"I used it all to forge that pair of Red Gold armguards!"
Wang Hao still hid nothing. There was no need to hide it anyway.
"Those armguards only weigh two thousand catties, don't they?"
Zhao Fengxue first looked at the pair of Red Gold armguards that had been carried into the courtyard earlier. Then his old eyes fixed on Wang Hao. He felt the brat was insulting his intelligence.
More than a hundred thousand taels of gold weighed over ten thousand catties, while the pair of armguards weighed only two thousand-a difference of a full fivefold.
And now Wang Hao was telling him that those so-called Red Gold armguards were made from all that gold? Did he really think Zhao Fengxue was uneducated and couldn't do arithmetic?
"Hall Master, you should have noticed the difference between Red Gold and ordinary gold. Do you think you could refine Red Gold from ordinary gold without paying a price?"
Wang Hao could see Zhao Fengxue's hostility and understood why he felt that way. After some thought, he explained it in simpler terms. "You can think of Red Gold as the essence of gold. Everything left over is useless waste."
"You used more than a hundred thousand taels of gold to forge this thing?"
Zhao Fengxue accepted Wang Hao's explanation, but he still couldn't understand or accept what he had done.
That was all his gold!
The wealth Blood Wind Hall had accumulated over more than a century-and Wang Hao had squandered so much of it in one stroke. How could he bear it?
Blood Robe Tower's annual dividends might total nearly ten million taels, but divided among all the halls, each received only a little over a million taels of silver. After daily expenses and tribute to the Eastern Depot were deducted, having a hundred thousand taels of silver left at the end of the year was considered good.
Losing more than a hundred thousand taels of gold was truly too great a loss!
"That's because you haven't realized Red Gold's true value, Hall Master. Once you do, you won't say that!"
Wang Hao felt that words alone probably wouldn't convince the old fellow. He stood up, picked up the Red Gold armguard with the giant arrowhead embedded in it, and pulled the arrowhead free with a tug.
As soon as the giant arrowhead came out, the dent it had made began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. Before long, it was whole again.
Zhao Dachui watched, dumbstruck. Even the experienced and knowledgeable Zhao Fengxue had never seen an armguard that could repair itself so quickly.
"Hall Master, try striking it with your sword!"
Wang Hao held the armguard out to Zhao Fengxue so he could experience its power for himself.
Clang!
Zhao Fengxue came back to his senses and glanced at Wang Hao. Without another word, he drew his newly replaced sword, summoned Sword Qi, and struck.
But with Sword Qi behind the blow, he sliced a small piece off the Red Gold armguard.
It had taken some effort, but it hadn't been difficult.
Zhao Fengxue and his son Zhao Dachui looked up at Wang Hao again, staring at him without a word.
Wang Hao was speechless too. He had only asked Zhao Fengxue to give it a casual strike, but who would have thought the old fellow would strike with all his strength and even use Sword Qi?
Powerful as the Red Gold armguard was, divine weapons below the level of Ten-Thousand-Refined True Steel would have trouble breaking through it. But if an opponent's cultivation was strong enough-for example, someone capable of using an outrageous attack like Sword Qi-he could still break it.
"Now it's time to witness a miracle!"
Though deeply embarrassed, Wang Hao was thick-skinned enough not to show it. His mind turned, and he came up with a way to ease the atmosphere.
He picked up the small piece of Red Gold from the ground and pressed it back against the break. After holding it firmly in place for a while, he released it and let Zhao Fengxue and his son take a look.
"It can really grow back?"
Zhao Dachui stared at the completely restored Red Gold armguard, shaken beyond words. It was simply miraculous.
"Red Gold has an unimaginable capacity for memory-based repair. Even if it's smashed completely out of shape, it can quickly return to its original form. Even if it's cut in half, it can repair itself as long as the broken surfaces are pressed together in time, just like that."
Wang Hao explained this powerful property of the Red Gold armguard.
"What use is that? It still couldn't withstand my attack, could it?"
