Martial Cultivator

"By the way, give us more green bamboo. Mountain Lord wouldn't mind, right?"

Li Heng looked at Yang Furen, who just shook his head. Sword Qi Mountain had plenty of green bamboo, forget about building a bamboo house, even if it was a palace, there would be plenty to spare too.

After a moment of silence, Yang Furen spoke up, "Mr. Li, this old man has thought over the request from the Great Liang again and again. But right now, it's not doable."

This was the first time Yang Furen explicitly refused Li Heng, but Li Heng did not seem as disappointed as expected. He just looked at Yang Furen and said, "I expected this outcome."

Yang Furen was somewhat taken aback.

Li Heng said calmly, "It was too fast, not giving Sword Qi Mountain enough time to prepare. But more importantly, it didn't give the foreign lands enough time to accept it. If you really agreed, would Sword Qi Mountain have an easy time afterward?"

"Of course not. You have to consider the reputation and the situation of your Sword Qi Mountain. These are things I completely understand."

Yang Furen smiled bitterly, "Thank you for understanding, Mr. Li."

"But those items will still be delivered to Sword Qi Mountain. Neither you nor I can change His Majesty's will. Sword Qi Mountain will accept them, and having accepted them, there should more or less be some token of appreciation."

Li Heng had taken a step back, but this was something he had anticipated, so he was not disappointed.

Yang Furen nodded, he could naturally accept this. "What exactly is Mr. Li asking for?"

Li Heng shook his head and smiled. "This matter cannot be discussed between Mountain Lord and me. Someone else will speak with Mountain Lord. But remember, his decision is His Majesty's decision. He can represent His Majesty."

Yang Furen was not a fool. He immediately thought of Chen Chao and asked in confusion, "Such an important matter, is Mr Li entrusting it to a young man?"

Li Heng shook his head thoughtfully and said softly, "It's not me, it's His Majesty."

Yang Furen fell silent.

He understood the weight of the words 'His Majesty.' He then recalled that the previous imperial decree was also for that young man.

There were many young martial artists in the Great Liang Dynasty. How many of them would that Great Liang Emperor take an interest in?

Li Heng smiled without saying a word.

After that, Yang Furen escorted Li Heng halfway down the mountain before Li Heng smiled and said, "No need to see me off any further, Mountain Lord. If you keep sending me off, people will say that Mountain Lord has lost your last bit of backbone. I don't want to put Mountain Lord in a difficult position."

Yang Furen sighed, "Backbone doesn't seem to be of much use."

"If our Great Liang lost our backbone, do you think you all could live so well?" Li Heng snorted rather disdainfully, clearly displeased with Yang Furen's remark.

Yang Furen remained silent.

However, Li Heng did not continue to trouble this Mountain Lord of Sword Qi Mountain. He continued down the mountain alone. It did not take long for him to reach the foot of the mountain, where a carriage had been waiting for a long time. A man sitting at the front of the carriage looked at Li Heng with some dissatisfaction and said, "I thought you were going to change careers and start forging swords."

Li Heng replied nonchalantly, "Forging swords? Haven't I always been forging a sword?"

……

……

Yang Furen returned to the mountaintop, deep in thought. In front of the bamboo building, Chen Chao who finished chopping the bamboo had already returned. This time, he chose a different bamboo, one that made a sound like the wind when touched. He was quite satisfied, and after the old man saw it, he said nothing. As a martial artist using a saber, Chen Chao did not need to be as particular as a sword cultivator with a flying sword, so the requirements were far less stringent.

Seeing Yang Furen arrive, Chen Chao who was originally sitting in a chair immediately stood up and said with a smile, "Thank you for your help, Mountain Lord. I'm grateful and will remember this kindness. If you need anything in the future, just let me know."

Yang Furen waved his hand and smiled, "Can't a piece of Thousand Year Glacial Stone offset these things? Commander Chen is indeed considerate."

Chen Chao laughed, "Each matter should be treated separately. I won't forget this kindness. Besides, this trip up the mountain wasn't just about forging a saber. The other things I learned here are already what many people dream of."

