"Which one is Elder Tie?" Xiao Man asked curiously.
Jin Xu led Xiao Man through the crowd, and after a moment, they arrived at a furnace. A portly胖子 was looking at a design drawing, and in front of him sat a crossbow. This crossbow was very familiar to Xiao Man, as she had one on her wrist! It was a new weapon developed by Mo Mo. She was indeed here!
"What an exquisite weapon!" Xiao Man reached out to take the crossbow on the table, only for the胖子 next to her to slap her hand. "Don't touch it carelessly."
"Elder Tie, this is my junior brother, a fourth-rank alchemist. He just arrived at the manor, and I'm showing him around the surroundings."
Elder Tie glanced at Xiao Man and continued to look at the blueprints in his hand. He didn't know what was going wrong; the crossbows he made always failed to achieve the desired effect. Where was the problem?
Seeing that Elder Tie ignored them, Jin Xu did not get angry and pulled Xiao Man to leave. However, Xiao Man remained still, her gaze fixed on the blueprints in Elder Tie's hand.
"Elder Tie, is this the weapon you designed? It's truly exquisite," Xiao Man praised. "I've never seen such an intricate weapon before. Elder Tie is indeed the chief of the Weapon Hall."
Elder Tie glanced at Xiao Man. "You can understand it?"
"This junior has a keen interest in artifact refining and has some experience. I'm a bit curious," Xiao Man said, using this opportunity to pick up the crossbow on the table and examine it carefully. "Hmm, there seems to be a problem."
"Where is the problem?" Elder Tie asked, confused.
Xiao Man pondered for a moment, then in a few swift movements, she dismantled the crossbow into parts and then reassembled it. Her speed was astonishing. Elder Tie didn't even see how she reassembled it, and the dismantled crossbow was already put back together.
Xiao Man looked at the crossbow in her hand and nodded with satisfaction. She raised the crossbow, aimed it at a nearby iron plate, and pressed the trigger. The three-foot-thick iron plate was pierced, and the bolt deeply embedded itself into the wall behind it!
"Such powerful might!" Xiao Man exclaimed in admiration. "Elder Tie, what is this weapon? How can it be so formidable?"
Elder Tie was also a little bewildered. He had obtained the blueprints and forged the weapon, but every time he assembled it, there were issues, preventing it from achieving the desired effect. Yet, this newcomer had managed to assemble it!
"Kid, what's your name?"
"Elder Tie, this is my junior brother, Lan Xiao. He's from our Alchemy Hall. Don't you dare have any ideas about her!" Jin Xu said, dragging Xiao Man away, completely disregarding Elder Tie, who was chasing after them.
"Senior brother, Elder Tie is so amazing! He can actually develop such a powerful weapon!"
"What's that? No matter how powerful the weapons they develop are, they can't compare to the life-saving elixirs we refine!" Jin Xu snorted. "This old fellow, he looked down on you at first, but now he wants to get close to you? Impossible."
Xiao Man chuckled softly, lowering her head.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at how cute you are, senior brother," Xiao Man said, reaching out to rub Jin Xu's head. "Senior brother, are you afraid that if Elder Tie takes me away, you won't have a junior brother anymore?"
Jin Xu slapped Xiao Man's hand away, his face flushing. "I'm not a child! Don't pat my head. Also, you're from our Alchemy Hall, don't be easily deceived by others, understand?"
"I will strictly follow my senior brother's instructions."
"From now on, go to the Forging Hall less."
"Alright, whatever senior brother says."
Seeing how obedient Xiao Man was, Jin Xu breathed a sigh of relief. "Besides, what's there to be proud of? That weapon wasn't designed by him."
Xiao Man's eyes flickered. "Senior brother, are there even more formidable blacksmiths than Elder Tie?"
"He's skilled in forging, but he can't design such an intricate weapon," Jin Xu scoffed. "Why are you asking so many questions? Do you really want to go to the Forging Hall?"
"I'm from the Alchemy Hall, so how could I go to the Forging Hall? I'm just curious. I really want to meet the person who designed such an exquisite weapon."
"Forget it. I've only heard that they've recruited a very skilled blacksmith, but I've only heard about it, never seen him!"
After half a month of staying at the Jin family, Xiao Man had already thoroughly familiarized herself with the manor's layout and the people around her. Jin Xu, in particular, treated Xiao Man as his junior brother and protected her everywhere.
"Junior brother, junior brother, there's a martial arts competition in the family today. Do you want to watch?" Jin Xu hopped in excitedly, his face full of enthusiasm. "It'll be lively."
"Martial arts competition?"
"Yes, the Heavenly Sword Sect sent an invitation to participate in the Gathering of Heroes. Everyone except the Second Young Master wants to go, but the spots are limited, so we're determining the participants through a martial arts competition."
"Gathering of Heroes?"
"Yes, the Gathering of Heroes of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Our Jin family always sends people to participate," Jin Xu said, dragging Xiao Man out. "The Second Young Master is the legitimate son, so he doesn't need to participate in the competition. He's already been decided. However, the young masters from the other branches have to compete. Let's go watch the show."
By the time Xiao Man and Jin Xu arrived, the competition had already begun.
"We're a little late, but at least not too late," Jin Xu said, pulling Xiao Man to squeeze to the front. "Look, on the stage are Jin Xuan from the second branch and Jin Lei from the sixth branch. Both are cultivators at the Golden Core stage. Junior brother, who do you think will win?"
Xiao Man's gaze swept over the two on the stage. "Jin Xuan."
"I think Jin Lei is more powerful. It's not certain that Jin Xuan will win."
"Jin Lei is too straightforward and inflexible. This Jin Xuan is more cunning," Xiao Man said slowly. "How is Jin Xuan's relationship with Jin Yao?"
Jin Xu pouted and looked towards Jin Yao, who was sitting in a viewing stand nearby. "They have a very good relationship."
"I see." Xiao Man's gaze shifted to Jin Yao. His cultivation had increased again. The last time she saw him, he was in the early Golden Core stage. How had he reached the mid-Golden Core stage in such a short time? Was his cultivation progressing too quickly?
"His cultivation is progressing quite rapidly," Xiao Man said slowly. "It seems he has excellent talent."
"His talent can only be considered average. To reach this level, he relies on his wife's use of various elixirs and unorthodox cultivation methods," Jin Xu said with disdain. "The one with true talent is the eldest young master."
"Eldest young master?" Xiao Man asked curiously. "Where does the eldest young master live? Why haven't I seen him?"
"The eldest young master... he..."
"Jin Xu!" someone nearby reprimanded, their face darkening. "Are you tired of living!"
"Senior brother, I was wrong," Jin Xu quickly apologized and tugged at Xiao Man's sleeve, signaling her to stop asking.
The man who spoke glanced at Xiao Man. "You're the new junior brother, aren't you? Some things are taboo in the Jin family. You've only been here for a short time, so you should be careful with your words. Try to speak less and do more, so as not to bring trouble upon yourself."
"Thank you for your guidance, senior brother."