Chapter 121 - Suffer in Silence
Chapter 121 – Suffer in Silence
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Zhou Shu was not such a mean person. But this time, he was deliberately provoking Shen Yue.
Since he saw Shen Yue at the Forging Division’s workshops the last time, Zhou Shu had always felt that Shen Yue was extremely hostile toward him.
This hostility didn’t seem to be just because they were in different camps.
Even if they were born in opposing countries, one shouldn’t be hostile toward every single person from the enemy country, right?
To say Shen Yue was such a patriotic youth, he didn’t seem to have the same hostility toward others.
He could have been hostile toward him because he had lost to him in the competition. But Shen Yue was already hostile before they had even started competing.
Zhou Shu believed that he couldn’t be wrong. He could feel Shen Yue’s desire to get rid of him.
He didn’t know where his hostility came from, but he wouldn’t leave a hostile person alone.
Zhou Shu had a principle—strike first to gain the upper hand. If he attacked later, he would suffer!
The other party already had killing intent toward him. There was no reason for him to treat him nicely.
He wasn’t that kind-hearted.
Shen Yue’s face alternated between green and purple. His anger almost destroyed his rationality. But a moment later, he took a deep breath and calmed down.
“Like I said, I will not go back on my words for a mere ten thousand taels of gold,” Shen Yue said calmly. “It’s because I didn’t bring much money with me when I came to Great Xia, so I need some time to gather it.
“It won’t be more than two days at the latest before I get someone to send the money to you. You don’t have to judge others by your petty standards.”
Zhou Shu’s eyes narrowed warily.
He wouldn’t be so wary if Shen Yue had exploded and attacked him.
But he had spoken so ruthlessly, yet he was able to calm down so quickly. Such shrewdness was a little scary.
“How can I trust you?” Zhou Shu said. “Either give me the money now or write me an IOU now! I don’t trust you!”
Shen Yue’s chest heaved violently. After a few seconds, he said coldly, “Alright, I’ll write you an IOU!”
“Wait!” A voice suddenly came from the post house.
Zhou Shu’s pupils shrank slightly. He could tell that this voice belonged to Xiao Shunzhi, Great Wei’s imperial preceptor!
Does this old fellow want to make a move?
If he wants to attack, Yin Wuyou probably won’t be able to handle it. Should I step up?
Just as Zhou Shu was hesitating, a beam of light shot out from the post house.
He subconsciously wanted to make a move. But before he could do anything, Yin Wuyou blocked in front of him in a flash.
Yin Wuyou’s aura suddenly erupted, and her clothes fluttered in the wind. Her entire body lit up with a faint white light, as if a fairy had descended to the mortal realm. A three-foot-long sword had appeared in her hand at some point, and she was holding it horizontally in front of her as sword qi soared into the sky.
Zhou Shu’s heart stirred slightly. Yin Wuyou’s actions made him feel warm inside.
He had fought Great Wei’s Imperial Preceptor Xiao Shunzhi and Yin Wuyou before. He knew very well that Yin Wuyou’s cultivation was worlds apart from Xiao Shunzhi’s.
If Xiao Shunzhi wanted to kill Yin Wuyou, he wouldn’t need to make more than ten moves!
Yin Wuyou should also know this herself, but she still stood in front of him without hesitation.
Zhou Shu was somewhat moved.
Just as he was contemplating whether he should recklessly attack, Xiao Shunzhi’s voice suddenly sounded again. “Your Highness, there’s no need to be nervous. I have no ill intentions.”
With a crisp sound, the beam of light that shot out from the post house didn’t attack Yin Wuyou and Zhou Shu. Instead, it suddenly arched three meters away and nailed itself to the ground.
The light disappeared to reveal a long saber. The blade was three inches into the ground, and it was still vibrating slightly.
“Since my student lost, I’ll pay for him.”
Xiao Shunzhi didn’t appear in person, but his voice seemed to ring in everyone’s ears.
“Your Highness, look at this saber. Is it worth ten thousand taels of gold?”
Yin Wuyou didn’t completely restrain her aura. She looked at the saber with a grave expression.
The blade trembled slightly, and light flowed on the blade as if it had intelligence.
“Heaven-grade?” Yin Wuyou exclaimed.
Zhou Shu looked over Yin Wuyou’s shoulder, and his expression darkened when he saw the saber.
Damn it. Isn’t this one of the three sabers I left behind that day?
This f*cking Xiao Shunzhi actually used something he stole from me to pay for the bet Shen Yue lost to me?
He was about to explode!
