Chapter 70: Night Visit to the Monarch's Mansion (2)

The wide space in front was distributed with nearly a hundred huge furnaces. In front of each furnace, two or three craftsmen were working hard to swing iron hammers. The furnace fire, smoke and ash, sweat, and the endless sound of hammering were intertwined. Long swords and spears were gradually revealing sharp edges on the flames. Near the furnaces, there were other craftsmen drawing water, carrying firewood, transporting iron stones, and various finished weapons. Nearly a hundred people were coming and going without any confusion, and the division of labor and cooperation was orderly. Outside of this, every few steps, two Liefeng Cavalry forbidden guards stood high and stood with swords and spears, obviously bearing the responsibility of vigilance and protection.

As soon as Ye Xuanshang and Yan Ling entered this place, they immediately lowered their hat brims and stood in the vacant position next to the exit. Not far away, a person dressed in the commander's costume made a gesture to this side, as if asking if there was any abnormal situation. Yan Ling was proficient in the orders of the armies of various countries, hurriedly raised his hand to respond, and successfully muddled through.

A weapon manufacturing plant of such a scale was set up under the Shao Yuan Jun Mansion. I don't know if it was because of caution or shock at this accident, Ye Xuanshang was very silent. In the unknown place under the lamp fire, a pair of sword eyebrows frowned slightly.

"Did you see it? These people are not ordinary craftsmen." Yan Ling's voice was transmitted to his ears almost inaudibly. The situation in the field was clear at a glance. Except for a few older sword-smelting masters, the rest were all engineering soldiers under the Liefeng Cavalry camp. From the tacit understanding between each other, it could be judged that every one of them was a well-trained elite. At this moment, only from the angle where Yan Ling was, could he see the emotions surging in Ye Xuanshang's eyes. It could be seen that his heart was by no means as calm as the surface—the Chu State, which the Mu State had resisted with the power of the whole country for many years, and the Shao Yuan Jun, who controlled the strong power of the Great Chu military and politics, were so daunting even as allies who fought side by side.

Ye Xuanshang's heavy expression made Yan Ling feel inexplicable pressure. Thinking of how sharp the Liefeng Cavalry equipped in this way would be, and what kind of threat it would bring to the Mu State, he couldn't help but regret why he didn't try to steal the "Secret Record of Ye Zi" from Huang Fei earlier. "Although Huang Fei took the lead this time, the original copy of the secret record is still in Hengyuan Hall. As long as we get it out by the way, at least we won't lose to the Chu State in equipment."

Ye Xuanshang also lowered his voice: "This place should not be stayed for long, let's think of a way to leave first." Yan Ling nodded and understood, just calculating how to safely escape from everyone's eyes, when the sound of the stone door opening suddenly came from the front.

"See the Monarch!"

With the neat salute of the guards around, the Shao Yuan Jun walked gracefully and arrived with a smile. Beside him was a person in snow-white robes, with a beautiful appearance, who was his fellow apprentice sister, the current Queen of the Nine Yi, Qie Lan. Ye Xuanshang and Yan Ling were startled when they saw this, hurriedly followed suit, and at the same time retreated to the deep shadows without a trace, so as not to be found by Huang Fei.

Huang Fei obviously didn't care about the surroundings, talking and laughing with Qie Lan in a low voice while walking toward the smelting furnace in front. "Monarch!" Several sword-smelting masters beside him raised their heads one after another. Only one person in the center was still focusing on the furnace fire in front of him, as if he hadn't noticed the arrival of the Shao Yuan Jun at all. Huang Fei also raised his hand to stop others from reminding him, standing quietly beside him, watching the long sword gradually taking shape in the furnace fire with a smile.

"Sss!" A white smoke rose directly from the cold spring water. The sword-smelting master raised his head suddenly, frowning and staring at the newly cast sword in his hand. The raging furnace fire reflected a black tattooed word on his forehead, making that originally handsome face show a bit of ferocity.

Although she had long known that Su Ying, the disciple of Master Kou Qi, was a major criminal of the Chu State, Qie Lan couldn't help but feel regret. Because according to the royal code of the Yong Dynasty, people who had been punished with tattooing could not be an official in any country for life, so even the Shao Yuan Jun, who had great power in Great Chu, could not give him an official status in a justified way. For the former priest of the Hou Feng State and the direct disciple of Master Kou Qi, this was undoubtedly a lifelong regret.

At this moment, Su Ying stared at the sword in his hand, unable to hide his disappointment. He frowned and swung it toward the sword-testing stone behind him, but he didn't know there was someone behind him. The sharp blade drew a cold light and slashed toward Huang Fei without warning!

The sword energy that could break gold and stone was about to slash Huang Fei. The surroundings were suddenly shocked! But suddenly the fire light flourished, white sleeves fluttered, and Su Ying's sword had already arrived in Huang Fei's hands. At the same time, a flash of essence burst out, and the guards who rushed to block retreated one after another, but Huang Fei shook the sword at will, forcing them back after arriving first.

