Chapter Twelve: The Honored Guest

  Zhao Xian reluctantly withdrew his hand and released Huang Tian, just as he was about to warn him a few words, but then thought that under Huang Tian's shame and anger, she suddenly got up and rushed towards the stove, wanting to retrieve her large knife.

  This girl is probably already dizzy, the knife is almost red-hot, and her small hands touched it, this life is probably over.

  Zhao Xian hastily stopped Huang Tian, urgently saying: "This knife is red-hot, can't be touched." After finishing, he used tongs to clamp the big knife and threw it into a nearby water tank, 'hiss'ing out a burst of white mist.

  "You're shameless!" Huang Tian's eyes spewed out endless flames of anger, her face a deep red, the numbness on her buttocks had yet to dissipate. As an unmarried young woman, the feeling of shame made her whole body tremble with indignation, her heart filled with unspeakable discomfort, her legs even felt slightly weak. She gritted her silver teeth, forcibly suppressing the strange feelings in her heart, and wished she could rip Zhao Xian alive.

  Facing Huang Xiaoxiao's murderous gaze, Zhao Xian just dryly laughed and his eyes fluttered about, pretending nothing had happened. He turned back to continue hammering at the iron, occasionally striking it with a clang, and casually interjected: "That... Wen Hui, I'll go see him, you don't have to look at me like that..."

  Huang Tian Tian secretly rubbed the sore spot on her back, and a faint abnormality still lingered on her buttocks, as if an invisible big hand was there. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. When had she ever suffered such humiliation? Fortunately, she had already eaten, but even if she were to beat Zhao Xian once, it wouldn't make up for her loss. Moreover, she wasn't sure if she could win in a fight. Rushing forward would only lead to further losses. How could Huang Tian Tian swallow this insult?

  Huang Tian was in a bad mood, when he suddenly saw several official knives placed under the shelf next to him. They should have been made for the government office and were extra. Huang Tian's eyes lit up slightly, and a cold smile appeared on his face. As the captain of the city guards, he could use this as an excuse tomorrow to raid Zhao Xian's shop. Although there would be a reason for it and Zhao Xian wouldn't be severely punished, he would still have to suffer a few blows. If Zhao Xian dared to resist...

  "Zhao Xian, I'm not done with you yet." Huang Tian Tian sneered and left a ruthless remark before kicking open the door and running out. His thin shoulders trembled slightly, his face looking as if he was ready to devour someone.

  Zhao Xian only then turned his head to glance back, and saw that Huang Tian had walked far away. He let out a sigh of relief, looked at the palm of his hand, and saw a small crescent-shaped tooth mark on it, with several strands of fresh blood seeping out, showing just how viciously he had been bitten.

  "This little girl, her butt isn't small at all. You just touched her once, do you have to be so excited?" Zhao Xian muttered to himself, thinking of the wonderful feeling of her buttocks, his heart fluttered again, and he quickly shook his head, throwing his thoughts aside, focusing on making the hoe.

  Unfortunately, heaven didn't plan to let Zhao Xian do business in peace. Just a moment after Huang Tian left, a row of cars appeared on the spacious street outside.

  The narrow Nan Street was not spacious, and most of the shops had opened their doors. Several old men wearing cotton-padded jackets sat by the brazier, stretching their necks to size up the passing carriages.

  This fleet is different from the ordinary merchant fleet, with several luxurious carriages in the middle, and the high wheels making a "crunching" sound on the uneven stone bricks. Around the fleet, more than a dozen men riding tall horses, wearing long knives as guards, dressed in black robes, all of similar build, not smiling or speaking carelessly, with strict discipline, guarding around the carriages, their eyes seemingly scanning randomly, but each having their own division of labor, watching every direction.

  Accompanied by the "ding, ding" sound of ironwork, the horse team slowly passed by the road outside the blacksmith's shop. The uniform black horses puffed heavily from their nostrils but didn't let out a single whinny, as if they were well-trained guards on horseback. Pedestrians on the side of the road instinctively made way and craned their necks to catch a glimpse of who was inside the carriage, only to be glared at by the guards and hastily lower their heads, secretly speculating which big shot had arrived in Changzhou.

  "A Xiang, stop for a moment!"

  Suddenly, a command came from the horse carriage in front, and the guards on both sides stopped at the same time. Even the horses nodded their heads slightly, as if waiting for orders.

  An old man, similarly dressed in a dark gown and wearing a leather hat, with a thin face and neck shrunk from the cold, immediately jumped off his horse upon hearing this, quickly approached the carriage, bowed and said: "Sir, what are your orders?"

  The people in the car did not respond. The black curtain was gently lifted by a hand, revealing an old man with white temples and an extraordinary demeanor. He wore a snow-white robe, carried a long sword at his waist, had a slightly plump build, pale skin, eyes like torches, and although his face was expressionless, he exuded an aura of majesty. His eyebrows and eyes still faintly showed his former elegance, but unfortunately, there were now wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

  Ah Xiang busied himself, using his eyes to signal, and immediately a guard jumped off the horse, half-kneeling in the snow, bowing his back as a footrest, wanting to help the old man down. His thick eyebrows and big eyes didn't show any resentment, but instead showed respect, as if being able to serve as a footrest for that old man was also an honorable thing.

  The old man was blown by the cold wind mixed with snowflakes, and he tightened his white robe. Seeing the guard squatting on the ground, he lightly jumped down from the high carriage shaft.

  A Xiang was shocked and lost his color, the guard also quickly took action, stepped forward to support the old man, A Xiang's face was full of terror, he hastily said: "Old master, what are you doing? Your body is important, don't scare me."