Shen Yue’s face darkened. Although he didn’t know why his teacher did this, now was definitely not the time to ask.
“A heaven-grade saber’s market price will definitely be higher than ten thousand taels of gold,” Shen Yue said coldly. “It’s more than enough to pay for our bet!”
Zhou Shu looked at Yin Wuyou. He didn’t know much about heaven-grade weapons.
Yin Wuyou nodded and said solemnly, “A heaven-grade weapon can indeed be sold for ten thousand taels of gold on the market.”
Yin Wuyou didn’t expect Great Wei’s diplomatic mission to be so generous!
A heaven-grade weapon could be sold for 10,000 taels of gold, but that didn’t mean that people could buy a heaven-grade weapon with 10,000 taels of gold!
Heaven-grade weapons were existences that couldn’t be bought with money.
Zhou Shu cursed in his heart. He couldn’t say that the saber was his to begin with.
He was clearly here to collect debt, yet he had to suffer in silence!
This made Zhou Shu feel extremely aggrieved. He had never suffered such a huge loss since his debut!
Even when he had left three heaven-grade sabers to stop Xiao Shunzhi from going after him, he wasn’t so angry.
After all, it was a fight back then. There was nothing to say about losing to someone else.
But this time, he was clearly the victor. Why did he have to suffer in silence?
“Accept it!” Yin Wuyou whispered. “The value of a heaven-grade weapon is above ten thousand taels of gold. If you want money, you can sell it to me!”
Zhou Shu’s face darkened. Yin Wuyou had just risked her life to protect him, so he had to give her face.
Besides, it seemed like he couldn’t refuse.
The other party had used a heaven-grade weapon to pay off the debt. In the eyes of outsiders, Zhou Shu had gained an enormous advantage.
It would be abnormal if he refused.
Very good. Surnamed Xiao, I’ll remember you. Just you wait! Zhou Shu glared in the direction of the post house. This matter isn’t over!
“I want this saber. The debt is written off!” Zhou Shu said coldly.
He took a few steps forward, pulled out the heaven-grade saber from the ground, and casually slung it over his shoulder.
“Grand Minister, let’s go. This place is foul because of some people. It’s unpleasant to stay here for a minute longer.”
With that, Zhou Shu and Yin Wuyou walked toward the capital.
As Shen Yue watched their backs, his face turned incomparably gloomy. Hmph, Zhou Shu, I’ll let you be complacent for a few more days!
Shen Yue and Yin Wuyou didn’t notice that a bolt of lightning suddenly disappeared in the sky.
Zhou Shu raised his head to take a look, then withdrew his gaze.
A moment later, after Zhou Shu and Yin Wuyou had disappeared, a figure suddenly appeared in midair.
It was a handsome middle-aged man. He rubbed his chin. Why do I feel like that kid just saw me? I must have seen it wrongly. How can someone who hasn’t even entered the ranks see me? Even my eldest niece didn’t notice me!
That old geezer Xiao is really cunning. He knew that I wouldn’t let him take the heaven-grade saber away from Great Xia, so he actually chose to throw it out at this time! He didn’t suffer any losses at all!
After thinking for a while, he turned into a bolt of lightning and disappeared.
When Zhou Shu and Yin Wuyou returned to the capital, Zhou Shu threw the heaven-grade long saber to Yin Wuyou.
“Grand Minister, I’m selling this to you,” Zhou Shu said casually.
It was useless for him to keep this heaven-grade saber, so he might as well sell it to Yin Wuyou. This was legal income.
“Really?” Yin Wuyou was surprised. Heaven-grade weapons were priceless, and even the imperial family didn’t have many.
As a princess and a Martial Dao genius, she was a third-rank Grandmaster at a young age. But she had yet to own a heaven-grade weapon and was still using an earth-grade weapon.
Zhou Shu had won this heaven-grade saber with his own abilities. It would be natural if he wanted to keep it for himself.
Yin Wuyou had never thought of forcing him to sell it to her. It didn’t matter if a heaven-grade saber had an extraordinary meaning to Great Xia.
“Of course,” Zhou Shu said. “What would I want it for? Your Highness, do you think I can use a heaven-grade weapon?”
On the surface, he was just a Forging Apprentice who had just come into contact with the Martial Dao. How could he have the ability to wield a heaven-grade weapon?
“Who knows how long it will take before I can use a heaven-grade weapon. At that time, I might even be able to forge a heaven-grade weapon myself,” Zhou Shu continued.
Yin Wuyou nodded. She had full confidence in Zhou Shu. He would definitely become a Grand Craftsman in the future!
