Chapter 54: Who Gave You the Confidence?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Sir Mi’s cousin is Marquis Weiyuan’s wife. Sun Gongping is her son, and you are Sir Mi’s sworn brother,” Haitang said while twiddling her fingers.
Zhou Shu was speechless. She makes it sound so complicated.
Isn’t Mi Ziwen Sun Gongping’s uncle?
!!
Sun Gongpin’s ident.i.ty 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 couldn’t help laughing. He really wanted to see Sun Gongping’s expression when he heard this news.
“Haitang, do me a favor.” Zhou Shu chuckled.
“What favor?” Haitang asked doubtfully.
“Don’t tell Sun Gongping that Sir Mi is my big brother yet,” Zhou Shu said.
“Why?” Haitang subconsciously asked. But before Zhou Shu could reply, she continued, “Don’t worry. I won’t speak carelessly.”
She had received professional training. She would never say things she shouldn’t.
As the personal maid of the princess, she had heard countless secrets. If she hadn’t kept her mouth shut, she would have died long ago.
Half a day pa.s.sed when they finally arrived at the Divine Constable Bureau.
“I’m going in to handle some matters, so you don’t have to follow me. Go stroll around the city and come back in two hours,” Zhou Shu said to Haitang.
“I can’t—”
Haitang was just about to speak when Zhou Shu interrupted, “The grand minister asked you to serve me, so you must listen to me! Go!”
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, “Who dares to trespa.s.s into the Divine Constable Bureau!”
“I am Zhou Shu, the superintendent of a Forging Division workshop. I’ve come to look for Sun Gongping, Divine Constable Sun.” 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 Shu’s ident.i.ty.
Zhou Shu felt somewhat speechless as he watched this person disappear before his eyes.
Is the Divine Constable Bureau so casual?
Aren’t 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, “Old Zhou, why are you here?”
“To find you, of course,” Zhou Shu said.
“Looking for me? Could it be that you’ve already developed the weapon?” Sun Gongping said in surprise. “Let me see. What weapon is it?”
“How can it be so fast!” Zhou Shu said in annoyance. “I haven’t seen the customization fee yet!”
“Hehe!” Sun Gongping chuckled. “You can’t blame me for that. Old Ma hasn’t approved the money yet. I can’t possibly pay for it myself, right? Even I can’t bear to eat a meal at the Drunken Immortal Inn every day!”
“I’m not here for this,” Zhou Shu said.
He couldn’t be bothered to argue with Sun Gongping about this matter. Daily meals from the Drunken Immortal Inn had just been a pa.s.sing remark.
“Great Divine Constable Sun, I wish to meet your Divine Constable Bureau’s boss. Can you help me pull some strings?” Zhou Shu said seriously.
“You want to see Old Ma?” 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 Bureau’s 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.
“Yes!” Zhou Shu said.
“It’s not that easy to meet Old Ma.” Sun Gongping frowned.
Old Ma was a third-rank Grandmaster and a second-rank official. Although he didn’t put on airs, he was not someone that anyone could meet.
Although Zhou Shu was the superintendent of a Forging Division workshop, he wasn’t qualified to meet Ma Fengzhang under normal circ.u.mstances.
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.
“Just tell me if it’s possible. If not, I’ll think of another way,” Zhou Shu said.
“It’s not impossible, but you have to tell me first. Why do you want to see Old Ma?” Sun Gongping said. If he, Sun Gongping, wanted to make something work, nothing was impossible.
“I wish to discuss a collaboration with Commander Ma,” Zhou Shu said.
“Collaboration?”
“Yes, I can only tell you the details when I see Commander Ma. Don’t worry. This collaboration will only benefit the Divine Constable Bureau.”
“Old Zhou, what gave you the wrong impression?” Sun Gongping said.
“What makes you think that you can discuss a collaboration with Old Ma?
“Just because I asked you to develop a customized weapon?
“I’ll tell you the truth. Although standard weapons may be useful to the Divine Constable Bureau, they’re not that important.
“The Divine Constable Bureau’s main strength is ranked martial artists. What we need the most are also ranked weapons.
“If you can forge a ranked weapon, you are barely qualified to discuss a collaboration with Old Ma. Now…”
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.
“Whether we can collaborate or not is up to Commander Ma,” Zhou Shu said. “You just need to help me pull some strings. As for how to convince Commander Ma, that’s up to me.”
“Are you serious?” Sun Gongping asked with a deep voice.
“Your question is interesting. Did I walk dozens of kilometers to the Divine Constable Bureau just to joke with you?” Zhou Shu said.
“Can you give me a definite answer? It’s getting late. I still have to rush back to the Forging Division!”
“If you want to see Old Ma, no one else will be able to let you meet him,” Sun Gongping said. “But am I an ordinary person? Just wait and see!”
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 didn’t 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 wouldn’t be able to invite them.
“You want to see me?” Ma Fengzhang didn’t put on any airs. As soon as he saw Zhou Shu, he smiled. “Zhou Shu, Superintendent Zhou, I’ve long heard of your great name.”
“Commander Ma, you’ve heard of me?” Zhou Shu asked curiously.
“Of course,” Ma Fengzhang said with a smile. In the a.s.sa.s.sination list, the only genius he didn’t know was Zhou Shu, who had suddenly appeared on the list.
After obtaining the a.s.sa.s.sination list, Ma Fengzhang had specially investigated Zhou Shu. Naturally, he couldn’t find anything. Zhou Shu’s background was extremely clean. His three generations of ancestors were all Forging Apprentices of the Forging Division. He had a good background…
“I heard from Gongping that you want to discuss a collaboration with me. I wonder what kind of collaboration it is?” Ma Fengzhang asked with interest.
Zhou Shu glanced at Sun Gongping without saying anything.
Ma Fengzhang understood. “Gongping, go out for a while.”
“Me? Go out?” Sun Gongping couldn’t believe it. I’m being told to leave? What the h.e.l.l!
I’m the middleman!
“Go out.” Ma Fengzhang said gently but firmly.
Sun Gongping’s 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, “You can say it now. Here, you don’t have to worry about eavesdropping.”
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 didn’t 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 wasn’t strange that Ma Fengzhang couldn’t see through his cultivation.
“Do 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?” Ma Fengzhang said with a faint smile.
Zhou Shu nodded in his mind. As expected of the Divine Constable Bureau’s boss, he can see the problem with a single glance.
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.