"Do not be rude." A light sweep of his eyes, Huang Fei still had a smile on his face, looking at the long sword with cold light in his hand. "Such a rare sharp weapon must have cost a lot of effort. Why did Master Su want to destroy it with his own hands?"

Su Ying seemed to have not recovered from the shock, staring at the man in front of him. The hand that held the sword before hung on his side and trembled slightly. It was not until he heard Huang Fei's question that he took a step back and knelt down. "Offending the Monarch by mistake, Su Ying deserves to die!"

Huang Fei laughed, and then turned his head to look at him. "What crime is there for those who don't know? Master is too serious."

Just now Huang Fei took the sword in the blink of an eye. Only Qie Lan saw it clearly on the side. She knew that he not only changed three exquisite methods to block Su Ying's sword momentum, but the True Qi on the sword that could split the hard stone into two was also dissolved by him at will. No wonder Su Ying was shocked. It's just that there was a complex meaning in this shock, and looking at Huang Fei again, the smiling expression also seemed to have deep meaning.

At this time, Huang Fei suddenly raised his eyebrows, shook his wrist slightly, and the sharp blade in his hand burst into a dazzling essence!

Su Ying restrained his gaze and lowered his head. "Crude product, not worth a look by the Monarch."

Huang Fei smiled. "I heard that hundreds of sharp swords are produced here every day, but none of them can be recognized by Master, so I came here specifically to see it today."

Su Ying's posture remained unchanged, and his voice sounded very dull. "Perhaps I will disappoint the Monarch. I am afraid that Su Ying will find it difficult to cast a high-grade sword in this life."

"Oh?" Huang Fei's eyebrows moved, and his gaze toward him was slightly sharp. "I don't know what kind of sword is considered a high-grade sword in Master's eyes?"

Without raising his head, Su Ying could also feel the pressure in that gaze. After a moment of silence, "Perhaps the Monarch has heard that in the Hao Shan Sword Hut, the master spent more than ten years casting a sword. In Su Ying's eyes, that is a high-grade sword."

Huang Fei said, "Are you referring to the nameless sword that once caused the dispute over the succession of the Hou Feng State and was comparable to the Fuxuan Sword?"

Su Ying said, "Exactly. The master spent his life casting swords, and only this sword made him proud."

Huang Fei asked, "Since that is the case, why is the sword nameless?"

Su Ying said, "The master never named the sword, only because the sword was difficult to hide its light because of the name of the caster from the moment it was born. Moreover, the fame of the sword is not in its sharpness, but in the person who uses the sword. No matter how good a sharp weapon is, it is just a piece of rotten iron in the hands of a village woman, and no matter how ordinary a weapon is, it will be famous in the world when used by a king. The device is sharp because of the maker, and the sword is famous because of its master. Just like the Fuxuan Sword of the White Emperor, the Zhuri Sword of the Monarch, and the Blood Luan Sword of the Xuan King, these swords are not ordinary products, but if the Monarch abandons the sword worn on his waist today and replaces it with any sword here, this new sword can also replace the Zhuri Sword and make the Nine Domains tremble."

Huang Fei looked up and laughed. "Well said! It's a pity that the sword has been missing for a long time. If you want to see a sharp weapon comparable to the Fuxuan Sword, I am afraid it depends on Master."

Su Ying raised his head, looking directly at the Shao Yuan Jun's shining eyes, and a strange light flashed in his eyes and disappeared. After a moment, he lowered his eyes and said a sentence, "Su Ying, the heart of casting swords is not pure."

To cast a high-grade sword, one must have a persistent heart, a clear intention, and a fearless thought. However, every hammer hit was like hitting the most painful part of the wound, and every cluster of flames was burning the unbearable and painful memory.

The battle of destroying the country, the pain of losing the teacher, the hatred of destroying the family, the humiliation of being imprisoned, the scorching flames in the smelting furnace, like the hatred of the country and the family carved in the heart, have not been reconciled after many years. Not reconciled to use the learning of a lifetime for the enemy country, not reconciled to cast weapons for the enemy, and not reconciled to be trapped in another country, being a slave and a prisoner for life!

"Swish!" A sharp light cut through the air. Huang Fei suddenly pointed his sword directly at Su Ying's throat. The busy scene around him suddenly quieted down, and everyone looked here.

The scorching furnace fire jumped on the bright sword light, and the man's unparalleled handsome smile looked charming and strange because of a trace of cruelty. "Master, do you need me to help you?"

The cold air of the sword edge penetrated the skin, and Su Ying's eyes gradually produced a change. "What does the Monarch mean by this?"

Huang Fei held the sword and smiled. "Master has too many distracting thoughts in his heart. If this thought is not removed, I am afraid that he will never reach the realm of his master's sword casting in his life. Then for a sword-smelting master like you, what is the significance of life and death?"

Su Ying's eyes suddenly jumped, and slowly, the sharpness that was originally numb broke out of the cocoon, almost like two different people. "I didn't expect the Monarch to be my confidant. Su Ying has been in Chu for many years. Although he is a criminal, he has always been taken care of and reused by the Monarch. He has never said a word of thanks. Today I want to thank the Monarch for his fulfillment."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 71 =====