"Yeah, these gangs are nothing but trouble. They're like parasites living off Mu City!"
Lin Chang'sheng chuckled to himself.
Yan Zhen probably had no idea that the "great hero" she was talking about was sitting right in front of her.
"Chang'sheng, you're at Hundred Herbs Hall now? I thought I heard you went to Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall to study martial arts?"
Yan Zhen's beautiful eyes flashed as she asked.
"Yep, I learned Iron Sand Palm. To get even stronger, I joined Hundred Herbs Hall—and now I can refine Qi Replenishing Pills."
Lin Chang'sheng glossed over it with a simple explanation.
"You can refine Qi Replenishing Pills? That's amazing! But honestly, your body really has gotten a lot stronger than before!"
Yan Zhen pinched Lin Chang'sheng's arm, finding his muscles bulging and solid. She couldn't help but be taken aback.
"Sister Zhen, I'm done eating, thanks so much."
Lin Chang'sheng grinned, wiped his mouth after finishing, and spoke to Yan Zhen.
"Why are you being so polite? Come by whenever you have time."
Yan Zhen smiled back.
"Mm!"
Lin Chang'sheng said goodbye to Sister Zhen and headed straight to Zhang's Ironsmith Shop in West City.
..........
Mu City.
West City.
Lin Chang'sheng stood at the entrance of Zhang's Ironsmith Shop.
Just now, he'd handed Chen Ling's ledger to the courier, sending it off to Min Nan City. Chances are, it wouldn't be long before Chen Ling found himself jailed and beheaded.
He'd done enough evil to deserve it.
He could easily die a couple more times for what he's done.
Zhang's Ironsmith Shop had nearly a hundred years of history in Mu City, with family members forging iron for generations.
Whether it was farming tools or weapons like swords and sabers, Zhang Family was the best in town.
The smithy was at the end of West City, and was quite large. The shop was split in two: the left side sold farming tools and daily goods; the right side had all sorts of weapons—sabers, spears, swords, halberds, you name it.
"Hello there, brother! What kind of weapon are you looking to buy?"
Lin Chang'sheng walked over to the weapon-selling side and was greeted by a tall, dark-skinned, rugged-looking young man with sharp, bright eyes.
"I want to buy a long saber."
Lin Chang'sheng glanced at the weapons rack and answered.
He noticed that out of all the eighteen types of weapons, there were the most sabers and swords.
"Brother, you've come to the right place. We have refined iron sabers, Iron-Chopping Sabers, and even Hundred-Forged Steel Sabers. Feel free to look around and pick whatever catches your eye!"
The young man introduced the selection enthusiastically.
"Hmm, these all feel a bit too light. Do you have anything heavier?"
Lin Chang'sheng picked up a few, swinging them around. They felt almost weightless, lacking that heft he wanted. After passing the fifth level of Golden Bell Shield, his physical strength skyrocketed and even his bones became much thicker!
These average sabers just didn't match his current strength in terms of weight.
"We've got just the thing! This way, please!"
The young man's eyes flashed with surprise at Lin Chang'sheng's words, and he nodded, leading him to the back room.
The sabers displayed out front were meant for regular third-class experts.
This young man actually wanted something heavier—definitely unexpected.
Zhang's Ironsmith Shop had the storefront up front, and the forge in the back—it was hot as hell back there. Around the furnace, five or six muscular men were hammering away, sweat pouring down their bodies.
The constant clang of metal rang out one after another.
The young man brought Lin Chang'sheng into a room about thirty feet wide. Hanging on the walls were seventeen or eighteen different weapons: sabers, spears, swords, halberds, the works.
The young man walked up, took down a black long saber, and handed it to Lin Chang'sheng. "Brother, this saber is mixed with a bit of exotic iron, so it's pretty heavy. Take a look—see if you like it?"
This saber was just over three feet long, two and a half inches wide. The blade was jet black, with a grid pattern carved into the handle.
The scabbard was also carved with a lattice design.
