Chapter 75

Pang Jun had just left Qinzhou and arrived in Dizhou, which was also a province in the Central Plains, one day later.

　　Dizhou is not a rich and fertile place. Its terrain is complex and the mountains are crisscrossed, making it unsuitable for farming. However, there is one thing here that makes it a place where people gather, and that is iron ore. The iron ore in Dizhou has abundant reserves and excellent quality. Since ancient times, it has been an important source of iron ore for the production of weapons for dynasties. The output of just one state accounts for 10% of the entire Dajin.

　　Iron is an important strategic resource in any country or tribe. Various farm tools, tools, weapons and daily necessities are forged from iron.

　　Ironware is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, armaments and national defense. The iron industry has become a particularly important economic sector and is valued by the ruling class. Therefore, the largest mineral deposits in Dizhou are occupied and the largest iron-making organization is established. Of course, it is the Ironware Bureau of Dajin. However, there is not only one iron mine in Dizhou, so the remaining mineral deposits have become the hot cakes fought over by local wealthy families. Among these wealthy families, the most powerful one is the "Iron Sword Fort" Chao family.

　　The Chao family of the "Iron Sword Fort" is a very special family among the many powerful families in the Great Jin Dynasty. Most powerful families would whitewash themselves after gaining power and try their best to arrange for their children to enter the officialdom or the army to expand their voice. However, the Chao family did the exact opposite. Not only did they not allow their children to enter the officialdom, they also left an ancestral precept that the children of the Chao family were not allowed to become officials, otherwise they would be expelled from the family.

　　But at the same time, the Chao family has considerable influence in official circles. The reason is that they have a unique forging method that allows them to mass-produce the best swords in the world. In addition to the Jin army, the largest buyers of these swords include other Jin nobles and princes, and of course, a large number of martial artists, both black and white. The existence of the three parties of the imperial court, the nobles, and the martial arts world makes the "Iron Sword Castle" in the middle an existence with a transcendent status.

　　That day, Pang Jun passed by a tavern near the Iron Sword Castle and felt a little hungry, so he stopped to eat before continuing on his way. He looked at the street and found that there were a lot of people on the street today, and most of them were martial artists. So he asked the waiter, "Waiter, what day is today? Why are there so many people?"

　　The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, don't you know what day it is today? Today is the annual 'launch day' of our Dizhou 'Iron Sword Castle'. Every year on this day, 'Iron Sword Castle' will make a batch of weapons and sell them to the people in the world. You should have heard about the quality of 'Iron Sword Castle' weapons, right? The quality is top-notch. Who doesn't want to have a sharp weapon when traveling in the world? So every year on this day, there will be so many people coming here to try their luck and see if they can buy a weapon that suits their needs. Sir, why don't you go and have a look and see if you can find a good weapon."

　　Pang Jun thought: "The weapons forged by the Iron Sword Castle are indeed world-famous, but among the famous weapons in the world, there are only one "Dragon Sparrow Sword" forged two hundred years ago and the famous sword "Chunjun" forged one hundred and seventy years ago.

　　Belongs to the "Iron Sword Castle", and the rest are just high-quality products forged in batches. There is still a certain gap between them and my current "Seven Star Dragon Abyss", but time is not urgent anyway, so it doesn't hurt to go and take a look.

　　After finishing his meal, Pang Jun followed the flow of people and headed towards "Iron Sword Castle".

　　However, not long after he started, three people walked up to him and blocked his way. The leader was about forty years old, with a white face and a long beard, and an extraordinary demeanor. He was wearing a gray robe and carried a long sword on his back. The other two were about twenty years old and looked arrogant.

　　The middle-aged man bowed to Pang Jun and asked, "Excuse me, sir, are you Lord Liu Ziye of the Divine Guards?"

　　The middle-aged man's voice was not loud, but it was enough to attract the attention of the people nearby. The Divine Guard, Liu Jun, was a famous man like a tree, a world-famous scholar and top scholar. Even if he was not in the court, many people had heard of him. So the people nearby stopped and looked at the handsome young man in front of them.

　　"Oh my god, he is so young, and he is actually the top martial arts champion. I wonder if he has been practicing martial arts since his mother's womb?"

　　"Hmph, pretty boy, what ability do you have? You're just lucky. When you're in the martial arts world, your little kung fu is nothing."