Zhao Fengxue was still somewhat dissatisfied. Red Gold's ability to repair itself was indeed formidable, but no matter how strong that ability was, it was useless if its hardness couldn't be improved!
"Red Gold alone naturally has limited strength, but it can be reinforced by other means. Hall Master, try feeding True Qi into it, then strike it with your sword again."
Wang Hao remained highly confident. He had prepared an explanation while forging the pair of Red Gold armguards, and he was confident he could convince the old fellow Zhao Fengxue.
Still doubtful, Zhao Fengxue took the Red Gold armguard and slipped it onto his arm. A thousand catties was an outrageous weight, but a Grandmaster-level expert like him could bear it.
He fed his Acquired True Qi into it, drew his sword, gathered Sword Qi, and struck again.
Bang!
A dull impact rang out. The Sword Qi that had sliced through the Red Gold in one blow now seemed to have gone blunt. It cut a dent only half an inch deep before it could go no farther. Once the Sword Qi withdrew, the dent sprang back in the blink of an eye, returning to its original shape.
"Hiss!"
Zhao Fengxue and his son Zhao Dachui couldn't help sucking in a cold breath at the sight. The Red Gold armguard had already been extraordinary, and now this? It was practically defying the heavens!
"Let me play... try it!"
When Zhao Dachui came back to his senses, his eyes shone as he stared eagerly at the Red Gold armguard. He reached out, wanting to try it himself.
"Brother Dachui, don't waste your effort. It takes at least power on the level of Acquired True Qi to reinforce the Red Gold armguard. Forget about it with that little bit of inner force of yours!"
Wang Hao stopped Zhao Dachui from wasting his effort. Red Gold was, after all, a second-tier material. Only the power of a cultivator at the Mortal Realm Second Layer could react with it, which in the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer meant the Acquired True Qi of an Acquired Grandmaster.
Zhao Dachui had only inner force in his body, a whole grade weaker than Acquired True Qi. There was no way he could activate the Red Gold armguard.
"What a letdown!"
His expression stiffened, and Zhao Dachui sat back down, looking thoroughly unhappy.
"Once this Red Gold has been forged into shape, it can't be changed, can it?"
Having calmed down, Zhao Fengxue examined the Red Gold armguard in his hand, then suddenly looked up and asked.
"Sharp eyes, Hall Master. Once Red Gold cools and takes shape, it develops a kind of memory. No matter what form it's forced into, it will eventually return to its original shape."
Wang Hao offered him a little flattery.
Come to think of it, this property of Red Gold was much like rubber: both had a strong ability to regain their shape. Red Gold, however, was countless times better at it.
Even if it were flattened into a pancake, it could quickly recover. That was a formidable property.
"In other words, you're the only one who can use these Red Gold armguards, and once you're done with them, they'll be useless?"
Zhao Fengxue's expression turned hostile again. This property of the Red Gold armguards was indeed powerful, but their shape was far too limiting.
Only someone with Wang Hao's build could use them properly. And although Acquired True Qi could reinforce the Red Gold armguards, Wang Hao cultivated the Golden Bell Shield!
Once he broke through to the Acquired Grandmaster Realm, his own defense combined with his True Qi defense would be no weaker than the reinforced Red Gold armguards. By then, the pair would surely be discarded.
And at the brat's rate of cultivation, he probably wouldn't need more than a few years to break through to the Acquired Grandmaster Realm. That would reduce the value of the Red Gold armguards by a great deal.
"Ahem... Hall Master, you could find people about my size and train them in advance. Once I'm finished with the armguards, you can give them to them. After all, not everyone is suited to specializing in a top-tier external art like the Golden Bell Shield."
Wang Hao froze. He hadn't thought of that before, and now things were rather awkward. He could only offer a barely passable solution.
"Hmph! For now, that's all we can do!"
With a cold snort, Zhao Fengxue accepted Wang Hao's suggestion, though his expression remained dissatisfied. That had been more than a hundred thousand taels of gold, after all!
