Cheng Shuili cast her gaze toward the passage. At the end of it lay a circular stone chamber, and on a stone pedestal in the center rested a completely pitch-black long blade.
Lion Nian suddenly became solemn. She knelt on one knee at the entrance of the chamber, used her claw to cut her own palm, and let the fresh blood drip into a stone groove in front of the door.
The blood flowed along the groove, instantly illuminating the runes across the entire stone chamber, and a ghostly blue light began to pulse along the walls.
This eerie act of self-mutilation and the magical blue glow cast a layer of mystery over the space, though Cheng Shuili's focus was entirely on the wound on Lion Nian's palm.
It was covered in fur, and there wasn't even a trace of damage. This girl... she put on such a pious act, she was quite the actress.
However, Cheng Shuili did not call her out. Playing god and ghost was fine, as long as she didn't use such theatrics to drive up the price.
Perhaps this was simply part of her artistic flair.
"This blade is called Night Hunt," Lion Nian said, seemingly unaware of what had just transpired. Her voice was low and reverent, her mane shimmering slightly in the blue light. "It was forged from the spine of a three-hundred-year-old shadow leopard."
She turned to glance at the expressionless Cheng Shuili, as if feeling defiant, and added, "You might not know what a shadow leopard is, but in our culture, its status is the same as the dragon in yours."
Cheng Shuili had been somewhat curious, though she hadn't shown it.
Upon hearing this, she truly couldn't help it, her lips curling into a soft chuckle.
Dragons were mythical creatures that didn't exist, so if that was the case... where on earth did this girl get a shadow leopard's spine?
Cheng Shuili did not jump to conclusions. Instead, she raised her hand, intending to touch the long blade.
She needed to see the item details, after all.
This shopkeeper had no bottom line when it came to bragging; for all she knew, the girl might actually dare to ask for hundreds of thousands of game coins later.
How could she allow that?
Just as Cheng Shuili's hand was about to brush the hilt, the blade suddenly let out a faint "hum." Fine, silver veins emerged on its pitch-black surface, resembling a galaxy in the night sky.
This...
Cheng Shuili was genuinely shocked this time. She didn't pull back; instead, she immediately gripped the long blade.
The patterns became even more distinct, as if a superweapon had been activated.
At first, Cheng Shuili thought this was another one of Lion Nian's tricks, but as her fingertips brushed across the blade and truly felt the texture of those veins, she finally believed that the great blacksmith before her had created something authentic.
Lion Nian keenly sensed the change in Cheng Shuili's expression. She raised an eyebrow slightly, her annoyance at this human touching the weapon without permission diminishing significantly.
She never hated humans with an eye for aesthetics.
Meanwhile, Cheng Shuili had taken this perfect opportunity to check the detailed description of the weapon.
【Legendary Long Blade Night Hunt】
【Description: Crafted with the spine of a shadow leopard as its core and moon silver sand as its edge, this divine weapon embodies the life's work of the blacksmith and is the peak of her craft that she can never surpass! Perhaps due to inheriting the blacksmith's temperament, it differs from other legendary divine weapons; buying it is merely the threshold to conquering it. To use it, you must gain its recognition. Once recognized, the added attribute points take effect permanently!】
【Current Attribute Point Bonus: 0 (Up to fifteen points for each of the three attributes!)】
Fifteen points?!!
And fifteen points for each of the three attributes—that was a massive bonus.
Plus, it really was made from the bones of a shadow leopard.
Cheng Shuili looked up, her gaze toward this great blacksmith now filled with genuine respect.
Although Lion Nian didn't know what had happened, being looked at like that by a human gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Cheng Shuili couldn't bear to put the long blade down. She gently brushed her hand over the cold blade of Night Hunt and said softly, "I really like this weapon. I want to buy it."
Without waiting for Lion Nian to respond, she added, "We are both doing business here; there shouldn't be anything in your shop that isn't for sale, right?"
Lion Nian remained unmoved. "The one in your hand isn't 'not for sale,' but I don't sell to ordinary people. I said from the beginning that I only brought you here to see a true divine weapon."
Her voice carried a hint of smugness; she was clearly extremely proud.
Cheng Shuili chuckled. No matter what this girl said, from the moment she saw this long blade, she knew it had to be hers.
"Name your price, Miss Lion."
Cheng Shuili used the tone she once hated most—the confident, wealthy customer. "Thirty thousand game coins is too little; it doesn't do this blade justice. Seventy thousand, or perhaps a hundred thousand?"
The more she spoke, the brighter Lion Nian's eyes became, as if the beastman who claimed not to sell to ordinary people just a moment ago wasn't her at all.
Lion Nian swallowed hard. This shop had just opened, and she had spent a fortune on it.
Furthermore, she hadn't made a single sale so far, and she had even lost a dagger, which was adding insult to injury for her already impoverished life.
But now, by selling just one piece, she could get one hundred thousand game coins!
That was one hundred thousand game coins!!!
And the fact that this human was willing to offer one hundred thousand for the blade spoke for itself, didn't it?
