Chapter 760: Bai's Sword Shop and Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall (Two in One)

The Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall was opened in the capital of Rome, located in the old city.

Even though the entire ancient city of Rome is full of antique buildings, just like the old man who is over 50 years old, he has long passed the age of large-scale construction. To have a place in this ancient cultural city, he often has an ancient charm that has been passed down for hundreds of years.

When the ancestors of the Bai family came to this strange land, they were also poor. It was by relying on soft rice and the blacksmithing skills passed down from their ancestors that they created the foundation of the Bai family that has been weathering wind and rain for hundreds of years.

Another golden signboard corresponding to the Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall is called the Bai Family Sword Shop.

Western knights love to use swords, and their demand for weapons is even greater than that for armor.

In the extraordinary world, the hundred-forged steel made of ordinary materials cannot support the violent fighting spirit at all, so craftsmen who can forge superior weapons have always been very popular.

Among the five major colleges of Penglai College, there is a special college that studies the manufacturing technology of forging weapons, which shows its importance.

In Rome, the dwarves, who were the best at forging, had already declined in the city-state era, and were directly extinct in the demigod era. The forging technology they handed down was extremely scarce, so there were obvious gaps and archaeological signs in the technology of smelting and forging weapons. The Bai family sword shop also used the unique forging skills of Daxia to become famous. After hundreds of years of development, it gradually formed a unique route.

Since ancient times, sword casting and sword training have been inseparable. The Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall and the Bai family sword shop are located on the same street. No matter how the situation changes over the past few hundred years, the students in the guard hall and the fire in the depths of the sword shop have never been extinguished.

Just like a steel smelting factory, the furnace is almost non-stop day and night, and even has a lifespan far longer than that of a steelmaking blast furnace, which can last for dozens or nearly a hundred years.

Although the Bai family's direct line is declining, there are many collateral branches. All in all, there are two or three hundred people who manage this ancestral business.

Today, a meeting is being held in the round hall on the third floor of the sword shop.

Now the Bai family's industry is declining, and only the sword shop business and the reputation of the guard house are still there. Other branches of the industry are not doing well. Whether it is a loss or something else, they need to rely on the family's ancestral industry for financial assistance.

Sitting at the first seat in the hall is a middle-aged man with an oriental face. His name is Bai Huai'an. Of course, he also has a Roman name, Rudolf.

In terms of seniority, Bai Huai'an and Bai Potian are of the same generation. His father Bai Hewu is a famous swordsmith. Now he is over 80 years old and is devoted to forging iron and swords. External management is handed over to Bai Huai'an.

Even if Bai Potian comes, he has to call Bai Hewu uncle when he sees him.

In the current Bai family, there is no direct lineage, so it is Bai Huai'an's lineage that holds the right to speak, because the sword shop and guard house industries are all handled by Bai Huai'an.

The meeting was held, reporting the situation of each industry.

Bai Huai'an held a teacup and listened to the report silently. The result was similar to what he thought, and there was almost no improvement.

He sighed silently in his heart, thinking that this would not work. Now the reputation of the guard house was not good, which led to the decline of the sword shop's business.

If this continued, not to mention maintaining the dignity of the Bai family, I am afraid that it would be a problem to maintain the food and clothing of hundreds of people.

It was a pity that such a large family had few people to support the family.

He glanced around and saw that there were actually quite a few males in the Bai family, but the number of men with the surname Bai was only about one-fifth, and the rest were either girls or people with changed surnames.

It was strange to say that anyone with the surname Bai, whether from the collateral or the direct line, had very few males, but there was no shortage of girls.

Therefore, the Pang family usually adopted the method of recruiting a son-in-law, and then he would be considered a member of the family and qualified to participate in the family meeting.

As long as they were not nobles or wealthy families, they were often not very sensitive to the surname of the younger generation, and adding a surname temporarily was not a big deal.

In Bai Huaian's opinion, those who are recruited as son-in-laws are often not particularly outstanding in their own strength and talent, otherwise who would be willing to live under someone else's roof.

