Douluo Dalu

Chapter 183

Capital of Metal, Gengxin City

(TL by Bagelson)

Ning Rongrong said:

“I’ve been cultivating at home every day for all these years, I’m already bored to death. I’ll regret it if you leave.”

Tang San smiled:

“Isn’t that a chance to make a world for you two alone? Don’t tell me you’ve been suffering now.”

While speaking, he smiling winked at Oscar.

Oscar grinned, and Ning Rongrong’s charming face turned red, pinching Oscar hard,

“Laugh, you laugh. Humph humph, if not for you, I would’ve gone to play with third brother.”

Oscar was still smiling, and still smiling very proudly, he didn’t seem in pain from Ning Rongrong’s forceful pinching.

From the side, Ma Hongjun suddenly cried out,

“Ah, little Ao, Rongrong is breaking your arm.”

“Ah!”

Ning Rongrong was alarmed, hastily looking at Oscar’s arm, but instead of signs of breaking, it was just a bit red.

Looking at her nervous expression, Tang San, Ma Hongjun and Oscar couldn’t help laughing. For a moment, the atmosphere in the wooden house turned extremely relaxed.

Ning Rongrong hit Oscar’s shoulder hard, embarrassed lowering her head. Oscar caught her hand and held it close, his smile recovering some of its previous vulgarity.

Tang San said:

“However, Rongrong, if you really do ask senor Bone Douluo to watch over the Academy, then we really will go out on a trip again. And this time, we can’t do without you, the Tang Sect’s god of wealth.”

“Eh?”

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong’s eyes immediately brightened, looking at Tang San with flickering light in her big eyes,

“Third brother, where are you going to play?”

Oscar raised his hand to knock the top of her head,

“Silly girl, all you know is playing, don’t tell me you don’t need to cultivate?”

Ning Rongrong snorted,

“If third brother said it, then it’s definitely proper business. We’ll go by carriage, we can cultivate there! Besides, Grandmaster said that always worrying about cultivating will instead be harmful to spirit power progress. Suitable relaxation is also necessary.”

Tang San smiled:

“It really is proper business. Our Tang Sect’s hidden weapon manufacturing requires large quantities of metal. The Strength Clan doesn’t lack common metals, but we have to go out to buy uncommon ones. I heard elder Tai Tan say that the capital of metal, Gengxin City, has all kinds of metal for sale, a lot of uncommon metals too. Elder Niu Gao is enough to start constructing the plans for the Tang Sects, so we and elder Niu Gao will make a trip to Gengxin City and have a look at whether we can dredge up some treasures. At least we’ll buy back some common metals for forging hidden weapons. We have to manufacture a batch of finished goods in the next year. Once the Seven Great Sects re-election assembly starts, perhaps that will have some effect. If we let Spirit Hall successfully hold this assembly, the two great empires will become too passive. We have to help the two great empires attract as many spirit masters as possible at the assembly.”

On Tang San’s mention of Spirit Hall, Ning Rongrong’s expression immediately turned hateful,

“No matter what, we’ll manufacture them some trouble this time. Ruin their assembly.”

While speaking, she suddenly stood, and Tang San stunned said:

“Rongrong, what are you doing?”

Ning Rongrong giggled, saying:

“Naturally I’m going back for reinforcements! We’ll go out when grandpa Gu comes!”

Tang San smiled:

“You’re unexpectedly impatient.”

Oscar also stood, saying:

“I’ll accompany her.”

Tang San originally planned to allocate some of the money from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School to construct the Tang Sect, but let it be on second thought. Anyway, he himself had put aside some fairly impressive savings over these years, enough to build the Tang Sect. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School’s money would be spent on buying metal, that was where it was needed the most.

Perhaps it was because she hadn’t gone out for too long, but Ning Rongrong’s efficiency was extreme. When she returned from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School that evening, she actually directly brought Bone Douluo back with her. Ning Fengzhi didn’t come personally, only let Ning Rongrong tell Tang San that everything on the Imperial Family side was under control. Only emperor Xue Ye’s poison still hadn’t been dissolved, but Poison Douluo was expending all his efforts to detoxify it.

