Chapter 430
Huo Bingzi explained, "He is the only son of Lord Zhong. With the Qianlong Conference approaching, I need to forge a hammer weapon for his friend."
"A hammer weapon? Tsk tsk... Are there still kids using that these days?"
Du Wufeng's murky old eyes flickered with a glimmer of interest.
Blacksmiths are skilled in both craftsmanship and martial arts, and hammer weapons are a popular choice among many artisans.
Unfortunately, forging iron is not the same as fighting; it takes seven or eight years of apprenticeship, and by the time one is ready to compete on the Qianlong List, they are often past their prime.
"Some of the seniors, like my brother Li, known as the 'Divine Hammer Little Overlord,' is currently ranked fourth on the Qianlong List, and in the southern frontier..."
Before Zhong Zhenyue could finish his sentence, an apprentice rushed in, bowing respectfully. "Master Ancestor, the prince has come to visit and is currently waiting for you in the sword furnace."
"Then let’s go."
Du Wufeng shifted his focus, clasping his hands behind his back as he walked out of the courtyard.
It seemed the prince piqued his interest even more.
Zhong Zhenyue's heart sank.
Jiang Yu wouldn’t be...
Looking to invite a master craftsman to forge a mysterious weapon, would he?
He exchanged a glance with Huo Bingzi and clasped his hands together. "Uncle Huo, I’m quite curious about the forging techniques in the sword furnace. May I accompany you for a look?"
"Of course."
Huo Bingzi seemed to understand his thoughts.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the sword furnace, several figures stepped into a realm of blazing fire and steel.
At the forefront was a young boy on the verge of adulthood, dressed in a pure Yang long robe that was resistant to fire. His bright, spirited eyes and handsome face exuded an air of righteousness, making him look like a paragon of virtue.
Little Li felt a sense of homecoming as he arrived at the sword furnace.
Even though his demeanor resembled that of a Confucian scholar, he felt out of place here.
But he wasn’t the only one feeling out of place.
Ying Bing, with her ethereal presence, seemed to belong to an entirely different world.
Jiang Chulong cautiously surveyed her surroundings. During her time at the Tianshan Sword Manor, she had mostly stayed in the Sword Tomb; this was her first visit to the sword furnace.
"Are you really going to participate in the forging competition?"
Xie Xuan still found it hard to believe.
He thought it was normal for Li Mo to have impressive hammer techniques, but being a craftsman required more than just skill with a hammer.
Li Mo was now seventeen.
Considering the time spent honing his martial arts, how much time could he devote to perfecting his craft?
Most apprentices at the sword furnace were in their thirties.
"Of course, I feel more at ease with weapons I forge myself."
Li Mo nodded as he examined the setup around him.
Xie Xuan added, "But to participate in the forging competition, you need to be physically fit, and during the forging process, you must have two assistants."
"There's such a rule?"
"Yes, one assistant is responsible for quenching, and the other for selecting materials. Otherwise, you can't compete."
"Well, I have those."
Li Mo let out a sigh of relief.
"Who?"
Just as Xie Xuan was puzzled, Li Mo pointed at Ying Bing and Jiang Chulong.
Ying Bing: "...."
Jiang Chulong: "!"
Xie Xuan: "???"
The second-ranked Xie widened his eyes, clearly thinking, 'Are you kidding me?'
Li Mo said, "Quenching requires precise control of heat, right?"
"That's right," Xie Xuan agreed.
"Today, Bing Tuo helped me make that plate of stir-fried vinegar potatoes..."
"Are you sure it was potatoes?"
"Ahem... What matters is not the ingredients, but the control of heat! That’s enough to qualify her as a quenching assistant!"
"?"
Li Mo made a checkmark gesture, indicating that it was reasonable.
"What about selecting materials? You want this little girl to do it? What does she know?" Xie Xuan pointed at the timid little princess Jiang.
Li Mo's eyes were filled with trust. "She’s the best at picking up trash!"
"Right, I love picking up trash," little Jiang nodded earnestly, agreeing with her big brother Li.
"???"
Xie Xuan was at a loss for words.
Is this right? Is this reasonable?
Little Li didn’t care about that.
Material selection assistant √!
"Fine, then let’s go submit the Xuan Tie order."
Xie Xuan shook his head.
Later, he would find a few suitable weapons for Li Mo and the others to use.
As he thought this, he stepped into the main hall of the sword furnace, only to find it eerily quiet.
This shouldn’t be the case.
