Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
âSir Miâs cousin is Marquis Weiyuanâs wife. Sun Gongping is her son, and you are Sir Miâs sworn brother,â Haitang said while twiddling her fingers.
Zhou Shu was speechless.?She makes it sound so complicated.?
Isnât Mi Ziwen Sun Gongpingâs uncle?
Sun Gongpinâs identity is truly extraordinary.
But in comparison, mine seems even more extraordinary.
When he thought about how Sun Gongping would have to call him uncle, Zhou Shu couldnât help laughing. He really wanted to see Sun Gongpingâs expression when he heard this news.
âHaitang, do me a favor.â Zhou Shu chuckled.
âWhat favor?â Haitang asked doubtfully.
âDonât tell Sun Gongping that Sir Mi is my big brother yet,â Zhou Shu said.
âWhy?â Haitang subconsciously asked. But before Zhou Shu could reply, she continued, âDonât worry. I wonât speak carelessly.â
She had received professional training. She would never say things she shouldnât.
As the personal maid of the princess, she had heard countless secrets. If she hadnât kept her mouth shut, she would have died long ago.
Half a day passed when they finally arrived at the Divine Constable Bureau.
âIâm going in to handle some matters, so you donât have to follow me. Go stroll around the city and come back in two hours,â Zhou Shu said to Haitang.
âI canâtââ
Haitang was just about to speak when Zhou Shu interrupted, âThe grand minister asked you to serve me, so you must listen to me! Go!â
Then he walked into the Divine Constable Bureau.
Haitang was stunned for a moment.?Zhou Shu should be very safe in the Divine Constable Bureau, so I might as well take this time to report to Her Highness.
Sir Mi and Zhou Shu becoming sworn brothers is a huge matter. I have to inform Her Highness as soon as possible!
At this thought, Haitang no longer hesitated. She turned her body and nimbly leaped over the wall. In the blink of an eye, she had already disappeared. She was much faster than during the journey to the Divine Constable Bureau.
Walking all the way from the 0th Workshop with Zhou Shu, Haitang had felt suffocated!
Zhou Shu walked more than ten meters into the Divine Constable Bureau when someone jumped out and shouted, âWho dares to trespass into the Divine Constable Bureau!â
âI am Zhou Shu, the superintendent of a Forging Division workshop. Iâve come to look for Sun Gongping, Divine Constable Sun.â Zhou Shu cupped his hands.
When the man heard this, he nodded and muttered something as he brushed past Zhou Shu. He had no intention of verifying Zhou Shuâs identity.
Zhou Shu felt somewhat speechless as he watched this person disappear before his eyes.
Is the Divine Constable Bureau so casual?
Arenât they afraid of people sneaking in?
He had forgotten that in a place like the Divine Constable Bureau, people with ulterior motives would hide. Who would walk right into a trap?
Zhou Shu continued to walk in. After walking for another ten minutes, he met another person. This time, he took the opportunity to ask where Sun Gongping was.
When he found Sun Gongping, Sun Gongping was wielding a thick rod as tall as a person. The rod turned into shadows, bringing with it surging air waves.
Seeing Zhou Shu arrive, Sun Gongping swung the long rod in his hand in a circle, then slammed it heavily onto the ground. A crisp sound reverberated in the air.
Sun Gongping casually tossed the long rod to a distant weapon rack. He wiped the sweat off his face and asked doubtfully, âOld Zhou, why are you here?â
âTo find you, of course,â Zhou Shu said.
âLooking for me? Could it be that youâve already developed the weapon?â Sun Gongping said in surprise. âLet me see. What weapon is it?â
âHow can it be so fast!â Zhou Shu said in annoyance. âI havenât seen the customization fee yet!â
âHehe!â Sun Gongping chuckled. âYou canât blame me for that. Old Ma hasnât approved the money yet. I canât possibly pay for it myself, right? Even I canât bear to eat a meal at the Drunken Immortal Inn every day!â
âIâm not here for this,â Zhou Shu said.
He couldnât be bothered to argue with Sun Gongping about this matter. Daily meals from the Drunken Immortal Inn had just been a passing remark.
âGreat Divine Constable Sun, I wish to meet your Divine Constable Bureauâs boss. Can you help me pull some strings?â Zhou Shu said seriously.
âYou want to see Old Ma?â Sun Gongping asked bewilderedly.
Zhou Shu had already learned from Haitang that the boss of the Divine Constable Bureau was called Ma Fengzhang, the Old Ma that Sun Gongping had mentioned.
Ma Fengzhang was the Divine Constable Bureauâs commander and a third-rank Grandmaster. At the same time, he was also a second-rank official of Great Xia. His position was extremely high.
âYes!â Zhou Shu said.
âItâs not that easy to meet Old Ma.â Sun Gongping frowned.
Old Ma was a third-rank Grandmaster and a second-rank official. Although he didnât put on airs, he was not someone that anyone could meet.
Although Zhou Shu was the superintendent of a Forging Division workshop, he wasnât qualified to meet Ma Fengzhang under normal circumstances.
The only exception was the superintendents of the first 36 workshops of the Forging Division. These people were all at least Forging Masters, and their statuses were worlds apart from that of Zhou Shu.
âJust tell me if itâs possible. If not, Iâll think of another way,â Zhou Shu said.
