Back then, even Old Tang was startled by what had just happened. But his smug expression said otherwise—crooked grin and all—as he said, "Heh heh, I've been envious of your superpowers for ages. I kept dreaming about awakening some kind of bloodline. Turns out, all my god-tier talent was just waiting to explode in cultivation, hahaha…"
Truth be told, Old Tang had no idea what actually happened.
He was a high school dropout with no background in advanced theory. The Zhou family members had traditional Chinese education and easily picked up the meridian studies and theoretical foundations. But for Old Tang? Just reading the texts made his face scrunch up like he was about to cry.
When Shirou taught him how to awaken magic circuits, he simply told him to imagine a "switch" inside his body—no need to construct the circuits yet, just visualize it. Things like: "pressing a button on a circuit board," "a knife stabbing into your heart," anything that suited your personal imagery.
Old Tang tried all night, mentally strained to the point of exhaustion, and eventually passed out… and had a nightmare.
In the dream, a deep, authoritative voice thundered at him in a rage:
"You idiot! You can't even do this simple thing?! Move aside! I'll do it!"
Then he woke up—and his magic circuits were active.
It was so absurd even Old Tang himself couldn't explain it. But he concluded, "Guess I really was blessed with incredible luck after all!" The smug, tail-wagging attitude that followed made Shirou dodge him whenever possible.
Wa-zhu clearly knew about this incident too, and teased, "I didn't expect to get results so fast. Well, this is great—when we roll out the cultivation framework for other clans, we'll have two living examples to show off. Can't con those hybrid-blooded families without proof…"
Though she intended to manipulate the other Shenzhou clans into targeting the Chen family, it wasn't going to be easy. Not until they saw real, tempting results.
"You really said 'con' out loud—are you sure that's fine?" Shirou raised a brow.
"If it makes them happy, who cares if it's a con?" Wa-zhu replied breezily. "That's what you call venture capital!"
She'd been deep into the Zhou family's reform efforts lately, and her vocabulary was becoming more and more modern. These days, she casually threw out terms like gold futures, IPO, multinational settlements… At this rate, once Bitcoin and blockchain hit the scene, she'd probably be first in line to join the hype.
Wa-zhu slid off his back and stood tall. "But enough about that. Today, I've got something really good to show you!"
Shirou was confused by the sudden shift, until he saw Zhou Yuxuan walk in, holding an ornate brocade box in both hands. When opened, it revealed two short swords—bronze, sharp, and gleaming, one bright and one dark. They radiated a presence that unmistakably screamed Noble Phantasm.
Each blade bore five lines of inscription. When read together:
Crane wings never falter, my heart is stone.
Skill and will, firm as Mount Tai.
Crossing rivers, cutting through streams.
Fates diverge at the Palace of Departure.
Together yet apart, twin blades take flight.
"…Could it be…?" Shirou already had a guess.
Bonk! Wa-zhu knocked him lightly on the head. "Yup! It's what you're looking for—Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, the twin swords!"
Of course it was.
At first glance, they didn't match the black-and-white daggers projected by Red Archer (Emiya), which gave Shirou pause. But thinking deeper: those projections probably weren't based on the original swords, but rather reconstructions using fragments of information and imagination.
These, on the other hand, were the true originals—genuine Noble Phantasms.
Shirou happily accepted the gift… and immediately earned himself a favor to repay.
Wa-zhu wanted to go shopping.
For a normal girl, this wouldn't even be a favor—it would be an invitation to a date. But Wa-zhu was anything but normal. She was a half-human, half-serpent being, and if she went out like that, she'd probably scare people to death.
The second she showed up in public, someone might pass out from shock, and rumors of a "snake spirit woman" haunting the city of Xiangyang would go viral.
But now that Shirou was Chief Steward of the Zhou family, he couldn't exactly refuse. He looked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back. Even Zhou Yuxuan had no idea how to help. Wa-zhu never made such requests before. She rarely ever left home—and when she did, it was in a ceremonial palanquin. Everything she needed—food, clothes, gifts—was handled by the family staff.
That's when it hit Shirou.
Even though she'd overthrown the old elders and was now acting like some Empress Wu Zetian with a perfect glow-up, her past was more like a palace tragedy—maybe even Scarlet Heart Palace level of depressing.
She'd once said she wanted to ride in a sports car, try on trendy outfits, maybe even fall in love… These were probably genuine desires—dreams—she had long buried.
And yet, for most girls, these weren't even considered unattainable.
Out of ideas for now, Shirou logged into the long-neglected employer chatroom.
Genius girl Charlotte was currently chatting animatedly with a new member called "Chips." Shirou blinked. Who the hell named themselves Chips?
Charlotte was bragging confidently, practically radiating joy through the screen:
"That guy hasn't logged in for ages. Probably ashamed! I knew it—no way someone could buy a few swords online and magically make alchemy weapons. Strengthening magecraft? Fake news! Totally made-up!"
Shirou's eyes widened slightly. Wow. She'd gone full denial. It had only been a little while, and her mindset had already shifted this much?
Maybe her grandpa was working her to death again…
The new guy, Chips, chimed in:
"But hey, it's a big world. There's always a chance a few outliers exist—true geniuses who defy common sense."
"No way. Absolutely not!" Charlotte snapped.
What she didn't say: after being crushed by Shirou, she'd gone crying to her grandpa to fact-check… only to get caught sneaking internet time, and got scolded for not working as hard as "other people's kids."
That hurt.
Then, Gallia Governor—the high EQ mod—commented smoothly:
"Whether it's true or not isn't the point. Look at Charlotte's username. She calls herself a genius girl. What she really needs… is identity validation."
It was true. When someone labels themselves a genius, and an actual genius shows up, that fragile self-image was bound to crack.
"Makes sense! You know her that well?" Chips asked. "Are you some kind of smooth-talking playboy?"
"Thank you. I, the Gallia Governor, live to please no one… except women."
Then Shirou quietly inserted a line into the chat:
"Newbie question: anyone know how to take a girl who can't go outside… shopping?"
The chat went dead silent.
Everyone was clearly trying to decipher the logic behind that paradox.
Shirou calmly removed his hands from the keyboard.
Once again, he had unintentionally become… the conversation killer.
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][[email protected]/euridome]
[Thank You For Your Support!]