Chapter 81 of 100
Chapter 81
16 min read4,020 words
【First update! Meow, I smell the long-awaited monthly votes, rolling on the ground begging for them!】
Tang Zheng didn't know what Lan Shaoye looked like, but all the descendants of Tang Family Castle recognized him, so at this moment, all the descendants of Tang Family Castle were watching him very vigilantly.
Tang Xiaotang and the others all knew that Tang Zheng had sent an invitation to Yilan Manor, but that was just a routine provocation between the two sides. No one really believed that Tang Zheng sincerely invited Lan Shaoye to have dinner.
But who would have thought that the person invited actually came!
"Is it really Lan Shaoye? He actually dared to come?" The guests present were a bit stunned.
"Yilan Manor has been extremely unlucky recently. They shouldn't send him to cause trouble, right?"
"Perhaps it's not Yilan Manor... but his personal action?"
"He might think that since this banquet is hosted by Tang Family Castle, with people from Hundred Refinements Workshop and Treasure Pavilion, it shouldn't be too dangerous for him to just pass by."
Most of the guests who came to the banquet thought that Lan Shaoye was just "passing by."
However, Tang Boyuan's grip on his sword tightened more and more.
Because... Lan Shaoye's target was wrong!
Although Tang Zheng was the main character of today's dagger appraisal conference, given Lan Shaoye's personality, he wouldn't take Tang Zheng seriously. The first person he looked at when he entered could be Tang Xiaotang, Tang Zixie, or even Tang Boyuan, but it definitely shouldn't be Tang Zheng.
"Do they know each other?" Tang Zhongxing also noticed something was off and asked Tang Boyuan in a low voice.
"They probably don't know each other," Tang Boyuan shook his head. "Just now, Mr. Tang clearly asked a question, not even sure if he was Lan Shaoye."
A few of the elders of Tang Family Castle looked at each other strangely, completely unable to guess what was going on between Tang Zheng and Lan Shaoye.
Just as everyone thought that Lan Shaoye had come here just to show his presence, he spoke: "You are Tang Family Castle's 'that' guest scholar?"
Lan Shaoye asked Tang Zheng as if he didn't see the people of Tang Family Castle sitting there.
That.
These two words were specific.
But who exactly they referred to and what they meant, only Tang Zheng understood.
He was the one who burned Yilan Manor's flower fields, causing Yilan Manor to fall into such a passive situation in Wulong Town!
His arrival broke the long-standing balance in Wulong Town.
Facing Lan Shaoye's question, Tang Zheng just raised his head and smiled: "Yes, it's me. What can I do for you, sir?"
Lan Shaoye laughed: "Congratulations on forging such a fine dagger!"
Tang Zheng also smiled but didn't say thank you.
Two seconds later, everyone realized that he shouldn't have said thank you.
Because after a brief pause, Lan Shaoye abruptly asked: "The dagger is indeed a fine one... Do you dare to sell it to me?"
Do you dare to sell it to me?
The expressions of those present immediately varied.
Except for the group of low-emotional intelligence people from Hundred Refinements Workshop, everyone noticed that Lan Shaoye asked, "Do you dare to sell it to me?" rather than "Can you sell it to me?"
What does that mean?
Is there a second meaning to asking an enemy to buy a dagger?
Lan Shaoye's subtext was: If you dare to sell it, I'll dare to use this dagger to slit your throat!
...
Lan Family has a son named Shaoye!
As long as you are from Wulong Town, you must have heard of the only legitimate son of this generation of Yilan Manor.
However, not many people really understood Lan Shaoye.
Most people only saw his way of speaking and acting for the first time today, and also witnessed his courage to attend the banquet alone for the first time.
At Tang Zheng's dagger appraisal conference, he not only represented Yilan Manor, but also, in response to Tang Zheng's provocation through the invitation, he returned the favor by trying to buy the dagger!
Many guests secretly glanced at Lan Shaoye: "With such a strong attitude, isn't he afraid of offending Hundred Refinements Workshop?"
"As long as he doesn't start a fight here, there's no such thing as offending or not offending. Hundred Refinements Workshop isn't run by Tang Family Castle."
"Moreover, look at the masters of Hundred Refinements Workshop... they probably really think Lan Shaoye is sincerely here to buy the dagger."
"... Cough, it seems so!" Seeing the reaction of those tech geeks, everyone was speechless.
"Now, it's the young master Tang Zheng who, if he doesn't handle it well, might boost the morale of others and undermine his own prestige!"
How would Tang Family Castle handle it?
How would Tang Zheng handle it?
Whether to sell or not, neither was a good choice for them!
Selling would make them fools. Why should the good things obtained by Tang Family Castle be sold to Yilan Manor? This logic doesn't hold.
Not selling would make them cowards. If they don't dare to sell when provoked, it would directly make Hundred Refinements Workshop look down on them.
The dagger was still in Mo Feng's hands.
Mo Feng had just explored the star power and discovered a new grinding structure, already immersed in his own dilemma.
That grinding structure was a new technology!
