AST 1155 – Yan Yangzhao, Friends, Broken Sword, Divine Casting Force
The people from Bai Clan left. Although many people were astonished, there were even more who felt regretful, as they had all wanted to see the battle between Qing Shui and the old man or against some other people. They wanted to see how monstrous this young man was.
Qing Shui landed, called out to old man Wang and his grandson and returned to the Firecloud Blacksmith Store directly. Today’s events were a false alarm. He had initially thought that he’d be forced to leave the place.
The tremendous increase to his strength allowed him to defeat Basic Sword Techniques easily. The opponent’s strength was 50% more than what he had expected. What had pleased him even more was that he had been able to obtain victory even though he had not unleashed his full prowess. Moreover, what he used was the Basic Sword Techniques.
Looking at old man Wang and his grandson, Qing Shui felt that he needed to speed up. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stay here for long and he didn’t want to get them involved either.
Stone had shown great progress in his hammer techniques. Qing Shui knew that his talent was average and whether or not Stone would be able to progress fast would be determined by his level of perseverance. Or in other words, whether he had the “pure and innocent heart of a newborn”.
Not long after Qing Shui returned back to his blacksmith store, someone entered. Qing Shui looked over the moment the person entered because he felt that this person had a very strong aura. He should be someone who was only one step away from attaining the level of the lowest grade State Master.
This man appeared to be very young, his face wearing a faint smile. However, on the first look, Qing Shui was sure that this person was from the same clan as Miss Yan. It was because they looked so much alike and also because of his cultivation.
Qing Shui felt that he had been defeated. The powerful cultivators in the four continents would be considered young if they were within 100 years of age. Rumor had it that State Masters had even longer lifespans. As for how long their lifespans were, he had no idea.
He had already encountered a few young people who had surpassed him. They didn’t look that old either. The legacies and blood lineages of these great clans were truly outstanding. He also knew the reason why they had political marriages as well.
The people from the aristocratic clans wouldn’t be able to get married to ordinary people. Even if they did, it would be just as concubines and they would try not to have kids. It was because the superior lineage wouldn’t be continued by this means but of course, this wasn’t something absolute.
With regard to the political marriages in great clans, whether or not there was love between both parties were irrelevant. The most important thing was the blood lineage and legacy. Moreover, the genes from clans were outstanding and their descendants tended not to be ugly. Therefore, it was all for the best as well.
Regarding the inheritance of blood lineage and martial techniques, one would only be able to unleash the prowess of the clan’s martial techniques legacy when they had inherited the clan’s lineage. This caused most of the descendants to be great talents. They were given the best conditions and as for how far they could go, it would be dependent on their determination, perseverance and comprehension. This was also why powerful clans could stay at the top for several thousands of years or even over ten thousand years.
It wasn’t as if every single child, who had inherited the clan’s legacy, would be top notch experts. If that was the case, the clan would be unrivaled if they were to have a few more kids. It was still subject to the individual’s level of comprehension and the opportunities they encountered. A person wouldn’t be able to attain success in becoming an expert just by having an advantage. It would still be subject to a combination of various factors.
Qing Shui stood up and looked at the man who was walking toward him. He was a very handsome man and Qing Shui couldn’t tell his age. He couldn’t even tell who was the older one between him and Yan Jinyu.
“Mister Qing!” The man smiled, cupped his hands together and greeted Qing Shui.
“You know me? I’m sorry, how do I address you?” Qing Shui could only guess that this guy was related to Yan Clan, but he couldn’t really be sure. Sometimes, people who were totally unrelated to each other could appear to look alike as well.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Yan Yangzhao. Yan Jinyu is my younger sister. You should still remember her!” the man quickly said to Qing Shui.
Qing Shui was stunned. This person was really from Yan Clan. He wasn’t sure why he had gotten involved with so many powerful people of late. Before he knew it, he had already come into contact with them.
The reason the guy was here shouldn’t be for other things but for his forging skills!
“Hello, Young Master Yan. I apologize for being disrespectful!” Qing Shui smiled and said.
“Mister Qing, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. I felt close to you the moment I saw you. You can just call me Yangzhao,” Yan Yangzhao quickly said.
Qing Shui wanted to say it once again that there are no free lunches in this world and people who tried to ingratiate themselves for no reason were probably only doing so for their own interests. However, he recalled how he had already said this to Miss Yan previously, he smiled and said, “Then you can just call me Qing Shui!”
“I heard from my younger sister that there’s a new blacksmith master in the Divine Weapon Street who is very powerful. I couldn’t help but come to take a look!” Yan Yangzhao smiled and said.
“Brother Yan, I don’t think your only reason to come is just to take a look, right?” Qing Shui smiled and said. Now, he didn’t mind getting involved with Yan Clan and it was better to get involved with Yan Yangzhao than Yan Jinyu. At least, to outsiders, he wouldn’t appear to be like a gigolo…
“Brother Qing Shui, I’ll be frank with you. My sister holds you in high esteem. I have never seen her praising someone so much before. I happened to come by a broken weapon and although I’ve brought to many blacksmiths, they weren’t able to mend it. When my sister mentioned you, I couldn’t help but come…” Yan Yangzhao smiled and said a bit awkwardly.
“Brother Yan, I thought that you were really here to get closer to me. Ends up that you’re here to get closer to my forging skills.”
“Brother Qing Shui, whatever I say now would just sound like excuses but I still have to say that what I said earlier was the truth. You should be able to sense my character. In fact, I feel that we’re a little similar. I believe that we can become very good friends.”
“Brother Yan, my forging skills are not that good. I’ll tell you first, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to fix it or reforge it. I hope that you don’t hold too much hope in this,” Qing Shui shook his head, looked at Yan Yangzhao and said.
“I know. I just want to let you take a look. There’s no harm in that anyway!” Yan Yangzhao smiled and nodded before taking out a longsword which had been broken into two.
The moment the broken sword was taken out, Qing Shui could sense a powerful spiritual Qi coming from it. It was one that was very sharp and appeared to have a holy feeling. When the two chunks of the sword were put together, it appeared to be about four feet long and had the width of a palm. It exuded a faint white light which had a hint of serenity in that sharpness.
It was a pity that the sword had broken in a weird way. It wasn’t that the tip was broken off, nor had it broken off in the middle. It broke about one foot distance from the sword’s handle, making the remaining length too short to be even made into a dagger.
Qing Shui touched the longsword then lifted his head to look at Yan Yangzhao, “This sword was also made from Greencloud Stone. Your sister has been looking for someone to forge weapons with Greencloud Stone.”
“That’s right. This was given to me by my younger sister. She has also been looking for someone who can help her forge a weapon,” Yan Yangzhao smiled and said.
“Brother, with my abilities, I’m not able to help you. I’m really sorry. In the future, maybe I’ll be able to help you when my forging skills have improved,” Qing Shui shook his head and said, smiling.
Yan Yangzhao seemed to be a little disappointed, but he smiled and said, “There’s no need to be like this. This isn’t something unexpected. You’ve already told me earlier not to hold too many expectations in this. It’s fine. I’ll wait for when you’re able to help me fix it.”
Qing Shui looked at Yan Yangzhao’s expression, right down to the finest detail. His spiritual sense was very special and could sense the target’s fluctuations.
This guy was a very sincere person and was worth making friends with.
It would be so even if he didn’t come from an outstanding background. This was what Qing Shui felt. Feelings were very important when people got to know each other. Birds of the same feather flocked together. It was just like what he said, they were actually a little similar, which meant that it was likely that they belonged to the same type of people.
“I can give it a try but I still am not sure that I’ll be able to do it,” Qing Shui gave it some thought and then said.
“Really?” Yan Yangzhao said in surprise.
“I’ll give it a try but I’ll still say the same thing, don’t hold too much hope.” Qing Shui smiled and shook his head.
“Alright, alright!” Although Yan Yangzhao was trying hard to be calm, he was still a little agitated.
Qing Shui took the broken sword and was about to leave when Yan Yangzhao quickly took out a stone and handed it to Qing Shui, “This stone seems to be called the Celestial Stone and it’s said that it can increase the success rate by half.”
If it was the previous time, when Qing Shui had met Yan Jinyu, he wouldn’t be sure that he would be able to forge this sword. However, he had some confidence now. Earlier, he had only wanted to see what kind of person Yan Yangzhao was. Qing Shui used his heart to sense how a person was and external appearances were useless.
