"I guessed it, really," Zhou Shu said sincerely. "I'm a Forging Apprentice of the 97th Workshop, and we forged the Huben Saber. That's why I'm sure that you're not the creator of the Huben Saber! Apart from the 97th Workshop, only the Huben Troops can come into contact with the Huben Saber.
"You shouldn't be part of the Huben Troops either. They are Imperial Guards and won't randomly attack civilians in the imperial capital. You're neither a Forging Apprentice nor a part of the Huben Troops, but you have a Huben Saber, so I can only think of one possibility. You are here for the Huben Saber!"
The story told by the storyteller flashed across his mind.
One of the stages of the Ten Nations Martial Arts Tournament featured competitions on the various nations' weapons. The weapons forged by Great Xia had always been the best in the land, and the other nations were extremely vigilant about them.
Under such circumstances, if a new weapon appeared in Great Xia and the other nations didn't react, then Zhou Shu would really look down on them.
It was obvious that the man before him was a spy from one of the nations. Zhou Shu didn't know how he had obtained a Huben Saber. As a spy, he should be acutely aware of the value of the Huben Saber.
This man was probably preparing to escape after obtaining the Huben Saber, which was why he was so sensitive. Just because Zhou Shu had glanced at him, he thought that Zhou Shu had recognized him.
To prevent the secret from being leaked, he came directly to silence Zhou Shu.
Zhou Shu explained how he had guessed it while complaining about this man's actions internally.
Not only did he not leave the city after stealing the Huben Saber, but he also went to hear stories. This was still fine. But if he suspected that someone had recognized him, he chose not to flee but came to silence the other party?
After hearing Zhou Shu's explanation, the man frowned slightly. He placed the Huben Saber on Zhou Shu's neck and said coldly, "Give me the secret forging formula of the Huben Saber, and I will spare your life!"
Are people so easily fooled here? Zhou Shu thought.
Then he heard the person continue, "Wait. How do you prove that the secret forging formula of the Huben Saber you produce is real?"
He's not stupid! Zhou Shu slowly pushed the blade away with his hand. "You're so smart. How could I deceive you? If you don't believe the secret forging formula is real, I can forge a Huben Saber in front of you."
The man's eyes flashed with delight. Indeed, how could a mere Forging Apprentice possibly deceive him?
"You'd better not play any tricks," the man said coldly. "Go!"
He put away the Huben Saber, but Zhou Shu immediately felt a sharp blade pressed against his waist. "I'm warning you. You'd better not move rashly. Otherwise, I'll send you on your way before someone can save you!"
"Don't worry. I won't act rashly," Zhou Shu hurriedly said. "How should I address you, Big Brother?"
"Shut up!" the man growled and pushed Zhou Shu forward.
Zhou Shu didn't expect the enemy's stronghold to be so close to the Forging Division.
But thinking about it, it made sense. Since he had to constantly obtain information about Great Xia's weapons, he naturally couldn't be too far from the Forging Division's workshops.
Along the way, Zhou Shu didn't find an opportunity to escape. Just like that, he was escorted into an unremarkable courtyard.
"Won't it attract the attention of the neighbors if we pound and forge here?" Zhou Shu looked around.
The man laughed coldly and pushed Zhou Shu to the corner of the courtyard. After fiddling around for a while, he revealed a hole that led downward. "Get down!"
Zhou Shu had no room to resist and could only follow his instructions.
After walking for around sixty feet, he suddenly saw an open space.
There was a secret chamber several meters wide underground!
In the middle of the chamber, a furnace was burning brightly, illuminating the entire space.
There should be a vent inside. Although it was underground, it didn't seem stuffy.
"Begin," the man said coldly. "No one will hear you. As long as you can forge a Huben Saber, I promise to spare your life!"
Zhou Shu sneered in his heart. If I believed the promise of a spy, I would be a fool.
"Thank you very much then." Zhou Shu had never placed any hope on the other party being merciful and letting him go. "Let me see if there are sufficient materials here. If there aren't enough—"
Before Zhou Shu could finish speaking, the man had already dragged over a large wooden box from a corner and opened it. Inside were neatly arranged metal materials.
Zhou Shu: "…"
This guy's nest is well-prepared. Could this guy really be a Forging Apprentice? Zhou Shu thought. "If you have the materials, there won't be a problem. But it's very difficult to forge a Huben Saber. It might take a long time."
"You'd better not play any tricks." The man snorted coldly. "It's about four now. There are eight hours until midnight. If I don't see a Huben Saber by then, you can prepare for your funeral!"
"Eight hours?" Zhou Shu said bitterly. "Alright, I'll try my best. My skills are limited. Don't interrupt me during the process. Otherwise, don't blame me if the forging fails."
The man nodded, indicating that Zhou Shu could begin.
