With Yang Xuan's introduction, Du Chengfeng, who returned to the courtyard, also met the grinding Master Craftsman with the surname Wang and the specially arriving Governor Liu.
Contrary to Du Chengfeng's imagination, neither Governor Liu nor the grinding Master Craftsman with the surname Wang exuded much of a military aura. Although both carried swords, their wide robes and large sleeves made them resemble scholars holding books more than military officers.
Their fair faces bore neatly styled five strands of mustaches, an obvious testament to meticulous grooming. Standing three steps apart, Du Chengfeng could vaguely detect a faint and elegant fragrance.
He knew his own courtyard well; clearly, the fragrance did not emanate from his surroundings.
This dilapidated courtyard was naturally out of place for these two graceful individuals who seemed like banished Immortals. Yet, they paid no mind, merely sitting down, making half of the room instantly more distinguished.
This instinctively led Du Chengfeng and Yang Xuan to glance at each other.
In comparison to these two noble-looking men, their own attire was quite unsightly. Yang Xuan, supporting himself with a walking stick, could at least pass for a countryside farmer, while the old robe-clad Du Chengfeng looked decidedly like a vagrant at a glance.
Just by appearances alone, the distinction between the two of them and these two gentility was clear.
"You are Du Chengfeng? I've heard of you."
It was amidst Du Chengfeng's frowning contemplation that Governor Liu spoke.
"Are you capable of sharpening swords?"
"Yes."
Du Chengfeng nodded slightly, neither arrogant nor humble.
It was no surprise to Du Chengfeng that Governor Liu would know of him. After all, the Yang family had been assisting him in acquiring weapons, spreading his reputation so that more swordsmen from Jizhou would seek him out for sword sharpening. It would be unreasonable for Governor Liu, the leader of Jizhou, to be unaware of him.
So, was Governor Liu's personal visit meant for recruitment?
"Since you have the skill to grind weapons, would you like to come under my command?"
As Du Chengfeng pondered this, Governor Liu indeed voiced the invitation.
But Du Chengfeng shook his head.
Through the resources of the Jizhou Governor's Office, he could indeed leverage a powerful force, yet this meeting left Du Chengfeng with a subtle sense of discomfort. Though Governor Liu truly presented himself as a promoter of talent, his speech and demeanor being pleasantly warm, Du Chengfeng still sensed an almost imperceptible sense of detachment.
Since they were not a family, it was best not to join the same household.
After all, compared to a formidable opponent, a poorly coordinated teammate often brings about more severe consequences.
"Governor Liu jests, doesn't the military already have a grinding Master Craftsman? My humble skills fall far short, so I won't cause a disruption in the camp."
Feigning humility, Du Chengfeng was already pushing this matter away, having understood the soldiers of Jizhou's level, this war is destined to be his own battle.
Governor Liu wasn't bothered; he simply followed Du Chengfeng's words, continuing the conversation.
"Since we're discussing grinding Master Craftsmen, you should already know that my visit was firstly to recruit your service in the military, and secondly, it regards the Broken Horse Long Saber."
Upon saying this, Governor Liu gestured, and the grinding Master Craftsman Wang stepped forward to explain.
It turns out that the five-foot Long Saber was originally a military-standard weapon, and private ownership was not permitted. But since the saber's former owner, Liu Qingyun, had rendered meritorious service in eradicating horse bandits and had a deep affection for the weapon, the Governor's Office had turned a blind eye, considering it a reward for his achievements — but now that Liu Qingyun is dead, the saber, considered a military weapon, naturally cannot remain in private hands.
"The other reason is personal."
As he spoke, the grinding Master Craftsman Wang cupped his hands toward the south.
"When Liu Qingyun was still alive, he traveled specially to Yanzhou and asked my teacher, Ruan Shantao, to grind this Longsword. Due to involving some master-secret elements, the saber cannot be circulated outside, so I must ask the warrior to part with it."
"Hmm..."
Du Chengfeng found himself momentarily silent.
He could guess some of the so-called master secrets, perhaps to prevent other grinding Master Craftsmen from reverse engineering the grinding techniques from the marks on the blade?
To this, he could only say that the concerns of the Master Craftsman Wang were plausible since Du Chengfeng himself had already completely mastered that method of book-reading grinding — though hindered by environmental issues, he hadn't fully replicated it, but he had memorized the entire process.