While he was thinking, the people in charge of several industries below him had already started to quarrel with each other, putting on an attitude of blaming each other.

"Your hotel business is really bad."

"How dare you say that to me? The last business plan was written beautifully, but it ended up losing 300% in three months. How dare you blame me!"

"Okay, everyone be friendly..."

"Shut up, you are the most embarrassing. This time you have the nerve to bring the IOU and ask everyone to help you repay the loan!"

"I didn't want to either. I didn't expect the futures market to collapse suddenly. Who knew that the freight would suddenly stop. It was fine..."

"Then you shouldn't have gone all in!"

"Such a big hole, do you want to find your family to fill it for you?!"

Bang!

Bai Huaian slapped the table, and the quarreling people in the conference room immediately stopped.

Bai Huai'an, who was in his fifties, raised his hand and snorted, "Are you still thinking about our family?"

The man who had just spoken immediately changed his words: "No, I was just angry..."

Bai Huai'an said expressionlessly: "The direct line of our family sold a lot of properties back then. For decades, they left their ancestral property here without any care, thinking about returning to Daxia. During this period, have you considered the life and death of the collateral line?"

"Do you really think that you can rest assured if you can support them?"

"What if they still want to go back?"

"What if what happened back then happens again? Do we have to sell both the sword shop and the guardhouse this time!"

"And you can't even manage the little business you have, and you still expect the family to give you a huge fortune? Even if they give it to you, can you accept it!"

Throwing the teacup heavily on the table, Bai Huaian angrily said: "They have to take some responsibility for the decline of the Bai family today, but you are all to blame!"

At the end, everyone lowered their heads, looking humble and scolded.

But no one knows whether they are truly repentant.

Bai Huaian originally wanted to discuss something else, but seeing this mess, he knew that it was useless to speak up.

When the family was weak, they were the ones who were most reluctant to help. Now that the family is strong, they are the ones who want to go back and make a fortune... They are afraid to avoid bad things, and they are afraid to miss out on good things.

Cottage chickens and clay dogs, unworthy of reuse!

Bai Huaian also felt a bit depressed and sad in his heart, thinking that he had worked hard for decades to maintain a bright appearance, but in the end, it was still a makeshift team.

But he still had resentment in his heart. The Bai family had never lacked outstanding people. If the family had not insisted on taking away a large amount of property and a few mainstays, how could the Bai family have ended up like this?

"Go down." He waved his hand and signaled everyone to retreat.

Most of the crowd dispersed, but a few people stayed.

Holding the business plan in his hand.

"Master Dai, this is a new industrial proposal. I am confident enough this time."

"Well, my shop is almost unable to hold on. Master Dai, when will the capital be injected?"

"I am more anxious here. The bank wants to collect the loan. If I don't pay, the collateral will be taken back. By then, I will lose everything!"

Bai Huaian said angrily: "Get down!"

After driving these people away, he sighed, turned around and left the circular hall, and went to the sword shop.

In the deepest part of the Bai family sword shop, there is a very old furnace, which is the original sword furnace.

The fire in the sword furnace now comes out of this furnace. This is the foundation of the Bai family for hundreds of years.

Next to the sword furnace, a slightly hunched but still strong old man was hammering the orange-red iron block, and the crisp sound of blacksmithing was rhythmic.

Hearing this sound, Bai Huaian's expression became calmer. No matter how impetuous his emotions were, he would always calm down when he came here.

Bai Huaian bowed to the white-bearded blacksmith: "Son meets father."

"Rudolf is here..." The old man Bai Hewu put the sword embryo into the sword furnace and rubbed his dusty beard.

"I prefer the name Huaian."

"Your mother gave you the name Rudolf."

"I know."

Bai Hewu picked up the porcelain cup, took a sip of water, and said lightly: "You are still the same as when you were a child, you want to prove that your surname is Bai, and even changed your name to be the same as the people of Daxia, but you know in your heart that you don't have that ability, you can't manage this big family, and you can't catch up with the direct line of your family."

