About a quarter of an hour later, the middle-aged man finished tempering the molten tool. After quenching, he wiped the sweat off his face with a sweat towel, then turned around and asked, "What's the matter?"

Ruan Shu looked at his face.

In the light, he appeared valiant, with thick stubble covering the entire side of his face and chin. Heavy bags under his eyes perhaps indicated his fatigue, and his slightly sunken eye sockets made his nose and brow bone particularly prominent, giving his whole face an extraordinary three-dimensional appearance. His eyes were as deep as the moonless night sky.

"Great Venerable." Ruan Shu started to speak but was interrupted.

The man shook his head and said, "I'm just a blacksmith now. There's no need for such titles."

Ruan Shu paused, a touch of sentiment crossing his aged face, "Then allow me to address you as Mister." He simply couldn't call him a blacksmith. No matter what, he couldn't bestow the title of "blacksmith" on this great Artifact Refiner of Great Li.

"As you wish."

"Mr. Cheng, I came this time to ask about..." Ruan Shu paused, took a breath, then lowered his voice to ask, "Will the Demon-Suppressing Bell break?"

Chengming turned his head to look at Ruan Shu.

Most of his face was in shadow, flickering between light and dark. On the part of his face that was visible, there was a silent and profound weight, like an ancient tree.

This gave Ruan Shu a sense of burden. Just by this expression, he felt like he was questioning a Divine Being who could never be wrong.

Chengming said, "Specifically?"

Ruan Shu recounted the events on the Flying Ship. When he mentioned the "Demon Martial Hall," he specifically glanced at Chengming's expression, but saw no change, which calmed him down again.

"The Demon-Suppressing Bell reacted intensely, yet there were only ten Demon Cultivators?"

"Yes."

"Take out that bell and let me take a look."

Ruan Shu immediately took the Demon-Suppressing Bell out from the Qiankun Bag. The ancient yellow bell floated in the air, two feet above the ground.

Chengming gazed at the bell, his eyes flickering slightly. He reached out with his calloused hand, and as he touched the bell, some small luminous inscriptions appeared. Wherever his hand moved, the inscriptions emerged.

Then, the Demon-Suppressing Bell let out a mournful wail and fell heavily to the ground, becoming motionless.

"Mr. Cheng, what is this?" Ruan Shu was shocked.

Chengming said, "It's worn out."

"Worn out?"

"That it held on this long is considerable effort. Perhaps... just to see me one last time before it ceased to exist." Chengming patted the yellow bell, "Old fellow, it's time to rest."

"Why?" Ruan Shu was quite puzzled.

Chengming said, "It's very afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of demons."

Ruan Shu was stunned, "I don't understand."

Chengming said, "On that Flying Ship, there was a demon... cultivator who was very powerful. Powerful enough that just sensing it consumed almost all its spirituality."

"The Fatty Leader?"

Chengming sneered, "Is he worthy?"

"Not worthy." Ruan Shu forced a smile, "So, there was a terrifying presence on that Flying Ship. Can Mr. Cheng estimate its strength?"

Chengming shook his head, "Union, Mahayana, Transcend Tribulation... who knows."

"Mr. Cheng, you're joking, right?" Ruan Shu's face stiffened. Union was already terrifying enough, Mahayana and Transcend Tribulation? Just thinking about it left him breathless.

Chengming stood between shadow and light, his eyes deep and dark, "What do you think?"

Ruan Shu dared not believe, but he also didn't think Chengming would joke about such matters.

Ruan Shu smiled bitterly, "Mr. Cheng, this matter could become very complicated."

"It's none of my concern."

"But... isn't Mr. Cheng also a person of Great Li?"

"Yes, a person of Great Li. One who died three hundred years ago," Chengming's tone was ethereal.

Ruan Shu said, "Mr. Cheng, I am willing to believe in you."

"If you wish to go further, you'd better not associate with me."

"Sigh." Ruan Shu sighed, "The Demon Martial Hall is making a comeback, maybe the Fuxian Bureau will visit you."

"Visit? I think it's to interrogate me."

"..." Ruan Shu found it hard to stay any longer, "Mr. Cheng, I'm taking my leave."

He left with the now spiritless Demon-Suppressing Bell.

Chengming was about to continue blacksmithing.

At that moment, a boy's voice came from outside the shop, "Excuse me, is anyone there?"

Chengming turned to look, his gaze changing from calm to puzzled, then back to calm again.

He replied, "Yes."

"This is Fan Wubing, greetings to Master Li."

"Master Li..." Hearing this title, Chengming was momentarily dazed, then shook his head slightly and asked in confusion, "How do you know my surname is Li?"

Fan Wubing was immediately puzzled, huh? Why is he asking this? Isn't his surname Li? In the 'Heart's Desire' questline, there's a blacksmith surnamed Li, usually called Master Li.

He suddenly realized... No, no! I can't look at this matter with the mindset of doing quests in a game. This is the real world, where every person has their own story, and they are all living, breathing beings.

He realized his mistake, quickly adjusted, and switched from game thinking, then replied, "I've heard some old rumors."

Chengming looked at him, "I haven't been surnamed Li for a long time. Now it's Cheng."

"My mistake."

Chengming shook his head, "What do you want?"

Fan Wubing got straight to the point, hiding none of his true intentions, and said, "I wish to request the Dragon-Soothing Sound."

Chengming's brows immediately furrowed, and his entire attitude became very unfriendly, "Oh, are you so oblivious to the situation at such a young age! To start with 'Dragon-Soothing Sound.' Do you know, if you said those three words in Celestial Balance Upper City, the next moment you'd be surrounded by countless Fuxian Guards?!"

Fan Wubing straightened up, showing no fear, and replied with a smile, "This is not Celestial Balance Upper City, but the blacksmith's shop of Master Cheng. In the entire Great Li, only here can I naturally say the three words 'Dragon-Soothing Sound.'"

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