Qing Shui received it and said, smiling, “Then let me try and fix it up for you!”
…
Usually, once weapons break, it would be impossible to connect the parts back together. And even if they were re-connected, it wouldn’t be one complete part and energy wouldn’t be able to flow through the sword.
However, there was this technique in the Ancient Art of Forging which allowed him to bring the weapon back to its initial state. However, the process was very stale and boring.
It was because it required a very long period of time. Qing Shui told Yan Yangzhao to come back for it in three days.
Yan Yangzhao insisted on treating Qing Shui to a meal and Qing Shui didn’t reject him. Having a meal together allowed them to become much closer.
“Brother, I’ll go have a talk with Bai Clan. In the future, no one will come to look for trouble with you,” Yan Yangzhao said as he toasted Qing Shui.
“Then I’ll have to thank you.”
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony between us.”
At night, Qing Shui started to forge this sword in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He was very curious about this longsword which was forged from Greencloud Stone. If he could successfully smelt it, it wouldn’t be hard to forge. However, it would be very hard to raise its quality due to their level of cultivation.
Powerful blacksmiths were the same as alchemists and formation masters. The first condition was for the person to be a powerful cultivator with his own Fire of life.
Connecting a broken sword was even more difficult that smelting it all over again and it could be said that it was several times more difficult. If it wasn’t because there was this technique in Qing Shui’s Ancient Art of Forging, he would rather reforge it rather than agreeing to fix it for him. It would be practically impossible.
Primordial flames and the Nine Yang Golden Flame continued to burn. He slowly channeled the Violet Gold Divine Force into the spot where the sword was broken. The entire sword shone with a luster and exuding a light blue colored glow.
Divine Casting Force！
Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique channeled this energy which he had never used before into the Violet Gold Divine Force. This was an energy he had gotten from cultivating the Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, Ancient Art of Forging and the Thousand Hammer Technique. Right now, they were all in the Seven-colored Pellet and would appear when used.
Such energies were meant to be used for fixing the broken sword’s “meridian channels”!
Any blacksmith would be able to reconnect broken swords but it wouldn’t allow the sword to be a single body. It was because the cultivator’s sword Qi and essence wouldn’t be able to flow through the weapon smoothly.
And Qing Shui’s Divine Casting Force was able to let the “meridian channels” of the broken sword flow smoothly!
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AST 1156 – Cloud Eruption Healing Sword, The Arrival of the Two Ladies
The mysterious powers held such mysterious abilities. Even Qing Shui wasn’t able to explain this. It was just like applying the right medicine for a particular illness. It would feel like it was amazing medicine but it was hard to explain the reaction.
A light blue colored glow flashed. It wasn’t strong and had a warming feeling. Qing Shui could not help but watch it with his Heavenly Vision Technique. He wanted to have a good look at this longsword which Yan Yangzhao had liked so much.
Cloud Eruption Healing Sword！
It’s name was very strange. Qing Shui couldn’t help but read on.
It was a sword which could allow one to recover from injuries automatically and was rumored to be a sword which a powerful physician had forged before he died. The Greencloud Stone itself had a certain level of self-recuperative abilities and after many years of research, the powerful physician had managed to forge the Cloud Eruption Healing Sword.
It increases the user’s strength by three times and the user’s spirit energy by a little. It has a 20% chance of letting the prowess of the attacks be doubled and depletion reduced by 20%. When the user suffers from injuries, it could immediately recover half the injuries and allowed him to remain clear-minded. It would then continue to gradually heal the wounds for 24 hours. During the recovery process, there would only be one time which it would be able to heal 50% of the injuries immediately.
Qing Shui smiled after taking a look at it. This sword wasn’t as powerful as his Big Dipper Sword but it was about the same as the Violet Jade Sword which he had forged in the past. It was just that this Cloud Eruption Healing Sword had an additional 10% chance of inducing a critical attack and had healing traits.
The moment the injuries were inflicted, 50% of the damage would recover immediately and the remaining damage would recover gradually. The effect would last for 24 hours. Although there were no time restrictions, it could only be used once a day.
For example, if the user was injured for the first time, 50% of the damage would be healed immediately while the rest would recover slowly. However, in the next 24 hours, should the user suffer from any additional injuries, he would only be able to let them heal gradually and not be able to recover from 50% of the damage immediately.
This sword was considered to be quite good. Qing Shui had already realized by now that it was already considered quite good for the cultivator’s weapons to be able to increase their abilities by threefold. In the five continents, not many people were able to have such a weapon.
Qing Shui smiled. It seemed that his forging abilities would be well-received over here. The materials available in Western Oxhe Continent were even better and his forging abilities might be brought to a higher level.
The increase his in powers made Qing Shui feel that his current forging skills had improved. Recently, he had been spending his time on forging and the progress was quite good.
However, it seemed as if there were still some difficulties for him to attain a breakthrough to the 6-colored grade. It was already the max for him to reach the 5-colored grade. Although he might attain a breakthrough any time, it was also possible that he might never be able to attain a breakthrough.
Qing Shui had completed the repairing of the Cloud Eruption Healing Sword. He didn’t know if Yan Yangzhao would be pleased with it, but he felt that this sword was useless for him. Putting its healing properties aside, it was considered ordinary amongst powerful cultivators to have weapons that increased their strength threefold. The weapons would also be a symbol of their status. It wasn’t that there were any of a higher grade but there weren’t many, with the exception of legendary grade weapons or divine artifacts. Those items were basically found in the hands of powerful State Master level cultivators.
It was just like how Qing Shui’s Big Dipper Sword was already considered a terrifying existence to be able to increase his strength fourfold. Most State Master level cultivators might not have weapons that were comparable to his.
Right now, Qing Shui felt that his status as a blacksmith master was quite good and he could continue to use it. In Western Oxhe Continent or any other places, a powerful blacksmith master or alchemist would be highly respected.
Another thing was that Qing Shui had yet to use Rune Seal or things like that. He planned to wait first until he had gotten a little stronger. He also planned on using this period of time to learn more about learning how to carve Seal Formations.
Cultivation. The time he spent in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was basically the most boring. He would just cultivate regardless of whether it was day or night and eat some food when he was hungry. After all, it was very convenient. He had prepared ready food and would only need to heat the food up when he was hungry. In the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, he didn’t have to be concerned that the food would go bad.
Qing Shui had never thought that he had exceptional talent. He even felt that in Qing Clan, his talent might not be the best, let alone when he was compared with the ladies. However, he was lucky. Not only had he received the legacy of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, he even had the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He had achieved what he had today from hard work. Of course, chances and opportunities were also included.
…
The next day, Qing Shui continued with his morning practice before he headed for the Firecloud Blacksmith Store. Qing Shui now had a better understanding of the dynasty in Western Oxhe Continent. This world was too prosperous and the land area was also very vast. Each city was comparable to a country and each year, they would have to pay a 20% tax to the Great Yu Dynasty. When in a war with other dynasties, the cities must heed commands without any conditions. When required, the royalty can rob the city lord of his title. However, such situations were very rare.
Yan City was one of the five major cities of the Great Yu Dynasty and was considered to be a jumbo-sized one. It had vast land area and could be considered to be a dynasty by itself. However, it came under the jurisdiction of the Great Yu Dynasty.
When Qing Shui walked into the Firecloud Blacksmith Store, there were already quite a number of people around. Old man Wang was handling the customers by himself and he greeted Qing Shui when he saw him.
Qing Shui signaled for him to continue while he headed for the forging platform. Before he could do anything, he felt two familiar auras. He smiled, put down the hammer in his hand and looked toward the door.
Tantai Xuan and Yu Ruyan walked in.
“And I was wondering why there was a Firecloud Blacksmith Store here,” Yu Ruyan smiled and said. After all, back in the five continents, she knew that Huoyun Liu-Li’s home was the Firecloud Blacksmith Store.
“The two of you are quite well-informed!” Qing Shui smiled and led the two ladies to the table at the side. The location of the table was in a quieter area in the blacksmith store and there were no weapon racks and the like there. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to come here. Although the blacksmith store wasn’t huge, that was only compared to the other stores. Moreover, Qing Shui didn’t put out many things for sale and the items could only be considered exquisite items meant for ordinary people.
The small table wasn’t very big and the three of them barely managed to sit around it. Qing Shui reached out his hand and three snow-white tea cups as well as a small vat of Plum Blossom Wine appeared on the table. Of course, he had taken them out from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.
