Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ding Dang!
Zhou Shu threw the last saber into the large wooden box beside the smelting furnace.
The sound of rustling pages came as the Legendary Armament Canon appeared in front of Zhou Shu.
A new page finally appeared!
Upon seeing the contents of the page, Zhou Shu was slightly stunned.
Am I that lucky?
With a thought, a new forging formula appeared in his mind.
A moment later, he completely absorbed the forging formula, and a smile appeared on his face.
This time, I can earn another sum of money, and I can finally pay off the debt I owe for building the 0th Workshop.
âSuperintendent, someone is looking for you!â Haitangâs careful voice came from outside.
âDidnât I say not to disturb me?â Zhou Shu said.
âI heard that the sound of metal striking stoppedâ¦â Haitang explained. âAnd the person who came to find you is Sir Miââ
âMi what?â Zhou Shu mumbled as he opened the door.
Outside the door, a graceful middle-aged man was standing there with a smile.
Upon seeing Zhou Shu, he even cupped his hands slightly in greeting. His every move was elegant and graceful.
Zhou Shu sized up the handsome face. âWhatâs your name?â
Haitang: ââ¦â
Mi Ziwen: ââ¦â
âMy surname is Mi, and my name is Ziwen.â Mi Ziwen laughed.
âMi Ziwen?â The information Zhou Shu had seen on the assassination list flashed across his mind.
Mi Ziwen was a genius in the art of war, and he was suspected to be the successor of Great General Meng Bai. His coachman was the son of the Minister of War of Great Wei and had been hiding in the Mi family for ten yearsâ¦
Mi Ziwen didnât notice that Zhou Shu was lost in thought and instead continued, âI am here on the orders of the great general to inspect the weapons. At the same time, Iâm helping the general deliver something to you, Superintendent Zhou.â
âHow is your coachman?â Zhou Shu was in a daze. For a moment, he didnât hear what Mi Ziwen said and subconsciously said the words in his head.
As soon as he said it, he regretted it!
As expected, Mi Ziwen was stunned, and his eyes flashed. âYou know about it?â
âYeah.â Zhou Shu braced himself and nodded. His mind raced, wanting to find an excuse.?Should I say I heard it from Sun Gongping?
As expected, countless thoughts flashed through Mi Ziwenâs mind.?Superintendent Zhou has a close relationship with Teacher. He even knows about this matter.
Without waiting for Zhou Shu to explain, he said with a bitter smile, âIâve embarrassed myself in front of you, Superintendent Zhou. The person I knew for more than ten years was actually a spy from an enemy country. I must be blind.â
âGeneral Mi, you must be joking.â He didnât ask, so Zhou Shu didnât rush to explain. He smiled awkwardly. âItâs hard to predict peopleâs hearts. Even if we spend all our time together, we still canât guarantee that we can see through a personâs heart.â
âYes.â Mi Ziwen sighed. âBut after all, we were together for so long. Now that things have really happened, I still feel a little sad.â
Mi Ziwen treated Zhou Shu as his teacherâs illegitimate son, not as an outsider.
Otherwise, Mi Ziwen usually wouldnât reveal his emotions too much in front of outsiders.
âIf time could stop at the moment when we first met, what caused the sorrow of the painted fan in the autumn wind?â Zhou Shu replied.
Mi Ziwen was stunned. He mumbled, âIf time could stop at the moment when we first met, what caused the sorrow of the painted fan in the autumn wind?
âGood poem. I didnât expect Junior Brother to have such literary talent.â
Because Mi Ziwen was lost in his thoughts, he blurted out the words âjunior brotherâ.
âWhat?â Zhou Shu raised his eyebrows.
âSorry, I misspoke.â Mi Ziwen said hurriedly. Since his teacher didnât admit it publicly, he couldnât reveal it.
âSuperintendent Zhou, we hit it off right from the start. Why donât we become sworn brothers?â Mi Ziwen said.
Zhou Shu and Haitang were both stunned.
Hit it off right from the start??
Become sworn brothers?
Do the people of Great Xia all call this feeling hitting it off right from the start?
Zhou Shu was confused. He couldnât tell at all where he and Mi Ziwen hit it off.
Is he implying that both of us are extremely handsome?
Weâve only exchanged a few words, and you want to become sworn brothers with me? If weâve known each other a little longer, wouldnât you want to marry meâ¦
Bah!
Haitang was even more shocked than Zhou Shu. Zhou Shuâs understanding of Mi Ziwen was limited, but Haitang was different.
She was someone close to Yin Wuyou, and she knew the influential characters of Great Xia like the back of her hand.
Mi Ziwen came from the famous Mi family of Jiangbei. Since he was a child, he was talented and intelligent. He studied literature and once came in the top three in the imperial examination. He studied martial arts and was talented in the art of war. He was directly accepted as General Mengâs personal disciple.
For such a person, as long as he didnât die, it was inevitable that he would be conferred a rank of nobility and become a minister!
Furthermore, after Great General Meng, he would be the best candidate for the commander-in-chief of the three armies of Great Xia!
What about Zhou Shu?
He was just the superintendent of a small Forging Division workshop. Although the princess thought highly of him, the difference between him and Mi Ziwen was even greater than the difference between him and the princess.
Haitang thought,?What does Sir Mi see in Superintendent Zhou?
