Chapter 91 The Way of the Sword: She Can't Deceive Me (Guan Ye)
"Lou Cangyu said that Miss Wushuang is someone who understands swordsmanship and forging techniques." Guan Ye said without fear, "Guan Ye is not talented, but I have read the 'Forging Classic' and would like to ask Miss Wushuang for guidance."
Seeing Wushuang put her hand down and look thoughtful, Mu Lexiu said with displeasure, "This person is such a spoilsport, let's kick her out."
"Wait." Wushuang stopped Mu Lexiu from getting up and said towards the outside of the pavilion, "What do you want to ask?"
"The sword is like a gentleman, and a gentleman has ten principles, but I do not know which ten principles they are."
"You're asking me?" Wushuang sneered. "Do you know the answer yourself?"
"—The Way of the Sage, the Way of Benevolence, the Way of the Emperor, the Way of Majesty, the Way of Sincerity, the Way of Sincerity, the Way of Emotion, the Way of Courage, the Way of Respect, the Way of Elegance." Guan Ye pronounced each word carefully. "Miss Wushuang, am I right?"
Seeing that Wushuang remained silent, Mu Lexiu knew that the female sword slave outside must be right, and was about to say something when Wushuang's cold gaze stopped him.
"I answered ten questions correctly. I wonder if I am qualified to ask for your guidance?" Guan Ye said neither humbly nor arrogantly, which made all the busy foundry workers and laborers in the foundry prick up their ears.
Wushuang raised her dark eyes. "Tell me about it."
Guan Ye didn't even glance at Pei Bi's wide, bell-like eyes, which seemed to want to devour her. All she knew was that even if she had to be carried out of the inner quarters today, she would get some justice for Lou Cangyu and Xingguo Ward.
"Miss Wushuang, of the ten paths, which one is the most important?"
"That's it?" Mu Lexiu looked confused and blurted out, "Of course it's the Holy Path. Why is it Holy? It's because it's the best." Seeing that Wushuang didn't respond, Mu Lexiu closed his lips slightly, wondering what he had said wrong.
"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs." Wushuang rose and walked to the half-open window. "Of the ten paths, the path of benevolence is the path of righteousness."
Mu Lexiu suddenly realized, nodding and clicking his tongue in admiration, "Your idea is unique, but it makes sense."
Through the crack in the window, Guan Ye saw Wu Shuang approaching. She couldn't help but take a few steps forward, widening her eyes to get a clearer view of Wu Shuang.
Wushuang also saw Guan Ye approaching her. She was dressed in a striking red dress, her brows were full of heroic spirit, her face was beautiful and refined, and her clear eyes held an unyielding determination. Ignoring the fact that the Second Prince of the current dynasty was also present in the Jingwu Pavilion, she continued to approach without flinching.
"Guan Ye?" Mu Lexiu waited in vain for Guan Ye to speak, and became somewhat impatient. "Wu Shuang has already answered you. Aren't you leaving? Do you want me to have you thrown out?"
Guan Ye raised her eyebrows slightly, her thin lips pressed tightly together, revealing a stubbornness. "I believe that the most important of the ten principles of a gentleman is sincerity."
"Chengdao?" Mu Lexiu looked at Wushuang suspiciously. "Is there such a thing? I don't remember it."
"Yes." Wushuang closed the window tightly, turning her back to Guan Ye no longer.
“A gentleman acts with utmost sincerity. This should be the principle in both conduct and action.” Guan Ye raised her head. “This is my answer.”
Mu Lexiu laughed out loud, "Wushuang, is this little sword slave trying to teach you a lesson? She's probably crazy."
"I've heard that there's a rare Kunwu stone in the inner workshop," Guan Ye continued. "Miss Wushuang, you must have seen it before."
Mu Lexiu's brow twitched slightly as he stole a glance at Wushuang's face. Wushuang's expression remained calm and unwavering. "You covet the Kunwu Stone in the inner workshop?"
"Guan Ye wouldn't dare," Guan Ye said. "The Kunwu Stone is unparalleled in its hardness and sharpness. It's extremely rare in the world, and you can hardly find a single piece. Have you ever seen a Kunwu Stone? I wonder... if you've verified how incredibly hard and sharp it is?"
"How do you verify it?" Wushuang approached the table and picked up a smear of stone powder, rubbing it gently on her fingertips.
"Let's try the Kunwu Stone and see if it can cut through the black iron."
