"Mr. Orion, are you okay? Did something happen?" Luo Fengwei inquired with evident concern.
"Me? I am fine. What about you guys? What happened? Why are you all here?" Orion responded, a hint of confusion in its voice, wondering about the unexpected situation.
Luo Fengwei began to recount the events, describing how he had been immersed in his work at home when he suddenly sensed a tremendous Qi pressure emanating from the workshop, specifically from the room where Orion was working. Concerned about the potential dangers of an inscription failure that could lead to weapon explosions or the possibility of Orion experiencing a Qi deviation, Luo Fengwei hurriedly made his way to the workshop. Acting with swift decisiveness, he instructed all his disciples to evacuate, forcefully propelling those who moved slowly out of the workshop. Luo Fengwei promptly exited the workshop and positioned himself in front, acting as a protective barrier for his disciples who stood behind him, maintaining a safe distance from the workshop.
"Master, what is happening? Did something happen to Mr. Orion? Such a big Qi fluctuation, and it's giving so much pressure," one of Luo Fengwei's disciples inquired.
"I don't know what's happening, but it's dangerous, so stay behind me!" Luo Fengwei ordered.
His instincts were on high alert, a feeling akin to impending doom. Having faced numerous life-and-death situations, Luo Fengwei's intuition screamed danger. He hastily retrieved a large shield from his storage ring and activated it, creating an energy barrier that covered him and his disciples.
"Uwwoooooggghhhhh......" Luo Fengwei groaned, pouring a vast amount of Qi from his dantian into the shield.
Suddenly, from inside the workshop, many crescent-shaped cyan lights flew out. One of them struck the energy barrier, creating a significant crack, and the entire barrier dimmed momentarily. However, it slowly mended and regained its brightness. The crescent-shaped cyan lights ceased, and the Qi fluctuations gradually calmed and disappeared.
A bead of sweat rolled down Luo Fengwei's face. "What in the hell were those cyan lights? One of them almost broke through the energy barrier of my Grade-4 defense artifact! Fortunately, only one was heading towards us, and most of them flew in the distance."
Still on high alert, Luo Fengwei prepared to use defense talismans to reinforce their defense, in case more of those lights appeared. Although he could easily dodge them, he was concerned for the safety of the disciples behind him.
As the Qi fluctuations subsided and the dangerous lights vanished, Luo Fengwei and his disciples remained tense. Then, they heard footsteps from inside the workshop, and a figure emerged seemingly unaware of the chaos.
***
After listening to Luo Fengwei's account, Orion internally acknowledged, Crap, I messed up. Orion never thought that the cyan light flying out of the slash would be so destructive.
"Um... everyone, I am very sorry; it seems that it's all my fault," Orion said, bowing towards Luo Fengwei and his disciples.
While Orion was bowing, a creaking sound followed by a crash echoed through the workshop. Half of the structure collapsed.
Orion turned back to inspect the wreckage and once again bowed apologetically. "Once again, I am really sorry, everyone."
"Well, it's okay, Mr. Orion; everyone is okay, and nobody is hurt. But what exactly happened, Mr. Orion? What is that cyan light?" Luo Fengwei dispelled the energy barrier and stored back the shield.
"It's like this..." Orion explained how it had finished inscribing the sword and testing it. Who would know that it would cause so much trouble?
"What? It's because of the sword? Is that true, Mr. Orion?" Luo Fengwei was surprised because the sword is a grade-4 weapon, but somehow the attack previously felt almost like it was coming from a grade-5 weapon, not grade-5 but almost.
"Can I see the sword?" Luo Fengwei asked.
"Sure, here you go." Orion retrieved the sword from the storage ring and handed it to Luo Fengwei.
"Whoa... what kind of inscription is this?" Luo Fengwei scrutinized the sword closely, his disciples also surrounding him marveling and commenting about the sword.
Looking at his disciples with sparkling eyes that clearly showed they also wanted to touch and observe the sword closely, Luo Fengwei immediately shouted at them.
"What are you doing surrounding me like this? If you have free time, then immediately clean up and fix the workshop. Go quickly to work." Luo Fengwei kicked one of his disciples.
The disciples wanted to look at the sword more but were scared of their master. They immediately moved to the workshop to clean the rubble and repair it.
"I have caused so much trouble. I am willing to compensate for the damage, and I will help repair your workshop, Mr. Luo," Orion offered.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Hehe, what are you talking about, Mr. Orion? It's just a trivial matter; you don't need to think much about it. Just let my disciples do it. More importantly, why don't we go to my house and have some tea and some talks? I would like to talk about the inscription used in this sword; it's like I've never seen before," Luo Fengwei suggested.
Orion and Luo Fengwei now moved to the house in the back of the workshop. Meanwhile, the disciples were busy cleaning the rubble and starting the repair work. Orion and Luo Fengwei sat at the table; Orion declined Luo Fengwei's offer for tea, and the sword was on the table.
"Mr. Orion, what kind of inscription is this? It uses the basic patterns and script for inscription, but I've never seen it used this way." Luo Fengwei inquired.
"It's the same inscription system you used, but I improved it greatly and created a completely new kind of inscription system. Although I can't teach you about this inscription system, I can give you some pointers to improve your current inscription," Orion offered.
"Really? Thank you very much, Mr. Orion. I will never forget your kindness," Luo Fengwei expressed his gratitude.
