"Then let me show you," the blacksmith said after hearing Chu Feng's words. "Please have a look, sir..."
Immediately afterward, Chu Feng saw the blacksmith bring out a long saber from the corner of the wall with two apprentices. The three of them carried it together.
All three had incredibly heavy steps and tense expressions. Clearly, whatever they were carrying was no lightweight.
With great effort, the three men hoisted it onto the table and introduced it. "This Saber Blank was forged from Outer-space Meteorite Iron mixed with various Precious Irons. It weighs three hundred and eighty-six pounds!"
The blacksmith looked at the Saber Blank with a complicated expression. This long saber was the work of his ambition.
He had used many rare ores, originally hoping to make a name for himself. However, when the saber was finished, it turned out to be astonishingly heavy, and no one could wield it.
He had been unwilling to reforge it, so he had simply set it aside. Even now, it had never been sharpened!
Chu Feng ignored the blacksmith's thoughts and lifted the Saber Blank with one hand.
The Saber Blank had a broad blade and a long handle. Its total length was over ten feet, and it resembled the Mò Dāo of the Tang Dynasty in his previous life—in other words, a warhorse saber.
This was absolutely a Sharp Weapon for the battlefield. With one slash, both man and horse would be smashed apart, unstoppable!
Chu Feng casually swung it around with one hand, just as easily and leisurely as before. It was as though the three hundred pounds of weight made no difference compared with the sixty-pound Ring-pommel Saber.
But the shopkeeper and the apprentices felt quite differently.
A violent wind suddenly howled inside the room. Saber-wind roared as if a storm of the highest intensity had erupted. The objects around them were sent flying in all directions, and even the building trembled faintly.
The blacksmith and his two apprentices had their facial muscles blown badly out of shape. For a moment, they could not even stand steadily.
The blacksmith forced down his fear and hurriedly said, "Hero, hero, please stop swinging it! My house is about to collapse..."
Chu Feng stopped moving. He planted the hilt on the ground, leaving the tip two feet above his head. The fierce wind dispersed, and the room returned to calm.
"The weight is just right, and it handles well enough. I'll take it..."
The space was limited, so he had only swung it a few times casually.
The blacksmith and his apprentices were left trembling with fear. How could nearly four hundred pounds seem like nothing in that man's hands?
"I was blind and failed to recognize Mount Tai. Young hero, your divine strength is truly unmatched!" The blacksmith was completely awed by Chu Feng's strength.
"Twenty taels would be taking advantage of you. I'll add another fifty." Chu Feng toyed with the long saber, unable to put it down.
"Please wait a few days before returning, sir. I'll sharpen this 'Heavy Mountain' right away." The blacksmith beamed with delight and was about to fetch his tools.
"No need. A heavy sword needs no edge! It doesn't need sharpening."
Chu Feng declined the blacksmith's good intentions. At three hundred and eighty-six pounds, one slash would turn flesh and blood into a bloody mess. Why would it need an edge?
He laughed and said, "Heavy Mountain—heavy as mountains. With one slash, man and horse will be smashed apart! I like this name!"
In Yong'an City, at the rear garden of Fang Manor...
A rockery stood in the center of the garden. Clear water trickled out from between the stones and gathered into a limpid pool.
Lotuses bloomed across the pool, while koi swayed and glided through the water.
Fang Jian Xing casually scattered the fish food in his hand into the pool, provoking the many koi into a frenzy.
He cast a sidelong glance at the silent Gao Han beside him and said mildly, "Elder Gao, I thought you had potential, so I promoted you specially and rewarded you with a Muscle Tendon Pill. Is this how you repay me?"
By the end of Fang Jian Xing's words, his voice had grown increasingly chilling.
"I sent you to find the fugitive slave, but you found nothing. I sent you to investigate the culprits who killed members of my Fang Family, and three days have passed without the slightest result!"
"Young master, please forgive me. I've already uncovered a few clues, but that cook from Hongyun Restaurant disrupted everything..." Gao Han did not dare raise his head as he explained in a low voice.
As he spoke, he could not help touching the freshly scabbed wound on his face.
A thoughtful look flashed through Fang Jian Xing's eyes. "That old man from the Bone Forging Realm came to Yong'an City and greeted Father. His strength cannot be underestimated. Someone like him has no reason to sneak around and kill a few of my Fang Family's servants."
Gao Han had originally wanted the Fang Family to vent his anger for him, but he had not expected them to be so wary of that Bone Forging Realm martial artist as well. His idea immediately vanished.