He really wanted to take this dagger back to continue his research, but the dagger wasn't his. To buy it, Hundred Refinements Workshop certainly wasn't short of money, but he couldn't bring himself to buy weapons from other blacksmiths.
Tang Zheng glanced at Mo Feng.
Any small dilemma on Mo Feng's face was noticed by him.
Then, he turned to Lan Shaoye and smiled innocently: "Do you really want it?"
Lan Shaoye replied with a smile: "Yes!"
Tang Zheng smiled and said: "I want it too."
Their gazes were locked in a fierce confrontation!
If looks could kill, they would have already turned each other into sieves.
What Tang Zheng asked and what Lan Shaoye answered were not about the dagger, but... the other's life!
Lan Shaoye wanted Tang Zheng's life, and coincidentally, Tang Zheng was also quite interested in Lan Shaoye's life.
When Tang Boyuan noticed this, his eyelids twitched again.
Lan Shaoye's killing intent towards Tang Zheng was too strong, and Tang Zheng's response was also too intense, right?
"Although you are very sincere in wanting to buy it, this dagger was not forged for you!" Tang Zheng glanced at Mo Feng again.
"Oh?" Lan Shaoye smiled, "Why?"
"Good knives for heroes!" Tang Zheng pointed at Mo Feng and said, "This dagger was forged for the bet of Hundred Refinements Workshop, so it is for Hundred Refinements Workshop. I... have given it to Master Mo Feng!"
The guests who didn't know the value of the dagger didn't have much of a reaction.
But Mo Feng and his apprentices were so shocked that they almost fell off their chairs.
What a joke?
Give!
Although this dagger was only a one-star dagger, its cost was as high as several hundred ounces of purple gold!
Moreover, what Tang Zheng gave was not just the dagger.
Mo Feng could already see that this dagger featured a new technology he had never heard of. Wasn't Tang Zheng's generosity a bit too much?
"Ha ha ha," Tang Boyuan clapped, "Good knives for heroes! What a great phrase!"
"Good knives for heroes..." Mo Feng deeply pondered this phrase. Wasn't this a precise summary of Hundred Refinements Workshop's "Ten No-Sells"?
However, Mo Feng wasn't the type to take advantage.
On one hand, he felt embarrassed to accept such a big gift from Tang Zheng, but on the other hand, he was very fond of the technology on the dagger, making him even more conflicted.
Lan Shaoye's expression changed slightly, but he didn't get angry. He just smiled lightly and prepared to turn and leave.
Today's "Dagger Appraisal Conference" was enough for Lan Shaoye to dare to come.
Whether he sincerely wanted to buy the dagger or whether he could buy it, he had already returned the "challenge" of the invitation!
But just as he turned, Tang Zheng laughed again: "If you really want to buy it, I'm not unwilling to forge another one for you..."
Lan Shaoye turned back in surprise: "You? Forge another one?"
"However, the dagger I forge, you probably can't afford or use!" Tang Zheng smiled with narrowed eyes.
"Ha ha ha ha..." Lan Shaoye laughed, "A one-star dagger, can I really not afford or use it?"
"Then, the same model dagger, priced at a thousand ounces of purple gold, please pay a deposit first?" Tang Zheng quoted a price.
Lan Shaoye's expression suddenly became very strange: "A thousand ounces of purple gold? Ha ha, ha ha ha... If you don't dare to sell, you can just say so. There's no need to set such a ridiculous price..."
But before he could finish speaking,
Mo Feng's voice came from behind Tang Zheng: "Worth it!"
A thousand ounces of purple gold!
Worth it!
He wasn't favoring either side; he was just speaking the truth. Because just now, he discovered that the outermost layer of the dagger was actually the last coating applied!
No, to be precise, it might be worth more than a thousand ounces of purple gold...
Whether the new grinding structure or the new coating technology, both were far more valuable than a thousand ounces of purple gold!
Lan Shaoye's mockery of Tang Zheng was directly blocked by Mo Feng's one word, choking him so much that his eyes almost rolled back.
What else could he say?
Really spend a thousand ounces of purple gold to buy a one-star broken dagger?
Although he was arrogant, he wasn't a fool.
"See you later." Lan Shaoye politely said, didn't say anything more, and turned to leave with a smile.
On the second floor of Wufeng Tavern, the banquet continued, and the host and guests were enjoying themselves.
Tang Family Castle's reputation was unmatched for a moment, and many invited shop owners came over to get close to Tang Boyuan and the others...
At the entrance on the first floor, the night breeze was cool.
A servant of the Lan family led a horse up, draped a cloak over Lan Shaoye, and asked: "Young Master Lan, are we going back to Yilan Manor now?"
Lan Shaoye turned his head, looked quietly at the second floor for a long time, and then mounted the horse: "No, go find Xu Qingyan first."
The servant of the Lan family looked at the sky and was stunned: "N... Now? Isn't it too late to discuss things with Young Master Xu now?"
At this time, except for the old ancestor of Yilan Manor, Xu Qingyan wouldn't see anyone.
However, Lan Shaoye clenched his fist and nodded, insisting on his arrangement: "I underestimated him. If I wait any longer... this person will become a major threat!"
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