Chapter Six "Dragon's Tooth"

  "Good nephew."

  The body of the little stone was just dragged out, and Zheng Zhilong's address to Ding Yunyi had also changed, with an unusually warm tone: "I have always admired Mr. Qingtang, your respected father, and this time you, my nephew, fought bravely and made great contributions to our naval victory. You are going to Penghu, where pirates often come and go, and the Red Barbarians are also causing trouble, so I, Zheng, have a small gift for you..."

  Ding Yunyi's "Laozi" Ding Yuanzhao, also known as Qingtang, was referred to by Zheng Zhilong as "Mr. Qingtang" in order to highlight the extraordinary relationship between the two men.

  Ding Yunyi heard the two words "gift" and knew that the other party was trying to win him over. However, he really couldn't understand how Zheng Zhilong could be so ruthless one moment and then want to give him a gift the next.

  Zheng Zhi Long had someone bring over a long box, and it was unclear what was inside. He carefully placed the box on the table, and his tone surprisingly showed great reluctance: "I know that Mr. Qing Tang has been honest and clean throughout his life, so if I were to give him gold, silver, or wealth as a gift, he would certainly be displeased. But this thing is completely different..."

  As he spoke, he opened the box, and inside lay a Tang-style sword.

  Zheng Zhi Long drew out his sword, cherishing it greatly: "In the past when I traveled to Japan, on the island of Kyushu, I studied the art of sword fighting and happened upon Mizunoe no Kokaji, a master of the Mizunoe style. We engaged in a contest, but before three exchanges, my sword broke and I was defeated by Mizunoe no Kokaji. After reflecting on my defeat, I realized that Japanese swords originated from China's Tang dynasty style, and through development became famous blades. Mizunoe no Kokaji only won because of the sharpness of his blade; how could I be willing to accept this?"

  Ding Yunyi had never heard of this story before, and now listening to Zheng Zhilong's detailed account, he couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

  After Zheng Zhilong was defeated by Shi Lang, he went everywhere to find a weapon and wanted to take revenge. Later, he finally found the Fujian Quanzhou people who settled in Japan, who was also the future father-in-law of Zheng Zhilong, and the great blacksmith Weng Huaguang, who specialized in making swords for the Japanese Hirado Domain Lord.

  Weng Huanguo knew the intention of Zheng Zhilong, so he wrote a letter and asked him to go to Quanzhou, Fujian to find his sword-making teacher, China's famous swordsmith Zhu Qianli.

  Zheng Zhilong rushed back to Fujian and found Zhu Qianli. Zhu Qianli heard that he was going to cast a sword to fight against the Japanese, and without saying much, he took out a piece of "Tian Gang" (Heavenly Steel) that had been stored for decades, which had fallen from the sky. It took a year to forge a peerless treasured sword in the style of Tang Dynasty swords, and gave it to Zheng Zhilong.

  Zheng Zhi Long took this knife and returned to Japan, once again finding Mizumoto Kage no Kami, defeating the heir of Japanese Katsuno Ichimonji style, making a name for himself in Kyushu, Japan. Later he was recognized by Li Dan, a great pirate among Chinese overseas in Japan, who recruited him as his trusted assistant, thus starting his own career.

  Upon hearing this, Ding Yunwei finally understood. The so-called "Tian Tie" was probably just "Meteorite Iron". However, Zheng Zhilong's victory over Japan's renowned Ito Ittosai, the successor of the famous Japanese sword style, was a great morale booster.

  "This sword was later given the name 'Dragon's Tooth' by me." Zheng Zhi Long looked at Ding Yun Yi: "Do you know what Dragon's Tooth is?"

