Avoiding Trouble

Early in the morning, Sun Ping arrived at his workstation, but his complexion was poor, a sickly, sallow yellow.

He hadn't even swung the hammer a few times before he began to cough.

Seeing this, Shen Chu quickly set down his work and asked, "Master Sun, what is wrong? Why is your complexion so bad?"

Sun Ping waved his hand, feeling listless. "It is nothing, nothing at all. I likely caught a chill last night and am just feeling a bit under the weather. You go back to your work; I will be fine after a short rest."

Shen Chu saw how weak he sounded and could not set his mind at ease. He accompanied him back to his living quarters and poured him a cup of hot water.

Sun Ping took a sip, finally catching his breath. "Shen Chu, if you have time, help me go to Renhe Hall at the street corner and get a few doses of medicine for the cold. This is an old ailment of mine; I will be fine after taking two doses."

Shen Chu nodded, urged him to get some good rest, and then headed out.

Renhe Hall was not far from the Li Residence; it was only two streets away.

Just as Shen Chu stepped into the pharmacy, he bumped into a familiar figure.

Zhao Dezhu was standing at the counter, holding a packet of freshly prepared medicine, and was about to turn and leave.

The two came face-to-face and both froze for a moment.

A look of unnaturalness flashed across Zhao Dezhu's face, and he immediately squeezed out a smile. "Oh, Shen Chu, what a coincidence. Are you here to get medicine too?"

Shen Chu nodded. Without overthinking it, he answered truthfully, "Master Sun is not feeling well, so I came to get him some medicine for the cold. Steward Zhao, are you...?"

"Oh, I, I have some minor ailments as well, so I came to get some medicine to recuperate."

Zhao Dezhu gave two dry laughs, his tone vague, as if he did not want to say more.

"You go ahead with your business; I will be heading back now."

With that, he clutched the medicine packet and walked quickly out of the pharmacy.

His pace was more than twice as fast as usual.

Shen Chu watched him leave and then glanced around the pharmacy.

He remembered hearing people say a while back that a new pharmacy had opened in the city specializing in treating men's private ailments, and many high-ranking officials and nobles visited it in secret.

This Renhe Hall happened to be that very pharmacy from the rumors.

Shen Chu looked back at the clerk pounding medicine behind the counter, then thought of Zhao Dezhu's guilty expression just now, and he guessed the truth seven or eight times out of ten.

However, he was not a gossipy person. Knowing such things was enough; there was no need to go around shouting about it.

He then collected his thoughts, described Sun Ping's symptoms, had the clerk prepare a few doses of cold medicine, paid, and returned to the Li Residence.

Yet, after Sun Ping took the medicine for two days, his condition did not improve. He remained in that listless state, barely able to get out of bed.

Shen Chu visited him every day, but Sun Ping would always wave his hand and say it was nothing, that he would be fine after resting for a few days.

When Shen Chu visited him again that day, Sun Ping leaned against the headboard and suddenly said, "Shen Chu, don't push yourself too hard these past few days. Rest when you should, and if there is nothing pressing, take some time off. Don't just stay cooped up in the courtyard forging iron all the time."

Shen Chu was pouring water for him and did not think much of it, responding casually, "Master Sun, don't worry. My constitution is sturdy. You, on the other hand, should focus on recovering your health; that is what matters."

He was still thinking about forging more iron to raise the progress of his Thousand Hammer Refinement. If he could reach level 2 as soon as possible, he might even be able to increase his innate talent, which would be beneficial for his martial arts training.

Sun Ping looked at him, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but it finally turned into a sigh. "If you want to rest, just come over and talk to an old man like me; it would be good company."

Shen Chu agreed with a smile, still not taking it to heart.

It was not until a few days later that Shen Chu finally caught on to the underlying meaning.

At noon, just after Shen Chu finished his meal and was preparing to continue forging, several figures approached him.

He looked up and saw that they were the old-timers who had originally worked under Steward Li.

Their complexions were not very good, and their eyes held a mixture of anxiety and expectation.

One of the old men lowered his voice and said, "Shen Chu, we would like to discuss something with you."

Shen Chu put down his hammer and wiped his sweat. "Master Wang, please speak."

Master Wang sighed and did not beat around the bush. "You have seen it yourself—Zhao Dezhu and his gang are becoming increasingly excessive. We old-timers are being squeezed out to the point where we can barely get a hot meal. We were thinking that if we all unite and pull together, we will at least have someone to speak for us when the young master returns. You are young and have Master Sun backing you; as long as you are willing to lead, we will have the confidence."

As soon as Shen Chu heard this, he understood everything.

No wonder Sun Ping was feigning illness to hide at home and kept hinting that he should avoid trouble as well.

Master Sun had likely already been approached by these old men. He knew they wanted to form factions to oppose Zhao Dezhu, but he did not want to get involved in such struggles, so he used his illness as an excuse to hide in peace, all while trying to warn him not to get mixed up in it.

Shen Chu naturally would not jump into this pit of fire. Although his words were polite, he shook his head firmly. "Master Wang, I am just a newcomer who just joined the residence; what ability do I have to lead? You all have deep seniority and rich experience; you should make your own decisions. I just want to practice my craft in peace; I really cannot attend to other matters."

Seeing his blunt refusal, the old men could not hide their disappointment, but they could not force him, so they had to turn and leave in low spirits.

However, they had only walked a few steps when they ran into several of Zhao Dezhu's lackeys. Seeing Master Wang and the others, one of them said in a mocking, sour tone:

"Oh, where are you old seniors going? If you aren't working hard and are wandering around, are you trying to slack off again?"

Master Wang was already brimming with anger, and being provoked like this, he exploded. "Who are you calling a slacker?! I have been working in this courtyard for decades; you were still wearing open-crotch pants back then! Is it your place to lecture me?!"

The man did not back down and sneered, "You have been working for decades and are still just an ordinary blade-forger, and you have the nerve to bring that up? If you have the ability, why don't you forge a low-grade weapon like Master Sun?"

The two sides went back and forth, the insults growing more vicious.

Master Wang could not hold back his temper, his voice growing louder and louder until he finally roared, "Don't get cocky! We have already talked to Master Sun and Shen Chu; we are just waiting for the young master to return, and then you will see! We will see then whether you lackeys can stand tall, or if we old-timers can!"

Once these words were out, the expressions of those men changed.

But they did not want to lose face in front of so many people. With a cold snort and a "just you wait," they turned and went to Zhao Dezhu's room to report.

They embellished the story, adding fuel to the fire, especially emphasizing that Sun Ping and Shen Chu might be getting involved.

After listening, Zhao Dezhu's face turned so dark it could drip water. He was silent for a moment before slamming his hand on the table. "Enough! Say no more! A bunch of old, dying things—they can't stir up any waves. Go back to what you were doing and stop standing there like eyesores!"