Wushuang clenched her fist lightly and smiled, "You've come at an inopportune time. The Kunwu Stone has an amazing color and is indeed rare. I've already ground it into mineral pigments and made it into a silk painting to send to the Second Prince. Whether it can cut through the Xuan Iron, I really don't know."
Pei Bi inwardly cursed. Guan Ye hadn't even been given extra food for breakfast, yet she dared to speak so recklessly in front of the Second Prince. She didn't want to live, and he didn't want to die either. Pei Bi reached out to pull Guan Ye away, but Guan Ye fiercely pulled her sleeve away and said to the Jingwu Pavilion, "It's quite a coincidence that I also obtained a Kunwu Stone. Although it's a bit small, it's very strong and sharp. I tested it for Miss Wushuang, and the Kunwu Stone is indeed the nemesis of Xuan Tie. It's enough to cut through Xuan Tie swords."
"Oh?" Wushuang's eyes showed some interest. "There is a Xuan Tie sword in the inner workshop. It's the one I used at Lingbo Terrace. Do you have your Kunwu Stone with you? Take it out and try it out. Let the Second Prince and me see it for ourselves."
Guan Ye calmly reached into her bosom. Pei Bi frowned, scolding in a low voice, "Guan Ye, that's enough. The sword test is a fait accompli. There's no need to argue with the inner palace anymore. Second Prince..." Pei Bi glanced at the Jingwu Pavilion, "Didn't you hear that the Second Prince is still inside?"
“Manager Pei, I only spoke, I didn’t lay a hand on her. I didn’t even see the girl’s shadow. How could she have been pulled around?” Guan Ye said, slowly patting her chest a few times before suddenly exclaiming, “Oh dear, she’s gone.”
Pei Bi suddenly understood, feeling both amused and annoyed. He wanted to give the girl a good whack, but her earnest and clumsy manner amused him to no end.
"Gone?" Mu Lexiu shouted. "Guan Ye, are you kidding us?" He pushed open the door, flung his clothes aside, and glared angrily at Guan Ye, who was standing in the courtyard.
Guan Ye was not afraid. She clasped her hands and bowed to Mu Lexiu, who was dressed in a white robe with gold thread. "Guan Ye dares not. I really can't find it. Well then, I can only tell you two. But hearing is believing, seeing is believing. So... Your Highness, please pretend you didn't hear it. If you heard it, then forget it?"
"You!" Mu Lexiu was furious, but Guan Ye kept asking Wushuang for guidance, her words were humble, and her behavior was impeccable. It seemed unreasonable to have her thrown out.
"If Your Highness has nothing else to say..." Guan Ye tiptoed into the room, but seeing that Wushuang was turned away and she couldn't see clearly, she stood up and said, "If Miss Wushuang has nothing else to say, my steward and I will take twenty blacksmiths back to the workshop?"
Before Wushuang could reply, Guan Ye nudged the dazed Pei Bi and said softly, biting her lip, "Why aren't you leaving now? Hurry up and go."
Pei Bi snapped out of his daze. "Let's go... let's go..." Guan Ye took a few steps, then suddenly raised her right hand and waved behind her. "Thank you to the inner workshop, and thank you to Miss Wushuang as well. Now that you've seen half the sky glowing red from the Heavenly Furnace, please remember to grace us with your presence at Xingguo Workshop and see the real Heavenly Furnace!"
"Hahahaha." From the other end of the foundry, a familiar laugh came from afar. The newcomer had a striking head of dreadlocks; who else could it be but Wan Qixi? "What an arrogant girl, Guan! She dares to act wildly in the inner workshop?"
Upon recognizing Wan Qixi, Guan Ye smiled and said, "Why are you everywhere? You really are like a shadow."
Wan Qixi raised his eyebrows arrogantly and walked confidently towards Jingwu Pavilion. He bowed to Mu Lexiu and said, "Greetings, Second Prince. I am Wan Qixi. I have just been assigned to transport iron ore to the inner workshop. This is my first time." He then cupped his fists to the surrounding blacksmiths and said, "I hope you masters will take good care of me in the future."
"What kind of fortune did you win?" Guan Ye looked Wan Qixi up and down, who was completely different from the man in the Ghost Market. "And you've even expanded and strengthened your business?"
Wan Qixi ignored him and deliberately raised his voice, "That's nothing compared to you. Kunwu Stone? Kunwu Stone is only sold at my stall. It's all been sold to the inner workshop long ago. Guan Ye, you're quite good at bluffing."
"You!" Guan Ye pointed at Wan Qixi, "You were the witness that day."
