To be fair, the sword-making conference organized by Zhuoyu Villa is not as grand and gorgeous as Long Yuan's talisman conference, which can be seen from all aspects.
But Zhuoyu Villa himself also knew that their financial resources, strength, and foundation could not compare with Long Yuan, one of the seven major forces, so they devoted themselves to finding another way.
The sword-making venue was decorated by Xue Yeyu and two junior sisters. Tang Zhao and Jiang Shenyi were not allowed to interfere. Of course, Bai Yushenghui's bustling business atmosphere was not brought into the venue. Instead, the decoration was fresh and elegant.
Also solemn.
The venue is right next to the swamp. It is a platform made of the same wood as the plank road. Half of the platform is shallow swamp water, and the other half is a delicate white sandbank. Fish, shrimps, crabs, turtles, crocodiles and other aquatic animals swim freely in the swamp. On the sandbank
White cranes, wild ducks, egrets, pelicans and other waterfowl rest leisurely, moving and stilling, everything is natural.
Small half-moon-shaped tables were placed on the stage. The tables and chairs were all made of pine wood from the mountains. They were covered with thick brocade cushions. They were not looking for luxury but for comfort. The table was not open, but tea, fruit plates and
There are some practical things, and there is only a small bonsai on the table shelf for decoration.
If there is anything surprising about all of this, it is probably this bonsai. These are not flowers and herbs, colorful, but pots of Ganoderma lucidum and red grass. Ganoderma lucidum is like an umbrella, and the red grass is bright in color. Although it may not be very expensive with age, it is
The fragrance is fragrant, mixed with a touch of earthy smell, and mixed with the water vapor outside the fence, it actually fills the air with an atmosphere of spiritual rain in the empty mountains. The red color of the vermilion grass also rarely embellishes a little joy.
Everyone is sitting on the stage, there is no dazzling mixture of colors, and there is no unnecessary silk and bamboo to clutter the ears. They just need to look at the water, sip tea, and enjoy the morning sunshine, which is very comfortable.
It would be better if Xue Xianyun spoke a little softer.
"When A-Zhao was twelve years old, he was so tall. At first glance, the kid looked stupid, as if he had lost his mind while studying. But when I saw him, he was a smart kid with hidden beauty, extraordinary talent, and tenacity.
He is also diligent, I say he will become a great person..."
"When he was thirteen years old, he learned all the elementary talismans. What should you do with those idiots who spent ten or eight years? Fortunately, your master was not bad when he was young. Some people are stupid themselves.
He has no face to teach him even if he is a genius..."
"When I was fourteen years old..."
"That winter..."
…
As the owner of Zhuoyu Villa, the main protagonist of the originally scheduled sword-making conference, and the master of the current protagonist, Xue Xianyun will definitely say a few words after the conference begins. Most of us are social people. Who has never experienced such a scene?
?Who wouldn’t pretend to listen attentively, and then cheer and applaud?
Little did he know that he wanted to speak more than just two sentences, twenty sentences, or two hundred sentences.
Most of them were related to Tang Zhao, and most of them recalled how this disciple was a genius, how diligent he was, and how he taught. Mixed with them were endless boasts, both about Tang Zhao and himself.
It can only be said that it was a shame that Tang Zhao was one step behind and had just spoken to Xing Ji and was not sitting in the audience to listen to him, otherwise he would have wanted to dive into the water.
And he not only boasted, but also worried about it. As he spoke, he said: "Do you know how long it took him to solve this problem? It only took three days, Lao Qi, I remember it took you half a year, right?"
An old man sitting below had half finished his tea and stared at him blankly.
"Actually, you're pretty fast. There were many people stupider than you at that time. For example, Li Wu, Lao Cheng, Xiao Du... Haha, I have to call you Lao Du now. You guys were out of luck at that time.
Famous..."
He pulled further and further, and Xue Yeyu had to step forward and coughed lightly.
Xue Xianyun finally gave his daughter face and continued to bring the topic back, but he still kept talking. Finally, Xue Yeyu glared at him again and signaled him to stop. Just as Tang Zhao came back to take his seat, the protagonist had arrived. Others should not take over the spotlight.
On to the next step.
Xue Xianyun ended angrily and said, "I would also like to ask Tang Zhao, the previous teacher, to come up and give a few words."
Xing Ji, who had just sat down to drink tea:...
Guan Lei, who was drowsy after hearing this:...
Xue Yeyu breathed a sigh of relief and said loudly: "Please come up and put the sword on the sword stand. Everyone can come up and watch. If you have any doubts, you can raise questions in person. If no one questions, the sword will be cast."
success."
This is the most important part of the sword-making conference. Logically speaking, the moment the sword-making furnace goes out and the sword takes shape, it should be considered a success. However, that is only a success in the physical sense, not a social sense. The real success
To be completely successful, it still needs to pass everyone’s inspection and gain everyone’s approval.
You say that achievement is success and failure is failure. I don't need to care about the world's opinions. That's fine. Then you don't have to hold a sword-making conference. You can hide alone in the mountains and make swords for yourself. The king of heaven and I have no control over it.
However, a swordsmith is not a swordsman. Swordsmen only rely on one person and one sword, and their strength can naturally distinguish them. Swordsmiths are difficult to compete head-on, and they require reputation and resources. It is a serious "profession". Since the sword-making conference has been promoted,
Reputation, attracting more resources and "customers", naturally needs to be scrutinized and tested by everyone.