Qing Shui found his own actions hilarious as they made him think of the magic tricks from his previous life. The most basic tricks were that the things would disappear when placed somewhere, as well as to bring out stuff out from nowhere. Right now, he felt that he’d be able to do a great job in performing magic tricks and there wouldn’t be any flaws at all.
The ladies didn’t find Qing Shui’s actions strange in the least. They could also do something similar with their interspatial silk sachets. Although, they might not be able to do it as naturally and elegantly as Qing Shui had.
The moment the vat of Plum Blossom Wine was opened, a refreshing wine fragrance spread out in the blacksmith store. Even Yu Ruyan couldn’t help but ask, “How can it be so fragrant? This seems even better than the ones in the past.”
“The age of this wine has exceeded 3,000 years. Can you believe it?” Qing Shui smiled and poured wine for them.
“I believe!” Tantai Xuan looked at Qing Shui and said seriously.
Qing Shui was stunned. He had spoken the truth, albeit in a joking tone. He felt that the two ladies would definitely think that he was joking but hadn’t expected Tantai Xuan to believe what he said immediately.
“It’s so fragrant. Only divine wine would have such a fragrance. It feels as if just smelling it would allow one to gain wisdom and be enlightened!”
“That’s right, if I can have a sip, I’d be able to die without regrets!”
…
Sounds of discussions and envy broke out in the blacksmith store!
There’s a saying which went ‘no matter how good the wine, it would fear a deep alley [1]’. However, the wine fragrance floated out from the blacksmith store and even reached out to over 1,000 meters away into the streets. When a good wine had an age of a few thousand years, it would have this effect. Moreover, these thousand year plum blossoms were mutated types to begin with. When they were used to be fermented into wine, the essence in the wine would have amazing effects.
It didn’t take long for many people to come to blacksmith store. They appeared as if they were looking for weapons and such but were in fact here to enjoy the wine fragrance. This wasn’t the first time Yu Ruyan drank this, but she was still so surprised that her beautiful eyes were gleaming. The feeling was as if she was drinking ambrosia of the gods. Although no one had drank that before, they could only use this to describe the wine.
Tantai Xuan went into a daze for even longer. Qing Shui didn’t find this strange. Back then, Di Chen only liked the Plum Blossom Wine she had tried and it was far inferior to the one now. Just the age alone was incomparable.
Thinking of this made him think of Di Chen again. He shook his head to get the thought out of his mind. Tantai Xuan smiled and slowly savored the taste, appreciating the wine. She was unlike Qing Shui who just drank it all in a gulp, filling his mouth with the fragrance. It felt very good.
“This thing brings great benefits to the body. Ruyan, Miss Tantai, quickly drink up. I’ll fill up your cups,” Qing Shui smiled and said.
“Qing Shui, look, there’s so many people. This is unfair competition!” Yu Ruyan handed Qing Shui her cup and said, smiling.
“My blacksmith store is just for show. I’m not selling these for money.” Qing Shui shook his head and filled up Yu Ruyan’s cup while he said this.
“You’re doing this to find Sister Di Chen, right?” Yu Ruyan knew immediately.
“It’s not just that. I’m fishing!” Qing Shui smiled.
“Fishing? What are you fishing for?” Tantai Xuan was very puzzled.
“The fish is here!”
After saying this Yan Yangzhao walked in and said, “Brother, what wine is this? It’s so fragrant!”
“Hmm, Fairy Tantai?!” Yan Yangzhao said in surprise when he saw Tantai Xuan.
“Oh, it’s Young Master Yan!” Tantai Xuan smiled and said.
Qing Shui didn’t say anything. It seemed that Tantai Xuan had quite a bit of reputation in Yan City. However, those who knew her were probably people with high statuses. Although she wasn’t as strong as Yan Yangzhao, she had tremendous potential and had powerful backing. Putuo Mountain’s strength wasn’t something which Yan Clan could compare with. In Great Yu Dynasty, Putuo Mountain had an exceptional standing and was referred to as a sacred land.
They hadn’t met for a while and Tantai Xuan had grown a lot stronger. It was the case for Yu Ruyan as well. Qing Shui had a strong spiritual sense and he felt that Yu Ruyan must have taken some medicinal stuff or things like that.
Qing Shui also had medicinal items which were of high quality. It was just that he couldn’t find certain ingredients earlier. Some of them had yet to reach a sufficient age and thus, the medicinal pills which he could use were very low in number. Moreover, he had already used them.
It was different for large sects. They would have medicinal pills suitable for different phases and they might even have some unique martial techniques which could raise their cultivation level rapidly.
Tantai Xuan was astonished as well. She hadn’t expected Qing Shui to be addressing the young master from Yan Clan so quickly. It had only been a few days.
Qing Shui took out a cup, filled it with wine and passed it to him, “Brother, come have a taste. This is wine which I have made myself. I feel that it’s still acceptable.”
“It’s beyond acceptable. Just from the fragrance alone, I can tell that it’s a divine wine.” Yan Yangzhao was also astonished, not by Qing Shui’s wine but by Qing Shui’s relationship with Tantai Xuan. He knew that Miss Tantai had no past experiences of sitting down and drinking wine with other men.
Moreover, there was another lady who wouldn’t lose out to Tantai Xuan either. A beauty of her level wouldn’t lose out to his own younger sister. Suddenly, he felt that Qing Shui was someone he didn’t know at all!
[1] A Chinese saying which has the meaning that no matter how good the wine, if it is located deep in an alley, no matter how fragrant it is, there would be people who wouldn’t be willing to spend the effort to look for it. It is used in modern days to indicate that no matter how good a product, if it isn’t well promoted and advertised, people would neither know about it nor would they take the effort and initiative to look for it.
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AST 1157 – Four Kings Street, Extremely Positive Person, Plagued With Relationship Issues
Adding one more seat made it seem a little squished but everyone shifted backward a little and it was just nice. Yan Yangzhao picked up a cup and took a sip.
"Brother, this wine is the best that I've ever drunk. Tsk tsk, in terms of age, it might not be the longest but the wine itself is superb. It should bring great benefits to cultivators of all levels," Yan Yangzhao said and took another sip. Such wines were extremely hard to come by.
"Look! It's the young master from Yan Clan!"
"That's right, Miss Yan just came by a few days ago!"
"Did you guys see how respectful Young Master Yan was toward that lady? Who is she?"
"He had addressed her as Fairy Tantai earlier. Only the people from the Sacred Land can be referred to as fairies. And they must be of quite a reputable standing. The only Sacred Land in Yan City should be Southern Sea's Putuo Mountain!"
…
Qing Shui kept quiet. He hadn't thought of making use of someone else's reputation since it would be meaningless to him. However, he didn't mind coming into contact with some people, like Yan Clan for example.
It was because even if he were to get stronger, he would still need a platform. This wasn't something which Yan Clan could give him, but he would still need their help. Moreover, he had quite a good impression of Yan Yangzhao and it wasn't a bad idea to make friends with him either.
Very quickly, the vat of Plum Blossom Wine was finished up by the four of them. They all felt as if they wished they could have more. However, even if Qing Shui were to bring out another vat, they wouldn't drink anymore. It was because it would be a waste of such great wine for it to be just chugged down like that.
"I spent the whole night forging yesterday and connected the sword for you. You can take a look and see if you're satisfied." Qing Shui smiled, took out the Cloud Eruption Healing Sword and passed it to Yan Yangzhao.
When everyone saw the sword, they were all stunned by the aura on it. Qing Shui knew that they must have been affected by that warm spiritual Qi. This was the aura which could provide healing qualities.
Yan Yangzhao picked up the Cloud Eruption Healing Sword, channeled in his Qi and then looked at Qing Shui in surprise. "Brother, you really managed to fix it for me. I've brought this sword to many blacksmiths but none of them could do anything about it. My younger sister really has good judgment. I'm very satisfied with this sword. Although it can't give me an additional life daily, it can give me another half a life."
"I was just lucky. It's good that you're satisfied with it!" Qing Shui smiled and said before describing the capability of the sword. This was something which all powerful blacksmiths could do.
Tantai Xuan cast Qing Shui a strange look. She had been looking at Qing Shui ever since the mention of Miss Yan. Even her Master thought well of this guy. He seemed to know a lot of stuff and was highly skilled. She already knew that his cultivation level was high. The wine he made was the best she had ever drank; the meals he cooked could cause imperial chefs to die of shame; and it seemed that his forging ability was even better than those powerful blacksmiths.
