Beginning with the Ubume Bird
Chapter 702 - Chapter 702 Chapter 10 Hot Pot and Firearms

Chapter 702: Chapter 10 Hot Pot and Firearms Chapter 702: Chapter 10 Hot Pot and Firearms Yu Shiqie advised against it, but nobody lingered on the issue.

“Alright.”

Li Yan certainly didn’t refuse.

“As for the remaining materials, anyone in need can take some. It’s rare for us to come together like this, so I’m inviting everyone to enjoy hotpot.”

“I’ll pass.”

Bai Xiao showed a slightly apologetic smile, “I’m a bit busy with work and I don’t want to make everyone feel constrained. I hope you all have a great time.”

“Understood.”

People crowded up the stairs, while Bai Xiao nodded to everyone as a farewell, then made her way to the door, almost bumping into Lady Dan who was returning from her drum lesson.

“You are…” Lady Dan eyed the woman emerging from her shop, a look of recollection coming over her face, “You were at the last Yan Zhao Club gathering.”

“My name is Bai Xiao.”

Bai Xiao blinked, actually failing to recognize Lady Dan at first. Last time at the Yan Zhao Club meeting, she had been wearing a loose green robe with a clear and bracing aura, standing out from the others. This time, she was in jeans and a sweatshirt, carrying a long shoulder bag, her fragrant, voluminous hair draped over her shoulders, bright and charming.

“Um, it was Li Yan who asked us to come for a discussion. We’re just about finished now.”

Bai Xiao turned to wave goodbye to the others once more, then nodded to Lady Dan in front of her before walking out the door and leaving.

…

The fish bones tumbled in the copper pot, steam rising high.

“Gold, silver, crystal, coral, amber, giant clam, agate. These are the seven treasures in the Buddhist Sect, the most spirited.”

Jin Ye held a bowl of dipping sauce, starting a discussion with Li Yan about the details of weapon forging at the dinner table.

“We still need amber, coral, and silver.”

Li Yan had been busy seasoning the soup, a secret hotpot base passed down in his family, made with marinated fish heads and bones, fried red oil mixed with ginger, garlic, and pickled peppers, combined with the fish remains. After simmering the seasoned broth, he sprinkled some chili oil on the surface and then poured a ladle of hot oil on it. As a base for the hotpot, it brought out a delicious flavor that was hard to describe to outsiders.

After hearing what Jin Ye said, Li Yan calmly poured another ladle of hot oil into the soup, eliciting a sizzling sound and filling the air with fragrance.

“Wow!”

Zhao Xin couldn’t help but open her mouth wide in amazement.

Having finished the base, Li Yan took out a piece of black-blood-spotted silver from his personal seal, “You said we’re missing amber, coral, and silver? Would this work?”

The black-blood-spotted silver was a rare item brought back by Cha Xiaodao from an independent mission, said to be a top-grade casting material with the ability to attract craftsmen.

Upon seeing the silver block with black spots, Jin Ye’s eyes immediately lit up.

“This is something good.” Jin Ye stretched out two fingers, “So now we’re only missing two materials.”

Li Yan picked up a slice of bright red mutton, asking, “I need a set of sword and spear, do I still need coral and amber for them?”

“Ordinary weapons don’t need them, but have you ever seen unique-grade cold weapons?”

With that said, the lively hotpot gathering went quiet for a moment.

Li Yan was both shocked and delighted, “You can forge unique-grade items?”

So far, the unique-grade items Li Yan had seen, whether they were Ascenders or the peerless Ring Dragon Sword, were treasures of infinite might. If Li Yan could now have two unique-grade sword and spear, facing the stronger agents from the Six Ministries, he would definitely hold his own.

Jin Ye remained unflustered, “No.”

“Tch~”

As Yu Shiqie poured herself some baijiu, she rolled her eyes.

After a pause, Jin Ye added, “I couldn’t in the past, but that doesn’t mean I can’t in the future. I’ve tried before but either the materials weren’t good enough or there wasn’t enough quantity. The reason Muni had these materials in his stomach was that he had swept up several fruits, which he couldn’t digest after chewing. I think this time, the opportunity is rare indeed.”

“If I find you the coral and amber you need, how long will it take for you to forge the sword and spear?”

Jin Ye stretched out two fingers again.

“Two months?”

“Two years.”

“…”

“It’s not the prolonged two years of a solar term.”

Jin Ye saw Li Yan’s displeased expression and explained unhurriedly: “To craft a weapon of unique caliber, I definitely can’t do it alone. Favorable timing, geographical, and human conditions, as well as related Ten Cities events and help from the natives, are required.”

Li Yan frowned: “But I can’t wait that long. My weapon was crushed by Muni, and now I can’t find a suitable replacement.”

Jin Ye scratched his neck: “How about I just forge a quick one for you to use in the meantime?”

Li Yan couldn’t help but doubt: “How can this matter be treated so casually?”

Jin Ye put down the oil dish.

“Show me the broken spear.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yan put down his bowl and chopsticks and took out the tiger head spear with its shattered spearhead, bitten by Muni, from his personal mark and tossed it to Jin Ye.

