âAs a lieutenant, my team members donât even have ranked weapons. Isnât that embarrassing? If itâs embarrassing for me, wouldnât it implicate you as well?â
âGet lost!â Zhou Shu said bluntly.
âDonât.â Sun Gongpingâs biggest advantage was his thick skin. He didnât get angry. He licked his lips and said, âIâll pay. You have to take on jobs anyway, donât you?â
âSure. Cash on delivery. No credit,â Zhou Shu said.
âWith our relationship, are you afraid that Iâll go back on my word?â Sun Gongping exclaimed.
âYes,â Zhou Shu said calmly.
Sun Gongping: ââ¦â
Even with his thick skin, he didnât know what to say for a moment.
âYou want weapons?â Zhou Shu smiled at his dispirited appearance.?How dare you mock me?
I donât lack weapons, but what I give you is yours. If I donât give one to you, no matter who you are, donât even think about taking it from me.
Playing the relationship card with me, sorry, but youâre not qualified.
âYes, I do,â Sun Gongping said dejectedly.
He was already going all out. If he couldnât get his hands on some weapons, they would laugh at him later.
âSure. If you follow me, I guarantee that all of you will have ranked weapons to use.â Zhou Shu chuckled.
âFollow you?â Sun Gongping looked at him doubtfully. âYouâre a Forging Master. Even if you go to the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament, youâll only be a logistics support personnel. You donât need to lead troops to war. What can I do if I follow you? I donât know how to forge!â
âItâs not like that. You can be my guard,â Zhou Shu said. âNo matter what, Iâm Great Xiaâs King of the South. How can I not have some ostentation? If you lead your team to protect me, I naturally wonât treat you badly.â
âIâm not doing it,â Sun Gongping said. âWeâre going to the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament to kill enemies and contribute. Whatâs the point of protecting you? Besides, do you need protection?â
Sun Gongping wasnât in a good mood.?Who doesnât know that you fought the Qin emperor to a draw?
Do you need protection with your strength?
At that time, itâs not certain who will protect who.
âIf you donât want to do it, then get lost. I donât have any weapons for you.â Zhou Shu didnât stand on ceremony with his nephew.
âIs there really no room for discussion?â Sun Gongping refused to give up. âOld Zhou, no matter what, weâre relatedââ
âStop. Iâll give you another chance,â Zhou Shu said, âI have some Spring Embroidered Sabers, Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers, and Eight-Sided Han Swords. They can each take one.â
âThose are standard weapons,â Sun Gongping said.
âYou donât want the chance anymore, do you?â Zhou Shu glared.
âYes, go on.â Sun Gongping admitted defeat.
âHave your men each take a standard weapon from me,â Zhou Shu continued. âThen use the standard weapons they obtain to kill enemies. As long as they kill enough enemies in the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament, let them come to my Huaxia Pavilion to obtain ranked weapons.â
Some of the standard weapons that Zhou Shu had handed out had already been destroyed.
Forget about the Huben Sabers and the Horse Slaying Saber. The Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique and Golden Bell Shield Technique had already reached perfection.
However, the Visualization of the Five Mountainsâ True Form from the Spring Embroidered Saber was still far from perfection.
It was the same with the Riding on Cloud and Wind Technique from the Eight-Sided Han Sword.
As for the Breakthrough Pills given by the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber, the more the better.
Zhou Shu had originally planned to give out these standard weapons to the Great Xia army. Now that Sun Gongping had come knocking on his door, it wasnât a bad idea to have them work for him.
âIn exchange for killing enemies? Are you still charging for them then?â Sun Gongpingâs eyes lit up.
âStop dreaming. Of course Iâm charging for them!â Zhou Shu said. âBut for your sake, Iâll give you a discount.â
âThatâs better!â Then Sun Gongping chose a few standard weapons and left in satisfaction.
After sending Sun Gongping out of the mansion, Zhou Shu realized that Chen Ji was still waiting in the courtyard.
