What? A spiritual artifact!
All the junior brothers turned their heads.
Senior Brother Lu Gang had been forging since he was young, and he'd crafted several spirit weapons.
People traveled thousands of miles to seek out a fine blade from him.
There's no way he could be mistaken.
It's incredible that Senior Brother has gifted a spiritual artifact!
Spirit weapons are hard to come by.
Creating a spirit weapon requires more than simply carving out fine meat from a great demon.
It demands materials with unique life-giving powers, much like the Scarlet Firebird's feather.
Even a spiritual weapon made of the worst materials is worth at least a hundred gold coins or a thousand silver taels.
A slightly better one could be worth four or five times that, with no upper limit!
Yang Dongxiong stroked his beard with a smile, saying, "Indeed, it is a spiritual artifact. Your Senior Brother captured a commander in battle and acquired it as his trophy. They call it 'Skabaha,' but to us, it's simply the Azure Wolf. Your Senior Brother mentioned in his letter that this dagger held no particular use for him. So, he sends it to you as a gift."
A trophy from capturing a commander!
How domineering.
No wonder the dagger's design differed from ordinary ones, leaning more towards a nomadic style.
Inside, Liang Qu was awestruck.
Right place at the right time.
It seemed Senior Brother's promotion was likely tied to the captured commander.
"So, doesn't this mean Junior Brother Liang now has two spiritual artifacts?"
Xu Zishuai began to question life itself.
He had yet to obtain even one spiritual artifact, but the youngest of their group possessed two.
How could this not evoke envy and resentment? He felt his teeth nearly grinding to dust.
Among all the senior and junior brothers, only the eldest, second, third, and fifth sister possessed spiritual artifacts.
The third brother's artifact had snapped six months ago and remained unrepaired due to incompatible materials.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have struggled for so long in battle with Huang Zejun.
Liang Qu carefully held the dagger.
The dagger was slender, with a six-inch blade.
Its tip turned slightly upwards, and the blade's handle curved in the opposite direction, featuring dark golden patterns and a wolf's head carved at its end.
Held in his hand, it was surprisingly a good fit.
Pressing its edge lightly against his finger, it left a shallow white mark.
A bit deeper, and it might draw blood.
Even a Martial Artist’s defense would be no match for its sharpness.
Naturally, this dagger hadn't been forged with Liang Qu's blood, so it didn’t feel as harmonious as the Subduing Waves Spear.
Nonetheless, its quality was far superior to ordinary weapons.
"Thank you, Master and Senior Brother!"
Liang Qu took a leather sheath from the box and placed the dagger inside, securing it at his waist with a solemn nod of gratitude.
Yang Dongxiong laughed heartily, his beard shaking.
With a wave of his large hand, he said, "No need for so many words. Let's eat! After such a long journey, even your dinner got delayed! I had them slaughter a cow and two sheep in the afternoon. Fresh food awaits!"
Following Yang Dongxiong, the group moved to another hall.
A giant square table stood in the center of the hall, and through the lattice windows, one could glimpse a courtyard filled with lush greenery and catch a distinct fragrance.
Even in winter, the scent was surprisingly strong, though its source was unknown.
A giant Blacktooth lay in the courtyard, surrounded by several large dogs, each gnawing on massive beef bones.
Their coats were smooth and glossy - excellent dogs.
In a Martial Master’s household, there weren’t so many formalities.
Spontaneity was the rule, and after a brief greeting, Yang invited everyone to sit.
With ample preparation time, today’s dishes far surpassed those of yesterday.
The square table was laden with various meats.
The Lady seated herself with the fifth sister, their dishes more refined.
Steamed yellowfish, quail eggs, sugar-steamed dairy, stir-fried goji sprouts, and slices of steamed meat.
Before Liang Qu and others lay more robust dishes.
Each cut of meat required one to open their mouth wide to take a bite, a deep soy sauce hue glazing them, served in large basins.
Just a prod with chopsticks could part the tender, fragrant meats, steam rising into their faces.
How the cook prepared such dishes was a mystery.
Having been busy all day, Liang Qu was starving.
He joined the others in picking up his chopsticks.
"When the Ghost Mother Sect caused the most trouble, I was only in my teens and hadn't encountered them much. Later, in the army, I battled mainly the barbarians. The records only mention that the Great Qian Demon Empress established it with the help of the Imperial Prince and a group of veteran generals. It's said that the Demon Empress was a Perfect Manifestation Master. If that's true, she might still be alive."
Still alive?
Liang Qu nearly bit his tongue.
The group listened intently.
These were stories they’d never heard.
History lessons at the academy rarely covered such details.
Without proactive effort to learn, such knowledge was rare.
"Initially, the Ghost Mother Sect’s rise was explosive. The Great Shun was entangled with the barbarians up north and couldn't spare the resources to act. Over half of the Jianghuai region would echo with children's rhymes composed by the Water Baptism Sect.
But after the great victory at the Flowing Gold Sea, which crushed twenty thousand barbarian troops, the opportunity arose. Duke Xu redirected his forces, advancing with unstoppable momentum, driving the Ghost Mother Sect into the marshlands. Alas, the Jianghuai marshes were vast, filled with numerous islands, making them hard to navigate once entered.
Prolonging the campaign would have been too costly and risked a barbarian resurgence. Thus, they were left to retain a feeble existence hidden in the marshes. Years later, they return to stir trouble again.
Who knows if there are hidden threats in places beyond our Peaceful Sun Town as well?"
Yang Dongxiong displayed some concern, his appetite diminishing.
Jianghuai Marshland’s major towns weren’t limited to Peaceful Sun Town, numerous as stars in the sky.
If similarly targeted by the Ghost Mother Sect, could they share Peaceful Sun Town’s stroke of luck?
"Focus on enjoying your meal. What's the use of worrying? It ruins the mood."
Lady Xu placed a large piece of meat in Master Yang's bowl.
"An old fool like you, worrying more than Magistrate Peng."
"Haha, right you are. As long as I’m here, Peaceful Sun Town will be safe."
Yang Dongxiong laughed freely.
If he were twenty years younger, he would have intervened.
But no longer.
Finding a handful of promising students in his hometown, nurturing them, was ample.
Much more, and he neither could nor wished to manage it.
After dinner and rinsing the mouth with tea, the servants brought a warm stove.
The fire burned brightly.
Red coals flickered, sending tiny sparks upwards, driving away winter’s chill.
The group gathered for conversation, often bursting into laughter as they shared stories from both sides.
As the night grew late, they grew drowsy, interest in talk waned.
Just before parting, Lady Xu had the servants bring clothing, distributing two sets along with a sachet to each.
Liang Qu accepted his share: two outfits, one in dark patterns, another light, both with formal long sleeves.
The sachet's scent was pleasing, carrying a subtle medicinal aroma, slightly sweet, mingled with a rich woody fragrance, neither cloying nor heavy.
Like dwelling in a sun-drenched cabin set deep within a lush forest.
"Yet another year gone by without noticing. The day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I've nothing fancy to gift, but while you're all here, as always, two outfits and a sachet per person!" exclaimed Lady Xu.
"Thank you, Mistress!" the group chorused in gratitude. (End of chapter)