Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 144 The Complete Ding'an

"The White-Clad Sword God?"

Lu Xiaofeng murmured, "I had actually forgotten about this martial arts legend."

Huo Xiu said, "The White-Clad Sword God appeared like a meteor across the sky, and mysteriously disappeared within a year. It's understandable that you didn't expect him."

Lu Xiaofeng downed the rest of the wine in his cup in one gulp, his eyes gleaming as he said, "But the story of the 'Kunlun Sword Tournament' has been passed down for a hundred years. Who in the martial arts world hasn't heard of this story?"

“But a story is just a story,” Horthy chuckled. “Isn’t that right?”

Lu Xiaofeng nodded, and after a moment of silence, asked, "Old Huo, what do you mean by talking about the Sword God and the 'Three Great Swordsmen'? Could it be that these three legends have come back to life and are here to rob you of your money?"

Huo Xiu raised his head, his eyes deep and unfathomable: "Lu Xiaofeng, do you think it's possible that these three young men have obtained the inheritance of the 'Three High-Ranking Swordsmen'?" His voice was low and somber. "They learned the martial arts of those three, and even obtained the 'Divine Sword Capturing Dragon,' the 'Demon Blade Candle Flower Red,' and the 'Blade of the Blade Emperor.'"

"You really think so?" Lu Xiaofeng paused in his drinking, forcing a smile. "Old Huo, this is no joke. Back then, when Chai Yuguan spread rumors that the 'Divine Sword Capturing Dragon' had been born, it almost wiped out all the martial arts masters in the Central Plains."

"In the following century, similar rumors circulated several times, each time causing bloodshed in the martial arts world."

As Lu Xiaofeng finished speaking, his heart tightened, and he poured himself a cup of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Old Man Huo murmured, "Yes, this is a momentous event. Compared to that, what are all the jewels in my house?"

"What, you doubt those three young men from Huangshi Town?" Lu Xiaofeng was indeed quick-witted, immediately guessing the crux of the matter. "You believe they are the successors of those 'Three High-Ranking Swordsmen'?"

"I only have suspicions, no evidence," Huo Xiu laughed heartily. "Besides, I'm just an old man, I'm useless now."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's drink!"

Huo Xiu looked at him and chuckled, "You're in such a hurry to drink, where are you going?"

Lu Xiaofeng smiled and said, "I've become interested, so I'm going to ask two monsters."

Huo Xiu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Lu Xiaofeng said, "You're always so lazy and unwilling to move around. You don't know there are two monsters in this world. One is knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and seems to know all the strange things, big and small, throughout history. The other is even more capable, because no matter how bizarre or strange your question is, he can answer it."

Huo Xiu laughed and said, "Is it great wisdom and profound understanding?"

Lu Xiaofeng was taken aback, then smiled and said, "So you knew."

Huo Xiu said calmly, "Money can influence both gods and ghosts. Why wouldn't I know that?"

As they were drinking, a carriage was parked outside the jujube grove, and a beautiful young woman, as lovely as a cloud, slowly stepped down from the flower-covered carriage.
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"Little beggar, little beggar, be gentle, have mercy!"

Ding'an shouted and ran away in all directions.

But he still couldn't escape the elbow strike from the ball-headed girl with a fierce little face and clenched teeth.

"Sever your hand! You son of a bitch, drink this swill!"

Ding'an said aggrievedly, "I clearly bought douzhi (fermented mung bean juice)!"

"That stuff is rotten!" Hongxiu pounded Ding'an's back, making him spit sparks. "It's been three days! I've been nauseous and can't eat anything for three days!"

Ding'an shouted, "Stop hitting me! If you keep hitting me, I'll vomit blood!"

"Hmph, I've been vomiting bile for the past two days, and you still have the nerve to talk back?"

Ding An, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed her face with his backhand. The little beggar shouted, "Broken hand, you think you're so tough? You dare to resist?"

As she spoke, she grabbed his face with both hands and stretched it into an Indian roti.

The two men gritted their teeth, their faces swollen like pig heads.

Ding An gasped, "Little beggar, we're both indestructible, we can't break your moves! How about we let go at the same time?"

Seeing Ding An's face turn ashen and drool dripping from his mouth, the little beggar's heart softened slightly: "Alright, let go together!"

Suddenly, they heard laughter coming from afar. The two turned around and saw Ren Shaoyang standing in the distance with his hands on his hips, clapping his hands and saying, "Alright, are you done?"

He had been there for a long time, but the two beggars were so engrossed in their bickering that they didn't notice him. Upon hearing this, the beggar immediately cried out, "Crippled man, he made me drink swill because I had a broken hand!"