âGeneral Chen, you havenât left yet. Is there anything else?â Zhou Shu asked.
âYour Highness, I was ordered to protect you during the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament, so I made some arrangements to confirm with you,â Chen Ji said.
Zhou Shu had just attempted to trick Sun Gongping into becoming his guard. He didnât expect Great Xia to really arrange guards for him.
âDo all forgers have them?â Zhou Shu asked. âI mean guards.â
âThe other forgers travel with the army in workshops. When they enter the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament, they are soldiers, and they are generally like the squad leaders,â Chen Ji said. âYour Highness, your status is differentââ
âThereâs no difference.â Zhou Shu waved his hand.
Iâm participating in the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament. Iâm not there to sightsee.
If a group of people protect me from battle, how will I recruit workers?
âIâm participating in the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament to help the Great Xia army, not to cause trouble for them.
âOther forgers can follow the army. Naturally, so can I.â
âI knew you would say that, Your Highness.â Chen Ji smiled bitterly. âThe great general told me that if you reject me as your guard, then I should inform you that you can follow the army.â
âWhich army does the great general want me to follow?â Zhou Shu had never made up his mind. He wanted to hear Meng Baiâs arrangements.
âThe great general says that if you have no specific requirements, you should follow the central army,â Chen Ji said.
He explained that the central army, led by Meng Bai, was also the main force of the war.
Zhou Shu had no objections to this arrangement.
In any case, with his current identity, he could completely act according to the circumstances.
If there were not many opportunities in the central armyâs camp, he could totally change locations again.
âOkay, I got it.â Zhou Shu nodded. âWhen will the central army gather?â
âThe army participating in the martial arts tournament is prepared,â Chen Ji said. âIn three days, the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament will officially begin. At that time, please head to Sanhuang Mountain outside the city.â
âAlright, I understand,â Zhou Shu said, âGeneral Chen, do you need standard weapons for the troops youâre leading?
âI happen to have some standard weapons. Do you want them?â
âYour Highness, it is not my duty to procure munitionsâ¦â Chen Ji hesitated.
âDonât worry about that. Just tell me if you want them.â
âYes, of course,â Chen Ji said.
âThatâll do. Take the weapons. Iâll settle the money with the great general later.â Zhou Shu waved his hand.
âOld Shi, Old Shi!â Zhou Shu shouted.
Shi Songtao ran in from outside.
âWhat is it?â Shi Songtao snapped.
âHand over the standard weapons in the Huaxia Pavilionâs storeroom to General Chen.â
âHow much are you charging?â Shi Songtao asked.
âGo to Great General Meng and ask him to pay the Forging Division normally.â
âWhy should I go?â Shi Songtao said angrily.
âShould I go personally, then?â Zhou Shu said. âOld Shi, youâre the deputy master of our Huaxia Pavilion. Weâre still in the beginning stages. We donât have much manpower, so you will have to do more.â
âLater, Iâll ask for a few of those Forging Apprentices from the 0th Workshop. Then youâll have help.â
Zhou Shu patted Shi Songtaoâs shoulder. âAfter this period of time, Iâll teach you the star positioning technique.â
Hearing Zhou Shu say this, Shi Songtao perked up. âYou said it.â
âDonât worry. When have I ever gone back on my word?â
Zhou Shu smiled. âYouâre the deputy master of our Huaxia Pavilion. If your forging skills become stronger, it will only be beneficial to our Huaxia Pavilion.â
Shi Songtao nodded and brought Chen Ji to get the standard weapons.
Zhou Shu looked up at the night sky. The Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament was finally coming.
Three years. He couldnât waste the three years of the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament. He didnât know how much he would gain after three years.
At the very least, I have to become a High-level Forging Master.
I have to be stronger in the Martial Dao. That fellow the Qin emperor is unreliable. If the Great Qinâs imperial cauldron shatters, the Demon Realm will invade. With my current strength, itâs really not that safeâ¦