A Chaotic World

Chapter 370: Yet Another Inscription

Housekeeper Changyu could almost hear his heart throbbing loudly as he stood waiting in the front hall.

After the visit by the three members of the Sacred Cliff City Guards the other day, another big shot had now arrived at their Sky Snow Manor.

Grandmaster Tiequan one of the most well-known Grandmaster Artificers in Sacred Cliff City.

Grandmaster Artificers were the most prestigious of all occupations within Sacred Cliff City.

Even if they were facing any problem, all they had to do was say a word, and at least thousands of people would rally to their aid. After all, if they could just get into the good books of a Grandmaster Artificer, they might just be able to obtain a treasured weapon or two in the future.

Therefore, regardless of their individual combat capability, Grandmaster Artificers were not individuals that others could afford to take lightly!

When he first heard that Grandmaster Tiequan would be visiting, Housekeeper Changyu was thrilled.

He did not know the reason behind Grandmaster Tiequan's visit, but this visit alone suggested that his master truly might have connections with the upper echelons of Sacred Cliff City.

Even if that was not the case, and his master would only be seeing Grandmaster Tiequan for the first time today, this would still be an opportunity to forge good ties with the latter.

As long as they gained the backing of a Grandmaster Artificer, most others would have to think twice before trying to deal with their Sky Snow Manor.

Housekeeper Changyu only hoped that his master would not screw it up and offend Grandmaster Tiequan, like how he had done with the members of the Sacred Cliff City Guards.

Housekeeper Changyu stole a nervous glance at Lu Tianzi who was calmly sipping tea, then turned his glance towards the man seated directly opposite Lu Tianzi.

It was a man who looked to be in his thirties, his black hair was tied into a high ponytail that reached down to his back. His flexible armour stuck to his body, showing off his well-built physique.

It was none other than the renowned Grandmaster Tiequan!

In the presence of such a famous character, most people would be too nervous to even speak coherently.

However, Lu Tianzi seemed to be completely at ease.

Thankfully, while he was not showing any signs of weakness, he was not acting in a disrespectful manner either.

Not yet, at least.

Right now, it almost appeared as though Lu Tianzi saw Grandmaster Tiequan as a peer instead of a senior.

Housekeeper Changyu felt cold droplets of sweat appear on his forehead.

Surely his master was not thinking of treating Grandmaster Tiequan the same way he treated the members of the Sacred Cliff City Guards?

"Are we done waiting?" Grandmaster Tiequan tapped his fingers on the armrest impatiently.

"Just a minute, Senior," Lu Tianzi answered with an amiable smile. "Our other guest is about to arrive."

"If not for Young Master Xuan Hao, I would not have even bothered to make the trip here. So why do I have to wait for your other guest as well?" Grandmaster Tiequan said coldly.

Young Master Xuan Hao?

Why did that name sound so familiar?

Housekeeper Changyu pondered for a moment, but could not quite remember where he had come across that name previously.

"Please wait just a little longer, Grandmaster Tieuqan," Young Master Xuan Hao persuaded from the side. "I am sure Brother Tianzi has his reasons... right?"

Honestly, Young Master Xuan Hao was feeling fidgety at the moment as well.

It had taken him quite a bit of effort to convince Grandmaster Tiequan to come over and lend Lu Tianzi a hand.

Yet unexpectedly, Lu Tianzi did not seem to be worried at all?

Did Lu Tianzi have a trump card up his sleeve, or was he simply oblivious of the situation that he was in?

"Naturally," Lu Tianzi nodded. "And it looks like we won't have to wait much longer. Our other guest has just arrived."

"Hmph!" Grandmaster Tiequan snorted before leaning back into his chair.

He wanted to see just who it was that had made him wait this long.

If it turned out to be some insignificant character, then he was not going to let this matter slide!

It did not take long before the door to the front hall opened, and two ladies stepped into the room.