　　"That can't be said. The young talents he defeated were all well-known figures in the martial arts world. He must be capable."

　　"Hehehe, this little bunny has handsome eyebrows and eyes. If he hadn't offered his back garden to a high-ranking official, I'm afraid he wouldn't even be able to become an official. Hahahahaha."

　　Pang Jun ignored the onlookers and returned the greeting, saying, "If there is no second Liu Jun in the Divine Guards, then I am indeed the person you are looking for. May I ask who I am?"

　　The middle-aged man said, "I am Song Mengtu from Songshan, and I have come to verify something with Lord Liu." "What can I do for you?" When Pang Jun heard that he was from Songshan, he guessed something. It was probably about Yu Lingfeng.

　　Sure enough, Song Mengtu continued to ask, "Excuse me, Lord Liu, do you know the whereabouts of Yu Lingfeng, Zhang Yue, and Liang Qiqiu from the Bi faction? Since July, the Bi faction has lost contact with the three of them, and their whereabouts are still unknown. Before leaving, Yu Lingfeng revealed that he was going to Jiangnan Province. May I ask, Lord Liu, do you know their whereabouts?"

　　Pang Jun shook his head and said, "In July, I did meet Brother Yu in Zhejiang, Jiangnan, but it was just a quick meeting. We didn't have a deep conversation before we parted ways. So, I don't know Brother Yu's whereabouts."

　　"Nonsense! Senior Brother Yu said that he would bring Junior Sister Yue back to Songshan, but their whereabouts were unknown after they arrived in Zhejiangzhou. And now, Junior Sister Yue's mother and daughter are both your Liu Jun's concubines. How dare you argue that you don't know Senior Brother Yu's whereabouts?" A young man behind Song Mengtu pointed at Pang Jun angrily.

　　"Tsk tsk, this pretty boy is really lucky. He has brought both the 'Saiyue Girl' and the 'Dongyue Furong' from Songshan to his back room and embraced them. He has both mother and daughter."

　　"Yes, I have met Yue Siwan, the 'Saiyue Girl', once. She is very beautiful. If I could have a kiss on her, I would give up ten years of my life. With her wildness, I think she would drain this pretty boy dry."

　　Pang Jun saw that Song Mengtu did not stop the young man from talking nonsense. It was obviously his intention. He frowned and said, "Senior Song, I was in Zhejiang Province in July, but do you know what I did there? There were rebels colluding with the Japanese to attack Zhejiang Province and storm the provincial capital. I led a hundred divine guards to keep them out of the provincial capital, killed the followers of the 'Japanese Sword Saint' Musashi Gorin, Saito Nagayoshi, and fought to the death. I did not have that much time to care about the internal affairs of your sect."

　　He paused and continued, "As for Wan'er and her daughter, the head of the Yue family died suddenly of illness, so it is reasonable for Mrs. Yue to remarry. Wan'er and I fell in love at first sight in the capital. We are in love with each other, so what's the problem with taking her as a concubine? In addition, I am an official appointed by the court. You Songshan sect are making up stories and slandering me. I am afraid that you don't even care about the court."

　　With just a few words, Pang Jun not only publicized his own achievements in front of everyone, but also pointed out his official status. By doing so, he tried his best to eliminate the negative emotions brought about by marrying Yue Siwan and Pan Tong's mother and daughter, and even turned the tables on the three men from Songshan.

　　"I've also heard that the Japanese pirates were very aggressive this year and even invaded Zhejiang Province. The leader was a disciple of the Japanese Sword Master. I didn't expect that this young man would be the one to turn the tide."

　　"Yes, he is a young hero, and the mother and daughter of Saiyue admire him and are devoted to him. A hero and a beauty, so what?"

　　"That's right, he is a man who does great things. Who would care about your trivial matters in Songshan? You might as well go home and embrace your beauty."

　　"You..." The young man behind Song Mengtu pointed at Pang Jun, but could not say a word of rebuttal.

　　Pang Jun said calmly: "Also, half a month ago, His Majesty issued an edict to promote me to the governor of Songzhou, the fifth rank. I am no longer a member of the Divine Guards." When Pang Jun said this, everyone was in an uproar.

