by Fang Xiang
"Also, don't you feel it is strange? A mo weapon master that can make an earth mo weapon should have at least some fame and reputation before this, but no one has heard of his name before?" Feng Xin Zi looked at Zuo Mo in the distance and said to himself.
"There are many people who leap into fame from obscurity. There is nothing strange about that." Ji Li Yu's tone was dismissive.
"Maybe." Feng Xin Zi did not continue on the topic.
One person forced their way over and said enthusiastically, "Ha, I am so fortunate to encounter such a beautiful miss today! Miss who is so beautiful that my heart has almost stopped beating, can you tell me your name?"
Ji Li Yu felt slight disdain but she did not snow it in her expression. She smiled brightly. "Shouldn't you introduce yourself first before asking for someone's name?"
Ji Li Yu was devastatingly beautiful to start with. When she did not smile, she was the brightest jewel at the banquet. When she smiled, the entire banquet hall seemed to light up. The nearby guests were dumbstruck.
The young person who stepped forward to speak with her was also stunned. After a while, he recovered. His expression was intoxicated. He appeared as though he would be willing to die if Ji Li Yu told him to do so.
"Oh oh oh! I should die for this! I was so impolite. Heavens, this is unforgivable! Please forgive my rudeness, I am Hua Ru Hai from the South Bay's Hua Family. It is a little place, a little place."
Hua Ru Hai smiled fawningly. Shocked inhales sounded in the surroundings. South Bay Hua Family was a faction that rivaled the Tang Family.
"I am very happy to meet you, Mister Hua Ru Hai! I am Ji Li Yu of the yao!" Ji Li Yu's smile blossomed and drew the eyes of the males present.
"Happy, happy, truly happy!" Hua Ru Hai was so excited he could not speak rationally.
"Has Mister Hua Ru Hai also come for Grandmaster?" Ji Li Yu asked curiously.
Hua Ru Hai nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I was coincidentally around the mo weapon pool when Grandmaster completed forging the mo weapon. I saw with my own eyes the worldly apparition when the Sky Snake Ten Manifestation Pike was created."
"Sky Snake Ten Manifestation Pike?"
"Yes, it is an outstanding earth mo weapon, and can change into ten different mo weapons. It is the first time I have seen such a wondrous earth mo weapon. It is a pity it ended up in the hands of Rare Artifacts Hall. It will not be easy to buy it from them." Hua Ru Hai shook his head and said with regret.
Ji Li Yu suddenly said, "Grandmaster is really young. Are all mo weapon masters so young?"
Hua Ru Hai smiled and said, "Actually, I was stunned when I met the Grandmaster for the first time. I hadn't expected him to be about the same age as me. However, people at the grandmaster level are probably not the same as us mere mortals."
"That is true." Ji Li Yu smiled faintly. Her gaze turned to the mo weapon placed at the center of the large hall. "That is the Sky Snake Ten Manifestations Pike?"
"En!" Hua Ru Hai looked with intoxication at the Sky Snake Ten Manifestations Pike and murmured, "Perfect! It is absolutely perfect! I haven never heard of this level of craftsmanship. It is great!"
Ji Li Yu stared at the Sky Snake Ten Manifestations Pike. An intimidating yet almost imperceptible presence emanated from the pike and shrouded the entire hall. It would occasionally cause sighs of awe.
———
"It really is a perfect masterpiece," the chief steward of Rare Artifacts Hall praised.
"Many thanks to you for your support!" Zuo Mo offered his thanks to the other. He had sold the Sky Snake Ten Manifestations Pike to the Rare Artifacts hall already. They had only brought it out for display because it was Zuo Mo's request.
"It is nothing," the middle-aged mo smiled and said. Then he said subtly, "No matter the occasion, Rare Artifacts Hall is a friend of Grandmaster."
He had felt great shock when he had received Zuo Mo's request but he quickly made his decision. While he did not know what the Grandmaster's intentions were, it was undoubtedly the best choice to build a good relationship with the other.
Zuo Mo raised the winecup in his hand and toasted the other. "Please!"
"Please!" The middle-aged mo responded with a raise of his glass in satisfaction. It was not common to have a grandmaster owe you a favor.