"Brother, since you have the company of beauties today, then I shan't disturb you. I'll come to express my thanks to you again tomorrow," Yan Yangzhao stood up and said, smiling.
"Brother, this is nothing much. If we're brothers, then don't be making a big deal out of it," Qing Shui spoke calmly.
"Then… alright, I shan't stand on ceremony then," Yan Yangzhao said, waving his hand to bid goodbye to the two ladies and left.
"Qing Shui, are you busy here? If not, accompany us to go shopping. It's rare that you can get a breather," Yu Ruyan smiled and said.
"What's there to be busy about? No matter how busy, I'd still have to accompany my wife," Qing Shui chuckled.
Tantai Xuan smiled, speechless. She didn't want to say anything now since she wouldn't be able to get anything good out of it and might even end up getting teased by this guy.
She was a great beauty but was neglected time and time again. She didn't care about this but still felt a little uncomfortable. This was an instinctive problem people tended to have.
The three of them headed out and they informed old man Wang on their way. The Divine Weapon Street was just right outside. The Firecloud Blacksmith Store was located in quite a decent location along the Divine Weapon Street but was just a little small. However, Qing Shui felt that the size of the shop didn't really matter to him.
"Where shall we go? The Divine Weapon Street is filled with blacksmith stores and there's nothing much to look at." After they stepped out of the store, Qing Shui asked the two ladies.
"Let's go to the Four Kings Street!" Tantai Xuan suggested.
"You're the host, you call the shots. Just the name sounds quite special," Qing Shui looked at Tantai Xuan and said.
"The Four Kings Street is quite a distance away from here. It's better if you can bring us there. It's about 10,000 Li to the north. The reason the street is called this name is because there are four great clans there who are considered to be powerful existences in the outer cities. Moreover, the four clans have political marriages and are on very good terms. They are considered to be the ones dominating the region."
“Oh? Are there fun things in Four Kings Street? Could it be that your…” Qing Shui said with a teasing gaze.
“What are you talking about? The Four Kings Street is well-known for the wishing stone they have there. It’s said that if one were to make a wish there, the chances of having your wish fulfilled would be very high,” Tantai Xuan said, with slight annoyance.
Qing Shui didn’t expect that a lady like Tantai Xuan would like such things as well. He thought that only little girls would be interested in things like making wishes.
The three of them rose into mid-air and Qing Shui once again took Tantai Xuan’s soft hands. Of course, he did the same for Yu Ruyan. The warmth from the two hands caused him to feel a little light-headed.
Yu Ruyan was his woman and holding her hand gave Qing Shui a warm feeling. It was just that Tantai Xuan’s hand kept on trembling slightly and he even felt that she seemed to have a slight urge of wanting to pull back her hand.
She felt helpless about this too. This was the second time. Before they came to the four continents, this guy had already hugged her before. The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt. Toward this man who had helped her before, this man who had a persevering character, she didn’t know how she felt about him. She didn’t dislike him but neither did she like him either.
If there was a need to describe their relationship, it’d be acquaintances?
They should be considered friends. Yes, they are friends!
Nine Continents Steps!
This time around, the Nine Continents Steps only brought them 10,000 Li away. When they came to a stop, Qing Shui looked down, “Miss Tantai, do you see it?”
“We’ve arrived! It’s over there!” Tantai Xuan wanted to point with her hand but realized that Qing Shui was still holding it.
“Shouldn’t you be letting go already?” Tantai Xuan reminded Qing Shui.
“Oh, I just felt that it’s quite comfortable to hold it,” Qing Shui smiled and said but released her hand.
Tantai Xuan’s beautiful gaze seemed a little surprised, but she didn’t say anything. She took Yu Ruyan’s hand and pointed to the wide street not far away from them, “It’s over there.”
Qing Shui rubbed his nose. The line he said earlier was much like a hooligan. He only felt that Tantai Xuan was very good to Yu Ruyan and thus subconsciously felt closer to this lady and eventually spoke out of line. That subconsciousness seemed to have caused him to treat Tantai Xuan as Yu Ruyan.
Yu Ruyan threw a weird glance at Qing Shui, causing him to feel a little uncomfortable.
He looked toward the street Tantai Xuan was pointing at. From the air, he could see that there was a large area which was the most prosperous and was also the widest street. The street was straight but no big carriages passed through there. There were only small luxurious horse carriages running through the middle. The two sides of the street were all pedestrians.
The three of them landed. Although they could see the Four Kings Street, they were in fact up to 100 Li away. They glided down diagonally toward the Four Kings Street’s sky platform.
Wide streets here would all have a huge sky platform meant for flying beasts to land. Otherwise, if they were to land anywhere they pleased, they could cause a lot of chaos.
The three of them walked along the Four Kings Street, occasionally looking at the stores and stalls at the sides. Qing Shui kept a lookout to see if he could uncover some treasures here as well.
The wishing stone was in the middle of the Four Kings Street where there was a large pond. The stone was situated in the middle of the pond. Tantai Xuan had said that the wishing stone was actually a stone statue whom people said to be the statue of a female goddess. It was said that there was a big story behind it.
As they walked, Qing Shui looked to the two sides. However, he suddenly felt that he bumped into softness. The two ladies had stopped and it seemed as if they wanted to check out something. Qing Shui didn’t notice and bumped into them.
And it just so happened that he had bumped into Tantai Xuan. Qing Shui felt very awkward now. Although the two ladies were wearing clothes which were slightly loose and their perky butts were covered up, when Qing Shui bumped into Tantai Xuan, he could clearly sense the well-roundedness. Tantai Xuan let out a soft cry and then turned back and glared at Qing Shui angrily.
“I’m sorry, I was looking at the things at the side and wasn’t looking at where I was going…”
Qing Shui felt extremely awkward, because he realized that he already had a reaction from earlier. He knew that Tantai Xuan must have felt it. When hardness bumped into softness, the difference would be very obvious.
Qing Shui took a deep breath and let himself calm down.
Tantai Xuan now felt that she shouldn’t have came today. She did see the self-reproach in Qing Shui’s eyes and knew that he must have not done that intentionally. But this was beside the point.
Yu Ruyan threw another glance toward Qing Shui, smiled as she pulled Tantai Xuan, “Let’s move on, the people around us are looking.”
Qing Shui didn’t dare to stand behind them anymore but stood diagonally behind them. It would still be fine if the one he had bumped into was Yu Ruyan but it had to be Tantai Xuan.
Qing Shui suddenly saw an old man who had set up a stall in a remote corner. The warm sunlight shining down on him made him appear especially amiable.
The old man was dressed in ragged clothes, his eyes closed, as if he was asleep. He looked very amiable and even the wrinkles on his face seemed to be very relaxed. This was what that had made Qing Shui astonished.
No matter how high spirited and how outstanding a person was, he would have his own downs, worries and troubles. However, when he saw this old man, Qing Shui realized that he was an extremely optimistic person.
Just from this point alone, Qing Shui knew that the old man was definitely not simple.
There wasn’t anyone at the old man’s stall. Qing Shui held back Yu Ruyan, called out to Tantai Xuan and headed in the direction where the old man was.
“Qing Shui, what’s wrong,” Yu Ruyan asked, doubtfully.
“Let’s go check out a stall together,” Qing Shui smiled and said.
It was only when he had reached it that Qing Shui realized that the old man was selling wooden figurines. There were also many which weren’t made of wood but these wooden figurines weren’t considered exquisite. Even if someone dropped one in the middle of the street, no one would pick it up.
Just then, the old man opened his pair of kind and amiable looking eyes. Even his ragged clothes couldn’t hide the old man’s calming aura. In that moment, it felt as if no matter how luxuriously dressed a person was or how reputable he might be, the person wouldn’t stand out at all before this old man. This was a bizarre feeling, a spiritual feeling.
Looking at this old man would make one feel at ease and all troubles would be forgotten. When the old man saw Qing Shui, his eyes also lit up. The old man then looked at the two ladies behind Qing Shui.
“Young man, you have a respectable life but you’re plagued by relationship issues. Don’t forcibly try to control it. If it’s meant to be, you won’t be able to push it away; if it’s not meant to be, you won’t be able to keep it by your side.”
