Buying a Sword

Hongguang Pavilion.

A boutique specializing in weapons.

Upon entering, the walls inside were lined with all kinds of blades, each gleaming brightly, their bodies dazzling to the eye.

The shopkeeper was an elderly man in his sixties, refined and amiable. When he saw Shen Zhou and the others enter, he didn't slight them for their plain clothes or youth, but instead asked with a smile, "Young guests, what might you be looking for?"

San Mazi and the others had already been dazzled the moment they stepped in, so much so that they didn't even hear what the shopkeeper said.

Shen Zhou, however, hadn't forgotten the purpose of his visit. He stepped forward and said, "Shopkeeper, bring out the best sword you have for us to see."

The shopkeeper, without asking further, simply waved for an attendant to fetch something from the back.

Before long, the attendant came out holding a brocade box.

Even the sword case was trimmed with gold, looking far from ordinary, which stirred a hint of anticipation in Shen Zhou, along with some unease. "I wonder if ten taels of silver will be enough?"

The box was opened, revealing a sharp blade with a white jade hilt and a body adorned with layered wave-like cloud patterns.

The shopkeeper took the sword out of the box to display it, then picked up a piece of black iron from the side and placed it on the table. With a light chop, the black iron was cleaved cleanly in two—truly a weapon that could cut through iron like mud.

After the demonstration, the shopkeeper handed over the sword with a faint smile. "Young master, give it a try. See if this 'Dragon Abyss Sword' catches your eye."

Before Shen Zhou could take it, San Mazi had already snatched it eagerly. He swung it a few times, his face breaking into a grin. "Zhou Boss, this sword is great. Let's go with this one. Shopkeeper, how much is it?"

The shopkeeper replied with a genial smile, "Not much, just five thousand eight hundred taels. If you want it, I can give you a discount and throw in a scabbard for easy carrying."

"Uh..."

San Mazi froze on the spot, the sword in his hand ceasing its motion.

What the hell?

Five thousand eight hundred taels?

And how much did they have? Just ten taels of silver!

Money they'd earned by challenging a school and trading in its signboard.

The gap was way too big!

Shen Zhou, who had been about to grab the sword from San Mazi, nearly stumbled to the ground. He quietly pulled A Dai aside and whispered, "A Dai, quick, figure it out. How many martial arts schools are left in the county town? If we challenge them all, can we scrape together that much?"

A Dai's face immediately fell. "Zhou Boss, don't joke. Even if all the schools in the county were second-rate, we'd need over a hundred to make that sum. But there aren't that many schools in a small county for you to challenge!"

Hearing this, Shen Zhou gave up. He turned back, looking a bit sheepish at the shopkeeper. "Uh... Shopkeeper, the sword is great, but I can't afford it right now. Do you have anything cheaper?"

The shopkeeper didn't take offense. He just gave an order, and his attendant swapped out another sword. The shopkeeper introduced it, "This is the 'Lesser Sun Sword,' forged from fire essence, weighing three catties and two taels. Also crafted by a master... This one is one thousand two hundred taels."

"Uh..."

"The sword 'Thousand Jun,' made of refined iron... five hundred thirty taels."

"Uh..."

"The longsword 'Autumn Water,' one hundred taels—a friend's price."

"Uh..."

"An iron sword, fifty taels—no haggling!"

"Uh..."

"It seems this shop has no weapon suitable for you, young master."

San Mazi refused to give up and finally asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have anything under ten taels?"

"Get lost!"

Before San Mazi could finish, the old man finally lost his professional composure and started shooing them out.

Soon after.

Shen Zhou and his three companions slunk out of the shop, their faces downcast.

Seeing Shen Zhou's disappointment, San Mazi's eyes darted around, and he suddenly spoke up, "Zhou Boss, don't lose heart. There are plenty of places selling swords. If this one doesn't work, we'll just go somewhere else. Come on, I know a place that's sure to get you what you want!"

"Really?"

