Old Sun Was Still the Reliable One

The day the first batch of blades successfully came out of the forge, the entire Sword-Forging Courtyard erupted in excitement.

Li Chengwen stood in the courtyard, personally counting the neatly arranged rows of long sabers. Every blade gleamed with a cold light along its edge.

He counted them again and again. After confirming that the numbers were right and the quality met the standard, he finally let out a long breath.

Then a broad smile bloomed across Li Chengwen's face, and he shouted to the masters and apprentices filling the courtyard:

"Brothers! The first batch is finally done!"

Cheers immediately exploded through the courtyard.

Some tossed their hammers high into the air, some laughed as they slapped each other on the shoulders, and several of the younger workers simply dropped onto the ground.

Though they were panting from exhaustion, their faces were full of smiles.

After more than half a month of relentless rush work, every last scrap of strength had been squeezed out of them. Now that they finally saw the results, the relief they felt was sweeter than honey.

Li Chengwen was especially delighted.

He rubbed his hands together and paced around the courtyard, patting this master on the shoulder, giving that worker a thumbs-up. His mouth practically could not close from smiling.

To him, this batch of blades meant far more than a single order.

This was the first major undertaking he had led independently. It was his chance to prove himself before Master Li, and the first step in declaring to everyone that "the Li Family's Eldest Young Master is no worse than its Second Young Master"!

Shen Chu stood beside his workstation and wiped the sweat from his face.

Seeing the jubilant scene before him, a smile rose to his lips as well.

Shen Chu was no less pleased than anyone else, not because of how much of the order had been completed, but because he could finally give Li Chengwen an answer.

Once this order was fully delivered, he could leave with a clear conscience and no longer owe anyone a favor.

That evening, in high spirits, Li Chengwen waved his hand and directly booked an entire restaurant, inviting everyone from the courtyard to a feast.

The crowd surged into the restaurant in a grand procession. More than a dozen large round tables were packed full, dishes of chicken, duck, fish, and meat flowed onto the tables one after another, while the popping of mud seals being broken from wine jars rang out without pause.

Shen Chu was seated at the main table. Right in front of him sat a large platter of braised pork knuckles, their surface glossy red, their fat and lean meat perfectly layered.

He picked up a piece and put it into his mouth. The rich fragrance of the sauce and the soft, sticky texture melted across his tongue, making him narrow his eyes in pleasure.

As he chewed the pork knuckle, Shen Chu sighed inwardly.

Honestly, if it had not been for that mess with Han Tieshan, and if the shadow of the Red Lotus Sect had not been hanging over his head, staying on steadily with the Li Family would actually have been a pretty good choice.

The work was a little tiring, but food and clothing were guaranteed. He could also quietly lie low and build himself up, slowly grind [Thousand Hammer Refinement] higher, train Stone-Shattering Fist to mastery, then find other martial arts to grind as well. It would have been a life both stable and fulfilling.

What a pity...

Chewing his pork knuckle, Shen Chu could not help sighing again.

What a pity he had run into freaks like Han Tieshan and Zhao Dezhu!

Still, every cloud had a silver lining. If he ran into any more freaks from the Red Lotus Sect someday, he would kill them one by one without hesitation. Otherwise, he would be letting down the [Cultist] profession he had painstakingly farmed, and even more so the useful skill [Incense Offering to All Living Beings].

With that thought, Shen Chu took another vicious bite out of the pork knuckle, as though it were the head of some Red Lotus Sect freak.

Just as he was chewing with gusto, a figure suddenly plopped down beside him, carrying a heavy stench of alcohol.

Shen Chu turned to look. It was Sun Ping.

The old man had clearly drunk quite a lot that night. His face was as red as Guan Yu's, and his eyes were somewhat unfocused, yet he still held a cup of wine in his hand, swaying it back and forth without spilling a drop.

Seeing him, Shen Chu happened to recall a question that had been bothering him for days. He set down his chopsticks, leaned closer, and asked, "Master Sun, I've been wanting to ask you. Did you used to work with, or perhaps see, something like Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron? Otherwise, how could you tell at a glance that day how it should be saved?"

At that, Sun Ping gave a disdainful snort and waved his hand. "I'm an artifact refiner, after all. What's so strange about me knowing Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron? You're making a mountain out of a molehill."

Shen Chu found it somewhat amusing, so he teased him along those lines. "Since you're an artifact refiner, why don't you stick with the other three lower-grade artifact smiths in the courtyard? Why spend every day hanging around ordinary bladesmiths like us?"

Sun Ping chuckled, raised his wine cup, and took another swig. Wiping his mouth, he said with drunken disdain, "What lower-grade artifact smith? Who gave me that title? What the hell is that title worth? Only..."

Before he could finish, a fat figure suddenly staggered over and threw an arm around Sun Ping's shoulders.

It was Li Chengwen, whose entire face was flushed red from drinking.

He held a cup of wine as well. His tongue had gone thick from alcohol, and he cut in indistinctly:

"Old Sun's right! Those three... those three damn artifact smiths, those damn consultants! All they know is how to take our Li Family's money! I personally went to ask them for help, and guess what happened? Every last one of them refused me! Said they had other matters to attend to! Bah! Bullshit! Once I find the chance, I'll make those three bastards get the hell out!"

After saying that, without caring whether Sun Ping was willing or not, he wrapped him in a tight hug and muttered drunkenly, "Old Sun's still the reliable one! Our own people are the reliable ones! A master bladesmith! A hundred times better than those three money-grubbing bastards!"

Sun Ping's eyes rolled from being squeezed so tightly, but he could not be bothered to struggle. He merely patted Li Chengwen's back helplessly and mumbled a few vague words of agreement.

Shen Chu shook his head helplessly as he watched the two drunks embracing each other.

He raised his teacup and took a sip. Feeling the need to relieve himself, he stood up and greeted Sun Ping and Li Chengwen, saying he was going to the privy, then slipped away from the feast.

After wandering around for a while, he still could not find the privy. By chance, the restaurant's back door led into a quiet alley, so he found a corner and took care of the matter.

He had not drunk much to begin with.

After relieving himself and being blown by the night wind, he felt even more awake.

Just as he was about to return to the feast, Shen Chu suddenly caught sight of a furtive figure at the end of the alley. Keeping close to the wall, it was quickly sneaking toward the Li Residence's Sword-Forging Courtyard.

What the hell is this?

His brows lifted slightly. Then he softened his footsteps and silently followed after it.

"I can't do it anymore, I really can't..."

Apprentice Little Six had drunk quite a bit that day and begged the others, "I can't drink anymore, I really can't. I'm going to the privy to take a leak..."

With that, Little Six swayed his way out. Someone nearby laughed loudly. "This Little Six always says he can hold his liquor. Today, we've got to drink him under the table!"