At the same time, learning Tang San would go to buy metals Ning Fengzhi also specially gave Ning Rongrong a sum of money. Adding the sum from before, the overall sum reached five hundred thousand gold spirit coins. It clearly showed that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School’s reputation as the richest sect absolutely wasn’t undeserved. In fact, a condition of Tang San and Ning Fengzhi’s agreement was that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would have priority on the hidden weapons the Tang Sect produced. Moreover, a full eighty percent of the price would be deducted from this advance payment.

However, they still couldn’t set off immediately. Tang San and the others had just returned, travel worn and fatigued. They needed some rest and readjustment, and the plans on the Tang Sect’s side still needed adjustment.

One week later, after everything was properly arranged, everyone set off under Tai Tan’s directions for the main headquarters of the continental smith association, Gengxin City.

As they were about to leave the Tang Sect, Tai Tan couldn’t help laughing out loud. There were still those two special carriages, each handled by a Strength Clan clansman. Everyone split into the two carriages. Tang San, Xiao Wu and Tai Tan was in one. Ning Rongrong, Oscar and Ma Hongjun the other.

“It’s really good to have old rhino here, leaving the whole mess for him to deal with, I can be all arm-flinging shopkeeper. Young master, did you see the old rhino’s face when we left just now? Thinking of that indignant expression, I just want to laugh.”

Tang San smiled slightly, pulling Xiao Wu closer against his chest,

“With senior Niu Gao in charge of building the Tang Sect, you can be at ease! If it was anyone else, maybe you’d hate to leave it to him.”

Tai Tan nodded earnestly, saying:

“That’s so. Old rhino isn’t just my brother, in the construction field, perhaps you couldn’t find anyone stronger than him in the entire continent. This time we’re buying large quantities of the surrounding properties, the Tang Sect is expanding to more than twice the size of our Strength Clan mansion. With old rhino here, once we get back, it might be close to finished.”

Tang San smiled:

“It might be impossible to build slowly. With the strength of the Strength Clan people, as well as the craftsmanship of the Defense Clan, how couldn’t it be fast? On the subject, actually seeing senior Niu Gao’s artistry in construction, he is indeed worthy of being called a construction grandmaster.”

Thinking of the construction plans he had seen in these few days, Tang San couldn’t keep his heart from twitching. How was that building a mansion? Clearly it was a fortress! Of course, the expenses were corresponding. After Tang San made clear he would support it financially, Niu Gao’s plans had undergone a series of changes. The required building materials had also undergone large changes. When Tang San imagined it now, he rather felt terrified. Simply put, even the doors of each room were wood paneled iron plates. As for the mansion courtyard walls, they were going to be fifteen meters high. That height was enough to rival the imperial palace.

Tang San of course wasn’t concerned the government would make trouble. The day before yesterday he had specially gone to the Moon Pavilion to see his aunt Tang Yuehua. For some official matters, directly having his aunt’s help in clearing obstacles naturally wouldn’t be problematic. That he didn’t directly let Ning Fengzhi help was because he didn’t want information about the Tang Sect to leak from the imperial family side.

From the moment he convinced the four single attribute clans, the Tang Sect had already stepped onto the road of forming. Before the seven great sects re-election assembly that Spirit Hall organized started, was the most important time for the Tang Sect’s development.

Xiao Wu leaned on Tang San’s shoulder, quietly waiting. Her eyes were still empty. Since meeting Ning Rongrong, Tang San could finally heave a sigh of relief. When Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong were together, she wouldn’t particularly stick to him. But making him not know whether to laugh or cry was that, at night, this would immediately change. No matter what was said, the soulless Xiao Wu didn’t want to sleep with Ning Rongrong. Under Oscar and Ma Hongjun’s disdainful gazes on several occasions, Tang San still had to achingly and happily sleep together with her. However, this also advanced Tang San’s cultivation. Being together with a lover who preferred being naked every day, how would he dare sleep? He just cultivated every night as Xiao Wu slept. And his thighs had also become Xiao Wu’s preferred pillow.

