Regarding Cai Peng's smear campaign against Young Master Hu, Wang Guan didn't have any particular thoughts. After all, when two young masters clash, it’s always about one slandering the other, so he just listened to some of it and didn't take it seriously.

"Big Brother, don't you believe me, I actually have proof." Cai Peng declared solemnly.

Hearing this, Wang Guan naturally inquired, "What proof?"

"I am the best proof!" Cai Peng pointed at himself, his face contorted in anger, "I've already been tricked by him twice, isn't that enough to prove how treacherous and cunning he is?"

Wang Guan found this rather amusing, and even Pi Qiu Shi couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"Brother Wang!"

Just then, Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng arrived together, bringing a gift. It was a sword case, rectangular in shape, with rather ancient and rustic decorative patterns on its surface. They had seen the sheathless Gongbu Sword the night before and had immediately decided to acquire a scabbard for it.

From this, one could tell that the two were indeed top-tier art agents, paying close attention to detail and always considering the customer's needs, which was precisely why they stood out among their peers and became leaders in the industry.

However, Cai Peng was unaware that the sword case was the gift. Naturally assuming there was a weapon inside, he beamed with joy, "Could it be that Big Brother and you were so composed because you were prepared all along?"

"Is this the weapon you prepared for me?"

As he spoke, Cai Peng strode forward, taking the sword case from the startled Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng. Without even noticing the incorrect weight, he excitedly opened it for inspection.

At first glance, Cai Peng was utterly disappointed. His immediate reaction was that Young Master Hu was playing tricks again. He then glared fiercely at Hu Shao's two "accomplices"—Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng—and angrily demanded, "What is this? Why is it empty? Where did you hide the thing?"

"Hide what thing?" Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng were naturally baffled and utterly confused.

"Still pretending?" Cai Peng snapped, "I see you won't shed any tears until you see the coffin..."

"Alright, stop fooling around, this is a misunderstanding."

Wang Guan, watching from the sidelines, understood a few things and immediately stopped Cai Peng from exploding, casually explaining, "The case is for holding the sword. The weapon is still in my room."

"Ah, my apologies..." Cai Peng felt a bit awkward.

Old Meng was also sharp. A thought flickered in his mind. He quickly smiled, "Young Master Cai intends to borrow Brother Wang's precious sword for the duel? I'm sure you won't have any surprises; you're absolutely going to win."

"Of course, it would be hard to lose," Sha Qingfeng strongly agreed.

"Oh?" Cai Peng was slightly surprised. If it were just Pi Qiu Shi saying it, he would certainly have his doubts, but with Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng concurring, he remained skeptical, though intensely curious about what was so special about that sword.

Thinking this, Cai Peng directly asked, "Big Brother, what's the story with that sword?"

"Why do you need to know the details of your business?" Wang Guan replied casually, "All you need to know is that lending you the weapon will ensure victory; everything else is a mere side issue and unnecessary to dwell upon."

"That's true." Cai Peng nodded thoughtfully. At the same time, he quietly requested, "Big Brother, could you let me see that weapon?"

"Fine."

Knowing Cai Peng needed reassurance, Wang Guan satisfied his request and led everyone back to the room. The moment the Gongbu Sword was revealed, not only was Cai Peng mesmerized, but even Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng couldn't resist the sword's allure, feeling a sense of intoxication.

"A true treasured sword. Truly a treasured sword." After sensing the edge and dangerous aura of the Gongbu Sword, Cai Peng felt a surge of confidence, certain he had found the right person.

"You should be at ease now, right?" Wang Guan laughed, his tone brimming with self-assurance.

This confidence stemmed not just from the Gongbu Sword's reputation but from its inherent quality. A sword capable of surviving over two thousand years without decay must be one of the world's top-tier weapons, naturally unafraid of any challenge.

Cai Peng’s confidence soared, and the apprehension that had been hanging over him significantly subsided.

While everyone admired the sword, time slipped by unnoticed, gradually approaching noon. At Cai Peng's earnest invitation, Wang Guan and the others readily agreed and followed him to a coffee shop—the place where Cai Peng and Young Master Hu had agreed to clash swords.

At this moment, Young Master Hu had arrived earlier, already seated in the very center of the coffee shop, nursing a rich cup of coffee, legs crossed, awaiting Cai Peng’s arrival. Behind him stood four or five bodyguards in black, giving the venue the atmosphere of a Hongmen banquet.

Simultaneously, upon seeing Cai Peng appear at the entrance, a smile bloomed on Young Master Hu's face. As they approached, Hu's voice, dripping with disdain and mockery, carried clearly, "One minute late. I thought you wouldn't dare show up."

"Enough nonsense, you insidious villain!"

Cai Peng roared angrily, "To play dirty tricks and ambush me, you are truly despicable and shameless."

"That's right, I did it."

Unexpectedly, Young Master Hu offered no denial; he didn't even bother to defend himself, nodding quickly and decisively in admission. Then he snorted, "I was just learning from someone. The treatment I received when I went to Taiwan—this is just returning the favor in kind..."