He changed tack and said, "Young master, the trail from Hongyun Restaurant has gone cold. But my investigation revealed that the five slain servants were looking for trouble with someone. I believe there must be a connection."
"Then go find him! The entire Yong'an City is laughing at my Fang Family now. If this matter cannot be settled by tomorrow, you can return to the execution platform!"
Cold sweat poured down Gao Han's body. He was just about to bow and leave when Fang Jian Xing suddenly called out to him.
"Wait. Since you're going to capture someone, bring back a few more consumables while you're at it. Father will have a use for them..."
Fang Jian Xing seemed to have thought of something, and his face was filled with yearning.
"Yes!" Gao Han's heart tightened, and he hurriedly agreed.
After bidding farewell to the blacksmith, Chu Feng carried the wrapped Heavy Mountain saber and walked back into the street.
He had not gone far when he suddenly noticed a commotion among the commoners ahead.
The panicked crowd scattered to both sides as the sound of horses' hooves approached from far away.
Chu Feng stood where he was and gazed into the distance, wanting to see who was being so overbearing.
Two breaths later, Chu Feng saw the person galloping wildly on horseback.
It was Gao Han, whom he had met three days earlier. The fresh, scabbed-over bloody mark on his face was clearly visible.
Behind him were the Fang Family Guards and servants. Every one of them looked energetic and had a sturdy build, forming a sharp contrast with the sallow, emaciated commoners around them.
Chu Feng had seen these guards before. They were the cream of the Fang Family Guards, each one a martial artist in the Flesh Tempering Realm.
Chu Feng stood at the street corner and watched as they passed right by him!
Gao Han's gaze swept over Chu Feng at the roadside as well.
The youth was thin, yet his spine was ramrod straight and his eyes bright and sharp. Most striking of all, he carried a long-handled object wrapped in burlap on his back, making him seem utterly out of place among the people around him.
Although Gao Han found it strange, he did not stop. After three days without news of the Fierce God, Fang Jian Xing had grown increasingly impatient.
He had investigated the few servants who had been killed several days ago and found that they had been going to trouble someone. Those servants had been killed on their way to find that person.
They had been the first victims. Afterward, the Fierce God had killed Fang Yun Hu, a collateral-line descendant of the Fang Family. Perhaps that, too, had been meant to conceal something.
The group passed by in grand fashion and vanished around the street corner in the blink of an eye.
Chu Feng's appearance had been disguised, so Gao Han naturally failed to recognize him.
He watched the direction in which Gao Han had left, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.
If he remembered correctly, that road led toward West Street in the southern part of the city.
Could it be that Gao Han had already discovered something?
"Very well. Let me test the quality of the Muscle Tendon Realm!"
In the blink of an eye, Chu Feng made his decision. With long strides, he headed in the direction the horses had taken.
West Street in the southern part of the city, at Lin Da Niu's home.
Cooking smoke curled up in the courtyard, and the aroma of meat wafted from an iron pot.
"Gulp..."
Lin Qiao Er swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said like a little glutton, "Brother, how much longer?"
"Even when it's ready, Father and Mother will eat first." Lin Da Niu deliberately put on a stern expression.
Today was the Ghost Festival, the day he offered sacrifices to his parents and ancestors. He had to establish some rules for this little girl.
"All right." Although Lin Qiao Er was very eager, she knew what mattered.
Just then, a group of people suddenly kicked down the door and burst in.
Lin Da Niu turned around and saw Gao Han and the others approaching aggressively, their faces fierce and malevolent.
"Lin Da Niu, we have something to ask you about. Come with me."
"The Fang Family has business with me? Of course I wouldn't dare delay. I'll go with you."
Lin Da Niu knew how domineering the Fang Family was. If he refused to cooperate, he would certainly suffer for it!
Even though Lin Da Niu submitted obediently, the Fang Family Guards still pinned him down like wolves and tigers.
"Bring that little girl too. The master will have use for her..." Gao Han suddenly added.
"Lord Gao, my sister never leaves the house and has never caused any trouble. There's no need to take her, is there?" Lin Da Niu said anxiously.
"You have no right to bargain. Take them all away!"
Gao Han could not be bothered to say more and ordered the guards to drag them all away.
After leaving the alley, Gao Han mounted his horse, preparing to take them back for a detailed interrogation. But then he suddenly saw a young man in hemp clothing standing in the middle of the street.
"Long time no see, my lord. You still cut quite the dashing figure!"
Before you continue