  Ding Yunyi shook his head, Zheng Zilong smiled: "In the ancient myth, there were three great evil artifacts in the world. The first was called Dragon Tooth, the second was Tiger Wing, and the third was Dog God. They belonged to Xia Jie at the end of the Xia Dynasty, after which tyranny began. The Three Ancient Swords were enshrined in the Temple of the Xia Dynasty. When Shang Tang attacked the Temple, a dark cloud covered the sky, ghosts wailed, and the three evil swords transformed into three gusts of demonic wind that swept in, instantly killing countless soldiers of the Shang army. King Tang discarded his spear, dismounted his horse, held the Xuanyuan Golden Sword, and single-handedly charged into the main hall of the temple, swinging his sword to swiftly slash the three evil swords into fragments and seal them underground. During the Song Dynasty, a blacksmith named Han E discovered the ruins of the Shang Temple in a deep mountain, opened the seal, and obtained the fragments of the Dragon Tooth, Tiger Wing, and Dog God. At that time, there was a faint black aura in the iron fragments, which would trigger an attack upon contact. Later, with the joint efforts of Han E and the imperial swordsmiths, they spent one year and eight days casting three executioner's swords: Dragon Subduing, Tiger Taming, and Dog Beheading. They were stored in Kaifeng Prefecture by order of the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty. At that time, Bao Zheng, who was serving as the prefect of Kaifeng, became the first person to possess the 'Kaifeng Three Executioner's Swords'..."

  Ding Yunyi listened and didn't know how to calm down, but in his heart, a chill rose up.

  The myth may not be credible, but seeing Zheng Zhi Long say it so seriously, as if it were true.

  The three great evil artifacts from a thousand years ago, after being shattered by the Xuan Yuan Sword, were sealed away for many years. Later, they unexpectedly became the "Qing Tian San Ren Dao", representing the righteous energy of the world, as if things that reach an extreme must reverse themselves.

  Zheng Zilong suddenly drew out half of the "Dragon's Tooth" sword, its blade not yet fully out of the scabbard, but already radiating a chilling light that was impossible to look at directly. The big tent erupted in a chorus of shocked cries.

  Zheng Zhi Long's subordinates also mostly saw this knife for the first time, and everyone was stunned by the knife's brilliance.

  Zheng Zilong didn't pull it out completely, and immediately put the sword back in its scabbard. Then he said in a low voice: "Ding Yunyi, take the sword!"

  He finished speaking and threw the knife at Ding Yunyi.

  Ding Yunyi caught the knife and was overjoyed. He went to Penghu alone, a desolate place, but now he had the precious "Dragon's Tooth" sword to protect himself, which was perfect.

  Although he didn't understand the true intention of Zheng's gift, he grasped the sword and said loudly: "Thank you, General Zheng, for gifting me this sword! I, Ding Yunyue, will use 'Longya' to guard Penghu, making the pirate Red Barbarians dare not look straight at Penghu land! I will always be grateful for General Zheng's kindness!"

  "Good, Ding Yunwei!" Zheng Zhilong praised: "Go, go! Your father is clean and upright, but I know that if I give you a precious sword to guard the coastal border, he will not be angry but delighted. Don't forget what you said today!"

  Ding Yunyi didn't say much either and turned around to leave the main tent.

  Those generals of Zheng Zhilong also stood up and bid farewell one after another.

  Looking outside the account, Zheng Zhilong seemed to smile but not. At this time, a child of about ten years old walked in and saw Zheng Zhilong also asked for peace, then asked: "Father, that day the child wanted to see the dragon tooth, but Father did not agree, why did Father give it to Ding Yunwei today?

  Although this child is only ten years old, his tone of speaking is just like an adult's.

  Zheng Zilong stroked his son's head and said, "Ming Jian, although the Longyao is a precious sword, when Master Qian gave it to me back then, he said that this was a deadly sword. If you wear it for too long, it will harm its master. I followed Li Dan later and gained his trust by giving him this sword, but Li Dan died; afterwards, I followed the great pirate leader Yan Siqi and continued to use this sword to gain his trust, but Yan Siqi was overjoyed when he got this sword, indulged in food and drink, unfortunately contracted a cold, and died at the age of 37. Both of their deaths were caused by this sword. How sinister is that!"

  "Yes, Zheng Sen understood." Zheng Sen said with his hands down.

  Zheng Zhilong was very fond of his son, and smiled as he said: "Mingyue, one knife is nothing. If you can achieve great things, what's the harm in losing a mere knife? Do you understand?"

  "Zheng Sen understood that big things are always more important than dead objects."