Gengxin City was within the borders of Star Luo Empire, by coincidence in an entirely different direction than Rising Dragon City. Rising Dragon City was southeast from Heaven Dou Empire, and Gengxin City was within the borders of Star Luo City to the southwest, close to the interior region of Star Luo Empire. This journey wasn’t short, travelling at top speed the whole way, they had used close to a month when they arrived at Gengxin City.

Gengxin City was one of Star Luo Empire’s main cities, but it absolutely didn’t count as any famous place. The area belonging to the city only included a lower river. The Douluo Continent was a spirit master world. As a city of metal, it was normal that it wasn’t valued. The status of smiths was the same as ordinary people. The smith association might have some influence in this city, but Spirit Hall was a spirit master organization and could influence the situation in the whole continent. This showed how huge the difference was between smiths and spirit masters.

Tai Tan told Tang San that the greater the smith, the larger the chance it was a spirit master. Because spirit masters’ strength far surpassed that of ordinary people and could forge more elaborately. Of course this wasn’t absolute. There were still some smithing geniuses that could still have enormous accomplishments in the smith world without the aid of spirits.

Distantly, Gengxin City was already in view, and everyone left the carriages. As far as could be seen, they could see those tall city walls. Gengxin City’s walls seemed entirely iron gray, as if forged from metal. Even though they still hadn’t entered the city, they could vaguely feel some of the metallic atmosphere of Gengxin City.

Ning Rongrong somewhat excitedly pulled Xiao Wu’s hand,

“Finally here, sitting in the carriage the whole way has made my bones go soft.”

No matter how comfortable the Strength Clan’s carriages, sitting in one for a month might still be boring. However, this journey couldn’t be said to be completely without rewards. Ma Hongjun had really begun to work hard, perhaps it was because of what Tang San said to him, but on the road he had put his effort into cultivating and his spirit power had risen from fifty seventh rank to fifty eighth. The distance to the critical point of rank sixty was one step closer.

Flender once told Ma Hongjun that when his spirit power reached the seventieth rank, and he could use Spirit Avatar, he would ender a whole new realm. Only at that time could his Phoenix spirit reveal its true power. And Ma Hongjun was now also advancing in this direction. After all, besides Xiao Wu, he was the only one of the Shrek Seven Devils who still hadn’t broken through the sixtieth rank.

Oscar grinned, saying to Ning Rongrong:

“How about I give you a massage tonight?”

Ning Rongrong’s face turned red, sticking out her tongue at him,

“Yeah right, who knows whether you have good intentions.”

Ma Hongjun to the side said with schadenfreude:

“Big Sausage Uncle’s heart, is known by all!”

Oscar snorted, deliberately raising his head:

“Fatty, you’re so jealous. Barefaced envy.”

Ma Hongjun curled his lips,

“Jealous your face, I also have a girlfriend. Once we get back I’ll let you see how beautiful my girlfriend is.”

Oscar somewhat shocked said:

“You have a girlfriend? Which family’s miss would be so blind!”

Ma Hongjun grew angry,

“Little Ao, fight me.”

Oscar grinned,

“Come! I’m afraid you can’t do it. Big brother has a lot of mirror image sausages. I might not be unable to defeat you. Don’t forget that I still have Rongrong’s Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Don’t tell me us husband and wife can’t defeat you alone? Little San is definitely neutral.”

“Who’s husband and wife with you? Did I marry you?”

Ning Rongrong snapped.

Oscar, immensely pleased with himself, said:

“That’s a matter of due course. My father in law doesn’t oppose it. Can you still escape the palm of my hand? Beauty, you’re regretting it too late.”

Tang San laughed out loud,

“Little Ao, your strength in flirting seems to have returned.”

Looking at them laughing and joking, Tang San felt a burst of warmth in his heart, as if they had returned to those carefree and worriless days of cultivation of five or six years ago. Only, Xiao Wu next to him was…...

Oscar smiled,

“I don’t believe anyone would go along with this Fatty. Little San, you’re always together with him, is he lying?”

