"Th-this... is this the sword of the First Generation Heaven Dou Divine Might General?"
The antique shop owner swallowed repeatedly, his eyes fixed intently on the long sword in Lu Xian's hands. He couldn't look away.
Seeing this, Lu Xian knew the deal was in the bag.
"You've got a good eye. This sword is damaged, but if you put it up for auction, it'd fetch at least several hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."
"How about you trade me this shop for it?"
"R-really?"
The owner looked at Lu Xian, unable to believe he'd run into such a fool.
With this sword, he could go to Xue Ye and trade it for a noble title. And Lu Xian was offering it for his measly ten-square-meter shopfront.
"Of course. Give me the property deed and land deed, and the sword is yours."
Though the owner sold counterfeits, he did have an eye for antiques. The sword was missing plenty of pieces, but it was unquestionably the genuine sword of the First Generation Divine Might General.
"Fine. It's a deal."
After speaking, the owner turned into the shop. A moment later, he rummaged out the property deed and land deed.
Afraid Lu Xian might change his mind, he shoved them into his hands.
Then he hurriedly snatched the long sword from Lu Xian.
"From now on, this shop belongs to you, brother. These antiques aren't worth much, so consider them a gift."
Lu Xian smiled and didn't refuse.
He'd chosen an antique shop for a reason. With these counterfeits to fill the shelves, he wouldn't have to go searching for things to display.
He watched as the owner wrapped the knight's sword in a piece of cloth, then left without looking back.
He'd found the sword in the woods outside Suotuo City using the Luck Domain. He hadn't expected it to come in so handy here.
Lu Xian inspected everything in the shop, inside and out, then cleared out the counterfeits from the largest display case in the center.
He placed the treasures he'd picked up over the years from his Soul Tool inside.
At the very center stood a small Angel Statue, no more than twenty centimeters tall. Two of the four pairs of wings behind it had broken off, lending it a kind of shattered beauty.
The angel's face wasn't as sorrowful and compassionate as the one on Spirit Hall's emblem. Instead, she was filled with holiness and a fighting spirit, her eyes keen and sharp. One hand pressed down on a long sword that was planted in the ground.
The statue was Lu Xian's work, too. He'd commissioned a master craftsman in Suotuo City to make a copy.
The old fellow who'd charged him 100 Gold Soul Coins certainly knew his craft.
The statue was steeped in the feel of age, and didn't look like a fresh-made counterfeit at all.
Lu Xian could believe it if someone said it was a hundred-year-old relic.
Everything was ready. All that remained was for Qian Renxue to show up.
However, the tea house owner's story had clearly been embellished.
The Crown Prince might have come here for tea, but he certainly wasn't a regular as the owner had claimed. Otherwise, how could Lu Xian explain that he'd waited for weeks without catching sight of Little Angel?
Fortunately, Lu Xian had plenty of patience. It was a shame he hadn't spotted Little Angel, but he'd sold quite a few items from the central display case and made a handsome profit.
He'd established his reputation as an antique shop owner.
Heaven rewarded the diligent. In the third week after taking over the antique shop, Lu Xian finally spotted his target.
A handsome young man with golden short hair and luxurious clothes came slowly toward the tea house alongside a stern-looking old man.
Several guards followed behind them, but were left outside the tea house.
Clearly, the two had something important to discuss.
Knowing that this was Qian Renxue disguised as Xue Qinghe, Lu Xian didn't rush to make his move. There was no harm in waiting until she finished her business and came out.
Several hours later, the old man who'd arrived with her was the first to leave the tea house.
His expression was grim as he left. Clearly, the meeting hadn't gone well for him.
A moment later, the golden-haired young man appeared outside the tea house again.
Lu Xian seized the opportunity and quietly channeled his sixth Soul Skill into the Angel Statue in the central display case.
As a halo bloomed above the statue, Lu Xian immediately pretended to examine the treasured piece in his hands with a magnifying glass.
The faint sunlight clinging to the statue quietly crossed the street and fell upon the young man's face.
"Hm?"
Raising a hand to shield herself from the dazzling sunlight, Qian Renxue couldn't help looking up at the sky, which was thick with dark clouds.
It looked like a storm was brewing. Where had the sunlight come from?
Following the beam, she spotted an antique shop named "Dusk."
"Antiques?"
Qian Renxue had never been interested in such showy but impractical collectibles. She'd passed the tea house several times, but hadn't noticed this antique shop until today.
But today, no matter what, she had to go in and take a look.
She crossed the street in a few strides and entered the antique shop. Lu Xian was carefully copying a collectible at his worktable, and Qian Renxue paused in surprise.
The shop owner looked far too young.
Without paying him much attention, Qian Renxue looked toward the direction the sunlight had come from.
The Angel Statue in the central display case immediately caught her eye.
"A... an angel?"
"And it's not a Six-Winged Angel, either."
Puzzled, Qian Renxue tapped the counter in front of the shop.
"Shopkeeper, does that statue have any history?"
At Little Angel's question, Lu Xian was delighted inside, but his expression didn't change. He didn't even bother to look up, seeming completely absorbed in the collectibles.
Yet his quietly activated Spirit Snake Sense detected the heat signature of someone on the tea house's top floor.
He knew it had to be either Snake Lance or Pufferfish.
"The statue? I don't know. I found it in the Balak Kingdom. It looked nice, so I brought it back."
"Hmm?"
Qian Renxue didn't mind Lu Xian's indifference. She stroked her chin and fell into thought.
Clearly, she was trying to figure out where the statue had come from.
After a long while, having gotten nowhere, Qian Renxue looked at Lu Xian again.
"Shopkeeper, how much for this statue?"
Since she couldn't figure it out, Qian Renxue decided to take it back with her and see.
Only then did Lu Xian raise his head slightly and glance at Qian Renxue, who was disguised as Xue Qinghe.
He then strolled over to the display case and picked up the Angel Statue.
"1,000 Gold Soul Coins."
"Fine."
Qian Renxue didn't try to haggle. She carefully took the damaged Angel Statue, then pulled a card from her Soul Tool and placed it on the counter.
Without further conversation, Qian Renxue stored the statue in her Soul Tool and revealed a warm, spring-breeze smile.
"Here are the Gold Soul Coins, shopkeeper. Please take them."
"Thank you for your patronage. Please come again."
Lu Xian cupped his hands, put away the gold card, and watched Qian Renxue disappear around the corner.
As the vessel for the sunlight, the statue had reached Qian Renxue's hands. He'd accomplished most of what he set out to do.
"Come right into my bowl, Little Angel!"
Back at the Crown Prince Mansion, Qian Renxue dismissed everyone else, then took out the damaged Angel Statue again and set it on her desk to study closely.
After a long while, Qian Renxue got up and paced back and forth.
"That's strange. The sunlight just now definitely came from this statue."
"But why isn't it reacting now?"
Just as Qian Renxue fell into thought, the statue suddenly burst into a golden light, which shot straight into Little Angel's brow.
Before Little Angel could react, a deep, ancient voice echoed through her mind.
"A successor of the Angel God? No wonder you possess such pure attributes of light and holiness!"
Before you continue