A Compromise

He suddenly pulled open his robe, exposing his bronze-colored waist and back. A vicious scar had cleanly severed the muscles at his waist.

Xu Yunfan's pupils contracted slightly. No wonder Lu Laotou had not exerted force through his waist and back when swinging the hammer back then, instead using a reverse thrust from his shoulder blades.

"Half of Divine Weapon Ridge collapsed back then... Of Qingzhou's thirteen families, who didn't dig through the ruins for scraps? This injury was from that time."

Having said that, Lu Yi seemed to feel he had said too much. He coughed twice, drank a cup of wine, and slowly continued.

"Otherwise, why would I have come to North Ye City to live out my retirement... Forget it, let's not speak of this. You asked, and this old man got carried away and said a few extra words."

After putting his clothes back on, Lu Laotou flicked his finger against the wine cup.

"When it comes to bone-training arts, throughout all Great Zhou, the Tiger Fiend Sect's White Tiger Geng Metal Bone Tempering Art is among the very best. Then there is the Dao Gate Dragon Tiger Sect's Golden Tendon Jade Bone Twelve Arts, an earthshaking divine technique for tempering tendons and training bones.

"The Buddhist sect's Arhat Subduing Dragon Skill, when cultivated to its utmost, can turn one's bones into gold and jade."

Xu Yunfan's hand paused slightly as he poured the wine.

The stream of wine formed an amber bridge through the air, reflecting the gleaming light dancing in Lu Tiejang's eyes.

Then his tone shifted.

"Leaving distant matters aside, if we're speaking of Qingzhou..."

A muffled, thunderous chuckle rolled from the old man's throat. His flushed face was heavy with drunkenness.

"Twenty years ago, when the Qing Province Army suppressed a rebellion, three hundred Heavy Armor Mo Dao Soldiers surrounded and killed a Bone Training Great Accomplishment martial master. That man used the Great Zhou Military Department's Army Breaker Seven Kill Fist, and clamped dozens of refined steel mo dao blades in half with his shoulder blades. That shows just how formidable this bone-forging art was."

An inscrutable smile appeared on his face. He slammed his wine cup heavily onto the table, jolting the braised beef on the plate three inches into the air.

"The Great Zhou Military Department's Army Breaker Seven Kill Fist accepts anyone, but to cultivate it, you must enter the military registry and endure three full years in Qing Province Blood Miasma Bone before you qualify to receive its teachings."

He suddenly reached out and gripped Xu Yunfan's wrist bone. Xu Yunfan remained outwardly calm, yet his sinews and flesh were as immovable as cast copper and forged iron. The knotted muscles of his arm trembled faintly, actually shaking Lu Yi's iron-pincer fingers until they could no longer apply force.

"Good lad! Great Accomplishment in Skin Tempering—a first-rate martial master!"

He clearly remembered that, back at Divine Weapon Ridge, disciples of his generation had needed at least ten years of hammering beside the furnace to develop skin as tough as bronze. Even then, they required Divine Weapon Ridge's unique secret medicines to assist them, lest they damage their foundations.

He had no idea how Xu Yunfan had trained.

Only then did Lu Yi realize in astonishment that Xu Yunfan had cultivated the Crimson Flame Copper Body Art and Cloak Hammer to Great Accomplishment. His skin was as tough as oxhide, difficult to harm even with blades and swords.

He felt somewhat gratified.

"This hammer art is difficult to cultivate even within Divine Weapon Ridge, yet you used it to reach Great Accomplishment in Skin Tempering. It truly wasn't easy... When you have the chance, you may return to Divine Weapon Ridge. There is a Quenching Pool in the rear mountain. Back when the founding patriarch..."

His words abruptly stopped. Lu Yi's face was filled with desolation as he shook his head.

"Forget it. There is no conclusion to this matter, so there is no need to bring it up."

Xu Yunfan noticed the bulging veins at the back of Lu Yi's neck, a sign of a martial artist forcibly suppressing his emotions.

The old blacksmith ultimately said no more. Instead, he grabbed the wine jar and took three great gulps.

"For three generations, Wu Family Fortress raised ferocious tigers for Prince of Longxi. They bred a white tiger beast and discovered the White Tiger Golden Jade Skill from it, a technique especially suited for bone training. Even across all Great Zhou, it can be considered quite good.