Hearing this, Wang Guan and the others exchanged glances, feeling utterly speechless. It turned out that Cai Peng, the supposed victim, didn't have clean hands either.

However, Cai Peng showed no embarrassment at all; instead, he argued righteously, "Can you blame me for that? Who was it that, after the dog fight, injected the dogs with stimulants..."

"Why don't you mention that after the horse race, you secretly fed my horse a strong laxative..."

In an instant, the two began exposing each other’s misdeeds, neither admitting they were the first to break the rules of fair play, both insisting they were innocent and shifting all blame onto the other.

"When it comes to black crows, they are all the same shade of black; the pot calling the kettle black," Wang Guan muttered under his breath, unable to watch any longer, a sentiment immediately echoed by everyone beside him.

After a few more moments, noticing the two were still trading insults with no sign of stopping, Wang Guan shook his head lightly. Finding a gap, he patted Cai Peng’s shoulder and said irritably, "Stop arguing. Settle this quickly; I have other things to attend to."

"Yes, Big Brother," Cai Peng nodded slightly and immediately called out to Young Master Hu, "Enough chatter, let's get to business. Where is your Japanese katana? Bring it out quickly."

"Hmph!"

Young Master Hu's expression turned cold, but inwardly, he felt a degree of surprise. After all, according to his subordinates, after sensing something was wrong, Cai Peng had gone straight to Wang Guan’s hotel and hadn't left since, meaning he had no opportunity to shop for a weapon. Yet now, Cai Peng seemed utterly self-assured, as if he had some hidden advantage, making Hu suspicious.

Thinking this, Young Master Hu's mouth curled into a mocking smile, "I must admit, I admire your courage. Clearly, you haven't managed to acquire any decent weapon, yet you dare to come here and make a fool of yourself..."

"Enough nonsense. We'll see who ends up looking foolish." Cai Peng was full of confidence, "I'll show you that as long as one's own strength is sufficient, all plots and schemes are just thin paper."

At this moment, several people felt lines appearing on their foreheads; only Cai Peng and Young Master Hu were the least qualified to say such a thing in the room.

"Aren't you afraid of blowing your own trumpet too loud?"

Young Master Hu, feeling contemptuous, waved his hand lightly, and naturally, someone next to him brought forward the Japanese katana. He took the hilt in one hand, and a flash of snow-white light appeared. The blade, sharp and gleaming, sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight, quite dazzling.

Although Wang Guan harbored few positive feelings toward Japan, he had to admit that the Japanese katana was worthy of being called one of the world's three great famous swords. Whether it was the splendor of the blade or the sharpness of the edge, it was of the highest international quality.

To put it mildly, speaking against one's own pride, the craftsmanship of modern Chinese sword-forging masters, when placed in Japan, would probably only rank as that of second or third-rate famous smiths, incomparable to their top-tier masters.

The root cause, simply put, was that compared to China, Japan placed greater importance on the inheritance of swordsmithing technology, and there had never been a break in that tradition. Even now, many traditional sword-forging families passed down their secrets through generations, possessing complete secret techniques.

But it wasn't the same for China. Hand-forging techniques began to decline during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and especially during the fifty years surrounding the founding of the nation, they suffered a devastating blow under the impact of artillery, leading to a gap of nearly a hundred years. It wasn't until the early 21st century that some people, by painstakingly studying ancient records, began to slowly restore ancient forging methods.

But how could the techniques gleaned from reading books compare to skills inherited through generations of tradition? In any case, Wang Guan felt that modern Chinese weapon-forging technology had a very long road ahead before it could return to its peak era...

After Wang Guan finished his contemplation, Cai Peng glanced dismissively at the Japanese sword, scornfully saying, "Tell me, how do you want to compare? By the value of the weapons, or by their sharpness?"

"Nonsense, of course... we compare both," Young Master Hu snorted. "First, the price, naturally, and then we test the edge. I'll tell you now, this Japanese sword of mine is purely hand-forged, crafted by a famous Japanese swordsmith; its price is not ordinary. So, don't try to fool me with some alloy weapon."

It was no wonder Hu Shao had to issue a preemptive warning. If they were purely comparing sharpness, even the finest handcrafted piece by a master smith couldn't compare to modern industrially produced alloy blades. Especially modern military weapons, which pushed sharpness to its absolute limit, naturally made handcrafted weapons hard to match, rendering the comparison irrelevant.

If Cai Peng had brought out a modern military knife, Young Master Hu would have spat in his face and walked away immediately.

"Hmph, I'm not as shameless as you," Cai Peng declared arrogantly. "I had someone specialized in your 'Kiku-Maru' or whatever you call it looked up; it's no famous sword at all. How much could it possibly be worth?"

"You know nothing!" Hu scoffed. "Do you know who forged this sword? Tsuyoshi Moonmountain (Gassan Sadakazu), the first Tsuyoshi Moonmountain who was named an Imperial Artisan by Emperor Meiji..." (To be continued)