Openly Following

The shop looked ordinary. The paint on the signboard above had peeled away, leaving only the faint outline of the character for "iron."

The moment he stepped inside, a wave of heat rushed at him, accompanied by a clanging din that made him irritable.

Even though the noise came from the back courtyard, it was perfectly clear.

Xu Bai had discovered this Blacksmith Shop while wandering around a few days ago.

He had come to the Blacksmith Shop now, naturally, to have some weapons made.

He did not need a saber forged; the Ghost-Head Saber was good enough. What he needed were hidden weapons suited to Maple Leaves Like Rain.

He could not seriously throw maple leaves, could he? Wouldn't that be a joke?

Of course, with his current strength combined with Maple Leaves Like Rain's hidden-weapon techniques, he could kill people with maple leaves—but only ordinary people.

Therefore, hidden weapons were essential.

As the saying went, when you drift through the martial world, how could you avoid getting cut by a blade?

These days, it would not do to go without a few hidden weapons for protection.

Other than the hammering from the back courtyard, the inside of the shop was no different from any ordinary store.

The Blacksmith Shop was run by a middle-aged couple. The husband forged iron, while the wife served as the shopkeeper, accountant, and everything else.

When Xu Bai entered, the middle-aged woman in her forties hurried over.

"Sir, what would you like to look at?" the proprietress asked warmly.

Xu Bai swept his gaze around and found that most of the items hanging on the walls were farming tools.

Sheng County was remote, so Blacksmith Shops mostly made things like these.

They could not specialize in weapons, or they would become a weapons shop.

Besides, sabers, spears, swords, and staves did not sell well in Sheng County. Making them would only be a losing business.

Martial artists did occasionally pass through, but apart from one or two who needed something, most would not specifically buy weapons.

Take Xu Bai, for instance. He was used to the Ghost-Head Saber, so he would not possibly change sabers everywhere he went.

The Blacksmith Shop might not have them in stock, but that did not mean they could not make them.

"I need to commission a batch of Iron Beads, about the size of peanuts," Xu Bai said bluntly.

The proprietress froze for a moment, then asked after recovering, "Sir, how many do you need?"

"Ten thousand, I suppose." Xu Bai considered it and named a number.

He could not actually carry that many on him, but he could have them made in advance in case of emergencies.

He had also considered making sharper weapons, such as throwing knives.

But after thinking it over, throwing knives did not suit the nature of Maple Leaves Like Rain.

Maple Leaves Like Rain was all about quantity—overwhelming the enemy with numbers.

If he carried throwing knives, how many could he fit on his person?

His surname was not Li, and he could not take down a top expert with a single flying knife.

In terms of practicality and compatibility with Maple Leaves Like Rain, Iron Beads were better.

Throwing them by the handful—wouldn't that be exhilarating? "Sir, you can come pick them up tomorrow." The proprietress made a note on paper.

"So soon?" Xu Bai was slightly surprised.

"Because of the price." The proprietress smiled as she explained, "As long as the profit is high, we always prioritize it."

That made sense. No one could possibly have a problem with money.

"Fine. I'll come collect them tomorrow."

After agreeing on a time and asking about the price, Xu Bai left the Blacksmith Shop.

He did not hurry back to the inn. In fact, his original plan had been to stop going to the inn once he obtained the progress bar.

But last night, he had abandoned that idea.

With some people, if you did not deal with them, they would turn around and deal with you instead.

The more you tried to let things go, the more they would climb onto your nose and face.

It's time to wrap this up. Xu Bai thought as he returned home.

The next day.

He rose early, washed up, and headed out.

Today, Xu Bai did not go to Welcoming Inn. Instead, he went straight to the Blacksmith Shop.

They had agreed on the morning.

When he arrived, he saw a wheelbarrow at the entrance of the Blacksmith Shop, with a Wooden Box on top of it.

The proprietress was tying ropes around the wheelbarrow to keep the Wooden Box from slipping off.

By the time Xu Bai approached, she had finished.

"Sir, the Iron Beads are inside. Would you like to inspect them?" The proprietress untied the uppermost rope and opened the Wooden Box.

The Wooden Box was packed densely with Iron Beads.

Xu Bai reached in and stirred them casually, producing a rustling clatter.

Then he picked one up and squeezed it hard.

Judging by the feel alone, they were excellent.

He even wanted to plunge his hand into the Iron Beads again, like when he used to stick his hand into rice as a child. It was strangely addictive.

Damn it, dead memories are attacking me!

Xu Bai shook his head, tossing away the irrelevant fantasy.

"Sir, we are giving you a wheelbarrow for free, so you won't have trouble carrying them," the proprietress explained.

From Xu Bai's angle, there were far fewer farming tools in the shop. It seemed they had melted them down.

He did not investigate why the forging had been so fast. As long as he had them, that was enough.

After settling the bill, Xu Bai pushed the wheelbarrow home.

Only after unloading the Iron Beads and carrying them into the house did he take out an earthy-yellow cloth pouch. He grabbed the Iron Beads by the handful and stuffed them into it.

Once the pouch was full, Xu Bai tucked it against his chest.

"Everything is ready."

Steadiness was the true path.

But seeking stability did not mean enduring everything forever.

The other side had already climbed onto his face and used corpse wraiths to test him. If he did not slap them back, they would really take him for some honest pushover.

Xu Bai walked out the door without lingering and headed for Welcoming Inn.

After arriving at Welcoming Inn, he went in as usual to eat and drink.

He waited until noon, when Yun Xiang came down from the second floor and left the inn. Only then did Xu Bai settle his bill and leave.

This time, he did not go home. He followed Yun Xiang from behind.

At noon, the streets were crowded and bustling.

Xu Bai discovered that Yun Xiang seemed to be out shopping, browsing here and wandering there, lingering at rouge stalls from time to time.

He was in no hurry and followed patiently behind her.

And he followed her openly, without the slightest concern that Yun Xiang would notice.

He had never learned how to tail someone, much less knew how to do it.

If Yun Xiang was behind the corpse wraiths, then they were already laying their cards faceup. Whether she noticed him or not did not matter.

I'm following you. I just want to see what you're doing.

Not happy about it? Then turn around and fight me if you've got the nerve.—Arrogant.

Xu Bai followed Yun Xiang throughout the entire afternoon.

At one point, Yun Xiang even turned around and glared at him with furious eyes.

Xu Bai did not care. He even waved at her.

That look alone, combined with the fact that she said nothing despite discovering she was being followed, made things even stranger.

By afternoon, Yun Xiang was still wandering around, but Xu Bai could clearly sense that she had become anxious, even distracted.

As she passed a stall, she nearly walked right into it.

Yet she still did not come ask Xu Bai what was going on. Even after discovering his tailing, she did not say a single word.

In the blink of an eye, night quietly drew its curtain.

There were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until they finally became deserted.

Other than Yun Xiang and Xu Bai, only the moon remained.

Yun Xiang kept walking, then turned into a remote alley.

Xu Bai followed behind.

When he entered the alley, he realized it was a dead end.

"Finally couldn't hold it in any longer." Xu Bai walked to the end, preparing to climb over.

Before he could make a move, a hand shot out from the side and grabbed for his shoulder.