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AST 1155 – Yan Yangzhao, Friends, Broken Sword, Divine Casting Force
The people from Bai Clan left. Although many people were astonished, there were even more who felt regretful, as they had all wanted to see the battle between Qing Shui and the old man or against some other people. They wanted to see how monstrous this young man was.
Qing Shui landed, called out to old man Wang and his grandson and returned to the Firecloud Blacksmith Store directly. Today’s events were a false alarm. He had initially thought that he’d be forced to leave the place.
The tremendous increase to his strength allowed him to defeat Basic Sword Techniques easily. The opponent’s strength was 50% more than what he had expected. What had pleased him even more was that he had been able to obtain victory even though he had not unleashed his full prowess. Moreover, what he used was the Basic Sword Techniques.
Looking at old man Wang and his grandson, Qing Shui felt that he needed to speed up. He was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to stay here for long and he didn’t want to get them involved either.
Stone had shown great progress in his hammer techniques. Qing Shui knew that his talent was average and whether or not Stone would be able to progress fast would be determined by his level of perseverance. Or in other words, whether he had the “pure and innocent heart of a newborn”.
Not long after Qing Shui returned back to his blacksmith store, someone entered. Qing Shui looked over the moment the person entered because he felt that this person had a very strong aura. He should be someone who was only one step away from attaining the level of the lowest grade State Master.
This man appeared to be very young, his face wearing a faint smile. However, on the first look, Qing Shui was sure that this person was from the same clan as Miss Yan. It was because they looked so much alike and also because of his cultivation.
Qing Shui felt that he had been defeated. The powerful cultivators in the four continents would be considered young if they were within 100 years of age. Rumor had it that State Masters had even longer lifespans. As for how long their lifespans were, he had no idea.
He had already encountered a few young people who had surpassed him. They didn’t look that old either. The legacies and blood lineages of these great clans were truly outstanding. He also knew the reason why they had political marriages as well.
The people from the aristocratic clans wouldn’t be able to get married to ordinary people. Even if they did, it would be just as concubines and they would try not to have kids. It was because the superior lineage wouldn’t be continued by this means but of course, this wasn’t something absolute.
With regard to the political marriages in great clans, whether or not there was love between both parties were irrelevant. The most important thing was the blood lineage and legacy. Moreover, the genes from clans were outstanding and their descendants tended not to be ugly. Therefore, it was all for the best as well.
Regarding the inheritance of blood lineage and martial techniques, one would only be able to unleash the prowess of the clan’s martial techniques legacy when they had inherited the clan’s lineage. This caused most of the descendants to be great talents. They were given the best conditions and as for how far they could go, it would be dependent on their determination, perseverance and comprehension. This was also why powerful clans could stay at the top for several thousands of years or even over ten thousand years.
It wasn’t as if every single child, who had inherited the clan’s legacy, would be top notch experts. If that was the case, the clan would be unrivaled if they were to have a few more kids. It was still subject to the individual’s level of comprehension and the opportunities they encountered. A person wouldn’t be able to attain success in becoming an expert just by having an advantage. It would still be subject to a combination of various factors.
Qing Shui stood up and looked at the man who was walking toward him. He was a very handsome man and Qing Shui couldn’t tell his age. He couldn’t even tell who was the older one between him and Yan Jinyu.
“Mister Qing!” The man smiled, cupped his hands together and greeted Qing Shui.
“You know me? I’m sorry, how do I address you?” Qing Shui could only guess that this guy was related to Yan Clan, but he couldn’t really be sure. Sometimes, people who were totally unrelated to each other could appear to look alike as well.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Yan Yangzhao. Yan Jinyu is my younger sister. You should still remember her!” the man quickly said to Qing Shui.
Qing Shui was stunned. This person was really from Yan Clan. He wasn’t sure why he had gotten involved with so many powerful people of late. Before he knew it, he had already come into contact with them.
The reason the guy was here shouldn’t be for other things but for his forging skills!
“Hello, Young Master Yan. I apologize for being disrespectful!” Qing Shui smiled and said.
“Mister Qing, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. I felt close to you the moment I saw you. You can just call me Yangzhao,” Yan Yangzhao quickly said.
Qing Shui wanted to say it once again that there are no free lunches in this world and people who tried to ingratiate themselves for no reason were probably only doing so for their own interests. However, he recalled how he had already said this to Miss Yan previously, he smiled and said, “Then you can just call me Qing Shui!”
“I heard from my younger sister that there’s a new blacksmith master in the Divine Weapon Street who is very powerful. I couldn’t help but come to take a look!” Yan Yangzhao smiled and said.
“Brother Yan, I don’t think your only reason to come is just to take a look, right?” Qing Shui smiled and said. Now, he didn’t mind getting involved with Yan Clan and it was better to get involved with Yan Yangzhao than Yan Jinyu. At least, to outsiders, he wouldn’t appear to be like a gigolo…
“Brother Qing Shui, I’ll be frank with you. My sister holds you in high esteem. I have never seen her praising someone so much before. I happened to come by a broken weapon and although I’ve brought to many blacksmiths, they weren’t able to mend it. When my sister mentioned you, I couldn’t help but come…” Yan Yangzhao smiled and said a bit awkwardly.
“Brother Yan, I thought that you were really here to get closer to me. Ends up that you’re here to get closer to my forging skills.”
“Brother Qing Shui, whatever I say now would just sound like excuses but I still have to say that what I said earlier was the truth. You should be able to sense my character. In fact, I feel that we’re a little similar. I believe that we can become very good friends.”
“Brother Yan, my forging skills are not that good. I’ll tell you first, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to fix it or reforge it. I hope that you don’t hold too much hope in this,” Qing Shui shook his head, looked at Yan Yangzhao and said.
“I know. I just want to let you take a look. There’s no harm in that anyway!” Yan Yangzhao smiled and nodded before taking out a longsword which had been broken into two.
The moment the broken sword was taken out, Qing Shui could sense a powerful spiritual Qi coming from it. It was one that was very sharp and appeared to have a holy feeling. When the two chunks of the sword were put together, it appeared to be about four feet long and had the width of a palm. It exuded a faint white light which had a hint of serenity in that sharpness.
It was a pity that the sword had broken in a weird way. It wasn’t that the tip was broken off, nor had it broken off in the middle. It broke about one foot distance from the sword’s handle, making the remaining length too short to be even made into a dagger.
Qing Shui touched the longsword then lifted his head to look at Yan Yangzhao, “This sword was also made from Greencloud Stone. Your sister has been looking for someone to forge weapons with Greencloud Stone.”
“That’s right. This was given to me by my younger sister. She has also been looking for someone who can help her forge a weapon,” Yan Yangzhao smiled and said.
“Brother, with my abilities, I’m not able to help you. I’m really sorry. In the future, maybe I’ll be able to help you when my forging skills have improved,” Qing Shui shook his head and said, smiling.
Yan Yangzhao seemed to be a little disappointed, but he smiled and said, “There’s no need to be like this. This isn’t something unexpected. You’ve already told me earlier not to hold too many expectations in this. It’s fine. I’ll wait for when you’re able to help me fix it.”
Qing Shui looked at Yan Yangzhao’s expression, right down to the finest detail. His spiritual sense was very special and could sense the target’s fluctuations.
This guy was a very sincere person and was worth making friends with.
It would be so even if he didn’t come from an outstanding background. This was what Qing Shui felt. Feelings were very important when people got to know each other. Birds of the same feather flocked together. It was just like what he said, they were actually a little similar, which meant that it was likely that they belonged to the same type of people.
“I can give it a try but I still am not sure that I’ll be able to do it,” Qing Shui gave it some thought and then said.
“Really?” Yan Yangzhao said in surprise.
“I’ll give it a try but I’ll still say the same thing, don’t hold too much hope.” Qing Shui smiled and shook his head.
“Alright, alright!” Although Yan Yangzhao was trying hard to be calm, he was still a little agitated.
Qing Shui took the broken sword and was about to leave when Yan Yangzhao quickly took out a stone and handed it to Qing Shui, “This stone seems to be called the Celestial Stone and it’s said that it can increase the success rate by half.”
If it was the previous time, when Qing Shui had met Yan Jinyu, he wouldn’t be sure that he would be able to forge this sword. However, he had some confidence now. Earlier, he had only wanted to see what kind of person Yan Yangzhao was. Qing Shui used his heart to sense how a person was and external appearances were useless.
