Ma Kong led the treasury and brought Yan Xiaobao back to the office they had left earlier. When they opened the door, the smiling Ma Clan Leader was standing inside. "I almost thought you got lost," he joked while looking at the two young n, but his eyebrows suddenly furrowed when his eyes fell on the sword in Yan Xiaobao’s hand.
The sword was about one and a half ters long. Its hilt was a simple cross shape, and it was an extrely ordinary sword without any gemstones or core embedded within. Staring at the rusted, mundane blade, the clan leader shook his head, unable to comprehend the young man’s choice. "Don’t disgrace us," he said sternly. "I intended to gift you a great weapon, not so nearly worthless scrap. You can choose any weapon you like. Please don’t hold back; let us return to the treasury." He added, "If word gets out that we gifted such a worn-out sword, I will surely lose face!"
"Take to anyone who dares speak ill, and I’ll make them bite their tongues," Yan Xiaobao vowed. "This weapon is what I hope for. It is all I desire. Please allow to keep it." Realizing Yan Xiaobao was not joking, Ma Kong’s father frowned, but seeing the earnest excitent on the young man’s face, he was at a loss for words. "Hmph. It seems you’re easily pleased," he remarked, and with his approval, Yan Xiaobao bowed deeply to him, a brilliant smile spreading across his face. "Run along," the clan leader chuckled. "When boys get a new toy, they’re often eager to play with it. I won’t hold you here any longer. If you change your mind, co see , and I’ll make sure you get a decent weapon," he said with a dismissive wave, a shaless grin on his face. With a sigh, Yan Xiaobao bowed once more before leaving the office, then hurried back to his mansion. As the clan leader predicted, he was indeed eager to play with his new toy.
Normally, Yan Xiaobao would return to his mansion, but today he was in such a rush that he imdiately hailed a carriage to speed up his journey. Paying the fare and offering a handso tip, the young man practically leaped out of the carriage upon arrival. He sprinted until he reached the park behind the mansion.
The park was vast, and though there were gardeners and servants present in the garden, finding a completely secluded spot was not easy. He eventually found such a place—a small grove surrounded by massive trees that blocked sunlight. Soft grass grew between the trees, and large stones were scattered here and there.
Yan Xiaobao sat on one of the large stones, crossed his legs, and carefully placed the sword on his lap, staring at it with shining eyes. He hadn’t expected anything specific but found himself filled with expectation regardless. Yet, disappointnt quickly set in. The mysterious buzzing sound did not return, nor did waves of energy rush forth as they had before. The internal feeling, the sense that he needed this sword, did not re-erge. In all, the only things present were the chirping of birds in the sky and a few rays of sunlight filtering through the treetops.
As he gazed at the sword on his lap, Yan Xiaobao felt a pang of disappointnt, but he refused to give up. From his storage stone, he retrieved tools he had previously used to clean daggers, intending this ti to clean the sword. Sitting atop the stone, he thodically set oil, cloth, and sharpening tools beside him and began carefully moistening the cloth with oil before gently wiping down the sword.
Large flaky shards of rust started falling from the blade, and the tal underneath quickly began revealing itself to the young man’s patient eyes. So rust was deeply embedded in the weapon and impossible to remove, while other parts ca off easily. The sword hidden beneath was exceedingly fragile, its tal visibly corroded and eroded by rust.
An hour passed slowly, and Yan Xiaobao did not rush as he thodically restored the sword. However, even after several hours, the rust on the tal could not be entirely removed. Disappointnt lingered in his azure eyes as he realized it was impossible to fully strip away the decay from the blade.
"Lan Feng," he called out as his consciousness entered his Lower Dantian, focusing on the Phoenix sitting in its usual position. The bird imdiately stopped cultivating and turned its gaze toward the young man approaching.
"I’m not skilled with weapons. If I need to fight, I always rely on my beak and claws," it warned Yan Xiaobao as he neared. "But while I’m no expert with weapons, I suggest you visit a spiritual blacksmith. They are specialists in crafting armor and swords and experts in tal Affinity. If anyone knows how to restore your sword, it’s them."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiaobao was so delighted that he almost wanted to kiss the Phoenix, but the bird only let out a dismissive hum, sensing the juvenile happiness emanating from the young man’s spirit. It then closed its eyes once more, fully refocusing on cultivating more of Wu Wei. Lan Feng rarely spoke; most of its ti was spent strengthening itself bit by bit to ensure that one day it would be strong enough to confront the bird it had battled long ago, before being sealed into the blue Phoenix hairpin and having its power locked away by An Hee. "So I need to find a spiritual blacksmith," Yan Xiaobao muttered to himself as he looked at the damaged weapon resting on his knees. A surge of excitent and hope filled him. Before leaving the park, he carefully stored the sword in his mory Stone. Strolling through the mansion, he eventually reached the bustling streets outside, where guards stationed by the mansion greeted him. Nodding in acknowledgnt, Yan Xiaobao dashed toward the city center in search of the market. His goal was to find the shop and forge belonging to a spiritual blacksmith.
As he stepped into the shopping district, Yan Xiaobao noticed nurous weapon stores displaying enticing wares in their windows to lure custors inside. Surveying the area, he chose a shop at random and entered to inquire about the city’s most skilled spiritual blacksmith. Pushing open the door, he stepped into a small shop. The mont he entered the dim room, the scent of fresh leather assailed his nostrils. A bell rang to announce his arrival, and as he turned toward the counter, a young woman appeared from behind it. She regarded Yan Xiaobao with a welcoming smile, her gentle face radiating expectation.
"I’m looking for a spiritual blacksmith," Yan Xiaobao said, wasting no ti. "Can you tell the na and location of the best forge in town?" he asked quickly, and the woman’s smile froze slightly at the question. "Our forge is highly skilled," she said with a faintly wounded expression. "The blacksmith is experienced and talented. I’m certain he can accommodate your request."
Realizing he had inadvertently offended the young woman, Yan Xiaobao retrieved a small pouch of coins from his storage stone. Inside were copper, silver, and gold coins. He fished out three gold coins and placed them on the counter. "I do not doubt your forge’s abilities," he apologized, "I simply have a specific task and require the best blacksmith in town to assess it."
Seeing the gold coins, the woman’s eyes narrowed slightly. Though mildly insulted, she also knew the coins presented a significant amount of money. Sighing, she collected the three coins and let go of her earlier annoyance. "The town’s best blacksmith runs a forge three blocks from here. It is located on a narrow, constricted street. If you don’t look carefully, you might miss it. The blacksmith’s na is Cou Ling."
Taking the woman’s directions, Yan Xiaobao knew he had been dismissed. He stored the remaining coins in his hand before turning around to leave the shop, following the directions she had provided. The narrow street she ntioned was indeed extrely confined, feeling more like an alley than an actual street. Moving down this alley, Yan Xiaobao quickly found it was almost impossible for his body to fit, but after traversing about fifty ters, the alley widened slightly, and a shop suddenly appeared before him.
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