Yang Furen sighed, "Those are Commander Chen's own lucky chances. Even if someone else came to Sword Qi Mountain a hundred times, they might not have such luck. There's no need to thank anyone. However, since Commander Chen is considerate, if there's a chance in the future, I will trouble you."

Chen Chao nodded and then adopted an attentive stance.

Yang Furen frowned and said, "Since we're here to discuss matters, are you going to keep quiet and wait for this old man to talk first?"

Chen Chao smiled, "This junior just knows that in business negotiations, it's better to speak less and observe more. Whoever speaks more is at a disadvantage."

Yang Furen could not help but laugh, "You're an honest kid."

His manner of address shifted from "Commander Chen" to "kid," indicating a significant softening of his attitude.

"You know how difficult it will be for Sword Qi Mountain to do these things."

Yang Furen spoke first, setting the tone for the discussion.

If Chen Chao proposed anything excessive, there would be no point in continuing the conversation.

Chen Chao said with some difficulty, "But Senior, if you don't set a baseline, how can this junior begin my request?"

Yang Furen smiled without saying a word.

What a cunning old fox.

"Don't curse this old man in your heart. My little schemes pale in comparison to that Mr. Li."

Yang Furen was a shrewd person after all.

Chen Chao laughed, "So, senior, are you more skilled at forging swords or something else?"

Yang Furen remained silent.

Chen Chao sighed. People always said he had a sharp tongue, but compared to this situation, did it not pale in comparison? This concerned the significant ambitions of a dynasty, and he indeed felt immense pressure.

Yang Furen still did not speak.

Chen Chao said, "So, after all this talk, Sword Qi Mountain won't forge weapons for Great Liang, no matter what price Great Liang pays?"

This time, Yang Furen shook his head and joked, "Unless you have many more pieces of Thousand Year Glacial Stone."

"Senior, you wish."

Chen Chao continued, "Then let's take a step back."

Yang Furen smiled, "Go on."

"Senior, you've been the Mountain Lord for many years. You must be some confidants on the mountain. Could you privately send some swordsmiths to the Ministry of Works in the Divine Capital to design and forge some weapons? If that's not possible, could you send some willing to go to the Divine Capital to teach the craftsmen at the Ministry of Works some skills?"

"If this is discovered later, Sword Qi Mountain can claim they were expelled long ago and distance itself from the matter entirely."

Chen Chao spoke slowly. These were the thoughts he had been pondering ever since he knew he had to conduct negotiations.

Yang Furen's expression grew complex and was just about to speak.

Chen Chao shook his head and said, "Senior, don't be in a hurry to respond. This junior still has more to say."

Yang Furen looked at Chen Chao curiously this time.

Chen Chao was not in a hurry to speak. After thinking for a moment, he said softly, "That day when this junior came up the mountain and mentioned the Great General's name, the disciples at the mountain gate didn't know who I was talking about."

Yang Furen was taken aback and then replied, "It's not surprising. While everyone knows there's a Great General at the Northern Frontier, they don't know his real name. He himself probably doesn't care."

Chen Chao said solemnly, "But some things are worth remembering. Just like how the world knows who takes away the Hundred Year Sword forged by Sword Qi Mountain. So why is it that the Great General, who has guarded the Northern Frontier for so many years and willingly stayed in that icy wasteland for the sake of the people, doesn't deserve to have his name remembered?"

Yang Furen frowned slightly.

Chen Chao continued, "It doesn't seem unreasonable for the world to know that there's a Great General. But, Senior, the entire Northern Frontier isn't guarded by the Great General alone. There are countless soldiers, both living and dead. Their numbers have long surpassed a million, haven't they?"

"Do these million people not deserve to have their names remembered?"

Chen Chao spat out a turbid breath and said, "If it weren't for the demon race, they could be doing many other things. They have wives and loved ones. Don’t they want to spend time with their loved ones and live peacefully?"

"But why do they have to risk their lives in that icy wasteland for a bunch of people they don't even know, people with whom they have no connection at all?"

Chen Chao looked at Yang Furen seriously and asked, "Senior, have you ever thought about this?"

Without waiting for Yang Furen to respond, Chen Chao continued, "The human race has never been just about the Great Liang."