âItâs not impossible, but you have to tell me first. Why do you want to see Old Ma?â Sun Gongping said. If he, Sun Gongping, wanted to make something work, nothing was impossible.
âI wish to discuss a collaboration with Commander Ma,â Zhou Shu said.
âCollaboration?â
âYes, I can only tell you the details when I see Commander Ma. Donât worry. This collaboration will only benefit the Divine Constable Bureau.â
âOld Zhou, what gave you the wrong impression?â Sun Gongping said.
âWhat makes you think that you can discuss a collaboration with Old Ma?
âJust because I asked you to develop a customized weapon?
âIâll tell you the truth. Although standard weapons may be useful to the Divine Constable Bureau, theyâre not that important.
âThe Divine Constable Bureauâs main strength is ranked martial artists. What we need the most are also ranked weapons.
âIf you can forge a ranked weapon, you are barely qualified to discuss a collaboration with Old Ma. Nowâ¦â
Sun Gongping shook his head. He was not looking down on Zhou Shu but was stating a fact.
Collaboration required both parties to be equal in strength or authority. To put it bluntly, both parties had to be useful to each other.
What use did Zhou Shu have for Ma Fengzhang?
Forging?
There were simply too many workshops in the Forging Division that could forge standard weapons.
âWhether we can collaborate or not is up to Commander Ma,â Zhou Shu said. âYou just need to help me pull some strings. As for how to convince Commander Ma, thatâs up to me.â
âAre you serious?â Sun Gongping asked with a deep voice.
âYour question is interesting. Did I walk dozens of kilometers to the Divine Constable Bureau just to joke with you?â Zhou Shu said.
âCan you give me a definite answer? Itâs getting late. I still have to rush back to the Forging Division!â
âIf you want to see Old Ma, no one else will be able to let you meet him,â Sun Gongping said. âBut am I an ordinary person? Just wait and see!â
With that, he strode off in a certain direction.
Zhou Shu stayed where he was and looked around casually. Finally, his gaze fell on the rod that Sun Gongping had just waved.
In the past, he didnât know that Sun Gongping was actually a rod user. He had thought that Sun Gongping was good at using sabers or swords.
But there were also swords and sabers on the weapon rack. Perhaps he knew a bit of everything.
While Zhou Shu was lost in thought, Sun Gongping had already returned. Beside him was an elegant scholar who looked to be in his thirties.
This person was Ma Fengzhang!
As expected of the young marquis, he could invite whoever he wanted. Last time, it was Yin Wuyou, and this time, it was Ma Fengzhang. Anyone else definitely wouldnât be able to invite them.
âYou want to see me?â Ma Fengzhang didnât put on any airs. As soon as he saw Zhou Shu, he smiled. âZhou Shu, Superintendent Zhou, Iâve long heard of your great name.â
âCommander Ma, youâve heard of me?â Zhou Shu asked curiously.
âOf course,â Ma Fengzhang said with a smile. In the assassination list, the only genius he didnât know was Zhou Shu, who had suddenly appeared on the list.
After obtaining the assassination list, Ma Fengzhang had specially investigated Zhou Shu. Naturally, he couldnât find anything. Zhou Shuâs background was extremely clean. His three generations of ancestors were all Forging Apprentices of the Forging Division. He had a good backgroundâ¦
âI heard from Gongping that you want to discuss a collaboration with me. I wonder what kind of collaboration it is?â Ma Fengzhang asked with interest.
Zhou Shu glanced at Sun Gongping without saying anything.
Ma Fengzhang understood. âGongping, go out for a while.â
âMe? Go out?â Sun Gongping couldnât believe it.?Iâm being told to leave? What the hell!
Iâm the middleman!
âGo out.â Ma Fengzhang said gently but firmly.
Sun Gongpingâs face fell, and he swallowed the words he was about to say. If Old Ma lost his temper, nothing good would happen.
He glared fiercely at Zhou Shu and walked out.
Zhou Shu shrugged, unconcerned. Sometimes, knowing too much might not be a good thing. He was helping him.
After Sun Gongping left, Ma Fengzhang sized up Zhou Shu and continued, âYou can say it now. Here, you donât have to worry about eavesdropping.â
This was the Divine Constable Bureau, and Ma Fengzhang was personally overseeing this place. If he said that there was no need to worry, then there was indeed no need to worry.
Ma Fengzhang sized up Zhou Shu while Zhou Shu also sized up Ma Fengzhang.
The great commander of the Divine Constable Bureau had an aura as deep as the ocean. He was the strongest person he had seen since his rebirth.
But looking at him, Ma Fengzhang didnât seem to see through his cultivation.
Zhou Shu heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. Although he had never learned any aura concealing techniques, his Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique was a cultivation technique focused on the physical body. As for the Golden Bell Shield, he had only reached the first level. His true qi cultivation was extremely shallow, so it wasnât strange that Ma Fengzhang couldnât see through his cultivation.
âDo you want to discuss collaboration with me as the superintendent of a Forging Division workshop? Or do you want to discuss a collaboration with me as yourself?â Ma Fengzhang said with a faint smile.
Zhou Shu nodded in his mind.?As expected of the Divine Constable Bureauâs boss, he can see the problem with a single glance. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
It was completely different to collaborate with him as the superintendent of a Forging Division workshop or with him as himself.
He took a deep breath and went over his previous thoughts before speaking.