Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Yin Wuyou sat on the couch with her legs crossed and a blanket wrapped around her body.
She rested her chin on her knees, unable to suppress her smile. “Haitang, did you hear that? He said he’s going to forge a ranked weapon specially for me.”
Haitang rolled her eyes. Your Highness, do you lack ranked weapons?
What you’re using now is an earth-grade weapon. His Majesty is already helping you customize a heaven-grade weapon!
Zhou… Marquis Zhou can only forge yellow-grade weapons now. Is this worthy of your status?
!!Seeing no reaction from Haitang, Yin Wuyou firmly shook her head. “You don’t understand!
“Haitang, help me freshen up! I’m going to see my father! He’s a Forging Master now. He must have what other Forging Masters have!”
In the imperial study, Emperor Yuan Feng suddenly sneezed and then shivered.
He suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart, and his entire body felt cold.
Before Emperor Yuan Feng discovered him, Zhou Shu secretly left the imperial palace.
That’s not right. I didn’t steal or rob. Why should I be aftaid of him?
Just because he’s the emperor?
I’m not afraid of the emperor!
I didn’t steal this Heaven Refining Stone from the palace!
Zhou Shu straightened his back. For some reason, he felt a little guilty.
Although Yin Changhao took away the Heaven Refining Stone back then, he gave me money, and it wasn’t a small sum
Now, it’s back.
I’ve done the country a great service. It’s my duty to take this piece of Heaven Refining Stone.
He put away the Heaven Refining Stone. With this Heaven Refining Stone, he didn’t need to worry about anything else.
After forging the Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword, he had already used up most of the Heaven Refining Stone that the Mi family had given him. He had also wasted a lot of it in between. After all, this was his first time forging his own weapon, and he had taken a wrong turn in the middle.
Although the Mi family had a Heaven Refining Stone mine, his surname wasn’t Mi after all. So it wasn’t appropriate for him to ask for more.
As for buying, Zhou Shu didn’t have that much spare money.
After becoming a marquis, he didn’t see any other benefits for the time being. But his expenditure was visibly increasing.
The increase in the number of servants in the mansion and the sudden increase in social interactions were all expensive.
Putting everything else aside, just for the sake of forging this Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword, the cost of the various materials consumed already exceeded 1,000 taels of gold!
Forging a yellow-grade weapon didn’t cost that much.
After all, the market price of a yellow-grade weapon was only so-so. Ordinary yellow-grade weapons could even be bought for a hundred taels of gold.
But it was Zhou Shu’s first time forging, so he had wasted a lot of materials. He could ignore the other materials, but even a little bit of Heaven Refining Stone was worth a lot!
That fellow Sun Gongping lives paycheck to paycheck. His pockets are cleaner than his face. But even if he didn’t live from paycheck to paycheck, it would take him at least a hundred years to save one thousand taels of gold if he only relied on his salary, Zhou Shu thought.
After leaving the palace, he didn’t return to his residence but instead went to the Marquis Weiyuan residence.
Yin Wuyou had woken up, and he didn’t know if Sun Gongping was awake or not.
Regardless of whether he was awake or not, Zhou Shu planned to give him the Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword first.
No matter what, Sun Gongping got injured in order to save him. The Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword was what he had promised Sun Gongping he would forge for him.
Marquis Weiyuan was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties. He had a warm smile on his face and didn’t look like a fierce general who had once dominated the battlefield.
After seeing Zhou Shu, he was very friendly and didn’t blame Zhou Shu for Sun Gongping’s injury.
“This little injury of my son’s has worried you, Marquis.”
Marquis Weiyuan exchanged greetings, filled with emotions. This young man before him was a few years younger than his own child, but he was already on the same level as him.
This person was really incomparable to others.
“Marquis Zhou, you and Ziwen are sworn brothers. He is my wife’s brother, which makes you her brother too. You are not an outsider…” Marquis Weiyuan said.
Zhou Shu awkwardly cupped his hands at the beautiful lady who looked to be in her early thirties. “Greetings, Madam.”
He really couldn’t call her sister.
Calling her sister really felt like he was taking advantage of her.
Marquis Weiyuan’s wife, who was also Mi Ziwen’s older sister, didn’t mind Zhou Shu’s form of address.
“We’re all family. There’s no need for formalities.” She smiled. “Gongping has been naughty since he was a kid. As his uncle, you have to teach him more. If he can be like you, then the two of us won’t have to worry so much.”
Zhou Shu wasn’t used to this kind of conversation, so he responded awkwardly.
