Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhou Shu went around the capital. After making sure that no one was following him, he climbed over the city wall and returned to his residence.
Originally, he was very sure that he wouldnât be followed. But now, he wasnât so confident anymore.
It seemed that the Martial Dao experts in this world underwent a qualitative change when they reached the second or first rank.
Just like the imperial preceptor he met today.
Later, when he was escaping, he seemed to have seen a bolt of lightning heading toward the imperial preceptor from the capital.
Perhaps the experts of Great Xia had made their move.
Zhou Shu now felt that if there was really an expert from Great Xia deliberately investigating, they might have already discovered his hidden strength.
But after thinking about it carefully, it didnât seem to be the case.
Previously, Yin Wuyou was still testing him. If the Great Xia Imperial Court really discovered his hidden strength, it was impossible for Yin Wuyou not to know.
After all, she was the princess of Great Xia.
I havenât made many moves, so I probably havenât attracted the attention of experts at that level. However, I have to be more cautious in the future.
After thinking for a while, Zhou Shu gradually calmed down. According to the current situation, the possibility of him being exposed was not high.
In any case, even if he was really exposed, it was fine.
The few times he had made a move, he had helped Great Xia. Great Xia shouldnât go so far as to repay kindness with enmity, right?
Actually, Zhou Shu had hidden his cultivation only because it was hard to explain.
If he was really exposed, how could he explain that he had suddenly become so powerful?
People with ulterior motives would definitely keep an eye on him.
He didnât want any more trouble.
If not for this, with his current strength, even if he was exposed, he might not be in any danger. After all, he wasnât weak. Even a first-rank expert might not be enough to deal with him.
I lost three heaven-grade weapons just to witness the strength of an expert. What a loss!
Zhou Shu counted his harvest and felt his heart ache.
Just now, in order to stop the imperial preceptor from pursuing him, he had thrown down three heaven-grade sabers.
He didnât have time to think about it. Now that he thought about it, his heart ached.
They were heaven-grade weapons!
Any one of them was priceless!
It was not an exaggeration to say that even the house that Mi Ziwen gave him might not be able to be exchanged for a heaven-grade weapon!
A house was easy to buy, but a heaven-grade weapon was not.
Even money may not be able to buy it!
Zhu Chuanfeng had the habit of keeping a diary. The Imperial Court already knows about the existence of these heaven-grade weapons. Itâs impossible to sell them through legitimate means.
Zhou Shu began to think about how to deal with the remaining four heaven-grade weapons.
There was no need to keep them. If he wanted to use a heaven-grade weapon, he could forge one himself in the future.
To him, selling them for money was more worthwhile. Right now, he was perhaps the poorest superintendent of the Forging Division.
Iâll think of a way to ask Steward Mi, but how do I ask? Itâs a problemâ¦
â¦
Changâan, inside the palaceâ¦
In the imperial study, Yin Changhao sat on a chair casually.
In front of him was the seated Emperor Yuan Feng.
âHe killed an expert from Great Weiâs diplomatic mission team in front of the Great Wei imperial preceptor?â Emperor Yuan Feng asked with a solemn expression.
âThatâs right. He cut him in two cleanly,â Yin Changhao said. âBrother, you didnât see it, but Xiao Shunzhi was so angry that his face turned black. But he couldnât do anything about it. Anyway, we didnât kill his people. If heâs capable, he can find the murderer.â
Yin Changhao was gloating.
âYou canât say that. After all, he died within the borders of Great Xiaâ¦â
âBrother, you think too much,â Yin Changhao said impolitely. âThe fellow who died was dressed in black. One look and you could tell that he didnât do anything good. Since heâs dead, so be it. If Xiao Shunzhi dares to cause trouble, Iâll smash his head!â
Emperor Yuan Feng shook his head with a bitter smile. How could matters be so simple between countries?
âHave you seen that mysterious expert?â Emperor Yuan Feng changed the topic. It was pointless to ask this brother about matters between countries. âWho exactly is he?â
âI didnât see him. When I arrived, he had already left. I was only focused on snatching the sabers from Xiao Shunzhi. Afterward, I could no longer catch up,â Yin Changhao said.
âBut even if I didnât go for the sabers, I still might not have been able to catch up. He isnât willing to reveal his identity, so what if I catch up?
âNo matter what. He has helped Great Xia. Should I attack him?â
âI didnât say anything.â Emperor Yuan was speechless.
âYou people are always scheming and calculating all day long. It doesnât take a lot to know what you are up to,â Yin Changhao said disdainfully.
