A short while later.
"B-Eldest Brother Taiping."
Her face as white as paper, Duan Xiaoyu came up to Xu Taiping somewhat bashfully, rubbing her hands incessantly inside her sleeves. None of the boldness she had shown when she dared to wield her saber alone against Murong Song and the others remained.
"Are you all right?"
Xu Taiping put away the token he had used to communicate with Huang Que, then turned to look at Duan Xiaoyu.
"Mm, mm!"
Duan Xiaoyu nodded somewhat bashfully, then turned to look around for something.
"Looking for this?"
Xu Taiping held out a beautiful long saber to Duan Xiaoyu, its scabbard made of red sandalwood and its hilt wrapped in white sharkskin.
"Yes!"
Duan Xiaoyu nodded hard and carefully took the saber from Xu Taiping, then hugged it with both hands. The timidity on her face vanished completely, and even her delicate, willow-leaf eyebrows suddenly took on a more heroic air.
"It's called Vermilion Bird. My father forged the blade one hammer blow at a time, and my mother made the scabbard with her own hands."
There was a measure of pride on her face as she spoke.
"It's a very beautiful saber."
Xu Taiping nodded.
"It's more than just beautiful!"
Duan Xiaoyu did not seem to like the word "beautiful" very much.
But after saying this, she seemed to feel she had lost her composure and immediately turned her head away, looking embarrassed.
Xu Taiping gave Duan Xiaoyu a searching look but said nothing, merely rising silently to his feet.
"Are you leaving?"
Duan Xiaoyu asked with a hint of wariness.
"Yes, I'm leaving. There's something I need to do."
Xu Taiping nodded and fastened the Spring Tiger Saber at his waist.
"What are your plans?"
Only after securing his saber did he turn