Chapter 293: 302 Worth It

Facing the suggestion from the Profound Water Inspector, Xue Xianyun suddenly asked Tang Zhao, and everyone was stunned.

Some people reacted quickly, immediately sensing something, and stared in astonishment at the handsome youth beside him. But most people didn't react for a moment, only feeling it was inexplicable.

Why ask a youth who wasn't even twenty years old?

"That..."

Two people spoke at the same time, both using meaningless words; the Young Inspector was, beyond her surprise, inexplicably making small talk, while Tang was a bit embarrassed, as if trying to borrow a phrase to smooth things over.

Xue Xianyun glared at Tang Zhao and said loudly, "'That' what? You are already a proper Sword Smith, how can you be so coy? Whether you sign or not is entirely up to you; if you agree, sign it, if you don't agree, don't sign. These are people asking things of you, no one can hold anything against you."

This sentence was spoken bluntly; even a fool would have understood it. Yet, everyone really did look at the two of them as if they were fools.

Tang Zhao wasn't considering anything; he was truly bewildered by being asked directly. He didn't know the Profound Water Inspector well enough, so in his haste, he couldn't answer well and said, "I haven't thought it through yet. Can I think about it and answer later?"

The Young Inspector stared at this face that looked excessively young no matter how one looked at it, opened her mouth, but couldn't manage to say a word.

At this moment, someone spoke up: "Interesting. So this sword with such fiery momentum was cast by this young Tang? The one who became a Sword Smith this time is actually this young man?"

Xue Xianyun looked and saw that the speaker was an old woman standing toward the back of the crowd whom he didn't recognize at all. He found it a bit strange, but immediately announced triumphantly in a loud voice, "That's right. The one who cast the sword is my disciple, Tang Zhao!"

Although this voice was resonant, it didn't quite reach the level of a thunderclap, yet everyone present truly felt as if they had been struck by lightning.

A clamor arose all around, moving like a tide, pushing row by row from front to back, finally forming a boiling momentum at the shore.

Regardless of their stance or feelings, everyone present was uncontrollably excited, though they didn't know what they were excited about.

Perhaps this was a sense of honor felt from the bottom of their hearts after witnessing history?

By comparison, Yun Xiyan was the most excited, and his feelings were the simplest; he was full of excitement for Tang Zhao and wanted to jump on the spot to show his happiness.

At this time, someone shouted with a cracked voice, "Hey, why did it change to this kid? Didn't you, Xue Xianyun, say you were casting the sword at your Zhuoyu Villa?"

Xue Xianyun immediately followed up, "Of course I cast a sword. What about it?"

This was another thunderbolt; everyone felt a bit dizzy. The person with the raspy voice paused and said, "But didn't you just say your disciple cast the sword?"

Xue Xianyun clearly didn't mind bickering with people sentence by sentence, and said loudly, "That's right, I said it. Now it is my disciple who is casting the sword, didn't you see it? Did that sword-casting wind just now blow your eyes blind?"

The old woman who spoke at the beginning remained emotionally stable and didn't join in the bickering, saying gently, "So, the Manor Master has also cast a sword? And it was successful?"

Xue Xianyun laughed, "Of course."

The clamor rose again, and many people let out hisses of displeasure or even disbelief.

The old woman turned a deaf ear and continued, "However, the one who successfully cast a sword before our eyes just now was your high disciple?"

Xue Xianyun glanced at Tang Zhao and said, "Exactly."

The old woman finally sighed and said, "Then this Sword Casting Conference is..."

Xue Xianyun said without hesitation, "Of course it is held for Azhao."

The old woman asked curiously, "Why not hold it for both of you? A wise master and disciple both capable of casting swords, isn't that a fine story? Even if you cast your sword earlier, you could still celebrate together. A Sword Casting Conference held for both at the same time would also be a novel and fine story."

Xue Xianyun said, "Well asked... Why... naturally because I want to save face! Think about it, I, an old man, have studied sword casting for thirty years, prepared for over ten years, and in the end, I was timid, missed the opportunity, failed to cast the sword, and had my family assets raided by others—it was a total defeat. I only managed to succeed by a fluke by relying on my disciple's light, but that was just a matter of course. It wasn't a surprise; at most, it was a small consolation. It's enough that I know it myself; why should I shamelessly let everyone else know? So when the children said they would hold a Sword Casting Conference for me, I didn't agree. Just to have old enemies come over to slap my face? I was afraid I'd end up slapping my own face along with it."

"Only this disciple of mine is a true genius. Before, he prepared materials with me, and he had long planned his own sword. After I cast my sword, I didn't extinguish the furnace fire, so I let him try casting a sword using that fire, just to let him practice. He wasn't raided by anyone, he had plenty of materials left over, and he had plenty of chances to try again; failing once was just experience. As a result, he succeeded on the first try. Isn't this a heaven-sent talent? Everyone, it's not worth celebrating that an old man like me luckily cast a sword, but isn't it worth celebrating that a young man like him, who is like the Zhaoyang, cast a sword? Isn't it worth celebrating that he is the youngest Sword Smith on record?"

The old woman smiled and said, "It is worth it."

Immediately after, she turned back and said loudly, "What do you say, is it worth it?"

