Castle of Black Iron

　

It was a good nightscape with bright moons and sparse stars[1], the moonlight was as tender as flowing water. Walking through Herb Valley, Zhang Tie smelt the refreshing air as he thought about his future life of counting gold coins every day. A wisp of smirk appeared at the corners of his mouth.

Walking in the moonlight, Zhang Tie heard a mournful flute melody. The melody was otherworldly. Although Zhang Tie didn’t know much about music, he felt pure and free listening to it. Zhang Tie then slowed down his footsteps and walked in the direction of the flute melody’s source.

Zhang Tie walked along a stream in the valley. He passed through an herbal medicine park and took a detour through a bamboo wood before he caught sight of a scene that he would never forget for the rest of his life.

A girl in a red skirt was sitting on a huge, cyan stone under the purely white moonlight. She was elegantly playing a dark green jade flute.

Sitting on the cyan stone, the girl revealed her elegant figure. With snow-white skin and cascading, black hair, she looked like a fairy from a painting. With a pair of snow-white feet, she was playing with the water at the same time.

By then, although Zhang Tie was not acquainted with many girls, he had met a lot of girls; however, the moment he saw this girl, Zhang Tie felt like being tamped by a hammer as his brain droned and sparkled. In Zhang Tie’s eyes, that girl was perfect all over. She was filled with allure as if her entire body was emitting sparkles.

The snow-white skin, the delicate fine waist, the elegant gourd-shaped curve of her butt that was sitting on the cyan stone, a pair of beautiful feet, and a pair of slim, charming legs...

After playing a song, the girl heard a weird sound from aside. She then looked toward there and found a 16-17 old juvenile who was forcefully swallowed his saliva.

Zhang Tie was as hilarious as an idiot who was stretching his neck so long. At the sight of him, the girl couldn’t stand to titter. After that, she found Zhang Tie was fixing his eyes onto her delicate feet. Her face instantly blushed as she hurriedly hid her feet into her skirt.

”Hey, brat, have you seen enough?”

Zhang Tie then looked up and realized that the girl was talking to him. He instantly recovered his composure.

”Not yet!” Zhang Tie shook his head as he replied very seriously.

The girl had not imagined that he would be so audacious. Commoners, when being asked in this way, would have long escaped. It was really out of her expectation that Zhang Tie could be that audacious and didn’t fear about her at all.

The girl then blinked her eyes as she felt a bit curious about Zhang Tie, ”Don’t you know who I am?”

”I’m going to ask for your name, my senior sister.”

This girl was 20-21 years old, who was a few years elder than Zhang Tie; therefore, it was proper for Zhang Tie to call her senior sister.

”You want to know my name? What’s your name then?” That girl fixed her eyes onto Zhang Tie seriously as she seemed to be wanting to find a trace of deceit from Zhang Tie’s face.

’Is this juvenile new here in the Hidden Dragon Palace? He doesn’t even know who I am; otherwise, he would’ve known my status, yet he’s just disguising and wanting to get close with me.’ The girl considered it inside as she had encountered so many men like him these years.

”I’m Zhang Tie. I’m 16 years old. Single!” Zhang Tie smirked as he started to try his best to introduce himself.

Zhang Tie had learned from those girls of Rose Association that girls actually didn’t like those gentlemen; unless that man was very handsome, had great power, or literary talent. Men who could not meet any of the former three conditions should not pretend to be cool in front of girls. If not, the outcome could only be that the girl he beloved would sleep with other bad boys.

Saying that, Zhang Tie walked towards that girl.

Hearing Zhang Tie’s introduction, the girl couldn’t stand to giggle; after watching Zhang Tie’s look, the girl was finally sure that Zhang Tie might truly not know his real status.

”Are you new here?”

”How come?” Zhang Tie shouted loudly liking being heavily wronged, ”I’ve been here since last year. I was even rated as one of the top excellent youths in Hidden Dragon Palace!”

”Top excellent youths in Hidden Dragon Palace?” Hearing this, the girl became slightly stunned as she started to frown her forehead and uttered in a tender voice, ”Weird, I’ve not heard about that!”

”Of course you don’t know about that. Because I rate it myself. I’ve not even rated the other 9 yet!”

At this moment, Zhang Tie had already gotten quite close to her, when the girl realized that Zhang Tie was fabricating lies. She then felt both angry and tittering as she fiercely glared at Zhang Tie; however, she suddenly felt something new inside. She had not seen a man like Zhang Tie who was so audacious in front of her.

”I’ve told you my name, it’s your turn.” Walking close to her, Zhang Tie asked directly.

”Aren’t you one of the top excellent youths in Hidden Dragon Palace? How come you don’t know even an average person like me?” That girl rolled her eyes as she said smartly.

”Of course I know your name!” Zhang Tie hid his smirk as he looked at this girl seriously.

’Was he disguising all the way? He truly knows who I am?’ A though flashed across the girl’s mind once again.

”You know who I am?”

”Of course! You’re Rumeng[2], right? You walk out of my dream. The moment I saw you, I felt like going back to my dream again...” Zhang Tie’s eyes instantly became that audacious. That girl had not seen such a man who dared to bare his heart to her in only a few minutes after seeing her. Additionally, Zhang Tie was a few years younger than her.

