Chapter 429
The culinary skills of Bing Tuozi were on the rise.
After a stick of incense had burned down, Li Mo entered the main hall with a tray, accompanied by Bing Tuozi, just as he caught Xie Xuan's gaze.
"Brother Li, thank you for yesterday at Fengyue Xiaozhu..."
Xie Xuan forced a smile that was more painful than tears; it seemed he had managed to step out of his sorrow, but the aftereffects were still strong.
"As fellow swordsmen, helping others is our joy, no need for thanks," Li Mo replied, setting down the tray and subtly taking Bing Tuozi's delicate hand.
"?"
Xie Xuan felt something was off about this exchange, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Looking at Li Mo's sunny smile, he decided not to dwell on the details.
"To recover so quickly, Brother Xie is indeed a carefree person."
Bai Jinghong nodded; he had always believed that those who practiced the sword should be a bit more carefree.
"I'm not sad at all," Xie Xuan said, avoiding the gaze of the two across from him. He took a couple of hearty gulps of wine and let out a long sigh with his eyes closed.
Yet the waves of aftereffects still made his nose tingle.
He could only grab a pair of chopsticks and focus on a plate of sweet and sour shredded potatoes to distract himself.
"Brother Xie, why are you crying?"
"This shredded potato is just so damn good!"
"Mm?"
Princess Xiao Jiang curiously reached for the chopsticks, wanting to know just how delicious it was to bring someone to tears, only to be met with the spicy ginger shreds that made her stick out her pink tongue.
Li Mo took a bite as well.
How exquisite!
This wasn’t just a dish; it was a work of art. The flavors of sour, bitter, and spicy danced on his palate, but there was no sweetness—just like life itself...
Ying Bing blinked and also reached for the chopsticks.
"Bing Tuozi, try this."
Li Mo quickly intervened, feeding Bing Tuozi a piece of stir-fried snake meat to prevent her from making a dangerous choice.
"I want to try that," Ying Bing said, her cheeks puffing slightly.
She was curious about the taste of the first meal she had made with Li Mo.
At the very least, it looked appetizing...
"I can describe it to you instead."
Li Mo said earnestly, "The presentation of this dish resembles me, but the taste..."
He cast a vague glance at Xie Xuan.
Ying Bing also glanced at Xie Xuan, nodded, and abandoned the idea of trying the potato and ginger shreds.
"????"
Suddenly, Xie Xuan found himself no longer feeling the sting of heartbreak.
Because compared to heartbreak, the looks from the 'Divine Hammer Little Overlord' and 'Cold Fairy' seemed to hurt a bit more.
"To be honest, I came here to say goodbye. After the Weapon Forging Conference, I will enter seclusion for intense training. If I don't achieve great success in the Pure Jun Sword Intent, I won't come out."
"Next time we meet might be at the Qianlong Conference, or perhaps it will be a long time from now."
From his words, it seemed he had no intention of participating in the Qianlong Conference unless he made a breakthrough in his swordsmanship.
With that, he stood up, took a sip of wine, said his farewells, and prepared to leave.
"Brother Xie!" Li Mo called out to him.
"Don't try to persuade me anymore; my mind is made up! No need to see me off!"
Xie Xuan put on a nonchalant facade.
"I'm not seeing you off; I'm going with you."
"?"
"I'm also a participant in the Weapon Forging Conference."
"????"
As he watched Li Mo pull out a black iron token from his robe, Xie Xuan froze in place.
He wanted to run.
But it seemed there was no escape.
At this moment, at the Tianshan Sword Manor.
The Tianshan Mountains in the imperial capital were perpetually snow-covered, with no distinction between seasons, always shrouded in cold.
The sword furnace was the only warm place.
The renowned sword furnace was currently on a break, with the flames and sounds of forging halted for the day, as preparations for the Weapon Forging Conference in three days required a pause in all activities.
The apprentices here had at least seven or eight years of forging experience.
As they tidied up, they chatted quietly.
"That young man just now looks like he comes from a distinguished background. What's his story?"
"That's the only son of the King of the South, Zhong Zhenyu, ranked thirty-ninth in Qianlong. He’s been in the southern frontier for a long time; it’s normal you haven’t seen him."
"He brought a lot of heavy gifts. I wonder which master craftsman he’s inviting?"
"It should be Master Huo Bingzi. Many of the exceptional weapons showcased at the Qianlong Conference were forged by him."
"There’s a difference even among famous weapons."
"Yeah, some famous weapons are comparable to Xuan weapons, or even stronger, but they lack spiritual essence."