Before Tang San opened his mouth, Ma Hongjun was already rushing to say:

“What lying. Once we return this time I’ll let you see my girlfriend. She’s called Bai Chenxiang, this name is pleasant. You’ll die of envy.”

Oscar showed a prideful appearance, his nostrils turning to the sky,

“Envy your farts. Bro has Rongrong, don’t tell me I’d still look at another woman? Besides my Rongrong, other women are just smoke to my eyes.”

This time Ning Rongrong had no retorts, snickering looking at Oscar and Ma Hongjun bickering, anyone could see the satisfaction in her eyes.

Tai Tan sighed:

“Being together with youngsters like you, I feel like I’ve grown a lot younger myself. Youth truly is good! When I was your age, I was even more frivolous than you.”

Ning Rongrong giggled:

“Our grand elder feels he’s old? You’re not the slightest bit old! A mature man like you, is even more charming.”

Tai Tan laughed despite himself:

“Girl, you really can talk. If I were fifty years younger, maybe I’d fight little Ao. It’s no wonder someone like Bone Douluo would pamper you so desperately. You really are a little fairy.”

Ning Rongrong smiled:

“This is the might of beauty, defeating both young and old. Little Ao, what are you looking at me for, not satisfied?”

Oscar snorted,

“What use is not being satisfied. Anyway, my looks are ruined now, nobody would want me besides you.”

Hearing the words “ruined looks”, Ning Rongrong’s expression immediately turned gentle,

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t deliberately provoking you. Little Ao, don’t be angry.”

Oscar smiled slightly, his eyes revealing some melancholy. Sighing, he held Ning Rongrong’s shoulders, softly saying:

“Of course I won’t. In all my life I will only love you.”

While he spoke, he was exchanging proud glances with Ma Hongjun and Tang San to the side. This wasn’t the first time he had used this move. But it was one hundred percent effective. The scar on his face that had once made him feel inferior was now a killing weapon that could touch the softest place in Ning Rongrong’s heart. Of course, Oscar’s tenderness wasn’t just a show. He most liked Ning Rongrong’s appearance like a little bird relying on people.

Ma Hongjun swiftly ran over to Tang San,

“No good, third brother, I can’t stand it. These two are always so nauseatingly corny. I’ll go lie down in the carriage first. Call me when we’ve entered the city.”

Everyone smoothly entered Gengxin City. The metallic atmosphere that hit their faces just inside the gate immediately gave them a kind of different sensation. After entering the city, everyone got off the carriages once again, full of interest and excitement looking around at the unique style of this city.

Tai Tan clearly grew excited, pointing to the surrounding buildings and giving everyone introductions.

“Gengxin City is the place with the most smith shops, only in this town will smiths be valued. It’s said that there are more than a thousand such shops in Gengxin City. smiths are even more numerous. A lot of smiths from other cities come here to take smith exams. If they can pass the high level smith exams, they can stay in the city. One might say that this is the paradise of smiths.”

“Even if smiths aren’t valued in the two great empires, the army’s weapons and equipment, farm tools, buildings, furniture, all require the participation of smiths. The higher level the smith, the more expensive his work.”

Ma Hongjun astonished asked:

“Elder Tai Tan, what, smiths are also split into levels?”

Tai Tan nodded, saying:

“It’s not as detailed as you spirit masters. Generally speaking, smiths are split into seven grades. From lowest to highest, they’re: junior smith, intermediary smith, advanced smith, master smith, grandmaster smith, smith scholar, and divine craftsman.”

Ma Hongjun asked closer:

“Then what level of smith are you?”

Oscar to the side interjected:

“Idiot. No point asking. Elder Tai Tan is the vice president of the smith association, of course he’s a divine craftsman.”

Tai Tan laughed out loud, a tacit agreement.

Tang San said:

“Elder, how many divine craftsman level smiths are there on the Continent?”

Tai Tan’s expression changed slightly, sighing:

“Three. Me, your father, as well as the smith association president.

