Stability

Wu Ming inspected each of the rooms on both sides. They were all much the same: an empty room with a low bed frame made from wooden planks, and nothing else.

Wu Ming casually chose one, then went to the market outside and bought a rolled straw mat and a coarse cloth bedding roll. After tidying the room up a little, he decided to settle here for the time being.

That evening,

he returned to Wu Village and told Wu Qi and Liu Shi that he had found work in the city and now had somewhere to stay at night, so he would not be coming back to live there. He also forcibly pressed several taels of silver into Wu Qi and Liu Shi's hands. The next day, he officially moved into the rear courtyard of Chen's Apothecary.

Chen Gui moved quickly. The very next day, after signing the contract at the Seven Martial Alliance, he delivered a brand-new Crimson Serpent Spear into Wu Ming's hands.

The spear shaft was straight, its fine dark-red wood grain resembling coiling flood dragons. It was made from excellent Crimson Serpent Wood and fitted with a spearhead forged from refined iron. Without question, it was a fine weapon among spears.

"It is only slightly heavier than a sinew spear. It should be easy enough to get used to."

Wu Ming stroked the crimson spear in his hands, reluctant to put it down for a time. After all, this was not one of those rough sinew spear blanks in the Seven Martial Alliance that had been handled by thousands upon thousands of people. It was a brand-new, superior long spear, worth at least forty taels of silver.

This Crimson Serpent Wood was tougher and more resilient than ordinary steel. Even a cheap kitchen knife would struggle to leave a mark on it.

"Well?"

Chen Gui stood smiling at the side and said, "I had the people at the Refining Hall forge this fresh yesterday. The spearhead is made of superior refined iron. If it were sold outside, I fear you could not buy it for less than fifty taels of silver."

Hearing that, Wu Ming courteously clasped his hands toward Chen Gui and said, "Thank you, Brother Chen, for this gift."

"We are brothers, no need for courtesy. Besides, you will be guarding the shop and keeping watch for flying thieves and bandits. Having a weapon that fits your hand will naturally make it easier to meet an enemy. Giving you this spear also adds another layer of protection to my shop."

Chen Gui spoke with great generosity.

After saying that,

he took a small packet from his robes. Inside was a dark-red medicinal herb, dried clean and finely chopped. He handed the packet directly to Wu Ming. Naturally, it contained Bloodgrass Tea.

Wu Ming accepted it and weighed it lightly in his hand. He immediately knew it contained more than one liang, around one liang and three qian. Medicinal tea this valuable would certainly be measured carefully when dispensed; there would not be such a large discrepancy. Without question, the extra amount had been added by Chen Gui as a gift.

This young master born into a wealthy household appeared careless and forthright, but after many days of contact, Wu Ming had learned that he was rough in appearance but meticulous in substance, handling every matter with great care.

If one dealt with people through nothing but unchecked generosity, one would only gather a pack of fair-weather friends drawn by profit. Chen Gui had only gradually become so "generous" toward him after spending a long time with him and coming to understand his character.

"All right. You will have to collect your employment pay from the Seven Martial Alliance; that is their rule. There is nothing else to it. Just follow Uncle Yong and make sure no flying thieves get into the shop. If there are any fierce, baleful bandits, fend them off if you can. If you cannot, find a way to protect yourself. Silver and possessions are merely things outside the body..."

At this point, Chen Gui smiled again. "Still, my shop is not large, and it is not far from the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall. No vicious bandits have ever come calling before, so there is no need to worry too much."

After explaining matters to Wu Ming for a while,

Chen Gui left the apothecary.

Only after Chen Gui had gone did Wu Ming carefully inspect the brand-new Crimson Serpent Spear in his hand. Walking to the center of the courtyard, he casually shook out several spear flourishes. He could feel the weight of the shaft, and the force he sent through it was clearly different from when he used a sinew spear.

The fully sharpened spearhead, forged from refined iron, scattered points of cold glimmer beneath the sunlight. It was far beyond any sinew spear used for training. With a spear of this quality, backed by his strength, one thrust would undoubtedly pierce even thick leather armor. It could even leave dents in thinner iron plates.

"At last, things have settled down."

After shaking out a few spear flourishes, Wu Ming let out a long breath.

Staying in the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall to hone his martial arts had never been a long-term plan. Every day, money only flowed out, never in. Now that he had taken suitable work and gained a steady source of income to support his daily expenses, and now that he lived in the city and no longer needed to travel back and forth between Jingye City and Wu Village every day, his life could finally be considered truly settled.

"Now I can earn ten taels of silver clear each month. At last, my hands are not so tight. If I keep monthly food expenses to around seven or eight taels, I can use the remainder to buy a few clean training jackets to change into, and still send some money home."

Wu Ming calculated his income and expenses.

In truth, ten taels of silver a month, without needing to pay all manner of taxes and levies, was an enormous sum that ordinary people could never spend entirely. It was enough to live a very respectable life. But for a Blood Forging martial artist, it was still somewhat tight.

After all, the daily expense of meat alone was considerable. In every other respect, he was already saving wherever he could.

"It has been a long time since I had to count expenses on my fingers like this."

After calculating for a while, Wu Ming shook his head with a laugh.

The last time he had felt this familiar sensation was in the previous life within his memories, when he had first entered the world and begun struggling to make his way.

At their core, commoners like him who became Blood Forging martial artists had merely changed from low-grade oxen and horses into high-grade oxen and horses. Though they had gained some worth and status, they remained far from being "well-off."

But all things are difficult at the beginning. His circumstances were already utterly different from before. He had taken several solid steps forward, and all he needed to do was keep moving ahead.

Over the following days,

Wu Ming gradually grew accustomed to traveling between the Seven Martial Alliance Outer Hall and Chen's Apothecary, and he also adapted to the work of guarding the shop.

Led by Hu Yong, the four of them, himself included, took turns patrolling at night. During the day, they had more freedom and could occasionally go to the Seven Martial Alliance to browse martial arts texts and hone their spear techniques.

At the same time,

the medicinal tea that the Chen Family had spent years researching and cultivating at great expense officially began selling in apothecaries everywhere. The moment it entered the market, it became wildly popular.

For Blood Forging martial artists, this medicinal tea directly filled the gap between ordinary meat and expensive medicinal powders. Wu Ming knew that the several jin of medicinal tea stored in the apothecary had sold out in just a few days. Demand vastly outstripped supply.

Such a situation naturally drew the attention of many forces. Since no one knew the cost of producing this medicinal tea, they could only make their own guesses as to how much silver the Chen Family could earn from it.