"Take off your hat."
The boy did as told.
"Where are you from?"
"Qingshui Town."
"What are you doing in the city?"
"I'm going to stay with relatives."
The Qingyun Army soldier guarding the city glanced at the boy's still-youthful face and quickly let him through. Su Mu noticed that there were more than twice as many guards at the city gate as there had been a month ago.
Could something have happened in the city this past month?
Su Mu thought to himself.
After entering the city without incident, Su Mu didn't head straight for the Weapon Forging Workshop.
"I'll visit Cloud Crane Medical Hall first, then decide what to do."
The Weapon Forging Workshop had set the deadline as before the Start of Autumn. There was still half a month to go, and Su Mu knew that removing the poison gu inside him was the most urgent matter. Everything else could wait for now.
Su Mu had visited Qingyun City once a month ago, and the benefits of his improved comprehension were now apparent. With his current level of insight, he wouldn't forget an ordinary route after walking it once, and he could also memorize books at a glance.
Su Mu soon reached Jiuchen Alley, where the medical hall was located. It was said that Qingyun City's breweries had once flourished, with wine shops packed together. The faint scent of wine lingered in the air, giving the alley its name.
Time passed, the seas changed and the fields became mulberry groves. Jiuchen Alley was no longer what it had once been, and the eastern part of the city was now where commoners gathered.
Deep in the east of the city stood a small courtyard of green bamboo. Su Mu returned to the secluded courtyard, but the medical hall's bamboo gate remained firmly shut, and the little wooden sign still hung there.
Just as Su Mu was about to leave, he suddenly heard a faint sound from inside the courtyard. It sounded as if someone was watering the crops.
Su Mu's heart lifted. He went to the bamboo gate and knocked gently.
"Pardon the interruption. Is Pharmacist Lin here?"
After calling out, Su Mu heard the faint sound of watering stop. Then came the sound of footsteps squelching through mud. He said nothing more and waited quietly outside the courtyard.
Before long, a girl of fourteen or fifteen, with an oval face, a pale-yellow dress, and two braided pigtails, timidly peeked out from a corner of the bamboo courtyard.
Su Mu spotted her at once. The girl inside looked at him several times, and only after realizing he was a boy about her own age did she come out.
"My master hasn't returned from his travels. You'll have to come back another day."
"Young Physician, I'm eager to seek treatment. May I ask when Pharmacist Lin is expected back?"
"He should be back soon... In about ten days, I think."
"Thank you for letting me know, Young Physician."
Pleased with the answer, Su Mu thanked her and turned to leave. He could wait ten days.
Watching the boy's departing figure, the girl's brows knitted with worry. She recalled that before leaving on his travels, her master had said he was going south to purchase a batch of century-old medicinal herbs. But he had already stayed away longer than he'd promised.
Su Mu knew nothing of the girl's worries. After leaving the medical hall, he asked passersby for directions. As soon as they heard the name Weapon Forging Workshop, they pointed him the way.
"Looks like the Weapon Forging Workshop is well known in the city."
It wasn't far from Jiuchen Alley, only three streets away, on Metalworking Street.
Su Mu walked briskly and soon reached the end of Metalworking Street. Before he even stepped onto it, the clang of metal rang ceaselessly in his ears. To his surprise, the street was lined with Iron Shops—more than a dozen, as far as he could see.
The Weapon Forging Workshop was easy to find, too. It was the largest establishment at the end of the street. It had quite a reputation in the city; whenever a Martial Artist wanted a weapon made to suit him, the first place he thought of was the Weapon Forging Workshop. Even the Qingyun City authorities and members of the five major powers were regular customers.
The Weapon Forging Workshop forged weapons, but never involved itself in factional disputes.
Clang, clang, clang!
Su Mu's eyes lit up when he reached the Weapon Forging Workshop. A few hammer blows rang out, far louder than those from the other Iron Shops. His forging skills were now close to perfection, and he could hear the craft in those few strikes.
The Weapon Forging Workshop was also much larger than the other shops. From the outside, it looked less like an Iron Shop and more like a small manor.
After finding the Weapon Forging Workshop and taking a quick look, Su Mu turned to leave. Now that he knew the medical hall would give him an answer in ten days, he had no intention of reporting to the workshop just yet.
Instead, Su Mu went to Sparrow Street, two streets from the Weapon Forging Workshop, and found a quick-witted young broker about his own age to help him look for a house.