Hearing Tai Tan mention his father, Tang San couldn’t keep his heart from contracting. Thinking of his father’s ruined limbs, he felt a burst of heartache. But right now he really had far too many things to do. If he wanted to go see his father, he couldn’t set out immediately. Tang San secretly decided that, once Spirit Hall’s seven sects re-election assembly ended, he would definitely return to the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well to see his parents. He didn’t know to where his mother had evolved there.

Tai Tan patted Tang San’s shoulder,

“Don’t think too much about it. Master has a good son like you to inherit his legacy, he can live in seclusion at ease. Young master. Bring me to see him when there’s a chance.”

Tang San nodded softly.

Just at this moment, everyone suddenly heard a loud and clear voice hawking from further ahead,

“Walking past or walking by, don’t miss it, the current blacksmith association president, divine craftsman king Lou Gao’s[1] second generation disciple’s personally crafted Glorious Bright Silver Armor, only one set. Preferential price.”

“Lou Gao?”

Tai Tan said a bit doubtfully:

“Old Lou’s second generation disciple has to hawk his wares at the side of the street? Oh, Lou Gao is the president of the smith’s association, calling him the divine craftsman king isn’t wrong. Your father has retired, and in forging we struggle for victory. I’m better at refining metal, he’s better at elaborate work. Speaking of, this time I was planning on getting a few of his disciples. Among those hidden weapons of yours, some of the especially elaborate work will be even more fluent for his branch of smiths to make. Let’s go, we’ll take a look.”

By now the source of the hawking was already surrounded by a lot of people. Tang San and the others squeezed their way through, then saw the circumstances within.

That was a seemingly very ordinary smith’s shop, just now hawking. A bare chested bronze skinned muscular middle aged big man, seemingly in his fourth decade, sat there in front of the door, his eyes calmly closed, with the appearance of an able person. Just next to him was arranged a suit of armor.

The suit of armor was entirely bright silver colored, shining and dazzling in the sunlight, with gorgeous craftsmanship. It could be seen that each chunk had undergone special polishing. It even had a huge transparent crystal inlaid on the heart guarding mirror[2], reflecting the sunlight to set off the armor itself.

Tai Tan only gave that armor a glance, his brows wrinkling, then said one disdainful word,

“Trash.”

Let alone Tai Tan, even Tang San who was far from him in terms of forging could see that this suit of armor was all flower and no fruit. Even though it seemed very pretty, with Tang San’s eyesight, his Purple Demon Eye having already reached the Detailed level, he could clearly make out the material and methods this armor had been created with.

Those sheet after sheet of silver armor leaves were actually made by polishing steel, but each armor leaf was very thin, clearly without any defensive power. But the weight was correspondingly not very high, perhaps that was the only advantage of this suit of armor. If you wore this armor, its only effect might be for decoration. As for using it on the battlefield, don’t even think about it. The weakest infantryman could break it with one chop.

Even though Tai Tan was in his eighth decade, as the Strength Clan’s chief, he absolutely had lung power. Even though he only proclaimed it as trash in his normal voice, the people all around still heard it. That middle aged robust man hawking it was naturally no exception.

Just exerting himself to call out, his gaze immediately fell on Tai Tan,

“Old fellow, what did you call trash?”

With Tai Tan’s status, he coldly said:

“I said that armor is trash. The smith who forged it is too.”

This time, his voice was a bit higher. That middle aged man sitting upright in the blacksmith shop door had already opened his eyes, looking at Tai Tan with a condescending gaze.

That hawking middle aged robust man had already stepped over in front of Tai Tan with large strides,

“Old fellow. Don’t you understand forging? By your appearance you’re a stranger to this town, don’t talk drivel when you don’t understand. My teacher is the current smith’s association president senior Lou Gao’s direct disciple. You dare say the armor my teacher forged is trash? That’s an insult to our divine craftsman branch. If you don’t make your words clear today, don’t think about leaving.”

Tai Tan snorted disdainfully,

“You want me to say it clearly. Fine, then I’ll let you hear it properly. Let alone this teacher of yours, even if Lou Gao was here, claiming this armor was created by him, I’d equally proclaim it as trash.”

