His tone was steady, making "raising the price on the spot" sound perfectly reasonable.
The black-clad man-Xu Lu-seemed to narrow his eyes, and the surrounding air grew colder. "Patriarch Murong, you already have the Sixth Tier [Thunderclap Sword]. Asking for more now-do you think I am weak enough to bully? Don't forget, I was the Swordsmith..."
-How do you know I didn't tamper with the sword?
The words were mild, but the threat pierced to the bone like an icicle.
Murong Qianqiu's expression remained unchanged as he met the other man's gaze. "You speak too harshly, Mr. Xu. The Murong Family is, of course, cooperating in good faith. But times have changed, and the sharp increase in risk is an indisputable fact. Our original agreement did not cover anything like this. My family is risking utter disgrace and ruin to help you conceal the traces of your killing intent. In all fairness, shouldn't you offer something in return?"
Xu Lu watched him silently for a while. Suddenly, an exceedingly faint, almost indiscernible note seemed to creep into his dry voice, as though it were... a trace of mockery?
"Very well."
Xu Lu agreed unexpectedly. "Once this is done, I will teach you the core tempering method for the Thunderclap Sword. After that, your Murong Family can attempt to forge lightning-aspected divine weapons yourselves."
Everyone in the room, Murong Qianqiu included, felt their hearts jolt, followed by a surge of irrepressible delight! The [Thunderclap Sword] was a genuine divine artifact, a divine weapon perfectly suited to the Murong Family's [Thundering Sword Technique]!
This compensation far exceeded their expectations!
But Xu Lu's next words immediately doused most of their joy. "Provided, of course... that we can eliminate that 'Yun Fan.'"
Murong Qianqiu drew a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and said