Feng Tingliu personally led people to Jianya Pool to select weapons.
This matter can be considered significant or insignificant.
After all, when Xia Yi was selected for a sword, it was Feng Tingliu who personally led him.
But such matters are rare, and extremely so. Usually, people are sent to ask what is needed, and then others are dispatched to deliver the items.
"Okay, okay, please follow me."
The steward smiled and led the two deeper into the place, taking out a key to open a door. Inside, the stone chamber was lined with rows of weapon racks, on which various weapons were placed. Not only were there swords, spears, halberds, and shields, but also hooks, forks, cudgels, and whips, all in complete assortment.
The steward smiled as he introduced to Yu Chi Feng, "The weapons in this storehouse are all made of black iron, and they are definitely powerful."
Feng Tingliu took a look around and casually sat on a chair nearby. The steward instructed someone to bring him tea, and he sat there leisurely drinking it.
"I don't know what weapons you are good at. Just pick one that suits you."
Yu Chi Feng was dazzled by the dazzling array of weapons. He looked at Feng Tingliu, who sat aside with no intention of interfering, and then walked into the center of the weapons.
He couldn't remember what weapons he was good at, not even a single move or stance, so he was naturally confused.
He first walked to the nearest rack, picked up a long sword, and swung it, but it didn't feel right. He put down the long sword and looked at the three-bladed axe next to it. He lifted it, but it felt clumsy and heavy, and he wasn't used to it either.
Suddenly, Yu Chi Feng had a flashback of Feng Tingliu practicing swordsmanship, remembering the elegant black hair intertwined with willow leaves, and felt an inexplicable urge. He bypassed the various weapons and walked towards the sword rack with the most swords.
There were many types of swords, including light swords and heavy swords, and even some unique swords that looked like knives rather than swords.
Yu Chi Feng picked up the most ordinary light sword and held it in his hand. Suddenly, he felt a numbness in his palm, and a familiar feeling rushed up.
Yu Chi Feng froze for a moment, and using his body's instinct, he swung the long sword with a fierce swing. The sword light was dazzling, and the force was tremendous. The sound of the sword blade cutting through the air was harsh, and the sword body trembled, as if crying or wailing.
"Wow, young hero has great spirit!" The steward quickly flattered and praised with a smile.
Feng Tingliu raised his eyes, and his sharp red eyes looked at Yu Chi Feng's hand holding the sword. He didn't know what he was thinking, but his eyebrows raised, and suddenly he showed a mysterious smile.
"This sword is probably not strong enough for his physique." Feng Tingliu said.
The steward quickly stepped forward, picked out a sword from hundreds of them, and handed it to Yu Chi Feng, introducing, "It seems that the young hero is a swordsman who focuses on physical strength! Our young master mainly focuses on internal energy and sword qi, so most of the swords are lightweight and may not be able to withstand your physique. Look at this one. This sword is made by melting black iron with cold iron, and it is extremely hard and heavy! It must be very suitable for the young hero!"
Yu Chi Feng took the long sword and examined it carefully.
This sword looked no different from the others on the outside, but it was even heavier and more substantial.
He was shocked. His hand moved on its own, and he swung the long sword in his hand. Suddenly, he took a step forward, concentrated all his strength on the sword, and struck forward forcefully.
"Boom -"
The long sword hummed, ready to be unleashed.
"Not bad! Not bad! Young hero has excellent skills!" The steward sincerely praised.
"That's it." Feng Tingliu was also satisfied. He put down the tea cup in his hand, stood up, and looked up.
Yu Chi Feng turned his head and was facing Feng Tingliu's red eyes. In those deep pupils, there was a burning battle intent that seemed to devour people like fire.
Yu Chi Feng's body stiffened. He felt that his body was ignited by the fire in those eyes. He sheathed the long sword and walked forward, facing Feng Tingliu. He saw Feng Tingliu raise his eyebrows, turn around, and stride out of the stone chamber.
"Young Master!" Yu Chi Feng quickly followed.