At these words, the surroundings were immediately in an uproar. There was no lack of smiths among the crowd watching the scene, and also some with extraordinary strength. They of course saw that this armor was all flower but no fruit, but the hawker’s sentence about Lou Gao’s second generation disciple still dominated everyone present. Lou Gao’s status here in Gengxin City was equivalent to Bibi Dong in Spirit Hall.

Nobody had any objections to Tai Tan criticising this armor, but when he talked about directly criticising divine craftsman Lou Gao, the surrounding smiths couldn’t ignore it. The noise instantly grew louder, and even included some curses.

Tang San frowned, just pulling Xiao Wu in front of him. Both his hands encircled her waist, letting her comfortably lean against his chest. Incorporeal spirit power naturally released, isolating her from the surrounding crowd. He wouldn’t let anyone touch Xiao Wu.

Tai Tan took two steps forward. Even though he hadn’t released the pressure of his spirit power and the Spirit Douluo level, his tall stature and the dignity formed over many years as clan chief still made that hawking middle aged big man retreat a few steps.

Tai Tan walked over to that armor and turned around, looking at the surrounding crowd,

“You don’t accept it? Fine, then I’ll let you hear it. This armor is made with the interlocking chains method. If you look carefully, the size of each armor plate is slightly different. On the surface it might seem very bright and neat, but in fact, the quality itself is very meager. Bright Silver Armor? This is made from silver plated polished steel, not much stronger than wet paper.”

Hearing him say this, that calm and easy going middle aged man couldn’t take it sitting. Shooting to his feet, he angrily said:

“This suit of armor is originally for decorative use. Not for the battlefield. Making each armor leaf so thin shows skill. Like this the weight is low, wearing it won’t be tiring. Ornamental, do you understand the word ornamental?”

Tai Tan said coldly:

“Then what do you say about the different armor plate sizes?”

The middle aged man strongly argued:

“That’s called asymmetrical harmony. It’s taught by my grand master divine craftsman Lou Gao. What do you know.”

Tai Tan laughed out loud,

“Good, such an asymmetrical harmony. If that old fellow Lou Gao was here, I don’t know if you’d make him so angry he’d spit blood, whether his current reputation has already been just about ruined by someone like you. Glorious Bright Silver Armor, Lou Gao really did create such an armor. Only, this imitation of yours is still too shoddy.”

While speaking, he raised his hand and pulled that suit of armor from its stand, turning it over to the back. That middle aged man didn’t have time to stop him.

If the surface of the armor was as shiny as a mirror, then the back was crude as hemp. Tai Tan casually shook his hand, and there were already armor plates falling to the ground.

With a cold snort, Tai Tan casually threw that suit of armor in front of the dumbstruck middle aged man,

“Calling you trash is a bit generous. Teach you to behave, Lou Gao’s Glorious Silver Armor leaves used pure silver undergoing refinement, made from silver essence. Even though each plate was also very thin, the defensive power was quite powerful. Even though it was ornamental, it was still practical to use. Don’t drag his name around to swindle people in the future. Otherwise, there’s no need for you to stay in Gengxin City.”

“You, you……”

That middle aged man purported to be Lou Gao’s second generation disciple’s face had already turned blue, and the din from the surrounding spectating civilians and smiths was a lot lower.

“I’ll fight you.”

The middle aged man pulled out an ox ear knife from behind his back with a trembling hand, throwing himself straight at Tai Tan.

With Tai Tan’s strength, having him fight at close quarters would be a joke. Without turning his head, his right foot stomped hard on the ground. Immediately followed by a deep rumble. Intense shockwaves immediately threw that middle aged man to the ground. The surrounding crowd felt a burst of shaking under their feet, but they weren’t struck.

“Who’s causing trouble here?”

Just at this moment, the watching crowd suddenly parted, a group of soldiers in non-standard Star Luo Empire equipment striding inside.

Common infantry at most had only leather armor, but these Gengxin City soldiers could count as a pavilion by water, unexpectedly outfitted with light metal armor. Altogether more than ten people, led by a man around thirty years old or so. His armor was clearly a bit thicker, and his hand supported the hilt of a long sword at his waist as he strode in.

