Borrowing a Weapon for the Time Being

Although Lin Fan had a fairly good impression of Su Qingwei, he did not want Small Mountain Village to have any further dealings with these martial Lineages. Instinctively, he did not want people from those martial Lineages entering the village.

Otherwise, if those people happened to harbor other intentions, it would undoubtedly bring terrible consequences upon the villagers of Small Mountain Village. Moreover, his younger sister Lin Ruoruo was still in the village. He sometimes went into the mountains to hunt and could not stay by her side every moment.

So, he chose to come and collect it himself.

A weapon greatly enhanced a martial artist's strength. Just like a saying passed down on Blue Star in his previous life: no matter how high one's kung fu, one still feared a kitchen knife. A martial artist with a weapon in hand and one without were worlds apart in combat power. A weapon-wielding martial artist could contend against at least two or three unarmed ones.

That way, after entering the Bone Tempering Realm, he could venture deeper into the mountains near Small Mountain Village and hunt down some of the Ferocious Beasts within. It would also remove potential hidden dangers for the village.

Those Ferocious Beasts generally had fixed territories and rarely ventured beyond them. But there were exceptions, such as when food within their territory suddenly became scarce, causing them to search elsewhere for food. If a Ferocious Beast broke into Small Mountain Village, the villagers might not be wiped out to the last man, but they would certainly suffer grievous casualties.

After discussing some other details regarding the weapon with Su Qingwei, Lin Fan left Su Family Shop with Uncle Wang and the others from the hunting party.

With the New Year approaching, Small Mountain Village should also stock up on more New Year goods, such as candles and lanterns, along with toys and clothes for the children.

Just as on Blue Star in his previous life, this world also had the custom of celebrating the New Year. Temperatures rose and fell at different times throughout the year.

At the start of every year, people celebrated the year's harvest and rested for a while, releasing the hardships they had endured over the year.

As usual, Lin Fan packed a bulging bundle full of snacks. He also bought every novel food item in the town, along with some new toys and clothes. These were all items ordinary commoners frequently bought, so they were not expensive. One or two taels of silver could buy everything.

When he opened the system's pale blue light-screen panel, it showed that he still had 200 taels remaining. Adding the more than 500 taels left after selling medicinal herbs and buying the weapon, he now had over 700 taels.

That was enough to activate more than seven days of twenty-four-hour thousandfold cultivation acceleration. Since the medicinal herbs in the mountains had become exceedingly scarce after Lin Fan dug them up, and with his terrifying hunting efficiency now, Lin Fan did not plan to hunt in the mountains every day anymore. Going up occasionally to hunt five or six wild goats or boars would be enough. Otherwise, he truly worried that he might hunt all the game from the mountains around Small Mountain Village to extinction.

Then, subtracting the time he spent sleeping, eating, and occasionally hunting in the mountains, and calculating based on twelve hours of cultivation a day, the seven days of doubled twenty-four-hour cultivation effects would be enough to support Lin Fan's cultivation for half a month. After half a month, he should be able to enter the Late Muscle Refinement Realm. If he was lucky, he might even reach the Bone Tempering Realm.

Hmm, right.

Thinking of the more than 600 taels of silver he had just paid Su Family Shop for the weapon, Lin Fan recalled that the Su Family had said it would take ten days to forge. Ten days was neither long nor short. He wondered whether he could first borrow a weapon with a relatively low forging level—any weapon would do—and use it for ten days. Then, after ten days, he would return it to Su Family Shop.

Once the thought came to him, he acted at once. Carrying a bulging bundle of snacks, miscellaneous goods, and New Year supplies on his back, Lin Fan turned around and returned to Su Family Shop.

By coincidence, Su Qingwei was still in the shop, looking through something rather than returning upstairs.

Hearing movement outside, Su Qingwei looked up. Lin Fan was carrying large and small bundles, and there was something slightly comical about his upright figure. She could not help breaking into a radiant smile.

"Young Master Lin, is there something you wish to alter or add?"

Lin Fan set down the bulging bundles in his hands as he met Su Qingwei's raised gaze.

"Miss Su, it is like this. Could your shop temporarily lend me a weapon with a forging level of around ten to fifteen? A spear would be best, but if there is no spear, any other weapon will do. When I come to collect that weapon with a forging level of twenty-five in ten days, I will return this one. Miss Su, would that be possible?"

Hearing Lin Fan's rather novel idea and seeing the faint urgency in him, the corners of Su Qingwei's lips lifted slightly, revealing a shallow smile.

"Of course, Young Master. Please wait a moment. I will check the storeroom for any unused weapons." She then opened another ledger and began looking through it.

"Young Master, there is a spear with a forging level of seventeen. Its length is also about the same as the spear you selected earlier. Would that do?"

"Of course. Thank you, Miss Su." Lin Fan bowed slightly and cupped his hands in thanks.

"Please wait a moment, Young Master. I will have someone fetch it for you at once." Su Qingwei turned to the maid beside her and gave a few quiet instructions.

A moment later, two Su Family servants carried over a spear.

Lin Fan stepped forward and took it, weighing it in his hand. It was roughly sixty jin. He casually swung it once, and the feel was just right. It was not so light as to feel insubstantial, yet its weight was just right for him to wield freely.

As for weapon weight, although Lin Fan could now lift a seven-hundred-jin weapon—after all, he possessed twelve hundred jin of strength—a weapon was not simply better the heavier it was. If it was too heavy, it would be strenuous to swing and less flexible in use. He would not be able to change its direction at will according to his intentions.

It was like the spears used in ancient times on Blue Star. The spears actually used on battlefields weighed only around three to five jin. As for the eighty-two-jin Green Dragon Crescent Blade passed down from Blue Star in his previous life, that was merely artistic embellishment by later generations. Even with his current twelve hundred jin of strength, Lin Fan would find it difficult to freely control the direction of an eighty-two-jin blade at all times. To control an eighty-two-jin weapon as easily as moving his fingers, with his weapon following his will, Lin Fan estimated he would need at least fifteen hundred jin of strength. In other words, he would need to roughly break through into the Late Muscle Refinement Realm.

Now that he had this weapon, his combat strength would undoubtedly soar during these ten days. His sense of security was completely maxed out.

"Thank you, Miss Su." Lin Fan thanked Su Qingwei once more.

After leaving Su Family Shop, Lin Fan held the spear in one hand and carried many bulging bundles in the other before meeting up with Uncle Wang and the others. After placing the bundles onto the wheelbarrow, Uncle Wang and the others also bought some fireworks. The group discussed whether they had forgotten anything they needed to buy or take care of, then left the town amid the joyous atmosphere of the approaching New Year.