Zhou Shu walked to the furnace and tested the weight of the forging hammer. Then he took a deep breath.
He grabbed a piece of iron and threw it into the furnace. In an instant, Zhou Shu's expression became extremely solemn.
The man's expression turned cold. He suddenly felt Zhou Shu's aura change greatly. Just now, he was a meek and submissive commoner, but now, he has an ineffable aura.
He seemed to have seen this kind of aura from a Forging Master in the past. Is he a Forging Master?
The man shook his head. How is this possible? If he is a Forging Master, how could I have caught him? Disregarding the fact that every Forging Master has guards by their side, a Forging Master's strength far surpasses mine. Even if a Forging Master doesn't specialize in martial arts, he won't be too weak. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become a Forging Master.
The man threw this thought out of his mind, and his gaze fell on Zhou Shu. Holding the Huben Saber's handle, he stared unblinkingly at Zhou Shu.
As a spy, he had never lacked caution. As long as Zhou Shu behaved suspiciously, he wouldn't hesitate to attack.
He believed that with his skills and the Huben Saber in his hand, he could definitely kill a Forging Apprentice.
The moment Zhou Shu picked up the hammer, he forgot his surroundings. He was completely immersed in a state of clarity.
Images flashed through his mind. All the steps of the forging process seemed to fuse into his bones.
Without even thinking, the hammer seemed to come to life as it continuously struck the red-hot iron block.
Ding Dang Dang! Rhythmic pounding sounds echoed throughout the underground space like a musical piece. Under the man's gaze, the shape of a saber slowly began to take shape under Zhou Shu's hammer.
As a spy, although this person wasn't a true Forging Apprentice, he had some understanding of forging.
Otherwise, how could he steal information about weapons?
Upon seeing Zhou Shu hammer the weapon, he frowned slightly.
The saber Zhou Shu was forging looked slightly different from the Huben Saber in his hand.
Even though he was a bit confused, when he thought about what Zhou Shu had said before he began, he endured it and didn't say anything.
He didn't have much time. After nightfall, he had to sneak out of the city. If he opened his mouth and disturbed Zhou Shu's forging, he wouldn't have time to wait for him to forge again.
By then, he could only escape with an unknown secret forging formula.
Once he left, it would be extremely difficult to obtain the secret forging formula of the Huben Saber again.
If he only brought a Huben Saber back without its secret forging formula, the Forging Masters in his nation might not be able to reverse engineer the secret forging formula of the Huben Saber.
The man's expression was dark and uncertain. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. But in the end, he endured it and continued to watch Zhou Shu forge.
Two hours, four hours…
Time slowly passed, and it was almost midnight.
The man was already a little impatient, and restlessness flashed through his face.
He narrowed his eyes. In another fifteen minutes, if Zhou Shu was still unable to finish forging, he would immediately force him to write down the secret forging formula. Then he would kill him and escape!
Zhou Shu didn't know that his life was hanging by a thread. His expression was solemn, and his hands were as firm as a rock. Every movement seemed to have been measured with a ruler and wasn't disorderly.
Ding Dang! He hammered one last time, and the saber took shape. There seemed to be a strange light flowing over the blade.
Zhou Shu placed the saber into the cold water tank he had requested the man to prepare beforehand. After a series of splashing sounds, Zhou Shu pulled out a long saber that was as cold as water. Clang!
The spy holding Zhou Shu captive had half of his Huben Saber unsheathed. He stared at the saber in Zhou Shu's hand and said coldly, "You tricked me?"
"Why do you say that?" Zhou Shu frowned with a stunned expression. "You asked me to forge a saber, and I have already done so. Are you going back on your word?"
He stared at the half unsheathed Huben Saber and raised the long saber he had just forged with a vigilant expression.
This action, this reaction, perfectly portrayed a panic-stricken Forging Apprentice.
"Hmph, I asked you to forge a Huben Saber. What is this thing you've forged?" The man had a murderous look on his face as he said angrily, "This is a Huben Saber? Do you think I'm blind or stupid?"
The long saber Zhou Shu had forged was completely different from the Huben Saber. The blade was wider, the back was thicker, and there was a ring on the handle.
It was a different saber from the Huben Saber no matter how the man looked at it!
"You're neither stupid nor blind." Zhou Shu shook his head. The panic on his face was gone and replaced by a calm expression. "You're just ignorant."
When the man saw the change in Zhou Shu's expression, his heart skipped a beat. Something was wrong.
Clang! His reaction was extremely fast. The Huben Saber immediately left its sheath and turned into a beam of light, slashing toward Zhou Shu.
At this moment, Zhou Shu continued, "Ignorance can be forgiven, but one has to live up to the consequences of being ignorant."
He gripped the handle of his saber with both hands, mustered all his strength, and slashed at the opponent's blade.