Lin Chang'sheng took the saber, swung it a few times, and gently ran his hand along the blade. He could feel a cold sharpness chill his fingers, and it moved fluidly in his hand.
"Not bad!"
Lin Chang'sheng praised silently, turned to ask the young man—Zhang Yi—"How much for this one?"
"This Thousand-Hammered and Hundred-Forged Blade took over two months to make. If you really want it, I'll let it go for 40 taels."
Zhang Yi thought for a second before answering.
The saber had sat here unsold for three years—it was expensive, and most bladesmen found it way too heavy.
"20 taels. I'll take it."
Lin Chang'sheng's eyes flashed as he spoke.
"Brother, that's cutting it a bit too low. How about this—you give me 36 taels and it's yours. Can't go any lower."
Zhang Yi looked troubled.
Back then,
The exotic iron cost a good bit, and this saber really was solid after all that forging. The only problem was how heavy it was.
"30 taels, that's my price. Otherwise, forget it."
Lin Chang'sheng looked thoughtful, then said firmly.
Originally, he wanted to buy an Iron Embryo Bow. With his Nine-Star Linked Beads, he could unleash his archery skills. As long as he had a Strong Bow, he could shoot nine arrows in a row. At his First-class Realm, even a First-class Expert wouldn't survive that.
The Wooden Hunting Bow at Sister Zhen's house just wasn't enough for his current strength.
He wanted to get an Iron Embryo Bow to match his abilities.
But right now, Great Yu strictly forbade privately making bows and arrows, and guessing Zhang Yi wouldn't go for it, he decided not to push it.
"33 taels."
Zhang Yi looked torn.
Lin Chang'sheng turned around and started walking out—silver wasn't something that just dropped out of the sky. He said 30 taels, not a coin more!
"Fine, 30 taels it is—it's yours!"
Zhang Yi looked heartbroken as he hugged the saber and chased after him.
Lin Chang'sheng was quite satisfied, forked over 30 taels of silver, and left the smithy.
Wind and Thunder Saber Technique Experience Points +1
+1
+1
........
With the saber slung behind his back, Lin Chang'sheng felt the wind pick up. Red experience notifications kept popping up at the edge of his vision.
"This saber is black all over except for a little white at the tip—looks just like that break of dawn sky. I'll call it Dawn."
Lin Chang'sheng decided inwardly.
........
Mu City.
County Government Office.
"Oh heaven above, please let that hero keep his word!"
Chen Ling stood in the back courtyard, gazing at a row of thousand-year-old green trees, and worry etched deep into his eyes.
He'd recorded all his wrongdoings over the years in a ledger and handed it over to that person. He knew full well—if that ledger ever got out, he wouldn't have enough heads to lose.
Having leverage in someone else's hands felt like a bone stuck in his throat—he couldn't sleep at night.
"Sir, starting yesterday afternoon, a lot of outsiders have shown up in Mu City."
At that moment, a middle-aged constable stepped forward, saluting with hands cupped.
This was Chen Ling's subordinate, Zhang Han—a fierce man, whose Gale Saber Technique was brutal, and was just a breath away from breaking into Second-class Expert.
"A lot of outsiders? Do you know who they are or what they want?"
Chen Ling narrowed his eyes at that.
This many experts showing up would definitely shake up Mu City's stability.
"Sir, according to my sources, there are the Min Nan Five Tigers, Canglang Blade Master Lightning Blade, Purple Thunder Flying Knife, Lingnan Double Eagles, and nearly a hundred more. There are two First-class Experts, twelve Second-class Experts, and nearly a hundred Third-class Experts!"
"Word is—they've come to kill someone."
Zhang Han said in a low voice.
"To kill someone?"
A thought flashed through Chen Ling's mind. Could it be him?
The four top experts in Mu City were dead now, with only this one person left at the very top. Most likely, all these outsiders had come for that top expert.
With his leverage in that man's hands, he'd always be looking over his shoulder. If these experts were here for that man, maybe—just maybe—he'd finally get a good night's sleep.