The Encounter with Meng Yiran, Forging Hidden Weapons, and Everyone Praises Zhu!

Following Cao Deshuang's directions, Ning Chengyi headed straight for a huge pond in town.

A group of bold anglers gathered there.

The only drawback was... they never caught anything.

But people like that loved to talk, making them the best source of information.

Aside from restaurants, there was no better place to learn about local life than wherever anglers gathered.

They could talk about everything from luxury pleasure houses to listening to songs in brothels.

Ning Chengyi expertly baited the water, hooked his bait, cast his line, and sat quietly to wait.

"Another beginner." A young woman to his right watched his less-than-professional preparations and muttered under her breath.

Impatience filled her eyes. She had come early that day to catch a fish for her grandparents.

She had sat there for ages without the slightest twitch of her float. It was nothing like the thrill of fishing with her grandfather, and she had long since grown restless.

So when she saw Ning Chengyi, a newcomer with shabby gear, she could not help grumbling.

Before long, though, water splashed by Ning Chengyi's line. He gently played the fish until it was nearly exhausted, then hauled it out, sending spray everywhere.

"How is that possible?!" The girl stared at her own motionless float, growing even angrier.

"Luck. It has to be luck," she said with a huff. But soon Ning Chengyi's float began bobbing again and again, and he pulled up one fish after another. The girl could not take it anymore.

Her pretty face went stiff with shock, then disbelief gave way to frustration and despair.

She had sat there for hours without a single nibble, yet this beginner kept catching fish.

Her competitive streak flared. She got up, walked over to Ning Chengyi, and lifted her chin with a hint of arrogance.

"How are you doing it? Tell me, and I'll owe you a favor."

Ning Chengyi stared at her, his expression asking if she was out of her mind.

"What do you want?" the girl demanded, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Nothing. Just stop getting in the way of my fishing." Ning Chengyi knew exactly how to deal with someone spoiled who acted as though the world owed her.

Spending time with the little princess of the Seven Treasure Sect had taught him plenty.

"Hmph! Don't teach me, then. I, Meng Yiran, don't care!"

Meng Yiran's cheeks flushed red. Fire burned in her eyes as she stamped her feet. Her chest heaved beneath her dark-green fitted outfit; she was clearly furious.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Meng Yiran."

Hearing her name, Ning Chengyi thought for a moment, then said, "All right. What are we competing in?"

"Fishing. One incense stick. Whoever catches more wins."

"Fine."

Ning Chengyi looked at Meng Yiran and smiled.

How did someone who caught nothing dare challenge him at fishing?

"We'll switch places. I'll fish where you are." Ning Chengyi did not object.

He had only meant to attract someone's attention and ask about Star Dou Town. He had not expected to meet Meng Yiran.

The granddaughter of the Peerless Dragon Snake: willful and spoiled, but not a bad person.

Soon, the incense stick burned down.

Meng Yiran had caught two tiny fish, each barely two fingers long.

Ning Chengyi's keepnet, meanwhile, held several fish seven fingers long.

"You lost."

Ning Chengyi spoke calmly. "Name your condition," Meng Yiran said, sounding dejected but making no attempt to argue.

"My name is Ning Chengyi. I'll tell you when I need something."

"Ning Chengyi, you beat me today. Think carefully about what you want. I won't go back on my word."

"All right." Seeing her like that, Ning Chengyi could not help smiling. She really was an endearing girl.

He took the pot he had prepared from his Storage Ring and set up a stove. "First, let me treat you to some fish."

Before long, the aroma wafted from the pot. The other anglers turned to look, their eyes full of envy.

"Delicious! It's delicious," Meng Yiran said with a smile.

They chatted as they ate, and Ning Chengyi learned quite a few useful things.

Before Meng Yiran left, he gave her the rest of his catch, making her blush.

"Thank you, Ning Chengyi. You're amazing at fishing. I'll have to learn from you sometime."

She held up the fish as she spoke.

Ning Chengyi waved with a smile and saw Meng Yiran off.

"Old Zhu? The Blacksmith Shop?"

"One has healed countless people and earned the gratitude of more than ninety percent of the Soul Masters here?"

"The other has spent decades at the forge, seen all kinds of changes, and knows plenty of secrets."

I'll visit the blacksmith first, then.

Ning Chengyi glanced at the sky, made up his mind, and headed toward the Blacksmith Shop.

Once there, he asked the blacksmith to make him a simple set of iron tools.

The blacksmith praised the designs endlessly, saying he had never seen ironwork so ingenious.

What Ning Chengyi had commissioned was a set of Hidden Weapons.

The idea had come to him only after meeting Meng Yiran.

"Master blacksmith, are there any reliable Mercenary Groups heading into the Star Dou Great Forest?"

"For that, you should ask Old Zhu. If he's going in, you can join his group without worry. There won't be any unfairness when the spoils are divided."

"Old Zhu? Him again?" Ning Chengyi murmured. The man's reputation seemed far greater than he had imagined.

"Master blacksmith, is there anything else I should know? I'm new here, so there's a lot I don't understand." Ning Chengyi offered him a Soul Coin, but the old blacksmith did not take it. He merely glanced at Ning Chengyi, went on hammering, and began to talk.

Ning Chengyi listened carefully and committed every useful detail to memory.

"Thank you, master blacksmith. Here's the deposit. I'll collect them in three days."

"All right."

The old blacksmith did not even look up. He heard the coin land and kept working on Ning Chengyi's order.

Old Zhu. If I'm joining a group, it sounds like his is the one. I'd better go see him.

Ning Chengyi arrived at Old Zhu's house, but Old Zhu was nowhere to be seen.

Only an elderly woman was there, bustling about as she brewed herbal medicine for the Soul Masters coming and going for treatment.

"Here for treatment? My husband isn't home. Come back later." Too busy to look up, the woman spoke offhandedly.

"Come back later, young man. Old Zhu went to pick up his daughter."

"That's right. No point standing there." The speaker was a Soul Master. Most of the people there appeared to be in their thirties or forties, yet their Soul Power was roughly on par with Ning Chengyi's.

People like them had almost no path forward in cultivation.

No wonder they worked in Mercenary Groups here.

They were doing it to make a living.

With no prospect of advancing further, they had formed a temporary team in town to help support their families.

After all, Soul Beasts were not creatures one could kill on a whim.

Many Soul Beasts were born with formidable offensive power. Even those that had not cultivated for long were beyond what an ordinary Soul Master could face alone.

Hunting Soul Beasts as a group meant just that: several people working together, each with a role to play.

Everyone in a team had a task, and each had a Soul Beast they intended to hunt.

With teammates covering and supporting you, all you had to do was strike the final blow at the crucial moment to obtain a Soul Ring.

That was why these people formed Soul Hunting teams.

But the limitations were obvious.