Tang Dynasty: Starting with Dimo, he was targeted by Li Shimin.

Chapter 19 Where is my Xuan Tie sword?

That being said—

In the previous chapter, the butterfly flew past Li Shimin, leaving a cut on the sword sheath.

But it was just a cut.

Li Shimin felt it wasn't enough.

"Shopkeeper, I want to try again." He gripped the sword forged from celestial black iron, his eyes burning with determination.

"That last strike was too fast; I didn't see it clearly. Let it strike head-on—I want to see which is harder, this sword or its wings."

Lin Luo looked at Li Shimin's expression, which seemed to say, "I have great confidence in my sword."

I've already begun to mourn in my heart.

Your Majesty, this is not a competition.

What you're doing is called "sending a sword".

But he didn't stop him.

Anyway, the system will protect everyone's safety in the store; at most, you'll just lose a sword.

A sword that the emperor treasured.

"Transform into a butterfly!" Yuchi Gong perked up, "His Majesty wants you to do it properly this time, don't just leave a mark again."

The butterfly hovered in mid-air, its cold compound eyes sweeping over the sword in Li Shimin's hand.

Its antennae trembled slightly—

Last time, it just swept by casually and didn't take it seriously at all.

But now this person actually wants to compete a second time?

And what's with this talk of "who's tougher"?

In Huadie's view, this is no different from comparing the hardness of a noodle to the thing it eats.

It felt offended.

It wasn't anger—it was closer to disdain.

You're comparing a piece of iron to me?

Row.

The butterfly's wings suddenly spread open—

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—!!!"

A series of afterimages completely invisible to the naked eye!!

All anyone present saw was a blue-purple halo explode in the air.

Scales and powder flew everywhere.

Then--

Everything froze.

The butterfly hovered in mid-air again, its wings gracefully folded and its antennae slightly bent.

His expression was indifferent.

It was as if nothing had happened.

But Li Shimin looked down—

All that was left in his hand was a bare sword hilt.

Where is the sword blade?

He looked down at the ground.

Scattered on the ground—

It wasn't broken in two.

It's not just cracked into pieces.

Instead... fragments.

The ground was covered with countless, thin metal fragments, as thin as cicada wings.

The celestial iron sword that had been with him for over a decade

It was cut into at least dozens of pieces.

Moreover, the cut surface of each slice is as smooth as a mirror.

The entire room fell silent.

Cheng Yaojin's mouth was agape, and the beef jerky in his hand fell to the ground.

Yuchi Gong's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Fang Xuanling took three steps back, clutching his chest—he almost thought he had a heart problem.

Yajiji let out a "quack" and then buried its head under Cheng Yaojin's armpit, too afraid to look.

The flowers on the top of the clover closed, shrinking into a ball.

Only the cat was still lying next to him snoring, completely unaffected.

(°Д°|||)

Li Shimin gripped the bare hilt of the sword and remained silent for a long time.

Then he took a deep breath and placed the sword hilt on the table.

He forced a very strained smile:

"...It's alright. It's just a weapon. I have plenty more."

His tone was as calm as could be.

But everyone noticed—

His hand trembled slightly as he lowered the sword hilt.

That's extraterrestrial black iron!!

His personal sword, which he'd carried for over a decade!

Gone just like that!!

Even the crumbs were shattered into tiny pieces!

Lin Luo silently took a sip of tea beside him.

He said it a long time ago.

It is comparable to a divine weapon.

Which of the four words, "divine weapon" or "powerful weapon," did you not understand?

Even if you bring diamonds, you can still cut them like vegetables.

You insist on testing it with an iron sword—

Whose fault is this?

The butterfly hovered in mid-air, hugging its wings, its compound eyes half-closed.

With an arrogant attitude that says, "Now you finally know."

It even flapped its wings, scattering the debris on the ground even further—

It's like saying: Don't insult me ​​with trash next time.

Li Shimin looked at this butterfly spirit, proud to the core.

There was a three-second silence.

Then he turned to look at Yuchi Gong.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes that sent a chill down Yuchi Gong's spine—

"Respect for virtue."

"Your subject... Your subject is here!" Yuchi Gong stood at attention reflexively.

"This butterfly, you must take good care of it for me."

"Take good care of him."

