This night, news of the blacksmith shop receiving an order for a Thirty-Refined Weapon was passed into the hall of the Black Tiger Gang.
"Hmm? That Li's Iron Shop has a decent reputation in this area. Dare they take the order, they must be confident... Maybe Li Tie will personally handle this."
Wu Heng's first reaction upon hearing the news was surprise and doubt, but upon further thought, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.
In two months, it would be Zhao Xuan, the Gang Leader's birthday banquet. He had been troubled about what gift to present, and now the gift had come knocking on the door.
A fine weapon is a good thing for a martial artist, as it can significantly enhance combat effectiveness.
"But what excuse should I find this time?"
While Wu Heng was contemplating, the sound of porcelain shattering and the frightened cries of a maid suddenly came from outside, interrupting his thoughts. Wu Heng showed a fierce glare as he pushed the door open.
The maid turned pale at the sight of Wu Heng, swallowing a gulp of water and kneeling hurriedly.
"Master, please forgive me this time. I, I didn't do it on purpose."
The maid anxiously kowtowed and begged for forgiveness.
Wu Heng looked at the broken bowls on the ground, and a flash of inspiration hit him. He then reached for the saber at his waist; this long saber was forged by Li's Iron Shop, and it was fresh out of the kiln last month.
Shh!
Wu Heng drew the long saber, and the moment the cold light appeared, the maid trembled all over, her head bleeding from the constant kowtowing.
"Seems like a new highly skilled blacksmith has joined Li's Iron Shop recently... The saber he forged is quite good, hehe."
Wu Heng thought of an excuse for causing trouble. He grinned, the fat on his face trembling as he let out a cold laugh.
...
"These damp-removing and insect-repelling medicines are indeed useless."
Su Mu boiled and took the medicine home last night, yet there wasn't the slightest reaction overnight, no effect whatsoever.
To be honest, Su Mu knew very little about the poison in his body up till now.
Hoo hoo hoo----
As two forging apprentices vigorously pulled the bellows, the furnace revealed a cyan flame. The news of Su Mu wanting to forge a Thirty-Refined Weapon spread in the forging room yesterday.
Today, Li Tie brought in two forging apprentices to fully assist Su Mu. As the apprentices vigorously pulled the bellows, their eyes were glued to Su Mu wielding the hammer, their faces showing respect, wanting to learn some skills.
Clang!
"The furnace temperature is not high enough. Put more effort into it, you two."
"Yes, Master Su."
Su Mu continuously swung the hammer; to forge a Thirty-Refined Weapon, the process of hammering and folding the iron billet early on was particularly crucial. It's the forging of iron into steel that makes a weapon.
During the forging process, Su Mu alternately displayed the Tiger Subduing Fist and Rock Shattering Fist, with the power boosting each hammer, causing the forging platform to tremble and the apprentices to swallow saliva incessantly.
"Could Master Su be of Innate Divine Power?"
With a plan in mind, Su Mu led an engrossing life; ten days later, it was another calm evening.
Under the dim setting sun, Su Mu, as usual, practiced the Five Animals Qigong to relax muscles after a day of blacksmithing, the youthful body danced vividly with the actions of tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and bird.
Each move flowed smoothly, gradually exuding an unusual charm. While still simple actions, there was a returning-to-nature beauty when executed by Su Mu.
A passing villager glanced casually, finding it mesmerizing until night completely enveloped the earth, only then snapping awake.
"Strange, what's wrong with me?"
The villager murmured before glancing again, finding the Su family's child still being the same child, performing the usual fist technique, merely more resembling those mountain creatures.
After the villager left, under night skies, Su Mu immersed into a mysterious state, every inch of flesh extremely relaxed, the entire body floated, with power circulating, his bones trembling, the body undergoing some transformation.
After a long while, the youth exhaled deeply in the darkness, his eyes bright.
"The Five Animals Qigong reached perfection!"
