[Luofu Artisanship Commission]
Yingxing stared without blinking at the sandpaper in Jingliu's hands. He held his breath, focusing intently. When he saw that his friend had deliberately restrained her strength, neither tearing the sandpaper nor grinding the rare material into powder, he finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.
His voice sounded worn and world-weary, "Alright, it's done."
Only heaven knew how he had survived these past half a month.
Ever since Yingxing returned to the Luofu, he hadn't had a single moment of peace.
First came a Xuling person who threw down two hundred million and asked Yingxing to restore a broken sword. Before he even finished repairing that sword that had shattered into slag, Jingliu showed up next.
After hearing Jingliu's plan, Yingxing was quite surprised. But then he thought about it, this was Jingliu. In that case, it made sense.
After all, she was Yingxing's friend. Even though Jingliu was a woman, she wasn't an ordinary one. Her actions and way of thinking were naturally different.
On top of that, Jingliu's other half had once been Yingxing's god-tier client, which made it even easier to understand.
When Zero had asked Yingxing to make a hairpin, he had been extremely generous. Just a single transfer was enough for an ordinary family to spend lavishly.
So in private, Zero must have prepared even more valuable gifts for Jingliu.
There was an enormous gap in their financial strength. Zero might not think much of it, but Jingliu might not necessarily be able to accept it.
Yingxing understood his friends. They all had their own pride.
If it were someone else, they might accept expensive gifts with peace of mind, but this was Jingliu.
In order to return a gift worthy of her partner's generosity, Jingliu racked her brain and then came to Yingxing for help. That was only natural.
Half a month ago, Yingxing, full of the spirit of taking a knife for a friend, patted his chest and assured Jingliu that he could definitely help the Sword Champion create a gift that would amaze people.
Come on, he was a Furnace Master. A short-lived species famous across the Xianzhou.
Yingxing had never taken apprentices, but he trusted himself, and he trusted his friend's abilities even more.
Jingliu was the Sword Champion. For such a small gift, wouldn't it be done the very next day?
That was, until Jingliu accidentally crushed Yingxing's first forging hammer.
Yingxing's heart nearly stopped.
To other people, a forging hammer was just an ordinary hammer.
But to a Furnace Master, a hammer that felt right in the hand was something you wouldn't trade away for any amount of credits! It was harder to find than a partner.
Yingxing didn't show it on his face and kept instructing Jingliu through gritted teeth.
In his heart, he tried to comfort himself.
Jingliu could swing her sword, which weighed three thousand pounds. Wasn't it normal for her to be a bit heavy-handed and break a forging hammer?
Although… when Yingxing forged her sword, he used this very hammer… wait, thinking about it that way, it didn't seem very normal at all…
His hammer could forge a three thousand pounds sword. So how did Jingliu break it so easily?
Yingxing took several deep breaths and tried to console himself again.
No big deal. It was just a small gift. If it couldn't be finished in one day, surely three days would be enough, right?
And so, things dragged on. After a week, Yingxing couldn't take it anymore.
Looking at the rare materials that had been hammered into powder made his heart ache.
A Furnace Master could not stand seeing rare materials wasted.
Yingxing suggested, "Jingliu, how about we just use the machines from the Artisanship Commission? The machines can directly press these materials into the shape you want. It'll be faster."
Jingliu shook her head and rejected his suggestion outright, "Dan Feng said that what matters most in a gift is the intention."
Yingxing, "..."
'Jingliu, do you really have to make it from scratch?! You don't want to take any shortcuts at all?! With your arm strength… how long is this going to take?! What's the difference between wanting to eat rice and starting by planting the rice yourself?!'
He took a deep breath. "Fine. But this time, you really have to hold back."
Jingliu nodded in agreement.
…And then the forging hammer broke again.
After suffering through half a month, Yingxing looked at Jingliu today as she carefully put away the gift, and all he wanted was to rewind time to half a month ago and smack himself hard on the head.
He had never taught an apprentice and didn't know what other apprentices were like.
But Yingxing only wanted to say this, he would never take an apprentice again. Jingliu was truly the worst one he had ever taught.
What kind of good apprentice scraps this many forging hammers belonging to their master?
Yingxing silently thanked his good luck. After returning to the Luofu, his superior hadn't assigned him any work.
