A Gift For Her
A Gift For Her
Lao Gan had practically given her a bit of everything from his store. It took some time but Ming Yue and Hongyu left the store with quite the haul. The young woman had moved dozens of jars of sauces and seasonings into her spatial ring.
And when they left, the merchant was there, waving them off by the doorstep.
"It's good to know that he's doing well", she thought to herself.
Moving from one order of business to the next, the pair made their way to the Craftman's District. There, she walked into the Forge of Eighty-One Fires, a large building made of black stone. There were pipes popping out of the roof, billowing with black smoke.
There was an attendant waiting for her.
"Welcome, please follow me."
They brought her to the back of the forge before going up the highest level where they opened the doors for her, letting them in. Ming Yue brought Hongyu in, meeting with the three seniors once more.
The three of them were practically beaming with smiles. All of her equipment had been neatly organized on a workbench behind them.
"I hope you're as excited as we are!" said Zhang Guang. "None of us slept at all in these past few days!"
"O- oh, I see."
The young woman was slightly taken aback by their reactions before looking at the two swords behind them. Xue Yue's voice echoed in her mind in a meek tone.
"Please take me away. They worked for just a day and stared at us after that, writing away in their notebooks", she begged
"Right, right, I don't know how much of their staring I can take. I know they don't mean any harm but getting stared at like that... it's rather unsettling", Senior Zhen added, sounding a bit tired from the ordeal.
"Ah... I see."
Thinking this, Ming Yue looked at the three seniors with a smile.
"Could you show me it?" she asked, "All the changes that you've made."
"Right! Right! Well then, let's get you dressed! Go on, put it all on!"
Mei Zhen turned around and gathered everything together. Holding it in her arms, she practically pushed it onto Ming Yue. The young woman looked at her things, seeing no major changes to them.
With Hongyu by her side, the young woman donned her armor and put on her accessories.
"Hm? This is..."
Putting them on, Ming Yue noticed something as everything was worn.
"It's all... connected?" she muttered.
It was just loud enough for the three seniors to hear and Zhang Guang was the first to say something.
"Indeed, you said that you would like to make things simpler to use so we did just that", he said.
Cheng Wei coughed as he continued.
"You feel it right? The moment you put on the last piece, everything has been activated. With just a thought, you can bring out the full power of any piece. From the Dusk Lily Pin to the Sword Pendant, it will activate the moment you will it", he explained.
When he stopped, Mei Zhen finished up.
"Everything has been altered so that they are linked to one another. Furthermore, they've been fine-tuned to match your cultivation but the downside is of course that it will exhaust your energy much quicker. Aside from that, all that you are wearing is now at Peak-Divine Rank, except for the sword pendant. Our appraisal has already placed it at Peak-Divine so there wasn't too much to do."
"I see... and for these two?"
Ming Yue held both swords out, looking at them before glancing at the three seniors.
"Ah well..."
Mei Zhen seemed slightly hesitant about answering but the burly woman did so.
"They've been sharpened and put in good shape but unfortunately, I will have to say that it took the three of us to get it to that point. Any more is beyond our current ability., you might have to see the Forgelord or someone of greater abilities."
The young woman furrowed her brows, feeling curious now.
"Why?" she asked.
"That is because we are only able to influence the physical form of the swords but for the Sword Spirits, themselves are something we have little control over. After all, such existences are incredibly rare and knowledge of them is severely limited. There isn't much known about the method of improving them. After all, it is said that their growth is dependent on the one using them. But a way to push their power to a new level does seem to exist, though, it has been lost to time", Mei Zhen explained.
She then looked at Blood Moon and the Black Blade longingly.
"The only way to find out would be to research more but it seems that neither blade would like to stay with us", she said.
The two swords let out a sad-sounding howl, akin to whimpering even.
Ming Yue just chuckled.
"It doesn't seem so", she replied.
Mei Zhen and Zhang Guang both had looks of disappointment but ultimately accepted it.
"Oh, right, your other request is ready!"
The burly woman then pulled something out of her special ring, a long object wrapped in cloth. Revealing it, Hongyu immediately took notice of it, curiously looking as if she wanted to know what was inside.
Holding it out, Mei Zhen looked at Ming Yue before turning toward the little girl and holding the sword out to her.
"This is for you."
She spoke bluntly and nonchalantly which caused Hongyu to freeze up for a moment, looking at the cloth-wrapped object. The child looked up at Mei Zhen and the other two seniors, who smiled at her and nodded.
She then turned to Ming Yue, who smiled before kneeling down.
"I requested it just for you, it's yours."
The young woman nodded towards the object, encouraging Hongyu to grab it herself and uncover it.
The child hesitated but grew brave enough to take it from Mei Zhen. Her arm just a bit as she felt the weight on her hands. She grabbed it tightly and turned it around, studying it from multiple angles. After a few moments, there was a glint of light as an idea of what it could be, formed in her mind.
In excitement, she uncovered the item, taking off the cloth and revealing a sheathed sword. It was a beautiful sword with a reddish lacquered wood sheath and hilt. Holding it in her hands, Hongyu examined it even more closely before taking out the blade.
That itself was a beautifully made piece. It was a clean metallic finish with a folded pattern of eight-pointed stars. It was simple and elegant, slightly on the longer side to resemble Blood Moon.
"This is called Red Jade, for your name", Mei Zhen told her.
The owner of the forge gave Hongyu a slip of paper with the name written on it. The child looked at it closely, making sure to remember every brush stroke before putting it away. There was a large smile on her face as she went off to hug the three seniors before hugging Ming Yue last.
There was a warm feeling in everyone's hearts as this happened. And once the hugging stopped, the topic changed.
"So then, now that your business has concluded here, are you going to leave the kingdom now?" Cheng Wei asked.
The young woman nodded.
"Yes, I've been gone for over a year and many things have changed. The situation in my home country is dire and I must do what I can to help. But once that is dealt with, I will travel around after going to Heaven's Gate", she replied.
"Alright, be careful, now that it isn't just you, the danger will grow."
"I understand, thank you."
With that Ming Yue bowed her head and cupped her fists, showing her gratitude to the three seniors. Her business here was concluded.