Qing Shui received it and said, smiling, “Then let me try and fix it up for you!”
…
Usually, once weapons break, it would be impossible to connect the parts back together. And even if they were re-connected, it wouldn’t be one complete part and energy wouldn’t be able to flow through the sword.
However, there was this technique in the Ancient Art of Forging which allowed him to bring the weapon back to its initial state. However, the process was very stale and boring.
It was because it required a very long period of time. Qing Shui told Yan Yangzhao to come back for it in three days.
Yan Yangzhao insisted on treating Qing Shui to a meal and Qing Shui didn’t reject him. Having a meal together allowed them to become much closer.
“Brother, I’ll go have a talk with Bai Clan. In the future, no one will come to look for trouble with you,” Yan Yangzhao said as he toasted Qing Shui.
“Then I’ll have to thank you.”
“There’s no need to stand on ceremony between us.”
At night, Qing Shui started to forge this sword in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He was very curious about this longsword which was forged from Greencloud Stone. If he could successfully smelt it, it wouldn’t be hard to forge. However, it would be very hard to raise its quality due to their level of cultivation.
Powerful blacksmiths were the same as alchemists and formation masters. The first condition was for the person to be a powerful cultivator with his own Fire of life.
Connecting a broken sword was even more difficult that smelting it all over again and it could be said that it was several times more difficult. If it wasn’t because there was this technique in Qing Shui’s Ancient Art of Forging, he would rather reforge it rather than agreeing to fix it for him. It would be practically impossible.
Primordial flames and the Nine Yang Golden Flame continued to burn. He slowly channeled the Violet Gold Divine Force into the spot where the sword was broken. The entire sword shone with a luster and exuding a light blue colored glow.
Divine Casting Force！
Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique channeled this energy which he had never used before into the Violet Gold Divine Force. This was an energy he had gotten from cultivating the Qi of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, Ancient Art of Forging and the Thousand Hammer Technique. Right now, they were all in the Seven-colored Pellet and would appear when used.
Such energies were meant to be used for fixing the broken sword’s “meridian channels”!
Any blacksmith would be able to reconnect broken swords but it wouldn’t allow the sword to be a single body. It was because the cultivator’s sword Qi and essence wouldn’t be able to flow through the weapon smoothly.
And Qing Shui’s Divine Casting Force was able to let the “meridian channels” of the broken sword flow smoothly!
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AST 1156 – Cloud Eruption Healing Sword, The Arrival of the Two Ladies
The mysterious powers held such mysterious abilities. Even Qing Shui wasn’t able to explain this. It was just like applying the right medicine for a particular illness. It would feel like it was amazing medicine but it was hard to explain the reaction.
A light blue colored glow flashed. It wasn’t strong and had a warming feeling. Qing Shui could not help but watch it with his Heavenly Vision Technique. He wanted to have a good look at this longsword which Yan Yangzhao had liked so much.
Cloud Eruption Healing Sword！
It’s name was very strange. Qing Shui couldn’t help but read on.
It was a sword which could allow one to recover from injuries automatically and was rumored to be a sword which a powerful physician had forged before he died. The Greencloud Stone itself had a certain level of self-recuperative abilities and after many years of research, the powerful physician had managed to forge the Cloud Eruption Healing Sword.
It increases the user’s strength by three times and the user’s spirit energy by a little. It has a 20% chance of letting the prowess of the attacks be doubled and depletion reduced by 20%. When the user suffers from injuries, it could immediately recover half the injuries and allowed him to remain clear-minded. It would then continue to gradually heal the wounds for 24 hours. During the recovery process, there would only be one time which it would be able to heal 50% of the injuries immediately.
Qing Shui smiled after taking a look at it. This sword wasn’t as powerful as his Big Dipper Sword but it was about the same as the Violet Jade Sword which he had forged in the past. It was just that this Cloud Eruption Healing Sword had an additional 10% chance of inducing a critical attack and had healing traits.
The moment the injuries were inflicted, 50% of the damage would recover immediately and the remaining damage would recover gradually. The effect would last for 24 hours. Although there were no time restrictions, it could only be used once a day.
For example, if the user was injured for the first time, 50% of the damage would be healed immediately while the rest would recover slowly. However, in the next 24 hours, should the user suffer from any additional injuries, he would only be able to let them heal gradually and not be able to recover from 50% of the damage immediately.
This sword was considered to be quite good. Qing Shui had already realized by now that it was already considered quite good for the cultivator’s weapons to be able to increase their abilities by threefold. In the five continents, not many people were able to have such a weapon.
Qing Shui smiled. It seemed that his forging abilities would be well-received over here. The materials available in Western Oxhe Continent were even better and his forging abilities might be brought to a higher level.
The increase his in powers made Qing Shui feel that his current forging skills had improved. Recently, he had been spending his time on forging and the progress was quite good.
However, it seemed as if there were still some difficulties for him to attain a breakthrough to the 6-colored grade. It was already the max for him to reach the 5-colored grade. Although he might attain a breakthrough any time, it was also possible that he might never be able to attain a breakthrough.
Qing Shui had completed the repairing of the Cloud Eruption Healing Sword. He didn’t know if Yan Yangzhao would be pleased with it, but he felt that this sword was useless for him. Putting its healing properties aside, it was considered ordinary amongst powerful cultivators to have weapons that increased their strength threefold. The weapons would also be a symbol of their status. It wasn’t that there were any of a higher grade but there weren’t many, with the exception of legendary grade weapons or divine artifacts. Those items were basically found in the hands of powerful State Master level cultivators.
It was just like how Qing Shui’s Big Dipper Sword was already considered a terrifying existence to be able to increase his strength fourfold. Most State Master level cultivators might not have weapons that were comparable to his.
Right now, Qing Shui felt that his status as a blacksmith master was quite good and he could continue to use it. In Western Oxhe Continent or any other places, a powerful blacksmith master or alchemist would be highly respected.
Another thing was that Qing Shui had yet to use Rune Seal or things like that. He planned to wait first until he had gotten a little stronger. He also planned on using this period of time to learn more about learning how to carve Seal Formations.
Cultivation. The time he spent in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal was basically the most boring. He would just cultivate regardless of whether it was day or night and eat some food when he was hungry. After all, it was very convenient. He had prepared ready food and would only need to heat the food up when he was hungry. In the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal, he didn’t have to be concerned that the food would go bad.
Qing Shui had never thought that he had exceptional talent. He even felt that in Qing Clan, his talent might not be the best, let alone when he was compared with the ladies. However, he was lucky. Not only had he received the legacy of the Ancient Strengthening Technique, he even had the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He had achieved what he had today from hard work. Of course, chances and opportunities were also included.
…
The next day, Qing Shui continued with his morning practice before he headed for the Firecloud Blacksmith Store. Qing Shui now had a better understanding of the dynasty in Western Oxhe Continent. This world was too prosperous and the land area was also very vast. Each city was comparable to a country and each year, they would have to pay a 20% tax to the Great Yu Dynasty. When in a war with other dynasties, the cities must heed commands without any conditions. When required, the royalty can rob the city lord of his title. However, such situations were very rare.
Yan City was one of the five major cities of the Great Yu Dynasty and was considered to be a jumbo-sized one. It had vast land area and could be considered to be a dynasty by itself. However, it came under the jurisdiction of the Great Yu Dynasty.
When Qing Shui walked into the Firecloud Blacksmith Store, there were already quite a number of people around. Old man Wang was handling the customers by himself and he greeted Qing Shui when he saw him.
Qing Shui signaled for him to continue while he headed for the forging platform. Before he could do anything, he felt two familiar auras. He smiled, put down the hammer in his hand and looked toward the door.
Tantai Xuan and Yu Ruyan walked in.
“And I was wondering why there was a Firecloud Blacksmith Store here,” Yu Ruyan smiled and said. After all, back in the five continents, she knew that Huoyun Liu-Li’s home was the Firecloud Blacksmith Store.
“The two of you are quite well-informed!” Qing Shui smiled and led the two ladies to the table at the side. The location of the table was in a quieter area in the blacksmith store and there were no weapon racks and the like there. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to come here. Although the blacksmith store wasn’t huge, that was only compared to the other stores. Moreover, Qing Shui didn’t put out many things for sale and the items could only be considered exquisite items meant for ordinary people.
The small table wasn’t very big and the three of them barely managed to sit around it. Qing Shui reached out his hand and three snow-white tea cups as well as a small vat of Plum Blossom Wine appeared on the table. Of course, he had taken them out from the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.
