Chapter Fifty-One Preparations

  All the way back to the city, Rong Li was bewildered and couldn't understand why Yue Yu would say those words to Lin Zhuo. As for Huang Fan, he was even more perplexed.

  Yue Yu didn't want to explain anything at this time, he rushed straight to the south of the city gate. When the three of them arrived at the most prosperous area of Yue's family castle, they found that their family's pharmacy door was unexpectedly still open.

  However, Yue Yu only took a glance and turned to walk towards the small alley where Yue Youning's ironwork shop was located. This wasn't the right time to go back, if Yue Zhangshi wasn't there it would be fine. But once she was really sitting in the shop, then for the entire evening, they might not be able to escape.

  In that dilapidated blacksmith shop, it was still as quiet as ever. However, the three people heard a loud clanging sound coming from behind, which seemed quite lively.

  Yue Yu didn't have much patience to wait outside, so he called out a greeting and directly walked into the backyard. Then, he saw Yue Youning directing several apprentices to quench some metal armor plates in fire, while on the nearby weapon rack, a row of knives and swords that he had ordered in the morning were placed.

  Yue picked up one of the swords and examined it, a faint smile appearing on his face. This old blacksmith was still relatively honest, and despite the rushed production, the quality of this sword exceeded that of an ordinary fourth-grade steel sword.

  "Heh heh! Xiao Yu, how are you feeling? This time, Ning Shu has brought out all the skills he's been holding back. If you're still not satisfied, then I'm at a loss for what to do!"

  After finishing the task at hand, Yue Youning walked over with a smile. "Since we're in a hurry, quality can't be helped. At this level, I've already used quite a few tricks, and it's a bargain for those rabbits to have good fortune!"

  "The quality is pretty good! With Master Ning's craftsmanship, it's indeed impressive!"

  Yue Yu put down his sword with a calm expression, then looked at the inner room of the backyard with eyes that held a hint of expectation. Yue You Ning understood, leading several people to enter, and then with an extremely solemn and stern expression, took out from the secret compartment in the room a long sword wrapped in thick cloth.

  "This is a Golden Crow Sword that I spent the last two years pouring my heart and soul into crafting. Since its creation, no one else has ever laid eyes on it, take a look and see if you're satisfied!"

  As the cloth was unfolded layer by layer, Yue Youning's eyes showed a few points of excitement and a few points of piety. He drew the sword out of its scabbard for a short distance. Then that dazzling light pierced through, causing everyone in the house to close their eyes simultaneously.

  Yue Yu grabbed the sword with a hint of surprise, as his true energy entered the sword. At first, Yue Yu only felt a wave of excitement, as the Golden Crow Sword that Yue Ning had taken out was actually at level 10, which made him overjoyed beyond expectation. However, immediately after, Yue Yu couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

  "What a pity about this sword—"

  Yue Youning smiled wryly, but did not refute. This Golden Crow Sword could be said to have used up all the precious ore he had collected in his lifetime, but the final quality was only between tenth and eleventh grade.

  And it's just this little difference that makes its value shrink greatly.

  In the North Ma Yuan, any precious sword is worth a fortune. Under this, even the top-notch heterodox swords are only worth about 500 taels of silver at most.

  "Young Master Ning is planning to sell this sword and then look for new materials to forge a new one?"

  Yue Yu put his sword back in its scabbard and hesitated for a moment. "I can give you two hundred taels of silver, this is the highest price I can offer!"

  Yue Youning stared at Yue Yu with his eyes wide open, and it wasn't until a long time later that he let out a light breath. If this were done through normal channels, this amount of money would naturally be far from enough. But the business he was doing now, whether it was collecting ore or selling finished products, was all done in secret, hidden from his clan, and belonged to private dealings that couldn't see the light of day. Yue Yu being able to offer this price was actually already quite generous.

  However, Yue Youning's expression stiffened again immediately afterwards.

  "I'll give you thirty taels of silver first, and pay off the rest in installments over the next two years!"

  Yue Yu put the sword behind him with a look of "it's only natural", then, as if afraid that Yue You Ning wouldn't believe him, he pointed to Huang Fan behind him. "From now on, you go to my house every month to get money from the shopkeeper. If you're not at ease, we can even draw up a contract!"