Wan Qixi chuckled awkwardly and said to the Jingwu Pavilion, "Witness? That can prove it is, and it can prove it isn't. You keep talking about the Kunwu Stone, but you haven't been able to pull it out."
A soft, low laugh drifted from the Jingwu Pavilion. The laughter was as soft as a needle falling to the ground. Mu Lexiu heard it and couldn't help but turn around to look.
Guan Ye was too lazy to argue with him. She glared at Wan Qixi and strode away. Pei Bi sighed helplessly, clasped his hands and bowed deeply to Mu Lexiu, glanced at Wan Qixi, and then chased after Guan Ye.
Mu Lexiu scanned Wan Qixi's unfamiliar face with interest. "You're quite a shrewd person who knows how to read the situation. What's your name?"
"My name is Wan Qixi."
Judging from his attire, Mu Lexiu already knew he was a visitor from a foreign race. Seeing his cheerful speech and elegant demeanor, he found him even more interesting. "Wanqi, you come from the Western Regions?"
"The Western Regions are rich in rare minerals, and Wanqi Xi's path is wild and unpredictable; it must be of great use to him," Wushuang's voice came through the door.
Mu Lexiu responded softly, "Where you come from is not important. What's important is to do your job well. You can handle business in the inner workshop, so you seem to have some ability."
Wan Qixi smiled arrogantly, clasped his hands and raised them above his head, "I will certainly not let down the Second Prince and the Inner Palace. Only the best will be allowed to enter the Inner Palace."
Mu Lexiu turned around and pushed open the door to enter the room. The moment the door opened, Wan Qixi saw Wushuang grinding mineral pigments again. She was graceful and charming, with a beautiful profile. Her eyebrows were like mountains and water, and she had a calm and breezy demeanor. She sat on the soft couch, wearing a blue robe with a white fur collar cloak. Although only half of her face was visible, it was a color rarely seen in the world.
The door creaked shut, and Wan Qixi finally came to her senses. She paused for a moment, then slowly turned around.
On the long street in Rongdu, Guan Ye kicked at the pebbles on the ground as she walked. With a sudden burst of energy, a pebble bounced onto a roadside vendor's shelf. The vendor rolled his eyes at her, and Guan Ye quickly bowed, "Sorry, sorry..."
"Who are you arguing with this time?" Pei Bi frowned. "In the inner quarters, you're quick-witted and eloquent, but you don't usually talk that much."
Guan Ye and Pei Bi weren't particularly close, but in all the years she'd spent on Canglang Island, Pei Bi had never been seen to bully anyone. Everyone knew that Pei Bi always followed the lead of the shop owner and was known for his extreme caution. Today, she'd suddenly become so bold that, although Pei Bi panicked, he let her blurt out everything. Guan Ye glanced at Pei Bi sideways, dejected, and said, "It's all Wan Qixi's fault. He insisted I didn't have Kunwu Stone."
Pei Bi shook his head and said, "What you said makes perfect sense. Even without the Kunwu Stone, those who know will understand. Why do we need an inanimate object to prove anything?"
"You understand, of course you understand?" Guan Ye looked up directly at Pei Bi, "You... understand?"
Pei Bi stared straight ahead at the road. “You’ve stayed up several nights in a row and forged another sword. You couldn’t have done it for nothing. You were trying to stand up for Lou Cangyu today, but…” Pei Bi’s steps were slow and deliberate. “Cangyu’s broken sword can never be picked up again.”
"I just want Wushuang to know that there is nothing wrong with the sword in Xingguofang. No matter how she deceived Cangyu, she cannot deceive me, Guan Ye."
The girl spoke with a firm and serious tone, and Pei Bi smiled bitterly, "Truly... youthful temperament... it's good for him to suffer more."
Guan Ye pursed her lips and chuckled, then noticed a long queue of people not far away. She swallowed hard and said, "If you don't want to suffer, you want something sweet. Steward Pei, perhaps... you should take your people back first... I think..."
Pei Bi followed her shining eyes and immediately understood. He pulled a money pouch from his pocket, picked up a string of copper coins, and handed it to Guan Ye. "Here you go."
Guan Ye paused slightly, then put her hands behind her back. "It's just a few fried cakes. Xiao Ma and the others have been craving them for days... we don't need that many."
Pei Bi stopped speaking, and extended his hand closer. Guan Ye blushed as she took it. "Thank you, Steward Pei. Shall I bring one for you?"
Pei Bi pointed to his teeth and shook his head. Guan Ye burst out laughing. The burly and imposing Steward Pei actually had a mouthful of rotten teeth.
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