  "It doesn't matter!" The old man landed and swayed slightly before standing firm. He rubbed his waist and said kindly, "My body is old, if I don't exercise a bit, I'm afraid I won't have the chance to move later."

  Xiang Bo hastily retrieved a sable fur cloak from the carriage and draped it over the old man's shoulders, saying respectfully: "Sir, it's freezing outside, what are you doing out here? Don't catch a chill."

  The old man didn't answer, he looked up and gazed at the houses on both sides of the street filled with snow, with his hands behind his back, slowly walking towards the blacksmith's shop.祥伯 was afraid that the old master would slip on the snow on the ground, so he tightly held onto him to support him.

  As he approached the gate, the old man looked up and gazed at the huge iron signboard. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as if in contemplation, his deep eyes flashing with a hint of otherworldly color. After a moment, he stroked his beard and nodded, saying: "'Zhao's Iron Forge' - though the words are rough, the characters are not common; the brushstrokes are strong and free-flowing, untainted by even a hint of vulgarity. There is an air of independence about them, as if the writer were a lofty and proud individual who looks down upon the world with disdain. I never thought that in my old age, I would encounter such a remarkable person."

  "Old Master is indeed wise!" Xiang Bo hastily clapped his hands, although he didn't quite understand, but since Old Master said it was good, then it must be good. He raised his head and looked towards the blacksmith's shop, seeing that there were people inside, he said: "This wise man actually wrote a sign for the blacksmith's shop, he must be familiar with that rough fellow inside, let me go investigate."

  "Wait!" The old man stopped Xiang Bo, his eyes returned from the iron sign and cast towards the wooden door of the blacksmith's shop, personally searching for the owner of this blacksmith's shop.

  In the procession, from the carriage behind, a little head popped out, with a braid on her hair, a cute face, and a careful glance at the guards, before looking up at the big characters, but unfortunately, she was immediately pulled back by a hand.

  Zhao Xian was intently hammering away at the iron, the loud clanging noise filling the air, and he hadn't noticed anyone standing at the door. He wore that tattered leather apron, his body covered in black and white streaks from the flying sparks, holding a massive iron mallet weighing over 40 kilograms with one hand, striking it against the glowing red iron block again and again, neither fast nor slow, using even force, like an unstoppable machine.

  The old man saw Zhao Xian's demeanor and his eyes lit up slightly. Ironwork was a hard job that required two people to cooperate with each other, but this tall young man was holding the tongs in one hand and swinging the hammer in the other, without any sign of fatigue. Such strength was not something an ordinary person could possess.

  The old man clapped his hands at the door and laughed loudly: "Good boy, what a big strength!"

  Zhao Xian felt the light dim slightly, and the hammer paused in mid-air. He turned his head to take a look, and his eyebrows immediately rose up.

  Embroidered robe and jade belt, accompanied by a young servant, he looks like a wealthy master at first glance.

  Zhao Xian came over with interest, put down the iron hammer in his hand, wiped his hands with a towel, and replied shyly: "Old man is overpraising, we rough workers just rely on a little strength to make a living." Smiling at people is a common sense of doing business. If you see customers and are arrogant, who will come to the door? A kind smile will make customers relax their vigilance, and it's also convenient to cheat them.

  Zhao Xian's 'dull and honest' appearance greatly satisfied the old man, who stroked his beard and smiled: "Young friend, don't be modest. Being able to support oneself by one's skills is a real ability. Ability only exists or doesn't exist; there's no distinction between good or bad."

  This remark suited Zhao Xian's taste. He threw his cloak to one side and, not caring that it was snowing outside, walked out with his upper body exposed.

  "Ah!" A soft cry of surprise came from the nearby carriage, and the curtain that had just been lifted was let down again. Zhao Xian felt a little strange, what's so surprising about seeing a man with a pale complexion?

  The old man carefully sized up Zhao Xian, his lean and sharp physique, muscles full of explosive power, exuding a masculine charm.

  A strange glint flashed in the old man's eyes, his aged face revealing a complex and bizarre emotion. After a while, he shook his head and sighed: "This is what it means to be a man... unlike me..."

  Zhao Xian was shocked by the words, wasn't this guy a man? He suddenly pushed him back a few steps, cautiously staring at the old man, and even put on a piece of clothing.

  The old man also realized his mistake, waved his hand and chuckled, then said: "This old bone can't even ride a horse, let alone be called a top-notch man."

  With a physique like a chicken skeleton, even if he's young, he's probably just a mama's boy. How can he compare to me, a true iron-blooded man? Zhao Xian thought disdainfully.

  The old man pointed to the iron sign above, with a hint of expectation in his eyes, and said with a friendly face: "This handwriting, I don't know who wrote it, can you introduce me to this great person, and fulfill my wish?"

  It turned out that he was asking about the character, and seeing that it wasn't a plot to get his 'beauty', Zhao Xian let out a sigh of relief, walked up to the old man, and said: "Of course I know, but I can't just tell you, you also know I'm a craftsman, earning my hard-earned money, so..." Zhao Xian rubbed his fingers together.

  The old man was initially unclear and didn't react until half a moment later, then he gave Ah Xiang a meaningful glance.

  A Xiang obviously didn't plan to give money, no matter how big the family business is, it's all accumulated bit by bit, how can you let people extort like this. He pointed at Zhao Xian and said: "You little brat, don't know how to behave, my master's body is worth a thousand gold..."

  "Shut up!" The old man's eyebrows slightly raised, and he made no other movement. Xiang Bo hastily bowed his head, not daring to speak further, and took out a silver ingot from his bosom, placing it in Zhao Xian's hand.