Even though Mo Zhai’s mace wasn’t sharp, a blunt weapon hitting you through armor can do some serious damage. Its power was clear for all the Huo Family Army soldiers to see. Watching Tieshi, who was like a brother to them, about to have his skull smashed open by that mace, many of them closed their eyes.
But not one person stepped in to help.
Because this was a duel between men, staking their very lives. If a third party interfered, even if Tieshi survived, he would never be able to hold his head high again.
Everyone’s hearts were in their throats. Some of the more tender-hearted ones had tears welling up in their eyes.
Led by Xin Zhui, Jiang Xingyan rushed all the way to the Military Innovation Camp. As she lifted the tent flap, she saw a blur of motion as the mace came down towards Tieshi’s head.
It was clear that if no one stopped it, Tieshi would die today. Just as Jiang Xingyan was about to shout out, Yun Chunfeng, who was behind her, gently tugged at her sleeve.
Clang!
In the split second that Jiang Xingyan was distracted, the mace in Mo Zhai’s hand stopped less than half an inch from Tieshi’s forehead.
For a moment, the air itself felt thin. When everyone finally snapped out of it, they all gasped in unison.
Mo Zhai had already withdrawn his mace and was bowing to Jiang Xingyan.
“You must be the legendary General Huo, right? My respects, my respects.”
He was tall and sturdy. Even though he wore a loose-fitting short shirt and trousers, you could still make out the solid lines of his arms. He looked like a blacksmith who spent his days swinging a hammer.
He spoke with a thick Guandong accent, which caught Jiang Xingyan off guard for a moment. She almost forgot to return the bow.
“Greetings. May I ask the strong man’s name?”
Clunk!
He casually placed his mace on the table.
“I heard the general will be going to war against Northern Luo soon, so I specially brought these little trinkets over. Thought they might come in handy.”
Jiang Xingyan turned to look. There, neatly arranged on the tall rosewood desk, was a row of weapons she had never seen before.
Before Mo Zhai could introduce them one by one, a furious roar erupted from beside her:
“Why didn’t you just kill me?!”
She turned her head. Tieshi’s eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched, as he glared at Mo Zhai as if he had just suffered a tremendous insult.
Jiang Xingyan frowned. “Tieshi, don’t be rude!”
Mo Zhai waved a hand. “You, shut up.”
Jiang Xingyan: ?
This made Tieshi even angrier. “How dare you! How dare you disrespect the general!”
Mo Zhai stared at Tieshi for a few moments, then sighed. “You’re a bit better than your slow, clumsy master. But only a bit.”
As soon as he said this, the whole tent was stunned.
Tieshi trembled with rage. He grabbed a broken piece of his lance and was about to lunge at Mo Zhai.
“A man would rather die than be humiliated! I admit I lost because I’m not as skilled as you. But you have no right to talk about my master!”
Mo Zhai gave him a calm look, completely unruffled. “So what? He’s my apprentice. Why can’t I talk about him?”
Everyone: ?!
Jiang Xingyan was displeased. “Strong man, even if Tieshi can’t match you, you shouldn’t humiliate him like this, right? You don’t look much older than him. How could you possibly be his master’s master? Don’t joke like that.”
Jiang Xingyan didn’t dare say the word “grandmaster.” She was genuinely afraid it might send Tieshi into shock.
The Huo Family Army soldiers were all indignant, glaring at Mo Zhai with unfriendly eyes. Being good was one thing, but taking advantage of someone like this was too much! Claiming to be a grandmaster was way too arrogant! His master had to be at least forty!
Only Yun Chunfeng had a slight smile on his lips.
Mo Zhai looked perfectly at ease. “What’s the problem? Why would I insult him? I am his grandmaster.”
Everyone’s hearts tightened: There it is! He said the word! He actually said it!
Tieshi exploded. “You little… I’ll kill you!”
He held the two forearm-length broken lance pieces like Emei daggers and stabbed viciously at Mo Zhai. Mo Zhai grabbed the broken pieces with his big hands. His thick calluses protected his palms; he wasn’t hurt at all. Tieshi tried to yank them back, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
He let go of the weapons, wanting to fight hand-to-hand. But as soon as he threw a punch, Mo Zhai firmly grabbed both his wrists. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t break free.