There was an imperceptible smile on Tang Chen's face. Suddenly, a servant said a few words in a low voice by his ear and he nodded.
He suddenly stood and raised both of his hands. He said in a loud voice, "Everyone!"
The hall immediately quieted down. All gazes turned to focus on Tang Chen. Tang Chen had absolute authority in Bu Zhou City. Just a few of his words could have great effects on Bu Zhou City.
Tang Chen had a big smile. "Today is really a good day, with friends filling the seats, and honored guests that have come."
Just as he was speaking, a procession walked in from the door to the hall. The one leading the way was a youth with a faint smile on his face. His handsome face was filled with confidence as he walked with his head high at the front.
The crowd unconsciously made way for him.
"Uncle Tang!" The youth bowed towards Tang Chen.
Tang Chen laughed and said, "Come here, come here, let Uncle have a look at you. Heroes really come from youth! I really admire A Di for having such a son!"
A Di? Low discussion rose in the crowd. Everyone was speculating who this A Di was.
"Father frequently mentions you, but there has been many matters. He feels very guilty for being unable to visit Uncle Tang these years," Gongzi Xi said respectfully. [2]
"Oh!" A reminiscing expression came onto Tang Chen's face. He said emotionally, "The years have passed so quickly!"
He then laughed. "It is not good to be too emotional on such a good day." Finishing, he turned to face the hall with a hand on the youth. He said in a loud voice, "Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Marshal Di's son, and my nephew, Xi!"
The crowd exploded.
Everyone knew who Marshal Di was. Oh, of course this meant every other than Zuo Mo. Marshal Di was much more famous than Tang Chen and was one of the most famous marshals in the mo territories.
Many people had uncertain expressions. While Tang Chen's authority in Bu Zhou City was unrivalled, the Tang Family was usually low-key and seemed content to be in their area without any ambitions to vie for the world.
Due to this, many people thought of the Tang Family as just a strong local faction. However, Marshal Di was one of the competitors fighting for domination of the world and one of the strongest marshals.
Because of the difference in status of the families, many people were surprised the son of Marshal Di was so respectful towards Tang Chen. To even bow like a junior suggested that the two marshals had a close relationship.
———
Xi's arrival caused the entire banquet to have a turbulent underflow. Many people thought inside that they needed to reassess the strength of the Tang Family.
This included the Ji Family.
In the corner, A Heng's eyes flashed and he was uncertain. The Tang Family had been a faction that the Ji Family had been trying form relations with for a long time. The Ji Family had even hoped that they could use a marriage to ally the two families together.
He immediately detected something unusual nearby when Marshal Di's son Xi had arrived.
The young master of the Ji Family looked with hate and viciousness at Zuo Mo.
Refocusing, A Heng noticed the expression of his young master and frowned inwardly. The newly arrived Gongzi Xi appeared handsome and accomplished, his family's young master in comparison was not acceptable to be seen in public. A Heng shook his head inside.
That Xiao Yun Hai was an honored guest of the Tang Family now. They did not have any more chances to act. Not speaking of how they wanted to form an alliance with the Tang Family, even if they did not care about how the Tang Family felt, they could not act against a valued guest of the Tang Family while in Bu Zhou City.
"So this will be the end of it?" the young master gritted his teeth and his voice seemed to bellow out from his chest.
A Heng said coolly. "Master will not be happy if you offend the Tang Family."
The Ji Family young master's face paled. When he thought of his father's anger, a chill rose from the bottom of his feet. All of his anger immediately disappeared.
After A Heng reminded him of this, he didn't look at his young master again but focused on Gongzi Xi. He decided to stay a while longer and find out why Gongzi Xi had suddenly come to Bu Zhou City.
The Tang Family was low-key but their strength could not be underestimated. They would be of great aid to any family they allied with.
A Heng knew that the Horizontal Jie's Ji Family did not have as much influence compared to Marshal Di. However, he hadn't expected that Tang Chen had concealed this relationship so deeply. They had investigated for so long and hadn't even heard a hint of it.
The Ji Family had started to try to ally with the Tang Family from a very long time ago. Tang Chen's attitude had always been ambiguous. So this was the reason behind it.
