Chapter 168: 60% Of A Real Man (I)

Upon entering the weapon shop, Lin Zheyu asked directly, "Shopkeeper, do you sell black-iron sabers here?"

Black iron was a high-grade metal. It was harder and more durable than ordinary ones, often used to forge superior weapons.

"No."

The shopkeeper shook his head. He was a middle-aged man with a simple, honest look. After a brief pause, he said, "You can try the Li Family Forge. Li Tie[1] is the most renowned blacksmith in town. Many come to him to commission weapons, so he might have the black-iron saber you're looking for."

"Thank you, Shopkeeper." Lin Zheyu gave him a polite nod of thanks.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Following the shopkeeper's directions, he made his way to the Li Family Forge. There weren't many weapons in the shop. Only a youth in his late teens could be seen, idly guarding the place while fiddling with a weapon shaped like a wheel[2].

He swung it about dramatically, cutting the air with exaggerated movements. Anyone with a bit of knowledge in martial techniques could tell that the boy barely knew the basics. He was not even at the Muscle Forging Realm and was just an amateur.

"Young man, may I ask if Master Li Tie is around?" Lin Zheyu asked.

"He's here, working on a weapon in the backyard. If you wish to see him, you'll need to wait about an hour. Master Li doesn't like being disturbed while forging," said the youth.

After speaking, he went back to playing with the wheel, showing no intention of offering Lin Zheyu any tea. Lin Zheyu paid it no mind and glanced around. The weapons displayed were all standard arms forged from common iron. Still, the craftsmanship was impressive and each weapon was meticulously forged. Even though they were made of common iron, the weapons were of excellent quality. They were several grades above the treasured saber Han Mo had once gifted Lin Zheyu.

Lin Zheyu decided not to wait for Li Tie. He planned to visit other weapon and forge shops first; if he found a suitable weapon, he would buy it directly. His requirements for a weapon weren't high to begin with; as long as it was hard, tough, and wouldn't easily break in battle, that was enough. Aside from that, the heavier it was, the better.

Raging Wind Slash was a martial technique that drew power through momentum, storing force as it fought. The heavier the weapon, the greater the exhilarating surge in combat.

After wandering around the market for a while, Lin Zheyu finally found a large weapon shop where he spent 490 taels of silver to buy a weapon that suited his hand. The saber was called Golden Scale.

It measured about 1.3 meters in length, weighed roughly 67 kilograms, and had a broad, thick body that exuded a fierce and powerful aura. The surface bore hand-forged marks resembling golden scales, hence the name Golden Scale.

If he hadn't just visited the Li Family Forge and seen Li Tie's craftsmanship, Lin Zheyu might have thought the Golden Scale saber was well made. But after witnessing the weapons in Li Tie's forge, he no longer held that impression.

If Li Tie's weapons were the work of a true master, then the one in Lin Zheyu's hand felt more like the effort of an apprentice, someone who had only a few years of experience and was just beginning to grasp the craft.

Even so, Lin Zheyu did not mind. He tested its hardness and flexibility, and both were quite satisfactory. After all, it was made of black iron. Even if the forging technique was somewhat lacking, the quality of the material itself remained unaffected.

***

In Bafang City, Tianxiang Pavilion.

As usual, Liang Song sat alone by the window, admiring the view outside while listening to the old storyteller's melodic voice as he spoke of seekers of immortality and the path to transcendence.

"Immortal...

Heh

... immortal..."

Liang Song gave a short, derisive laugh, murmured softly to himself, and then fell silent once more. He had always been a reclusive man. Before Lin Zheyu became his disciple, Liang Song rarely interacted or spoke with others.

Only Han Mo would visit him occasionally when staying in Songyi City. But both were the quiet sort, often sitting together without saying a word.

Inside the teahouse, several people occasionally cast secret glances his way, though their attempts at subtlety could not escape Liang Song's awareness.

He chuckled softly, paying them no mind.

"He's the one who made the move. Should we take him now?" Yong Kang asked in a low voice.

"How? With just the two of us, even if we manage to subdue him, the commotion would draw the city's patrol guards and the disciples of the Abyss Sect. This is the Abyss Sect's territory. They don't care who's right or wrong; anyone who dares fight within the city will be taken away and interrogated," said the man sitting opposite Yong Kang, shaking his head.

This was a burly man named Wu Shentao, also clad in a blood-red Dao robe. He stood about ten centimeters taller than Yong Kang, his aura extremely strong and on par with Yong Kang's; both were cultivators at the third transformation of blood qi.

Yong Kang and Liang Song had traded blows briefly, and then Yong Kang pursued Liang Song all the way into Bafang City. Although Liang Song was also at the third transformation, he was a limp and was robbed of most of his strength.

Even after spending more than a decade to recover most of his abilities, he had regained only his lightness technique; his offensive power still fell short of that of a second transformation martial artist.

