The weapon reached the one-ard man’s hand, and he felt for the chanism at the top, pressing it gently. Instantly, a blade shot out from one end of the cylinder, its cold light piercing and clear.
With a casual swing or two, the one-ard man suddenly twisted his arm and stabbed towards the wall of the guest room. In an instant, the blade easily penetrated the wall to a depth of a foot.
"Not bad," the one-ard man nodded affirmatively, saying, "Several hundred years old and still this sharp, indeed it’s impressive, the person who forged this weapon must have been a grandmaster."
Ling Chen’s face lit up with joy at the one-ard man’s praise, confirming to himself that he had a unique eye for quality.
"It shouldn’t be just that simple," Qiu Yong remarked from the side: "Judging from Liu Yunsong’s deanor earlier, he seed quite reluctant to part with this weapon."
Ling Chen nodded; he had also noticed this detail.
Xia Yue took the weapon and scrutinized it closely. Before long, she found two tiny ancient seal characters on the top of the cylinder.
"Tianling, this should be the na of the weapon."
"It might not be," Qiu Yong said: "In ancient tis, weapon forging grandmasters liked to engrave their nas on their work, perhaps ’Tianling’ is the na of that grandmaster."
"It doesn’t matter," Ling Chen dismissed with an unconcerned smile, "Tianling is a good na, we’ll call it that from now on." At this point, Ling Chen changed the subject and asked, "Elder Qiu, who is that Liu Yunsong?"
"He’s ranked tenth on the Dragon List, and also from the Dangyang Sect. His senior brother is the Sect Leader of the Dangyang Sect," Qiu Yong explained, "The Dangyang Sect is a southern sect with a history of over a hundred years and has so influence in Martial Arts. Liu Yunsong and his senior brother are both well-known experts on the Dragon List."
"I see," Ling Chen scratched his head, realizing Qin Wu’s background was not simple. This was his first encounter with Martial Arts sects, and it seems that he would now have another troublemaker due to his enmity with Qin Wu.
Reading Ling Chen’s thoughts, Qiu Yong said: "You don’t need to worry too much, with the na of the ’Eight Eccentrics’ backing you up, the Dangyang Sect wouldn’t dare ss with you, unless they want to make enemies with us, the ’Eight Eccentrics’."
As he finished speaking, Qiu Yong glanced at Xia Yue, the one-ard man, Zhang Zhongfeng, and the other mbers of the ’Eight Eccentrics’, then said solemnly, "Ling Chen, there’s sothing I’d like to discuss with you."
"Elder Qiu, please speak freely."
"The reputation of us ’Eight Eccentrics’ has been established for quite a while now. Recently, my third junior brother tragically passed away, leaving us one brother short. Continuing to call ourselves the ’Eight Eccentrics’ is no longer appropriate. So, we siblings wanted to ask you, would you be interested in joining us? That way, we can at least retain the na of the ’Eight Eccentrics’."
Hearing this, Ling Chen was montarily stunned, taking so ti to process the proposal.
Back in the parking lot, when Qiu Yong ntioned he was a mber of the ’Eight Eccentrics’, Ling Chen thought it was just a casual statent to intimidate Liu Yunsong, little did he expect that Qiu Yong would seriously bring up the offer.
Seeing Ling Chen’s delayed response, Qiu Yong said: "If you’re not willing, we won’t force it. You’ve helped us, and we’ll still consider you a friend."
"No, it’s not that," Ling Chen quickly said, "Elder Qiu, you misunderstood, I’m not unwilling, it’s just..." he said sowhat embarrassedly, "Each mber of the ’Eight Eccentrics’ has their own special talents, I’m afraid my modest martial arts skills will tarnish the reputation of the ’Eight Eccentrics’."
The one-ard man chuckled, "That’s not a problem at all. Ling Chen, to be honest, we investigated you before our eldest brother suggested this. Honestly, you remind us of my late third brother, not just in character, but also in skills."
"Really?" Ling Chen looked at the one-ard man with skepticism, unaware of any unique skills that he himself possessed.
"My third brother had a nickna, ’Playboy’. He wasn’t good at many things, but when it ca to charming won, he was peerless. Any woman he set his sights on couldn’t escape his palm. In that regard, I think you’re very much like him. The beautiful won around you are enough to attest to your charisma."
"Uh..."
Hearing the one-ard man’s words, Ling Chen was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, finding it ridiculous that charming won could be considered a skill; were the ’Eight Eccentrics’ too eccentric after all?
"Ling Chen, you’re a decent person, and you’re upright. Although we ’Eight Eccentrics’ are known for our eccentric behavior, we’re definitely not bad people, and we’ve never done anything to harm heaven or reason. Most of us in the ’Eight Eccentrics’ are orphans or were abandoned by our families. Later by fate, we ca together. If you’re willing, from now on, you’ll be a mber of the ’Eight Eccentrics’," Qiu Yong said.
"This..." Ling Chen thought for a mont and hesitated, "Elder Qiu, it’s not that I’m unwilling, I just worry about bringing you trouble. Honestly, I have quite a few enemies..."
Qiu Yong waved his hand dismissively, "That’s not an issue. Ask Xia Yue and the others; who doesn’t have a few enemies? It’s quite normal."
"In that case..."
Since the conversation had co this far, any further hesitation would seem discourteous, and Ling Chen readily agreed. Although he had known the ’Eight Eccentrics’ for a short ti, the impression Qiu Yong and the others left on him was profound - they were loyal and righteous. Being brothers with these people was also a good thing.
"Great." Seeing Ling Chen’s agreent, the usually serious Qiu Yong rarely smiled.
"Co, let formally introduce you to everyone," Qiu Yong said, bringing each mber of the ’Eight Eccentrics’ to Ling Chen’s side.
A few minutes later, Ling Chen finally had a general understanding of all the mbers of the ’Eight Eccentrics’.
The one-ard man, nad Yuan Yun, had practiced saber techniques since childhood under a master. Later, due to jealousy from fellow disciples leading to a trap that cost him an arm, he lost his master’s favor and left his sect to join the ’Eight Eccentrics’.
Xia Yue, an orphan from a young age, followed an odd character roaming around and learned a range of martial arts.
Zhang Zhongfeng, known as the ’God of Arrows’, had unmatched archery skills and was the strongest mber of the ’Eight Eccentrics’. No one knew his origins, not even Qiu Yong.
The blind youth nad Yang Chen, had especially keen hearing due to his blindness from birth. During Ling Chen’s ti at God Organization’s secret base, he had witnessed Yang Chen’s skills.
And that child around ten years old nad Wei Jiahao had left a deep impression on Ling Chen, having fought him before. Despite his young age, his strength was extraordinary. It was only after Qiu Yong’s introduction that Ling Chen understood that Wei Jiahao’s might wasn’t due to solid martial arts foundations, but because he excelled at chanical Techniques and liked to tinker with chanical gadgets.
Inside Wei Jiahao’s clothing were all sorts of intricate chanisms, linked together with springs, which allowed him to exert formidable strength.
Ling Chen was very impressed; despite Wei Jiahao’s young age, he was incredibly clever. Even modern scientists might not be able to produce such precise devices.
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