This human was definitely someone who knew quality when she saw it!
Art? Principles? Stick-to-itiveness...
As long as she sold this piece, she wouldn't have to worry about food or drink for the next two years!
She was on the verge of starvation, her material foundation crumbling; she could no longer afford to consider the spiritual side of things.
Exactly.
She made a difficult decision and was just about to agree to the transaction when a boorish voice suddenly came from outside.
"Boss! Where are you?!"
Lion Nian's expression turned incredibly ugly. She cursed under her breath and, extremely impatient, pushed aside the curtain to go out.
Su Rui didn't catch what she said and looked at Cheng Shuili with a confused expression.
Cheng Shuili, however, felt a spark of interest and followed Lion Nian outside.
Because what Lion Nian had just cursed was, "Those wolf cubs are here again."
Wolf cubs.
Cheng Shuili had always been good at catching the important details.
The moment she pushed aside the curtain, she saw three gray wolf beastmen swaggering into the shop.
They were wearing uniform black outfits with copper badges engraved with the city emblem hanging from their waists, but tied around their tails were the comical red armbands commonly worn by human city inspectors.
"Boss Lion, have you obtained your business license yet?" the leader of the wolf beastmen tapped the counter with his claw, a toothpick dangling between his fangs. "How many days has it been since you opened? We don't allow shops to operate here without a business license."
Cheng Shuili noticed the fur on Lion Nian's tail seemed to stand on end. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
What the wolf said had a grain of truth, so Cheng Shuili didn't speak out rashly, and the gray wolf beastman hadn't noticed her yet.
"Captain Lang San," Lion Nian forced the words through gritted teeth, "I remember explaining this several times already. I submitted my application the week before last."
Hearing this, Cheng Shuili understood the situation. There were lowlifes everywhere, and the wolf race was certainly no exception.
"Is that so?" The beastman known as Lang San feigned interest as he flipped through a register, then suddenly slammed the book shut with his claw. "But it's not in the system!"
The two young wolves behind him immediately chimed in with mocking laughter, and one of them deliberately knocked over a weapon rack, sending a dozen short swords clattering to the floor.
Cheng Shuili watched coldly from the sidelines.
The uniforms of these three wolves were far too new; there wasn't a speck of dirt on them, which was a clear sign they didn't wear them often.
"How about this," Lang San suddenly leaned in close to Lion Nian, lowering his voice. "Pay a thirty-thousand game coin late fee, and I'll handle an express application for you..."
Thirty thousand?
He certainly had some nerve.
Cheng Shuili shook her head internally. Although she didn't know the financial state of Lion Nian's shop, judging by her reaction to the one hundred thousand game coins, she likely couldn't afford this thirty thousand.
Lion Nian's reaction confirmed Cheng Shuili's suspicions.
"Bullshit!"
Lion Nian finally exploded, slamming her palm onto the counter so hard that five claw marks instantly dented the steel surface. "Tiger Cheng told me yesterday that my application was already approved! Now you're saying I have to pay up, is that it?"
Lang San was startled by the sudden roar and took two steps back, the armband on his tail fluffing up.
But he quickly puffed out his chest again, pointing at the wall with feigned intimidation. "What about the fire safety inspection? Your crappy shop doesn't even have a fire extinguisher!"
"A fire extinguisher?"
Lion Nian laughed in fury. She suddenly turned around and grabbed a glowing-red iron hammer from the furnace. "I'm the best fire extinguisher you've got!"
With that, she swung the hammer down onto the floor. Sparks flew everywhere, and spiderweb-like cracks immediately appeared in the stone tiles.
The three wolves jumped back in unison.
Cheng Shuili noticed that while they were trying to act tough, their ears were pressed tight against the backs of their heads—an instinctual sign of fear in canines.
"Y-you're violently resisting law enforcement!"
Lang San's voice turned shrill. "According to the 'City Management Regulations', Section..."
"Section your head!" Lion Nian swung the hammer in a beautiful arc. "The wolf cub who stole my dagger last time was your cousin, right? Let's settle the old and new debts together today!"
Cousin?
So, the whole lot of them were no good.
Cheng Shuili was in no rush to reveal herself. If they were going to be wolves like this, they deserved a taste of their own medicine.
Lion Nian's hammer traced a graceful arc through the air, but just as it was about to hit Lang San's nose, it swerved and slammed into the tiles at his feet with a thunderous "clang."
Although she hadn't touched a hair on Lang San's head, it was enough to scare the living daylights out of him. Amidst the flying stone shards, Lang San's tail exploded into the shape of a feather duster.
"Stop her!"
The two lackey wolves lunged at the same time, only to be kicked away by Lion Nian in a single spinning kick.
One of them collided with a weapon rack, causing dozens of blades to cascade down, scaring him into scrambling away with his head in his hands.
The other was even more pathetic, plunging straight into the water quenching pool, sending water splashing everywhere.
It was too painful to watch; truly too painful.
Lang San was trembling with rage at Lion Nian's display. He stumbled toward the door, the red armband on his tail slipping to the side.
Rate on N.U.