But since it relies on "human" testing, it cannot be completely fair. There must be some people who are flattered by relatives and friends, and some people who are jealous.
If you don’t want jealous villains to confuse right and wrong and interfere with the joy of sword-making, you may wish to carefully screen when selecting inspection objects and eliminate hidden dangers in advance. Logically speaking, this step should be carried out before the sword-making conference, and you only need to invite your relatives and friends to cheer up the atmosphere.
, and just choose a few highly respected "sages" to show fairness. It is very rare for enemies to be invited on occasions like Zhuoyu Villa.
Sure enough, when I heard that it was time to observe the sword, the ugly-faced person who had just been squeezed by Xue Xianyun with a gun and a stick became energetic. He just waited to find fault. He secretly wanted to find out the fault even if there was no fault.
Xue Xianyun had already seen it with cold eyes, crossed his arms, and was not afraid at all.
Seeing that there was nothing else to say, Tang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and went straight up with his sword in hand, placing the newborn sword on the sword stand that had been set up. After putting it away, he stood aside, his mood still ups and downs.
The newborn sword has no name, only a ray of dark golden light facing the sun.
Xue Yeyu raised his hand and said, "Please come up, Sir Jun Cheng and Deputy Governor."
It turned out that there were several serious Yunzhou officials sitting in the audience at this time. Most of them were Zuo Er, the chief official of Dongshan County and Chuncheng. However, they did not come from the Guest House, but were specially picked up by Jiang Shenyi from the mountain this morning. Out of Yunzhou
It is also a big deal to kill the swordsmith. In fact, it is worth a visit from the local county guard. But the chief official of a county or a city cannot leave the country at will, let alone go to Jiugao Mountain, a barren mountain where birds do not lay eggs.
Therefore, he could only send his deputy. When Chuncheng sent the deputy garrison envoy of the District Procuratorate, it was to give Tang Zhao face. After all, the District Procuratorate had nothing to do with this kind of thing, so he didn't need to attend at all.
That Jun Cheng was a scholar in his fifties. He looked like an official, but he was actually an official. He stood up with a smile and said, "Okay, I haven't seen a sword up close yet." After that, he walked slowly towards the official position.
You should go and see it first.
Behind him was the deputy governor of the Jichun City Prosecution Department, his surname was Chi, who was in his early thirties. Compared with the ordinary military attachés of the Prosecution Department who were more energetic, this boy looked depressed and listless. But Tang Zhao knew that this
He had to give himself some face, at least he had tidied up and changed into clean clothes. Otherwise, according to his usual temperament, he would smell of alcohol, be disheveled, and waddle when walking, as if he could fall to the ground unconscious at any time.
, just like a shameless drunkard.
Deputy envoy Chi passed by Xingji and said with a smile: "Old Xing, are you coming up together?"
Xing Ji also smiled and said: "You old boy, you are so drunk that you can't count again? Who do you call Lao Xing? I am white now, and I am no longer with you. You go first, I want to see that sword
You can watch it at any time.”
Deputy Chi smiled and said: "You say it as if I can't take it lightly. Isn't Xiaotang a member of me and Chuncheng City?"
At this time, Jun Cheng had already arrived in front of the sword. He looked around the sword up and down with his eyes, but he couldn't figure out why. Finally, he just asked: "Can you touch it?"
Xue Yeyu secretly thought that this person didn't understand anything and was going to refuse. Tang Zhao had already smiled and said: "Okay."
Xue Yeyu was stunned for a moment and stared at Tang Zhao, meaning: "Are you crazy? Now that there is no swordsman in the sword, he can touch it casually. Who is responsible for the match?"
Tang Zhao smiled and said nothing, and Xue Yeyu couldn't go back on his word with Jun Cheng. Jun Cheng touched it out of curiosity, but nothing happened, because he was a literati and didn't even have inspiration.
But his touch seemed to turn on a switch, and some of the other guests couldn't sit still. Jun Cheng could touch it, but I couldn't. How about I go up and touch it later?
What if there is a match?
This is why Xue Yeyu is impatient: If you don't plan to find a swordsman for the sword, you can't just let others touch the sword. Although it is unlikely, what if someone here has a match?
Of course, you don’t have to give it if you are matched. As long as you don’t become a swordsman, it is not considered a success in theory. This sword was originally made by Tang Zhao, and he can make the decision. However, the person who is matched becomes a source of uneasiness. Not before
Knowing whether they can match or not is only a contingency, and most people will not take too much risk to cause trouble, but if they do match, there is a sword in front of them that can definitely change their destiny.
Who can guarantee what can be done?
Isn't this just looking for trouble?
However, she had no choice at this time. Deputy Chi also came up here. He didn't touch the sword. It didn't matter if he did, because he was a swordsman to begin with. He just smiled and said to Tang Zhao: "Is this your sword?"
Tang Zhao smiled and said: "Exactly."
Deputy Chi clicked his tongue and said: "My sword is like my wife. Let others touch it at will. You are very generous. Be careful that your wife runs away with others."
Tang Zhao smiled and said: "I can't run away."
Deputy envoy Chi said: "Yes, we have so many eyes on you, where can you go? Take your sword and have a drink with the brothers in the town office tomorrow."