Shen Zhou stared at San Mazi in surprise, his expression saying, 'I didn't know you had connections like that.'

San Mazi raised an eyebrow smugly and led the way toward their destination.

In no time at all.

San Mazi brought the group to a blacksmith's shop in the southern part of town.

The shopkeeper was a tall, muscular man with dark skin and a somewhat simple, honest face. Outside his shop were several finished farming tools, like shovels, hoes, and dung rakes.

Seeing this, Shen Zhou's face darkened. He turned to the still-smug San Mazi and asked, "This is the place you meant?"

San Mazi replied with a lively expression, "Don't judge him just because he makes farm tools. His craftsmanship is top-notch. Trust me, I've got this!"

With that, San Mazi strode into the shop and started talking to the shopkeeper.

After a few exchanges, the shopkeeper glanced at Shen Zhou standing outside, nodded to indicate it was fine, and then got to work.

Clang, clang, clang...

The blacksmith's shop suddenly became a flurry of activity.

After less than an hour of hammering and clanging, San Mazi came over to Shen Zhou holding a finished longsword. He handed it over readily and said, "Boss Zhou, give it a try—see how this sword feels?"

Shen Zhou took the sword with a skeptical attitude.

A Dai and Xi Mei also looked it over from the side.

Say what you will, just from the outside the sword looked pretty decent; the blade had been polished and could even reflect light like a mirror.

Especially when held in hand, the weight was substantial, and the feel, size, and length were all quite good.

Shen Zhou couldn't help but be a little surprised. "This boss has some skill!"

San Mazi grew even more smug at that. "See? The guy's craftsmanship is solid, right? Materials and labor included, only cost me three taels of silver—the main selling point is affordability. Look over at Hongguang Pavilion, same kind of sword, and that old man still charges an arm and a leg. Pfft, what a swindler!"

Shen Zhou gave it a couple of test swings and grew more satisfied the more he looked at it. Then he tried channeling Yuan force into it, wanting to see if the sword could withstand his full output. But before he'd even put much in, he heard a crisp crack, and the longsword in his hand instantly shattered into several iron shards, clattering to the ground.

The scene fell silent in an instant.

Shen Zhou stood there holding the hilt, staring blankly at an even more bewildered San Mazi.

This is what you call good?

San Mazi got angry too. He gathered up the fragments and stormed back to the blacksmith, shouting, "Boss, take a look at your sword..."

The moment the boss saw the broken sword, he became wary and said, "Our shop's policy: once sold, no returns!"

San Mazi's eyes went wide with fury. "I'm not asking for a refund! I'm telling you to look at your sword—didn't you say it was durable? How did it break before I even used it?"

The boss stiffened his neck and shot back, "You broke the sword, what's that got to do with me? I only charged you three taels—what more do you want?"

"I... you..."

San Mazi was so angry he had no comeback. Seeing that the boss was also big and burly, he knew he had no chance in a fight, so after hemming and hawing for a long time, he finally squeezed out a sentence: "Then... can you fix it?"

Hearing that, the boss immediately put on a simple, honest smile and said, "Sure, ten coppers to repair a sword!"

"..."

After a while, San Mazi came back with the repaired sword. He glanced at Shen Zhou's expression and said cautiously, "Zhou... Zhou-ge, the sword's fixed."

Shen Zhou looked at the iron sword, his face twitching. Then, without taking it, he turned and walked away. His gritted voice came through a moment later: "Kick. Keep kicking tomorrow. Even if I have to kick every martial hall in the county, I will get myself a decent sword!"

San Mazi and Xi Mei exchanged bewildered looks.

Only A Dai, staring at Shen Zhou's retreating back, suddenly had a question pop into his mind: If Boss Zhou is so strong, why is he so fixated on getting a sword?

Over the next few days, White Sheep County's martial halls experienced a major earthquake.

A young swordsman went out every day, three wooden swords tucked into his waistband, followed by three little ones. Starting from the south of the city, he challenged three halls a day without fail.

