Chapter 392 - Blind He
Zhao Boan felt that he was really stupid.
His boss was actually Ai Hui!
Even though he lived in Jadeite Forest, he still knew who Ai Hui was. There was a period of time where the mirage bean pods of Ai Hui were spread around. Everyone knew about his history and achievements. Born as a laborer, got accepted into the Induction Ground as an exception, the key player in the Battle of Central Pine City, the current leader of Central Pine Faction.
After staying low for several years, he had risen once more.
Zhao Boan felt as if he was in a dream. In this era, those who had excellent reputations were powerful individuals, and those who could establish a faction were definitely heroes.
Even the almighty heir of the Duanmu Family in Jadeite Forest and disciple of Grandmaster Dai, Duanmu Huanghun, followed Ai Hui as well.
In Zhao Boan’s eyes, Duanmu Huanghun was definitely an extraordinary individual.
Zhao Boan could not help but cast a glance at his boss. That absurdly young face exhibited a calmness that surpassed his young age.
Zhao Boan could roughly understand the low-volume conversation between his boss and the robber leader. The robber leader was a student of Induction Ground in the past and his brigade of robbers had just illegally immigrated from Old Territory to Silver Mist Sea. His boss was from Old Territory and he naturally sympathized with these people from Old Territory. However, Zhao Boan also knew that this issue was unresolvable.
Gu Tianning had regained his composure. If not for the fact that his eyes were still slightly red, one definitely could not tell that this burly-looking man had just cried his eyes out.
When Gu Tianning’s clansmen heard that Ai Hui was also from Old Territory, the wariness in their eyes disappeared in an instant and became much more amiable.
Ai Hui followed Gu Tianning to the depths of the karst cave and arrived at an area where they spent their daily lives.
In the damp and gloomy karst cave, clansmen who were sitting in meditation were everywhere. When Gu Tianning walked in, all of them stood up. Most of them were still very young. They looked curiously at Ai Hui and his counterparts.
"The elderly clansmen don’t want to move, therefore, those who have come here are the youngsters in the clan. Even though it’s too late for them to train now, it’s still generally better than staying in Old Territory." Gu Tianning said with a low voice.
"Everyone is earth-attributed?"
Gu Tianning nodded his head and replied, "Basically, yes. We can’t go to Yellow Sand Corner. Even though Silver Mist Sea is metal-attributed, there is a Silver Mist River. Since we are staying in the mountain, the concentration of earth elemental energy here is rather strong and much better than Old Territory’s.
This place was indeed better than Old Territory. Ai Hui knew what it was like in Old Territory.
The concentration level of elemental energies in Old Territory was very low and the training efficiency there was so low that it raised one’s hackles. Not only was the concentration level of elemental energies in Old Territory very low, the materials and equipment available there were pathetically little.
When a person from Old Territory was selected to enter Induction Ground, he or she would stay in Avalon of Five Elements forever. There were extremely few elementalists that would return to Old Territory and build training halls to train the locals after they grew old.
Once an elementalist returned to Old Territory, not only would he be unable to train, it would be difficult for him to maintain his current base level as well.
Ai Hui was not surprised at all that people from Old Territory would illegally immigrate to this place. Compared to the poor and barren Old Territory, a piece of land that was abandoned by Elders Guild would still be considered rich and fertile.
Ai Hui could see that the youthful faces of Gu Tianning’s clansmen were brimming with hope.
Ai Hui suddenly thought of those laborers that had died in the labor camp and became silent. After a while, he raised his head and said, "Perhaps I can help all of you to raise the concentration level of earth elemental energy here."
A surprised look flashed across Gu Tianning’s eyes. Before he could say anything, his clansmen began to crowd around and break into a lively discussion with everybody talking at once.
"Really?"
"That’s good!"
"Our training efficiency can be increased now."
Gu Tianning quickly chased them to one side and said, "What are all of you doing here? Quickly disperse and start training."
Peace and silence returned to Ai Hui’s surroundings once more.
