Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 27 The Licking Skill of Sword Forging Manor

Just as Zhang Chengdao finished building the eighth [farmland], a group of people appeared in the distance at the foot of the mountain.

It was a fairly large group, at least a dozen people, dressed neatly and smartly, each carrying a knife or sword, driving two horse-drawn carriages, looking like some kind of martial arts practitioners.

At this time, Chang Ping'an was being held captive by Zhang Chengdao and meditating in the courtyard, while Xu Ying volunteered to clean up the remaining bamboo roots in the bamboo forest.

Since planting various seedlings and saplings yesterday, the surrounding spiritual energy has become abundant overnight, leading Zhang Chengdao to consider settling down on Baishi Mountain and establishing his own sect. This is why he had the idea of ​​cleaning up the surrounding environment.

"Wan Qizhang of the Sword Casting Manor has come to pay his respects to Immortal Zhang!"

When the group was still quite far away, a clear voice came from it. It sounded young, but it carried real energy and traveled a long distance, startling Chang Ping'an so much that he stood up.

"Sword Forging Manor?"

Zhang Chengdao looked over at Chang Ping'an.

He didn't recall having any dealings with the people from the Sword Forging Manor. If he had to say, only his cheap apprentice could be associated with them, so subconsciously he felt that the other party had come to see Chang Ping'an.

"Teacher, master..."

Chang Ping'an felt a little guilty and began to wonder if he had gone too far yesterday.

But Xie Yan was ultimately responsible for his father's death, so it's only natural that he killed the other party to avenge his father...

He was also puzzled as to what the Sword Forging Manor was doing there. Could it be that they were there to seek revenge? Did Xie Yan hold such a high position within the manor?

It couldn't be for Du Jingshan, could it?

It's not impossible...

Chang Ping'an, his face pale, whispered, "Master, yesterday I not only killed Xie Yan, but also... I also crippled Elder Du Jingshan's martial arts..."

"Didn't you say yesterday that I already knew about this matter?"

Zhang Chengdao sighed inwardly, wondering why his foolish apprentice was so soft-hearted.
If it were me, I might have killed Du Jingshan directly—allowing his disciples to do evil and turning a blind eye as the sect leader is definitely not a good person!

"Let's see. If they come seeking revenge, I won't mind taking action."

Hearing Zhang Chengdao's words, Chang Ping'an felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He was only at the first level of Qi Refining, yet he could easily defeat a fifth-rank expert. His master, a terrestrial immortal, would probably be no match for him even if the entire Sword Forging Manor were to be defeated in a single move!

As the two were talking, the group from the Sword Forging Manor approached.

Leading the group was Wan Qizhang, dressed in luxurious clothes, wearing a gold-threaded hair crown, leather boots inlaid with Hetian jade, and a silver-fox fur cloak with gold trim. He led the group to a stop a few feet outside the thatched cottage and bowed deeply, saying, "Wan Qizhang of the Sword Casting Manor has come to pay a visit to Immortal Zhang. Our old master said that since Immortal Zhang has chosen White Stone Mountain as his Daoist temple, the Sword Casting Manor and Immortal Zhang are neighbors and should have more exchanges."

"Considering that Immortal Zhang is new to this place and may not have much to spare, the old master specially ordered us to bring some household items. Please do not refuse, Immortal Zhang." With that, everyone from the Sword Casting Manor bowed deeply in unison, making quite a show of force.

Instantly, Chang Ping'an's hand, which was gripping the sword hilt, froze.

Zhang Chengdao was also dumbfounded—why is he suddenly fawning over me?
My apprentice just beat me up yesterday, and today you're here with gifts? What's wrong with you? Stockholm syndrome? Addicted to being beaten up?

I'm afraid this unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft!
Thinking of this, Zhang Chengdao decisively refused, saying, "I have never met your Sword Casting Manor before, and I feel ashamed to accept this gift. You should take it back!"