"Ah, but those kinds of famous weapons require a master or even a divine craftsman to forge."
"Not only that, the materials used would be enough to forge a treasure weapon."
Above sharp weapons are famous weapons, above famous weapons are Xuan weapons, and above Xuan weapons are treasure weapons, followed by divine weapons.
Using materials meant for treasure weapons to create a famous weapon is simply wasteful.
It requires substantial financial backing and connections.
Thus, in the realm of weaponry, the talented from humble backgrounds are already at a disadvantage compared to those from the imperial capital.
As the apprentices set up for the conference, they shook their heads in lament, but just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance.
"Welcome, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Someone shouted.
At once, everyone passing by lowered their heads in respect.
Jiang Yu entered through the door, flanked by Qing Niao and a striking woman in a red gown, exuding an air of nobility.
She was tall, with fiery red tips to her hair, moving as if she were ablaze, her skin fair and beautiful, clearly accustomed to a life of luxury.
Upon seeing her, the apprentices swallowed hard.
Princess Yu Yang, the little princess of Dayu, was deeply favored by the emperor and possessed extraordinary talent, standing out among the many princes and princesses, second only to the eldest princess.
"Crown Prince Brother, you promised me a good sword for my birthday," Princess Yu Yang said in a sweet voice.
"Master Du has been in seclusion for many years, but now that he’s coming out, I believe you won’t be disappointed," Jiang Yu replied, showing a warmth and gentleness that was unexpected for his status.
Du Wufeng, one of the last four divine craftsmen of the sword furnace, was especially skilled in forging swords.
His masterpiece was the legendary Tianren Divine Sword, which now hung high above the city of Tianren!
Hearing snippets of conversation from the blacksmith apprentices and craftsmen from various places attending the conference, their expressions twitched.
Clearly, Jiang Yu and Princess Yu Yang were here for the weapons of the Qianlong Conference.
To invite a divine craftsman to forge a famous weapon?
Perhaps only the Crown Prince of Dayu had such power in the world.
---
Chapter 477: Conditions for Participation
"Rest assured, young lord, I, Old Huo, am skilled in all eighteen types of weapons. I will forge you a fine spear," Huo Bingzi said, a square-faced man in straw sandals, who had once received kindness from the King of the South.
Knowing that Zhong Zhenyue had come to visit, he immediately agreed without waiting for him to speak.
"Uncle Huo, I don’t want a spear."
Zhong Zhenyue clasped his hands and said earnestly, "I want a hammer."
Li Mo, who had turned the tide in the southern frontier, had achieved great merit, yet the court had shown no acknowledgment. Zhong Zhenyue had always felt a sense of injustice.
It wasn’t until his father took him to the court once that he understood.
The officials, the powerful and noble, all spoke with two lips and one tongue, twisting the major issues of the southern frontier into minor ones, ultimately reducing it to "the emperor’s virtue is like that of heaven."
The emperor didn’t need to reward him, and it all ended in nothing.
Now, perhaps Li Mo had already arrived in the imperial capital.
Zhong Zhenyue hoped he could shine at the Qianlong Conference, standing out before all the officials, forcing them to open their eyes and take notice.
Huo Bingzi was taken aback. "A hammer? What do you want that for?"
"For a friend of mine."
"Who uses a hammer at the Qianlong Conference...?"
Suddenly, he seemed to remember someone’s nickname: the Divine Hammer Little Overlord.
"Well, you’d better think it through. I can only forge once; after that, you’ll have to figure out the rest yourself."
"I’ve thought it through."
Zhong Zhenyue nodded without hesitation.
At that moment, the inner courtyard of the sword furnace opened, and flames poured out like flowing lava.
Huo Bingzi was startled and immediately turned to bow toward the light.
"Master, you... have come out of seclusion?"
"Uncle Huo’s master?"
Zhong Zhenyue followed his gaze and saw an elderly figure at the end of his line of sight. The man was missing two fingers on his left hand, and his face was as dry as orange peel.
He was one of the four divine craftsmen of the sword furnace, Du Wufeng.
Since forging the Tianren Divine Sword, he had either gained insight or hit a bottleneck, leading him to extinguish the furnace and seal his hammer, remaining in seclusion ever since.
He himself was also a peak practitioner, just a step away from the seventh realm.
"Are you...?"
"Haha, what are you thinking? The art of creation isn’t that easy to master..."
Du Wufeng shook his head and looked at Zhong Zhenyue. "Who is this young lad? He has good bones; he’d make a fine warrior on the battlefield. Is he here to learn blacksmithing?"
Table of Contents
