Bring Me My Iron Hammer!

"What kind of weapon would the customer like, and roughly how heavy?"

The old man walked up to Lu He, gave him a curious once-over, and asked softly.

"Well..."

Lu He froze for no apparent reason.

He truly had not considered what kind of weapon he wanted.

After all, with the True-Intent Runes perfectly integrating his body, along with the White Ape Dao Diagram at his side, any ordinary weapon could unleash its greatest power in his hands.

But when he thought of those cultivation tenant farmers' bodies, built like savage dragons.

An idea suddenly came to Lu He.

"Make me a solid iron hammer. Around two hundred and fifty or sixty jin will do."

He had still decided to compete for a spot during the window period.

Though he did not know what method the overseers would use for this year's selection, since the ultimate purpose was to kill spirit creatures, it would surely involve fighting.

That was why Lu He had come out early to prepare a suitable weapon.

"A big iron hammer is good!"

He licked his lips.

"With the explosive strength granted by the Scarlet Horned-Dragon True-Intent Rune's control over my body, plus the keen perception and enhanced insight from the White Ape Dao Diagram, as long as I seize an opening, one hammer blow will send them straight on their way!"

Across from him.

When he first heard "iron hammer."

The old man's expression relaxed, and he could not help shooting the attendant beside him a glare, as if to say:

"Something as simple as an iron hammer can be made at any weight. Just sell it to him. Did you really need to call me out here?"

However, the instant he heard the weight.

"Two hundred and fifty or sixty jin..."

The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably, and even his beard shook wildly.

He took several deep breaths before steadying himself, forcing a sliver of a smile onto his face.

"We... can make it! What material would the customer like? Our shop has three-forged iron, fifty-forged steel, and hundred-forged steel..."

"What are the prices?" Lu He subconsciously touched his money pouch.

Not long after.

Having paid the deposit and agreed with the shopkeeper to return in an hour and a half to collect it, Lu He strode out of the weaponsmith's shop.

In the end, he chose a three-forged iron hammer.

There was no other reason. He was simply poor. A fifty-forged steel hammer was already far beyond what Lu He could afford.

Behind him.

"Hiss—he's actually an immortal master. That's terrifying. Good thing we treated him well."

The attendant watched Lu He's coarse cloth robe and could not help scratching his head, his face full of lingering fear.

"I wonder which of the city's Three Gardens and Seven Pavilions this gentleman belongs to, to be so low-key and frugal?"

The old man murmured from the side.

Then, as if recalling something, he fixed his gaze on the attendant.

"When he comes to collect his weapon later, prepare tea. You must not slight him in the slightest. Otherwise, if he casually slaps you to death, the authorities will not care."

"Understood." The attendant shrank his neck.

After leaving the weaponsmith's shop, Lu He followed the memories of the original owner, turning left and right with practiced ease before finally slipping straight into an alley.

Perhaps influenced by the original owner.

Other than buying a weapon, he had one more thing to do today.

The farther he went into the alley, the narrower the road became.

A short while later.

Lu He stopped before the door of a house.

The door was tightly locked, and a red "Double Happiness" character had been pasted on it, though it had faded and was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Thick weeds grew at the entrance, with no one to clear them away.

He pulled out a key from his robes. After thinking for a moment, he ultimately did not unlock the door.

He turned away and entered another alley.

Knock, knock—

"Who is it?" A gentle voice called out.

Then the wooden door slowly opened, and a woman in a plain gray dress appeared in his sight.

She was not tall, barely reaching Lu He's chin. Her pretty face, lightly powdered, carried a faint trace of exhaustion and haggardness, as though she had just argued with someone.

"Little He, why have you come?"

Seeing the figure outside the door.

The woman froze. Disbelief first flashed through her eyes, only to be replaced by deep heartache.

"How did you get so thin? You must have suffered greatly working in the Medicine Garden."

Her slender hand seized Lu He's, and her eyes reddened slightly.

"Elder Sister..."

Lu He opened his mouth, his expression complicated.

But just then.