The entire great spear stretched across the round table, its head clearly battered with distinct bite marks visible.

Jin Ye smacked his lips: “Leave that dish of tripe for me.”

With that, he picked up the great spear and walked away. It looked as if he was descending the stairs, but in fact, he had entered Yan Fu.

About twenty minutes later, Jin Ye reappeared with the great spear, propping it up: “You try it for yourself.”

Li Yan naturally stepped forward, while Zhao Xin, Wan Die, and Ren Ni also curiously drew close. Only Yu Shiqie and Mo remained seated, one drinking and the other cooking meat.

[Sky Demon Tiger Head Spear]

Category: Cold Weapon

Quality: Rare

Toughness: 100

Sharpness: 100

Weight: Fifty-two jin and six liang

Features are as follows:

Indestructible: Capable of slow regeneration and straightening.

Ostentatious: Each thrust of the spear is accompanied by a Sky Demon, capable of captivating souls.

“Not bad.”

Li Yan genuinely praised, and with the Indestructible trait, at least repair costs were greatly reduced, especially valuable since it was an offhand creation by Jin Ye.

All of a sudden, he remembered a treasured item he had kept for a long time. So, he pulled out the Mud of Yazi that had been stored away, which came from the Yan Capital. Back then, Li Yan, barely known in Ten Cities, had snatched it from a cracked nut.

Mud of Yazi is a consumable of legendary status, capable of coating any weapon, transforming its essence.

Regrettably, Li Yan had never encountered a craftsman capable of using legendary materials for coating until now, when he hastily handed it over to Jin Ye.

After tinkering with it for a while, Jin Ye excitedly asked: “What other good stuff do you have? Bring it all out.”

“All the materials I have related to weapon crafting have already been given to you. Are you capable of performing a Weapon Coating?”

Li Yan thought of the Xiongjian Soul and its feminine counterpart in his Niwan Palace but did not voice it.

Jin Ye first picked up the entire piece of Mud of Yazi: “This is another deal. For Weapon Coating, I need a legacy component from a Yazi to act as a catalyst. This piece weighs one jin four liang, and I’ll need four liang as a fee for the coating process, plus three thousand Yan Fu points–that’s the cost price.”

“That’s settled. How long will you need?”

“I can have it ready by tomorrow.”

Jin Ye slammed his chopsticks down, raised his hand, and then realized his plate was missing: “Eh, where’s my tripe?”

Mo wiped his mouth, looking nonchalant.

Li Yan slapped his thigh, “I’ll go cut some more.” Saying this, he stood up and entered the kitchen. Upon seeing Lady Dan slicing fish, he walked over, opened the cupboard, and took out a plate, “Why aren’t you eating outside?”

“I’ll go once I’m done.”

“Let me do it.”

Their hands met.

“Hmm~”

Zhao Xin was at the doorway.

“What are you doing?”

Li Yan asked, irritated.

“I came to get some juice.”

Li Yan watched as Zhao Xin left, then exchanged a smile with Lady Dan.

The next day, the others had already left.

“It’s ready!” Jin Ye announced, holding a silver-white great spear.

[Dragon Son Great Spear]

Category: Cold Weapon

Quality: Legendary

Durability: 100

Sharpness: 100

Weight: 53 jin and 5 liang

The characteristics are as follows:

Indestructible: Can slowly regenerate and straighten.

Ostentatious: Each time the spear is thrust, it’s accompanied by the aura of the Sky Demon, capable of capturing souls.

Bloodthirsty: The tip of the spear thirsts for blood, and even without someone wielding it, the Dragon Son Great Spear can fly and kill on its own.

Spirit of Yazi: The unworthy do not deserve to wield the Dragon Son Great Spear. With each motion, its weight, durability, and sharpness all increase together, a process that is irreversible.

After examining it for a while, Li Yan suddenly said, “Something’s not right. One jin of mud weighs nine liang, are you playing games with me?”

“What’s the hurry?” Jin Ye then pulled out another sword with a design similar to the Ring Dragon Sword, but with a purple handle and a silver edge, “I made a sword for you with the leftover materials.”

[Dragon Son Great Sword]

Category: Cold Weapon

Quality: Legendary

Durability: 100

Sharpness: 100

Weight: 3 jin and 1 liang

The characteristics are as follows:

Indestructible: Can slowly regenerate and straighten.

Icy Skies: When swung, it naturally brings with it “Extreme Torch Cold.”

Spirit of Yazi: The unworthy do not deserve to wield the Dragon Son Great Sword. With each motion, its weight, durability, and sharpness all increase together, a process that is irreversible.

Li Yan clenched the Dragon Son Great Sword and performed a flourish with it, unable to conceal his excitement.

“Apart from being a bit light, everything else is great, thanks a lot.”

“Use it and it will get heavier.” Jin Ye lit a cigarette, “Remember, when you find legendary corals and amber, send me a message.”

————————-

Second People’s Hospital of a certain city.

Yang Zheng carefully observed the Bitter Instrument Embryo, which had a pair of thorny orbicular feet, two compound eyes, and a long crack running down its back. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, like ancient jade. It had four pairs of membranous wings, and placed under the sun, each wing bore two squirming square Chinese characters. He recognized them one by one as: lamentation for the six senses, being submerged in the Eight Sufferings, without the great sage, who shall rescue the Wisdom Bridge.