When that middle aged man who had been shocked into confusion by Tai Tan’s stomp saw these soldiers, his mind immediately roused, rolling and crawling over in front of that leader,

“Brother in law, it’s him, I was just selling my latest work, and this old fellow came to cause trouble. He’s obviously an outsider. Not only did he criticise my newly crafted armor, he even insulted divine craftsman Lou Gao. Quick, arrest him.”

Tai Tan gave a cold laugh,

“No wonder you would dare exploit Lou Gao’s name, you actually have a bit of backing.”

The captain’s face chilled, sharply swinging his hand,

“Take him away.”

“Stop.”

Before the soldiers could move, a loud shout suddenly resounded from the crowd. The crowd parted, and a sixty year old elder quickly stepped inside. The old man seemed very strong and healthy, his pace vigorous and full of strength. But he had an alarmed expression.

Seeing this old man, that captain’s expression immediately changed, softly saying:

“Master smith Ren Yuan[3]. Please don’t block us from carrying out justice. Otherwise, even with your status as master smith, you still won’t be pardoned.”

That master smith called Ren Yuan didn’t seem to have heard him, rushing over to Tai Tan, staring wide eyed and carefully watching Tai Tan’s flat face,

“You, you’re……”

Tai Tan’s brows wrinkled,

“I seem to have met you. At that time you should have been an apprentice under Lou Gao. Now it seems you’re a master smith. Pretty good, pretty good.”

Old Ren Yuan immediately shivered, kneeling on the ground with a putong sound,

“It’s really you, lord Tai Tan.”

Seeing Ren Yuan’s action, that captain’s face immediately stiffened, and the surrounding civilians and smiths were in an uproar. In fact, as a master smith, Ren Yuan was famous in this neighbourhood. But right now he was kneeling on the ground in front of this old man.

Tai Tan pulled him back up,

“Don’t be like this, what does this look like.”

The captain came closer, tentatively asking,

“Mater smith Ren Yuan, this is?”

Ren Yuan sharply turned around, his expression immediately turning cold,

“You really are an idiot brat, you actually dare arrest lord Tai Tan, Even if your father, grandmaster Si Di[4] was here, even he would deferentially kowtow to lord Tai Tan. You kids go back and take your family’s punishment. Let me tell you, lord Tai Tan is the vice president of our smith’s association. Just like lord Lou Gao, he’s one of the three divine craftsmen in the present world.”

Hong——

Ren Yuan’s words immediately made the surrounding spectators explode. If it was any other town, perhaps it might be nothing. But don’t forget that this was the capital of metal, the holy land of smiths. The meaning contained in the words “divine craftsman” was paramount to the people of Gengxin City.

The captain’s expression immediately turned deathly pale, subconsciously retreating a few steps, his feet softened and he immediately fell to the ground.

Ma Hongjun came closer to Tang San, softly saying:

“I didn’t expect that senior Tai Tan would actually have such a status here in the capital of metal.”

Oscar sighed even further:

“I’m afraid being low key might be damn difficult this time.”

Looking at the excited appearances of the surrounding crowd, Tai Tan somewhat helplessly told Ren Yuan:

“Have everyone disperse, what does it look like always being surrounded here. Is this fellow really Lou Gao’s disciple?”

Speaking, he pointed to that middle aged man.

Ren Yuan said disdainfully:

“He’s only a distant relative of grandmaster Si Di. Oh, grandmaster Si Di is lord Lou Gao’s chief disciple. That’s why this fellow cheats people by bragging with the name of a second generation disciple. We don’t bother dealing with him out of consideration to grandmaster Si Di’s position.”

[1] Lou Gao - (楼高) “Stories Tall”

[2] Heart guarding mirror - a decorated plate on the middle of the chest and back on some Chinese armors. http://img4.131home.com/www/500/2012/01/31/20120131140637966.jpg

[3] Ren Yuan - (任怨) “Assigning Blame” - by chance also the pen name of the author of Immortal Executioner.

[4] Si Di - (思迪) “Think Enlightened”