“Let go of me!”
Everyone watched, dumbfounded, as Mo Zhai lifted Tieshi aside like a little chick. Only then did he begin to speak in his deep, rumbling voice.
“My surname is Mo, given name Zhai. I’m a descendant, many generations removed, of the Mo family school of thought. I used to just make things in the deep mountains of Guandong. Then one day, some passerby named Tie Hao insisted on becoming my apprentice. But that guy was way too stubborn. He couldn’t grasp the true essence of our Mo family’s skills. So I just taught him some basic stuff and kicked him out of the mountains.”
Tieshi was dumbfounded.
Tie Hao was indeed his master. He was an orphan. His master found him, gave him his name, and taught him the art of weapon forging. In the seventh year of Yonghe, his master brought him, at thirteen years old, to join the Huo Family Army. Over eight years, relying on his exceptional skill in improving weapons, he had become the commandant of the Military Innovation Camp.
When his master felt there was nothing left to teach him, he left a letter and disappeared one night.
“To my beloved apprentice: This master’s skills are insufficient. I am going to find my own master to further my studies. You focus on your work under General Huo. Once I have achieved mastery, I will return to teach you.”
Jiang Xingyan rubbed her chin thoughtfully and asked, “Strong man Mo, how old were you when you took on that apprentice?”
Mo Zhai answered bluntly, “Ten.”
Amidst the stifled laughter of the brothers in the camp, Tieshi’s face turned crimson. He mumbled a shout, “Who knows if what you’re saying is true or not? Hmph!”
Then he turned and ran off, causing the soldiers to burst into loud laughter.
“Alright, everyone disperse.”
Jiang Xingyan suppressed a smile and shooed away all the unrelated personnel.
“Strong man Mo, would you mind giving me an introduction?”
Compared to Tieshi’s master-apprentice drama, she was more interested in knowing how to use these new weapons.
Mo Zhai still looked simple and honest, completely unaffected by what had just happened around him.
“Sure.”
He picked up the mace he had used against Tieshi. “This is called the Mo Mace, an improvement on the Soaring Dragon Mace. It’s light, sturdy. One hit from this, no matter how thick the armor, guarantees the one inside is either dead or badly wounded.”
Jiang Xingyan’s eyes lit up.
Wasn’t this exactly what she needed?
“This is a repeating crossbow.”
“That Commandant Iron also forged one once, but it couldn’t pierce the Iron Pagoda armor.”
Mo Zhai shook his head repeatedly. “His one, of course, wouldn’t work.”
He grabbed the repeating crossbow from the table with his right hand, aimed at the standard targets set up in the camp, and pulled the lever with his left hand.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three bolts shot out in quick succession, instantly piercing through the first target. The force was so great they didn’t stop until they were embedded in the third target.
Not only was it powerful, but it also came with a bolt magazine that could hold thirty arrows at once. Loading it was simple too: just take a pre-bundled pack and shove it in.
Jiang Xingyan was amazed. A grandmaster is a grandmaster, after all!
Mo Zhai introduced each of the weapons he had brought, every single one ingeniously designed. Jiang Xingyan was overjoyed, feeling like her chances of victory had just increased by a good margin.
“Let the boy take these apart. Then he’ll understand the key mechanisms.”
Jiang Xingyan sensed a note of farewell in Mo Zhai’s words and quickly asked, “Why doesn’t the strong man stay in the camp for a few more days? Let me, Huo, be a proper host.”
A strange look flashed across Mo Zhai’s face for a moment, a hint of sadness barely noticeable beneath the surface.
“I have things to do. From now on, I’ll trouble General Huo to look after that boy. Tell him not to foolishly wait for Tie Hao to come back. He should marry when it’s time to marry, have children when it’s time to have children. Whatever woman he fancies, whatever he wants to do, his master and his grandmaster both approve.”
After saying this, Mo Zhai turned and left.
Jiang Xingyan didn’t try to stop him.
“Yun Ge’er, the commandant’s master, he—”
“Mm.”
“How could that be?”
“Incurably ill.”
