Miss Sheng nodded slightly. Before she could ask, the sturdy man grabbed the servant by the collar and started scolding him: "Did I ever tell you that all the weapons I forge can be sold, except swords?"
"Master Chen, I didn't hang it up there."
The servant's face turned pale and his voice trembled: "It's the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper said that you consumed too many materials and wanted to sell the sword to offset the cost."
"What nonsense!"
The sturdy man shook off the servant and strode to Xiang Sheng, with the piano immediately blocking his way.
The man glanced at the qin machine with fear, then stared at the sword in Xiang Sheng's hand for a moment. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I understand the principle of payment for goods. I was impulsive just now and may have offended you. However, my sword was not for sale. I will offer double the price. Can you redeem the sword in the girl's hand?"
"Isn't it for sale?"
Xiang Sheng raised his eyebrows slightly, "You are the blacksmith here, you should supply the shop, but you don't sell the swords you forge. How can this be justified?"
The man pursed his lips, "The girl doesn't understand swordsmanship. The girl... is not worthy of using my sword."
"presumptuous!"
Qin Ji sneered, "How dare you, a mere mortal, boast so arrogantly, saying that our young lady is unworthy of using your sword? What a joke!"
The servant was offended. Upon hearing Qinji's words, he couldn't help but sarcastically chide, "The customer is right. This Master Chen forges only scraps of copper and iron, yet he acts so arrogant all day long. He's so conceited!"
Xiang Sheng didn't say much after hearing this, but simply asked, "Master Chen, may I ask what you mean by understanding the sword?"
The sturdy man was surprised to see that Xiang Sheng didn't join in the mockery, but his attitude became more serious. "Then let me ask you a few more questions. Miss, do you know the size of the sword in your hand? How much does it weigh?"
"You are such an unreasonable person!"
Fourteen pointed at the sturdy man's nose and cursed: "My young lady is not a monk. She just got this sword. How could she know..."
"The sword is three feet and two inches long, and weighs sixteen pounds and four ounces. I wonder if what I say is correct?"
Xiang Sheng answered fluently, and Fourteen, who was halfway through scolding, was stunned.
Not only him, but even Qinji was surprised. They never thought that Miss Sheng had such ability.
The sturdy man became excited, "Know the sword method, you know the sword method!"
"Why is that so difficult?"
Xiang Sheng frowned slightly, "I've only occasionally read some basic books and tried to learn about swordsmanship. It was only recently that I suddenly felt like practicing swordsmanship, so I used this method."
"No, it's different! This sword-knowing method cannot be learned by ordinary people!"
The sturdy man was excited for a moment, then suddenly calmed down. He first looked at Xiang Sheng's attire, hesitated for a moment, and said, "There are so many people here, can you please excuse me and talk?"
Qin Ji immediately became nervous, "Miss Sheng..."
Xiang Sheng raised his hand to stop her from continuing, then nodded: "Okay."
"Then please come to my forge. Just two words."
The sturdy man glanced at Qin Ji and Shi Si, who were both wary, with a hint of envy in his eyes. "If you're worried, you can come along."
Qin Ji looked hesitant and glanced at Xiang Sheng a few times. Seeing that he didn't express his opinion, he didn't follow him in the end.
Soon, the two arrived at the forge.
Seeing that no one was around, the sturdy man decisively squatted down and rummaged under the forging table for a while. He took out a leather booklet from between the bricks and stones, handed it to Xiang Sheng, and said solemnly:
"This is a family heirloom. I hope you'll cherish it."
Xiang Sheng took the booklet and flipped through two pages, his eyes narrowing immediately. "Since you have this thing, why are you willing to be a blacksmith?"
The sturdy man suddenly smiled bitterly, "Girl, you don't understand. This is not something that ordinary people can practice. If everyone has the talent for swordsmanship, how can sword cultivators be so rare in the world of cultivation?"
Xiang Sheng's eyes flashed, "You mean, I have this talent?"
"The girl has learned how to recognize swords, so she must have a talent for swordsmanship."
The sturdy man sighed with emotion and said, "My ancestors also had sword cultivators, but the descendants were not up to par. By the time of my generation, even the spiritual roots were gone, let alone the talent for swordsmanship.
If this booklet continues to remain in my hands, it will be like a pearl gathering dust. I am thinking about whether I can give it away."
As he spoke, the sturdy man looked at Xiang Sheng, his clear eyes filled with surprise. "How could a mere mortal like me come into contact with such a genius of cultivation? I thought I would never find the right person in my lifetime, and that my family's secret skills would have to remain here among the bricks and stones. I didn't expect to finally meet this girl.
If the young lady can inherit my ancestors' unique skills and carry them forward, a hundred years from now, I will probably be able to meet my ancestors with a smile on my face."
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