Chapter 383: He Took a Fancy to My Blueprints
"They’re just bandits. It shouldn’t take too long."
’An unfixed return date?’
’Is there something else going on?’
"The floods in the south will likely slow the journey. While I’m away, if anyone summons you to the palace, send someone to notify the Zhan family or the Qian family. If that’s not possible, the Gu family will also do. When it comes to the royal family, don’t try to force your way." After what had happened the day before, Xiang Minghou was deeply uneasy.
Ye Qianning nodded obediently.
"General," a voice called from outside, urging him on.
Xiang Minghou turned, a hint of displeasure on his brow. "In a moment."
Ye Qianning knew someone was in the shadows. She’d assumed it was one of the guards accompanying her father on his expedition, but that voice didn’t sound like a guard’s. It sounded more like someone sent to keep an eye on him.
"After I’m gone, you should go with your master up to Lou Mountain. If you can avoid returning to the estate, then do so. No one will dare cause trouble for you at the academy," Xiang Minghou added, turning back to her.
"I know. Dad, wait a moment." Ye Qianning sat up. "Du Ying, bring the greatsaber."
"Yes."
Xiang Minghou asked in confusion, "What greatsaber?"
"It’s the one I had Du Ying buy from Nine Mountains last time. You can take it with you in case you run into any enemies."
"There’s no need. The greatsaber I have is enough." Xiang Minghou’s own greatsaber weighed over a hundred pounds and was so incomparably sharp it could cut through iron like mud. Because it was so deadly, he rarely showed it to anyone.
’He always said he’d show his little girl, but she still hadn’t seen it to this day. Now she’s prepared a greatsaber for him. Don’t tell me she thought he was lying about his own?’
"You’ll see, Dad," Ye Qianning said, a little mysteriously.
Seeing her act this way, Xiang Minghou chuckled. "Alright, Dad will take it with me."
’It’s a gift from my daughter. Whether it’s good or not, I have to take it.’
Du Ying brought the greatsaber over. "General."
Xiang Minghou stood and took the greatsaber. The feel and weight were excellent. He hefted it a few times, then swung it in an arc through the air. SWISH! The blade stopped dead.
The cloth wrapped around the blade came loose, revealing a gleaming, sharp greatsaber that was dazzling under the lamplight. A faint, deep hum seemed to echo in the air.
Xiang Minghou’s eyes lit up. The blade had an incredibly commanding presence, and from its pleasant hum, he could tell it was a superior weapon.
"Since when were the blades from Nine Mountains this good?" he said, his voice filled with admiration and his eyes with shock.
As a General, he had extremely high standards for weaponry. His own greatsaber, named "Xiangfeng," had been a gift from the late emperor.
This greatsaber was similar in weight to his own. And while it had its own unique qualities, it was in no way inferior to Xiangfeng.
"General, it isn’t that the weapons of Nine Mountains are good," Du Ying explained. "It’s that this greatsaber was forged by the greatest blacksmith in the world, using materials the forging sect has treasured for hundreds of years."
"The greatest blacksmith in the world... Xiang Yue?"
"Yes."
"He actually agreed to forge it? Then this blade is no simple thing." Xiang Minghou’s sharp gaze fell upon the hilt. After turning it over a couple of times, he discovered something odd. "So, there’s a hidden mechanism."
"Good eye," Ye Qianning praised.
’Dad truly is a warrior. No weapon can keep its secrets from him.’
"Girl, how did you manage to buy this greatsaber?" ’It’s a masterpiece,’ he thought. ’Knowing Xiang Yue’s personality, he would never agree to forge something so easily. This isn’t something money can buy.’
"At first, I just planned to commission it and pay for the labor. But in the end, he didn’t charge me a single cent and even gave me a lot of other nice things."
"Hm? What happened?" Xiang Minghou was completely baffled. Xiang Yue was notoriously stingy.
"He took a liking to my design blueprint for the greatsaber."
The man had poured his heart into forging the greatsaber without taking a single cent, and had even given her gifts.
So, Ye Qianning hadn’t been stingy either; she gave him the design blueprint for the greatsaber, and even threw in some schematics for secret doors.