Su Mu comprehended inwardly, after more than a year of rigorous cultivation, he finally perfected his first skill to the Perfection Realm.
"Seems my body has changed somewhat?"
Su Mu slowly extended his right arm; as his flesh slightly squirmed, the right arm slightly thickened, the muscular lines possessing a commanding power like they were chiseled.
Bang!
Su Mu boldly punched out, without using inner power yet generating a punch wind, making a sharp explosion in the long sky.
"This feeling is somewhat similar to Double Tiger Overlap, yet now I haven't executed Double Tiger… I understand, Divine Doctor Hua Tuo's Five Animals Qigong, upon perfection, greatly enhances my control over this body, nearly perfect now."
"Thus, I can adjust my body state to its peak at any time, even break limits like Double Tiger Overlap, exerting extraordinary body potential."
"I'll name this 'Limit Break'... In Limit Break state, my punch and kick power are at least half increased."
Su Mu continued punching several times before stopping, soon discovering that the Limit Break state is indeed similar to Double Tiger Overlap, though the latter would put tremendous stress on his body, failing after several punches, even losing combat capability.
Whereas under the Limit Break state after perfecting Five Animals Qigong, a substantial duration of sustained combat is possible with greatly reduced side effects, the latter essentially transcended Su Mu's self-control, while Limit Break remained in Su Mu's absolute control.
Thinking of this, Su Mu showed satisfaction and excitement.
"Tomorrow is a day off; should visit Qingyun County Town."
The Qingyun County Town is the center of this area, governing thirteen towns including Qingshui Town, located seventy li north of Qingshui Town, nearly a hundred li from the village.
There are ox carts in Qingshui Town heading to the county town, charging two hundred wen per person for a trip, leaving town at dawn. If all goes well, they should arrive at the county town by noon the following day, but delays till evening if it rains.
Compared to the ox carts, merchant caravans' carriages are much faster, but the seventy li distance still takes a whole day.
Among the dozens of households with over a hundred villagers in Dongbian Village, only a handful have been to the county town. Stories from the trip can be lifelong topics of conversation.
"Let's set off early tomorrow, one hundred li shouldn't take too long."
Before the rooster crows, with a waning moon hanging high in the sky, Su Mu tucked a few silver notes into his lapel, put on a straw raincoat and a conical hat, and left the village.
A shadow quickly swept through the mountain forest path, leaving a trail of flying gravel and fierce winds that made the wild grass in the mountains sway wildly.
With the perfection of the Five Animals Qigong, possessing three Ninth-Grade Martial Arts skills, and having long consumed the Three-in-One Body-Strengthening Soup, Su Mu's physique was astonishing. Even an average martial artist in the Refining Force realm couldn't compare.
His strong body allowed Su Mu to have long and steady breaths, and robust internal organs. With the near-perfect control over his physical body from the perfected Five Animals Qigong, he could run continuously for dozens of li at a speed surpassing the human limits of his previous life.
Less than an hour later, with the first light of dawn, Su Mu arrived outside Qingyun County Town.
The county town's walls were nearly twenty meters high, with Cyan Cloud Army soldiers dressed in leather armor and holding long spears patrolling on top. From afar, they looked like a giant gray beast sprawled on the ground.
The hour was still early, so the guard soldiers of the Cyan Cloud Army gave Su Mu's rough burlap clothes a glance before casually asking a few questions. After Su Mu answered, he paid fifteen cents to enter the town.
Passing through the city gate, the hustle and bustle hit his ears, and his vision suddenly widened. The county town's streets were wide enough to accommodate three or four carriages side by side, with merchants and pedestrians bustling around, and the high walls and large courtyards on both sides caught Su Mu's attention several times.
"What a splendid Qingyun County Town!"
Su Mu sighed, realizing that the prosperity of Qingyun County Town was several times that of Qingshui Town, which was, by comparison, a rural area.