"Pingxi?" Grandmaster Tiequan frowned when he saw who Nanlan Qianxue brought along with her.

"Tiequan?" Fairy Pingxi revealed a look of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask the same of you," Grandmaster Tiequan said. "Did they invite you here as well?"

"Invite me here?" Fairy Pingxi blinked blankly. "Did they invite you here?"

"I asked you first, so why are you asking me in return?" Grandmaster Tiequan retorted.

"No one invited me. I asked the lass to bring me here so I can have a good talk with the brat," Fairy Pingxi shot a glance at Lu Tianzi, who merely smiled in response.

"Oh?" Grandmaster Tiequan was surprised for the first time today. "What relationship do you have with the girl?"

"What has that got to do with you? Why are you asking so much?" Fairy Pingxi snapped. "Qianxue, are you not going to get me a seat?"

Nanlan Qianxue looked over at Housekeeper Changyu, who hurried forward to usher Fairy Pingxi to one of the guest seats in the front hall.

After Nanlan Qianxue took her seat beside Lu Tianzi, the duo sat facing Grandmaster Tiequan, Young Master Xuan Hao, and Fairy Pingxi.

As for Housekeeper Changyu, he continued to stand by the side, ready to attend to any sudden matters if necessary.

"Do you know what I am here for?" Fairy Pingxi addressed Lu Tianzi immediately.

"I assume that Senior is here regarding the recent rumours about Sky Snow Manor being in a conflict with the Sacred Cliff City Guards?" Lu Tianzi guessed.

"Hah! Rumours, you say?" Fairy Pingxi scoffed. "Tell you what, I don't intend to play games and beat around the bush with you. Instead, I have one question for you. Is there someone backing you, or are the two of you the actual owners of Sky Snow Manor?"

There had been rumours floating around about the existence of a mysterious inscription master within Sky Snow Manor.

Whether this rumour was true could heavily impact the fate of Sky Snow Manor.

Grandmaster Tiequan and Young Master Xuan Hao watched in silence, eager to hear what Lu Tianzi had to say as well.

"Senior is truly curious," Lu Tianzi casually took another sip of his tea before continuing. "I shall be honest with Senior then. Qianxue and I are the actual owners of Sky Snow Manor, and we are not members of any powerful influence either."

Young Master Xuan Hao sighed in his heart.

When Grandmaster Tiequan asked him earlier, he had deliberately acted like he did not know about it so as to create a greater incentive for Grandmaster Tiequan to help out Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue.

But now, Lu Tianzi just had to admit it himself.

Why couldn't he just play the mysterious card for a little longer?

At the same time, Housekeeper Changyu could not help but feel slightly disappointed.

Though he had expected as much, in a small corner of Housekeeper Changyu's heart, he still bore some hopes of his master belonging to a powerful influence that could make even the Sacred Cliff City Guards think twice before acting.

But now, such hopes had been completely dashed.

They were truly on their own.

"How reckless!" Fairy Pingxi berated. "Without any backing, you actually dare to go against the Sacred Cliff City Guards the way you had done? To think that you are still acting all nonchalant about it. Since you want to act so composed, why don't you tell us how exactly are you planning to deal with this mess?"

"I will say this first," Grandmaster Tiequan quickly added. "Even though Young Master Xuan Hao had pleaded with me to help you, don't expect me to bail you out just like that. If you don't deserve my help, then I will not even bat an eye when your Sky Snow Manor gets razed to the ground."

"Grandmaster Tiequan..." Young Master Xuan Hao immediately tried to persuade otherwise.

"Say no more, Young Master Xuan Hao," Grandmaster Tiequan stopped him from saying more. "I understand that you are trying to be loyal to your friends. However, you are still young and inexperienced, so you might not be fully aware of how this world works. Sometimes, you need to decisively cut some people from your life, or the relationship will only act as a shackle and do nothing but bring you trouble. If he wants your help, he needs to at least prove that he deserves it!"

