Chapter 305: The Wang Tiejiang

Wang Feiyin: "You say that as if the treasury has the money to hire anyone."

"Increase revenue and cut costs. Old Zhu did quite a few good things, but some things he did were pretty tasteless. If I became a powerful minister, the first thing I'd do would be to cut costs on the money given to the imperial household."

Wang Feiyin: "Then you wouldn't be a powerful minister, you'd be a sycophant."

Wang Feiyin called out: "Sycophant, have your legs healed yet or not? If we keep standing I'm going to get sore feet!"

Pan Yun's face reddened, and she continued quietly relaxing her toes. After a moment she said solemnly, "I'm fine now."

Wang Feiyin then led her toward the city gate.

Pan Yun looked around curiously. Seeing that the scenery here was different from Mount Sanqing, and even the houses didn't look like the Jiangnan style, she asked curiously, "Senior Brother, where is this? I feel like it's a bit familiar."

Wang Feiyin: "Familiar is right. This is within Kaifeng's territory, a place where you and your Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Sister once trained."

Pan Yun: …

She skipped over that matter and asked, "Is that artifact-refining master here?"

Wang Feiyin tugged her along, quickening his pace. "What artifact-refining master? We're here to find a blacksmith."

In her haste, Pan Yun only managed to raise her head and catch a glimpse of two blurry characters on the city gate—Weichuan.

Today the city gate of Weichuan wasn't strictly managed. Wang Feiyin, empty-handed, pulled Pan Yun through the gate. The guards' gazes slid over them without pausing, and without checking household registers or travel passes, they simply let them in.

Wang Feiyin, familiar with the way, led her through the streets and alleys. At a tavern he bought a roast chicken, then turned into another lane and bought ten lamb baked buns.

Only then did he lead her around to another street. Just as they entered the street, she heard the clanging of blacksmithing.

Wang Feiyin led her to stand in front of a shed.

The shed was open, exposed on three sides. On the wall directly opposite and on hooks hanging from the shed's roof hung quite a few iron implements.

Most were kitchen knives, scythe blades, woks, and the like.

The shed was built against a house. The house's door and windows both faced the shed, and the sound of blacksmithing came from inside.

Pan Yun raised her head and could see through the window a great furnace burning red-hot, and a sturdy figure continuously swinging a hammer.

The moment Wang Feiyin pulled her into the shed, the sound of blacksmithing inside paused for a moment, then a voice full of vigor rang out from within: "Recently the workload is heavy, I don't take outside jobs."

Wang Feiyin pulled her inside and said with a smile, "Look what I've brought you?"

The blacksmith frowned, but upon seeing the roast chicken and lamb baked buns in his hand, his brow still smoothed out.

He casually tossed the half-worked iron block into the cold water trough, set down the iron hammer, and walked over. His gaze swept past Pan Yun without paying her any mind.

He reached out to take the paper bag from Wang Feiyin's hand, pulled out a lamb baked bun from inside, took a bite, and asked: "What do you want?"

He didn't look at Pan Yun, but Pan Yun was studying him carefully. This man's muscles were solid and bulging, his whole body brimming with strength. Looking only at his face and build, he seemed to be only around thirty, but looking again at the frost-white hair at his temples—

Pan Yun turned her head to look at her senior brother. Her intuition told her they were about the same age.

Without fighting, one couldn't tell the other's cultivation.

Pan Yun's hands itched a little.

Then she was pushed by Wang Feiyin, right up in front of the man who was like a small mountain. "This is my junior sister. I'd like to ask you to forge a flying artifact for her."

Pan Yun and he stared at each other, wide-eyed.

The man was clearly very surprised, and finally took a proper look at Pan Yun.

He lowered his head and looked her over and over. Unable to help himself, he placed his greasy hand on top of her head and asked, "She's already a First Marquis?"

Wang Feiyin couldn't suppress his smile, looking immensely pleased, yet with restraint he nodded and said, "Just broke through not long ago."

The man immediately felt the bun in his hand lost its flavor. "I still haven't gotten a single good disciple to this day…"

Wang Feiyin restrained his smile and consoled, "Taking disciples also depends on fate. Look at me—I don't have the affinity for master and disciple either, and to this day I don't have a single disciple."

The man sneered, "Which of your Sanqing Abbey disciples isn't your disciple? It's just that you're missing the formal master-disciple relationship. Stop showing off in front of me, or even with lamb baked buns I won't help."

Wang Feiyin immediately wiped the smile off his face. "No, no, no, that was presumptuous of me, Wang Mou. How about this—I'll have my junior brothers and sisters keep an eye out when they're out and about. If there's a suitable person, I'll bring them over for you to see?"

When he said this, the man really was tempted.

Wang Feiyin's several junior brothers and sisters traveled all over the place, unlike Wang Feiyin, who had to stay at Mount Sanqing, and unlike him, who liked to hole up at home forging iron. They had seen many people, and might really be able to find him a disciple.

"Take that as a promise."

Wang Feiyin's expression turned solemn, and in the end he said it again with gravity, "I will instruct them and have them keep an eye out."

Only then did the man's expression soften, and the large hand resting on Pan Yun's head finally lifted away.

The moment his gaze fell, it met Pan Yun's steady gaze. "Little Daoist friend, what kind of flying magic artifact do you want?"