Yet even with this, he could not relinquish the Broken Horse Long Saber.
He Xiqing could arrive at any time, and with every additional weapon, his combat strength increased by a fraction. Moreover, the Broken Horse Long Saber differed from his usual Yang family's ancestral treasured saber; its five-foot exaggerated length could greatly mitigate his disadvantage against the charge of nomadic cavalry.
After all, the saber is called the Broken Horse, designed exactly for this purpose.
However, directly refusing was clearly inappropriate, as the other party had brought up the master-disciple heritage, and any refusal might imply lurking greed for the craft.
So, after a moment's thought, Du Chengfeng simply brought out the large axe obtained from He Xixuan.
"I understand your sentiment, but I've recently faced a calamity... or rather, all of Jizhou will soon face a calamity."
Saying this, Du Chengfeng pushed the axe forward.
"You're also a Master Craftsman, so after seeing this, you should know what I'm talking about."
"These patterns... they're in the style of the Grassland Royal Court."
The Wang-named Master Craftsman had sharp eyes and immediately recognized the origin of this great axe.
Just as Du Chengfeng was delighted, thinking they could mutually understand each other, the Wang-named Master Craftsman looked at him with confusion.
"So what's the relation to the calamity you mentioned? Just based on this axe of foreign style?"
"Ah?"
Du Chengfeng couldn't help but be stunned.
"You can't see anything?"
"What can be seen from this?"
Hearing Du Chengfeng say so, the Wang-named Master Craftsman already showed a somewhat displeased face.
"Are you mocking me!"
"This..."
Du Chengfeng couldn't find words for a long time.
Initially, he thought, since he could deduce the past experiences of this weapon through sharpening, other Master Craftsmen could naturally do the same, thinking that everyone isn't too different.
But now it seems... it's not the case?
"Nonsense!"
Upon hearing Du Chengfeng's defense, the Wang-named Master Craftsman immediately shook his head.
"I, Wang, have read sage books for over thirty years, and countless weapons have passed through my hands. Never have I heard that anyone can deduce the past experiences of a weapon just by the chips on its blade."
As he spoke, the Wang-named Master Craftsman simply drew the sword from his waist and tossed it before Du Chengfeng.
"Since you claim to have such skill, why don't you see what experiences this sword has gone through?"
"I..."
Looking at the longsword before him, Du Chengfeng couldn't help but furrow his brows.
It wasn't that he didn't want to prove his words by grinding; the main issue was that this sword didn't have the slightest trace of Evil Qi.
In other words, this sword hasn't killed anyone.
Without having killed or shed blood, this sword never required sharpening from the start. The Wang-named Master Craftsman throwing such a sword at him was actually mocking him.
So, should I kill?
Du Chengfeng's hand unknowingly reached the axe handle.
The distance between them was less than three steps. A single Dragon Form Slash could cleave open the Wang-named Master Craftsman, and even if Liu Qingyun escaped at the fastest speed, he would still be within his reach.
Moreover, compared to his current attire, the two men's loose robes weren't advantageous for combat. If they really fought, he could sever two heads in a breath.
And all it takes for him is a mere raise of his hand...
"Mr. Wang, I think you're making things a bit difficult for this warrior."
Just when the bloody redness was gradually climbing into Du Chengfeng's eyes, Liu Qingyun, who hadn't spoken for a while, stood up, picking up the sword for a glance.
"Your sword has never seen blood nor needs sharpening. How could this warrior sharpen it?"
"Marshal, he's the one who boasted shamelessly first."
The Wang-named Master Craftsman shrunk his neck but still argued.
"I was just... huh, huh huh huh."
Before he could finish speaking, the Wang-named Master Craftsman suddenly found himself unable to speak, only allowing large mouthfuls of blood froth to gush from his throat, quickly dyeing his loose robes bright red.
Because the sword he had just thrown had already pierced into his neck.
Withdrawing the longsword, Liu Qingyun allowed the body of the Master Craftsman to fall to the ground like trash, not giving it a glance.
Then he reversed the sword hilt, handing the bloodstained longsword to Du Chengfeng.
"Here, warrior, this sword has now killed and shed blood, and it can be sharpened."