At first, no one took it seriously—until six martial halls had closed their doors in a row. Only then did some people start to take notice.

By the time nine halls had shut down, the matter had drawn serious attention from many.

And when the number exceeded twelve, shock rippled through the county's martial artists. Even some teahouses began to feature storytellers specializing in this tale.

"Now, this 'Wooden Sword Guest' is only fifteen or sixteen years old, but his strength is extraordinary. He carries three wooden swords at his side, followed by three bodyguards, but when he challenges a hall, he always fights alone with one sword. With a wave of his hand, he breaks the enemy and takes the plaque—no one can stand against him.

It's said that among the twelve martial halls in the south of the city, no one has ever seen him draw his second wooden sword.

Some say this youth is a scion trained by some great clan, and this spree of challenges is to make a name for himself.

Others say he's a prodigy of the sword, using these battles to hone his art.

But regardless, after this ordeal, this youth can truly be called 'a sudden star with no rival, one sword silencing the whole city'..."

Meanwhile.

In a private room at a teahouse in the south of the city.

Someone hearing this couldn't help slamming the table and shouting, "'A sudden star with no rival, one sword silencing the whole city'? Bullshit! All bullshit! That brat just relies on his fierce, overwhelming Yuan force. If it came down to fists and feet, I'd pound him into the ground!"

Looking closely, the speaker was Ma Hong, the hall master of Ma's Martial Hall.

He wasn't alone. The room was packed—all the heads of the thirteen martial halls in the south of the city had gathered here.

Among them, twelve had already been challenged by Shen Zhou and had a grudge to settle. The only one left untouched was the last—Mad Lion Martial Hall.

And the only reason it remained was that Shen Zhou carved three wooden swords a day, using one per hall. Today, he'd run out of wooden swords, so Mad Lion Martial Hall was simply left for tomorrow.

At that moment, Tie Zhan, the hall master of Mad Lion Martial Hall, frowned deeply and couldn't help asking the others, "Fellow hall masters, you've all fought the kid. How strong is he really? Give me a heads-up so I can prepare for tomorrow."

At this, the dozen or so hall masters all chimed in at once.

"That kid just got lucky and beat me by one move—his real skill is nothing to speak of."

"He's merely so-so. If I'd been serious, I could have crushed him with a flick of my finger."

"I went easy on him because he's young. Otherwise... hmph..."

Tie Zhan was speechless. "Gentlemen, can we stop blowing smoke?"

Your plaques have all been taken—and you're still saving face?

The hall masters' faces turned awkward, and they fell silent.

Finally, the Taishan Hall Master spoke up. "In my opinion, that person's cultivation is definitely at the 'Transformation Yuan Realm'—a true expert. Possibly even fifth or sixth grade. If you go up against him, I'm afraid you won't escape defeat either!"

These words made Tie Zhan's brow furrow even deeper. "Is there really no hope?"

Every martial arts school was the lifeblood of its owner, and no one wanted to see their signboard torn down and their reputation ruined—Tie Zhan was no exception.

At that moment, Ma Hong pondered for a moment, then said coldly, "I don't think so. That kid is strong, sure, but I've watched him challenge several schools. Every time, he swings a wooden sword, unleashes a Sword Qi, and we can't withstand it and lose. But if you can dodge that one sword strike tomorrow, you might have a chance."

These words suddenly opened up a new line of thought for everyone.

Someone immediately chimed in, "Right, right, right... That kid really does only use one sword strike every time, and after he swings it, the wooden sword breaks. In my opinion, that guy definitely lacks real combat experience, or maybe he only knows that one move. So, tomorrow when you fight him, just find a way to dodge that sword strike, then close in and fight him up close.

If you do that, you might actually be able to take him down!"

Everyone's eyes lit up at once, thinking the plan was feasible.

Only Tie Zhan frowned deeply, lacking confidence, and thought to himself, "Can this... really work?"