I want to see the peach forest you mentioned.”

After a brief silence, Wuqi bent down to touch the chains on his feet, saying, “Could you take me to see it?”

Lin Zhusheng glanced sideways, “Huh?”

Wuqi said, “This object seals my cultivation, and I cannot touch it. But if it’s you, perhaps you can unlock it.”

He then added, “After leaving, I will definitely not harm the innocent.”

Lin Zhusheng squatted down, seriously touching the chains, even giving them a couple of pats.

Wuqi’s golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t.”

After patting the chains a couple of times, Lin Zhusheng simply tossed them back to the ground and brushed off the dust from his hands, the whole action flowing smoothly.

He didn’t expect to receive such a response; Wuqi’s smile froze, and for a moment, he looked a bit dazed, as if he hadn’t reacted.

Returning to his original spot, Lin Zhusheng propped his hand on his knee, resting his face on the side, and said, “You don’t want to see the peach forest; you want to kill the fierce beasts.”

He turned his head to meet Wuqi’s golden pupils, saying, “You want to use me to get out.”

It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.

Wuqi still wore that dazed expression, as if he hadn’t expected Lin Zhusheng to see him this way.

“I shouldn’t be as foolish as you think.”

Or rather, no normal person would really let an ancient fierce beast go free just because of a few words. Lin Zhusheng chuckled and said, “I’ve seen many fierce beasts these past few days. The expression you had when you looked at the bird demon was the same as theirs; it was the gaze of a hunter.”

Beasts are hard to tame, especially ancient fierce beasts. When he stumbled while greeting, it was probably because the killing intent he exuded was sensed by the cold sky lock and punished him.

Moreover, he didn’t think that a fierce beast that had lived for so long would truly choose to abide by a promise and not kill the innocent just because of a few days of feeding from him.

The smile at the corner of Wuqi’s mouth disappeared, and he sat there holding the umbrella, sinking into the shadow beneath it.

Lin Zhusheng stood up, his figure blending into the crimson sunset, his brows and eyes still curved in a smile, as if he hadn’t said anything just now. He pulled out a pile of snacks and placed them in Wuqi’s hands, saying, “You can keep these and eat them slowly. I’ve been a bit busy these days, so I probably won’t be coming by for a while.”