Chapter Five: The Big Knife Has No Blade

  On the main street, the horse carriage had just traveled for a short while when the elegant woman inside saw that Cao Anmin and Zhou Yu had already disappeared from view. She immediately turned to scold the person beside her, "Tingmei, you are also a woman waiting to be married, how can you behave so improperly on the main street? If Father finds out, he will be furious again."

  "It's not my fault! It was those two guys who were wrong!" Seeing her sister blaming herself, the little girl pouted and put on a pitiful expression, suddenly looking like a young lady.

  "However, I must say that Cao Gongzi is indeed an interesting person."

  "He? Just a mediocre talent from Ayuan Street in Zichuan Prefecture."

  That gentle woman shook her head, thought for a moment about what had just happened, and then said in a low voice: "I don't think so. Just now that Cao young master said... 'A man has gold under his knees'... I've followed my father for many years, learned countless ancient books and articles, but I've never heard such bold words. I think this person is not as incompetent as outsiders say..."

  "Alas, my Wenji sister! If he were truly talented, he wouldn't have made a scene at a perfectly good banquet. I heard that Cao Xin said some inexplicable and nonsensical things at the banquet, which even provoked Cao Mengde to say 'A young whippersnapper like you is not worth consulting' in front of everyone. Hmph, this kind of mediocre talent, what can they possibly accomplish..."

  When she heard this, the gentle woman did not refute it this time. She just quietly looked at her own sister and smiled to herself. However, in her mind, she seemed to have become more interested in Cao Anmin. Deep down, she felt that there was a huge power hidden within him, but for now, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

  On the other side, the blacksmith shop in the west of the city.

  "Excuse me, brother, do you have some handy weapons here?" A young man dressed in white clothes and a light shirt stood at the entrance of an ironwork shop, asking a fellow who was hammering away with his sleeves rolled up.

  As soon as the shopkeeper saw that there were customers, he immediately looked up and saw a giant of a man standing behind the young man. The man was over eight feet four inches tall, with dark skin and a ferocious face. This sight scared the shopkeeper so much that his whole body trembled, and the iron hammer in his hand almost slipped out and hit his own foot.

  These two people were Cao Anmin and Zhou Yu, who had just confronted that little girl on the street.

  "Guest, guest... I don't know what kind of soldier you want." The shop assistant calmed down and asked Cao Anmin, but when speaking, he didn't dare to look at the big man behind him, seemingly very afraid.

  Seeing all this, Cao Anmin was not surprised at all. After all, people like Zhou Peng were in the minority, and coupled with his ferocious appearance, it was inevitable that many people would be afraid of him.

  At this time, Cao Anmin smiled lightly and did not immediately respond to his partner's words. Instead, he turned around and said: "Ziyu, I want to buy a handy weapon, it just so happens that you can also buy one."

  On this road, Cao Anmin became more and more familiar with Zhou Yu, thinking that this person was also a figure of the Three Kingdoms period, couldn't help but make Cao Anmin even more excited. What's even more surprising is that the other party is only sixteen years old, two years younger than himself... Knowing that at the age of sixteen he has grown so tall and big, in a few more years... Wouldn't he exceed 2 meters?

  At this time, Cao Anmin was still unaware that he was secretly rejoicing at having made friends with Zhou Bao, but the latter smiled foolishly and said in a rough voice: "Then, Bao thanks Big Brother."

  This ironwork shop is not large, and it's open-air, without a roof, only two earthen walls surrounding it, the other two sides are covered with black cloth as walls. The area seems to be only about 20 square meters, but as the saying goes, "a sparrow may be small, but it has all its internal organs", on the surface, there doesn't seem to be much wealth, however, various weapons are available in abundance, it's just that with more and more weapons being placed, the space seems increasingly cramped.

  That fellow, seeing a big deal, immediately beamed with joy, and with a smile, he sidled up to Cao Anmin, looking every inch the sly merchant.

  "This saber is too light, it doesn't have much weight." Zhou Yu weighed the big knife in his hand and shook his head.

  "Guest, this is almost 40 kilograms!"

  "It's too light, it's too light. Isn't there something heavier?" Zhou Yu said with increasing displeasure, shaking his head.

  That fellow first looked at Cao Anmin, seeing the other party smiling and looking at himself, seemingly having the same meaning as this giant, but suddenly couldn't help laughing and crying, and stammered: "There... there is indeed, but the price is quite expensive."