Although she had been speaking in a gentle voice, her voice was now resonant, as if shaking the mountains. Everyone, as if being questioned by a teacher, answered solemnly, "It is worth it!"

Because it was worth it to begin with.

The Young Inspector was slightly stunned when she heard Xue Xianyun say he was the youngest Sword Smith in history. She didn't remember if this was the youngest Sword Smith in history. However, after thinking carefully, she really couldn't recall a younger example. So, whether Xue Xianyun actually knew this record or just said it in the heat of the moment, there seemed to be no way to refute it.

Then, just for this "irrefutable" fact, wasn't it worth holding a grand and unprecedented Sword Casting Conference?

Therefore, she followed up and shouted, "It is worth it!"

Xue Xianyun didn't expect that without much effort, he would have such a response. He felt he had never been so glorious in all these years and said with great joy, "Good, since everyone says it is worth it, then please go to the venue. There are flowers and fine wine over there; what is there to see in these broken rocks? Even if you want to pay respects to the place where the sword was cast, you have to wait for the place to be cleaned up before letting people visit."

Only then did the disciples come up, leading the way according to the established procedure, and said to the guests, "Please this way, the venue is already prepared."

The crowd left one after another, but before leaving, they all took a deep look at Tang Zhao.

In terms of appearance, Tang Zhao could not be considered "unremarkable," but given his age and standing, it was indeed a time for him to be a background board behind his elders. But everyone understood in their hearts that this excessively young Sword Smith was, from this day on, no longer just a "youngster with a bright future" or a "young hero," but had truly stepped onto the stage, gained a place for himself in the Jianghu, and could even be said to have a legend of his own.

This was truly... moving.

Not to mention how his old rivals who were at odds with Xue Xianyun gritted their teeth, hating that the old man had such good luck, even the worthies who had originally stayed out of it had many thoughts, considering changing their stance; perhaps they should be more proactive. The Young Inspector went to the venue first according to the arrangements, but before leaving, she said sternly, "Young Hero Tang is the backbone of future Sword Smiths. Please be sure to be listed in the Sword Casting Record to set an example for the younger generation."

She looked like she wanted to hold Tang Zhao back to say a few more earnest words, but the Black Widow was looking at her with a smile that wasn't a smile, which reminded her of some unpleasant things in Jichun City, so she finally turned and left.

As for those familiar with Tang Zhao, they naturally expressed more joy. Yun Xiyan rushed over, bypassed Xue Xianyun, hugged Tang Zhao, and said, "As expected of my big brother! I knew you weren't a coward."

Peers and friends like Wang Fei, Ju Tianxuan, Wu Yunfei, Chu Shanxia, and Che Sha also gathered to congratulate him. The Black Widow just nodded with a smile, and there was also Guan Lei, who was particularly conspicuous in the crowd; these were all relatives and friends from Heiyang County. Because they were all elders, they didn't actively participate in the younger generation's congratulations. Lady Hua Rong brought the young people, but didn't crowd in. After offering congratulations, she chatted with Xue Yeyu and left, vaguely heard asking about her daughter's situation again; after all, that was the first priority in her heart.

After the younger generation finished talking with Tang Zhao, they also left for the banquet, but one person remained, naturally Xing Ji. He came to Tang Zhao, first grabbed his shoulder, and squeezed it.

Tang Zhao had successfully cast the sword and had seen so many relatives and friends in one breath, so he was naturally smiling constantly. Seeing Xing Ji, he was even more joyful. Just as he was about to speak, he paused and said, "You... do you have anything else to say?"

This was naturally not said to Xing Ji, but to someone behind him. Xing Ji tilted his head and saw that the old woman behind him hadn't left yet, and his expression stiffened slightly.

The old woman looked at Tang Zhao with a smile and said, "I have one more thing to say to Sword Master Tang. Truly excellent, heroes have emerged from the youth since ancient times; the future is the era of you young people." After saying this, she left with a smile.

Tang Zhao felt a bit inexplicable, but he was always happy to receive praise. Turning his head, he saw Xing Ji's expression was strange, and said, "Chief Xing, do you know her?"

Xing Ji sighed, "How could I not know her? It's just that since she didn't say, it's not convenient for me to tell you. Let's not talk about it for now; come, let me see your sword."

Tang Zhao smiled and presented the dark golden sword.

The sword he cast was naturally his sword; there was no one else.

Xing Ji started from the pommel and looked carefully, stroking all the way to the sword sheath, but he didn't draw the sword—this was not something he could draw. After admiring it repeatedly, he said, "Truly a good sword. Although it hasn't been drawn, I can imagine that it is not inferior to any world-famous treasure sword. I look forward to the day when its cold light illuminates the Nine Provinces."

Tang Zhao laughed, "Very soon."

Xing Ji said, "You are not humble about this. Also, there is nothing to be humble about. If you still had humility, others would be wrong even for breathing; you have to leave a way for people to live. When I heard it was you casting the sword just now, I was really startled."

Tang Zhao said, "That was also unplanned. I just suddenly had that impulse, felt I could try, and Master indulged me. Otherwise, it would never have been this fast; it would have dragged on for a year or a year and a half. And this process was very smooth. So smooth it exceeded my expectations."

Xing Ji raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "What aspect of smooth are you talking about? In the Inner or on the outside?"

Tang Zhao replied seriously, "You know—both."