Chapter 129: Sun Gongping’s Gift

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Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Zhou Shu handed the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sabers and Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers to Yin Wuyou. He didn’t need to worry about the rest.

Then he returned to the baron’s mansion and slept soundly.

Anyway, he didn’t have to worry about the banquet Yin Wuyou had mentioned.

The steward of the princess’s residence and the steward arranged by the Mi family had already handled all the chores properly.

Zhou Shu slept until late in the morning. If not for Yin Wuyou and Haitang dragging him out of bed, he would have continued sleeping.

“You’re really not worried at all.” Yin Wuyou watched Haitang comb Zhou Shu’s hair. “The Standard Armament Manual is going to be announced today. Aren’t you worried about the ranking at all?”

“What is there to worry about?” Zhou Shu asked indifferently. There was no need to see the Standard Armament Manual.

In the past, no one bothered to look at it.

It was only because of the bet between Great Xia and Great Wei that more people paid attention to it.

But what did this have to do with him?

He had never taken it upon himself.

He didn’t care what weapon was ranked first in the Standard Armament Manual.

It would be best if the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber ranked first. If it couldn’t, he would still be the superintendent of his workshop. No one could cause trouble for him because of this.

“I really don’t know what to say about you!

“Do you know what it means to you if your weapon ranks first in the Standard Armament Manual?”

“What does it mean? A promotion? Or a wife?” Zhou Shu said indifferently.

What’s the point of ranking first in the Standard Armament Manual?

It only matters if my weapon ranks first in the Ranked Armament Manual!

Women are too short-sighted!

Yin Wuyou’s pretty face instantly turned incomparably red. What does he mean? Is he hinting at me? But I’m not ready yet…

Yin Wuyou’s heart was in a mess when she heard Zhou Shu change the subject. “Haitang, that’s enough. Stop combing.”

If not for the fact that he was afraid it would be too shocking, he would have cut his hair short.

“Grand Minister, that Heavenly Rock is thousands of miles away from Great Xia. Even if the Standard Armament Manual is announced, it will still take some time to transmit the results, right?” Zhou Shu asked casually.

He had previously learned a little about the Standard Armament Manual from Yang Hong.

This Standard Armament Manual was arranged by the mysterious Heavenly Mountain Villa, and the manual would appear directly on a giant rock called the Heavenly Rock.

This might involve the mysterious power of this world. Zhou Shu temporarily didn’t understand the principles behind it.

“You don’t know?” Yin Wuyou said. “It’s normal that you don’t know.

“The Heavenly Rock is not the only thing that shows the results.

“The Heavenly Rock you mentioned on the shores of the Endless Sea is the largest Heavenly Rock in the world. In fact, in the capital cities of the various countries, each of them has a small Heavenly Rock.

“The Standard Armament Manual will also be released on these small Heavenly Rocks at the same time. Therefore, as long as the Standard Armament Manual is released, we will know immediately.”

Zhou Shu was suddenly enlightened. That fellow Yang Hong isn’t reliable. He said that it’s because someone copied the information on the Heavenly Rock. But it turns out that people in the imperial palace can directly check the internet!

But then again, Yang Hong wasn’t even a divine constable at the time. He was just a lowly constable and didn’t understand the truth of the matter. He couldn’t be blamed.

“Let’s not talk about this for now. Although the Standard Armament Manual will be released today, we don’t know when exactly it will be released. The guests are almost here. You should go out and welcome them.” Yin Wuyou directly pushed Zhou Shu out the door.

Who is the owner of the baron’s mansion? Zhou Shu grumbled in his heart, but he still went to the door.

Just as he reached the door, he saw a familiar figure.

“Sun Gongping? When did you come back?”

Didn’t Sun Gongping follow the army to the southern border?

When did he come back?

The army was victorious?

That shouldn’t be the case.

Two days ago, he had received benefits from the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber and the Horse Slaying Saber.

“Old Zhou, not bad. It’s only been a while since we last met, but you have already become a baron.” Sun Gongping smiled.

He was thinner and darker than before, and his aura had also changed a little. How should Zhou Shu put it? Right now, he looked like he had gone through hardships and exuded an unwavering determination.

If not for the fact that his smile was still a bit unruly, Zhou Shu almost wouldn’t have recognized him.

“Watch my move!” Sun Gongping suddenly let out a loud roar, raised his head, and punched Zhou Shu in the chest.

Zhou Shu was stunned. He hurriedly controlled the true qi in his body. Even so, Sun Gongping still staggered back a few steps, a look of surprise on his face.

