All Join the Fray

The sky was dim, and golden feathers floated on the water.

Tiny bubbles burst out of the pool water in a series, rise to the surface and explode into wisps of white steam.

Lu Gang leaned against the edge of the flower bed, the heat hitting him like a boiling pot of soup, and fell silent for a moment.

Crimson Fire Golden Feather!

Truly, Crimson Fire Golden Feather!

Lu Gang finally remembered why the phrase "hot potato" sounded so familiar. Last winter, he had the exact same conversation with Liang Qu!

It's too hot to handle.

It's a hot potato in every aspect.

Even he, if he touches it rashly without any protection, could potentially burn off a layer of skin and flesh.

Lu Gang hesitated, racking his brains for a long time but unable to come up with anything to say, and then chuckled.

"Junior brother, really, new faces are replacing the old ones."

I thought the last time I saw Crimson Fire Mourning Feather was exaggerated enough, but I never expected to see Crimson Fire Golden Feather today!

The very essence of a Perfected Elephant Great Demon.

Lu Gang has never seen a Great Demon in person, let alone a treasure after his death.

I vividly remember Liang Qu asking last year, full of anticipation, whether his mourning feathers were golden.

In just about a year, they've grown up so fast.

A gentleman changes his appearance like a leopard.

Lu Gang recalled the words his sixth junior brother Cao Rang had said and suddenly felt they were quite apt.

The heat from the pond hit my face, and I was sweating profusely.

Lu Gang stopped his chaotic thoughts, turned to gaze at the golden feather in the pond, and guessed, "Is it the same one as last time?"

"It's one."

The Blazing Fire Bird is not a sparrow; it flies in flocks and passes over the Great Marsh every day.

There's no mistake about how only one Toad was killed.

"Extremely tenacious, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a phoenix."

Lu Gang sighed. His junior brother hadn't mentioned where he came from, but he knew in his heart that he had most likely been fished out of the Great Marsh again.

The golden feather before us has been soaking in the Great Marsh for almost a year! Experiencing its vitality, it remains resilient and unyielding, clearly still possessing a chance for rebirth; it's just that soaking for too long has left it listless and dispirited.

"Not just Crimson Fire Golden Feather."

Liang Qu said this, then turned and ran behind the small house by the pond, carrying out a metal stone the size of a human head, its Tungsten Gold gleaming.

As a weapon-making craftsman, Lu Gang recognized what it was at a glance.

Ink Dragon Gold! What a huge piece of Ink Dragon Gold!

Having learned from Jin Yu's example, Lu Gang, though surprised, wouldn't lose his composure too much.

only...

Lu Gang took the stone with both hands, his fingertips touching the winding patterns on it, his brows furrowed.

Adding Crimson Fire Golden Feather to Ink Dragon Gold is no longer a simple addition of spirit...

"Why is Senior Brother Lu frowning? Is there a problem? Are the ingredients incompatible?"

"It's not a matter of compatibility. The properties of Ink Dragon Gold are similar to those of Tungsten Gold, but it is more inclusive and superior to ordinary Tungsten Gold in all aspects. It is one of the best superior metals and its compatibility with the Crimson Fire Bird is definitely a good match."

"Well, to be honest, junior brother, it's my fault. Are you going to try and add both at the same time?"

"Can't we go together?"

"It's not that we can't be together. Fubo's spiritual source is the Crimson Fire Bird, and the one whose spirit we're adding now is the same Crimson Fire Bird. There's no problem at all."

But Ink Dragon Gold is different from Tianling Gold; it needs to be reforged. I've never handled such a fine material before, and I'm worried I'll mess it up.

"But Fubo was forged by you, Senior Brother. No one could have gotten the hang of it as easily as you, right?"

As far as Liang Qu knew, sculpting spirits was much simpler than casting, and theoretically it shouldn't have stumped Senior Brother Lu.

Lu Gang hesitated slightly upon hearing this.

Liang Qu immediately understood that it wasn't a matter of skill, but rather that Senior Brother Lu was being indecisive.

Lu Gang had never used such good materials before, and he was afraid that if he made any mistakes, everything would be ruined.

The two were not simply exchanging benefits like a machine maker and a machine caster.

That would be simpler. You provide the money, I forge the weapon. Even if it fails, at most we'll have nothing to do with each other or even fight, and it might spread a bit of bad reputation.

The key issue is that they are fellow students; if they fail and things fall apart, there will inevitably be complaints.

Lu Gang couldn't afford to lose such good materials. He was just Wolf Smoke Martial Master. Where could he find materials as good as Crimson Fire Golden Feather? A Crimson Fire Bird only has one golden feather. Not all the remains of Perfected Elephant Great Demon are as full of spirituality and vitality as the Crimson Fire Bird. It is one of the best materials for adding spirit. Even his Master would have a hard time getting just one.