Feng Tingliu walked on his own until he reached the exit of the underground city of Jianya Pool. Under the gaze of many, he came to the arena and threw the cloak he was wearing, precisely landing it on the stone-carved chair.
Yu Chi Feng chased after him and saw Feng Tingliu bathed in the early morning sunlight, like a goshawk looking down on all, always standing undefeated.
"Come here." Feng Tingliu drew his long sword and made a sword flower in his hand, pointing it directly at Yu Chi Feng, his eyes filled with excitement and bloodlust, and shouted freely, "Attack me."
Seeing him in such a wild and unrestrained manner, Yu Chi Feng's blood boiled. While drawing his long sword, he stepped onto the arena.
A gentle breeze blew, carrying waves of sword intent and killing intent.
Yu Chi Feng did not hold back and took the lead in attacking!
The long sword attacked with a humming sound that cut through the air. Yu Chi Feng aimed at the gap in his defense and swept the sword across. The heavy sword carried tremendous force, but Feng Tingliu reacted faster and blocked the attack with his sword.
The swords collided with a loud humming sound, shaking Yu Chi Feng's tiger's mouth numb, and he was forced to take half a step back.
Feng Tingliu's sword carried a powerful sword qi. Although it collided with Yu Chi Feng's sword, it did not actually make a solid impact. Instead, it was more superior to Yu Chi Feng, who focused on strength. But he also felt a sensation in his tiger's mouth, which was the sword intent of the other person transmitted through the collision of the swords.
"Not bad." Feng Tingliu curved his lips, no longer holding back. He smoothly twisted his body, withdrew his sword in a feigned attack, and instead swept his leg, hitting Yu Chi Feng's abdomen.
"Uh." Yu Chi Feng was kicked back two steps, but he found that Feng Tingliu's attack deliberately avoided his wound. This made him both surprised and delighted, and his blood boiled with excitement.
The sword shadows intersected, and the collisions continued. The clear sword chimes echoed on the mountain rocks. Neither of them was willing to take a step back, nor was either willing to let go of the sword.
Yu Chi Feng had a strange feeling. Although his arms were numb from the sword qi and sweat dripped from his forehead, his heart was extremely happy, and there was an urge to burn his soul.
It seemed that the place he was standing on was not an arena, but a wild desert, a sandy ruin. He should be facing Feng Tingliu with thousands of troops, and they should meet with thousands of weapons.
In the end, Feng Tingliu was slightly better. The tip of his sword pointed at Yu Chi Feng's vital point. With just one more step, he could take his life. But Yu Chi Feng was also not bad. The blade of his sword was also about to touch Feng Tingliu's chest, just a little slower.
"Young Master is highly skilled in martial arts." Yu Chi Feng smiled and sheathed his long sword.
Feng Tingliu was in a good mood, with a dashing smile between his eyebrows. He withdrew his sword, pointed at the cloak on the stone-carved chair, turned around, and left.
Yu Chi Feng quickly ran over to pick up the cloak and put it on his arm, then turned and followed Feng Tingliu back to the Feng Mansion.
As usual, Feng Tingliu took a bath and changed clothes, with Yu Chi Feng bustling around. But Yu Chi Feng always carried the heavy sword on his back, as if to protect Feng Tingliu at any time - although no one in Liudu City could threaten Feng Tingliu's life. But Yu Chi Feng enjoyed it, as if the sword symbolized his responsibility.
Seeing that he was willing to carry the weight, Feng Tingliu let him be.
Feng Tingliu changed into a gray, plain long shirt with a thin layer of gauze over it. Sitting in the study, he looked like a mountain covered in mist, mysterious and unfathomable. The clothes he wore in the Feng Mansion were always light in color and plain, the kind of color that would show any dirt. Instead, for martial arts outfits, he preferred a bright black and gold color, which also made him look very heroic.
Yu Chi Feng was already used to this switch between laziness and vigor. But when he saw Feng Tingliu like this, the image of the earlier sword fight still appeared in his mind.
It was captivating.
Feng Tingliu raised his hand, and Yu Chi Feng handed him the smoking pipe.
