After a moment of appraisal, Wang Guan and the others conceded that Elder Hou was correct; these weapons, crafted under the Qianlong reign, were indeed fine pieces.

However, they were also aware that the armaments displayed on the wall, while excellent, were mere decorations compared to what lay stored within the cabinets in the corner.

“Elder Hou, we’ve seen what’s on the walls.”

At this point, Yu Feibai pointed towards the cabinets, a sharp glint in his eye as he smiled, “Surely, you must let us appreciate what’s inside as well?”

“You’re quite sharp,” Elder Hou commended, nodding in approval, and then gestured for an attendant to open one of the row of cabinets. The instant the cabinet door swung open, Yu Feibai hurried forward to examine the contents, crying out in surprise, “Are those three swords?”

By this time, Wang Guan had clearly seen the arrangement inside: three long swords, still sheathed, whose style suggested they were quite ancient.

After careful scrutiny, Wang Guan murmured, “By their appearance, they seem to be from the pre-Qin period.”

“If they are, we’ll know once we draw them out and look,” Yu Feibai, ever impulsive, asked Elder Hou for permission and immediately pulled out one of the long swords.

“It feels quite light.”

Yu Feibai tested the weight and immediately laughed, “It doesn’t seem to have much heft.”

“Be careful, don’t cut yourself,” Elder Qian cautioned from the side. “This sword is extremely sharp, and besides…”

“Lingxi, don’t say anything yet; let them examine it themselves,” Elder Hou interrupted at the same moment, smiling faintly. “I’d like to see if they can identify what kind of swords these are.”

“Ah, hearing you say that, these must be famous ancient swords.” Yu Feibai was astute enough to catch the implication and grew even more excited.

“I’m drawing it now.”

Faster than the words could fully leave his lips, Yu Feibai offered a perfunctory warning and, without any dramatic buildup, drew the long sword. A blinding flash of light immediately shimmered in the air.

Wang Guan blinked, focusing his gaze, and found himself unable to stop his eyes from narrowing. In his perception, what Yu Feibai held was not a blade but a source of luminous energy—like a giant light bulb in the dark, causing discomfort and making it difficult to look at directly.

Squinting intensely, Wang Guan finally discerned the outline of the long sword. The blade was about three fingers wide, its spine polished like a mirror, capable of reflecting light from every angle, which accounted for the dazzling, brilliant radiance.

“What kind of sword is this?”

Yu Feibai had to cover his eyes with his hand, marveling, “The light is too intense!”

“This is the Hanguang Sword; naturally, its radiance is profuse,” Elder Zhou kindly offered, only to be chided by Elder Hou: “Why did you have to blurt it out? They should have been left to guess.”

“A slip-up, a slip-up,” Elder Zhou chuckled, admitting his mistake. “There are two other swords, let them guess those!”

“You’ve already revealed the secret; they’ll surely follow the thread and guess what the other two are,” Elder Hou shook his head, unaware that this too was an unintentional disclosure.

Elder Qian and the others smiled but said nothing. However, Wang Guan seemed lost in thought, suddenly asking, “Elder Hou, could these possibly be the Three Swords of Kong Zhou?”

“The Three Swords of Kong Zhou?”

Yu Feibai’s face lit up with mingled excitement and disbelief, “Really?”

“It should be,” Wang Guan said, glancing at the expressions of Elder Hou and the others, then smiling, “It’s a near certainty.”

“Ah…”

In an instant, Yu Feibai started bouncing around, gesticulating wildly. “Chengying, my Chengying…”

“Careful!”

Elder Qian quickly intervened. They knew exactly how sharp the Hanguang Sword was. The main concern was that Yu Feibai, in his excitement, might swing the sword wildly and cut himself, which would certainly result in serious injury, if not death.

Simultaneously, Bei Ye quietly asked Wang Guan, “What does the Three Swords of Kong Zhou mean?”

“Kong Zhou was a famous sword appraiser during the Spring and Autumn period. The Liezi Tangwen records that he once possessed three famous swords: Hanguang, Chengying, and Xiaolian,” Wang Guan explained softly. “Among them, Chengying is one of the Ten Great Famous Swords of China, on the same legendary tier as the Chi Xiao Sword—an object of immense value.”

“Modern people only know of Chengying, but not Hanguang or Xiaolian,” Elder Hou sighed lightly at this point. “In reality, among the Three Swords of Kong Zhou, Xiaolian was the most formidable. In daylight, one could see its shadow but not its light; at night, one could see its light, but not its form. When used, a strike would pass silently, and the victim wouldn’t feel the slightest pain.”

“Is it truly that miraculous?” Yu Feibai was suddenly full of curiosity. “I always thought the Three Swords of Kong Zhou, much like the 'Commoner’s Sword,' 'Feudal Lord’s Sword,' and 'Emperor’s Sword' mentioned by Zhuangzi, were just exaggerated, fanciful tales.”

“Whether they are or not, the objects are here; you can see for yourself,” Elder Hou chuckled. “Of course, we must admit that compared to the legends, the Three Swords of Kong Zhou fall somewhat short, but their sharpness is absolutely not an exaggeration.”