“Marquis, Madam, I’ve come to see how Sun Gongping’s injuries are and also to deliver his sword.” Zhou Shu returned to the topic at hand. If he continued to chat with them, it might continue until tomorrow.
“His injuries have already stabilized. He should be able to wake up after recuperating for some time. This is a blessing in disguise. His cultivation level has directly reached the sixth rank. I thought that he would need another year or so to reach this level,” Marquis Weiyuan said. He had high hopes for Sun
Gongping. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suppressed Sun Gongping for so many years. He wanted Sun Gongping to solidify his foundation.
Now that it was time to reap the rewards, it was naturally better for his cultivation to grow faster.
“Give him a sword? Brother, what are you—” Marquis Weiyuan’s wife looked at the Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword in Zhou Shu’s hand.
“It’s like this. Previously, Gongping asked me to customize a ranked weapon for him. I’ve been forging it. Later, there was an accident. Madam, you know about it too. That’s why I only managed to forge this sword today,” Zhou Shu explained.
“although Gongping hasn’t woken up yet, I thought that it would be better to deliver this sword first. When he wakes up and sees the sword, he might be happier.”
“Where did this kid get the money to buy a sword?” Marquis Weiyuan mumbled.
Marquis Weiyuan’s wife glared at him. Don’t you understand?
This is my family’s brother taking care of his nephew!
Marquis Weiyuan’s wife smiled as she took the sword from Zhou Shu’s hands. “It must have been hard on you, Brother. Gongping didn’t pay you, right? I am sorry to make you spend so much money. We won’t be polite and will accept it. But don’t worry, I won’t let you suffer!”
Marquis Weiyuan’s wife held Zhou Shu’s hand and patted it.
Zhou Shu subconsciously glanced at Marquis Weiyuan. Marquis Weiyuan’s expression was unchanging, as still as Mount Tai.
He retracted his hand without batting an eyelid. Although you look really outgoing, this is really not appropriate.
Marquis Weiyuan’s wife didn’t care about Zhou Shu’s actions and continued, “Brother, you were previously conferred the t.i.tle of marquis. I was taking care of Gongping, so I didn’t have time to send you a congratulatory gift.
“How about this? I have a few shops in East Town. I’ll give them to you.”
Zhou Shu was shocked. You said that you wouldn’t let me suffer. Is this what you mean?
She is indeed the eldest daughter of the Mi family. She is too generous.
East Town was Chang’an’s business district. The few shops there were probably worth thousands of taels of gold.
He seemed to have made a killing this time.
He looked at Marquis Weiyuan’s wife and questioned himself in his heart. Is hard work still important?
‘When Zhou Shu arrived at the Marquis Weiyuan residence, he had brought a Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword with him.
‘When he left the Marquis Weiyuan residence, the Seven Star Dragon Abyss Sword was gone. In his arms was a stack of deeds, the pocket money that Marquis Weiyuan’s wife had given him, and banknotes worth three thousand taels of silver.
Is this how rich people behave? Calling half the shops on a street a few shops?
Zhou Shu felt numb.
Moreover, when Mi Ziwen first met him, he had given him pocket money and even a house. This was his family’s upbringing.
‘Was this the style of the Mi family?
It felt great to have such a brother!
Zhou Shu didn’t care about the appearance. What he cared about was the feeling of being valued
No wonder people say that Forging Masters are rich. I’ve just forged a ranked weapon, and now I’ve become a bourgeoisie. Won’t those veteran Forging Masters be extremely rich? Zhou Shu thought while on the way back to his residence.
Actually, other Forging Masters didn’t earn as much as him.
For other Forging Masters, it would take at least a few months to forge a ranked weapon. It might even take several years.
Even if a weapon could earn several hundred taels of gold, taking into account the number of months to forge the ranked weapon, it was actually not much.
Of course, compared to ordinary people, it was still a lot.
For Forging Masters, selling a ranked weapon could feed them for three years.
For someone like Zhou Shu to be able to forge a ranked weapon in half a month was not unprecedented, but it was not far off.
Actually, even Zhou Shu himself would have to spend quite a bit of time to forge a high-quality ranked weapon.
Ican also be a wealthy man in the future? Should I go see the half street that belongs to me?
Suddenly, Zhou Shu felt his vision go dark. A person was standing in front of him, blocking the sunlight.
Before Zhou Shu could react, two figures appeared out of nowhere, blocking Zhou Shu from behind.