"Who's here?" A rough voice suddenly came from inside.

"Little He, wait for Elder Sister a moment."

Under Lu He's gaze, the woman seemed somewhat flustered. She reached out and pushed him outside, then hurriedly turned back into the house.

The next instant, a string of arguing voices came from within.

Lu He merely waited where he was. He neither spoke nor went inside.

Before long.

The woman came out with red eyes and directly stuffed the money pouch in her hand into Lu He's arms. "Little He, take this. Working in the Medicine Garden is exhausting, so whatever you do, don't let yourself go hungry."

"Someone you don't like is inside, so Elder Sister won't ask you in to sit."

"If you run short of silver later, remember to come to Elder Sister."

"Elder Sister, I can take care of myself. As for this silver—"

Lu He took out the pouch. Without even opening it, he could tell by touch that it contained nothing but loose silver, even some copper coins.

Clearly, his elder sister had just packed all her savings into it.

He could not accept this silver.

Across from him, seeing Lu He's action, the woman's gaze dimmed.

"Little He," she called softly, pleading flashing through her eyes. "This silver truly isn't dirty. Elder Sister saved it bit by bit from doing handiwork. You... take it."

The moment those words fell.

Lu He abruptly froze.

The original owner's memories surged forth like floodwaters bursting through a breached dam.

His elder sister was named Lu Shu.

During the demon disaster that year, many people had died, including the original owner's parents.

At the time, Lu Shu was thirteen, and Lu He was eight.

Overnight, little Lu Shu had become an adult.

To pay for Lu He's schooling and keep the two siblings alive, with no road left to take, she hid it from Lu He and secretly became another man's mistress.

But paper could not wrap up fire forever.

At the start of this year.

The original owner had accidentally learned the truth. In a fit of rage, he left the school. Ashamed of his elder sister, he did not even want their home anymore and went directly to work in the Medicine Garden.

Until Lu He transmigrated, the silver his elder sister had secretly stuffed into his pouch had remained untouched by the original owner—not a single coin spent.

Thinking of this.

Lu He looked at the small figure before him and could not help feeling heartache.

He was not the original owner, so he naturally understood Lu Shu's hardships.

What could a thirteen-year-old girl do? She could not carry loads on her shoulders or lift heavy things with her hands.

"Elder Sister, I was wrong. I made you suffer." Lu He stepped forward and gently embraced that haggard figure, speaking with guilt.

In Lu He's embrace, Lu Shu's body stiffened. She felt as if she had misheard him.

When she came back to herself.

Little Brother had grown up? He could understand me now?

She bit her lip hard and secretly looked at Lu He, tears instantly blurring her vision.

Lu Shu had always been strong. She felt that she should not cry, so she desperately wiped away her tears, but for some reason, the more she wiped, the more tears came.

Time passed little by little.

At the mouth of the alley, Lu He turned back for another look at the tightly shut wooden door.

He unconsciously sighed.

He knew Lu Shu was not living well.

It was not that the man treated her harshly.

In fact, as an ordinary mortal, the fact that he could support both Lu Shu and Lu He, and even send Lu He to school, showed his attitude.

It was simply that his shop's business had run into major trouble this year, leaving him strapped for money...

Lu He wanted to help his elder sister.

But on second thought, he himself was poor as a church mouse, and even leaving the Medicine Garden was restricted. In the end, he could only let it go helplessly.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, only five days remained until the competition for spots during the window period.

During that time, Lu He sold two Leaf Runes in exchange for dozens of jin of braised meat. Bolstered by the terrifying efficiency of the complete Scarlet Horned-Dragon True-Intent Rune, his strength had already neared the great threshold of the mid-stage Body-Shedding Realm.

That night.

Lu He was cultivating.

Suddenly, a short, fat figure tore through the night and hurried beneath the old locust tree where he cultivated, eagerly claiming credit.

"Master He, that bastard Li Zhuang finally couldn't keep his cool. We caught him lying in wait!"

At those words.

Lu He slowly opened his eyes.

"Bring me my iron hammer."