Urban Martial Saint

The Handsome Fatty Wang and his companions had just left when Ye Qing, led by the son of Master Craft, arrived.

The son of Master Craft had no idea that someone was secretly watching them and led Ye Qing straight into the attic.

Master Craft was sitting at the table, leisurely smoking and toying with several counterfeit items on the table. When he saw Ye Qing approaching, a barely noticeable sneer crossed his lips as he stood up and said, ”Ye brothers, the items you requested are ready. Come take a look.”

Originally, there were five sets of counterfeits on the table, but now only four remained. One of the unmarked sets had been hidden away and was not placed here.

Ye Qing walked over and was astonished at the counterfeits on the table. Before coming, he had known that Master Craft was skilled in making counterfeits, but he didn’t expect that Master Craft’s counterfeits would be indistinguishable from the real ones, at least in appearance.

Seeing Ye Qing’s expression, Master Craft chuckled proudly, ”Ye brothers, can you tell which set is the genuine article and which are the counterfeits?”

Ye Qing carefully observed for a while, but these sets of counterfeits were completely indistinguishable from the genuine article. Simply looking was not enough. He picked up one set of counterfeits and weighed it in his hand, hoping to tell by the weight and feel. Yet, to his surprise, even the weight and feel were exactly the same, making it impossible to tell which set was real and which fake.

”Which... which one is the genuine article?” Ye Qing asked.

”Hehe...” Master Craft shook his head with a smile, ”To tell you the truth, none of these sets are genuine!”

”Oh?” Ye Qing was taken aback, ”How... how can you tell?”

”Actually, there’s a very simple way to distinguish these,” Master Craft said, picking up a fake set on the table, using a key to open the wooden box, and taking out the Gold Silk Armor stored inside. He weighed the Gold Silk Armor and handed it to Ye Qing, ”Everything else can be fabricated, but this Gold Silk Armor cannot be replicated. Because, no matter what you use, you cannot make something without weight. By feeling whether this Gold Silk Armor is weightless, you can clearly distinguish the genuine article.”

”I see!” Ye Qing marveled as he weighed the Gold Silk Armor in his hand, ”The craftsmanship is indeed exquisite, truly worthy of its reputation. Today’s encounter has truly opened my eyes!”

”Hahaha...” Master Craft laughed, ”Ye brothers, it’s just a bit of craftsmanship, nothing more. By the way, how many sets of these counterfeits do you intend to prepare?”

Ye Qing thought for a moment, ”The more, the better. Many people know I came to you, and they surely know my purpose. The more counterfeits, the more favorable it is for me.”

”Alright!” Master Craft nodded, ”I’ll make a few more sets for you to take, to make it even. Also, Ye brothers, there are three simple ways to authenticate these counterfeits. The first, as I mentioned, is by the weight of the Gold Silk Armor. The second is the Dragon Blood Wood. Real Dragon Blood Wood is impervious to blades and fire, while my fakes, of course, lack that capability and can be damaged. So, be careful and try not to let these counterfeits get damaged, or they’ll definitely get exposed.”

Ye Qing nodded, ”And the third method?”

”The third method is actually the simplest,” Master Craft smiled, picking up a set of counterfeits and revealing the bottom of the wooden box, ”To prevent confusion, I’ve marked the bottom deliberately. There’s a very small mark here which I left on purpose. As long as you can see this small mark, you can quickly distinguish whether it is genuine.”

”I see!” Ye Qing sighed with relief, ”That’s really a good method. With such a mark, everything becomes straightforward. Boss, your foresight is impressive!”

Master Craft laughed, ”I have been making these counterfeits for years. Many look exactly like the real thing once finished, so marking them is necessary. Otherwise, even if someone takes them, they won’t be able to tell real from fake, which would be a headache!”

”Indeed,” Ye Qing nodded, ”By the way, boss, when will the remaining sets of counterfeits be ready?”

”Come and get them tomorrow morning, they will be ready by then.” Master Craft paused, ”By the way, you should take the genuine articles first. These three items are invaluable; if anything happens to them while they’re here, I really can’t afford to pay for it!”

That said, Master Craft took a set of Dragon Blood Wood and Gold Silk Armor from a nearby cabinet. He didn’t hand them directly to Ye Qing but first took out the Gold Silk Armor and weighed it in his hand before handing it to Ye Qing, ”Ye brothers, you can verify the authenticity of these three items.”