No matter what, he could not let the Tang Family and Marshal Di form an alliance.
A cold light flashed across A Heng's eyes.
With the arrival of the new guests, no one noticed the two people from the Ji Family in the corner.
———
Tang Chen's gaze flashed across Gongzi Xi's retinue. When his gaze landed on Li Xian'er, he was slightly surprised. However, he did not change expression and brought Gongzi Xi in front of Zuo Mo.
"Virtuous nephew, come, this is Grandmaster Xiao Yun Hai! Grandmaster has just forged an earth mo weapon, the Sky Snake Ten Manifestations Pike, it is extraordinarily powerful!"
At this time, the corner of Zuo Mo's eye imperceptibly twitched.
[1] This is another pun based on similar sounds and different charcters. Yun Hai as in Cloud Sea, and Xiao being the surname.
[2] The naming convention here seems to follow that of Ancient China. "Gongzi" means the "son of a lord" which later turned to mean "gentleman." So Xi is the name, and Gongzi is like a honorific.
Translator Ramblings: You all thought Zuo Mo's naming sense improved?
Chapter 699: Zuo Mo's Goal
His gaze unconsciously moved, and swept across Gongzi Xi's group. His gaze suddenly stopped on a female.
For some unknown reason, Zuo Mo had an eerie sense of familiarity.
This female … …
Zuo Mo dared to guarantee that he had definitely never seen this female before. He wasn't able to identify anything familiar about her. This included her appearance, her speech and presence. They were all very unfamiliar and Zuo Mo was sure that he had never seen her before.
But that eerie sense of familiarity haunted his mind and could not be swept away.
It really was strange.
Zuo Mo suppressed the strange feeling he had. His expression was normal as he gave a small smile and exchanged greetings with Gongzi Xi. "I'm very happy to meet you."
Gongzi Xi also had a smile. "On the way here, I heard that Grandmaster had forged an earth mo weapon. Xi itches to see it, and has travelled day and night. This journey was not a waste after meeting Grandmaster!"
Tang Chen pretended to be angry. "So Virtuous Nephew has not come to see this old man, this old man thought too highly of himself!"
The people around laughed when they heard this.
Tang Chen also had a small smile as he said, "You and Grandmaster are of similar age, and must be able to converse better. Virtuous Nephew, you should ask for guidance from Grandmaster, you will definitely benefit."
"Uncle is right," Gongzi Xi said respectfully.
Zuo Mo smiled. "Patriarch Tang is too complimentary." He felt strange. This Tang Chen seemed to treat Gongzi Xi like his own nephew. The relationship between the two families was not simple.
Gongzi Xi's gaze turned to the Sky Snake Ten Manifestation Pike in the middle of the large hall. He couldn't resist saying, "This is Grandmaster's new work?"
"This is called the Sky Snake Ten Manifestation Pike," the middle-aged mo elegantly took over. "Does Master Xi want to try?"
"I can?" Xi showed joy.
"Of course!" The middle-aged mo made an ushering motion. "Our hall received the favor of Grandmaster and this Sky Snake Ten Manifestation Pike. Master can do as you please."
Even a blind person could see that the middle-aged mo was showing goodwill to Gongzi Xi.
Gongzi Xi's expression was excited and he was desiring to try.
———
Li Xian'er secretly examined Zuo Mo. She was unusually sensitive. Zuo Mo had done his best to make his gaze appear casual, but Li Xian'er still detected Zuo Mo's attention focused on her.
Her appearance had been disguised. While she still looked pretty, it was several levels below her true appearance. Which of the servants around Gongzi Xi were not beautiful due to his position? Theoretically, she should be very non-descript and mediocre among the group.
She hadn't thought that Tang Chen and Xiao Yun Hai would notice her.
However, she was very curious about Xiao Yun Hai.
It was not common to see such a young mo weapon grandmaster. Being from Tian Huan, Li Xian'er had seen many kinds of geniuses, but there were only just a rare few that were so accomplished at such an age.
As though he noticed her gaze, the young grandmaster gave a small smile at her.
This guy … … was slightly strange!
Li Xian'er thought inside.
