The sound of the flying sword leaving its sheath and falling to the ground seemed to startle the old man, leaving him at a loss.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
"Oh, this friend of mine is a martial wanderer. The wooden case on his back is called a Sword Casket. Perhaps something went wrong with its mechanism, making the sword spring out and frighten you. Allow me to apologize on his behalf!"
Yi Shuyuan cupped his hands, then walked over to the flying sword and picked it up.
Yi Shuyuan also understood the sword arts of the Immortal Dao. After gently stroking the blade, he understood the flying sword's predicament through his shared senses. He then walked a few steps, handed it to Xu Zichang, and spoke quietly.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, you had best stop forcing the sword incantation. It will only waste your magical power."
Xu Zichang took the flying sword and gently stroked its blade. Its sword intent remained, but its spiritual energy was steadily dissipating. Sensing trouble, he immediately took the Sword Casket off his back, carefully returned the flying sword to it, and sealed it shut.
When he stood again, Xu Zichang stared solemnly at the old man beside Yi Shuyuan, but did not speak at once. From the old man's frightened face, he genuinely seemed to know nothing.
When the old man had mentioned flying through the heavens and burrowing through the earth, there had been a faint shift in fate. Everyone present had noticed it.
Xu Zichang had not truly intended to cut the old man down with a single stroke just then. He simply had not expected his sword-commanding art to fail, or even the flying sword itself to be unable to fly.
Demons excelled at deceit and treacherous transformations, certainly, but this had