Bai Huaian's fists hardened immediately, but facing his father's comments, he could only lower his head and said: "Father has said it hundreds of times."

"But you didn't listen once, you just want to prove that you are not worse than them, and you can live well without the support of your family." Bai Hewu picked up the hammer: "You can live well, as long as you are willing to pick up the hammer and work hard like me."

Bai Huaian straightened his back and asked: "Did father go into the sword shop because he felt that he was not as good as Bai Canshang? Or did he know that he would fail?"

Bai Hewu smiled, took out the iron block, and continued to knock, and the sound of ding-dong-dong echoed.

"I never felt that I needed to compare myself with him."

"He made the decision, and so did I. If he wants to go to Daxia, he can go. I will guard the ancestral property of the Bai family. We each have our own paths."

"I don't want him to fail. I hope he can succeed more than anyone else... and I also know that if he can't do it, then no one else in the Bai family can do it. Although Bai Canshang failed, he is still a man worthy of admiration. You shouldn't laugh at someone who is more courageous than your father."

Bai Huaian disagreed: "He dragged down the next few generations."

"How can this be? Look at his son, he is living a glorious life."

"But we..."

"Rudolf." Bai Hewu dropped a hammer heavily: "Don't blame others if you are not capable enough. Why do you think the Bai family, which is not big to begin with, has to separate the main family and the collateral branch?"

Bai Huaian shook his head.

"Because the direct descendants of the Bai family have always relied on their own abilities to make a living." Bai Hewu said earnestly: "According to the rules of our ancestors, those who inherit the family business are those who have no ability to make a living on their own. The direct descendants are monsters from generation to generation. They don't need charity and can support themselves... So, you should also let go of your stubbornness."

Bai Huaian stopped talking.

"Why, you are not convinced?"

"My son feels unconvinced and wronged... I have worked hard for 30 years and worked hard for the family. Do I have to rely on my family to survive?" Bai Huaian clenched his fists, his eyes were unhappy, and he was unwilling to give up.

"Forget it, now you are the head of the family, you don't have to tell me how you decide." Bai Hewu continued to forge iron.

"I just have one thing I want to ask my father." Bai Huaian paused and said: "About this time..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard a cry from behind.

"Oh no, acting head of the family!"

A sword shop apprentice ran in with a dusty face.

Bai Huai'an suppressed his displeasure and turned around to ask: "What's the matter? You are so flustered. How can you behave like that?"

The apprentice took a few breaths and said: "Something happened in the guardhouse. Someone came to challenge the guardhouse!"

"Chat the guardhouse?" Bai Huai'an was furious and said in a deep voice: "Who is so bold?"

The Dragon and Tiger Guardhouse is a local old signboard with hundreds of years of history. Which young man came here to make a name for himself?

"Yes, the guardhouse is united..."

...

The sword guardhouse in Rome is roughly similar to the Jianghu sect in Daxia, which is a higher level than the Children's Palace.

Although you can't learn serious Japanese swordsmanship in the Children's Palace, it is enough to chop a little dragon girl or something.

The swordsmanship and sword skills that can be learned in the sword guardhouse are of a higher level.

Speaking of the extraordinary system in Rome, it is quite strange. Here, knowledge payment is emphasized. For spells and the like, as long as you have money, you can buy advanced spell knowledge and hire a private teacher; but swordsmanship is not the case. The knight's body training method, training method, method of refining fighting spirit, and the crucial sword skills must be learned in the corresponding guard hall.

If you learn secretly, it is considered as taking without permission, which is equivalent to stealing. Any sword guard hall strictly prohibits and cracks down on piracy and theft.

From this, it can be seen that the knight's extraordinary system, or swordsmanship and sword skills, etc., are actually monopolized.

Unlike Daxia, which has a dragon vein world, anyone can obtain the inheritance left by the predecessors;

In Europe, the cost of learning swordsmanship is very high. You must become a disciple of a sword guard hall. After several years of training and the guidance of the master, you can master a swordsmanship.