"I will go over and probe his intentions. It is strange that such an expert appeared out of nowhere and attacked Ge Bing for no reason," said Wu Shentao. Having said that, he rose and walked toward Liang Song.

Liang Song acted as if he had not noticed, sipping his drink and enjoying the view outside the window without acknowledging him.

Wu Shentao asked in a low voice, "Who are you and why did you attack someone from our Forest Net Temple for no reason?"

Liang Song cast him a glance as if hearing a fly buzzing in his ear and made a dismissive wave with his hand. Seeing this, Wu Shentao's expression darkened.

"Do not refuse a courteous drink only to force down a punitive one," said Wu Shentao coldly.

Liang Song glanced at him sideways, his look full of contempt as if to ask, “and what of it?”

"Bold! Very bold!"

Wu Shentao laughed angrily, then sat back down in his original seat.

This is troublesome. I must find a way to shake off their pursuit,

Liang Song thought to himself.

Although the city was tightly controlled, if the others were willing to spend heavily and broker deals with the Abyss Sect, the Abyss Sect could, for a high enough price, personally move to arrest him.

However, if he could break their tail and hide among ordinary people, even the Abyss Sect would be unable to launch a full-scale search. After all, Bafang City was not dominated solely by the Abyss Sect; to search the entire city publicly, one would have to smooth relations with the four great powers. Even though Forest Net Temple was wealthy, they would not be willing to spend such sums merely to deal with him.

Seeing Wu Shentao's sullen expression, Yong Kang knew the man would not cooperate. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Shall we directly contact people in the four great powers and pay a price to ask for their assistance?"

If possible, they preferred not to take that step. The cost required to persuade members of the four great powers to oblige would not be small.

"

Mm.

"

"However, since this matter began with Ge Bing, tell Ge Wuning everything and let him decide. The price to be paid must be borne by Ge Wuning alone," said Wu Shentao.

Although he was also a member of the Forest Net Temple, Wu Shentao had no intention of taking the blame or spending resources for Ge Bing and Ge Wuning when personal interests were involved.

"Alright, I'll return immediately," Yong Kang replied with a nod before standing up and leaving.

He wasn't skilled in lightness techniques; if not for the tracking powder, he wouldn't have been able to locate Liang Song at all. The tracking could only be left to Wu Shentao, who had trained in leg techniques. Though it was merely a secondary focus for him, his speed still far surpassed that of an ordinary martial artist at the third transformation of blood qi.

After Yong Kang's departure, Liang Song finished the rest of his drink and rose to leave as well. He glanced at Wu Shentao, who was tailing him, and frowned slightly. This one was even more troublesome than the previous pursuer. The earlier one wasn't fast and had relied entirely on tracking powder to follow him. The powder they used was quite rare. Liang Song had tried several methods to remove it, all to no avail; otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up cornered today at Tianxiang Pavilion.

Ah... A moment of impulse, and now I'm left to swallow the bitter fruit. Who would have thought that after more than ten years of patience, just when success was within reach, I would almost ruin everything because of a rash act.

Liang Song shook his head and sighed softly. Yet his expression showed little concern. Leisurely strolling through the bustling marketplace, Liang Song wandered for more than four hours, leading Wu Shentao along until he arrived at a grand estate.

A plaque hung above the gate bearing the words “Yan Residence.”

"The Yan Residence? What is his relationship with Yan Jun?" Wu Shentao furrowed his brow, deeply surprised to see Liang Song enter the Yan Residence.

Yan Jun was a renowned expert in Bafang City, though he had never founded a faction. Within his family, he alone possessed true strength and his descendants had yet to grow into their potential.

***

Lin Zheyu had no idea that Liang Song had appeared in Bafang City. At this moment, he was deep within the forest, holding the Golden Scale saber in hand.

"Little Black~!” Lin Zheyu called out loudly, his voice echoing through the woods.

Although Little Black wasn't very powerful, it was an interesting creature. If he could tame it, it might prove useful for hunting. At the very least, it would make for good company.

"Not here... How could that little thing run so far?"

Lin Zheyu flicked the beetle resting on his finger. Its shell bore black, yellow, and red circular markings, and with a sharp buzz, it darted toward another direction in the forest.

In a flash, Lin Zheyu caught the beetle and continued pursuing in the same direction. The tracking powder on Little Black's body would only leave traces lasting about an hour wherever it went. Yet after venturing deep into the forest and checking several locations, Lin Zheyu still couldn't find any sign of Little Black. It was clear the little creature was tireless and was constantly running around without rest.

1. 李铁 (Li Tie): Li is a common Chinese surname meaning "plum,” while Tie means "iron.” Together, the name literally means "Li the Iron” or "Iron Li.” ☜

2. The raw used 愿轮 (yuàn lún) here, which usually refers to a ring-shaped weapon or ritual wheel, often resembling a chakram or spinning disk. ☜