"You performed well today. In the future, you can also practice swordsmanship more to be useful to the Feng Mansion." Feng Tingliu's tone did not hide his recognition of Yu Chi Feng. He pursed the mouthpiece of the smoking pipe, but his gaze was on Yu Chi Feng's strong arms, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes. I will also protect Young Master well."
"I don't need your protection. Just focus on staying alive yourself." Feng Tingliu smiled and waved his hand, then lowered his head to look at the book.
Yu Chi Feng stood behind him, waiting silently.
Before long, Xie Zicun knocked on the study door. Still wearing that purple robe, he walked in unsteadily. He seemed not to have had a good rest, with dark circles under his eyes, and even his once elegant long hair was messy.
Feng Tingliu chuckled, "Why are you in such a state?"
"Why are you asking! It's all because of the rush to produce that batch of weapons for the Plum Blossom Society, which caused me to change and postpone all my plans. I just finished the order for the Huashan Sect yesterday, and the carriage left the city early this morning. I supervised the whole process!" Xie Zicun complained while flipping through the book, frowning.
"Do you value the transaction with the Huashan Sect so much?" Feng Tingliu leaned back in his chair, smoking leisurely, in contrast to Xie Zicun.
"That's the Huashan Sect, a famous martial arts sect. Of course, I have to be careful!"
"Even if it's delayed by ten days or half a month, the Huashan Sect won't have a single complaint. You can rest assured."
"Just because you know the youngest of the five elders of the Huashan Sect, Bai Yichen, and the elders, including the sect leader, are all old foxes!"
"Hehe." Feng Tingliu chuckled but did not directly answer Xie Zicun's question. "I naturally know the appearance of the Huashan Sect, which is shiny on the outside but rotten on the inside, but they wouldn't dare to do anything to Liudu City. Compared to the Huashan Sect, you should be more concerned about the safety of the merchant caravans."
"Why? Isn't Beiji City peaceful recently?"
"Demons are coming and going, and no one is stopping them. What do you think?"
Xie Zicun frowned even deeper, to the point of looking rather pitiful. He shook his head and comforted himself, saying, "Nothing will happen. This time, we sent some highly skilled people. Even if they encounter demons, they can handle it."
Xie Zicun sighed. After some self-comfort, he began to discuss the next arrangements with Feng Tingliu.
Yu Chi Feng listened from the side. Xie Zicun talked non-stop for a stick of incense, and he hardly understood a word of those complicated things. He only knew that Liudu City had many interactions with many martial arts sects.
Yu Chi Feng couldn't help but recall the wooden and iron machinery in Jianya Pool, and he couldn't help but admire Xie Zicun's extensive knowledge. No wonder Xie Zicun, who didn't seem to know martial arts, could stay in Liudu City.
The two talked until they missed lunch and it was already afternoon. Xie Zicun was satisfied after arranging the plans for the next month and then left the Feng Mansion.
Feng Tingliu lazily yawned and chuckled, "This person is too serious. Tell the kitchen to reheat the meal."
"Young Master is quite accommodating to his temperament." Yu Chi Feng said with a smile.
"Well, who let him be in charge of the financial power of Liudu City?"
Since the sparring in the morning, Yu Chi Feng felt that he was one step closer to Feng Tingliu, and Feng Tingliu even took the initiative to chat and joke with him. Yu Chi Feng was extremely satisfied. He opened the door and went to find Bai Zhong to arrange the meal.
Feng Tingliu was flipping through the pages of a book in the room, not noticing that there was always a smile on his lips.
However, unexpected events can happen.
What Xie Zicun said that day seemed to come true like a prophecy.
The merchant caravan carrying weapons to Huashan consisted of a total of twenty people, all highly skilled in martial arts and even equipped with refined weapons.
When the group reached the foot of Huashan Mountain, it was already nightfall, and they had to stop and rest. The caravan members were experienced. They took turns to keep watch at night, vigilant of surprise attacks. But on this night, they were attacked and robbed.
Out of the twenty people in the caravan, only six managed to escape. The goods fell into the hands of the enemies.
The root cause of everything was that one of them betrayed and colluded with the enemy.