Chapter 165 Cocktail Party
In fact, scale powder is a strange metal, also known as copper, which is in powder form at room temperature.
As long as a small amount of copper flash is added to the secondary material, wrought iron, at the right temperature, an extremely magical third-level material can be synthesized, namely, God Steel!
Through different synthesis methods, Kobe steel with completely different characteristics can be obtained.
Therefore, Kobelco can be very hard.
Defense is indestructible; attack is invincible.
At the same time, Kobelco can also be very thin, soft and highly malleable.
But no matter which kind of sacred steel it is, its surface has intricate patterns, shaped like fish scales, which is very beautiful.
For this reason, armor made of divine steel as the main material not only has extremely high defensive strength and is impervious to water and fire, but is also as soft as silk and can be worn on the body like embroidered clothes, hence the name scale armor.
"Scale powder is rare and expensive, and is a contraband item that is under the strict control of the imperial court. Buying and selling it is strictly prohibited."
Fang Zhixing raised his eyebrows slightly and slowly put away the paper, seeming to be thinking about something.
Seeing this, Xigou asked in a voice transmission: "What do you mean?"
Fang Zhixing was silent for a moment, then replied, "Turtle-patterned stones can be found at the bottom of the river, but scale powder is hard to come by. You can't buy it even if you have money."
The dog understood and said, "Then why not practice 'River Flowing Water'? You are such a good swimmer, why don't you just jump into the river and get 100 turtle-patterned stones?"
Fang Zhixing rolled his eyes and said speechlessly: "Turtle-patterned stones are fossils, not pebbles, and there are not that many of them.
In addition, not every river has turtle-patterned rocks at the bottom of the river. This thing is only found in the rapids of the forbidden area river."
Xigou didn't care and said, "Then you can go to the restricted area to look for it. It will just take a little more time."
“…”
Fang Zhixing didn't want to talk to this brainless dog, so he turned his head to look at the old man with white beard.
"Master, is there anything else?"
The old man with white beard counted the money and asked with a smile.
Fang Zhixing asked, "Old Pavilion Master, where can I get the turtle pattern stone and scale powder?"
The white-bearded old man stroked his beard and replied, "Turtle-patterned stone and scale powder are both rare items, and not easy to get."
Hearing this, Fang Zhixing's mind moved, and he lowered his voice and asked: "You have great magical powers, so you must have a way, right?"
The old man with white beard rubbed his hands and said with a smile: "Since ancient times, people have had the custom of wearing jade to bless longevity, and turtle-patterned stone is one of them.
For this reason, turtle-patterned stone is very popular in the antique and jade markets. It is a long-lasting and highly valuable work of art. You can go to the 'Old Street' to take a look. "
Fang Zhixing was delighted and asked, "What about the scale powder?"
The white-bearded old man looked serious and said solemnly, "Don't touch that thing. It's a capital crime."
Having said that, he deliberately turned his head away and rubbed his fingers absentmindedly.
Fang Zhixing quickly understood what was going on and took out a gold note and stuffed it into his hand.
The white-bearded old man was overjoyed and said with a smile: "Master, everyone knows that scale powder comes from copper mines, but few people know which type of copper mine it comes from.
I happened to investigate and found out that the copper ore is actually called 'amphibolite'! If you buy and sell scale powder directly, you will be committing a capital crime, but if you purchase amphibolite and then hire some skilled craftsmen to help you smelt and purify it, you can also get some scale powder."
"amphibole……"
Fang Zhixing suddenly realized it and wrote it down.
Not long after, he walked out of Fengyin Pavilion and went to Tianbao Chamber of Commerce first.
"You want to buy turtle-patterned stone?"
The lady who was in charge of receiving Fang Zhixing also heard of turtle-patterned stone for the first time and felt a little unfamiliar with it.
She checked the treasure list of Tianbao Chamber of Commerce and soon made a discovery.
"Turtle-patterned stones are usually used as ornaments by the rich and powerful. They are relatively scarce, and generally only the princes and nobles would collect them and wear them on their bodies to pray for blessings and longevity."
The receptionist shook her head and said, "We don't have any turtle-patterned stone in our Chamber of Commerce's inventory. We are out of stock."
Fang Zhixing understood, turned around and left Tianbao Chamber of Commerce, riding towards the old street.
Xigou couldn't help but remind him, "Condition 1 is written very clearly, explicitly requiring you to salvage the turtle-patterned stone. The one you bought doesn't count."
"You are stupid!"
Fang Zhixing glanced at Xi Gou and said disdainfully, "Use your brain, okay? I can buy 100 pieces of turtle-patterned stones, throw them into the rapids, and then dive to the bottom of the river to fish them out. Wouldn't that complete the task?"
“Ah, this…”
Xigou was speechless for a moment. It turned out that this bastard was trying to create a bug.
A moment later…
Fang Zhixing walked into the antique market.
It's also very lively here, with street vendors everywhere.
As soon as Fang Zhixing entered, he was surrounded by several vendors trying to sell their good goods.
