Sophia used every spare moment to deliver speeches, frequently whipping out that toy bear to paint a terrifying picture of abandonment for the other toys.
“This is going to cause trouble,” the Blade Spirit said to Tao Fangyi. “These speeches seem dangerous, and more and more toys are gathering to listen.”
“They don’t want to write ten thousand words,” Tao Fangyi replied with relative confidence.
“Emotions can pile up.” Even though this current batch of toys was merely the fantasy of a six-year-old child, Liu Xuanyong was a bold kid. If these toys got swept up in the heat of the moment and actually did something, what then?
The Blade Spirit nudged Tao Fangyi. “Why don’t you go talk to them about the benefits of growing up?”
“Growing up has many benefits.” Tao Fangyi nodded solemnly.
The Blade Spirit approved.
“But I don’t know how to phrase it in a way they would understand.” Tao Fangyi decided to let the situation develop for now and see if it got out of hand.
The Blade Spirit: …
Tao Fangyi: “I never had little toys like these. I can’t empathize with them.”
“You didn’t?!” The Blade Spirit was shocked.
“No, I didn’t.” Tao Fangyi lowered his head. “After I took human form, I spent all my time helping with work.”
The Blade Spirit interrupted him: “I was already locked up by the time you took human form. I meant back when you were still a wooden cauldron. I remember you having toys.”
Tao Fangyi and the Blade Spirit stared at each other.
Both wore expressions of confusion.
Tao Fangyi was puzzled. “Did I lose a chunk of memory?”
The Blade Spirit was equally shocked. “Didn’t you stash a pile of little stones, little leaves, and little bamboo sticks inside your wooden cauldron belly back then?”
“That doesn’t count as toys.” Those were just things Tao Fangyi had picked up after observing the world. He himself didn’t know why he liked them.
The Blade Spirit frowned. “These toys are this child’s understanding of the world too. He chose what he likes and put it in his ‘wooden cauldron belly.'”
Tao Fangyi froze in a daze.
The Blade Spirit then looked at Wang, who was in a state of high excitement, seemingly eager to see what kind of ruckus these toys could stir up.
“But I… am different from these children,” Tao Fangyi said quietly.
His tone was a bit dejected. Even Wang, who was spectating the speech, turned his head.
The Blade Spirit didn’t understand. “Why different?”
“You should know this.” Tao Fangyi’s two stubby little front paws clasped together. “You were just a sword spirit before, you never lived as a human. We have no parents, no relatively fixed lifespan. We’re not even sure if death awaits us at the end.”
“Without the fear of death, how can one be considered human?” Tao Fangyi knew the Blade Spirit had already lived many lives as a human. There was now a gap between them.
“Without the fear of death, you can’t be considered human?” Wang seemed somewhat perplexed.
Still, Tao Fangyi was indeed quite far from the standard of “human.” He didn’t even care about his original body.
“Of course not, because ordinary people can only live to just over a hundred at most.” Tao Fangyi said, “Actually, people know from a very, very young age that the end of life is death.”
“Sometimes they set this matter aside, but they never truly forget it.” Although Tao Fangyi had no personal experience, he had witnessed the growth of too many people. “They can see death, so they strive to live with great effort.”
“I am different. I can’t relate to that feeling.” Tao Fangyi felt he was still rather detached.
Wang agreed with Tao Fangyi’s assessment. He didn’t have much of a genuine sense of “human” either.
The Blade Spirit felt Tao Fangyi’s reaction wasn’t quite right. He thought for a moment, then asked, “Do you have feelings for your past memories?”
Tao Fangyi shook his head, then explained to the Blade Spirit when exactly he had started to develop emotions.
During that period when he first gained emotions, he had an irrational outburst, and afterward experienced the grand ebbs and flows of intense feeling.
But the memories before that time were like watching a movie, lacking much genuine sensation.
“Aren’t you being too detached?” The Blade Spirit felt memory and movies were completely different things. “Since you were there within it, how could your emotions not have spread back into it?”
“Emotions aren’t a clearly defined road. Having no emotions is walking a dirt path, and after gaining emotions, you step onto asphalt.” The Blade Spirit was highly qualified to speak on this. “Emotions are water. You were originally clear, and emotions injected other colors into you. The color must have spread.”
“But it didn’t spread.” Tao Fangyi was equally helpless.
“…But you used your favorite little stone to hit my head once. Do you remember? That little stone that looked like a bird.” The Blade Spirit asked.
Tao Fangyi thought back. This time, he didn’t ponder for too long.
He did have a bird-shaped stone.
Back then, although Tao Fangyi was a ritual vessel, he hadn’t learned to read. He didn’t even understand the difference between a stone and an animal.
The stone looked like a little bird, so why couldn’t the stone flap its wings and soar?