Su Mu spent some silver coins asking around, and soon arrived at a quiet clinic courtyard on East Street of the county town.
"Yunhe Clinic, this is it."
However, at the moment, the bamboo gate of the clinic was tightly closed, with a small wooden sign hanging: 'Master is traveling, clinic is closed.'
Seeing the words on the wooden sign, Su Mu was a bit dumbfounded. He had traveled a hundred li to reach the county town, only to hit a wall. After some more inquiries, he came to a grand three-story clinic in the center of the county town.
"Renji Clinic."
Su Mu entered, greeted by a young medicine boy whose smile turned slightly cold upon seeing Su Mu's rough hemp clothes. "Consultation or medicine?"
"Consultation."
After waiting for a little over half an hour, the medicine boy brought him to the second floor. After Su Mu explained his symptoms, the middle-aged doctor, about forty years old, showed a puzzled look.
He then began to check Su Mu's pulse and conducted a series of examinations. Finding no results, the doctor opened a packet of silver needles, heated them with a flame, and inserted them into Su Mu's acupoints.
Shortly after, the doctor removed the first silver needle, seeing no change, frowned, and began to suspect whether Su Mu had deceived him earlier.
One by one, the needles were pulled out, yet there was still no change.
Until the needle between Su Mu's nipples was removed, the doctor's pupils suddenly shrank. The needle, several inches long, was pitch black and emitted a strangely unpleasant stench.
Seeing the blackened needle, Su Mu felt secretly delighted, as there might be hope for detoxification.
"This is the Ren Meridian, Chest Acupoint, near the heart... Strange, why is only this needle discolored?"
The doctor looked at the pitch-black needle, which was far from resembling a recent poisoning. A horrifying scene followed as the needle began to melt at a visible speed. The doctor hurriedly threw the needle to the ground, where it fell with a splat. The floor sizzled, with wisps of black smoke, as a small pit was corroded.
"Hiss, such fierce toxicity..."
The doctor was shocked, recalling Su Mu's earlier description of his symptoms. In a deep voice, he said, "You may be afflicted with some kind of Gu Poison. This poison is entrenched in your heart and lungs. Gu Poisons are bizarre and varied. I have little knowledge of Gu Poisons, let alone ordinary physicians in Qingyun County who likely cannot dispel such virulent poison..."
"Perhaps only Pharmacist Lin could give it a try, but unfortunately you came at an inopportune time. Pharmacist Lin went traveling yesterday."
"Do you know how long Pharmacist Lin's travels will last?"
"It could be a few days or several months. I can prescribe a few detoxification medicines for you, but I can't guarantee they'll work."
"Alright, thank you, doctor."
Leaving the clinic, Su Mu couldn't help but feel a bit heavy-hearted, but the trip was indeed fruitful. At least Su Mu understood that his body harbored some kind of potent Gu Poison entrenched near his heart.
"I should head back for now."
After exiting the town, as Su Mu walked along the road and covered six or seven li, he returned from his thoughts to notice a sudden vigilance on his face. He heard an odd noise coming from the forest not far ahead, unlike wild rabbits or mountain pheasants.
Su Mu focused and saw the trees sway. Suddenly, a man dressed in leather armor, covered in blood, emerged from the forest.
"Those clothes... Is this man from the Cyan Cloud Army?"
Someone dared to hunt down a member of the Cyan Cloud Army outside the Qingyun County Town?
Su Mu was shocked. He noticed the Cyan Cloud Army man covered in wounds, and just then the man noticed Su Mu not far away. His expression changed sharply, but after realizing the young man wasn't part of the pursuers, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He then urgently shouted a command, "Leave here quickly!"
Su Mu immediately sensed something was amiss, realizing the good intention of the Cyan Cloud Army man, but feared that after the shout, it would be even harder to escape.
Sure enough, the bushes shook, revealing several robust figures.
"Quick, chase, the person is over there!"
The pursuers had arrived.