Seeing the letter, the guard did not dare delay. He invited Zhou Qiming upstairs to meet Tower Master Ren Pingsheng.
Seeing how respectfully the guard treated the young man, all the diners in the first-floor hall put down their chopsticks and cast over curious looks.
"Looks like he isn't a master on the Human Ranking. A new face."
"Could he be here to challenge the tower? I wonder how many moves he can withstand from Overlord Saber Liu Wuming."
"Last month, Mad Saber Bai Hao, one of the Four Young Masters of Luoshan, defeated Liu Wuming in ten moves and secured the last position on the Human Ranking. The Bai Family really produced an astonishing Heavenly Prodigy. No wonder they call him Mad Saber."
Zhou Qiming heard all their discussion and also figured out the situation.
The Hidden Dragon Ranking was divided into the Dragon Ranking and the Human Ranking. The Human Ranking collected the battle records of all the young masters from the prefectures and counties under Yuyun Prefecture, while the Dragon Ranking ranked the entirety of Great Xia.
As for Overlord Saber Liu Wuming, he was a veteran Muscle Tendon Changing expert, unquestionably the gatekeeper of the Human Ranking. Defeating him would earn one a permanent free VIP membership on the top floor of Hero's Tower.
Zhou Qiming shook his head with a smile and put all this behind him. He had come to seek refuge with Ren Pingsheng and develop himself. All he wanted was to establish a foothold in the County Town. If he rashly exposed his strength for the sake of a momentary burst of pride, he would put himself in danger.
At the second-floor stairwell, Liu Wuming was in his fifties or sixties, with several strands of white hair. Dressed in embroidered robes, his entire person resembled a straight, razor-sharp saber.
His Blade Momentum surged forth as his electric gaze swept over Zhou Qiming.
"Another one who wants to step on this old man to make a name for himself?"
He had seen many ambitious youths like this over the years. Without exception, they had all fallen beneath his Overlord Saber. Those with strength like Mad Saber, enough to rank on the Human Ranking, were ultimately few and far between.
Liu Wuming stepped forward, just about to overwhelm the other party with his momentum and give him a warning.
Suddenly, the momentum he had built up was like a force crashing into a towering snow mountain. It rebounded and scattered under an invisible burst of energy, making him grunt and stagger backward. He cleared the passage leading to the third floor.
"What? Could this be the Hua Jin level—where flies cannot land and not even a leaf can touch the body?"
Liu Wuming's expression changed dramatically. As he watched the other's back ascending the stairs, his scalp prickled.
He only felt that Zhou Qiming's strength was unfathomably deep. He immediately lost the courage to draw his saber and test him. If he unsheathed it, he might die.
This youth was only in his teens, yet already possessed strength no weaker than Bai Hao's. In the future, he would certainly have what it took to charge into the upper ranks of the Human Ranking!
The guard beside them, however, had no idea what had truly happened. He only saw Liu Wuming retreat and make way, assuming that Overlord Saber was unusually good-tempered today and had not made things difficult for the intruder.
"Looks like this young man's background is no small matter. Even Uncle Liu didn't dare make a move. Perhaps he's the Tower Master's distant relative." The guard became even more cautious, not daring to be negligent.
Zhou Qiming climbed the stairs, his expression shifting slightly as well. "The world's heroes really are as numerous as carp crossing a river. A Tendon Transformation Martial Artist is only fit to guard the gate."
He had only just arrived in the County Town and had already encountered a Tendon Transformation expert—and the other party was merely Hero's Tower's gatekeeper. It seemed the waters of Luoshan County ran deep indeed. He could not afford to act recklessly or carelessly.
"Uncle Zhou, you want to join Hero's Tower?" Ren Pingsheng had already read the letter. He rose with a frown and asked the question.
"I'll follow the Tower Master's arrangements. I only wish to find some work to make a living." Zhou Qiming cupped his hands with the utmost courtesy, choosing to trust Uncle Xu's judgment of people.
"Leave. I have no vacant positions here for the time being." Ren Pingsheng shook his head and rejected him coldly.
"What? But..." Zhou Qiming was somewhat surprised, then asked with concern, "Has Hero's Tower encountered some difficult problem? Perhaps I can resolve it."
In any case, Xu Hailai had treated him well. Hero's Tower must have run into some kind of trouble.
But Ren Pingsheng merely shook his head and sneered, clapping his hands toward the guard as he ordered:
"See him out. Even if my Hero's Tower runs into trouble, how could a rustic village boy like you possibly help? How dare just anyone come here trying to invoke old ties. You're actually Old Xu's offspring, aren't you? My daughter absolutely cannot marry you. Give up."