　　"Oh my god, he's only sixteen years old, and the emperor personally appointed him as a fifth-rank governor, a high-ranking official."

　　"Yes, it's amazing..." At this time, the faces of the three Songshan disciples turned pale. Song Mengtu said in a deep voice: "Then, Lord Liu, you just don't want to reveal the whereabouts of Yu Lingfeng? Then don't blame me for being ruthless." As soon as he finished speaking, the two Songshan disciples behind him attacked Pang Jun.

　　Pang Jun looked at the two Songshan disciples who had mediocre martial arts skills. He was not in a hurry. He stretched out his hands at the same time. In a moment, "pa pa pa pa", the two disciples were acupunctured by Pang Jun. Pang Jun sneered and said, "The disciples of Songshan are really powerful. Relying on their leader being the leader of the Five Mountains, they even dare to attack the officials appointed by the court."

　　Song Mengtu was well aware of the two disciples' martial arts skills, but he didn't expect that he couldn't defeat the young man in front of him with one move. With his martial arts skills, it would be effortless for him to kill or seriously injure Yu Lingfeng. Now there are only two ways to solve the problem. One is to leave in disgrace and make other plans, but if he does so, the face of the Songshan School will be lost today. The other is to go all the way to the end, bully the weak by taking advantage of the strength, and capture Pang Jun personally.

　　After thinking for a moment, he decided to choose the second path, so he said in a deep voice: "Then I would like to ask for your advice." After that, he drew out his sword and went straight for Pang Jun.

　　Song Mengtu's martial arts skills are only mediocre among his peers in Songshan Sect. He has always relied on the reputation of his second senior brother, the leader Zuo Xuanzhen, and his eldest senior brother Mu Qi to make his way around the world. In view of the reputation of the two masters and the century-old famous family of Songshan, people in the world give him some face and he rarely fights against others. After fighting with him for a while, Pang Jun concluded that he could easily defeat this man.

　　When Pang Jun was about to get serious and defeat Song Mengtu in one fell swoop, he suddenly heard a voice from a distance: "Stop!"

　　Then, the sound of chaotic horse hooves was heard, and about twenty riders rushed towards them.

　　Pang Jun probably knew that it was the local boss from Dizhou who had come, so he slowed down his movements and prepared to stop. However, Song Mengtu saw Pang Jun relax and thought he had gained the upper hand, so he attacked more fiercely. Pang Jun was angry: "Don't be shameless."

　　He dodged the sword and kicked Song Mengtu on the shoulder, sending him flying a dozen feet away.

　　By the time Song Mengtu stood up again, the riders had arrived and surrounded them. The leader dismounted and bowed to the two men, saying, "Song the Great, Liu the Great, I am Chao Kejian of the Iron Sword Fort. I am honored to meet you both. You are both guests. Today is a great day for the Iron Sword Fort. Please give me some face and turn hostility into friendship. I will be grateful."

　　This man, Chao Kejian, is the current head of the Chao family of "Iron Sword Fort". He is proficient in the Chao family's inherited "Dragon Sparrow Sword Technique" and has very close relationships and influence with many high-ranking officials and princes in the court, as well as countless giants in the martial arts world.

　　"Mr. Chao is the landlord. I'm new here and I've caused trouble. I feel really sorry. I apologize to you." Pang Jun said politely.

　　"No, no, no, Sir Liu, please don't say that. I am just a commoner. Sir Liu is a favorite of Your Majesty, a young hero, and a senior official. How dare I accept your gift? Today is the 'launch day' of the 'Iron Sword Castle'. I beg Sir Liu to come to my humble home so that I can show my hospitality. Oh, by the way, Mr. Song and the two high disciples of Songshan are also my distinguished guests. Please also come to my humble home for a gathering. How about it? Please."

　　Chao Kejian was a smooth and versatile person, and Pang Jun didn't want to offend him, so he said, "Then I'd better obey your order. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Chao." Then he glanced at the three people from Songshan and muttered, "Disciples of Songshan." Then he followed Chao Kejian away. Although not many people heard it, everyone knew that this young senior official did not bother to fight with the so-called big factions in the martial arts world.

　　Although Song Mengtu and the other two were extremely reluctant, they did not want to offend Chao Kejian, so they had to leave the downtown area with the group in disgrace. However, the anger in their eyes could not be extinguished.