Wan Qizhang seemed to have been prepared, and was not annoyed by the rejection. He bowed again and said, "Immortal Zhang, please don't refuse. In fact, our Sword Forging Manor has also come to deliver an invitation. Our master of the manor was fortunate enough to eat Immortal Zhang's 'Immortal Wheat', which tempered his true qi meridians, and he broke through to the Grandmaster realm around noon!"
"According to the rules of the martial arts world, when all the major sects break through to a higher realm, they will hold a martial arts tournament, inviting heroes from all over the world and new disciples from various sects to exchange and learn from each other. Then, the seniors who have broken through to a higher realm will give them guidance one by one, so that the martial arts world can flourish even more."

"Because the old master of the manor is grateful for his connection with Immortal Zhang, he specially asked me to deliver this invitation to attend the White Stone Martial Arts Tournament held by the Sword Casting Manor on the fifth day of the fourth month. He also hopes that Immortal Zhang will grace us with his presence and give us some pointers."

"Martial arts conference?"

This time, Zhang Chengdao was genuinely curious.

Isn't this just a "martial arts tournament" in another world? But judging from this, a master has broken through and is holding a martial arts tournament to guide the younger generation. It's indeed a very good thing... This martial arts cultivation world sounds quite prosperous?

Wan Qizhang sensed Zhang Chengdao's curiosity and quickly pressed on, "That's right. Not only that, but during the martial arts tournament, many talented young people from all walks of life participate. Many sects also take this opportunity to recruit disciples. Many exceptionally gifted geniuses have the chance to become disciples of famous sects at this time. If Immortal Zhang is interested, he can take this opportunity to see if there are any talents who catch his eye!"

"hiss……"

Zhang Chengdao became increasingly hesitant.

He had just made a decision to establish his own sect at Baishi Mountain! This invitation was like a pillow being handed to him when he was sleepy, hitting the nail on the head!

But after all, there was some friction between the Sword Forging Manor and his own apprentice, and he felt that if he accepted the invitation, he would be letting his apprentice down...

Just as he was thinking this, he saw Wan Qizhang turn around and cup his hands to Chang Ping'an beside him, saying, "Brother Chang, regarding Xie Yan's matter, it was indeed our Sword Casting Manor that wronged you. It was my oversight as the young master of the manor, and it was also due to the lack of attention to the rules and regulations of our Sword Casting Manor that this serious mistake was made. However, Xie Yan is dead, and Du Jingshan's martial arts have been completely destroyed, and he has been removed from the position of sect leader, so this matter should be considered over."

"As the saying goes, it is better to resolve enmity than to create it. Moreover, your mother, Fang Yunying, is one of the most renowned swordsmiths in our Sword Forging Manor. A few days ago, the elders discussed erecting statues and monuments for these deceased famous swordsmiths to commemorate their contributions and to inspire the disciples of the manor. At that time, Brother Chang will be invited to personally inspect the statue of Senior Fang."

"By the way, I also have a personal matter to discuss with you. Senior Fang left behind quite a few personal belongings in the manor's treasury, which were carefully kept. Now that Brother Chang has left the manor, we should return these belongings..."

As Wan Qizhang spoke, he waved his hand behind him, and several disciples from the Sword Forging Manor immediately carried two boxes forward.

Then, Wan Qizhang personally squatted down and, together with his disciples, opened the box. Inside, there were a dazzling array of weapons, some finished, some unfinished, and even a number of oddly shaped ores and iron ingots.

"Originally, because Senior Fang has Brother Chang's bloodline, the elders were worried that the items would be lost, so they specially sealed them away, intending to return them when Brother Chang's forging skills were perfected. However, the affairs of the manor were busy, and I was not quite aware of the reasons, so I did not pay attention to you. Alas, I am truly ashamed!"

The more Wan Qizhang spoke, the more convincing he became, even to the point of sighing with regret.

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(End of this chapter)