For example, an incense burner used by an emperor of a previous dynasty, or an authentic work of a historical celebrity, etc.
Fang Zhixing strolled around and asked about the turtle-patterned stone.
"Sir, you are here at the right time today. Our store just received a piece of tortoise-patterned stone a few years ago. It is our store's treasure."
A shopkeeper with a sheep-like beard brought up an exquisite brocade box from under the counter and opened it carefully.
Fang Zhixing stretched his head to take a look, and immediately a look of amazement appeared on his face.
I saw a palm-sized piece of jade in the box. It was translucent white, crystal clear, and had beautiful tortoise shell patterns on its surface.
You can tell at a glance that this thing is extremely expensive! The owner of the sheep beard enthusiastically introduced: "This turtle pattern stone in my collection is real at first glance, without any cotton or cracks, it is definitely a top-quality product!"
Fang Zhixing was silent for a moment, then asked, "Boss, how much is it?"
The sheep-bearded boss raised two fingers, turned away, and said with a smile: "One price, eight hundred thousand yuan."
Fang Zhixing was speechless for a moment.
He asked, "What's the lowest price?"
The sheep-bearded boss said with a smile, "Sir, gold has a price but jade is priceless. 800,000 is already a bargain. So, if you really want it, just take 780,000!"
Fang Zhixing couldn't help but fall into silence.
If a piece of turtle-patterned stone is worth so much money, then wouldn’t a hundred yuan be a sky-high price?
“Hahaha~”
Seeing this, Xigou couldn't help but burst into laughter and said jokingly, "You didn't expect that turtle-patterned stone might be harder to get than scale powder!"
The bug fix failed! Fang Zhixing frowned, looking slightly depressed.
"Well, let's go home first and find another way."
Fang Zhixing realized that he had no choice for the time being, so he turned back to Yixiangzhai without stopping.
In a blink of an eye, it was afternoon.
It suddenly started raining!
The sky was overcast and it was drizzling.
A young man in gray clothes came to Yixiangzhai on horseback, knocked on the door, handed over an invitation, and specifically addressed it to Fang Maofu.
The servant accepted the invitation and handed it to Hongye.
Soon, Hongye took the invitation to the study and placed it in front of Fang Zhixing.
Fang Zhixing took a quick look and found that the invitation was not signed, so he didn't know who the inviter was.
"Hey, why would someone invite me to a cocktail party?"
Fang Zhixing was surprised. He was a nobody in the county town, with no relatives or friends. Who would invite him to a dinner?
But the host not only knew where he lived, but also knew that his name was Fang Maofu. This was very strange.
Hongye looked carefully at the totem on the invitation, her face changed, and she said in surprise: "Could it be that this is an invitation from the Wu family?!"
She pointed at the totem with two crossed swords and said seriously, "This is the emblem of the Wu family, a small clan. No one else dares to impersonate it easily."
Fang Zhixing frowned and asked, "How did the Wu family know about me? Was this arranged by the eldest lady?"
Hongye was also unclear, and replied: "I will ask for you, but you must attend this reception. The Wu family is one of the eight major clans in Qinghe County, ranking first, and the family background is even higher than that of the Dong family. It is best not to offend them."
Fang Zhixing understood and immediately ordered the servants to prepare bath water.
He took a shower, changed into new clothes, and then went out, heading north to the Wu family mansion.
About half an hour later! Fang Zhixing, holding an umbrella, got off his horse, took out the invitation and walked towards the gate of the Wu family mansion, and was successfully allowed in.
A servant led him and the small dog all the way to a villa.
Fang Zhixing looked around and saw that this villa was full of pavilions and winding corridors, with extremely luxurious decorations, exuding grandeur and solemnity everywhere.
Let’s not talk about all these for now, and just talk about the size. The area of this villa alone is actually larger than his Yixiangzhai.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
The gap between the rich and the extremely rich may be far greater than that between the rich and the poor.
"Alas, wealth is indeed concentrated in the hands of the 1%."
Fang Zhixing sighed softly.
"Master Fang, please come this way."
The servant pointed to a noisy attic and extended his hand as a gesture of invitation.
Fang Zhixing cheered himself up, walked into the gate slowly, then looked up and looked around.
In a bright hall, there were many young men and women gathered, all of them were dressed in bright clothes and wearing gold and jade.
Each of the men was of strong and sturdy build, with an extraordinary bearing and a majestic demeanor.
The women are all in good shape, with good looks and good figures.
The most terrible thing is that the words they use in their conversations and the manners and expressions all reveal the noble dignity of those in a higher position, which cannot be violated.
At this moment, it seemed as if there were many Luo Keji, Luo Kezhao, and Luo Qianqian appearing in front of Fang Zhixing.
“What a grand scene…”
Fang Zhixing's face tightened. He almost instantly concluded that the people attending this cocktail party were either rich or noble, and most of them were children of powerful families.
"Master Fang, my young lady wants to ask you to come over." The servant said with a smile.