"How about I forge a set of light, thin protective armor for you and Brother Dachui?"
Wang Hao saw that Zhao Fengxue was still dissatisfied. His eyes turned as he prepared to make amends again. For him, it was only a matter of moving his hands, and it wouldn't cost him anything.
Besides, forging with explosive force was itself a form of cultivation and wouldn't delay the improvement of his cultivation.
"That would be great!"
Zhao Dachui grew excited, clearly tempted. But when he saw the icy glare his father shot him, he sat back down like an eggplant wilted by frost.
"The situation is fairly stable at present. We don't need such precious armor, and it would be unwise to let it appear in the world. Otherwise, even I might not be able to keep it."
After some hesitation, Zhao Fengxue ultimately rejected Wang Hao's proposal.
After all, armor forged from Red Gold was too heaven-defying. Even the imperial court would probably covet it.
Not to mention that the Eastern Depot stood above Blood Robe Tower. If such precious armor appeared, the Eastern Depot would surely demand it, and if he refused, it would inevitably cost him his life.
The Red Gold armor alone was troublesome enough, to say nothing of the even more precious Secret Method used to forge it. If the Eastern Depot or even the imperial court learned that Wang Hao possessed such a powerful forging ability, who knew what they would do?
So although the armor was precious, it was also a great source of trouble.
After a moment's thought, Zhao Fengxue asked gravely, "Who else in the world today knows how to forge this Red Gold? And who else knows about it?"
Wang Hao's heart tightened, and a large patch of cold sweat seeped through the back of his clothes. He realized his suggestion had been rash and promptly answered seriously, "Rest assured, Hall Master. I dug this Secret Method for forging Red Gold out of my family's ancestral grave. I'm the only person in the world who knows it now, and I'm the only one who can forge it."
He was confident of that. Although Ten-Thousand-Refined Red Gold was also made by fold forging, the method differed from ordinary fold forging. Only someone with explosive force could forge it.
It also required many steps and little tricks. A mistake at any stage would cause the forging to fail, and Red Gold had to be successfully forged in one attempt. If something went wrong midway, the material would be ruined and couldn't be forged again.
Thus, in the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, he really was the only person who could forge Ten-Thousand-Refined Red Gold at present.
Listening to Wang Hao's bullshit excuse, Zhao Fengxue's forehead filled with black lines. When his son had returned to the capital and reported to him, he had realized that everything the brat had said that day was bullshit.
He hadn't expected the brat to bring it up again, but he didn't press the matter.
Everyone had a few little secrets. As long as those secrets posed no harm or threat to him, he couldn't be bothered to ask!
Of course, that was also because Wang Hao had shown enough value for Zhao Fengxue to take him seriously, so he avoided souring their relationship and leaving everyone embarrassed later.
Had it been anyone else, he would have drawn his sword and forced the Secret Method for forging Red Gold out of him long ago.
"Guard this secret well. You must never let anyone else find out! Dachui, come out with me. There's something I need you to do."
Zhao Fengxue gave Wang Hao a long look and warned him, then called for his son Zhao Dachui to follow. The two left Wang Hao's courtyard together.
"Xiao Ha! Get ready. We're going to the dining hall to eat!"
After making sure Zhao Fengxue and his son had gone far away, Wang Hao dashed toward the nearby communal latrine. He planned to clear out his stomach, take a bath, and then go eat at the dining hall.
The previous battle had been brief, but it had also been fierce and dangerous. He had exhausted a great deal of his own strength and naturally needed to replenish it urgently.
He hadn't gone immediately because he had been waiting there for Zhao Fengxue and his son, so they wouldn't discover the portion of medicinal food he drank. That would have been awkward.
If they did find out, as long as the old fellow Zhao Fengxue hadn't had his head caught in a door, he would certainly cut off the supply of medicinal food.
Although it was only a matter of time before they discovered it, he would delay it for as long as he could. Every extra day was a gain for him.