  "You just say it's okay, and the price can be negotiated." Cao Anmin knew what the other party meant, so he said that while taking out a token from his pocket and handing it to the shopkeeper, saying: "You take a look yourself, just bring out the good weapons."

  That fellow didn't understand what was going on. He looked at Cao Anmin handing over a black token, and took it with ease. But as soon as he saw...

  "Are you... are you... from the provincial capital?"

  Ignoring the other's shocked expression, Cao Anmin impatiently said: "Can we now?"

  "Ah... alright, wait a moment, sir." The next moment, the fellow reacted and didn't dare to slack off. With a joyful smile, he began searching for something among those piles of weapons.

  In an instant, a large black iron box was pulled out by the other side.

  That fellow, dragging the iron box, asked Cao Anmin: "Sir, being a state official, why not find a suitable weapon in the military camp? Why come to this small ironwork shop?"

  "Those in the barracks are mostly for soldiers, and they have all been registered. Our military law is strict, and I am just a small official in the provincial government, without the right to use public equipment privately." Cao Anmin said this, but he didn't notice that Zhou Yu beside him had unconsciously looked up to Cao Anmin.

  Zhou Zhuang is a simple-minded person, not wary of others, but in the past few years since arriving in Yanzhou, he hasn't made many friends. Today, running into Cao Anmin was unexpected, and even more surprising was that the other party turned out to be someone from the state government, and such an important person would be willing to become friends with him - something he wouldn't have dared dream of before.

  In ancient times, identity was extremely valued.

  "This weight is quite suitable..."

  At this time, just as Zhou Ding was lost in thought, he didn't know when Cao Anmin had already taken out the blade from the iron box and began to examine it up and down, muttering to himself from time to time.

  "This soldier's blade is called, Black Gold Spear, the entire body is dark black, similar to guns, spears, and halberds, more similar to halberds. The spear body is made of black gold, larger than guns and spears. This Black Gold Spear is about one zhang long and weighs 90 catties. It's a family heirloom of the small shop."

  After listening to the shopkeeper, Cao Anmin became interested and weighed it. It was indeed heavier than the family's previous weapons, but he didn't like the eagle hook on the "gun head".

  "Here, kid, take this black gold cone."

  "Ah?" Before he could even react, Zhou Yu thought Cao Anmin had taken a liking to the weapon and although he himself was also very interested in it, he didn't dare say more. Unexpectedly, the other party directly gave him such an expensive thing, for a moment, Zhou Yu suddenly became somewhat at a loss.

  "Ah...good..." Dazed for a while, Zhou Bo finally burst out laughing: "Haha, thank you big brother for the gift, I like this sword. Hahaha" As he spoke, he couldn't help but fondle it lovingly.

  "Pal, is there an even heavier sword than this?"

  That fellow was secretly shocked by what kind of person Cao Anmin was when he didn't expect the former's words to suddenly shock him awake once again.

  "But then he smiled wryly. 'Guest...the one just now was 90 jin, our small shop doesn't have anything heavier than that...'"

  "Huh? How heavy is this weapon?" But before that fellow could finish speaking, Cao Anmin pointed to a black object in a pile of iron in the corner of the wall and asked.

  In their confusion, the two of them followed Cao Anmin's gaze and looked in that direction, only to see a large long-handled knife protruding from the pile of iron. Although it was a big knife, it had no blade, as if it hadn't been made yet. However, among the piles of iron, it stood out exceptionally.

  "Ah, customer, that's a piece of iron I found in the mountains and forged into a long-handled knife. I spent three months trying to temper the blade, but it was too difficult to get it right, so I had to put it aside and not use it."

  "Oh...... So it's just pig iron?" Zhou Yu said nonchalantly.

  "Yes, this weapon has no blade or spearhead and weighs 120 catties. Normally, it takes three strong men to wield it together. I advise you, guest, not to use it..."

  At the moment when that fellow was shaking his head and sighing secretly, Cao Anmin slowly walked to the front of the iron pile, grasped the knife handle with his right hand, shouted loudly, and instantly concentrated all his strength in his right hand. His waist sank slightly, and the blunt knife suddenly pulled out from the iron pile, his right hand grasping it in mid-air, and in an instant, he didn't even need to blow off the dust.

  "This knife, I'll take it!"