The girl had really not heard such hot words since she was born.

Hearing Zhang Tie’s words, the girl’s eyes widened as she instantly felt goosebumps all over.

The girl became slightly flurried as she felt Zhang Tie glancing over her body with hot eyes. Those men who knew her real status never dared to be so audacious in front of her.

At this moment, the girl had already known that Zhang Tie didn’t know her real status.

”Argh, don’t come here...” The girl hurriedly hid behind the cyan stone.

”I will not go there...” Zhang Tie continued as he walked 2 steps closer to that girl, ”Watch out, don’t fall off!”

Seeing the girl going to fall off, Zhang Tie hurriedly stretched out his hands to hold her fast. The girl planned to give him a lesson by smacking his face; however, at the sight of Zhang Tie’s sincere look, the girl suddenly gave up her plan.

Therefore, before Zhang Tie’s hands touched her, the girl had gritted her teeth and flew from the cyan stone like a red cloud. She instantly landed steadily on the bamboo of 7-8 m high beside the stream.

Standing on the slightly swaying bamboo, the girl was like a fairy on the waves.

”Rumeng, you’ve not told me your name? Watch out the bamboo leaves, they might hurt your feet...” Zhang Tie shouted loudly.

As it was the first time for her to be pursued by a man so audaciously, the girl’s face suddenly blushed as her heart raced. She became completely confused about how to face him. Finally, she directly sprung from the bamboo and swiftly flew away on the bamboo leaves, with swaying, loose sleeves, in a blink of eye.

Gazing at the girl like an idiot, Zhang Tie felt like he’d be extremely frustrated in a second...

Not until the fresh, red color disappeared into the distance under the moonlight did Zhang Tie feel frustrated as he rubbed his face, ’You couldn’t stand only this much? I’ve not done anything wrong? My mom told me that Chinese girls were all reserved. Was I not reserved just now? But what is ’reserved’, I really don’t know about that!’

He remained stunned for quite a while, then the moment he wanted to leave, he suddenly noticed something beside that cyan stone near the stream. Zhang Tie’s eyes then lit up.

There was a pair of delicate embroidered shoes on one side of the cyan stone.

...

Over 10 minutes later, the fairy like a red cloud returned. Falling onto the cyan stone from the twigs, the girl looked around and didn’t see her embroidered shoes. The moment she thought about Zhang Tie’s face, she became both bashful and furious as she stamped onto the stone and swore in a low voice, ”Rascal...”

The moment she wanted to leave, another man had jumped swiftly towards her.

The man in white clothes soon landed before her. This man was handsome with sword-like eyebrows and sparkling eyes.

”Senior sister Xi, I saw someone in red clothes jumping over the twigs just now and thought that might be you. It truly was you!”

”What’s up?” Seeing him, the girl stealthily hid her bare feet into her skirt. At the same time, she recovered her composure like before. Feeling majestic with her calm expression, after a single glance at her, the man became scared and didn’t dare to even look at her.

”I heard senior sister had just come back from the open waters after completing the task. I’ve not imagined that you’d also heard about the secret medicament. You must be here in Herb Valley to see who produces the new medicament!” The man revealed a big smile.

”New medicament...” The girl mumbled as she suddenly frowned her slim eyes and stressed, ”You mean someone has produced the new medicament in Herb Valley?”

An alchemist who could develop a wholly new medicament was like a rune manufacturer who had discovered a new rune. This creative achievement was definitely an outstanding event.

”Right, a couple of days ago, someone in the Qinyun Palace said there was a new LV 1 antidote which could not only detoxify venom, but also reinforce one’s vitality and energy. It has exceptional effects. At the beginning, many people didn’t believe that; however, someone who tried it recently found it was true!”

”Is that from Master Pure Cloud?” The girl asked.

”Shouldn’t be that. Because there’s no symbol of Master Pure Cloud on the vials. They use vials with no symbol!”

”Do you have any of the medicament? Show me!” The girl directly asked.

”Coincidentally, I bought a vial in Qinyun Palace today!” The man smiled as he took out a vial. The moment he wanted to give it to her, the girl had already made it fly into her hand through the air over a distance of several meters. At the sight of this scene, the man remembered her reputation of being blunt and her impressive power as he was instantly shocked and hurriedly stopped his footsteps.

”How much? I want this vial?” Looking it over for 2 seconds, the girl then said straightforwardly. She didn’t even ask whether he would refuse or not.

”Senior sister Xi, no kidding, it’s just a few gold coins. If you want to pay me, you must be looking down upon me!”

”What’s Master Pure Cloud’s test result on this medicament?”

”I heard Master Pure Cloud had just got such a vial of medicament today too. He’s testing it. We’re all waiting for the result. If that person who produces this medicament could gain the favor of master Pure Cloud, he would become famous in a second!”

”Hmm, I will have a look in Master Pure Cloud’s lab!” After saying this, the girl suddenly disappeared. When she reappeared, it was already 10 more meters away. She moved so fast that in a blink of eye, she had already been 100 meters away, more than 10 times faster than when she was ”scared away” by Zhang Tie.

Standing still, after seeing off that girl, the man let out a sigh as he shook his head and jumped away too.

It was each man’s fortune and misfortune to stay together with such a girl in the Breaking-Heavens Department!