Tao Fangyi tried to set the little stone free several times, but the stone never flew.
He even placed the stone at the doorway, pretending not to look at it, then secretly observed.
The stone still wouldn’t fly.
Later, while observing passing insects and mice, Tao Fangyi would take out that little stone to play with.
The stone couldn’t fly, so Tao Fangyi would pinch the stone with his cauldron legs and make it fly.
At that time, the Blade Spirit liked to chat with Tao Fangyi. Tao Fangyi indeed grabbed the stone to imitate those pecking, irritable birds, fiercely smashing it against the Blade Spirit’s skull.
If the Blade Spirit were human, he’d probably have been bashed into dementia by Tao Fangyi long ago.
But the Blade Spirit’s skull was hard, and Tao Fangyi was only hitting for fun. Neither of them recognized an issue back then.
Now, looking back, the Blade Spirit felt that Tao Fangyi’s state at the time was very similar to children collecting toys.
“I thought that was your long childhood,” the Blade Spirit said.
“Artifact spirits don’t have a childhood.” Tao Fangyi explained, “We don’t have a clear juvenile stage. I was originally a tree branch, then became a big wooden cauldron, and finally took human form. I had no cub-like form in between.”
His psychological maturity was also hard to judge, because his early blankness was simply due to being illiterate.
Tao Fangyi understood his own state very well, but the Blade Spirit didn’t see it that way, because the Blade Spirit’s own emotions could spread backward.
Although he hadn’t recognized Tao Fangyi at first glance, once he realized who Tao Fangyi was, he felt a sense of warm familiarity, like reuniting with a childhood friend in old age.
The Blade Spirit described his feeling, then asked Tao Fangyi if he felt any warmth upon seeing him again.
Tao Fangyi was silent for a few seconds, then said in a cheerful tone: “Yes!”
The Blade Spirit: …
He understood. Tao Fangyi didn’t feel warmth at all. Tao Fangyi was simply worried about hurting his feelings.
Could Tao Fangyi truly lack so much emotion?
“Could there be something wrong with your seven emotions and six desires?” the Blade Spirit asked him.
“No, I have my own hobbies.” Tao Fangyi liked rock and roll.
The Blade Spirit was baffled.
“Still, I actually did have little toys…” Tao Fangyi was quite shocked. Those stones, sticks, and little leaves really didn’t connect to the word “toy.”
But soon, Tao Fangyi unearthed new toys in his memory. Occasionally, young children came with their parents near him. If a child dropped some little trinket, Tao Fangyi would secretly hide it away.
The child thought the floor was some kind of small toy devouring device. In truth, those little toys were taken by Tao Fangyi for his own amusement.
What could be done? Back then, he hadn’t adapted to human society and didn’t know that stealing was bad.
“Good thing my toys didn’t have consciousness, otherwise it would be such a headache.” Tao Fangyi looked toward the cluster of gathered toys.
“Right?” Tao Fangyi asked Wang.
Wang beamed with a particularly happy smile, nodding.
“What are you smiling about? Do you think Sophia’s speech is well done?”
“No.” Wang was simply thinking about the image of the big wooden cauldron secretly hoarding little toys, finding it very amusing.
It seemed like one could use a pile of little toys to form a trail and then capture a wooden cauldron.
Wang smiled even more happily.
Tao Fangyi thought something incredible had come up in Sophia’s speech. He looked toward the direction where the toys were gathered.
Morning Star and Blazing Flame weren’t participating. The two had walked aside to whisper privately.
Blazing Flame noticed a new small chip in Morning Star’s paint job, unsure if it came from a fall to the floor or a collision with another child’s toy.
“Do you think it’s necessary for our owner to grow up?” Morning Star had been pondering this question for some time.
Blazing Flame nodded. “It’s necessary.”
Morning Star was puzzled. “Why?”
“Because we can’t stop him from growing up.” Blazing Flame had tried to learn about cultivation from Tao Fangyi, but he couldn’t understand it at all. Besides, Tao Fangyi explicitly said their owner was just an ordinary person and couldn’t cultivate. So their owner had no other path to take.
“But when he grows up, he’ll forget you, and forget me too,” Morning Star said.
Blazing Flame lowered his head, a bit dejected.
“And I think Sophia is right. Our owner is the reincarnation of a sword; he’s just one of many dreams. He can live very happily,” Morning Star had thought this through.
Actually, living in a dream was quite nice. Parents never grow old, never need to worry about growing up. Everyone loves him, and no one, like that annoying fierce ghost, comments on Liu Xuanyong’s looks.
But if they wanted to do this, they had to keep the Blade Spirit and expel Tao Fangyi, the variable.
Tao Fangyi’s work mission was to terrify Liu Xuanyong. So if they could just quickly fill up the Fear Value Tao Fangyi needed to collect, Tao Fangyi would have to return to his company.