And thankfully, Jingliu only came to the Artisanship Commission during her midday break to wreak havoc on his forging hammers and rare materials…
Yingxing just had to work overtime to repair the Xuling person's broken sword. Otherwise, he would either die suddenly from overwork or be angered to death by Jingliu.
He sat back down at his workstation with a vacant stare. Thinking back on everything that had happened over the past half month, he immediately took out his jade token and decided to post on social media, to constantly remind himself.
After snapping back at Jing Yuan, Yingxing looked up again and saw Jingliu had put away the gift and said to him, "Sorry for the trouble, Yingxing."
Yingxing waved his hand casually. "It's nothing."
Jingliu fell silent for a moment, then said, "How much were your forging hammers? I'll compensate you."
Yingxing's heart ached terribly, but when he recalled the generous rewards given by Zero and the Xuling person, he stopped worrying about it.
He was a rich man now. Just a few forging hammers… taking a knife for a friend, what did that amount to?
Yingxing replied, "They're just forging hammers. They're consumables anyway. No need to worry."
With the main task done, he thought of the gift Jingliu was preparing and joked casually, "You won't be coming to me again when you two are getting married, will you?"
It seemed he had really hit on Jingliu's inner thoughts. She said nothing.
Yingxing, "..."
Jingliu's strange silence already gave him the answer.
Yingxing forced a smile and spoke with difficulty, "…You're joking, right?"
Jingliu broke her silence and only said, "It's still too early to talk about that."
Yingxing tried to struggle one last time, "Gifts with special meaning like that… are supposed to be prepared by the man…"
Jingliu thought to herself, I focus on sword training, but it's not like all I know is sword training.
She naturally knew that such items were supposed to be prepared by the man.
It was just that… she truly couldn't think of what gift to give in return. So she could only imitate Zero, and, taking Dan Feng's advice into account, put more thought and effort into preparing a gift for Zero.
Jingliu said goodbye to Yingxing and left the Artisanship Commission.
She hadn't seen Zero for half a month. As for this gift… she would wait a little longer, buy a more exquisite gift box.
Tomorrow, she would give it to him.
———
At the same time, far away at the Divination Commission, Zero received Hua's reply.
Lan hadn't refused.
Zero stopped flipping through the dossiers, left work early, and returned home, choosing a fine bottle of wine from the temperature-controlled cabinet.
With a decanter in one hand and two red wine glasses in the other, he went to the courtyard.
Lan was already sitting by the stone table. No one knew when he had arrived.
Zero walked forward a few steps. When he saw one of the items on the stone table, he was first delighted.
It was a blue-purple bow named Ruoshui.
When Zero's peripheral vision caught the other item, his expression immediately turned cold.
It was an ice lotus forged from ice.
Zero's face was expressionless as he set the decanter and wine glasses on the stone table.
After sitting down, he lowered his eyes. When he raised them again, he had already adjusted his emotions.
Zero once more put on a gentle, affable smile, "Although I already knew about this, it's still… very disappointing."
His tone was light and casual, "Lan, I've treated you well, haven't I? What, are you really going to tear things apart with me and stand against me just for those fragments of truth and falsehood?"
Lan met Zero's gaze.
Lan understood Zero's personality too well and knew what he was thinking right now.
Nothing more than believing that Lan had reached some kind of cooperation with Fuli and betrayed him.
Lan sighed. "I didn't cooperate with Fuli."
Zero thought to himself that playing with wording like this… he was very good at it.
If Lan were human, he wouldn't doubt him.
Zero could easily see through most people's thoughts, but he couldn't quite grasp the thoughts of an Aeon.
Lan simply hadn't cooperated with Fuli, that didn't mean He hadn't cooperated with other Aeons.
Zero picked up the decanter and poured Lan a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.
He slid the glass toward Lan and said casually, "Then what do you want me to do?"
Lan shook his head. "I don't need you to do anything."
Zero looked at Him steadily and let out a sigh, "Alright. Let's skip the pleasantries and be direct, what exactly is it for, that our 'Reignbow Arbiter' is willing to accept orders from other Aeons?"
Lan understood Zero's personality. Someone so proud… how could he tolerate living his entire life in ignorance?
Lan replied, "For you to stay alive."
'So that you could be safe and smooth, live out your natural lifespan, and happily spend this life.'
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