Emperor Yuan Feng was very helpless toward this younger brother of his. He smiled bitterly and said, âIâve never thought of scheming against him. Iâm just curious about who he is. Arenât you curious why Great Xia has such an expert?â
âIâm curious. I want to spar with him,â Yin Changhao said. âThe problem is that you canât find him.
âTsk tsk, this person is a ruthless person. He threw away three heaven-grade weapons just like that! How generous!â
Yin Changhao clicked his tongue in wonder. âBrother, youâre not even that generous.â
Emperor Yuan Feng wanted to roll his eyes.?Why did you drag me into this?
âThe other party must have left them behind on purpose,â Emperor Yuan Feng said. âThese two sabers are two of the heaven-grade weapons recorded in Zhu Chuanfengâs secret book.
âThe one Xiao Shunzhi snatched away looks like it should also be one of Zhu Chuanfengâs heaven-grade weapons.
âAccording to Zhu Chuanfengâs records, he should have hidden seven heaven-grade weapons. Could the other four be in that expertâs hands?â
Emperor Yuan Feng fell into deep thought.
âSo what?â Yin Changhao said. âHe killed Zhu Chuanfeng. According to the rules of the martial world, these weapons are his spoils of war.
âI know what you want to say, Brother. Donât even think about it,â Yin Changhao said directly. âXiao Shunzhi didnât even gain any advantage when fighting with him. I think heâs tough too. Youâre not being very nice if you send someone to snatch weapons from such an expert.â
Emperor Yuan Feng shook his head. âYou think too much. No matter what, I am still the ruler of a country. Is there a need for me to steal a few heaven-grade weapons?â
âForget it. There might not even be four heaven-grade weapons in the inner vault. It would be strange if youâre not envious,â Yin Changhao said disdainfully. âIâll give you these two sabers. Iâm a good brother, right? But brothers should settle accounts openly. You have to pay for them!â
Emperor Yuan Fengâs face darkened.
â¦
At the same time, in a post house in the suburbs of the capital, Great Weiâs Imperial Preceptor Xiao Shunzhi and a young man were sitting opposite each other. Between them was the heaven-grade saber that Xiao Shunzhi had snatched away.
âThe divine weapons of Great Xia are truly worthy of their reputation,â the youth said emotionally. âAlthough they are declining, their foundation is so deep that it is beyond oneâs imagination. A heaven-grade weapon actually appeared just like that.â
Xiao Shunzhi nodded. Just to stop his pursuit, he had left behind three heaven-grade weapons. Even Xiao Shunzhi couldnât believe it.
This was just a random expert from Great Xia.
âMaster, this timeââ The young man hesitated.
âDonât worry. Even if Great Xia has a deep foundation, they have already expended most of it over the years. They have kept to themselves and are no longer outstanding in the path of forging.
âThis time, not only are we going to take first place in the Standard Armament Manual, but you are also going to defeat all of Great Xiaâs Forging Masters!â
Xiao Shunzhi looked at the youth and said confidently, âI have confidence in you on this point.â
âIâm afraid that they will send a Grand Craftsman. With my current attainments, Iâm still a bit inferior to Grand Craftsmen.â
Although the youth said this, he appeared extremely prideful.
Xiao Shunzhi sneered. âIf theyâre really that shameless, that would be great.â
âThen, will we proceed as planned?â the young man asked.
âLetâs proceed as usual. Although I donât know who that mysterious expert is, if he dares to appear again, I will definitely not let him off!â Xiao Shunzhiâs eyes flickered with a cold light.
âAlright! Iâll listen to you, Master. After paying my respects to the Great Xia emperor tomorrow, Iâll publicly challenge Great Xiaâs Forging Division until the rankings for the Standard Armament Manual are announced!
âUnfortunately, Zhu Chuanfeng was unable to escape,â the youth said regretfully. âOtherwise, we would have been able to grasp more information about Great Xiaâs Forging Division.â
âItâs not that easy for a Grand Craftsman to defect.â Xiao Shunzhi shook his head. âItâs not convenient for me to make a move near Changâan. Itâs also because heâs too useless. Otherwise, as long as he could have escaped to the post house, I would have been able to protect him.
âForget it. Heâs already dead. Thereâs no use talking about this matter anymore. You should focus on your forging. Donât let there be any accidents!â
âDonât worry, Master. There are a few worthy opponents among Great Xiaâs Forging Masters, and their Forging Apprentices are not capable. Great Xia treats their Forging Apprentices too badly!â
The two of them smiled at one another.
â¦
Great Xiaâs Forging Division, the 0th Workshopâ¦
Forging Apprentice Zhou Shu was naked from the waist up, and his muscles were clearly defined. As he moved, his muscles constantly moved along, exuding a special kind of beauty.
