Chang Lili was too lazy to pay attention to those shallow people. Looking at the smiling tiger in front of her, she said distantly, "Then Deputy Commander Chu shouldn't have come to find an unknown craftsman like me. Our Master Liu and Master Yang here are both first-class blacksmiths. I hope my crude and inexperienced skills won't ruin your sword."
She was clearly giving him the boot, making no attempt to impolitely indicate that she was unwilling to repair Chu Moyu's weapon.
Whispers arose from all around.
Chu Moyu acted as if no one else was around. Chang Lili tried to walk around him to put her things away, but if she went left, Chu Moyu went left; if she went right, Chu Moyu went right. In short, he was determined not to let her leave.
Chang Lili looked up at Chu Moyu helplessly, without saying a word, but her expression was unfriendly, clearly saying, "You're deliberately trying to cause trouble."
Chu Moyu's devilishly handsome face revealed an innocent smile. He accused the villain first, looking aggrieved, and said, "Master Chang is so humble, which is admirable. But one thing is one thing, and my sword must be repaired by Master Chang."
Chang Lili resisted the urge to frown and roll her eyes, and asked, "Of course it's better if Master Liu does the repairs. I'm doing this for Deputy Commander Chu's sake." As she spoke, she turned to Master Liu, who was standing to the side with a cold face, not saying a word and just busy with his work, and said, "Master Liu, don't you think so?"
Ever since she was appointed as the imperial foundry master, the blacksmith's workbench has been replaced with a new one, which was placed together with several master blacksmiths.
Master Liu, who used to dislike Chang Lili but now doesn't hate her, turned around and replied with a forced smile, "Deputy Commander Chu came specifically to see you, so don't keep making excuses."
Chang Lili's face darkened instantly. This Master Liu usually ignored her, but she didn't expect him to come out and make things worse.
Chu Moyu was quite pleased with these words and laughed heartily: "Yes, Master Chang, are you really that unwilling to repair this weapon for me? If this weapon is to be repaired, it has to be you who does it. This is a sword that was damaged by General Meng's sword."
"Meng Yu... General Meng?" Chang Lili looked at Chu Moyu in puzzlement.
She knew immediately that he was talking about patterned steel swords, but how did his sword come to be associated with patterned steel swords?
Seeing Chang Lili's suspicious gaze, Chu Moyu raised an eyebrow and drew his longsword from its sheath.
A gleam of silver caught the eye; it was no ordinary longsword. However, a notch appeared in the middle of the blade, and several alarming cracks extended along the notch to the entire blade, as if the sword might shatter into pieces at any moment.
The moment Chang Lili saw the crack, she was certain that it was indeed caused by contact with a patterned steel sword.
However, looking at the alarming crack, Chang Lili actually felt a sense of satisfaction. In a good mood, she suppressed a laugh and said, "It seems that this really was caused by General Meng's sword. Okay, I'll repair it for you, but you have to tell me what kind of grudge you have with General Meng."
With great interest, she returned to the blacksmith's table, placed the battered longsword on the table, and flicked it gently with her hand. She heard a crisp snapping sound. The cracks on the longsword seemed to have grown a little longer. She was afraid that if there was any further disturbance, the sword would completely give way.
Chang Lili was gloating when she suddenly felt a warm breath near her ear. She shivered, turned her head, and saw a large face with bright eyes and white teeth. She took a few steps back, still in shock, and said, "You...you...why are you suddenly so close?"
Chu Moyu casually smoothed his satin-like black hair that fell across his chest. The gesture was not effeminate at all; rather, it was quite elegant and dashing.
Chang Lili couldn't help but swallow, then turned around and angrily slapped her face, feeling utterly pathetic.
Chu Moyu was slightly surprised, then smiled charmingly: "Didn't you ask me what kind of grudge there was between me and General Meng? As the saying goes, 'A crown is lost for a beauty's sake.'"
Chang Lili looked bewildered: "Huh? A confidante?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized what he meant and wondered if they were fighting over her.
"What does your fighting have to do with me..." she said in a barely audible voice, her face slightly flushed.
Chu Moyu asked in confusion, "What?"
Chang Lili immediately forced a nonchalant smile and said, "Deputy Commander Chu, I have already agreed to repair this sword for you. You can come and pick it up in three days... oh no, just send someone to pick it up."
After saying that, she ignored Chu Moyu and took out all the tools needed for sword repair.
Out of the corner of her eye, she kept watching the tall, dark figure standing by the blacksmith's platform, feeling somewhat troubled by his reluctance to leave.
Not only did the person not leave, but Chang Lili could also clearly feel him moving closer.
She immediately looked up at Chu Moyu warily and quickly asked, "What are you going to do?"
Chu Moyu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed. He suddenly found the woman in front of him rather interesting.
In the past, when he met other women, they would try every means to throw themselves at him, but the woman in front of him was different. She was always very clear-headed in front of him and would not be deceived by appearances.
Her skill in forging weapons is quite similar to that of the people of his homeland.
"It's nothing. I'm very grateful that Master Chang was able to repair my weapon. I would like to invite Master Chang to dinner to express my gratitude. Would Master Chang do me the honor?" Chu Moyu spoke softly, his expression sincere yet alluring.
With a cracking sound followed by a series of small shattering sounds, Chang Lili looked down and saw that the longsword, which had been lying on the table and looked riddled with holes, had finally turned into a pile of fragments.
She had to admit that this Chu Moyu was practically a reincarnation of a vixen. Fortunately, he was a man, so he wouldn't bring disaster to the country. If he were a woman, he would probably be the second Daji.
He just said one sentence, and his tone softened a bit, and Chang Lili felt like she was losing control.
Sure enough, without careful handling, the sword met its end.
Chang Lili was secretly amused. She looked up at Chu Moyu's expression, but the latter remained calm, seemingly unaffected by the situation.
"I'm sorry, Deputy Commander Chu, I didn't mean to." Chang Lili forced out a hint of guilt, but couldn't help but smile.
“It’s alright,” Chu Moyu said, his eyes flickering as he looked at Chang Lili. “Miss Chang has already agreed to help me repair this weapon, so no matter what, she will fix it.”
Chang Lili's expression immediately changed. It seemed that she had shot herself in the foot. However, this sword was not going to withstand any wind or rain, and it was only a matter of time before it broke.
"Alright," she said with a stern face, "no need to invite me to dinner. Repairing weapons is our job as blacksmiths. Just come back in three days to pick it up."
Chu Moyu sensed that Chang Lili genuinely didn't want to see him anymore, and his interest grew even stronger. However, he also knew that one shouldn't be too hasty in pursuing quick results, and he had plenty of patience to deal with her.
"Alright, I'll come back in three days to collect it."
Hearing Chu Moyu say that, Chang Lili secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said in a light tone, "Then I won't see you off!"
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