Before Pan Yun could speak, the man had already said, "Are you an alchemist or a law cultivator, or do you walk the sword path?"

Pan Yun paused and said, "I cultivate talismans and the sword."

"Then let's make a flying sword," he said. "Of all types of magic artifacts, the sword is the fastest."

Pan Yun: "I think I could try other magic artifacts."

Wang Feiyin, suppressing a laugh, said, "She already has a sword. Make her something else."

The man glanced at Wang Feiyin, then said, "Then how about a talisman brush?" "I can make you a talisman brush—it can fight, it can fly, and it can draw talismans."

The fact that 'brush' uses 'handle' as its measure word tells you how big it is.

But what's the difference between it and a sword? They're both a straight line, and standing on it with no foothold is very dangerous, alright?

Pan Yun shook her head. "Would you like to ask me about my requirements for the flying magic artifact?"

The blacksmith said impatiently, "What requirements does a flying magic artifact have besides being fast? Since you have a sword, just bring the sword and let me look at it. I'll forge some additions, and it can make you faster and stronger."

Pan Yun didn't want to take it out.

Wang Feiyin, however, thought for a moment and said, "It would be possible to add one or two formations onto the sword to make it faster."

He turned to Pan Yun and said, "Even if you don't use it, in battle it can make you a bit faster; if one day you can stand on it and fly, then that's even better to have ready."

Pan Yun thought it made sense—not for the latter half, but for the former half.

She took out her sword.

The blacksmith first quickly glanced at her sleeve, surprised that she could already use a sleeve-storage space at only First Marquis, and only then looked at the sword.

At just one glance, he wore an expression of utter bewilderment.

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Wang Feiyin: "How, familiar?"

He smiled: "The moment I saw this sword, I guessed you forged it—but there was no mark of yours on it."

Wang Feiyin sighed: "Zhang family's influence really is great—they can get you to forge a sword without leaving your mark."

The blacksmith said: "You think it's because of you? Zhang Liuzhen thinks ahead—he knew this sword would cause trouble, so he kept me out of it."

Wang Feiyin: "I think you're just jealous of his materials."

The blacksmith denied it: "I owe him a favor—I had no choice."

He drew the sword and admired his own work once more: "This sword is already perfect—nothing can be improved. Take it to fly—I guarantee that at the same realm, no one can catch up to you."

Pan Yun: "Aren't you engraving a speed array?"

The blacksmith laid the sword sideways, showed her the hilt, and turned it before her eyes—the hilt clicked and clacked, flipping open half its inner surface to reveal a half-open cavity.

From Pan Yun's angle, she could see the hilt's interior carved full of arrays.

Pan Yun gasped, murmuring: "No wonder I felt its speed was extraordinary—it already had a speed array engraved inside… and the hilt can rotate open…"

Zhang Liuzhen never told her either.

The blacksmith rotated the hilt back into place and handed it to her: "I can't forge a better flying artifact than this one. You two may leave."

Pan Yun: "I don't want to use a sword as a flying artifact."

The blacksmith frowned, glancing at Wang Feiyin: "What's wrong with your junior sister?"

Wang Feiyin: "She's afraid of heights."

The blacksmith's expression went blank for an instant, then he said: "Afraid of heights? Then why fly at all? Shouldn't she learn the earth-traveling arts of Tu Xingsun?"

Pan Yun: …

Wang Feiyin: "She's only afraid of heights when there's nothing around her."

The blacksmith grunted: "Psychological fear?"

Pan Yun felt it wasn't psychological—it was physiological, innate—not something she feared, but something she was born with—but now wasn't the time to argue.

The most important thing was still forging a flying artifact.

Since he forged this sword, he was clearly skilled—Pan Yun had already decided on him, so she didn't argue, only stared at him with wide, pleading eyes.

The blacksmith met her gaze and slightly turned his head away—he couldn't bear such bright, hopeful eyes.

"What kind do you want?"

Pan Yun gestured on her body: "A railing—when I stand, it reaches here; if it could extend and retract, that'd be best—when I sit, it should reach here."

"It must be fast, and spacious—ideally, five people can sit cross-legged inside."

The blacksmith turned to Wang Feiyin: "Just leave. In a few days, the imperial court will conscript me—I have to go to the army to forge weapons. I don't have time for this."

Wang Feiyin: "We're not in a hurry. And I brought two excellent materials this time—take a look before you decide."

The blacksmith sneered: "What good materials do you have? Can they be better than Zhang's meteorite?"

Wang Feiyin swept his sleeve—and a large chest appeared at their feet. He opened it for the blacksmith to see.

The blacksmith's refusal died in his throat; his eyes glinted as he stared at the dark meteorite.

He rushed forward, touched it, then said: "This is the meteorite you stole from the desert? I heard the Wugu Sect took it away."

Wang Feiyin: "Do you think my things are easy to steal?"

The blacksmith touched it again and again, marveling endlessly, then looked up: "You want to forge a flying artifact from this? It's perfect for a heavy sword—I guarantee, the heavy sword I forge from it won't be worse than the one your junior sister holds—it'll be a divine weapon."

Wang Feiyin: "Forge it into a flying artifact."

(End of Chapter)