“We absolutely have to see them,” Yu Feibai declared.

As he spoke, Yu Feibai returned the Hanguang Sword to its scabbard and picked up another long sword to examine it.

When this second sword was drawn, it was starkly different from the Hanguang. The Hanguang had been blindingly radiant, like the sun, but the luster of this blade was extremely subdued.

“Is this Chengying?” Yu Feibai speculated. With a slight movement of his hand, he swung the blade, and indeed, it cut through the air without a sound. Furthermore, no matter how the blade was forged, it seemed to possess a light-absorbing quality. When the room lights hit it, there was no reflection at all, giving it a dull appearance. Because of this, even its shadow appeared faint, almost nonexistent.

“It looks… incredibly potent,” Yu Feibai said with a smile. “No wonder they say that when used in the precise moment between black and white at dawn, an ordinary person couldn't see the blade.”

While Yu Feibai was admiring Chengying, Wang Guan casually picked up the last sword.

“Xiaolian!”

Wang Guan gently drew the blade from its scabbard, and a faint glimmer of light appeared. However, this faint light was not the sword’s inherent shine, but the blade itself appearing slightly translucent.

The edges, in particular, were so thin and fine that they seemed hazy. Even squinting closely, one could only make out a general outline, like looking through a fog.

Unfortunately, this was not their home, so they couldn't test the blades. After a brief exchange of viewing, they both wisely returned the Three Swords of Kong Zhou to their scabbards and placed them back in the cabinet.

Just then, Yu Feibai couldn't help but inquire, “Elder Hou, besides the Three Swords of Kong Zhou, there must be other famous swords here, right? Like Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, Long Quan and Yuan Yu, or Chun Jun and Zhan Lu?”

“Of course. It would be best if you could find the Xuanyuan Sword, though,” Yu Feibai added, his expression filled with hopeful anticipation as he spoke. If the Imperial Seal symbolized imperial authority, the Xuanyuan Sword represented supreme, mythological status.

Although everyone privately understood that the smelting technology of the early Yellow Emperor era was likely rudimentary, meaning that even if a sword shape was achieved, its quality would surely be poor—it would be a miracle if it lasted even a century.

Yet, as descendants of Yan and Huang, centuries of cultural accumulation had elevated the Yellow Emperor to near divinity, naturally deifying the Xuanyuan Sword as well. Such a sacred object, they deeply believed and wished to believe, was eternally incorruptible.

“The Xuanyuan Sword?”

However, the result disappointed Yu Feibai. Elder Hou responded tartly, “Never mind you, I want to see it too. If you find it, remember to bring it over so I can feast my eyes.”

“Alas,” Yu Feibai sighed in disappointment, but quickly rallied, his face breaking into a joyful smile. “Just because there’s no Xuanyuan Sword doesn’t mean you’ll deny the existence of Gan Jiang Mo Ye and the others—you didn't argue with me about them!”

It must be said that Yu Feibai possessed a truly sharp, perceptive mind; he guessed correctly almost every time.

At that moment, Elder Hou and the others smiled, implicitly confirming the existence of those swords. Seeing this, Yu Feibai could not contain his excitement any longer and eagerly urged Elder Hou to bring out the treasures.

At Elder Hou's signal, several accompanying researchers readily opened the various cabinets. Each cabinet contained the famed swords such as Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.

Yu Feibai took over personally, carefully drawing out the swords one by one, examining them closely, his eyes alight with astonishment and deep appreciation. The reason these swords were renowned lay primarily in their inherent quality. Although the external appearance and blade patterns of these famous swords varied, they shared one significant commonality:

Indestructible resilience and razor-sharpness, possessing astonishing lethality.

The essence of a famous sword is that it is a weapon; the purpose of a weapon is to facilitate cutting and killing. Whether slaughtering fowl or men, the degree of sharpness has always been the primary standard for measuring a weapon's quality. Undeniably, the quality of these famous swords met the standard, exceeding it with plenty to spare, ranking among the very best.

However, among the multitude of famous swords, Wang Guan suddenly spotted an object that resembled one but was small and exquisite, like a dagger. At first glance, he suddenly realized: “Could this be Yuchang?”

“The Yuchang Sword! Where is it?”

In an instant, Yu Feibai turned his head eagerly. It was unavoidable; the fame of the Yuchang Sword was too great, and the tale of Zhuan Zhu assassinating Liao was still recited incessantly.

“It is not Yuchang!”

Unfortunately, Elder Hou dismissed their speculation, shaking his head with a sigh. “Why do you immediately think of Yuchang whenever you see a short sword or dagger? In fact, there is another equally famous dagger that is often overlooked.”

“What dagger?” Yu Feibai asked curiously. “Is it Wang Guan’s Dragon Scale Dagger?”

“Certainly not,” Elder Hou replied, having no interest in creating suspense. He continued with a mournful tone, “The world knows of Jing Ke’s assassination attempt on the King of Qin, and they know he used the pretext of presenting a map to get close before revealing his dagger. However, few people know what the dagger hidden within that map actually was…”

“Ah!”

In a flash, Wang Guan understood. “Elder Hou, are you referring to the Dagger of Madam Xu?”