As he spoke, he ordered the guards to bring a hundred taels of silver as travel expenses and repayment, then swept Zhou Qiming out the door.
"Looks like you've misunderstood something. If this place won't keep me, there's somewhere else that will. You'd better keep this silver and use it as your daughter's dowry."
Zhou Qiming snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and left, deeply disappointed in Ren Pingsheng.
A dignified Tower Master repaying the benefactor who had once given him a meal in such a manner was enough to chill anyone's heart.
"Even a toad wants to eat swan meat. Don't blame me, Old Xu. My daughter has already connected with the Young Master of the Bai Family. That joking promise from back then can be buried in the coffin."
Watching Zhou Qiming's departing figure, Ren Pingsheng wore a cold expression and carefully put away the hundred taels of silver.
At that moment, his daughter Ren Xue heard the commotion and came out. Her complexion was fairer than snow, and her bearing was cold and aloof.
She parted her red lips slightly and asked, "Father, what happened just now?"
"Wasn't it merely a descendant of an old acquaintance? Relying on the small favor I once did him, he wanted me to arrange a job for him. With the assets of my Hero's Tower, how could I afford to support idle people?"
Ren Pingsheng shook his head and recounted what had happened back then.
Once, locusts had ravaged his hometown. When he had fled to Jinshui Town, he had received relief from Xu Hailai and avoided starving to death. At the time, they had agreed that he would repay the favor, with their descendants becoming sworn siblings or husband and wife.
Clearly, Xu Hailai had sent a letter now because he had seen that Ren Pingsheng had established Hero's Tower and risen to prominence. He must have wanted to use the favor to seek repayment, taking advantage of a marriage alliance to seize a share of the business.
"So that's how it was. He really doesn't know how to appreciate kindness. That young man probably has to work a long time to earn a hundred taels, right? A person's dignity in youth isn't worth a single coin."
Upon hearing this, Ren Xue sneered disdainfully. She gathered her clothes, summoned a carriage, and went out to report for duty at the City Guard Department in the Outer City.
"Just a cook from some impoverished backwater, and he thinks he's worthy of marrying into my family? My husband should be a Heavenly Prodigy ranked above the Human Ranking, someone like Young Master Hao."
"Xue'er is right." Ren Pingsheng stroked his beard and nodded with a smile.
Elsewhere, Zhou Qiming glanced at the recruitment notices posted by the City Guard Department and the Luoshan Army. In the end, he shook his head and chose to go to the Weapon Forging Workshop, seeking refuge with the person recommended by Uncle Zhang Tie.
As for the ugly face of Hero's Tower and the grudges involved, he had not taken them to heart in the slightest. He had no idea that Ren Pingsheng and his daughter had imagined so many things. He had simply wanted to find a job!
"Uncle Xu really misjudged him. Hero's Tower will have to pay the price for its arrogance today."
Zhou Qiming sighed softly. A mere hundred taels of silver, as though he were being driven away like a beggar—he could not afford to lose face like that, nor could he drag Xu Hailai into losing his dignity.
The Weapon Forging Workshop stood on a prosperous street and covered a vast area. Like Hero's Tower and the Treasure Pavilion, it was one of the major powers in the County Town, with businesses in both the Outer City and Inner City.
Before him stood a spacious Mountain Villa covering more than an acre, with large stone lions flanking the entrance.
As soon as he entered, he saw laborers hauling iron ore while the master craftsmen, bare-chested, swung their hammers. The bellows and furnaces roared without pause.
The white-haired steward Mo Bing received him warmly. When he heard that Zhou Qiming had been recommended by Zhang Tie, his delight grew even greater.
"Workshop Master Mo Yu said to first arrange for you to begin as a weapon-forging apprentice. Later, you'll officially join the Mountain Villa."
After going inside to report, Mo Bing soon returned with the good news. Zhang Tie had once studied and trained here and had earned Mo Yu's deep appreciation. Anyone he recommended was bound to be a promising talent in forging.
"Then thank you, Steward." Zhou Qiming bowed in thanks and registered his name in the Mountain Villa's records, officially becoming affiliated with the place.
The reason he chose the Weapon Forging Workshop was, first, that he could learn the art of forging weapons and increase his Root Bone Value. Second, the place possessed abundant iron ore resources, allowing him to rely on his Iron Gall attribute to cultivate the Bone Forging Realm to its peak as quickly as possible.
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