Ding An also said in a muffled voice, "No, that's not it! I already apologized, but he still beat me up."

The beggar scoffed, "Nobody believes you! Three days? Do you know how I survived those three days?"

Ding'an: "Me"

"Bang! Bang!"
Two sharp raps on the head rang out, and the two immediately let go, crouching down and covering their heads.

Ren Shaoyang said helplessly, "I told you to throw that stuff away, but you wouldn't! If you hadn't been drinking it since you were a child, who could get used to it?" Then he looked at the little beggar and snorted, "You're a glutton too. Before, you mistook roasted chestnuts for candy and dared to put anything in your mouth, thinking everything was delicious? Now you've suffered!"

The little beggar pouted and said, "Hmph, who knew there were such vicious things in the world?"

Ren Shaoyang helped them up and said with a smile, "Alright, today is a big day for Ding'an, cheer up and stop fooling around."

Ding An rubbed his face and chuckled, "I feel like I'm dreaming!"

Hongxiu rolled her eyes at him and straightened his clothes: "Let's go."

The three of them returned to Zhu Ting's courtyard side by side. Before they even got close, they saw Zhu Ting standing in front of the door, a smile on his face. The proprietress was standing behind him, holding a long box.

Upon seeing this, Ding'an and the little beggar quickly rushed over.

When Zhu Ting saw him coming, he clasped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, we meet again."

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Boss Zhu, is the prosthetic hand ready?"

Zhu Ting looked at Ding An's fixed gaze and smiled, "I have not failed in my mission!"

Ding An's eyes lit up, and he pointed to the box in the proprietress's hand: "Boss Zhu, may I open it and take a look?"

Zhu Ting smiled and said, "Please go ahead."

Ding'an and Hongxiu chuckled and took the box from the smiling proprietress, carefully opening it.

Then a wooden arm was revealed.

This object is made of jujube wood, covered with a layer of copper scales as its skin, and the knuckles are also inlaid with copper hinges as thin as cicada wings.

Three holes were drilled in the palm to let in light, revealing silvery-white threads running along the bones, taut like a bowstring. The wrist was covered with fur-edged suede, with two dark golden tendons of some unknown creature crossing and constricting the wrist and arm.

The five fingers were clenched into a fist, the knuckles were bony, and the hinge made of copper sheet was stuck.

The entire arm looks extremely rugged, yet it possesses a practical aesthetic.

Upon seeing it, Ding'an immediately cried out, his eyes shining brightly. He gently stroked the mechanical arm and murmured, "Prosthetic arm, oh prosthetic arm! Now I, Ding'an, can finally be whole again."

Hearing his tone, Hongxiu chuckled and said, "The actual product is much more impressive than the design drawings! Boss Zhu, you must have added a lot of things and put in a lot of effort, right?"

Zhu Ting smiled and said, "The design is almost perfect, but the materials are a bit lacking, so I made a small change." He stretched out his round hand and gestured "a little bit".

"I used lightning-struck jujube wood to ensure both hardness and fire resistance."

Ren Shaoyang raised an eyebrow: "Besides being able to prevent fire, this thing can also ward off ghosts, right?"

Zhu Ting laughed heartily: "I don't know if there's a ghost or not, but if there really is, this punch will leave even the ghost in a terrible mess!"

He continued, "The copper plates on the arms and fists are made of Shoushan copper, which is just as flexible and hard as a sharp weapon. And the most important thing is these two big tendons!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the two dark golden veins on Yi's wrist.

Hongxiu asked, "Boss Zhu, what's the explanation for this?"

"This is a rare treasure I acquired years ago, called 'Midnight Tongue'!"

Ding An looked up, somewhat surprised, and said, "I've read the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Isn't this an ancient creature that's almost extinct—the midge? It's said to grow in the Tianshan Mountains and is named 'Lotus Midge' because it often guards the snow lotus on the Tianshan Mountains. Although it's non-toxic, it's extremely ferocious and will attack any people or animals that approach it."

Zhu Ting, probably recalling that scene from years ago, still felt lingering fear: "Yes, back then I was trying to pick snow lotus when that thing suddenly emerged. If it weren't for my divine prowess, skill, and daring..."

The proprietress waved her hand, dismissing his boast: "Stop bragging! Back then, your pants almost fell off. If it weren't for Lu Xiaofeng, you would have been inside that monster's belly long ago!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ting looked embarrassed and remained silent.

Hongxiu shook her head and said, "I know that too. It is said that midges are the pets of the water god Gonggong. They eat a hundred catties of meat every day. If they encounter humans or animals, they will first wrap their arms around the waist several times before swallowing them whole."

