"Oh! You picked it up, Senior?" Li Xiaoya cried in delighted surprise, rubbing his hands together eagerly, looking as though he wanted it back.
"Of course I've seen it, but..." Black Xiu said mildly, then abruptly changed tack. "But I can't return it to you."
"Uh, Senior, that thing is no use to you. If you have any conditions, just name them!" Li Xiaoya said hastily.
"Did I say I had it?" Black Xiu teased.
"Uh, then you said..."
"I said I'd seen it, not that I had it," Black Xiu interrupted before Li Xiaoya could finish. Then he changed tack again. "But I do know where it is. You'll have to agree to one condition, though."
"What condition? Tell me!" Hearing how plainly Black Xiu had him over a barrel, Li Xiaoya's heart tightened. An ominous thought surfaced, and his voice grew tense.
"Let me have a look at that sword of yours," Black Xiu said, dropping a bombshell.
"Well..." Li Xiaoya was shocked. He hesitated, unsure how to answer. If he really had to choose between the two, he would be hard-pressed to decide. It was like that question of whom to save first if your wife and mother both fell into a river.
"Oh, relax. If I wanted to take it by force, could you stop me?" Black Xiu said bluntly. "Besides, I can tell at a glance that your sword is a fire element treasure. I'm not of the fire element. What's more, the treasures you humans forge are only suited to humans. I'm merely curious about how your sword absorbed my attack and let out that Dragon Roar."
Li Xiaoya paused at his words. *Uh, true enough. He's a transformation stage demon beast. If he really attacked the two of us, there's no way I