Ye Qing smiled, ”No need to worry, boss. I trust your work; no verification needed.”

”That’s not possible!” Master Craft shook his head decisively and said, ”It’s my principle that once the genuine article is handed over, the rest has nothing to do with me. So, the client must be sure they’re getting the genuine article. Here, you take this Gold Silk Armor first.”

Ye Qing didn’t refuse any further, took the Gold Silk Armor, weighed it in his hand, and his expression changed slightly as he whispered, ”Boss, why does this... this Gold Silk Armor seem to have gained some weight?”

”That’s normal!” Master Craft replied without looking up, ”I was just here, making those replicas from this Gold Silk Armor, and inevitably some scraps fell onto it. You can feel the weight, that’s normal. However, the weight must be extremely light, right?”

”This weight is indeed not heavy!” Ye Qing nodded. With Master Craft’s explanation, he didn’t suspect anything.

”Exactly.” Master Craft placed the wooden box and key together, picked up a long blade from the side, and said, ”This is a famed instrument, although it hasn’t recognized a master, it is remarkably sharp. Ye brothers, look closely!”

As he spoke, Master Craft struck the wooden box and key with the blade. With his strength, any ordinary wood would be chopped into pieces. Moreover, he was wielding a famed instrument that slices through metal like mud, even an iron block would have been chopped. However, the wooden box and key remained undamaged under this strike, completely intact.

”Ye brothers, look!” Master Craft set the long blade aside and said, ”This Dragon Blood Wood is genuine too.”

Upon seeing this, Ye Qing naturally had no doubts and smiled, ”Boss, I’ve said it before, there’s no need for authentication.”

”That’s not acceptable, I need to make sure things are reassuring!” Master Craft handed the wooden box and key to Ye Qing and said, ”Here are all the genuine articles for you now, the remaining replicas will be done by tomorrow. Come find me in the morning.”

”In that case, thank you, boss!” Ye Qing cupped his hands towards Master Craft and said, ”You’ve worked hard, boss. I’ll take my leave now, and visit again tomorrow!”

”Very well!” nodded Master Craft, letting his son see Ye Qing out.

The young man saw Ye Qing off, then immediately turned and hurried back to the pavilion. Master Craft started busying himself with the replicas again. Seeing him come in, he casually asked, ”Has Mr. Ye gone far?”

”He’s already gone!” The young man was a bit out of breath from his hurried return and asked, ”Dad, what were you doing just now? Why did you hand him the genuine article? Weren’t we supposed to keep it?”

”Who said I gave him the genuine article?” Master Craft retorted.

”Huh?” The young man was startled and said, ”Didn’t you just give him the genuine article?”

”Do you think that was the genuine article?” Master Craft asked.

The young man said, ”That... that wasn’t the genuine article? The Gold Silk Armor has no weight, the Dragon Blood Wood box wasn’t even scratched by a famed instrument, isn’t that the genuine article?”

”Hmph!” Master Craft chuckled coldly and said, ”You’re wrong, that wasn’t a genuine article, at most, it was a highly realistic replica I made!”

”Huh?” The young man was astonished and said, ”A replica, how... how can it not have weight? Plus, that wood wasn’t even damaged by a famed instrument, how is that possible?”

”Why isn’t that possible?” Master Craft said, ”The Gold Silk Armor was made using Cold Cicada Wings, which is naturally very light, so replicating something like this doesn’t have much weight. Although there is some weight, I just tricked him with the excuse of scraps. As for that Dragon Blood Wood, I used Heavenly Silkworm Wood to replicate it. Heavenly Silkworm Wood isn’t as tough as Dragon Blood Wood, but it’s definitely not ordinary wood, with a toughness that even an average famed instrument cannot damage. The Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade in Cui Yulong’s hand was sealed with Heavenly Silkworm Wood. Even the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade couldn’t damage Heavenly Silkworm Wood, let alone our ordinary famed instrument!”

”I see!” The young man suddenly understood and said excitedly, ”So the genuine article is still with us?”

”Of course!” Master Craft said proudly, ”I showed him so much just now, he could never imagine that what he’s holding is still a replica. Hmph, this highly realistic replica not only fooled him but can fool the whole world. No one would suspect that the genuine article has always been with me.”

”Dad, you really think ahead!” The young man sincerely marveled. Not to mention Ye Qing, even as his son he couldn’t see through Master Craft’s plan, so Ye Qing definitely couldn’t figure it out.