"Did you hear that?"

"Your humble servant... Your humble servant obeys!!"

Yuchi Gong was sweating profusely.

His feelings are very complicated right now.

On one hand, I was happy because I drew an ridiculously strong Pokémon.

On the other hand, this elf had just shattered the emperor's favorite sword into pieces.

So should he be happy or scared now?

The answer is—both happy and scared.

ಥ_ಥ

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After the farce, the scene finally calmed down a bit.

Li Shimin ordered his men to clean up the fragments on the ground—he had every single piece collected, probably hoping to piece them back together and see if they could still be salvaged.

Then he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and turned his gaze to Fang Xuanling, who had been watching quietly from the side.

"Xuanling, aren't you going to try your luck at drawing one?"

Fang Xuanling was taken aback.

To be honest, he originally came with Li Shimin to "inspect" the area today, and never thought he would be the one to draw a ticket.

But watching Cheng Yaojin feeding beef jerky to Qili grass, Yuchi Gong looking up at Huadie with eyes full of adoration, and the cat sleeping soundly on Li Shimin's lap with drool drool in its sleep—

It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted.

"May I... also smoke?"

"Of course," Lin Luo pushed the Star Mirror forward, "as long as you pay."

Fang Xuanling straightened his clothes and walked to the Star Mirror.

He took a deep breath and accepted the Star Mirror with both hands—

The gesture was as solemn as receiving an imperial edict.

Then he straightened the mirror and stood up straight.

He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes.

Lin Luo was speechless when he saw this.

Again.

Why is everyone acting like this? It's just a lottery, but they're making it sound like a sacrificial ceremony.

At least Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong's metaphysics had some element of brute force.

This version of Fang Xuanling is completely different—

He was a serious, scholarly, and earnest scholar of metaphysics.

No shouting, no yelling, no banging on the table.

But that kind of solemnity, "treating the lottery as a major event of the imperial court,"

It's actually more unsettling than the previous two.

Fang Xuanling took a deep breath and placed his hand on the mirror.

A golden light shone—the phantom spun—

Slow down—freeze—

Thank you for your patronage.

"…………"

the second time.

Golden light—spinning—freezing—

Thank you for your patronage.

"…………"

The third time. The fourth time. The fifth time.

Thank you for your patronage.

Fang Xuanling's expression grew increasingly grim with each passing moment.

Cheng Yaojin, standing to the side, was practically bursting with suppressed laughter.

Yuchi Gong rarely showed a hint of sympathy—after all, he had won on his very first draw.

Li Shimin was also getting restless: "Xuanling, how about I help you..."

"Your Majesty, there's no need!" Fang Xuanling refused decisively.

"I will do it myself!"

He closed his eyes and began to think seriously.

The first two people obtained their goods by sacrificing other people's lifespans and using mystical methods.

Maybe... I should give it a try?

Whom should be sacrificed?

The first name that came to his mind was—

Du Ruhui.

Fang Xuanling's strategic planning and Du Ruhui's decisive actions are well-known throughout the land. He had worked with Du Ruhui for many years and had a very close relationship with him, so using him as a "sacrifice" would certainly be of sufficient weight.

But then, he remembered something.

It is now the third year of the Zhenguan era.

Du Ruhui's health had been poor since last winter, and it had deteriorated further since the beginning of summer this year.

According to official historical records... Du Ruhui died of illness in the fourth year of the Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin wept bitterly for three days and suspended court sessions.

Fang Xuanling's hand hovered above the mirror for two seconds.

Forget it.

This is a joke that shouldn't be made.

Ru Hui's health was already poor; what if this metaphysics really worked...?

Then I wouldn't be sacrificing my lifespan.

It's a death knell.

Fang Xuanling silently withdrew that thought, simply saying to himself:

May the Three Pure Ones bless me so that I may draw a useful spirit.

I don't need to be super strong.

As long as it works.

Then--

He pressed the mirror.

The golden light shone again.

The phantom rotates—

This time, the rotation speed was significantly faster than before.

Faster and faster—

Sudden stop.

An outline emerged from the light—

Small body, round head,

It looks... quite ordinary.

Like some kind of...small animal?

The light dissipated.

An elf appeared on the mirror—

Light gray fur, a round head with two pointed ears.

