Amur's mood instantly plummeted. "My mother was killed protecting me."
"Ah?" Qi Xuanxuan gasped, feeling at a loss. If this Amur wasn't lying, he was truly tragic. Then this curved saber...
Qi Xuanxuan looked to Qi Zhenzhen for help. Qi Zhenzhen also found it difficult. The item had already been given to Xuanxuan, and Xuanxuan liked it very much. But Amur was indeed pitiful, and this was his mother's treasured遗物 (yíwù - relic/belonging). If she were in Amur's shoes, she would also spare no effort to get the curved saber back.
"May I touch the curved saber again?" Amur requested.
Qi Xuanxuan silently handed the curved saber to Amur. He held it piously, close to his chest, his face etched with an overwhelming sadness.
After caressing it for a while, Amur reluctantly returned the curved saber to Qi Xuanxuan. "You are right. This curved saber is yours now. I shouldn't ask you to sell it to me just because it was originally mine. I thought I would never see it again, and now that I can, I should be content. I apologize to both young ladies for my previous abruptness and offense."
With that, he bowed solemnly and walked away, leading his horse, glancing back repeatedly.
The sisters fell into silence, neither speaking first.
The carriage arrived at the Li family's residence. As they were about to alight, Qi Xuanxuan suddenly said, "Second sister, if we meet this Amur again, I want to return the curved saber to him. I like it, but it's only because it was a gift from you, second sister. However, to Amur, this curved saber holds immense significance. His mother is gone, and this curved saber was specially forged for him by his mother's entrusted craftsman. To him, it represents a connection."
Qi Zhenzhen looked at Qi Xuanxuan with a sense of relief, finding the young girl to be very understanding and kind.
"The curved saber was given to you, and you are its owner. I have no objections to whatever you decide to do with it," Qi Zhenzhen said gently.
Qi Xuanxuan nodded emphatically, thinking only of returning the curved saber to Amur when she saw him again.
Li Nuan and Li Rou had known about Qi Zhenzhen's visit yesterday and were eagerly waiting at the entrance.
"Why did it take you so long? If you hadn't arrived soon, I would have sent someone to the Marquis's mansion to inquire," Li Nuan chided.
"We encountered something on the road and were delayed," Qi Zhenzhen replied.
Li Rou had already pulled Qi Xuanxuan aside to ask what had happened. Qi Xuanxuan pointed to the bump on her forehead and explained the whole story.
Li Rou picked up the curved saber from Qi Xuanxuan's waist and examined it. "Cat's eye is a specialty of Western Qin. Such a large one, I'm afraid only Western Qin nobles could use it. And these gems, they are ordinary and common, but such large ones are rarely seen. Didn't you also say that Amur mentioned it was forged by a craftsman of their clan? If this curved saber truly belongs to him, then he must be a noble of Western Qin. Why would a Western Qin noble come to our Great Feng? We haven't heard of any foreign envoys visiting recently."
"It could also be a very wealthy merchant? Anyway, he said he wanted to buy the curved saber, no matter the cost," Qi Xuanxuan said.
"That's certainly a possibility, but a small one. Ah, let's not talk about this anymore. Whether it's true or not has nothing to do with us. Come, I'll show you something good," Li Rou eagerly pulled Qi Xuanxuan inside.
Qi Zhenzhen and Li Nuan lagged behind. "What good thing did she get? Why is she so eager to show it off?"
"A few days ago, she found an ancient book at a bookstore. She built a small waterwheel according to its instructions, and it's quite interesting," Li Nuan said with a smile.