As long as they could make Tao Fangyi leave before he retrieved the Blade Spirit, they could give their owner eternal happiness.
Morning Star felt his task was incredibly urgent.
What Morning Star didn’t know was that Tao Fangyi had long since learned of his plan.
Because the paper Morning Star wrote his plan on was taken from Tao Fangyi.
Tao Fangyi wasn’t very anxious. After submitting his report, he could still request leave to handle personal matters. Retrieving the Blade Spirit then wouldn’t be too late.
These kids always thought that once this mission ended, they would never see each other again.
What they didn’t know was that when they whispered, adults could still hear them.
“They’re rather adorable,” Tao Fangyi mused.
The Blade Spirit suddenly brought up another matter: “Oh, oh! Do you remember that Archivist who was in charge of watching over you back then?” the Blade Spirit asked him.
“Which one?” The minor officials watching the ritual vessels rotated through many batches.
“Many of them, they all knew you could move,” the Blade Spirit said.
Tao Fangyi’s eyes slowly widened. He raised his head to look at the Blade Spirit.
“Did you think you hid it well? Sometimes when you got bored standing in place, you’d shift a little. Many Archivists discovered it, and it was probably passed down through generations.” When those people appeared, the Blade Spirit would secretly hide.
It was also then that the Blade Spirit discovered some humans actually knew Tao Fangyi could move. They even knew Tao Fangyi was like a child.
Occasionally, they would deliberately drop small things beside Tao Fangyi for him to pick up and play with.
Tao Fangyi knew nothing of this. “Did they?”
“Yes.” This was what the Blade Spirit had witnessed with his own eyes.
Tao Fangyi felt somewhat lost.
For some reason, he felt labored, heavy breathing beside his ear, hot breath puffing onto his face.
Tao Fangyi turned his head to look at Wang, who was about to press his face right against him. Wang’s mouth was split open too wide; it seemed he could swallow the entire Tyrannosaurus Rex in one bite.
Wang’s panting grew increasingly ragged.
Tao Fangyi silently extended a claw and pushed against Wang’s gleaming big white teeth, pushing him a bit farther away.
Wang’s breath was hot, spraying onto Tao Fangyi’s body.
Wang pulled a small stone from his own pocket. The little stone looked like a small beetle. “I have a little stone here~”
Tao Fangyi: “I have no interest in stones now.”
Wang: …
Wang retracted, his smile gone.
The Blade Spirit: “You should still keep an eye on this child.” He felt this Wang was particularly strange.
“I know, I’m already formulating a plan for him to thrive and grow.” Tao Fangyi nodded.
“No, you don’t understand what I mean… Never mind.” The Blade Spirit felt it wasn’t necessary for Tao Fangyi to understand anymore. Let things develop naturally.
Morning Star was still conversing with Blazing Flame. Blazing Flame seemed to have taken it in, sinking into deep thought.
Then he decided he needed to conduct a field investigation to see if Liu Xuanyong was living well. After making his decision, he went to request permission from Tao Fangyi.
Morning Star was startled by Blazing Flame’s action.
How could Tao Fangyi possibly agree to such a dangerous act?!
“Sure, but remember to look at the traffic lights when crossing the street.” Tao Fangyi cast an invisibility concealment spell on Blazing Flame.
“Me too! Me too!!” The toys of the three-year-old category surged forward, bouncing and hopping in circles around Tao Fangyi.
“Alright.” Tao Fangyi actually cast the spell on each one of them, one by one.
“Isn’t letting them run around outside dangerous?” The Blade Spirit didn’t approve.
Tao Fangyi’s gaze swept around the Toy Room, then he pointed at Sophia, who was in the middle of her speech. “Isn’t it fine if a middle schooler leads them?”
Sophia: “Huh?”
“Oh! And Morning Star. Morning Star has been taking care of the younger ones quite a bit lately.” Tao Fangyi made his decision.
Then he pointed at Sophia and said to the three-year-old toys: “Come, call her Little Teacher Suo.”
The three-year-old toys obediently spoke: “Hello, Little Teacher Suo~”
Tao Fangyi pointed at Morning Star again. “Call him Commander Teacher.”
The three-year-old toys swayed their bodies. “Hello, Commander Teacher~”
“We need to take care of ourselves when we go out, right?” Tao Fangyi asked them.
“Right!” The three-year-old toys answered in unison.
“We need to listen to our teachers, right?” Tao Fangyi continued.
The toys: “Right!!”
Tao Fangyi smiled at Sophia. “Sorry for the trouble. You can deliver your speech to them along the way.”
Sophia: …
Sophia’s skirt was tugged by a jigsaw puzzle piece.
Sophia looked down at the puzzle piece.
Puzzle piece: “Teacher, I pooped my pants.”
Sophia: …