“I told you before you should go. You can’t let someone with the last name Li have all the favors, but you just wouldn’t listen.”

Propped up on the hospital bed, Yang Zheng clutched the Bitter Instrument Embryo tightly and said to Bai Xiao with a grin, “I might as well not have Mr. Zhao restore my flesh and blood, and you, just carry my legs there. When you get there, don’t speak, eh, just cry. Who knows, they might feel embarrassed and give us the inheritance of the Sky Demon King, the Four Pillars Dragon Eye Fiend, and all that.”

Bai Xiao threw a pillow at him, “I’m being serious here!”

The pillow struck Yang Zheng squarely in the chest, and he pretended to be in pain.

Old Bai, with his reading glasses on and somewhat balding, finally looked up, “Stop fooling around.”

Bai Xiao made a face.

“Young Yang, you did the right thing by not listening to her nonsense.”

After a moment of thought, Commissioner Bai added, “It’s best if you both don’t mess with something like the Bitter Instrument. I’ll keep it.”

“Mhm.” Yang Zheng didn’t say much and handed the black cicada to Commissioner Bai.

Commissioner Bai scrutinized the Bitter Instrument for a while before looking up and gazing at Yang Zheng’s face,

“Mr. Bai, why are you looking at me like that?”

Yang Zheng felt a bit embarrassed.

After a long while, Commissioner Bai finally showed a look of satisfaction, “In a few days, I’m going with Ninth Lord to Leaf Sea. I don’t know how long it’ll be before I can come back. Since I have some free time right now, I think you and Lingling should just get your marriage certificate. Our two families can have a meal together, and when I return, we’ll have a big celebration.”

Yang Zheng was surprised. Commissioner Bai had always been kind to him, but he was unbending about the marriage. Even during the last struggle for the second seat, Commissioner Bai helped him a lot from the sidelines, but he never hinted at “If you get the second seat, I’ll let you marry my daughter.”

He didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately seized the opportunity, “Thanks, dad.”

Commissioner Bai laughed and cursed, “You little rascal, you’re quick to react.”

But after a while, Commissioner Bai wasn’t laughing anymore, “How long do you think it will take for you to fully recover?”

Yang Zheng thought for a moment, “At most half a year.”

Commissioner Bai shook his head, “Too short. Mr. Zhao gave you a year’s leave, so you should seriously stay put for this entire year, don’t go abroad, and especially no handling of Yan Fu incidents. As for after one year, it’s still up to my approval whether you can move around freely.”

Yang Zheng frowned, somewhat unwilling.

Commissioner Bai’s expression became stern, “If you don’t agree, then forget about marrying my daughter.”

Yang Zheng opened his mouth, struggling to voice his discomfort, but still argued with gritted teeth, “A boat has to advance to make headway against the current, for if it does not advance it will drift back. I’ve just ascended to Dharma, and you’re telling me to stay dead slow and fall back to my original form. If you don’t let me into Yan Fu now, who knows how long it will be until I can enter Dharma again.”

“What are you in a rush for? Things won’t be calm in Yan Fu for a while, and I have your best interests at heart. You’ll understand when the time comes. You’ve entered Dharma once before, it won’t be that difficult to do it again. One year is nothing, are you afraid someone will surpass you, Pang Chunhao?”

Yang Zheng blinked and didn’t speak, just looked at the black cicada in Commissioner Bai’s hand.

Commissioner Bai, knowing the melody behind the tune, waved the black cicada, “The Li Yan who holds the second seat?”

Yang Zheng didn’t openly admit it, just smiled bitterly, “I’ve never liked fighting within the nest, but I do have a competitive spirit. Last time I lost to him because of Pang Chunhao, and that was acceptable. But if he really surpasses me, considering I entered Yan Fu three years before he did, that would be too embarrassing.”

“The Divine Court is not that simple. Something not even the old man achieved, sooner or later he’ll get tripped up. Let him secure the second seat first. Don’t change the subject, do you agree or not?”

Commissioner Bai remained unconvinced.

“This…”

Yang Zheng was far from as optimistic as Commissioner Bai. Commissioner Bai hadn’t dealt with Yan Fu incidents in a very long time; he was used to the framework of the Yan Zhao Club and doing things by the book. He had become too dull.

But Yang Zheng was different; he was still sharp. He knew very well that no matter how the first and second seat members of the Yan Zhao Club planned and structured, the true nature of Yan Fu was always filled with miracles and unknowns. Even if tomorrow an unknown creature from an unknown sequence devastated the Yan Zhao Club, Yang Zheng wouldn’t find it impossible. Under such a backdrop, for Commissioner Bai to rashly conclude that Li Yan would fail in his expedition in Divine Court seemed too hastily judged for Yang Zheng.

But still…

He licked his lips and glanced at Bai Xiao, who was unusually shy for once, just lowering her head and fidgeting with her fingers without a word.

After much contemplation, Yang Zheng reluctantly nodded, “Alright, I agree.”

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