Zhu Ting quickly gave a thumbs up: "Well said, well said!" He then hurriedly changed the subject, "Speaking of which, the midge's most powerful weapon is its tongue, which is as flexible as a ribbon, as strong as steel, and can be broken a hundred times without breaking. It is the best material for bow handles. Combined with the thousand-year-old divine spider silk given by Master Ren, it is absolutely amazing!"

Ren Shaoyang laughed heartily, "With the midge tongue as the bow handle and the divine spider silk as the bowstring, this prosthetic hand is like an unparalleled divine bow. I'm afraid its power will be beyond imagination when it's used!"

Zhu Ting said proudly, "More than beyond imagination! It's simply earth-shattering!" He laughed, his fat face jiggling. "I never imagined that I, Zhu Ting, could create such a perfect machine!"

The proprietress interrupted him: "Don't rush, we need to install it on Master Ding'an first."

"Oh dear!" Zhu Ting clapped his hands and exclaimed, "It's all my fault, everyone. Shall we go inside first and talk?"

Ren Shaoyang laughed heartily: "Today is a fine day with no rain or clouds, and it's also a big day for Ding'an. Boss Zhu has done a great job, so what's there to blame him for?"

Hongxiu laughed heartily: "Alright, let's go in. I'm also very curious to see how happy Ding is after getting the prosthetic hand."

Ding'an: ()

Little Beggar Gaga laughed: "He can't even speak anymore!"

Everyone laughed and went into the courtyard together.

Zhu Ting said, "Gentlemen, please lend me Young Hero Ding'an for a while. I will return you a complete Young Hero Ding'an later."

Ren Shaoyang said, "Boss Zhu, do you need my sister's and my assistance?"

Zhu Ting waved his hand: "No need, no need!" He was very proud, maintaining his usual composure, and looked up at the sky, "There are still two hours until dusk, just watch my skillful hands!"

After he finished speaking, he took the box, led Ding'an into the house, and closed the door behind him.

Seeing that Zhu Ting was about to undergo surgery, he felt helpless to help.

Ren Shaoyang shrugged: "Let's go, let's find a place to wait."

Hongxiu smiled and followed him towards the door: "I wonder how happy Ding'an will be after he gets a prosthetic arm."

Ren Shaoyang smiled slightly: "Yes, this is just the beginning."

The two talked as they walked, heading towards the back mountain outside the town.

Leaving Huangshi Town, the terrain suddenly begins to change. Layers of grass and waves completely conceal the strange peaks and rocks, and the trees reach for the sky, seemingly about to break through the air. Streams flow quietly in the secluded valleys, and clouds and mist swirl among the mountain walls, creating a beauty that is intoxicating.

Ren Shaoyang and Hongxiu pointed out the beautiful scenery along the way and chatted amiably.

“Boss Zhu is renowned throughout the world for his skillful hands,” Ren Shaoyang said, “but I wonder what he put in the prosthetic hand.”

Hongxiu leaped onto a tree branch, beckoning him to come up and sit beside her. Then, looking down at the chessboard-like Huangshi Town below, she said, "What you pretend to be doesn't matter; having hands is the most important thing."

Upon hearing this, Ren Shaoyang turned to look at her, revealing a strange expression: "Little beggar, you've made great progress. You're quite articulate now."

Hongxiu chuckled: "I learned it from you!"

Ren Shaoyang smiled slightly, watching the town lights gradually come on: "It's not easy to learn good things, but it's easy to learn bad things."

Hongxiu smiled, then pointed to the wispy clouds in the sky: "Crippled man, do you know what clouds are?"

Ren Shaoyang looked up at the sky and casually said, "Clouds are just mist rising in the sky."

“And that?” Hongxiu pointed to the orange-red patch on the horizon. “What is the sunset glow?”

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Clouds and rosy clouds, rosy clouds are also clouds, both are colors illuminated by the sun."

“Oh,” Hongxiu smiled, “only with the sun can there be such a color.” Then she turned to look at him, “With you, we can be so wonderful.”

Ren Shaoyang remained unmoved and said calmly, "Yesterday you secretly fed the white donkey roasted chestnuts, which caused it to get dysentery, didn't you?"

Hongxiu:
"You cripple, you're so annoying!"

"Haha, it's almost time, let's go down the mountain."

"Oh! Right, it's not that I want to feed it, it's just that the white donkey is greedy."

"Grandma Bear's roasted chestnuts couldn't kill this beast, could it be that it's become a spirit?"

(End of this chapter)