Gu Tianning could not help but ask, "Really?"
"It’s just an idea. However, I can’t promise you that it will work," Ai Hui smiled.
Gu Tianning rubbed his hands and said with excitement, "We can try first, what if it succeeds? What do you need us to do? We will fully cooperate with you!"
"I only have a rough idea so far. I need to go back and think about it in detail. I also need to prepare certain things. All of you stay here for the time being and don’t go out."
Without any hesitation, Gu Tianning replied, "Alright, I shall wait for your good news!"
Ai Hui brought Zhao Boan and Blind He with him and flew back to Crooked River City.
Along the way, Zhao Boan could not help but ask, "Boss, can you really raise the concentration level of elemental energy?"
He had never heard of the idea of increasing the concentration level of elemental energy in the surroundings. If this idea was possible, then wouldn’t anyone be able to train anywhere in this world?
"Yes," Ai Hui gave a simple one-word reply and did not say anything else.
When they reached the tavern, Qing Feng was already very impatient. "Did you really need so much time to deal with a bunch of robbers?"
He was extremely curious as he knew Ai Hui was strong. Even though it was due to the sharp decrease in his strength that allowed Ai Hui to dominate him like this, Ai Hui’s strength was still very powerful to begin with.
Ai Hui could not be bothered with Qing Feng. After he put down Zhao Boan and Blind He, he said to Zhao Boan, "Start from the beginning."
Zhao Boan quickly explained how he had made enquiries about weapon craftsmen, how he met Blind He and how they ended up in the hands of Gu Tianning and his counterparts. Ai Hui listened carefully as his gaze fell upon Blind He.
Throughout Zhao Boan’s narration of what had happened, Blind He remained silent.
Blind He looked completely different from Ai Hui’s impression of a weapon craftsman. Unlike the usual fat and burly weapon craftsmen, Blind He looked thin and weak, and his face was pale-white. His eyes had always been closed. He looked more like a delicate and frail scholar rather than a weapon craftsman.
"May I know Mr He’s full name?" Ai Hui asked politely.
Blind He, who was sitting on the floor, bowed slightly and introduced himself, "My full name is He Wei. Sir, are you the Lightning Blade, Ai Hui?"
Ai Hui returned the greetings and replied directly, "Yes, I am Ai Hui."
At this moment, Qing Feng jumped up in shock, "So you’re Ai Hui. I have heard of your name before. No wonder your swordsmanship is so powerful. You are definitely on par with that guy whose surname is Chu. It’s a pity that I didn’t make it in time for your porridge feast. Such a pity."
Due to the constant reporting of news through the message trees, everyone knew about Ai Hui’s feats in Central Pine City. He was considered an influential figure.
A man’s reputation would follow him throughout his entire life like his shadow. Qing Feng’s embarrassment disappeared in an instant. There was nothing embarrassing about getting defeated by Ai Hui. Then, when he thought of Ai Hui’s recent improvements, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. No wonder, no wonder….
Blind He regained his composure and replied, "Sir, if you need a weapon craftsman, why not allow me to offer my services to you."
His voice was calm and steady, sounding as if he was talking about something casual.
Upon hearing these words, Zhao Boan could not help but look at Blind He. Previously, he had talked until his jaws ached, and Blind He still wouldn’t agree to his request. Now, when he saw Blind He recommending himself to his boss, he was deeply moved by his boss’s reputation.
Ai Hui was slightly pleased with himself as an indistinct smile appeared on his face.
This life had been tough on him so far! It was finally the day for him to actually make some gains with his reputation!
Ai Hui could not help but ask, "May I know what’s the reason?"
"My parents died in the blood catastrophe," Blind He replied.
Ai Hui withdrew the smile on his face and said solemnly, "Understood. I heard that Mr He has forged one Heaven-grade weapon before?"
"Two to be exact," Blind He replied as if there was nothing unusual about it.
Zhao Boan and Qing Feng were shocked. As long as one could forge a Heaven-grade weapon, he or she would be qualified for the title of "weaponsmith". "Weapon craftsman" might differ from "weaponsmith" by one word, but the difference between their statuses was immensely huge.