———
Qinghua Xue looked closely at Zuo Mo within the crowd. Her eyes were as bright as stars and she was struggling to keep her calm.
It was him!
Yes, it was him!
Qinghua Xue could not suppress the excitement inside.
Almost at first glance, she had recognized Zuo Mo. While the appearance and the name were unfamiliar, Qinghua Xue's eyes had not missed his familiar patterns of speech and movement. She was too familiar with Xiao Mo Ge. She hadn't just fought against him, she had collected almost all the mirages on the market concerning him.
This was him!
Xiao Mo Ge!
The gathering that would have normally found unpleasant and noisy was so beautiful right now. Qinghua Xue's eyes did not move away one bit.
"What are you looking at?" one of her fellows poked her. Her friend was called Ning Xin'er. She was the most beautiful female of the cadet branch of the Ning Family, and due to this, she had been selected.
Qinghua Xue seemed to wake up. Her face was aflame.
"Oh, you like Xiao Yun Hai?" Ning Xin'er teased her. "While he doesn't look handsome, his future is unlimited as he was able to become a grandmaster at such a young age. Haha, if you can get him, the Qinghua Family probably would be overjoyed."
Qinghua Xue quickly recovered her calm. She slanted a look at Ning Xin'er and said pointedly, "Weren't you pining after Xiao Mo Ge?"
"Xiao Mo Ge?" Ning Xin'er said self-mockingly. "I want him. However, with the yao's greatest beauty standing at the front, we can just rest our hearts and act as secondary characters."
The words were tinged with jealousy and some disappointment.
Qinghua xue was silent. She could understand Ning Xin'er's feelings. Of the group of people that had come, there was no one other than her that had been willing. In front of Ji Li Yu, all of them lost in comparison. Everyone felt that if Xiao Mo Ge was going to fall in love, it would be with Ji Li Yu. They were from the cadet branches of their families, but they had many suitors, including sons of main branches. Who was willing to travel thousands of miles to act as accompaniment?
"I feel that Xiao Mo Ge might not fall in love with Miss Ji," Qinghua Xue suddenly said.
"Maybe." Ning Xin'er twisted her mouth. "If he doesn't fall in love with the most beautiful woman, then there is no hope for us."
Qinghua Xue was silent.
Ning Xin'er tilted her head and suddenly became excited. "This Xiao Yun Hai is a good target. I feel that the higher-ups will definitely agree to recruit a mo weapon master of such potential on our side. Nice, nice!"
"They you can go try." Qinhua Xue said sardonically.
"No, he isn't handsome enough." Ning Xin'er pouted. "But that Gongzi Xi is both generous and has presence! His family background is also very good!"
Qinghua Xue smiled upon hearing this.
At this time, Xiao Yun Hai suddenly spoke up, "Everyone."
The entire place quieted. People looked over curiously. Everyone present was filled with curiosity about this newly titled mo weapon grandmaster, especially since he was so young.
Xiao Yun Hai had a small smile on his face without any timidity. His voice was clear and loud.
"First, I would like to thank Patriarch Tang for agreeing to my unreasonable request and hosting such a grand banquet for me. I also must thank the Rare Artifact Hall for their support with today's event. I won't waste words. This time, I have invited everyone because I have something to ask!"
"Grandmaster, please say. If our Rare Artifact Hall can do it, we will not refuse." There was an elegant smile on the middle-aged mo's face. His voice was not loud but could be heard over the entire hall.
Displeasure flashed across Tang Chen's eyes. He was very displeased that Rare Artifacts Hall had taken this opportunity before him. He knew that this was Xiao Yun Hai's retaliation for being forced to come to the Tang Family.
Grandmasters, it was normal for them to have a temper.
The smile on his face remained the same. "Grandmaster, please say it. The Tang Family is not some prestigious family, but there are not many things that we cannot do."
His words were said indifferently but the dominance showed. The other people had planned on saying a few words but then perceptively closed their mouths.
The entire place was unusually silent.
Zuo Mo was not affected at all. He looked around solemnly. "This one needs something called the Reverse Shadow Soul Silkgrass. One plant can be traded for an earth mo weapon."