"Don't you think it's beautiful?"
"It's pretty. Hmm... don't get angry when I say this, but I think it looks like a kingfisher from Jadeite Mountain."
"Because it is. This was a kingfisher that died with its body completely intact. Li Piaoqing preserved it properly and had someone send it to me. I gave it to Grand Artifact Master Zai of the Nourishing Intent Tower, and he spent two months completing it."
"And then?"
"And then it became what you see now."
"Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but a normal, ordinary kingfisher can hop, flutter, and glare at people. All it needs is to be alive."
"But a normal, ordinary kingfisher can't detect traces of Famous Swords within fifty li."
"..." Pei Ye sat up straight.
"Grand Artifact Master Zai truly can turn decay into marvels," he said.
"Look, ordinarily it hops about and chirps, no different from a bird."
"Will it transform when it finds a Famous Sword?"
"It will tell you it found a Famous Sword."
"Tell me? With some kind of rhythmic chirping?"
"No, it will simply tell you. Because I told Grand Artifact Master Zai not to use hints or symbols. The person using it might not understand... ah, that came out wrong!"
"I thought it would transform."
"What sort of transformation do you want? If it's simple, there might still be time to change it."
"The moment it detects one, it turns into a majestic eagle and catches the Famous Sword."
"In your dreams."
"Why make it a bird otherwise? I thought it could fly faster than a Famous Sword."
"Because Li Piaoqing gave me this bird."
"Oh."
"Do you know how many Famous Swords there are in the world?" Li Xizhou leaned against a pillar and tipped her head back, her long hair hanging