She blinked her eyes and looked at Zhou Shu. Her face immediately turned slightly red.?Superintendent Zhou is indeed quite good-lookingâ¦
âWellâ¦â Zhou Shu said hesitantly. âGeneral Mi, arenât you a little hasty? We just metââ
âHasty? No.â Mi Ziwen shook his head. âThe moment I saw you, Superintendent Zhou, I felt that we hit it off well. It doesnât matter how long weâve known each other. What matters is our hearts.
âCould it be that you feel that I am not worthy to be your brother?â Mi Ziwen said in a deep voice with a stern face.
Zhou Shu shook his head.?Not worthy?
Of course not.
Even if he didnât know Mi Ziwenâs true identity, the assassination list clearly stated that Mi Ziwen was suspected to be the successor of Great General Meng Bai.
Those who had the qualifications to be on the assassination list were not ordinary people. Furthermore, this Mi Ziwen was the successor of Great General Meng!
Who was Great General Meng?
The commander-in-chief of the three armies of Great Xia, the well-deserved number one person in the military. In his previous life, he would be the chairman of the Military Commission.
How could his successor be an ordinary person?
Becoming sworn brothers with such a person was definitely a profitable business.
Zhou Shu thought quickly and then saw Mi Ziwenâs eager expression. âSince you are so kind, General Mi, then I shall accept.â
âYouâre still calling me General Mi?â Mi Ziwen was overjoyed. âIâm a few years older. You can call me Big Brother Mi from now on.â
âBig Brother?â
âYes!â Mi Ziwen smiled happily.
Zhou Shu was somewhat speechless.?Why is he so happy like he picked up a hundred taels of silver?
Why do I feel like I suffered a loss?
A big brother for no reason?
âBig Brother, if we become sworn brothers, donât we need to drink chicken blood and kowtow to the heavensâ¦â
âWhatâs all that for?â Mi Ziwen asked. âBut you and I are sworn brothers, so logically, we should hold a banquet and announce it to the world.â
He thought for a moment.?Teacher might not want to get too involved with Zhou Shu on the surface. If I make things too big, Teacher might be unhappy.
âBut I have to prepare for an expedition recently, and Iâm busy with military matters. Letâs talk about this later.â
âOfficial business is the most important. The banquet is not important.â Zhou Shu hurriedly said. He didnât want to make such a big fuss.
Mi Ziwen was someone on the assassination list. If the news of them becoming sworn brothers spread, who knew what those spies would do regarding him?
âBig Brother, my background is lowly. If the news of us becoming sworn brothers spreads, Iâm afraid it will affect your reputation. so I think itâs better not to publicize this matter,â Zhou Shu said after some consideration.
Unexpectedly, Mi Ziwen nodded. âWeâll do as you say, Second Brother. Weâre brothers, and we donât have to care about the unnecessary and overly-elaborate formalities outside.â
Zhou Shu frowned.?Second Brother, why does this form of address sound so awkward?
What is this? If weâre brothers, so be it. What is the meaning of adding the âsecondâ?
But then again, canât I be considered cozying up to a bigshot now?
It isnât too much to call him the successor of the chairman of the Military Commission, right?
If anyone dares to talk nonsense with me in the future, I will slap them directly. If they dare to resist, I will tell them that my big brother is Mi Ziwen!
At the thought of this, Zhou Shu laughed in his heart.?Calling him big brother in exchange for the perks isnât a loss.
âSecond Brother,â Mi Ziwen continued. âI came in a hurry today and didnât bring anything with me.
âIâll give you a gift next time. I see that the conditions here are a bit crude. I have some banknotes here. Take them first and buy whatever you like.
âIâll help you purchase more things when I return from my expedition. How can the brother of Mi Ziwen stay in such a shabby place?â
Mi Ziwen took out a stack of banknotes and stuffed them into Zhou Shuâs hands.
How can Teacherâs bloodline stay in such a place??he added in his mind.
Zhou Shu held the stack of banknotes, completely surprised.
Big Brother is so generous?
My 0th Workshop is built pretty well. Why do you call it shabby?
But I like such a big brother!
âBig Brother, youâre too kind.â A smile appeared on Zhou Shuâs face as he put the banknotes into his clothes. âBig Brother, please come in. Haitang, serve tea, good tea!â
Haitang looked confused.?Tea? What tea?
âYouâre welcome, Second Brother.â Mi Ziwen shook his head with a smile. âBusiness is more important. I wonder how the forging of the Huben Sabers, Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers, and Horse Slaying Sabers is coming along? If there are any difficulties, you can tell me. I will explain it to the general.â
Look, this is a real big brother,?Zhou Shu thought.
He smiled. âEverything is going smoothly. I guarantee that everything will be delivered on time. Donât worry, Big Brother.â
âA batch of weapons has been forged. Big Brother, you can check and take them with you first. Itâs also good to let the soldiers familiarize themselves with the weapons in advance.â
âGood, as expected of you, Second Brother.â Mi Ziwen was overjoyed. âI almost forgot. The great general asked me to bring you some martial arts secret manuals. Previously, I didnât know that it was for you, so I didnât gather enough. Later, I will definitely find a few good martial arts secret manuals for you!â
Mi Ziwen was like a Child of Wealth. He took out a few martial arts secret manuals and stuffed them into Zhou Shuâs hands.
Zhou Shu smiled even more happily. Although he didnât need martial arts manuals, no one would complain about having too many good things. If he didnât need them, he could give them away.
âCome, Big Brother, let me show you my workshop..â Zhou Shu pulled Mi Ziwenâs arm and warmly welcomed him into the 0th Workshop.