Usually, there wouldn’t be so few people here, especially with the forging competition approaching.
"Li... Brother Li?"
Zhong Zhenyue, who had been selecting hammer weapon designs, was taken aback when he saw Li Mo suddenly appear before him.
"Old Zhong, long time no see! Are you here looking for a craftsman’s weapon?"
Li Mo noticed the middle-aged man beside Zhong Zhenyue, whose breath was tinged with the scent of the forge.
Clearly, he was a highly skilled craftsman.
"That's right. Brother Li, are you also..."
"Not quite, I’m here to compete."
"Mm??"
Chapter 478: I Just Want to Use His
Zhong Zhenyue looked bewildered, lost in thought, but it seemed he couldn’t quite grasp it.
The square-faced middle-aged man, Huo Bingzi, scrutinized the young boy before him and after a moment, said, "Young man, I know your hammer techniques are impressive, and confidence is a good thing. However, forging iron and fighting are two entirely different matters."
"If the young lord seeks me, I will prepare some means for you; you just need to..."
"Old Zhong, are you asking this master to help me forge a hammer weapon?"
Li Mo felt a surge of gratitude and patted Zhong Zhenyue on the shoulder. "Really, there’s no need for that. It’s not easy for a master craftsman to lend a hand; you should keep this opportunity for yourself."
"This..."
Huo Bingzi was both amused and exasperated.
How many talented individuals on the Qianlong List had begged him for help to obtain a suitable weapon for the competition? Yet here were these two boys politely refusing each other.
"Mainly, one hammer isn’t enough."
Li Mo shook his head. "I also need to forge a sword."
This was crucial for Bing Tuo and little Jiang to have their weapons when they stepped onto the competition stage, so he had to participate in the forging competition no matter what.
Just then, the door to the quiet room in the hall opened.
Jiang Yu stepped out with his hands clasped behind his back, straightening up quickly after exiting the quiet room, his dual pupils returning to their usual indifference.
The other person was, of course, Princess Yuyang, who raised her chin like a proud swan, as if she were about to receive a toy worth boasting about.
Earlier, Master Du had already agreed to forge weapons.
The reason was simple.
Jiang Yu possessed the Imperial Sword Bone.
Regardless of whether it belonged to him, the sword bone was currently within him.
As the prince and princess walked halfway, they suddenly stopped in their tracks upon seeing someone not far away.
She was hiding behind the boy, tightly clutching his clothing, her self-doubt and fear forcing her to keep her head down, her body trembling slightly.
The proud expression on Princess Yuyang faded:
"You dare to come back?"
"Now that someone is backing her, it’s naturally different from before." Jiang Yu's cold gaze fell on Jiang Chulong.
The prince and princess, both of noble birth, exuded an air of superiority without even trying.
One enjoyed honors that didn’t belong to her, while the other bore talents that weren’t his.
And yet they dared to question their rightful owners.
Jiang Chulong bit her lip, her little face devoid of color, and suddenly, her vision went dark.
Don’t get it wrong; she wasn’t fainting, but rather, her big brother Li had put sunglasses on her.
"It’s okay."
Li Mo gently ruffled her hair.
Little Jiang suddenly remembered that her big brother Li had said that once she wore sunglasses, she had to be spirited and not lose face.
So she stepped out from behind him, for the first time making eye contact with the two since leaving the imperial capital.
"What... what does it have to do with you!"
"?"
Jiang Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Last time, Jiang Chulong had dared to ignore his words, and now she even had the audacity to retort to him face-to-face.
The instigator of all this, without a doubt, was...
His cold, dual pupils turned to Li Mo, harboring a hint of obscure killing intent.
But Li Mo hadn’t said anything yet.
Suddenly, his dual pupils felt a sharp pain.
A cold and profound gaze was fixed upon him, coming from a pair of extraordinarily beautiful phoenix eyes.
"Ahem... cough cough cough..."
Princess Yuyang, caught in the crossfire, felt her mind go blank.
It was as if someone had tightened their grip around her throat, making it hard for her to breathe, and she began to cough violently.
Those beautiful eyes were so cold and detached, so deep, as if they were the gaze of the heavens, mercilessly piercing through her noble aura, viewing her as...
An ant.
And this wasn’t even directed at her.
At this thought, Princess Yuyang couldn’t help but turn to look at Jiang Yu, only to find that the first-ranked Qianlong, the most dazzling prodigy since the founding of the Dayu, also couldn’t help but lower his head slightly, as if... he too dared not meet that gaze?
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