Fang Zhixing nodded, walked through the crowd, and came to a young woman in red.
The young woman had a pair of clear and bright eyes, curved eyebrows, long eyelashes, fair and flawless skin with a faint blush, and thin lips as tender as rose petals.
She stood there with a graceful manner, as if she was a beautiful fairy descended from the sky, otherworldly.
Fang Zhixing was stunned, but he was cautious and immediately bowed solemnly, "My name is Fang Maofu, meeting Miss Wu."
Wu Hongqiu tilted her head slightly, looked at Fang Zhixing for a while, and said in surprise: "Are you Fang Maofu? I didn't expect you to be so young."
Fang Zhixing was speechless. You invited me here but you know nothing about me.
He asked curiously, "Excuse me, Miss Wu, you and I have never met before, why did you invite me to your cocktail party?"
Wu Hongqiu said bluntly: "Because recently your name has been circulating in our circle, so everyone is very curious about what kind of person you are."
Fang Zhixing frowned, looking puzzled.
At this time, someone came over with a swagger.
Fang Zhixing took a quick glance and immediately noticed that the young man had a black tiger totem on his chest.
"Sister Hongqiu, who is he? Why have I never seen him before?" The young man looked at Fang Zhixing and asked.
Wu Hongqiu smiled faintly and said, "Let me introduce him. He is the recent celebrity, Fang Maofu, the owner of Yixiangzhai."
She turned to Fang Zhixing again, "This is Feng Xingkan, the young master of the Black Tiger Sect."
Fang Zhixing thought to himself, "As expected," he said with a bow, "I meet Master Feng, and I have long heard of your great name."
Feng Xingkan's eyes widened, glaring at Fang Zhixing, and he said in a deep voice, "Good fellow, so you are the Fang Maofu who claimed that he could 'punch eight Xue Nanjies and kick ten Feng Xingkans'?"
As soon as these words came out, the hall suddenly became quiet! Everyone turned their heads and looked over at the same time.
Fang Zhixing was stunned, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he said: "I'm afraid Master Feng has misunderstood something. I have always been honest and have never said such shameless words."
"I don't think you would dare!"
Feng Xingkan snorted and said angrily, "I'm standing right here, kick one and show me."
Fang Zhixing lowered his head and smiled apologetically, "Even if I were to be very brave, I would not dare to offend Master Feng."
Feng Xingkan looked around at everyone and sneered, "You all heard it. He, Fang Maofu, didn't even dare to kick me. Does anyone still think he will be the dark horse in the Qinghe Martial Arts Conference?"
Everyone watched with great interest, each with an amusement expression, looking at Fang Zhixing with eyes filled with contempt and disdain.
"alright."
Wu Hongqiu suddenly interrupted and said, "I've said it before, there are rumors out there, don't trust them all. This Master Fang must have offended someone, so people spread rumors about him."
Everyone burst into laughter and immediately lost interest in watching the fun. They continued drinking and chatting, and no one paid any attention to Fang Zhixing anymore.
After a moment of silence, Fang Zhixing asked carefully, "Excuse me, Miss Wu, what exactly is the rumor about?"
Wu Hongqiu raised the corners of his mouth slightly and spoke briefly.
After hearing this, Fang Zhixing took a breath of cold air.
At this moment, he suddenly thought of the Cheng brothers who were executed by him last night.
"I see!"
Fang Zhixing couldn't help but grit his teeth, anger boiling in his heart.
If he had known that this would happen, he would have skinned the Cheng brothers and executed them by slow slicing.
"Ms. Wu, since this is a misunderstanding, I will not bother you any more and will take my leave now." Fang Zhixing said respectfully without changing his expression.
Wu Hongqiu raised his eyebrows and said, "Since you are here, have a drink before you leave, or others will say that I am not a good host. Besides, the people who come to this party are either rich or noble, don't you want to get to know them and become familiar with them?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Zhixing immediately put on a grateful look and responded, "The guest should follow the host's wishes. I would like to thank Miss Wu for giving me this great opportunity."
Wu Hongqiu smiled and went to entertain the guests.
Fang Zhixing strolled around the hall, but unfortunately no one was willing to talk to him.
Soon, he walked to the window and looked out.
This is amazing!
Fang Zhixing was deeply moved! He saw a natural fountain outside the window, with water gushing out and flowing into a pool.
The pool water is shallow, clear and transparent.
There are beautiful pieces of jade at the bottom of the pool, and each piece of jade has a turtle pattern on its surface, which is as beautiful as a painting.
"Turtle Pattern Stone!!"
Fang Zhixing's breathing stagnated. What was a treasure in other families' shops was just a decoration in the pond for the Wu family, a small family.
This is such a waste of resources! ! "Fang Maofu? Who is Fang Maofu?"
Suddenly, another person in the hall started shouting at the top of his voice.
Fang Zhixing quickly turned his head and saw a spirited and sturdy young man coming to the door...
(End of this chapter)