Chapter 63 : Chapter 63
Chapter 63: Raiding and Exterminating Sword-Forging Manor; There Seems to Be a Great Demon in the Mountain!
Though he was only a Hundred-Household Commander, Cheng Yu calmly began admonishing his direct superior, Fan Xiu.
Yet Fan Xiu, a dignified Assistant Commissioner, showed not the slightest displeasure.
He nodded again and again, smiling apologetically.
"Yes, yes. You are absolutely right."
He was clearly afraid that if Cheng Yu became even slightly displeased, he might use the excuse that Fan Xiu had nearly overstepped his authority by agreeing to He Qin's terms and simply cut him down with a single sword strike.
"What do you want with me?" Cheng Yu asked flatly.
Fan Xiu had certainly not come to him for no reason.
"I came to take the Dra... the Dragon Abyss Sword. That thing should be brought back and presented to His Majesty. I hope Lord Cheng can do me this favor..."
Looking at the Dragon Abyss Sword by Cheng Yu's feet, Fan Xiu spoke weakly.
"You want it?"
Cheng Yu lowered his head and looked at the gleaming Dragon Abyss Sword by his feet.
Under Fan Xiu's somewhat fearful gaze, he picked up the Dragon Abyss Sword and leisurely admired the dragon patterns on its blade.
He looked at it for quite a while.
Only then did he casually toss it aside, utterly unconcerned.
Fan Xiu was so startled that he instinctively reached out to catch it.
But then he suddenly remembered that this was a Heaven Grade divine weapon, and in fear he pulled his hand back.
Just as the Dragon Abyss Sword was about to hit the ground, a pair of aged hands caught it, then brushed away the dust that had gotten on it.
Jian A glared at Fan Xiu, frightening him so badly that his whole body trembled.
"Even if it were given to you, you still would not dare take it. A sword would only be dishonored in the hands of a man like you!"
"Indeed... indeed..." Fan Xiu could not afford to offend either of them, so he could only smile apologetically.
Seeing this, Cheng Yu smiled. "What are you afraid of? That sword is already ruined. Just take it."
"It still has some decorative value, and since it is called the Dragon Abyss Sword, it suits His Majesty rather well."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Ruined?!
Staring at the Dragon Abyss Sword in Jian A's hands, now utterly stripped of its former might, Fan Xiu stood there dumbfounded.
Jian A's eyes were full of reluctance, but he still remembered his master's words and handed the sword to Fan Xiu.
"Do you still want it?"
"No, no! I don't want it!"
Fan Xiu hurriedly waved his hands.
If he had not witnessed the sword's power with his own eyes just moments ago, he never would have believed that this was the Dragon Abyss Sword.
At the same time, he resolved not to take it back with him.
If he did, he would certainly offend a supreme expert like Jian A.
And if he dared bring a ruined Dragon Abyss Sword back to present to the Emperor, he would have to explain how it ended up this way. But who would believe that a mere Hundred-Household Commander had ruined the Dragon Abyss Sword?
His Majesty would surely charge him with deceiving the sovereign.
When Jian A saw that Fan Xiu did not want it, he was overjoyed.
He looked at the Dragon Abyss Sword with a cheerful expression.
A Heaven Grade divine weapon was indeed incomparably precious, but in the end it still could not compare to the sword he had nurtured himself.
Even if he took it, he could only use it as He Qin had, relying solely on its sword qi to wound others, unable to bring out more than a fraction of its true power.
To him, the Dragon Abyss Sword held yet another profound significance.
It carried Cheng Yu's attainment in the Sword Dao!
To Jian A, that value was greater than the combined worth of ten Heaven Grade weapons.
...
Half a day later.
The vast Sword-Forging Manor, once a top great sect that held all of Dragon Abyss Prefecture in its grasp and lorded over Jiangnan, had now been swept through by a thousand Jinyiwei and stripped completely bare.
Cheng Yu stood within the main hall.
The system's voice rang out.
【The host has confiscated the assets of a massive rebel force and rendered heavenly merit. The Jinyiwei's name now resounds throughout the jianghu!】
【Reward: Thunder-Cleaving Xiuchun Saber (Middle Human Grade) upgraded to Thousand-Forged Ice-Thunder Xiuchun Saber (Low Earth Grade)!】
【Reward: Cold-Origin Flying Fish Uniform (Middle Human Grade) upgraded to Dragon-Silk Cold-Origin Flying Fish Uniform (Low Earth Grade)!】
【Reward: five hundred Divine Arm Bows!】
【Reward: ten Divine Might Bed Crossbows!】
【Reward: ten Thunderbolt Trebuchets!】
With the rewards granted, the Thunder-Cleaving Xiuchun Saber became even more formidable. In addition to its thunder patterns, snowflake-like markings now appeared along the blade.
Anyone who looked at it would feel a chill.
The Flying Fish Uniform also became more exquisite. The pattern of the four-clawed flying fish gained a deeper spirit, faintly giving off an aura of majesty.
Dragon silk!