There was a dark vertical line down the middle of his face, making it look like he was wearing a half-mask.

Two eyes—

The two eyes are very unusual.

Unlike the typical elf's round, curious eyes,

Instead, they were a pair of... unusually quiet eyes with a certain depth and scrutiny.

He seemed to be thinking about something.

"…………"

Cheng Yaojin was the first to ask, "What's this? It looks like a little raccoon dog, and it's considered a spirit beast?"

Yuchi Gong also came over for a look, then shook his head: "It really doesn't look very impressive."

Even the duck quacked in disdain—it doesn't glitter or shine, so it's definitely worthless.

But Lin Luo looked at the elf on the mirror—

His expression changed.

It's not disappointment.

It was a slight frown, which slowly unfolded, eventually turning into an indescribable...surprise.

"Little Spirit Face," he said softly.

"Ghost attribute. Evolution chain: Lesser Spirit Face → Shadow Spirit Face → Ghost Eye."

"Its trait is 'Fright'—enemies with zero energy cannot deal any damage to it."

"In battles, this is a purely strategy-based control Pokémon. It doesn't rely on brute force, but on—"

He paused.

"wisdom."

Fang Xuanling raised an eyebrow slightly: "Wisdom?"

"The Little Spirit Face race of elves has the highest intelligence among all elves of the same level."

"It doesn't like direct combat; it excels at dismantling its opponents through disruption, weakening, and control."

"Simply put—it doesn't fight with its fists, it fights with its brain."

Fang Xuanling's eyes lit up.

Fighting with your brains?

Isn't this exactly what Fang Xuanling did his whole life?

"However..." Lin Luo added, "this elf has one peculiar characteristic—it's extremely socially awkward."

"Social anxiety?"

"It's just... I'm afraid of people. I'm shy. I don't like interacting with strangers."

"It takes a long time to build trust."

Fang Xuanling remained silent for a while.

Then he chuckled softly.

"That's somewhat like the old minister. In his youth, he was also not good with words and didn't like to show off in court."

"However—" He looked at the quiet eyes reflected in the mirror.

"The more it's like this, the more worthwhile it is to wait."

Li Shimin, who was standing nearby, narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this.

An elf who fights with intelligence, paired with a prime minister like Fang Xuanling who governs the country with his brains...

If they could be trained properly, that would be incredible.

"If Xuanling doesn't want it—"

"Your subject desires it!" Fang Xuanling unusually spoke before Li Shimin could.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me, but I cannot yield this time."

Li Shimin laughed heartily: "Good! Decisive enough!"

Cheng Yaojin muttered from the side, "What's so special about something so ordinary that it's worth robbing..."

"Shut up!" Yuchi Gong and Fang Xuanling said in unison.

"..." Cheng Yaojin shrank his neck.

Lin Luo went to the backyard and brought out Xiao Lingmian.

All eyes were fixed on the backyard entrance—

Footsteps sounded.

Lin Luo came out first.

Then behind him—

A small, light gray sprite, about thirty centimeters tall, followed them out.

But it didn't spring out by jumping and hopping.

It wasn't carried out either.

It floated out on its own.

and--

With its two front paws tucked behind its back,

Head slightly raised,

Those deep eyes slowly and deliberately scanned everyone present.

He first glanced at Cheng Yaojin—pausing for half a second, seemingly assessing the situation.

He glanced at Yuchi Gong again—and paused for half a second.

Then I saw Li Shimin—

Its gaze lingered for an extra second.

It's as if they've read something.

Finally, its gaze fell upon Fang Xuanling.

Their eyes met.

One is a prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, and the other is a little sprite with the ghost attribute.

Little Spirit tilted its head.

Then it did something that no one expected—

It nodded slightly to Fang Xuanling.

It's as if it's saying:

Hello there.

I know you now.

The audience was silent.

Cheng Yaojin's mouth was open and he couldn't close it.

Yuchi Gong's pupils contracted.

Li Shimin stood up from his chair.

And Fang Xuanling—

Fang Xuanling looked at the little elf standing upright in front of him, its hands behind its back, nodding slightly at him.

For the first time today, I showed a genuine smile.

"……interesting."

"Very interesting."

(⊙ω⊙)

……