“You’ve really entered the ranks!” Sun Gongping said. “I almost thought that I had left for a long time. You suddenly became a baron and a ninth-rank martial artist. I feel like I’ve missed a lot of things.”

“Don’t sneak up on me next time. There will be injuries.” Zhou Shu said angrily. If he hadn’t retracted his true qi in time, the Golden Bell Shield Technique would have severely injured Sun Gongping!

Sun Gongping thought that Zhou Shu was talking about him getting injured. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I didn’t use my full strength. Old Zhou, you’ve improved a lot. I’ve improved a lot too. I’m already a seventh-rank martial artist. Are you surprised?”

Zhou Shu rolled his eyes at him. So what if you’re a seventh-rank martial artist? I can still kill him with a single slap.

But then again, Sun Gongping’s growth was indeed impressive.

It had only been less than a month since he had left with the army, yet he had already broken through two ranks. This was his own effort.

The description of him in the genius assassination list of Great Wei was indeed correct.

From the looks of it, he had followed the army to battle, presumably to use the battles to stimulate his own potential.

“You’re back. Where are Great General Meng and the rest?” Zhou Shu asked with concern. His sworn brother, Mi Ziwen, was also in the army. Although the possibility of an accident was not high, who could say for sure what would happen on the battlefield?

“They’re still at the southern border,” Sun Gongping said. “But the southern barbarians have basically been dealt with. There aren’t many tough battles left, so I came back first.”

He was not a soldier to begin with. This time, he had followed the army out to train himself. Naturally, he came back as he wished.

“Old Zhou, you’re already a ninth-rank martial artist. Why haven’t you made any progress in forging?”

Although they hadn’t seen each other for a while, Sun Gongping didn’t feel unfamiliar with Zhou Shu. He took a step forward and wrapped his arm around Zhou Shu’s shoulders.

“If you become a Forging Master, I won’t have to worry about my weapon. I’ll get you to forge it for me.”

After Sun Gongping entered the ranks, he had never had a ranked weapon. It wasn’t that his family couldn’t afford one. Rather, it was because he had built a stable foundation to allow his cultivation to increase rapidly. At this stage, he wouldn’t be able to control weapons that were too good for him, and those that weren’t good enough wouldn’t be able to keep up with his cultivation.

Therefore, it was better to wait for his cultivation to stabilize before getting a ranked weapon.

Without the support of his family, Sun Gongping wouldn’t be able to survive today. It would be strange if he could save up money to buy a weapon.

Hearing his words, Zhou Shu smiled slightly. “Why do you mean I haven’t made any progress? I am now the Great Xia’s number one Forging Apprentice.”

“That’s still just a Forging Apprentice,” Sun Gongping said disdainfully. “Look at those forging geniuses. Who cares to fight with you for this title? If you can’t become a Forging Master, you’re just a blacksmith. You’re worthless, understand?”

“Not necessarily,” Zhou Shu said. “Shen Yue seems to care a lot about this title. Isn’t he also a Forging Apprentice? He even specially came to compete with me.”

However, this fellow is really a Forging Apprentice. He’s definitely been able to forge ranked weapons long ago. It’s just that he hasn’t truly forged them.

He’s definitely at the Forging Master level.

Then again, it’s the same for me.

“What do you mean not necessarily? Old Zhou, when do you think you can become a Forging Master? I have to consider whether to wait for you or not.”

Sun Gongping continued, “Let me tell you. I’ve made quite a lot of contributions this time. When I receive the rewards, I’ll be rich. When the time comes, I’ll go and buy a ranked weapon.”

“Advance to Forging Master?” Zhou Shu smiled. “Anytime.”

Sun Gongping laughed out loud. “Old Zhou, I’ve known you for so long, I didn’t realize that you’re so funny. Do you think that Great Xia’s number one Forging Apprentice can easily advance to Forging Master?

“I almost forgot that you haven’t received a Forging Master legacy. Don’t worry. I’ll introduce you to two Forging Masters later. With your aptitude, they will definitely fight to take you in as a disciple.”

Sun Gongping nagged non-stop.

Zhou Shu felt both warm and annoyed.

It felt good to have a friend go afar and return safely.

“Heh, Old Zhou, you’ve been conferred the title of county baron and advanced to a ninth-rank martial artist. I’ve just returned and haven’t prepared any congratulatory gifts for you…” Sun Gongping continued.

“No need. I’m already very happy that you’re here.” Zhou Shu said. He didn’t have many friends, and Sun Gongping could barely be considered one.

“That won’t do,” Sun Gongping said. “Am I, Sun Gongping, such an uncouth person?