During this time, you have to keep paying tuition fees and additional fees. For example, the customized weapons are specified by the sword guard hall, and you can only pay money; for another example, you can pay more to unlock advanced courses in advance; for another example, if something happens in the guard hall, you must maintain it, which is the responsibility of a disciple; in the future, when you graduate from the guard hall and have a reputation, you must also show that you are a disciple of xx guard hall and help the guard hall become famous.

This series of operations has aggravated the monopoly of the sword guard hall.

But monopoly means that the people behind can't get on the bus... Too many latecomers have expressed their disgust for this behavior of welding the car door after getting on the bus.

Basically, the sword guard halls in Rome can be divided into three types.

Royal Sword Guard, this is a guard with the credit of the Roman royal family, with a transcendent status. Countless people are trying their best to get in. Graduates from it are equivalent to Penglai graduates in Daxia in Rome. They will receive top offers no matter where they go;

Then there are guards with golden signs for hundreds of years, including Longhu Guard, which are well-known, have wide connections and are convenient for enrollment;

The last type is the newly promoted sword guard.

This is a business model that uses new era thinking to operate.

It is a joint guard formed by a series of small guards.

It breaks the various old-fashioned operating methods mentioned above, implements modern business thinking, and has a simple operating policy, which does not pay attention to loyalty or appearance.

First, the capable will be promoted, and resources will be concentrated to cultivate potential disciples; second, money will pave the way, and those who are willing to pay will open vvvip channels.

There is also competition within the joint guard, but its goal is still to quickly expand the market and break the monopoly of the old sword guard in the past.

Although it has touched the interests of many old guards, many small guards have turned to it, causing its expansion speed to soar sharply.

Bai Huaian had met people from the United Guard several times before. They wanted to talk business and hoped that the Dragon and Tiger Guard would join them, and they offered very generous conditions.

But Bai Huaian felt that if that happened, the Dragon and Tiger Guard's signboard would be borrowed and abused, so he refused.

The biggest problem of the current United Guard is that it is mixed with good and bad.

The big guards are out of control; the small guards will be quickly eaten up.

The Dragon and Tiger Guard is actually very weak, and it is difficult to protect itself, so Bai Huaian refused because he was worried that once he joined, he would be eaten by several hilltops in the United Guard.

His idea was right.

But weak prey will inevitably attract predators, and it is useless to hide blindly.

The other party still came to the door.

...

A car stopped at the end of the street.

Bai Yu looked through the car window: "It seems that we came at the wrong time."

"Maybe it's the right time?"

Melusina sat in the back seat, opened the refrigerator, took out ice cubes and threw them into the cup.

She smiled lightly.

This smile was sweet, but her evil intentions were already exposed.

"If we don't let them suffer a little, I think even Bai Huaian, who is as tough as a bone, won't bow his head easily."

"Are you forcing a cow to drink water?" Bai Yu asked, "Sister Shirley, did you know that something would happen today?"

"Don't look at me like that." Melusina half-opened the champagne and poured the light yellow bubbling drink into the goblet: "It's just that Donghuang Group has many spies, and I collected some information. This is not my instigation. Sister doesn't have so many bad intentions."

"Really?" Bai Yu did not comment.

"Do you want to confirm it yourself?" Melusina hooked her fingers on the buttons of her lapel.

"It's not appropriate, it's not appropriate." Bai Yu quickly stopped her: "Someone is watching."

Melusina understood, and then directly ordered: "Milka, you also unbutton."

"Ah? Do I want it too?" The little secretary driving in the front seat blushed like fire.

She gritted her teeth, thinking that since she was showing it to the young master, she would not be the one to suffer.

Bai Yu interrupted immediately, picked up the champagne and put it aside: "So, who is coming this time?"

"People from the United Guard... They use some old-fashioned methods."

Melusina simply summarized: "First, they find someone to provoke, causing friction between the hot-blooded young people. After a few months of scouting and wiring, they let the apprentices of both sides have a conflict, and then go back to break a few bones of a person and cripple one or two arms, using this as an excuse to attack the Dragon and Tiger Guard."

