Chapter 30: Ridiculous
Rong Yi and Rong Su turned around and saw that an about fifteen-year-old comely boy was looking at them shyly.
Without getting any response, the young man was afraid they would reject him, so he explained with worry, “I am…I am a level one Magic Weapon Maker though, I once made high quality level-one magic weapons. I assure you I can make high-quality magic weapon for you.”
Rong Yi saw confidence in his eyes and asked, “Will you make a magic weapon for me if I want you to make it as I want or I may make gestures around?”
Normally, Magic Weapon Maker had their own habits. They didn’t like any advice from anyone but their master Shifu or other seniors with higher level. Otherwise, they would think you underestimate them.
“Only if you are right, I will do as what you say.” The boy said earnestly.
“Ok. You are hired. What is your name? Where do you live?” asked Rong Yi, smiling.
“My name is Zhangsun Ziqian. I live in the hovel over there.” Seeing they were both kind of accommodating, Zhangsun Ziqian was not so nervous as before. He led them to his hovel and said embarrassedly, “My place is a little shabby. Hope you wouldn’t mind.”
Rong Yi looked around. There were three rooms in the house. A middle-aged man wearing homespun clothes was meditating at the doorway of the room in the middle.
Zhangsun Ziqian walked up to him and took out a low grade spiritual stone and out it in front of the middle-aged man, then said in a low voice, “I may need your magic weapon-making furnace, uncle Xiang.”
Then he turned back to explain to Rong Yi and Rong Su, “He is meditating. We should leave him alone.”
Zhangsu Ziqian then took them inside the room.
There was not much furniture in the room. There were only a black furnace taller than a grownup, a bed, a double door closet, a table and two chairs.
Zhangsun led them to sit down and poured two cups of tea for them.
Rong Su then took the ingredients out of his Storage Ring and handed them over to Zhangsun Ziqian.
Zhangsun Ziqian checked the ingredients in front of the furnace and noticed there were two kinds of herbs mixed in, so he picked them out and gave them to Rong Su, “you mix them with the ingredients.”
“I specially put them in the ingredients. You need to blend them into my magic weapon.” Explained Rong Yi.
“Can herbs also be used as ingredients to make magic weapon?” both Zhangsun Ziqian and Rong Su were amazed.
They had never heard about it.
Xiang Lv, who was still mediating outside, was amazed too, with his ears having moved a bit.
“You only know only after you give it a try, but you have to do as what I tell you to do.”
Zhangsun Ziqian was not an herb expert, but he could tell one of them was Recovery herb which was usually used for healing injuries of bones, nails or hair of human or beasts in a the shortest time.
The other kind of herb was Bone-softening herb which could be helpful for healing but also for poisoning. It could soften one’s bones and also objects such as steel or iron. One could deform something or tear it apart while it was softened by the Bone-softening herbs.
He checked those ingredients, frowning, only finding they were mostly beast bones. He suddenly had a feeling that maybe herbs might really be used to make magic weapons.
“I will give it a try but I am not sure if I can make it.”
“Ridiculous!” Xia Lv reproached outside the door, “How can herbs be used to make magic weapons? Ziqian, don’t be fooled. Maybe they are deliberately here to ruin your reputation since they are jealous of your talent. You have been fooled once. It can’t happen again.”
Rong Yi and Rong Su exchanged an eye contact.
Zhangsun Ziqian’s eyes darkened when he thought of last time he got set up by someone. But looking at those ingredients before his eyes, he still had a strong feeling that he wanted to try.
He lost in thought for a bit and then said, “I am about to leave this place. Reputation is not so important to me now. Besides, if they really want to fool me, they wouldn’t be silly enough to ask me to make a magic weapon with herbs.”
Xia Lv knew he wouldn’t change once he made up his mind. He was both mad and helpless, “Whatever.”
Zhangsun Ziqian then asked Rong Yi, “What do you want me to do?”
Taking out his drawing, Rong Yi explained, “The magic weapon I want is a bracelet with 36 small swords of different types hanging on it. See if you can make it.”
Zhangsun Ziqian took the drawing from him and read every detail, then said, “Yes, I think I can.”
“You can start with your own protocol and I will remind you what to do at the proper time.”
“Ok.”
Xiang Lv stopped meditating as he heard their conversation and walked in and snorted at Rong Yi, “I will watch how you are gonna make a magic weapon out of such soft herbs.”