Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Master’s Disciple
SSSCRAPE!
Chen Ku lightly dragged his arm across his Refined Iron Dragon Stick. To his surprise, his skin shimmered with a cold, sharp light. Arm met Refined Iron Rod, and sparks literally flew!
A moment later, after his arm and palm had slid over the Refined Iron Rod...
"HISS!"
Chen Ku sucked in a breath of cold air. He saw a deep groove now marked his Refined Iron Dragon Stick, as if an extremely sharp and dense Treasure Blade had been drawn across iron.
Suddenly, two emotions emerged in his heart. The first is naturally dismay for my stick; it’s been marred. The second, on top of that dismay, is astonishment at the power of my own arm. The Blood Blade... true to its name, it can cut gold and break stone. Even the Refined Iron Dragon Stick, which incorporates crow sink sand, bore a groove from a single slash. If it were made of any ordinary material, my arm, acting as a blade, could have cleaved it in two on the spot.
"Who says weapons can only be external things?" Chen Ku mused, pleased as he touched his right arm. My arm is now a weapon that can sever iron like mud. Even if I forget to bring my Refined Iron Dragon Stick one day, my arm can serve as a knife in a pinch. Imagine, during a bout, fists and feet clashing, if with a single motion, I could shear off an opponent’s limbs. The thought is simply brutal!
And this was just the transformation from two parts: the Blood Blade Tip and the Blood Blade Edge.
I need at least eight more strands of Inner Qi Realm Evil Qi before I can fully possess all the abilities of the Blood Blade—its material, its hardness, and that blood-sucking Taisui Demon Meat...
Chen Ku pondered. If I could further refine the blood-sucking ability from the Taisui Demon Meat of the Blood Blade with the refining shape of the Flower Fox Mink, could I evolve an even more terrifying Flower Fox Mink, one that could grow rapidly by devouring the flesh and blood of humans and beasts? Definitely worth a try in the future.
After assessing the power of the Blood Blade Edge, Chen Ku turned his attention to the Inner Qi Realm Evil Qi from the Blade-Handler, Feng Guang. He debated whether to continue the Shape Shifting of the Blood Blade or to awaken and Shape Shift into Feng Guang. After much consideration... I’ll take the gamble,
he decided.*Feng Guangbian, Transform! Transform!*
*Feng Guangbian Shape Shifting*
*Transformation Part: Fengguang Sword Technique (Great Achievement of Five Tigers Breaking Gate Blade)*
In an instant, the experience of the fifty-nine moves of the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Blade, at a Great Achievement Level, flooded Chen Ku’s mind. He turned to the Bone-chopping Blade in the room, picked it up, and with a simple flip, produced a HUM as the blade sang.
The Five Tigers Breaking Gate Blade... it seems to be a Superior Bladesmanship of the Inner Qi Realm.
Chen Ku had heard of this technique in the black market. It was created by the Stockade Master of a certain bandit stronghold in Baojiao County and held some renown in the Jianghu for its ruthless ferocity. For an average person to practice all fifty-nine moves to the Great Achievement Stage would take at least ten to twenty years of hard work. He, however, had acquired it instantly after the Shape Shifting.
Now, with the experience of the Great Achievement Level Five Tigers Breaking Gate Blade enhancing his skill, Chen Ku handled the Bone-chopping Blade and casually performed several moves of the ’bone-chopping butcher blade.’
When one thing is mastered, all others follow.
The bone-chopping butcher blade was originally a Martial Art of the Force Transforming stage, with just seven moves. The Five Tigers Breaking Gate Blade, however, was a Superior Martial Art of the Inner Qi Realm, with fifty-nine moves in total. With the boost from this higher-level Bladesmanship mastery, several moves within the bone-chopping butcher blade that shared similar principles also instantly reached the Great Achievement Level. Especially the move "lion rolling ball," which Chen Ku performed effortlessly. The blade wind became a flurry, like a rolling ball of blades, so fast only its chilling brightness was visible, spinning and tumbling.
It immediately reminded Chen Ku of that skilled cook at the Dragon Gate Inn who, in just a few breaths, with his rolling blade technique, had stripped all the flesh, tendons, and membranes from a master’s leg, leaving only gleaming white bone.
Not bad at all! The Shape Shifting into Feng Guang was well worth it!
Chen Ku was pleased with the Great Achievement Level of Bladesmanship that Feng Guang had provided. With this level of technique, given time, he could assimilate it completely, making it permanently his own.
I wonder if Master Shang Yunfang would take notice of me if I showed off this Great Achievement Level Bladesmanship in front of him?
Chen Ku thought as he stepped outside.He inquired and found that the masters from Medicine King Hall hadn’t yet returned. Looking back at the Refined Iron Dragon Stick inside the house, he pondered for a moment. I should get the stick repaired first.
A gash on the Refined Iron Dragon Stick, while unsightly, was a hidden flaw. It could prove fatal if an enemy master’s weapon caught in it during a future battle.
The masters from Medicine King Hall were all out today, so the courtyard was quiet with hardly anyone working. Chen Ku went to the Firewood Iron Shop and handed his weapon to the blacksmith, asking for repairs. The blacksmith demanded twenty taels of silver.
The blacksmith’s reason was simple, "This stick requires adding crow sink sand, so it’s expensive."