"After that, it was a conflict within the guard. If nothing unexpected happens, the Knights Association will be notarized. The Knights Association is a subordinate organization affiliated with the Church Templar Knights, responsible for managing knights across the country. As a credible association, it will also be responsible for handling disputes between guards."

"In short... the final negotiation result should be to use the method of knight duel to resolve the dispute."

"The United Guard came with bad intentions this time, and this bite will at least eat up more than half of the Dragon and Tiger Guard."

...

The United Guard did not look very good.

At the negotiation table, Bai Huaian's face was also very ugly.

The leader of the United Guard was a bald strong man with two axes on his waist, giving people a sense of Viking pirates.

He blew his beard and said: "The people of the Dragon and Tiger Guard injured our disciples of the United Guard and made them like this. They have to give an explanation."

"But don't say we are bullying the weak."

"Under the witness of the association, each side will send five people to fight a knight duel, two knight apprentices and three senior knights."

"Three wins out of five games."

"If the Dragon and Tiger Guard wins, the United Guard promises to withdraw directly from Rome and never cause you any trouble."

"But if the Dragon and Tiger Guard loses...not only must we compensate for our losses, but we must also sign this agreement."

Bai Huaian looked at these people with a calm look in his eyes.

...The means are really rough.

He thought.

Even the agreement was prepared in advance, it is obvious that they are here to annex the Dragon and Tiger Guard.

But this is an open conspiracy.

If the Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall does not accept it, then the other party will certainly continue to use various means to target the disciples of the Guard Hall.

Once there is a second time, the guard hall will be demoralized and no one will come to sign up.

And the other party will certainly make a high-profile announcement that the Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall is afraid of fighting, and hit its reputation.

After all, the Guard Hall itself relies on hard power to make a living, and just having a signboard is not enough.

Not only must there be face, but also substance... This is why a major sect needs the support of top masters.

This is also why the top ten consortiums in Rome are willing to take the initiative to use three-tenths of their income to support offerings, lobby the church, and support the royal family.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The mediator of the Knights Association spoke: "Master of the Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall, this matter should not be delayed. It is better to solve it as soon as possible. After all, it involves the reputation of the guard hall. It is not good for anyone to drag it on."

The people of the Knights Association were invited by the other party. Although they were neutral, the superficial negotiation was ultimately for pressure.

There are many factions within this United Guard House. Although there are many contradictions, they always maintain a consistent momentum when expanding outward.

The Dragon and Tiger Guard House is weak and is not a match for the combined forces of several families. The other side is not only superior in quantity but also in quality.

Bai Huai'an's current situation is a dilemma.

If he evades and delays for a day or two, he may be able to use his connections to invite help.

But he is the same as his father's evaluation.

Stubborn, not thick-skinned, and not black-hearted.

Faced with the conspiracy that came to his door, he did not think of swallowing his anger and enduring it again, but felt that there was no way to retreat.

So he agreed: "-Okay!"

Several people in charge of the United Guard House also showed a satisfied smile of success.

"So, the Dragon Tiger Guard Hall Master agreed?"

The other party also said a compliment: "You are courageous and have not lost the reputation of the Dragon Tiger Guard Hall."

Bai Huaian said coldly: "I hope you will keep your promise and don't throw a tantrum after losing."

"With the Knights Association as a witness, we signed an agreement."

The negotiation ended happily.

The mediator of the Knights Association notarized it.

But then came the process of selecting soldiers and generals.

Bai Huaian suppressed the anger in his eyes, returned to the door, and asked people to gather disciples, swordsmanship coaches and guests.

Time is running out.

Five games will be decided today, and five people are needed.

Bai Huaian is the owner of the hall, so he has no responsibilities and needs to fight in person.

He made a selection.

It is not difficult to choose two apprentices. Knight apprentices are defaulted to the level of extraordinary first level, below the silver knight.

But senior knights are more difficult.

To choose the remaining two, he looked around, waiting for people to volunteer, but almost everyone looked embarrassed.

Knights duel with swords and knives, and people may die.

