Castle of Black Iron

Zhu Dabiao rubbed his eyes by fingers in order to confirm that he didn’t have an illusion. The one sitting on the golden chair was such familiar. Zhu Dabiao just felt his head buzzing as he faintly opened his mouth and didn’t know what to say…

Few of Zhang Tie’s disciples had noticed Zhu Dabiao’s expression. When those disciples entered the room and saw a strange young man sitting in the position of their master while Bai Suxian was standing silently on one side of that young man, the atmosphere froze at once. Everybody just gazed at Zhang Tie and his chair; someone had already looked furious.

Standing in the front of all the other disciples, Liu Xing knew that all the others were waiting for him to make a response to this situation although he didn’t look back.

“Uncle Master Bai, our master called us here. We wonder where’s our master?” Liu Xing threw a calm glance at Zhang Tie before asking Bai Suxian. However, before Bai Suxian replied, Liu Xing had slowed his manner of speaking and told Zhang Tie, “Little brother, you’re sitting on our master’s chair. You could not sit there casually. If you’re the customer of our master and Uncle Master Bai, you can sit here!”. Liu Xing pointed at those rows of seats on one side of the room.

Bai Suxian didn’t respond to Liu Xing’s words; instead, she just threw a glance at Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie revealed a smile. Given his disciples’ facial expressions and the suddenly freezing atmosphere in the room, Zhang Tie had known that these disciples had accepted him from inside; especially Liu Xing, who treated Bai Suxian and Zhang Tie himself in a humble way. Therefore, Zhang Tie appreciated Liu Xing pretty much. What Zhang Tie felt pretty hilarious was Zhu Dabiao’s ‘exaggerating’ expression as if he had seen a ghost. Zhang Tie’s two nephews Zhang Chengxu and Zhang Chengze also looked very excited. When his two nephews saw him last time, they were only 7-8 years old. At that time, they could already remember his look. The sudden appearance of Zhang Tie shocked them too much. Zhang Chengze wanted to call him uncle; however, Zhang Chengxu stopped him by pulling his arm while throwing a glance at him. Zhang Chengze hurriedly stopped. Zhang Chengxu and Zhang Chengze both watched Zhang Tie with amazing and suspicious looks…

“Don’t do that. Wait a minute. I was told that people could casually change their look using the disguising skill. We still don’t know whether this man is the uncle or not!”

Zhang Chengze whispered to Zhang Chengxu; however, no matter how low the voice was, it could not escape from Zhang Tie’s ears.

“Liu Xing, can’t you recognize me?” Zhang Tie watched Liu Xing as he said in Cui Li’s voice.

After hearing Zhang Tie’s voice, Liu Xing and the other disciples behind him became restless at once. Liu Xing widely opened his eyes and looked straight into Zhang Tie’s eyes; closely after that, he quivered all over.

This voice sounded too familiar. Even the qi in the voice was as same as that of Cui Li. More than that, even Zhang Tie’s sitting position and expression looked familiar…

“Uncle Master Bai, what…what happened?” Liu Xing asked Bai Suxian.

“He’s indeed your master!” Bai Suxian said as she threw a glance at Liu Xing and the other disciples. As she didn’t know how to explain it to these disciples, she just poked Zhang Tie’s back by finger as she said in a secret way, “Just clarify it to them!”

On such an occasion, how could his disciples believe him only by words? Thankfully, Zhang Tie had long predicted about this situation and worked out a method. If these people were none of his business, it might take him some time to let these people believe that he was Cui Li. However, now that they were his disciples, it would be much simpler for him to prove his identity.

Sitting on the golden chair, Zhang Tie flicked a curl of golden battle qi of spiritual energy towards his disciples. Before reaching his 121 disciples, it slightly vibrated and turned into 121 golden pedals before lurking into his disciples’ foreheads. At the same time, his disciples felt dazzled as if something entered their foreheads. Closely after that, the “mark of preach” that Fire Dragon Hermit pointed at their foreheads using gilding dragon-blood cinnabar rocked and gave out brilliant golden light. Everyone then saw sparkling golden light in front of them.

Hua people valued master’s inheritance pretty much. In Taixia’s inheritance ceremony between master and disciples, putting in dragons with precious gilding dragon-blood cinnabar by a golden brush was an unnecessary step. When Zhao Yuan enrolled Zhang Tie as a disciple, the process was pretty simple; however, in official occasions, this step was very important. In inheritance ceremony, the master would leave a “mark of preach” in his disciples’ mind sea by mixing his spiritual energy and battle qi with precious gilding dragon-blood cinnabar and pointing it onto the forehead of his disciples. This “mark of preach” was unique for disciples which meant that their blood and fleshes originated from their parents and forebears while their ranks of cultivation benefited by their master.