"I'll be settling in Qingyun City for a while. First, I need a place to stay."
It wasn't just because of the Weapon Forging Workshop. Su Mu also knew that the gu poison inside him wouldn't be easy to remove, and he needed to keep practicing martial arts. The city was nothing like a country village; practicing his techniques would inevitably make some noise.
So Su Mu planned to buy a spacious house where he could practice more easily. The street was also close to both the Weapon Forging Workshop and the medical hall, making it a good location.
"Brother, what do you think of this house?"
The young broker was sharp. The most important thing in his line of work was a keen eye, and although Su Mu dressed plainly, the broker could sense an air of distinction about him.
He took Su Mu to a fairly large house.
"Let's take a look inside."
"Right away, brother. This way, please."
Su Mu stepped inside, his eyes brightening slightly. It was a courtyard residence much like the quadrangle courtyards of his previous life. The grounds were quiet, the house faced south, and the courtyard was spacious enough for martial arts practice. It was also somewhat secluded, away from the main street.
After looking around, Su Mu was satisfied, but he sighed and frowned.
"This house is a bit run-down. It'll need a lot of repairs before it's even fit to live in... How much does it cost?"
Seeing Su Mu frown and hearing the distaste in his voice, the broker lowered his original asking price. "Are you looking to buy the house or rent it, brother?"
"Tell me both."
"The eastern part of the city may not have as many wealthy families as the south, but it's still Qingyun City. The land and houses here aren't cheap. Buying it would cost three hundred and fifty taels."
Su Mu couldn't help clicking his tongue. It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, but it was far too expensive.
After killing Wu Heng, he'd gotten a sum of money. After paying for medicinal soups and daily meals, he still had seven hundred and fifty-five taels on him. Three hundred and fifty taels was almost half of it.
Su Mu knew that treatment would inevitably cost a lot, and he still needed to pay for medicinal soups and meat and eggs. Spending half his money on a house wasn't wise. He'd rent for now.
"If you rent, it's three taels a month."
Three taels a month wasn't cheap either. Even in Qingyun City, three taels could keep a family of three comfortably for several months. Over a year, that came to thirty-six taels, roughly a tenth of the purchase price.
But it was still better than buying the house outright.
"Three taels is too much."
"Brother, how about this? If you rent long-term, I can charge you for only ten months of the year. That'll save you six taels, so you'll only need to pay thirty."
The broker studied Su Mu's expression before continuing, "But in that case, you'll have to pay the full year's rent upfront."
"Fine. I'll rent it for a year."
Su Mu paid thirty taels. The broker handled the paperwork efficiently, and they soon signed a contract. Su Mu received the house key on the spot.
"At last, I've got a place to settle down."
Su Mu didn't care much for comfortable lodgings or luxuries. He soon bought a set of equipment for boiling medicine at the market. Then he shut the gate and began brewing medicine and practicing martial arts.
For several days, Su Mu kept to himself. Apart from going out to eat each day, he only visited the medical hall; the rest of his time was spent practicing martial arts in his house.
At dusk one day, as the Weapon Forging Workshop closed its furnaces, several smiths began chatting. Then someone suddenly spoke up.
"Didn't Workshop Master Wu say a new apprentice would be arriving soon? I've seen him looking out from the shop for a while these past few days, but where's the new guy?"
"I think I heard something about that, too. Someone wrote Workshop Master Wu a letter of recommendation, but I don't know the details."
"Forget it. That person probably doesn't dare show up. What kind of talent could come from some little-town Iron Shop? Besides, anyone who wants to join our Weapon Forging Workshop has to pass a test."
"Hmph, a few people have sent Workshop Master Wu letters of recommendation over the years, but not one of them managed to stay. None of the apprentices recommended from those little places could reliably forge even a Ten Refinements Weapon. After that, I hardly heard of anyone getting recommended. To forge iron, you need to be strong yourself. I despise people who try to sneak in through connections."
The smiths changed the subject and stopped talking about the recommended apprentice. None of them took the matter seriously.
Five days passed in a flash.
Deep in the quiet of night, a figure practiced his punches, drenched in sweat.
Hummmm—
At one moment, the figure suddenly shuddered. The apertures throughout his body rang in unison, and delight spread across the boy's face.
"I've broken through... Hidden Force is almost at its peak!"
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