Qing Shui found his own actions hilarious as they made him think of the magic tricks from his previous life. The most basic tricks were that the things would disappear when placed somewhere, as well as to bring out stuff out from nowhere. Right now, he felt that he’d be able to do a great job in performing magic tricks and there wouldn’t be any flaws at all.
The ladies didn’t find Qing Shui’s actions strange in the least. They could also do something similar with their interspatial silk sachets. Although, they might not be able to do it as naturally and elegantly as Qing Shui had.
The moment the vat of Plum Blossom Wine was opened, a refreshing wine fragrance spread out in the blacksmith store. Even Yu Ruyan couldn’t help but ask, “How can it be so fragrant? This seems even better than the ones in the past.”
“The age of this wine has exceeded 3,000 years. Can you believe it?” Qing Shui smiled and poured wine for them.
“I believe!” Tantai Xuan looked at Qing Shui and said seriously.
Qing Shui was stunned. He had spoken the truth, albeit in a joking tone. He felt that the two ladies would definitely think that he was joking but hadn’t expected Tantai Xuan to believe what he said immediately.
“It’s so fragrant. Only divine wine would have such a fragrance. It feels as if just smelling it would allow one to gain wisdom and be enlightened!”
“That’s right, if I can have a sip, I’d be able to die without regrets!”
…
Sounds of discussions and envy broke out in the blacksmith store!
There’s a saying which went ‘no matter how good the wine, it would fear a deep alley [1]’. However, the wine fragrance floated out from the blacksmith store and even reached out to over 1,000 meters away into the streets. When a good wine had an age of a few thousand years, it would have this effect. Moreover, these thousand year plum blossoms were mutated types to begin with. When they were used to be fermented into wine, the essence in the wine would have amazing effects.
It didn’t take long for many people to come to blacksmith store. They appeared as if they were looking for weapons and such but were in fact here to enjoy the wine fragrance. This wasn’t the first time Yu Ruyan drank this, but she was still so surprised that her beautiful eyes were gleaming. The feeling was as if she was drinking ambrosia of the gods. Although no one had drank that before, they could only use this to describe the wine.
Tantai Xuan went into a daze for even longer. Qing Shui didn’t find this strange. Back then, Di Chen only liked the Plum Blossom Wine she had tried and it was far inferior to the one now. Just the age alone was incomparable.
Thinking of this made him think of Di Chen again. He shook his head to get the thought out of his mind. Tantai Xuan smiled and slowly savored the taste, appreciating the wine. She was unlike Qing Shui who just drank it all in a gulp, filling his mouth with the fragrance. It felt very good.
“This thing brings great benefits to the body. Ruyan, Miss Tantai, quickly drink up. I’ll fill up your cups,” Qing Shui smiled and said.
“Qing Shui, look, there’s so many people. This is unfair competition!” Yu Ruyan handed Qing Shui her cup and said, smiling.
“My blacksmith store is just for show. I’m not selling these for money.” Qing Shui shook his head and filled up Yu Ruyan’s cup while he said this.
“You’re doing this to find Sister Di Chen, right?” Yu Ruyan knew immediately.
“It’s not just that. I’m fishing!” Qing Shui smiled.
“Fishing? What are you fishing for?” Tantai Xuan was very puzzled.
“The fish is here!”
After saying this Yan Yangzhao walked in and said, “Brother, what wine is this? It’s so fragrant!”
“Hmm, Fairy Tantai?!” Yan Yangzhao said in surprise when he saw Tantai Xuan.
“Oh, it’s Young Master Yan!” Tantai Xuan smiled and said.
Qing Shui didn’t say anything. It seemed that Tantai Xuan had quite a bit of reputation in Yan City. However, those who knew her were probably people with high statuses. Although she wasn’t as strong as Yan Yangzhao, she had tremendous potential and had powerful backing. Putuo Mountain’s strength wasn’t something which Yan Clan could compare with. In Great Yu Dynasty, Putuo Mountain had an exceptional standing and was referred to as a sacred land.
They hadn’t met for a while and Tantai Xuan had grown a lot stronger. It was the case for Yu Ruyan as well. Qing Shui had a strong spiritual sense and he felt that Yu Ruyan must have taken some medicinal stuff or things like that.
Qing Shui also had medicinal items which were of high quality. It was just that he couldn’t find certain ingredients earlier. Some of them had yet to reach a sufficient age and thus, the medicinal pills which he could use were very low in number. Moreover, he had already used them.
It was different for large sects. They would have medicinal pills suitable for different phases and they might even have some unique martial techniques which could raise their cultivation level rapidly.
Tantai Xuan was astonished as well. She hadn’t expected Qing Shui to be addressing the young master from Yan Clan so quickly. It had only been a few days.
Qing Shui took out a cup, filled it with wine and passed it to him, “Brother, come have a taste. This is wine which I have made myself. I feel that it’s still acceptable.”
“It’s beyond acceptable. Just from the fragrance alone, I can tell that it’s a divine wine.” Yan Yangzhao was also astonished, not by Qing Shui’s wine but by Qing Shui’s relationship with Tantai Xuan. He knew that Miss Tantai had no past experiences of sitting down and drinking wine with other men.
Moreover, there was another lady who wouldn’t lose out to Tantai Xuan either. A beauty of her level wouldn’t lose out to his own younger sister. Suddenly, he felt that Qing Shui was someone he didn’t know at all!
[1] A Chinese saying which has the meaning that no matter how good the wine, if it is located deep in an alley, no matter how fragrant it is, there would be people who wouldn’t be willing to spend the effort to look for it. It is used in modern days to indicate that no matter how good a product, if it isn’t well promoted and advertised, people would neither know about it nor would they take the effort and initiative to look for it.
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AST 1157 – Four Kings Street, Extremely Positive Person, Plagued With Relationship Issues
Adding one more seat made it seem a little squished but everyone shifted backward a little and it was just nice. Yan Yangzhao picked up a cup and took a sip.
"Brother, this wine is the best that I've ever drunk. Tsk tsk, in terms of age, it might not be the longest but the wine itself is superb. It should bring great benefits to cultivators of all levels," Yan Yangzhao said and took another sip. Such wines were extremely hard to come by.
"Look! It's the young master from Yan Clan!"
"That's right, Miss Yan just came by a few days ago!"
"Did you guys see how respectful Young Master Yan was toward that lady? Who is she?"
"He had addressed her as Fairy Tantai earlier. Only the people from the Sacred Land can be referred to as fairies. And they must be of quite a reputable standing. The only Sacred Land in Yan City should be Southern Sea's Putuo Mountain!"
…
Qing Shui kept quiet. He hadn't thought of making use of someone else's reputation since it would be meaningless to him. However, he didn't mind coming into contact with some people, like Yan Clan for example.
It was because even if he were to get stronger, he would still need a platform. This wasn't something which Yan Clan could give him, but he would still need their help. Moreover, he had quite a good impression of Yan Yangzhao and it wasn't a bad idea to make friends with him either.
Very quickly, the vat of Plum Blossom Wine was finished up by the four of them. They all felt as if they wished they could have more. However, even if Qing Shui were to bring out another vat, they wouldn't drink anymore. It was because it would be a waste of such great wine for it to be just chugged down like that.
"I spent the whole night forging yesterday and connected the sword for you. You can take a look and see if you're satisfied." Qing Shui smiled, took out the Cloud Eruption Healing Sword and passed it to Yan Yangzhao.
When everyone saw the sword, they were all stunned by the aura on it. Qing Shui knew that they must have been affected by that warm spiritual Qi. This was the aura which could provide healing qualities.
Yan Yangzhao picked up the Cloud Eruption Healing Sword, channeled in his Qi and then looked at Qing Shui in surprise. "Brother, you really managed to fix it for me. I've brought this sword to many blacksmiths but none of them could do anything about it. My younger sister really has good judgment. I'm very satisfied with this sword. Although it can't give me an additional life daily, it can give me another half a life."
"I was just lucky. It's good that you're satisfied with it!" Qing Shui smiled and said before describing the capability of the sword. This was something which all powerful blacksmiths could do.
Tantai Xuan cast Qing Shui a strange look. She had been looking at Qing Shui ever since the mention of Miss Yan. Even her Master thought well of this guy. He seemed to know a lot of stuff and was highly skilled. She already knew that his cultivation level was high. The wine he made was the best she had ever drank; the meals he cooked could cause imperial chefs to die of shame; and it seemed that his forging ability was even better than those powerful blacksmiths.