Even though a few people tried to stand up, they were immediately glared at by their wives and shrank back.

"Master Dai, it's not that we are unwilling, but my husband is so weak. How can he be a match for a mere golden knight?" A woman took the initiative to resign: "I will ask him to resign from the position of swordsmanship instructor. I hope Master Dai will not embarrass us."

With the first one, there is the second one.

Finally, the Bai family elder who was at the peak of the third level of transcendence was selected. The latter was already over sixty years old, ten years older than Bai Huaian.

Other elders, guests, or clansmen were willing, but they were not strong enough.

Those who were strong were afraid of getting into trouble, and those who were willing were not strong enough.

Bai Huaian smiled bitterly, thinking that with so many people, he couldn't even choose two suitable senior knights, and he would not choose those who were unwilling to fight.

If you don't have blood, it's useless to go up.

Drive the crowd away.

Bai Huaian kept the two disciples.

"This duel is of great importance. You need to go all out. If necessary, you can directly break through the realm... Don't hold back."

He expressed his expectations to the two elite disciples in the guard hall.

These two people are not old, but they were all taught by him personally.

They are close to the level of silver knights. The realm of these two people was deliberately suppressed. It was originally to prepare for the National Knight Apprentice Competition in Rome, which would also be convenient for the Dragon and Tiger Guard Hall to become famous at that time. Now he can't care so much.

He patted his disciples on the shoulders and said, "Work hard, Longhu will not treat you unfairly."

As long as they can win, then Bai Huaian only needs to win the next game to make up for the three wins.

There is no need to find a fifth person.

...

"I give up."

No one expected it.

The elite disciple who was given great hope would give up in the first game.

Bai Huaian's face was ashen, and his five fingers sank into the armrests of the chair.

He said in a low voice: "You are plotting against me?"

The United Guard smiled calmly: "We don't know what happened."

The people of the Knights Association said indifferently: "In the first game, the United Guard won."

Ten minutes of halftime break.

The disciple who just came off the court knelt on the ground after seeing Bai Huaian, and his forehead hit the ground, splashing blood: "Disciple has no choice, they set a trap for me, secretly deceived my relatives into owing a huge loan, and told me to give up in this game, and the debt can be written off..."

It was all calculated.

Bai Huaian knew that anger would not help, so he could only look at the second disciple.

The second disciple swore on the spot that he was innocent, had not been threatened or manipulated by the opponent, and would definitely win.

The fact was just as he said.

In order to make up for the loss in the first game, the second disciple gave up the opportunity to make a splash in the Knight Apprentice Competition and broke through to the Silver Knight on the spot. Just when he broke through, his opponent immediately surrendered.

The second disciple won, but it was a frustrating victory. He resisted the urge to curse and left the game.

Bai Huai'an knew that this was also a trap set by the opponent.

The disciple sent by the opponent was also at the level of Knight Apprentice. Now it was equivalent to eliminating a strong competitor in the competition in advance at the cost of a loss.

But under this conspiracy, Bai Huai'an could only choose to sacrifice his disciples to save the Dragon and Tiger Guard.

After the two apprentices, it was the battle of three senior knights.

This was the highlight.

After all, the foundation of a guard hall still depends on the number of masters.

...

Outside the duel, the audience didn't care about these things. They just thought that the more ups and downs, the better, so that they could watch happily.

Bai Yu watched silently, and Melusina watched with him, but her eyes always stayed on his profile, smiling, never tired of looking at this face.

Suddenly, there was a figure with the smell of fire next to him.

An old man sat on the ground, his beard was stained with ash and scorch marks left by sparks.

He smiled at Bai Yu, showing his mouth with a few missing teeth, and raised the empty red flower porcelain cup in his hand.

"Young man, the old man is shameless to ask you for a drink of water."

"This is champagne."

"Champagne is good."

"If you don't mind."

Bai Yu handed over the champagne and poured the drink into the porcelain cup with big red flowers printed on it, which always felt a little subtle.

Just like the Bai family's collateral branches who have the appearance of oriental people but have long been assimilated into Romans.