What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

He pointed to the black knife on the anvil and continued:

"The bloodthirsty aura within this blade is too strong; it has developed a very obvious autonomous spirituality."

"Master Huo, do you mean this scabbard is difficult to forge?"

Jin Wanliang rubbed his hands together and interjected with a question.

"It's not that it's difficult to fight, it's that we need to change our thinking."

Old Man Huo shook his head, walked to the rattan chair next to him, sat down, picked up the purple clay teapot, took a sip of tea, and then slowly explained.

"Ordinary scabbards are definitely not enough to deal with such ferocious soldiers."

Or rather, if one only pursues the 'suppression' function of the scabbard, that is a poor strategy.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

I pulled over an old wooden stool and sat down, asking for your guidance.

Old Huo is an expert in blacksmithing and forging; it wouldn't hurt to listen to his professional advice.

"Think about it, this knife has a spirit, like a wild and untamed beast."

If you forcibly lock it up with a scabbard made purely for suppressing it, would it be happy?

Old Man Huo tapped the table with his finger.

"It might work in the short term, but in the long run, the ferocity in the blade and the suppressive power of the scabbard will clash."

This is like compressing a spring; the harder you compress it, the stronger the rebound.

In the end, not only will the scabbard be lost, but the very spirit of the sword itself may also be damaged.

Old Huo's words were profound yet simple, and Li Qing and I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Indeed, it is better to guide than to block; this principle applies to many things.

"so,"

Old Man Huo's gaze sharpened.

"The scabbard of this knife must not be merely for 'suppressing evil spirits,' but must also be able to 'contain evil spirits' and 'nourish evil spirits.'"

"Containing evil spirits? Nurturing evil spirits?"

Li Qing raised an eyebrow, seemingly quite interested in the two words.

"That's right."

Old Huo stood up, walked to the stove, and poked at the coke inside with an iron rod.

"We need to create a scabbard that the knife feels comfortable in and will never resist being inside."

This scabbard must not only perfectly conceal its overwhelming ferocity so that outsiders cannot detect it, but also have the function of nurturing the blade.

In this way, you can both nurture the knife, making it sharper and more intelligent, and it will also perfectly meet your daily carrying needs.

This is truly a masterpiece.

Upon hearing this, Jin Wanliang's smile widened even further.

"Master Huo truly is the best craftsman in Jiangcheng; his knowledge and skill are impeccable!"

He immediately gave a thumbs up, then changed the subject and got straight to the point.

"If that's the case, then what are we waiting for?"

"Mr. Huo, just name your price, let's get this over with and get started right away."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Huo did not cite a painful figure as he usually did.

Instead, he unexpectedly shook his head and sighed.

Seeing Old Man Huo shaking his head and sighing, Li Qing, who was standing behind me, immediately frowned.

He crossed his arms and cast an undisguised look of suspicion in his eyes.

Based on my understanding of Li Qing, his unspoken thought at this moment was probably:

"You old man, you didn't just spout all that high-sounding nonsense about this scabbard, only to find out you can't even draw it yourself, did you?"

However, I did not urge him, but sat quietly on the wooden stool, waiting for him to continue.

I believe that since he said those words, he was definitely not making them without reason.

Jin Wanliang was also an impatient man. Seeing that Old Man Huo remained silent, he couldn't help but ask:

"Mr. Huo, what does it mean by shaking your head?"

Is it that they can't play, or that they think our price isn't good enough?

"At least name your price! As long as you can forge this scabbard, money is no problem."

"Fatty Jin, stop trying to throw money at me."

Although I, Huo, love money, I don't make money from just any kind of money.

Old Man Huo glared at Jin Wanliang and said somewhat irritably.

"It's not that I'm not skilled enough to fight, it's that I don't have the materials."

As the saying goes, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice!

He pointed to the black knife on the anvil, a hint of regret in his voice:

"To forge a top-tier scabbard that can 'absorb' and 'nurture' evil spirits, ordinary wood and steel are simply not enough."

It requires at least special yin wood that is thousands of years old, or high-quality, cold iron with a malevolent aura that can only be found in the extremely cold regions beyond the Great Wall.

Only such rare and precious materials can withstand the erosion of this sword and, in conjunction with my formation, achieve the effect of nourishing the sword.

But I don't have either of those things in my shabby blacksmith shop.

Upon hearing this, a slight thought stirred within me.

Thousands of years old, made of yin-type wood? Infused with malevolent iron?

These items, if placed in a lowly black market or among ordinary cultivators, would indeed be extremely rare and priceless.

It's normal that Old Man Huo, a blacksmith holed up in Jiangcheng, wouldn't have these items in stock.

However, these things are not out of reach for me.

You should know that I still have over 300,000 merit points unused in my account on the Folklore Bureau's intranet.

As the highest special institution at the national level, the Bureau of Folklore has collected countless rare and exotic treasures from all over the country and even overseas.

Let alone thousand-year-old Yin wood, even rarer materials can be found as long as the permissions are sufficient.

With those 300,000 merit points, exchanging them for wood or cold iron to forge scabbards would be an easy and effortless task.

Thinking about this, my expression became even more composed.

"Master Huo,"

I stood up and said to Old Man Huo.

"You can rest assured about the materials."

"As long as you're willing to use your skills, I'll provide the materials for making the scabbard myself."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Old Man Huo's eyes, clearly not expecting that I could solve the major problem of materials so easily.

He looked me up and down again, as if reassessing my background and resources.

Are you sure?

Old Man Huo confirmed it with a hint of doubt.

"Let me make this clear beforehand: I have very high standards for the materials I need. You can't just find some broken piece of wood at the antique market and expect it to do the job."

I smiled and nodded, my tone firm: "Rest assured, you will be satisfied with the quality of the materials."

Since we're going to fight, we should fight the best.

"Great! That felt good!"

Old Huo slapped his thigh suddenly, and his previously cloudy old eyes instantly lit up.

"Since you have the materials yourself, then I, Huo, will accept this scabbard!"

As soon as the ingredients arrive, I'll start the furnace.

However, he then added seriously:

"However, let me make this clear from the start."

If the materials you bring don't meet my requirements, I absolutely will not do anything.

"I, Old Man Huo, have spent my whole life forging iron; I absolutely cannot ruin my own reputation."

"That's natural, I understand the rules."

I nodded, indicating that I fully understood.

Seeing that the matter had been settled, Jin Wanliang immediately stepped forward, smiling as he offered Old Man Huo a cigarette and lit it for him.