Long Feicheng's "playful" voice chimed in, rendering Yan Shouyi and Yuan Jiujian speechless.
The two felt their intelligence was being insulted.
Yan Shouyi roared, "Damn it, hurry up and get up here! What time is it and you're still messing around?"
Sensing something was wrong, Long Feicheng hid in the sword-casting pool and refused to come out. "Heh heh, you guys promise not to be angry first, alright? I was just joking."
Yuan Jiujian said coldly, "If you continue to stay in the sword-casting pool, the cold water will corrode the Zanpakuto, and your soul will be frozen solid too."
As soon as he finished speaking, a black light shot out from the sword-casting pool!
The two looked up and saw a long saber, entirely black with faint blue cracks on the blade, floating in mid-air.
Compared to before, the Zanpakuto's appearance hadn't changed much, but for some reason, Yan Shouyi felt it was somehow different.
Of course, this difference was after filtering out the lewd aura Long Feicheng had imparted to the Zanpakuto.
Yan Shouyi pondered for a moment and discovered the difference.
Although the Zanpakuto was powerful before, it was ultimately an inanimate object, lacking a certain spiritual essence.
The current Zanpakuto, however, possessed this very essence, making it seem so distinct.
This was perhaps the difference between a peerless divine weapon and an ordinary weapon.
A wisp of a soul drifted out of the Zanpakuto, revealing the carefree Long Feicheng.
He sat cross-legged in mid-air, frowning, and asked, "Senior, the Zanpakuto shouldn't be this weak, to be afraid of this cold water?"
Yuan Jiujian chuckled, "Naturally. The reason I said that was merely to trick you out."
"Disrespectful old man!" Long Feicheng said with a cheeky grin.
"Little Long, how are you feeling now?" Yan Shouyi asked, concerned about Long Feicheng's condition.
Upon hearing this, Long Feicheng transformed into a black light and re-entered the Zanpakuto, then manipulated the saber to fly around the room.
"How to describe it? It feels wonderful, like a rebirth, and I feel my strength has also increased significantly. After merging with the Zanpakuto, I can go straight when I want to, bend when I want to, be very hard, or very soft."
Merely describing it in such a vulgar manner wasn't enough; Long Feicheng even put on a demonstration.
The previously incredibly rigid Zanpakuto, under Long Feicheng's control, could bend like a winding snake. It even danced in mid-air, though its movements were a bit comical.
At the same time, Yan Shouyi's mind echoed with Long Feicheng's voice, "Yan Ge, Yan Ge, calling Yan Ge!"
"Are you making a phone call?" Yan Shouyi asked with a helpless smile.
"Heh heh heh, we can communicate anytime from now on!" Long Feicheng excitedly flew to Yan Shouyi's front. "And we don't even have to pay phone bills!"
"Pathetic!"
Yan Shouyi chided Long Feicheng and then reached out to grasp the hilt.
At that moment, Yan Shouyi felt the surging power from within the Zanpakuto, a power that he could command.
"The Zanpakuto contains the killing intent left by Xie Qingcang during his campaigns. This killing intent is also not to be underestimated; not only does it enhance my strength, but it also allows Little Long to control it to deal with enemies," Yan Shouyi mused inwardly.
With such a peerless divine weapon capable of flying through the sky and burrowing through the earth, one could truly decapitate an enemy from a thousand miles away.
Yan Shouyi released his grip, and the Zanpakuto did not fall but hovered beside him.
He turned around and bowed deeply to Yuan Jiujian, "This junior thanks Senior for the grace of forging this blade! Senior will forever be an honored guest of our Min Jiao!"
Long Feicheng also dropped his disrespectful demeanor, revealed his soul, and bowed respectfully to Yuan Jiujian, "To thank Senior for your assistance, tonight I will take you on a solitary journey..."
Yan Shouyi quickly covered Long Feicheng's mouth.
Yuan Jiujian sighed, "Everyone wishes for their treasured sword to remain sharp, but when does a sword not rust? I am old."
Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng exchanged a glance, thinking this old senior spoke with hidden meaning.
Long Feicheng played along, chuckling, "Senior, I have a friend named Old Jin. He's a descendant of ancient medicine from the Qihuang Sect. He surely has some miraculous pills to restore vitality."
"Then how will you ask him for it?"
"I'll just say, I have a friend..."
"Wise!"
Yuan Jiujian stroked his beard and praised Long Feicheng.
Yan Shouyi felt a wave of helplessness. If Long Feicheng continued developing like this, he would undoubtedly earn the title of Rongcheng's top madame.
...
After a night of casting the sword, a major worry was lifted from Yan Shouyi's heart.
From this day forward, Long Feicheng was the sword spirit of the Zanpakuto. He and Yan Shouyi, as brothers, shared a common goal: to kill the national preceptor, this harbinger of disaster, together.
After settling Yuan Jiujian and Yuan Jianxin, Yan Shouyi, with a weary body, returned to rest.
Because the next morning, there was a very important matter waiting for him to handle – the reception of the leaders of various civilian sects and organizations!
This meeting was of great significance, drawing the attention of the entire Xuanmen world.
It could be said that the outcome of Yan Shouyi's meeting with the leaders would directly determine the future direction of the relationship between the two factions.
If they reached an agreement, they could coexist peacefully and fight common enemies.
If they failed, it would lead to conflict and mutual destruction.
Therefore, Wang Jiwang didn't even have time to wait for the casting results last night. He spent the entire night arranging personnel and tidying up the Min Jiao's stronghold.
The spirit tablets and white banners were removed, and red carpets were laid down. The meeting hall was prepared with tables and chairs, and each table had nameplates for the leaders of the major factions, with seating arrangements meticulously planned.
Besides the five major civilian sect organizations, there were also smaller organizations with fewer members in the martial arts world.
These organizations had between fifty and five hundred members. Individually, they posed no significant threat, but if the Min Jiao could absorb them all, it would become a considerable force.
After resting for two hours, just as dawn broke, Yan Shouyi got out of bed.
Lin Yin and Lin Yu specially brought him a custom-tailored Western suit, but Yan Shouyi merely glanced at it and had them put it away.
How could he attend a meeting of civilian sects wearing a Western suit?
Wouldn't that alienate him from the masses?!
To demonstrate that he hadn't forgotten his original intentions, Yan Shouyi rummaged through his belongings and found the plain colored tunic he wore when he first arrived in Rongcheng.
Although this outfit was made by Fengyixuan, it was somewhat worn out from being worn for so long and from participating in numerous battles with Yan Shouyi.
However, Yan Shouyi didn't care.
These signs of wear and tear precisely signified his dedication to the civilian sects.
He was about to let all the leaders see his contributions.
Lin Zitong, with her pregnant belly prominent and wrapped in a blanket, meticulously adjusted Yan Shouyi's attire.
She smoothed out the wrinkled hem of his clothes, then took two steps back to appraise her husband.
Compared to when she first saw Yan Shouyi in the alley behind the bar over a year ago, this man seemed to have changed a lot.
She gently touched the eye that Yan Shouyi was missing, feeling a pang of sadness.
"What's wrong?" Yan Shouyi asked, concerned, as he grabbed Lin Zitong's hand.
Lin Zitong shook her head, "I'm fine."
"Don't be nervous," Yan Shouyi comforted her gently. "You're due soon. Don't have any extreme emotional fluctuations. Once I've resolved today's matters, I'll contact Yu Lumin. It's time to bring your brother's soul back."