"Brother, since you have the company of beauties today, then I shan't disturb you. I'll come to express my thanks to you again tomorrow," Yan Yangzhao stood up and said, smiling.
"Brother, this is nothing much. If we're brothers, then don't be making a big deal out of it," Qing Shui spoke calmly.
"Then… alright, I shan't stand on ceremony then," Yan Yangzhao said, waving his hand to bid goodbye to the two ladies and left.
"Qing Shui, are you busy here? If not, accompany us to go shopping. It's rare that you can get a breather," Yu Ruyan smiled and said.
"What's there to be busy about? No matter how busy, I'd still have to accompany my wife," Qing Shui chuckled.
Tantai Xuan smiled, speechless. She didn't want to say anything now since she wouldn't be able to get anything good out of it and might even end up getting teased by this guy.
She was a great beauty but was neglected time and time again. She didn't care about this but still felt a little uncomfortable. This was an instinctive problem people tended to have.
The three of them headed out and they informed old man Wang on their way. The Divine Weapon Street was just right outside. The Firecloud Blacksmith Store was located in quite a decent location along the Divine Weapon Street but was just a little small. However, Qing Shui felt that the size of the shop didn't really matter to him.
"Where shall we go? The Divine Weapon Street is filled with blacksmith stores and there's nothing much to look at." After they stepped out of the store, Qing Shui asked the two ladies.
"Let's go to the Four Kings Street!" Tantai Xuan suggested.
"You're the host, you call the shots. Just the name sounds quite special," Qing Shui looked at Tantai Xuan and said.
"The Four Kings Street is quite a distance away from here. It's better if you can bring us there. It's about 10,000 Li to the north. The reason the street is called this name is because there are four great clans there who are considered to be powerful existences in the outer cities. Moreover, the four clans have political marriages and are on very good terms. They are considered to be the ones dominating the region."
“Oh? Are there fun things in Four Kings Street? Could it be that your…” Qing Shui said with a teasing gaze.
“What are you talking about? The Four Kings Street is well-known for the wishing stone they have there. It’s said that if one were to make a wish there, the chances of having your wish fulfilled would be very high,” Tantai Xuan said, with slight annoyance.
Qing Shui didn’t expect that a lady like Tantai Xuan would like such things as well. He thought that only little girls would be interested in things like making wishes.
The three of them rose into mid-air and Qing Shui once again took Tantai Xuan’s soft hands. Of course, he did the same for Yu Ruyan. The warmth from the two hands caused him to feel a little light-headed.
Yu Ruyan was his woman and holding her hand gave Qing Shui a warm feeling. It was just that Tantai Xuan’s hand kept on trembling slightly and he even felt that she seemed to have a slight urge of wanting to pull back her hand.
She felt helpless about this too. This was the second time. Before they came to the four continents, this guy had already hugged her before. The more she thought about it, the stranger it felt. Toward this man who had helped her before, this man who had a persevering character, she didn’t know how she felt about him. She didn’t dislike him but neither did she like him either.
If there was a need to describe their relationship, it’d be acquaintances?
They should be considered friends. Yes, they are friends!
Nine Continents Steps!
This time around, the Nine Continents Steps only brought them 10,000 Li away. When they came to a stop, Qing Shui looked down, “Miss Tantai, do you see it?”
“We’ve arrived! It’s over there!” Tantai Xuan wanted to point with her hand but realized that Qing Shui was still holding it.
“Shouldn’t you be letting go already?” Tantai Xuan reminded Qing Shui.
“Oh, I just felt that it’s quite comfortable to hold it,” Qing Shui smiled and said but released her hand.
Tantai Xuan’s beautiful gaze seemed a little surprised, but she didn’t say anything. She took Yu Ruyan’s hand and pointed to the wide street not far away from them, “It’s over there.”
Qing Shui rubbed his nose. The line he said earlier was much like a hooligan. He only felt that Tantai Xuan was very good to Yu Ruyan and thus subconsciously felt closer to this lady and eventually spoke out of line. That subconsciousness seemed to have caused him to treat Tantai Xuan as Yu Ruyan.
Yu Ruyan threw a weird glance at Qing Shui, causing him to feel a little uncomfortable.
He looked toward the street Tantai Xuan was pointing at. From the air, he could see that there was a large area which was the most prosperous and was also the widest street. The street was straight but no big carriages passed through there. There were only small luxurious horse carriages running through the middle. The two sides of the street were all pedestrians.
The three of them landed. Although they could see the Four Kings Street, they were in fact up to 100 Li away. They glided down diagonally toward the Four Kings Street’s sky platform.
Wide streets here would all have a huge sky platform meant for flying beasts to land. Otherwise, if they were to land anywhere they pleased, they could cause a lot of chaos.
The three of them walked along the Four Kings Street, occasionally looking at the stores and stalls at the sides. Qing Shui kept a lookout to see if he could uncover some treasures here as well.
The wishing stone was in the middle of the Four Kings Street where there was a large pond. The stone was situated in the middle of the pond. Tantai Xuan had said that the wishing stone was actually a stone statue whom people said to be the statue of a female goddess. It was said that there was a big story behind it.
As they walked, Qing Shui looked to the two sides. However, he suddenly felt that he bumped into softness. The two ladies had stopped and it seemed as if they wanted to check out something. Qing Shui didn’t notice and bumped into them.
And it just so happened that he had bumped into Tantai Xuan. Qing Shui felt very awkward now. Although the two ladies were wearing clothes which were slightly loose and their perky butts were covered up, when Qing Shui bumped into Tantai Xuan, he could clearly sense the well-roundedness. Tantai Xuan let out a soft cry and then turned back and glared at Qing Shui angrily.
“I’m sorry, I was looking at the things at the side and wasn’t looking at where I was going…”
Qing Shui felt extremely awkward, because he realized that he already had a reaction from earlier. He knew that Tantai Xuan must have felt it. When hardness bumped into softness, the difference would be very obvious.
Qing Shui took a deep breath and let himself calm down.
Tantai Xuan now felt that she shouldn’t have came today. She did see the self-reproach in Qing Shui’s eyes and knew that he must have not done that intentionally. But this was beside the point.
Yu Ruyan threw another glance toward Qing Shui, smiled as she pulled Tantai Xuan, “Let’s move on, the people around us are looking.”
Qing Shui didn’t dare to stand behind them anymore but stood diagonally behind them. It would still be fine if the one he had bumped into was Yu Ruyan but it had to be Tantai Xuan.
Qing Shui suddenly saw an old man who had set up a stall in a remote corner. The warm sunlight shining down on him made him appear especially amiable.
The old man was dressed in ragged clothes, his eyes closed, as if he was asleep. He looked very amiable and even the wrinkles on his face seemed to be very relaxed. This was what that had made Qing Shui astonished.
No matter how high spirited and how outstanding a person was, he would have his own downs, worries and troubles. However, when he saw this old man, Qing Shui realized that he was an extremely optimistic person.
Just from this point alone, Qing Shui knew that the old man was definitely not simple.
There wasn’t anyone at the old man’s stall. Qing Shui held back Yu Ruyan, called out to Tantai Xuan and headed in the direction where the old man was.
“Qing Shui, what’s wrong,” Yu Ruyan asked, doubtfully.
“Let’s go check out a stall together,” Qing Shui smiled and said.
It was only when he had reached it that Qing Shui realized that the old man was selling wooden figurines. There were also many which weren’t made of wood but these wooden figurines weren’t considered exquisite. Even if someone dropped one in the middle of the street, no one would pick it up.
Just then, the old man opened his pair of kind and amiable looking eyes. Even his ragged clothes couldn’t hide the old man’s calming aura. In that moment, it felt as if no matter how luxuriously dressed a person was or how reputable he might be, the person wouldn’t stand out at all before this old man. This was a bizarre feeling, a spiritual feeling.
Looking at this old man would make one feel at ease and all troubles would be forgotten. When the old man saw Qing Shui, his eyes also lit up. The old man then looked at the two ladies behind Qing Shui.
“Young man, you have a respectable life but you’re plagued by relationship issues. Don’t forcibly try to control it. If it’s meant to be, you won’t be able to push it away; if it’s not meant to be, you won’t be able to keep it by your side.”
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