The disciples would appreciate their master so much like how they appreciated their parents for giving birth to them. After the step of putting in dragons with gilding dragon-blood cinnabar, the relationship between master and disciples would be confirmed.

The one who could activate the “mark of preach” was the very one who once put the “mark of preach” into their mind sea. It was even more effective than a DNA test. Before the Catastrophe, even a DNA could be cloned; however, only one person could put in the “mark of preach” and activate it.

After being shocked, Liu Xing and the other disciples confirmed Zhang Tie’s identity at once. It was Cui Li, Fire Dragon Hermit, also their master. Starting from Liu Xing, all the other disciples hurriedly knelt down, including Zhu Dabiao. No matter whether he knew this person sitting in front of him previously, now that this young man was his master, he had to show respect to him. The identity of a grandson of provincial governor didn’t work here in Iron-Dragon Sect.

“Master, sorry for being rude…”

It was regarded as a big crime if the disciples didn’t bow towards their master.

“Stand up. You’re innocent as you didn’t know that. What happened today was not your fault either!” Zhang Tie said in Cui Li’s slightly hoarse and mature voice. Zhang Tie’s real voice sounded like that of a teenager which was even more tender than most of the disciples at present.

After confirming their master’s identity, nobody felt this sound was strange anymore.

Liu Xing and all the other disciples hurriedly stood up.

“Master, have you disguised?” Liu Xing asked Zhang Tie bravely on behalf of his junior fellow and sister apprentices which was also what all the others wanted to know most.

Zhang Tie replied with a smile, “I’ve not disguised. This is actually my original look. Cui Li is my incarnation. Many among you might have heard my real name. I’m Zhang Tie, an elder of Huaiyuan Palace in Youzhou Province. I was screwed due to the tragedy in Fuhai City and was wanted by the Supreme Court of Taixia Country. When I was screwed and wanted, I had to hide my identity and look and escape everywhere. Now the Supreme Court of Taixia Country has already canceled off my order for arrest…”

After hearing Zhang Tie’s original identity, more people among his disciples became as dumbfounded as Zhu Dabiao.

‘My master Cui Li is Zhang Tie? The No. 1 black iron knight in Taixia Country? The black iron knight who wrote the article The Beloved Ones ? The main character of the Legend of Black Iron Hero? The Lion of Youzhou Province who once became especially outstanding in Youzhou City? The gentleman who was well-known across Taixia Country yet was screwed?’

‘What is more important, he’s so young and handsome.’ Some female disciples had already cupped their hands at their hearts as they felt so happy that they almost passed out.

The name Zhang Tie was much well-known than Cui Li even though when he was just a black iron knight.

Although Cui Li was an earth knight, he had just been to Xuanyuan Hill and was strange to many people; however, the name Zhang Tie had been well-known in the knight’s world. Zhang Tie’s experiences could be legends of legends. He was really as brilliant as a superstar.

All of the disciples became stunned. Although the 7 black-armor fighters were usually calm, they were also shocked too much by Zhang Tie’s words as they were going to fall down like stepping onto cotton or in the clouds.

‘My master is Zhang Tie? My master is Zhang Tie?’

“Uncle, nice to see your original look…” Zhang Chengxu and Zhang Chengze had already rushed out of the crowd and kowtowed loudly several times in front of Zhang Tie before the others recovered their composure. When the two brothers raised their heads, their foreheads were already red while they burst out into tears…

When they were at home, many people at home told them that their uncle was wronged. Their father Zhang Yang also told them that their uncle was the pillar of the Zhang family. The two boys grew up hearing the stories and legends about Zhang Tie told by their grandparents. Therefore, they had long treated Zhang Tie as their life idol and hero. The two brothers had not imagined that they could meet Zhang Tie at this moment. Being extremely thrilled, they didn’t even know what to say.

After seeing what Zhang Chengxu and Zhang Chengze did, the other two disciples from Huaiyuan Palace responded to it too, one male, one female. Closely after that, they walked out of the crowd and kowtowed loudly three times in front of Zhang Tie.

“Elder Mushen, Zhang Yueshan…Zhang Yawei are glad to see you recover your look…”

Zhang Tie was the hero of the Zhang family and Huaiyuan Palace. None of the disciples in Huaiyuan Palace would deny it…

…