The clanking sounds echoed in the workshop.
With Zhou Shuâs current strength, it was no longer difficult for him to forge a standard weapon. If he used his full strength, he would be able to forge a standard weapon in less than two hours.
Although there was no difficulty in forging standard weapons, Zhou Shu had never given up on forging.
This was because he hadnât filled up the slots of the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber yetâ¦
After exchanging blows with a true expert last night, Zhou Shu now realized that there was still a gap between him and a true expert.
If he wanted to close or even eliminate this gap, it was practically impossible for him to rely on cultivating on his own. Therefore, this matter still had to fall on the Legendary Armament Canon.
The benefit from the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber was the Breakthrough Pill. To Zhou Shu, it didnât mean much. But he still needed to max out the number of Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers.
If he didnât forge enough Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers, the next weapon on the Legendary Armament Canon wouldnât appear.
He was still wondering what surprise the next weapon would bring him.
Therefore, he was full of energy. He wished he could forge a hundred Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers in a day.
Just as he was getting excited, Grand Minister Yin Wuyou came to the 0th Workshop again.
âWhatâs with that expression? You donât welcome me?â Yin Wuyou frowned when she saw Zhou Shuâs unwilling expression.
âNot at all. Grand Minister, you are in charge of the Forging Division. Itâs very normal for you to come and inspect the work,â Zhou Shu said.
âYou think I donât know what youâre thinking?â Yin Wuyou said exasperatedly. âAre you upset that I interrupted your forging?â
Zhou Shu laughed awkwardly.
Yin Wuyou didnât harp on it and continued, âIâve already told the Divine Constable Bureau about the traitors. Donât be so rash next time. Even if you discover traitors, you canât catch them yourself!â
âGot it.â Zhou Shu nodded. Strictly speaking, killing five traitors within the workshop was a problem. Workshop superintendents of the Forging Division didnât have any law enforcement authority.
But since there was Yin Wuyou personally vouching for him, it naturally became a small matter.
âI have something to tell you,â Yin Wuyou continued, not wasting any time. âDidnât I tell you last time that the Division has a mission for you?â
âWhat mission?â Zhou Shu asked.
âGreat Weiâs diplomatic mission team is here in the capital today,â Yin Wuyou suddenly said.
Zhou Shu was puzzled. âWhat does this have to do with me?â
He knew about the diplomatic mission of Great Wei. He had even fought with the imperial preceptor last night.
But he didnât know what the diplomatic mission teamâs visit had to do with the Forging Division.
âOriginally, it didnât have anything to do with you,â Yin Wuyou said. âBut this time, the main envoy of the diplomatic mission is Great Weiâs Imperial Preceptor Xiao Shunzhi, and the deputy envoy is his disciple, Shen Yue!â Yin Wuyou said.
It would have been better if she hadnât explained. This explanation confused Zhou Shu even more.
âXiao Shunzhi is a Grand Craftsman, and Shen Yue is said to be a rare forging talent.â
Zhou Shu finally understood how it was related to the Forging Division. After all, they were in the same profession.
But he still didnât understand why Yin Wuyou was telling him this.
âShen Yue is famous, but he has yet to advance to Forging Master. He is still a Forging Apprentice, just like you.â Yin Wuyou looked at Zhou Shu.
âGrand Minister, are you trying to say that we are both Forging Apprentices, but he is already the deputy envoy of a diplomatic mission, while I am just a small workshop superintendent?â Zhou Shu said.
Yin Wuyou was speechless.?What are you thinking? Are you hinting that I should promote you?
Rolling her eyes, Yin Wuyou ignored him and continued speaking.
âAt todayâs imperial assembly, Shen Jue proposed competing with the Forging Divisionâs Forging Apprentices!
âHe used You Prefecture and Bing Prefecture as the gambling stake to bet with Great Xiaâs Forging Division. The winner will depend on the ranking in the Standard Armament Manual!â
Yin Wuyouâs expression was grave. âIf Great Xia gets first place in the Standard Armament Manual, then Great Wei will give up the two prefectures to Great Xia!â
âAre they going all out?â Zhou Shu said in surprise. âHis Majesty agreed to such a ridiculous bet?â
A ranking determined the ownership of two prefectures?
One had to know that there were only around thirty prefectures in all of Great Xia.
âThere was no way for Father to turn it down!â Yin Wuyou said in a deep voice.
âThe two prefectures were originally the territory of Great Xia. However, they were taken over by Great Wei a hundred years ago. All these years, Great Xia has always wanted to take them back, but we werenât strong enough.
âNow that a chance has appeared, even if Father knows that there was a problem, Great Xia still has to accept this bet!â