Equipment

Manager Wang explained:

"When escorting valuables, bandits generally only want money. As long as the proper arrangements are made, there is usually no trouble. But when guarding an escort, it is fine if nothing happens—but once something does, it is often a vendetta. If there is no way to escape, you can only fight the other side to the death."

"Understood." Jiang Che nodded.

"For ordinary small escorts, there is no need for you Martial Artists to act. But if the goods are valuable, or the roads are unsafe, then we will have to trouble skilled men like you."

"That is only proper," Jiang Che replied.

"But you needn't worry too much." Manager Wang smiled. "Most escort routes have already been taken care of in advance."

Jiang Che smiled in understanding. "By the way, Manager Wang, are there any escorts heading to Hengsha City lately? I have something to take care of and was just planning to make a trip there."

"Not at the moment. When there is one, I'll send someone to notify you."

With that, he took out a contract.

"Though ours is not a major business, the rules that should be there cannot be lacking."

Jiang Che read it over carefully, then picked up the brush and wrote down his name.

"Fine handwriting!" Manager Wang was somewhat surprised. A Martial Artist actually had such good penmanship; his impression of Jiang Che improved somewhat.

"You flatter me, Manager. I attended a private school for a few years and only know a little about writing." After finishing, Jiang Che handed the contract back.

Manager Wang accepted it and smilingly put it away.

Jiang Che hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Manager Wang... I would like to take an advance on this month's salary."

Manager Wang was surprised to hear that. By rights, anyone who could practice martial arts and become a formal disciple should not be short of money.

But he immediately returned to normal. "Fine. I have always respected Hall Master Luo's character. As his disciple, you have my trust!"

With that, he took thirty taels of silver from a drawer and handed them to Jiang Che.

Thirty taels of silver was nothing to an escort agency, but if it could buy the goodwill of a Martial Artist—especially a disciple under Hall Master Luo Kun—it could not have been a better bargain.

Jiang Che hurriedly accepted it. "Many thanks, Manager Wang!"

The silver felt heavy in his grip.

It was his first time possessing so much money.

In an instant, a powerful sense of security welled up in his heart.

After leaving the escort agency,

Jiang Che began considering his next step.

"Although Shopkeeper Wang said there was no danger, if they were willing to pay this much, it definitely wasn't as safe as he made it sound..."

Although he had the Omen skill, which allowed him to foresee danger a few seconds in advance,

if his opponent was far stronger than him, or if he was already trapped in danger, Omen would be of little use.

Thinking of all the dangers he had encountered and heard about before, he felt a faint pressure in his heart.

"I should get a few more things that can keep me alive."

Jiang Che decided to visit a smithy first.

The smithy was also in the East District, not far from the escort agency.

As he walked, Jiang Che pondered what sort of thing would suit him best.

Along the way, Jiang Che often saw Martial Artists with vigorous Qi-Blood walking through the streets.

These people usually wore the uniforms of some Martial Arts Hall, or the clothes of an escort agency.

This also meant that there were rarely any hooligans or ruffians in the East District.

Moreover, Jiang Che hardly saw any beggars begging.

The streets were much cleaner as well.

It was simply not as prosperous as the West District, though it was far better than the South District.

Before long, Jiang Che arrived at the smithy.

The black-lacquered sign with gold lettering had already faded somewhat, but the four words "Zhang's Smithy" were still clearly visible.

The shop was not large. Several finished products were displayed outside, including swords, blades, and farming tools.

Inside, the furnace blazed brightly, and the constant clanging of hammering rang out.

Jiang Che walked in, and a wave of heat rushed toward him.

A burly middle-aged man was swinging a hammer.

Seeing someone enter, he first said, "Wait a moment," then continued forging the iron blank before him.

The iron blank was gradually hammered into the shape of a short blade.

He picked it up with iron tongs and examined it. Once he was sure there was no problem, he plunged it into the water bucket beside him.

Sizzle!

