Ghost Fanged turned and gave Heiyuan a slight bow before explaining. "It's like this, my lord. The Mystic Feminine Spirit Fruit has always been rare. After you entered seclusion, I made every effort to search for one, but I couldn't find any in short order. Because of this, Yang Kai may have developed some misunderstandings toward me. When he failed to obtain one after several requests, he got into a conflict with my Ink Disciple Liu Zi'an. I stepped in and punished both of them. After that, Yang Kai left in a huff and only returned upon receiving Domain Lord's summons."
"Is that so?" Heiyuan frowned.
Yang Kai said calmly, "Whether Lord Ghost Fanged truly put his heart into searching, I cannot say. All I know is that I went to Zhagu and offered to forge two Artifacts for him. In return, he purchased a Mystic Feminine Spirit Fruit for me within three days."
Ghost Fanged explained, "It just so happened that there was stock available in the territory at that time. I seized the opportunity and bought one as well, intending to hand it to you when you returned. But you never showed up."
As he spoke, he produced a small case from his spatial ring and opened it to reveal — sure enough — a Mystic Feminine Spirit Fruit inside.
Yang Kai stared, his eyes widening. He cursed silently: damn old fox — he definitely had this prepared well in advance.
Ghost Fanged sighed. "But you never made an appearance, and I had no idea where you were. It wasn't until much later that word came back saying you were forging Artifacts at Zhagu's place, and that your Small Universe appeared to have been fully repaired."
Yang Kai was instantly seething. He had originally intended to cast some doubt on Ghost Fanged before Heiyuan, but who could have guessed that this fellow would be so meticulous in his arrangements? It left him with nowhere to go.
After a pause, Yang Kai could only say, "If that is truly the case, then perhaps I did misunderstand Lord Ghost Fanged. I offer my apologies here."
"Not at all. You are Domain Lord's Ink Disciple. How could I ever dare to be anything but diligent in fulfilling Domain Lord's instructions?" Ghost Fanged looked every bit the loyal, tail-wagging lackey.
Heiyuan clearly had no desire to dwell on this matter further. He waved his hand. "If it was a misunderstanding, then there's nothing more to say. Your Small Universe is whole now, so your future cultivation shouldn't face any difficulties."
He looked at Yang Kai, then shifted the topic. "You're proficient in Artifact forging?"
Yang Kai answered respectfully. "I know a little. I wouldn't dare claim proficiency."
Heiyuan nodded slightly and extended a hand toward Ghost Fanged. Ghost Fanged understood the cue at once and hurriedly pulled a long spear from his spatial ring, stepping down two paces to hand it to Yang Kai.
"Is this Artifact yours?" Heiyuan asked.
Yang Kai took the spear and gave it a brief inspection. He immediately recognized it as his own work, and if his memory served, it was the very first Artifact he had forged after arriving in Zhagu's territory.
Over the years, the number of Artifacts he had forged was not large, but certainly not negligible either — he remembered every single one. This spear was unmistakably one of the two he had produced at that time. The other was a half-body treasure armor.
Recalling the client's specifications and the armor's dimensions, Yang Kai suddenly understood that the armor and spear he had forged back then had actually been made for Ghost Fanged himself.
If that was the case, then Ghost Fanged and Zhagu must have been connected even at that point. Zhagu's ability to obtain a fiefdom likely had something to do with Ghost Fanged as well.
He set the thought aside and nodded. "Yes, I forged this."
Heiyuan's spirits visibly lifted. "How long did it take to forge this?"
Yang Kai replied, "A little under two months."
Heiyuan's eyes brightened. "A little under two months to produce an Artifact of this caliber. It seems your proficiency in forging is genuinely considerable."
"Master is too kind. My forging skill is at best at the Master level. I can only produce Artifacts of this grade."
"Being able to forge at this level is already remarkable enough. You must understand — the Ink Clan, owing to the nature of their power, cannot practice Artifact forging. Obtaining Artifacts suited to them is extremely difficult. That is why human Artifact smiths are true treasures among the Ink Clan."
Ghost Fanged nodded with a smile from the side. "My lord speaks the truth. An Artifact smith of Master level like Yang Kai is exceedingly rare. Given enough time to grow, he will surely be able to forge even finer Artifacts."
Heiyuan regarded Yang Kai with eager anticipation. "If you were to devote yourself entirely to Artifact forging, how far do you think your skill could advance?"
"Devote myself entirely to forging?" Yang Kai adopted a look of confusion. "Master should know that Artifact forging is merely a minor hobby of mine. I would much rather devote myself to the Martial Dao, so that in the future I may share your burdens on the battlefield."
Heiyuan nodded with satisfaction. "Your heart is in the right place. But what if I insisted that you devote yourself to Artifact forging?"
Yang Kai did not hesitate for a moment. "If it is Master's command, I will naturally obey. However..."
"However what?" Heiyuan asked.
"However, my talent in Artifact forging is not especially high. No matter how hard I work, the most I could achieve in the future would be Grand Master level. I could never reach the level of Great Grand Master."
"Grand Master level?" Heiyuan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but smile. "Good — very good!"
Yang Kai said hesitantly, "Does Master need me to forge a particular Artifact? If so, please give me your instructions. I will do everything in my power not to disappoint Master."