The atmosphere turned cold all of a sudden, but Lu Tianzi was not intimidated.

"The two Seniors here might sound forceful, but I understand that you have kind intentions. For that, I am thankful," Lu Tianzi said with a smile. "However, since you have already come all the way here, why don't I show you something interesting before we continue our little chat?"

Lu Tianzi had been slightly surprised that Grandmaster Tiequan and Fairy Pingxi knew each other, but it made sense as well when he thought about it.

Prior to this day, he had already learnt from Nanlan Qianxue that there were quite a few powerful influences that had dealings with the Fairy Talisman House.

For the owner of such a shop to have connections with someone like Grandmaster Tiequan was not entirely out of the question.

But either way, the relationship between the two had nothing to with him, and it did not change anything about his plans, so Lu Tianzi was not in the least concerned.

On the contrary, Grandmaster Tiequan, Young Master Xuan Hao, and Fairy Pingxi all frowned in unison when they heard Lu Tianzi's words.

The situation was already dire enough to warrant their personal visit to this shabby manor, and yet Lu Tianzi was still in the mood to show them something interesting?

"Brother Tianzi, I don't think this is the time for that..." Young Master Xuan Hao felt the corner of his lips twitch. "You might not know the situation you are in right now, but it is quite serious. If you take one wrong step, things could get really ugly."

Grandmaster Tiequan shook his head in disapproval. "It seems that your Brother Tianzi is the ignorant type!"

Fairy Pingxi looked at Nanlan Qianxue, and was surprised to see that the young lady's expression had not changed one bit.

Did she just have that much trust in this brat?

"Don't worry, Brother Xuan Hao. It won't take long," Lu Tianzi replied in the same calm manner as before.

With a flick of his wrists, the Moon Culler appeared in his hand before floating forward to hover in the centre of the room.

"What is this?" Fairy Pingxi asked. "Are you trying to bribe us with just an Origin Core rank sword?"

"Isn't this your sword?" Young Master Xuan Hao rubbed his chin in contemplation. "But there seem to be something different about it..."

"I added an inscription to it," Lu Tianzi explained. "In fact, what I wanted to show everyone is the inscription, and not the sword itself. Please feel free to take a look."

"The inscription?" Fairy Pingxi frowned.

She was a talisman master, and did not have an in-depth knowledge about inscriptions. Even if it was something amazing, she would not be able to tell until she actually used it herself.

On the other hand, Grandmaster Tiequan narrowed his eyes in scrutiny. "This inscription..."

Among the people present, he definitely had the most experience in appraising inscriptions, and he naturally took it upon himself to do so.

He initially thought that it would be easy for him to see through an inscription placed by a junior, but it turned out otherwise.

This inscription far more complex and intricate than he had imagined, with countless inscription runes overlapping each other to form an innumerable amount of runic layers.

People often refer to inscriptions as a smaller form of formations. But when they do, they were only comparing them to simple formations.

However, this inscription looked more like the micro version of a grand formation!

Grandmaster Tiequan had never seen anyone take matters to such an extreme, putting this many layers into an inscription.

For such a complex network of runes and nodes to be compressed into a single inscription, just what kind of result would that yield?

No, in the first place, would this abomination of an inscription even work?

Grandmaster Tiequan was doubtful, but he could not omit the possibility that it truly might be able to work.

After all, why else would this young brat look so confident when showing the inscription to them?

Unfortunately, even if he wanted to appraise this inscription, he would not be able to do so, at least not within a short amount of time.

But being a renowned Grandmaster Artificer, especially having talked down to Lu Tianzi earlier, Grandmaster Tiequan had his pride as well.

He really did not want to admit in front of everyone that he was unable to appraise a single inscription.

At this moment, Grandmaster Tiequan was truly regretting not bringing along one or two of his disciples.

Had he brought some of them along, Grandmaster Tiequan would at least be able to push this responsibilty to them instead!