“Alright, I’ll take this saber. Don’t worry. I won’t let you suffer,” Yin Wuyou said.
She wasn’t buying this heaven-grade saber herself. Instead, she would give it to her father.
She had already thought about how to make an offer to her father!
Just don’t take it away without paying for it, Zhou Shu complained in his heart.
But after thinking about it, he realized that he couldn’t blame her for what had happened before. She was the grand minister of the Forging Division. What was wrong with her taking away one or two standard weapons?
I forgive you for having protected me despite the situation, although I didn’t need your protection. Zhou Shu put on an act in his heart. He had never really taken it seriously.
Yin Wuyou was swift and decisive. Without another word, she took the saber and entered the palace again.
When Emperor Yuan Feng saw Yin Wuyou walk into the imperial study with a saber in her hand, his heart skipped a beat. No way, right?
Before he could say anything, Yin Wuyou shouted in a coquettish tone, “Father~”
“Stop!” Emperor Yuan Feng rubbed his glabella. Where has my considerate and sensible daughter gone?
“Speak. Has Zhou Shu developed some new weapon?”
He felt that his heart was in pain. This kid would develop a new weapon every few days. Although it was a good thing, he didn’t know how to reward him anymore.
This was just for standard weapons. If he did this after becoming a Forging Master, wouldn’t he be rewarded beyond recognition?
“It’s not that. It’s not that easy to develop a weapon. A wise sage said that it requires 99% hard work and 1% inspiration. Without inspiration, it’s impossible to develop a weapon,” Yin Wuyou said.
“99% hard work and 1% inspiration? Which sage said that?” Emperor Yuan asked.
“No, Father, did you hear me?” How would Yin Wuyou know which sage it was?
“You haven’t told me. How am I supposed to listen?” Emperor Yuan Feng said unhappily.
This daughter of his had always been calm and collected in the past. Recently, she seemed to have become fond of acting cute. But this feeling wasn’t bad. At the very least, it made him feel more important to his daughter.
A little girl should act coquettishly to her father.
“Father, look at this.” Yin Wuyou also reacted and hurriedly handed over the heaven-grade saber in her hand.
“This is?” Emperor Yuan took it, and his expression immediately changed. “Heaven-grade! Where did you get it from? Could it be that someone from the Forging Division has advanced to Grand Craftsman?”
Emperor Yuan Feng was ecstatic.
With Zhu Chuanfeng’s death, Grand Xia had lost one Grand Craftsman. Furthermore, he also knew that because of Zhu Chuanfeng, Grand Xia had lost countless Grand Craftsmen.
If a new Grand Craftsman appeared in Great Xia at this time, his heartache would be greatly relieved.
“No!” Yin Wuyou shook her head. “Zhou Shu won this saber!”
“Zhou Shu?” Emperor Yuan Feng felt a headache.
It’s really related to him?
Can’t this kid stop for one second?
I just made him a baron. Am I to promote him every few days?
“Didn’t Shen Yue go to the Forging Division’s workshops to compete with him? At the time, they made a bet with ten thousand taels of gold as the wager,” Yin Wuyou explained.
“In the end, Zhou Shu forged the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Saber and completely defeated Shen Yue.
“Today, we went to ask Shen Yue for money. Shen Yue didn’t bring so much money, so Xiao Shunzhi used this heaven-grade saber to pay off the debt.
“Then Zhou Shu sold this saber to me!”
Yin Wuyou looked at Emperor Yuan Feng with a proud expression. Written all over her face were the words: Praise me quickly.
Emperor Yuan Feng heaved a sigh of relief. So he sold it to her. Fortunately.
Had he offered it to the Imperial court, I really wouldn’t know how to reward him.
Since Zhou Shu sold it, I just have to pay.
Issues solvable with money are not issues.
Emperor Yuan Feng waved his hand. “Well done! I’ll pay for this!”
“Who said that this saber is only worth ten thousand taels of gold?” Yin Wuyou asked in astonishment.
“Didn’t Shen Yue use this saber to pay off the debt of ten thousand taels of gold?” Emperor Yuan Feng said.
“That’s debt repayment. How can it be the same? It’s a heaven-grade saber! It’s impossible to buy one without fifteen thousand taels of gold!” Yin Wuyou said righteously.
“If it’s auctioned, the price might double!
“Father, Zhou Shu sold this saber to us for my sake. We can’t be so petty,” Yin Wuyou advised.
“If he doesn’t want to sell it, we can’t rob him, right? He won it back with his own abilities. It’s his private property.
“I think we can’t let him suffer a loss and be disappointed…”