Aside from the usual pair of gear upgrades, what drew Cheng Yu's attention even more were the rewards that followed.
Divine Arm Bows! Divine Might Bed Crossbows! Thunderbolt Trebuchets!
These were not the sort of things an elite force like the Jinyiwei ought to be carrying.
On the road of attacking first and confiscating later, he was clearly about to reach even greater heights.
Cheng Yu was very satisfied.
At the same time, Ai Peng and the others entered. The moment they stepped into the hall, their attention was drawn upward to the ceiling.
All kinds of weapons hung there, every single one of them Middle Grade or higher.
An ordinary martial artist might never obtain even one in his entire life.
Yet here, they were merely being used as decorations.
Ai Peng looked up with his arms folded and clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Sword-Forging Manor truly deserves its reputation as the jianghu's giant in weapons forging. What lavish wealth."
Cheng Yu slightly raised his head and gave a cold laugh.
"It is nothing more than wealth squeezed from the sweat and blood of the people. To train a single weaponsmith, Sword-Forging Manor must ruin at least ten thousand jin of pig iron."
"From mining the ore to firing the kilns, how many steps are required before pig iron fit to standard can be produced? Yet you never see those weaponsmiths taking part in any of it."
"They need only sit in the main hall and wait for the materials to be turned into weapons, and they claim the lion's share of the credit."
"If even pig iron is like this, then there is no need to mention refined iron, where a hundred jin of pig iron yields one jin, or refined gold, where a hundred jin of gold yields one jin."
Every weapon forged by Sword-Forging Manor bore the name of the weaponsmith.
Yet it was as though the countless laborers behind the scenes, who had poured in far more toil and hardship, had been forgotten.
The manor could not even guarantee their pay.
Cheng Yu had long known that Sword-Forging Manor operated dozens of major mines, kilns, and workshops throughout Dragon Abyss Path.
The blacksmiths' trade was passed down from generation to generation. Entire families had to labor day and night just to meet their quotas.
For a hundred years, Sword-Forging Manor had been like this.
Hearing this, Ai Peng's expression changed to one of admiration.
Most ordinary martial artists fancied themselves above the mortal world and never gave the common people a second glance.
Let alone look at a weapon and think this deeply about what stood behind it.
The young Jinyiwei so highly praised by Lord Zhao became even more worthy of respect in his eyes.
It was not merely Cheng Yu's strength in blocking the Dragon Abyss Sword.
It was this breadth of heart and bearing as well.
Had it not been for the peculiar circumstances of his birth as the son of a jianghu magnate, he would surely have a bright future at court.
"I never expected Lord Cheng to cherish the people of the Great Qian so deeply and even study such matters with such care. I am impressed!"
Cheng Yu shook his head calmly.
"I was born into poverty. My parents were ordinary ironworking smiths, so naturally I know these things."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone else was greatly shocked.
Was Lord Cheng not Cheng Zhenjiang's son?
They knew that Cheng Yu was extremely estranged from his family, so much so that they had practically become mortal enemies.
How had his parents now become ordinary smiths?
Seeing their confusion, Cheng Yu spoke lightly.
"Some storm-tossed years need not be spoken of."
The others let their imaginations run wild, and the admiration in their hearts deepened.
To rise from a bitterly poor background to where he stood now— that was a hundred times harder than being born the descendant of a great hero, and it only made his talent and effort all the more extraordinary.
At that moment, outside the hall, a Jinyiwei Hundred-Household Commander stepped in, saluted, and reported, "Reporting to my lord, Sword-Forging Manor has been completely confiscated from top to bottom. The gold, silver, and treasures are still being counted!"
"If you cannot finish counting them, then leave it. Take what can be carried first."
Cheng Yu waved a hand grandly.
"Now that Sword-Forging Manor has fallen, the jianghu will definitely not be able to sit still."
The reason they had been able to destroy Sword-Forging Manor this time was entirely because speed had been paramount.
No one could have imagined that by the time the Jinyiwei moved to raid and destroy Sword-Forging Manor, the matter would already be a fait accompli.
Otherwise, given Sword-Forging Manor's reputation and connections, allies would certainly have come flocking to its aid.
Now that news of Sword-Forging Manor's destruction would soon spread, any delay was bound to bring trouble.
Cheng Yu was not afraid of trouble, but he had more important matters to deal with.
He turned to Ai Peng.
"Lord Ai, what about the Dragon Vein Sword-Forging Manor spoke of?"
Ai Peng's expression turned solemn at once.
Still visibly shaken, he said, "That place is extremely dangerous. I only went a few steps in, and I was already in grave peril. I am afraid it is not some Dragon Vein at all!"
"I think it is more like the lair of a great demon!"
At the mention of a great demon, everyone else went wide-eyed in shock.
A great demon inside Sword-Forging Mountain? How could that be possible?
Only Cheng Yu gave a calm nod.
"We will have to take a look first. Only after seeing it will we know."
The others could not see it from their angle, but the Dragon-Seeking Ruler in his hand was spinning wildly, drawn by dragon qi.