"The most remarkable incident was the martial contest for Wu Family Fortress's son-in-law three years ago. Seventeen Bone Tempering realm experts had their kneecaps shattered by the fortress lord's daughter using the White Tiger Golden Jade Skill."

"Unfortunately, Wu Family Fortress is extremely exclusionary. No one but their direct bloodline may learn this bone-forging art. What a pity, what a pity!"

Lu Tiejang stirred the wine in his cup with his chopsticks as he spoke at length.

"Beyond that, the Iron River Gang on the Azure Wave River ranks among the best. Their 'Overlapping Wave Bone Forging Skill' requires one to bind a three-hundred-pound iron anchor to oneself and stand in the raging current. The river water is freezing enough to pierce the bone, while one's vital energy surges and seeps into the bones. If cultivated properly, one's bones become as hard as iron."

"Hundred Refinements Manor in the southern mines has the Cold Iron Tempering Strength Art. They treat living people like iron billets, and every ten days, one must soak in cold iron water for six hours. Endure it and you succeed. Fail to endure it and you die."

"If you want one that stands out, it would be the Dragon Gate Escort Agency in the city and their 'Hunchback Dragon Strength.' It emphasizes making the spine like a great dragon, connecting all four limbs and every bone in the body. A martial master at Bone Training Great Accomplishment can have a spine more than three times thicker than an ordinary person's. In the city, if you see anyone whose neck is thicker than their head, they are most likely from the Dragon Gate Escort Agency."

Lu Yi's remarks revealed that he knew Qingzhou's sects and their martial arts like the back of his hand.

He sighed. "Unfortunately, these sects are deeply protective of their traditions. If you want to join one and obtain a bone-training art, I'm afraid it will be rather difficult."

Xu Yunfan felt somewhat helpless. Though he had already expected as much, hearing Lu Yi say it still left him a little frustrated.

Seeing Xu Yunfan lower his head in silence, Lu Yi gave a sly chuckle and changed the subject.

"Thirty li west of the city, there is a Ghost Market. It opens at midnight on the full moon every month. That handful of Mystic Iron Sand of mine came from there. Last twelfth month..."

He burped. A sharp gleam flashed through his clouded eyes—there was no drunkenness there, only envy.

"I personally saw someone offer a fragment of the Black Tortoise Bearing Mountain Art. It stirred up a storm throughout the entire Black Market. More than a dozen top experts who knew not where they had come from nearly smashed the whole Black Market to pieces.

"It was only rebuilt a few months ago. You can go take a look on the full moon."

As he spoke, he pulled an iron token from his robes and tossed it before Xu Yunfan.

"The entrance is a stone bridge, guarded by a Crippled Old Daoist. Show him this token. Remember to conceal yourself well. Things are manageable inside the Black Market, but once you leave it, anything may happen."

Xu Yunfan picked it up and examined it. The iron token had been rubbed to a glossy sheen, and a single character was inscribed at its center.

'Mist.'

"Thank you!"

It was not until the moon hung high overhead that Lu Laotou had drunk his fill. Xu Yunfan supported Lu Yi back to the blacksmith shop.

Moonlight spilled down, casting a faint silvery glow over the entirety of snow-covered North Ye City.

Suddenly, Xu Yunfan stopped. Turning his head, he saw someone curled up beneath the corner of a roof, buried under a thick layer of snow and long since motionless.

North Ye City lay in Great Zhou's northern borderlands. Winters were bitterly cold, and the snow lay deep. Without enough firewood or any place to keep warm, people could only freeze to death like this.

Moreover, quite a few people in the city froze to death. This was merely the tip of the iceberg.

These days, the number of refugees in North Ye City seemed to be gradually decreasing.

"These are all refugees from neighboring Wu Province. In the year the Empress ascended the throne, the Incense Fire Sect stirred up rebellion in Wu Province. War has raged endlessly there, and Wu Province Capital Eternal Fortress is in danger. If not for the winter snows sealing the mountains, Wu Province would already have completely slipped from Great Zhou's control. Now the Central Province Black Armor Army has set out. Once spring comes next year, they will put down the rebellion and restore order."

A somewhat cool voice sounded out. Xu Yunfan looked toward it.

He saw a somewhat thin scholar wearing a fur coat, glaring indignantly at the scene before him.

Xu Yunfan glanced at him but said nothing, turning and leaving.