The water instantly boiled from the red-hot iron, sending up a cloud of white steam.

"What does the customer want?" He wiped away his sweat, the muscles on his arms knotted like coiled dragons.

"Do you have anything suitable for self-defense?" Jiang Che asked.

"Self-defense?" The blacksmith raised his brows and looked Jiang Che up and down. "What kind do you want? Armor, or a weapon?"

Jiang Che thought for a moment. "Let me look at both."

The blacksmith nodded. "Fine. Come with me."

The two walked farther inside.

The walls were covered with all kinds of weapons and protective gear.

The blacksmith took several items from a rack and laid them on a wooden table.

"A heart-protecting mirror forged from refined iron, five taels of silver."

"A compact short blade that can be tucked into your boot, eight taels."

"And this." The blacksmith brought out a pitch-black vest.

"Soft cowhide armor with spikes, ten taels."

Jiang Che picked up the soft armor and weighed it in his hands. It felt neither too heavy nor too light.

The inner layer was tanned cowhide, while the outside was covered in sharp spikes.

"If someone punched this, they could forget about keeping that hand... This is good!"

"I'll take this." Jiang Che gritted his teeth.

Ten taels was no small sum, but if it could truly save his life at a critical moment, then ten taels was worth it.

"Fine, but you will have to come back in a few days to collect it. I'll make a new one for you. This was custom-ordered by a previous customer, so I can't give it to you."

"Can't you make an exception? Give me this one. I need it urgently, and I can pay more!"

Jiang Che did not know when he would be sent out on an escort job and feared he would not make it in time.

"Really can't. First come, first served—that is the rule of the martial world." The blacksmith shook his head and hung the soft armor back up.

"Then please rush mine."

"I'll do my best."

Jiang Che looked over the other weapons on the wall and found them all too conspicuous and inconvenient to carry.

"Do you have something... more concealed?" Jiang Che lowered his voice.

The blacksmith narrowed his eyes. "Does the customer mean concealed weapons? I do not sell those here. The authorities inspect strictly."

"Not concealed weapons. Just smaller blades, daggers, that sort of thing."

The blacksmith brought over several. Jiang Che picked them up and played with them, but he was not particularly satisfied.

Suddenly, Jiang Che recalled something he had collected in his previous life, and his eyes lit up at once.

"Do you have paper and a pen?" Jiang Che asked.

The blacksmith brought over a charcoal stick. "Will this do?"

Jiang Che nodded, then drew a small object on the table.

The thing was no longer than a finger, with a horizontal grip and a short spike set into the middle.

"What's this? An awl?" The blacksmith looked at it in confusion.

"Mm. Can you make it?" Jiang Che did not explain further.

"It looks fairly simple, and it does not seem like a concealed weapon. Fine, it does not use much iron. Five taels."

"Three taels." Jiang Che bargained.

"Four taels, no less. I'll rush it for you," the blacksmith said.

"Deal." Jiang Che took out four taels. "This is the deposit. I'll pay the remaining ten taels when I collect the goods."

After leaving Zhang's Smithy, Jiang Che felt much more at ease.

What he had asked the blacksmith to make was the Hand Spike, renowned in his previous life.

When held in the hand, its pointed spike would protrude from between the fingers, yet remain inconspicuous.

When exchanging punches with someone, if the opponent let his guard down for even an instant, he would be stabbed by the iron spike, perhaps even have his fingers ruined.

Once hit, he would basically lose the ability to continue fighting.

This world seemed not to have such a thing yet, making it all the more impossible to guard against.

"If I could smear some poison on it, that would be even better..."

Once that thought arose, Jiang Che found it more and more feasible the longer he considered it.

It would be best to smear poison on the spikes of that soft armor too. Then it would be even more foolproof!

Combined with the two innate skills Omen and Flow State, he was confident that even if he encountered an expert of the Stone Skin Realm, he could still retreat unscathed!

"Only, where should I get poison?"