  Huang Fan's expression was extremely unpleasant, and he forced a smile at Yue Youning. Actually, he had wanted to run into the pharmacy earlier to inform his wife, but unfortunately, he was being closely watched by Rong Li from head to toe.

  At this time, Yue Yu smiled again with utmost sincerity, "Doesn't Uncle Ning also know? The young master of Dan Yun City has already proposed to our family!"

  As soon as this was said, Yue Youning, who had originally planned to drive out Yue Yu and others, suddenly felt a wave of surprise. What kind of existence is the Light Cloud City, he naturally understood it clearly. So, the little guy in front of him, wouldn't be about to rise to prominence?

  On the other hand, Yue Yu let out a sigh of relief. He knew that the man in front of him was able to become a member of their clan only because of his exceptional blacksmithing skills. Having devoted himself to mastering these techniques for years, he had somewhat lost touch with current events. However, whether or not he could deceive the other party, even Yue Yu himself wasn't quite sure.

  This situation is the best, can avoid an awkward situation. In fact, since seeing this golden crow sword, he had already made up his mind, even if it's violent robbery, he must get it in his hands ——

  ※※※※

  After the armor, three sets of black tight-fitting clothes were prepared, as well as some fragrant medicinal water. Additionally, Yue Yu specially raised his shoes by about two centimeters - this was already the limit, and any higher would affect combat. Then, his shoulders, double arms, legs, and chest were all padded with cotton wadding, making his figure look closer to that of an adult.

  When all this was ready, the three of them turned to the front of the city master's mansion again. Huang Fan was already pale as earth, if he still couldn't guess what Yue Yu planned to do by now, then he would be a fool.

  And here, Lin Zhuo stood like a javelin, his face cold and upright on the street in front of the mansion gate. Yue Yu nodded to him and led several people into a nearby alley, where they hastily drew a rough map of the city lord's mansion in the mud.

  As the most stylish building in the Yujia Castle, the City Lord's Mansion seems to occupy a large area of land, but its structure is actually very simple. It's just a backyard, plus a front hall and dozens of wing rooms on both sides. The backyard is uninhabited, and Yue Yongjie, as the head of the clan, usually lives in the residence near the ancestral temple of the clan, to show that he values the clan more.

  "The most important thing is the bow! At the banquet, except for those martial artists who patrol the government office, no one else can carry a bow and arrow. So Ali, your task is to find where the bows and arrows are stored! The most likely places are these four side houses on the west side, as well as the back hall of the main hall——"

  Ran Li furrowed his brow and opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But in the end, he still looked displeased, and handed over the dozen or so knives and swords on his back to Lin Zhuo's hands. At this moment, his heart was filled with anxiety and excitement mixed together. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to follow alongside Yue Yu and fight shoulder to shoulder. However, Ran Li was even more aware that in a certain sense, whether or not they could destroy those bows and arrows directly determined Yue Yu's victory or defeat. This young master of his would absolutely not be willing to entrust this matter to someone else. Moreover, his exaggerated physique was also a problem, it was really too easy for his identity to be exposed.

  Lin Zhuo's expressionless face also flashed a hint of surprise and confusion. Then, in an instant, he lowered his eyelids again. "The bow and arrow should be in the third room on the west side. But the bows of the patriarch and those few adults are separate!"

  Yue Yu nodded slightly, and Yue Yongjie's eighteen-stone bow naturally couldn't be stored with ordinary bows and arrows. This was also roughly as he had expected.

  "Next is the martial artist outside the mansion, and there's also a retreat!"

  Yue Yu's gaze shifted to Huang Fan, and he pulled out a few more porcelain bottles from his bosom. "Trouble Old Master to go back and sprinkle the medicine water in the bottles everywhere, remember to keep it far away from our house..."

  Huang Fan's face turned sour as he took the bottle in his hand. He was extremely depressed, but he didn't dare not comply. The reason was that Yue Yu had given him a very innocent smile after finishing her instructions. "Old shopkeeper, you're a clever person, so I'm sure you can think of it too - if we were to retreat because you forgot something and ended up getting caught, what would be the consequences? I promise you, we might not necessarily be in trouble, but you certainly will be unlucky..."

  Huang Fan almost cried out now, thinking to himself how he ended up with such a master. But it was the last sentence from Yue Yu that sounded like a threat that made him feel slightly better inside.