Liang Qu cupped his hands in a respectful bow. "Senior Brother Lu, rest assured, I am not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong. If there is any mistake, it is my fault."

"This isn't just polite talk; to be honest, I only spent a little over a hundred taels of silver to acquire this Golden Feather Junior Brother, but how I obtained it is not convenient to disclose."

Lu Gang: "?"

"Junior brother... you're not trying to deceive me, are you?"

"That's absolutely true, so please go ahead and try, senior brother. If you fail, it's just a matter of losing a hundred taels of silver. If you really feel bad about it, just compensate me with a hundred taels of silver." Liang Qu chuckled.

Lu Gang was speechless and choked with emotion.

It's so outrageous that it doesn't seem like it was made up.

He racked his brains but couldn't understand why anyone would sell such a priceless treasure for a hundred taels of silver. Had his junior brother gone and fooled a fool?

But someone with Crimson Fire Golden Feather can't be stupid...

The only explanation is that the other party is so wealthy or powerful that they don't care about a single golden feather.

Lu Gang dared not think about it further, and Celestial Person a struggle, he said, "Since that's the case, I agree."

Liang Qu was overjoyed. "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Good Alchemist and weapon refiners need achievements, and being able to withstand such materials is also a rare and valuable qualification for Lu Gang.

"Crimson Fire Golden Feather and Ink Dragon Gold are rare, and Golden Feather is so special that I might make a mistake on my own. I need the help of two people."

"Which two? Junior brother, go and fetch them immediately!"

"That's not necessary. One is my Master, and the other is my father."

"Okay! Then I'll go find my Master."

"There is no time to lose."

Lu Gang looked up.

Last night the sky Mackerel Sky, and now it's dark and gloomy, clearly indicating a heavy rain is coming.

Too much of a good thing is bad. Since the golden feathers belong to the fire element, they need to be suppressed. A rainy day is a great opportunity to smelt the golden feathers.

If it is Bing Fire Day, the Crimson Fire Bird might be reborn on the spot.

The Jiang Huai Great Marsh.

The beaver lay on the water's surface, basking in the sun and catching up on sleep.

After soaking in the Hot Spring all night, my head was spinning, and since I stayed out so late, I couldn't get enough sleep.

In contrast, the River Otter family was very energetic, darting around catching fish.

The Great River Otter caught a Big Grass Carp in its mouth, then spotted Fat Catfish resting at the bottom of the river and its eyes darted around.

Last night, the otter and the fish fought fiercely. Even the otter had to admit that the fish was fat and strong and was a good fighter.

If we could get their help and find the group of River Otter that had taken over our nest, wouldn't we be able to reclaim our home?

With this thought in mind, the Great River Otter released its grip, grabbed the fish, and dived to the bottom of the water, shaking the sleeping Fat Catfish awake.

The Fat Catfish flicked its fins, opened its eyes, saw that it was River Otter, became very impatient, turned over and continued to sleep.

The River Otter its head, pondered for a while, then found its Fist and gestured with the grass carp.

Fist understood the River Otter's story. Its eyes swayed, and it followed the Shang An, where they found many dry branches and leaves to build a campfire.

The River Otter took out two flints and struck them with a series of bangs, sending sparks flying onto the fluffy fibers and igniting the campfire.

The Fist used its giant pincers to tear open the fish's belly, emptied its internal organs, skewered it onto Wooden Stick, and placed it over the campfire.

As the only general among the Water Beast to possess "two hands," Quan learned to grill from the gods when their Fist was still Black Awning Boat. Now, he has mastered a skill, grilling a whole grass carp until it is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, making it incredibly fragrant.

The River Otter clasped its paws together, thanked them repeatedly, took the Wooden Stick from which the fish was stuck, and then swam back to the bottom.

The aroma of grilled fish wafted into my nostrils, Fat Catfish secretly opened one of its big eyes, then pounced forward suddenly while the River Otter wasn't paying attention.

Wow.

Silver bubbles floated out of the water.

The Fat Catfish a mouthful of water and sand.

The Great River Otter held the grilled fish aloft, standing on a rock.

The Fat Catfish was furious, taking it as a provocation, and was about to give chase when the Great River Otter hurriedly served up grilled fish.

The Fat Catfish embraces its fins and tilts its head to look down at the River Otter.

River Otter offering New Year's greetings to a fish—it's all ill-intentioned! Upon seeing this, the Great River Otter immediately recounted the tragic loss of its home, pleading with the great Ferocious Fang General for assistance in helping the poor, helpless River Otter family reclaim their home. It promised to offer the Ferocious Fang General a thousand servings of delicious grilled fish upon success!