‘The two of them were wearing divine constable uniforms, so Zhou Shu knew that they were divine constables secretly protecting him.
“Divine constables, don’t be nervous. I’m not an a.s.sa.s.sin!” The person who suddenly appeared in front of Zhou Shu raised his hands, indicating that he had no ill intentions.
The two divine constables didn’t relax. They were still holding onto their Spring Embroidered Sabers tightly.
“Who are you!” they shouted.
“Great General Meng sent me.” The man smiled bitterly.
“Great General Meng? Do you have any evidence?” The two divine constables stared at the man with burning eyes.
“Yes!” the man said. “I have a letter personally written by Great General Meng.”
Then he slowly reached into his clothes, as if he was afraid that if he moved too quickly, the divine constables would attack him.
Amoment later, he took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to the two divine constables.
“This letter was written by the great general to the You Marquis. I was going to deliver the letter, but I saw the You Marquis here. I wanted to come over and greet him. It’s a misunderstanding. It’s really a misunderstanding.” The man smiled bitterly.
“Brothers, don’t be nervous.” Zhou Shu smiled and patted the shoulders of the two divine constables. “Since he was sent by Great General Meng, it’s fine.”
“Marquis, that’s not necessarily true. The death soldier that tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate you was from the great general’s residence. This matter has yet to be investigated clearly.” A divine constable snorted.
Zhou Shu was slightly stunned. He really didn’t know about this. No one would tell him about the case.
‘The messenger from the general’s residence had a flash of shame and anger on his face, but he still said in a low voice, “The great general already knows about that matter. The great general has already sent a pet.i.tion asking for forgiveness!
“Tm here to give the You Marquis an explanation!” the man said with a serious expression. “The great general said that he brought such danger to the You Marquis because of his incompetence. The great general has already requested punishment from the Imperial Court. For compensation, as long as you
agree, Marquis, the great general wishes to take you as his last disciple.”
The two divine constables were stunned. Great General Meng wants to take the You Marquis as his disciple?
Although they had some doubts about the great general, the great general was still the great general, the undisputed G.o.d of War of Great Xia!
Although the You Marquis was a marquis, if he could become the last disciple of the great general, it would be infinitely beneficial to him.
‘The great general was Great Xia’s G.o.d of War. If he became his disciple, he would become a true member of the military. Furthermore, the great general’s connections were not something ordinary people could compare to.
“What can the great general teach me?” Zhou Shu asked curiously.
“In the art of war and the Martial Dao, the great general’s attainments can be said to be top-notch.” the man from the general’s residence said proudly.
“That’s it?” Zhou Shu shook his head. “Then forget about it. It’s useless for me to learn the art of war. As for the Martial Dao, I already have an inheritance.”
The three of them were stunned.
Rejected?
He rejected it?
Could he not know how beneficial it was for him to become Great General Meng’s final disciple?
Great General Meng had no children. To put it bluntly, everything he had would be pa.s.sed down to his disciples.
Although the You Marquis was a marquis, he didn’t have any real power. If he could become a disciple of the great general, it would only be a matter of time before he entered the military.
“Are you sure, Marquis?” the man from the general’s residence asked.
“Of course. The great general didn’t say I had to agree, did he?” Zhou Shu said.
“That’s true.” The man from the general’s residence shook his head. “Marquis, since you have spoken thus, this humble servant will truthfully report this matter to the great general.”
He cupped his hands and left without leaving the letter behind.
The letter was for accepting him as a disciple. Since Zhou Shu had rejected it, there was no need to keep the letter.
Zhou Shu shrugged. He didn’t care. He had no interest in becoming a disciple. So what if he’s a great general? I’m not going to join the army to fight. ‘m just a Forging Master.
“It’s been hard on you two,” he said. “This is just a little something. Please have some tea, my brothers.”
Zhou Shu took out a banknote from his clothes and stuffed it into the hands of the two divine constables. Then he continued walking forward.
The two divine constables subconsciously looked at the banknote in their hands. Their eyes lit up. Five hundred taels!
How generous!
Five hundred taels was almost as much as their yearly salary.
Originally, protecting the You Marquis was a difficult task. But now it seemed that it wasn’t that difficult
Just as Zhou Shu was rejecting the person from the great general’s residence, in the imperial study, Emperor Yuan Feng clutched his chest.
His chest was tight, and his breath was short.. Is this how you spend the family’s fortune that I have worked so hard to save? Who did you learn this from? My daughter shouldn’t be like this!