“Eh? Where’s my ginger?”
Chef Li was plating up some sweet and sour shredded potatoes, getting ready to whip up a spicy ginger snake dish, when he realized he was completely out of ginger.
Ying Bing snapped back to reality from her youthful daze, pointed at the plate of potatoes, and said, “It’s right there.”
“…..”
Li Mo thought to himself, no wonder these two potatoes were able to stir up such a hefty plate.
Turns out it was shredded potatoes sautéed with ginger shreds.
Bing Bing’s cooking skills were clearly on the up and up.
After a while, Li Mo, carrying a tray, walked into the hall with Bing Bing and just happened to catch Xie Xuan’s gaze.
“Brother Li, thank you for yesterday at Wind Moon Small Residence… ”
Xie Xuan wore an expression that was harder to read than a teenager’s diary after their first crush—it looked like he was recovering, though the aftertaste was still a bit intense.
“As fellow swordsmen, helping others is the source of happiness, no need for words,” Li Mo said, casually picking up Bing Bing’s delicate hand.
“?”
Xie Xuan felt there was something off about this conversation, but he didn’t quite pin down what it was.
Looking at Li Mo’s bright and sunny smile, he decided not to dwell on the nitty-gritty.
“To bounce back so quickly, Brother Xie is quite the carefree person.”
Bai Jinghong nodded; he always thought sword practitioners should be a little more laid-back.
“I’m not sad at all anymore,” Xie Xuan insisted, stubbornly pouring himself some more wine and sighing deeply with his eyes closed.
But the wave of melancholy still lingered, making his nose feel a little prickly.
He could only use his chopsticks to grab some sweet and sour shredded potatoes to distract himself.
“Brother Xie, why are you crying?”
“These shredded potatoes are just… so damn good!”
“Hmm?”
Little Princess Jiang curiously reached out with her chopsticks, wanting to see just how good they could be to bring someone to tears, only to recoil as the ginger shreds made her tongue tingle.
Li Mo took a bite as well.
What a marvel.
No, this was no ordinary dish; it was a work of art! It was a symphony of sour, bitter, and spicy, but sweet? Not a hint. It was just like life…
Ying Bing blinked, and reached for her chopsticks too.
“Ice Pop, eat this.”
Li Mo quickly intervened, handing Bing Bing some sautéed snake meat to avert her culinary disaster.
“I want to try some of that,” Ying Bing mumbled, her cheeks puffing up.
She wanted to know what the food Li Mo had made for the first time tasted like. At least, it looked pretty decent…
“I’ll just describe it for you,” Li Mo said seriously. “This dish looks like me, but in terms of taste… ” He glanced meaningfully at Xie Xuan.
Ying Bing looked at Xie Xuan too, nodded, and decided to abandon her idea of trying the potato and ginger shreds.
“???!!!”
Suddenly, Xie Xuan wasn’t feeling so heartbroken over his love woes anymore.
Because honestly, the emotional blow from the God Hammer Little Overlord and Cold Fairy gazing at him was even rougher.
“To be honest, I came here to say goodbye. After the Weapon Forging Conference, I’ll be going into seclusion to train hard. If I don’t achieve mastery of pure sword intention, I won’t leave my training chamber.”
“The next time we meet may be at the Qianlong Conference, or who knows when.”
From what he said, it seemed like unless he broke through, he wasn’t planning to join the Qianlong Conference at all.
With that, he stood up, took a sip of his drink, and said goodbye, planning to leave.
“Brother Xie!” Li Mo called out to him.
“Don’t push it! I’ve made my decision! No need to see me off!” Xie Xuan replied with a nonchalance that screamed “cool guy.”
“I’m not seeing you off, I’m going with you,” Li Mo said.
“?”
“I’m also a participant in the Weapon Forging Conference.”
“???!!!”
Watching Li Mo pull a black iron token from his pocket, Xie Xuan froze in disbelief.
He felt like running.
But it seemed he couldn’t escape.
Meanwhile, at the Tianshan Sword Mansion.
The Imperial Capital’s Tianshan is perpetually snow-capped, without the old four seasons, just endless, numbing cold.
The forge was the only warm place.
Today, the famed forge was having a break day—the fire and the sound of hammering were quiet, as in just three days, the Weapon Forging Conference would commence, and they had stopped all activity to prepare.
The apprentices here had at least seven to eight years of forging experience.
As they tidied up, they whispered among themselves.
“That young lad from earlier looks like he comes from a notable background. What’s his story?”
“That’s the only son of the King of South Border, Zhong Zhenyu, ranked thirty-ninth in Qianlong. He’s usually in the South Border, so it’s normal you haven’t seen him.”
“He brought quite a few valuable gifts. I wonder which smith he wants to summon?”
“Must be Master Huo Bingzi? Many blades that performed exceptionally at the Qianlong Conference originated from him.”
“There’s always a difference among famous weapons.”
“Exactly, some famous ones rival profound weapons, or are even stronger, just without the soul.”
“However, to create those kinds of famous weapons requires at least a master or even a divine craftsman.”
“Not only that, the materials needed could forge a treasured weapon.”
The hierarchy was: sharp instrument above was a famous weapon; famous weapon above was a profound weapon; profound weapon further up was a treasured weapon; and above that was the divine tool.
Using materials meant for treasured weapons to forge a famous weapon is practically criminal waste.
Such endeavors are backed by considerable financial resources and connections.
So, regarding weaponry, the talented offspring of poor families is set back right from the starting line compared to the local talents from the Imperial Capital.
The apprentices were shaking their heads in lament as they set up for the conference when suddenly there was a commotion at the entrance.
“Welcome, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
Whoever shouted that had sharp instincts.
So everyone passing by lowered their heads in unison.
Jiang Yu entered through the door, flanked by a bluebird and a striking woman dressed in a red gown, radiating nobility.
She was tall, her hair ends a fiery red, moving gracefully as if ablaze, with a beautiful complexion that seemed pampered.
When they saw her, the apprentices swallowed hard.
Princess Yuyang, the little princess of Da Yu, favored by the Emperor, and blessed with astonishing talent, shining among the other princes and princesses, second only to the Eldest Princess.
“Big Brother Crown Prince, you promised me you’d gift me a nice sword for my birthday,” Princess Yuyang cooed.
“Master Du has been away from the forge for years, but I believe this time he won’t let you down,” Jiang Yu replied with an unusual tenderness that didn’t match his royal demeanor.
Du Wufeng, one of the last remaining divine craftsmen of the forge, particularly skilled in creating sword tools.
His most famous creation was none other than the Divine Sword of the Celestials now displayed proudly in the City of Divine Beings!
The blacksmith apprentices and craftsmen from various places who heard fragments of their conversation couldn’t help but twitch their mouths.
Clearly, Jiang Yu and Princess Yuyang were here for the weapons for the Qianlong Conference.
To request a divine craftsman to open the forge to create a famous weapon?
Perhaps only the Crown Prince of Da Yu had such power in all the land.