There was a lot of luck involved in forging a Heaven-grade weapon. Most weaponsmiths could only forge one Heaven-grade weapon in their lifetime.
Most of the weaponsmiths had been hired by various powerful aristocratic families. Only an aristocratic family could provide ample precious resources for a weaponsmith to practise his forging skills constantly. Only with the right conditions and amount of resources could a weaponsmith then improve and become a master weaponsmith.
For someone who had forged two Heaven-grade weapons, his strength definitely surpassed any ordinary weaponsmiths’.
Ai Hui was very surprised and happy. Initially, he thought it would be good enough if he could hire a weaponsmith. However, he’d managed to encounter an outstanding weaponsmith in the end. Even though he was very happy, he still warned Blind He, "We will be heading toward the Wilderness and it will be very dangerous and arduous on the way there. Mr He might want to think over this issue properly."
"I can agree now so as to save time," Blind He replied calmly. "However, my price will not be cheap. I want one thousand Heaven Merit Points for my yearly salary. Sir, you should think over this properly before hiring me. I also have another request. That is, you, Sir, and other people shall not interfere with my work."
Ai Hui, who had always been a miser, was unusually decisive this time around. He replied, "I have no problem giving you a yearly salary of one thousand Heaven Merit Points. As for the issue of interfering with your work, we will definitely not do that. However, if an emergency arises, then we may have no choice but to do that."
"Sir, don’t worry. When an emergency arises, overall interests naturally come first." Blind He agreed.
Upon hearing that, Ai Hui replied, "We have come to an agreement then. Right now, I need Mr He to forge something for me."
"I wonder what it is?" Blind He asked.
"Its design is rather complicated, I really don’t know how to describe it," Ai Hui felt slightly embarrassed.
"No problem, Boss can just draw a blueprint for me," Blind He replied plainly. His way of addressing Ai Hui had changed automatically.
Ai Hui knew Blind He must have some unique methods, hence, he began to draw the blueprint. To everyone’s surprise, he drew a pillar with numerous exquisite decorative patterns on it. Every decorative pattern was uniquely drawn by Ai Hui.
"You can just place the blueprint in front of me."
Ai Hui quickly placed the completed blueprint in front of Blind He.
Facing the blueprint, Blind He reached out his right hand and spread out his palm.
Suddenly, the center of his palm lit up with a silvery glow, which extended and became a silvery glowing line. The line opened up and revealed a silver-colored eye. Then, the eye shot out a faint white light that engulfed the blueprint in front of him. Immediately, the blueprint projected a hologram into the white light. It was a hologram of the pillar drawn on the blueprint. The hologram of the pillar was spinning slowly and one could observe it from all angles.
This method stunned everyone, including Ai Hui. Previously, he was thinking, ‘How could Blind He look at the blueprint if he was blind?’
"Understood."
Blind He’s indifferent voice pull everyone back to their senses. The faint white light disappeared as the silver-colored eye in the centre of his palm slowly closed. The drawing of the pillar on the the blueprint had disappeared, leaving a piece of blank paper again.
Blind He continued, "The materials needed for this pillar are rather easy to find. How many pillars does Boss need?"
Ai Hui returned to his senses and replied, "Twenty."
"I can complete them by sunset tomorrow," Blind He replied.
Ai Hui almost thought he’d heard Blind He wrongly. Naturally, the rest did not know what this pillar was. However, Ai Hui knew clearly what it was. This pillar followed the original design of the gold needles used for [Treating The City As A Piece Of Cloth] in Central Pine City three years ago. However, the pillar was a simplified version of the gold needles. Even though it was a simplified version, Ai Hui still made some modifications to its design. The decorative patterns on the pillar were extremely exquisite and complicated-looking.
Complete twenty pillars by sunset tomorrow?
Ai Hui absolutely could not believe what he heard until he saw Blind He’s smithing process with his own eyes.