Chen Ku countered, "What if I provide the crow sink sand myself? Could it be cheaper?"
"You have crow sink sand?" the blacksmith replied. "If that’s the case, then I’ll just charge a small fee for the labor. Two taels of silver will do."
Chen Ku nodded and handed over the stick. "I’ll have someone send the crow sink sand over later."
Leaving the Firewood Iron Shop, Chen Ku headed towards his own venture, the ’Iron Bank,’ which was still being set up and hadn’t officially opened yet.
"Store Manager, you’re here!" a person in charge at the shop reported. "The shop’s renovations and cleaning are almost finished, and the staff have all been hired. We’ll be ready for the grand opening soon."
"Brother Wu, just call me Chen Ku, or Junior Brother Chen is fine too," Chen Ku said with a smile to Wu Gui as he entered and surveyed the Iron Bank. "There’s no need for such formality between us."
Wu Gui was the one who had shown him around Medicine King Hall when he first arrived. Later, he had also helped by giving Chen Ku’s mother and sister-in-law the walnuts and red dates that his family had sent for him. Grateful for Wu Gui’s help, Chen Ku had told him simply over drinks one night, "Wait for me to promote you in the future."
Although Chen Ku hadn’t yet achieved a higher status in Medicine King Hall, now that he had opened a shop, he needed a manager. Wu Gui, having gained plenty of experience working in the front hall of Medicine King Hall, was someone trustworthy for the job.
"How could I do that?" Wu Gui responded earnestly. "Brother Chen, you didn’t look down on me and promoted me from a mere assistant in Medicine King Hall to Second Shopkeeper of an Iron Bank. I can’t be ignorant of propriety."
Although an assistant at Medicine King Hall held a respectable position, the pay was still that of an assistant—only about two taels of silver a month. Now, as Second Shopkeeper of Chen Ku’s small Iron Bank, he earned ten taels of silver a month. The difference in income was enormous; it was as if a benefactor had guided him. With ten taels of silver a month, he could save a hundred taels in a year. In two or three years, Wu Gui could afford to buy his own house in Baojiao County. How could he not be grateful to Chen Ku?
"Hmm, how many days until we can open?" Chen Ku didn’t press Wu Gui on the form of address and asked, "The Jiyang mines have already accumulated 30,000 to 40,000 jin of crow sink sand. We’re just waiting to deliver it to the blacksmith shops after we open."
"We can open in two days at the earliest," Wu Gui answered, then hesitated before adding, "But there’s something I need to tell you, Store Manager, beforehand. Over the past few days, several blacksmith shops have inquired about purchasing sand from our Iron Bank. However... the prices they’ve offered aren’t very high."
Chen Ku frowned. "Not high? How low is ’not high’?"
Wu Gui sighed. "Only half the market price: one and a half Money per jin of crow sink sand."
Chen Ku’s brows knitted tighter. "Why would that be?"
He remembered asking at that Iron Bank before; a jin of crow sink sand was Three Money. If others were only willing to buy his ore at half the market rate, wouldn’t that mean his mine’s output value would be halved?
Wu Gui spoke in a low voice, "It’s actually an unspoken rule, Store Manager. You know how things are in the county. Our sudden entry is considered ’disrupting the market’—essentially snatching profits and business from other Iron Banks. So, the established Iron Banks have put out the word to the blacksmith shops: if they buy sand from us, our price has to be half off. Otherwise, our shop won’t survive in this county. Ultimately, it’s because we lack backing and connections."
"Backing? Don’t they know our Iron Bank has Deputy Constable Li Yuancheng as a shareholder? And that I’m an Apprentice of Medicine King Hall?"
"They know, but... it’s not quite enough," Wu Gui said subtly.
Chen Ku understood. An Apprentice of Medicine King Hall and a Deputy Constable didn’t count as major backing in this county town, teeming with intricate relationships and powerful families.
Backing, huh?
Chen Ku’s eyes flickered as he saw the worry on Wu Gui’s face. He said slowly, "Don’t worry. I’ll handle the matter of backing. In two days, we’ll open as scheduled, hold the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and we’ll even invite the people from those blacksmith shops to attend."
"You have a solution?"
Chen Ku nodded. "You don’t need to worry about it. Right now, there’s a small task. I just went to the Firewood Iron Shop to get my Refined Iron Rod repaired and I need two hundred jin of crow sink sand. Have a few assistants take it over there. I have to go now."
"Take care, Store Manager."
Chen Ku walked out of his Iron Bank. As he navigated the streets, his thoughts returned to the issue. Backing? It’s a pity Official Chai was unwilling to invest last time. Otherwise, with that kind of backing, who would dare accuse me of disrupting the market?
As Chen Ku pondered how to find a powerful supporter, the first place that came to mind was...
Before he knew it, he had returned to Medicine King Hall.
Just as Chen Ku arrived back at Medicine King Hall, someone in the main hall spotted him. The assistants and Apprentices immediately gathered around.
"Senior Brother Chen! Senior Brother Chen, you’re back!"
Chen Ku raised an eyebrow slightly. Although these fellow Apprentices usually held him in good regard, it was unusual for them to swarm him like this, their behavior bordering on sycophantic.
Just then, a thunderous laugh erupted from the inner courtyard.
"HAHAHAHA! My disciple has returned! Where is he? Quick, quick, I must see him!"