Orion then gave some pointers to Luo Fengwei. Luo Fengwei was rather surprised when he heard that Orion had developed a new kind of inscription system. Just what kind of genius is Orion? He felt a bit sad because Orion wouldn't teach about it, but he was still happy because Orion was willing to give some pointers to improve his inscription skill.
Orion left during the sunset, and the workshop had been swiftly repaired. As expected of cultivators, they worked fast. The heavy wood and materials were no problem and easily carried away; they didn't easily get tired.
When Orion reached the market area, it detected Liu Jian's familiar radio signal nearby. Then, Orion bumped into Liu Jian, who seemed to be wandering all over the market, looking for a gift for his junior sister. He wasn't sure what gift he should buy, so he spent a lot of time wandering around the market and visiting many shops but still bought nothing.
"It seems that you really care about your junior sister, Young Master Liu. She seems rather special to you," Orion teased Liu Jian as they walked.
"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Orion. When I was still recuperating, my junior sister took good care of me. So, I want to say my thanks properly. She has already returned to the sect, and when I return, I plan to give her a gift — the dagger made by Mr. Luo and maybe another gift. But I don't know what I should give her," Liu Jian explained.
"Oh...? Is there really nothing going on between you two?" Orion continued to tease Liu Jian.
"Of course," Liu Jian responded firmly.
"Is that so? Then why is your face so red?" Orion asked.
"Uh... the weather is rather hot today, so..." Liu Jian nervously waved his hands, his face getting redder.
They continued their walk towards the Liu family estate. Suddenly, from the front, a female figure appeared. She wore a beautiful dress, carried a small silk umbrella, and her long black hair swayed in the wind. The bottom part of her face was covered by a silk veil, revealing only her eyes, but it was evident that she must be very pretty. She headed towards Orion and Liu Jian, stopping in front of them, blocking their way.
Hua Meiying? Orion thought internally, easily recognizing the radio signal emitted by her.
"Greetings, Young Master Liu," Hua Meiying said as she folded her umbrella and gave a courteous bow.
Onlookers in the streets were immediately captivated by her beauty, and her veil added an air of mystery, making her even more appealing. They watched her with wide eyes and agape mouths, thinking, Whoa... what a beauty.
"Oh, so it's Miss Hua. Greetings, Miss Hua. Are you out for a stroll or shopping?" Liu Jian returned the greeting with a bow.
"I am just out to take some fresh air. How about you, Young Master Liu?" Hua Meiying inquired.
"Um... I also want to relax my legs and decided to take a stroll," Liu Jian replied.
"Is that so? I thought I heard you mentioning about looking for some gift for some girl. Your girlfriend, perhaps?" Hua Meiying teased.
"Ah... you heard about that? Miss Hua, please don't joke around. I am just trying to find some gift for my junior sister, not my girlfriend," Liu Jian clarified.
"I am sorry; I didn't intend to eavesdrop, but I just happened to hear it. Also, do you mean she is not your girlfriend or not yet your girlfriend?" Hua Meiying inquired with a playful smile, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.
"She is just my junior sister, okay? Please stop joking around," Liu Jian said.
"Young Master Liu, why is your face becoming so red?" Hua Meiying chuckled, covering her mouth with her right hand.
"This is... this is nothing..." Liu Jian stammered.
"And this gentleman must be Mr. Orion. Greeting, Mr. Orion," Hua Meiying greeted and bowed, finally addressing Orion, who had been quietly observing from the sideline the entire time.
"You know me?" Orion asked flatly. From Orion's memory, there was no previous interaction with her.
Hua Meiying gave a small chuckle. "Of course, I know about you. How can I not remember someone who described my performance as 'so-so'?" She smiled towards Orion.
Did she hear about that? Her hearing must be sharp, Orion thought internally.
"Please forgive me, Miss Hua. I didn't mean to disrespect or mock you," Orion apologized.
"It's fine. Everyone is free to give their judgment to my performances. Everyone has different tastes and different criteria for judging art, performance, entertainment, and the like," Hua Meiying explained as she walked closer in front of Orion.
"If Mr. Orion wants, then I can give you a private performance, just the two of us. How about it?" Hua Meiying asked, her index finger gently caressing Orion's metallic chest in a soft, seductive voice.
A gulping sound could be heard from Liu Jian as he watched with widened eyes, his mind already going wild.
"Ara~, Young Master Liu, what are you thinking about?" Hua Meiying smiled playfully.
"Nothing... nothing..." Liu Jian waved both of his arms.
"I thank Miss Hua for your invitation, but I must decline it," Orion firmly stated.
"Are you sure, Mr. Orion?" Hua Meiying winked, and her index finger continued to gently caress Orion's hard metallic chest.
The onlookers couldn't believe what they were witnessing—a private performance offer from such a beautiful girl. Their minds began to race with wild thoughts.
"If I am not enough, then~... how about I invite some of my friends? And we can have fun together?" Hua Meiying whispered seductively.
Tag...tag team?! The onlookers screamed internally.
However, the lively atmosphere didn't last long as a group of people approached Orion's group. Leading the group was Chen Rongwei, the second young master of the Chen family, a prominent family similar to the Liu family. He was a rather good-looking young man donned in luxurious attire. Behind him, several young men from smaller families followed suit, dressed rather lavishly. They were Chen Rongwei's devoted followers, eager to curry favor and become his lackeys. Chen Rongwei, known widely in Yanjing city as a playboy, had a reputation for ensnaring many young girls with his charming facade. The surrounding people quickly opened a path, creating distance to avoid offending Chen Rongwei and preferring to stay as far away as possible.