“Coincidentally, I have something good. I originally wanted to give it to you as a congratulatory gift for when you advance Forging Master. I didn’t expect that you would become a ninth-rank martial artist before becoming a Forging Master. Let’s use it for this occasion.”

Sun Gongping mysteriously took out a palm-sized box and handed it to Zhou Shu.

Zhou Shu declined it, but Sun Gongping firmly stuffed the box into Zhou Shu’s hands.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” Sun Gongping said when he saw Zhou Shu put the box away.

Seeing Sun Gongping’s expectant expression, Zhou Shu seemed to understand something.

He smiled. “Then, let me see what the Great Divine Constable Sun gave me.”

Zhou Shu opened the box and saw a bean-sized silver-white object lying inside. The object gave off a crystalline feeling, as if there was a galaxy swirling within it.

“Heaven Refining Stone?” Zhou Shu said in surprise.

“How is it? Aren’t I a good brother?” Sun Gongping said proudly. “This Heaven Refining Stone is something I obtained after much difficulty. I was originally planning to use it to forge a ranked weapon for myself, but now I’m giving it to you. You can use it to practice and become a Forging Master as soon as possible.”

Zhou Shu: “…”

He was very confused now. Are you serious about this tiny piece of Heaven Refining Stone?

He recalled the Heaven Refining Stone that he had taken from the imperial preceptor of Great Wei, Xiao Shunzhi. It was the size of an adult’s fist and at least 100 times bigger than this tiny bean.

“A Heaven Refining Stone of this size is more than enough to forge a yellow-grade weapon,” Sun Gongping continued.

Zhou Shu suddenly said, “Forging a yellow-grade weapon needs this much Heaven Refining Stone? How much Heaven Refining Stone does a heaven-grade weapon need?”

Zhou Shu had a bad feeling.

Back then, Yin Changhao had said that a fist-sized Heaven Refining Stone was only enough to forge a heaven-grade.

“That’s hard to say. There are different grades of heaven-grade weapons. I estimate that it will need at most one or one-point-five kilograms of Heaven Refining Stone.”

Sun Gongping was not a forger, but his words were most likely the truth.

Damn it. Yin Changhao had said it so seriously!

The weight of the Heaven Refining Stone was what mattered. The fist-sized Heaven Refining Stone probably weighed more than five kilograms!

According to Sun Gongping, he would be able to forge at least three or four heaven-grade weapons with that amount!

Why didn’t he think twice about it back then? If such a huge piece of Heaven Refining Stone could only be used to forge a heaven-grade weapon, why would Yin Changhao be willing to spend so much money to buy it?

Selling the Heaven Refining Stone for fifty thousand taels of gold made Zhou Shu feel like he had suffered a great loss.

Although Shen Yue and Xiao Shun used a heaven-grade weapon to cover the debt of ten thousand taels of gold, it didn’t mean that a heaven-grade weapon was only worth ten thousand taels of gold.

Even the worst heaven-grade weapon was worth at least 10,000 taels of gold. Put up for auction, a heaven-grade weapon could even be sold for around 30,000 to 50,000 taels of gold.

A Heaven Refining Stone that weighed more than five kilograms was definitely worth more than 100,000 taels of gold. It wasn’t a huge loss to sell half of it for 50,000 taels of gold, but it was still a loss.

“Great Divine Constable Sun, thank you!”

Zhou Shu closed the box. After seeing the fist-sized Heaven Refining Stone and then looking at the bean-sized one, he really couldn’t get excited.

But since it was Sun Gongping’s kind intentions, he couldn’t show too much disdain.

He was considering if there was any way to get the piece back from Yin Changhao. He could even return the money to him.

It didn’t seem that easy. Yin Changhao was a first-rank martial artist after all. It didn’t matter if he could defeat him or not. It wouldn’t be easy to find him.

“You’re welcome. There’s no need to stand on ceremony.” Sun Gongping waved his hand.

I almost forgot that you’re my nephew, Zhou Shu thought.

Zhou Shu temporarily stopped thinking about the Heaven Refining Stone and instead looked at Sun Gongping and asked, “Great Divine Constable Sun, you always carry the Spring Embroidered Saber around. I haven’t asked you this before. Do you specialize in using the saber?”

“I’m not bragging, but I’m good at everything,” Sun Gongping said proudly. “I’m not best at using sabers. I’m best at using swords. Do you know what my nickname is? Master of Saber and Sword! Unfortunately, you’re only good at forging sabers…”

Zhou Shu’s lips curved up slightly. “That might not be true. Great Divine Constable Sun, I’ll give you a surprise later.”

“What?”

Sun Gongping wanted to ask more, but Zhou Shu had already stepped forward because the invited guests had already arrived.