With everything out in the open, Li Shun said frankly, "Only Inner Gate disciples count as the Martial Arts Hall's own people. Not only do they pay no tuition, they can also choose to work at the hall's businesses and receive monthly wages, medicinal decoctions, and Savage Beast meat."
"Like Senior Brother Gao Zheng, Senior Brother Zhou Hui, and the others?"
Despite having been there for so long, Su Yan could count the Inner Gate disciples he had met on one hand: Zhou Hui, Gao Zheng, Ma Shengming, and a few others.
Now it seemed that there were not too few disciples who had entered the Inner Gate, but rather that they each had their own places to go.
A Martial Arts Hall could never keep expanding by relying on students alone. Turning those students into its own people was what created a powerful force.
"Teaching is one of an Inner Gate disciple's duties, but not the only one. The Golden Ape Martial Arts Hall has businesses here in Cloudcang Town, on Cloudridge Mountain, and at White Reed Lake. We just have no way of knowing about them without entering the Inner Gate."
Dian Jing said in a rumbling voice, "Once we enter the Inner Gate, we'll have enough resources and won't need to drain our families' savings to practice martial arts like this. Mountain households and lake folk like us are different from the wealthy families in town. They have money. Even without finding a way forward, they can afford to keep cultivating. We can't. The Martial Arts Hall is our best path. At worst, after leaving the Inner Gate, we could still make a living elsewhere."
That was all well and good, but drawing cakes for themselves would not fill their bellies.
Su Yan's gaze swept over the two men. "I take it you two senior brothers want to distinguish yourselves in the arena. Tell me how you want me to help first."
Li Shun's eyes brightened slightly. Thinking Su Yan had agreed, he immediately said, "Those down-and-out townsmen and rich brats are all scheming bastards. When the arena matches begin, they'll certainly pay people to challenge Dian Jing and me over and over, wearing down our strength. Sorry for the trouble, junior brother, but please take the arena first and hold them off for a while."
Hearing that, Su Yan sneered inwardly. Wearing you down counts as exhaustion, but if I go up first, somehow it doesn't?
Dian Jing wanted to speak, then stopped himself. At this crucial moment, he could not afford to play the good man.
Su Yan smiled without speaking. Thinking he was worried about his opponents, Li Shun reassured him, "Don't worry, junior brother. Only five outer disciples have reached mastery in Skin Refining."
He counted them off carefully. "Dian Jing and me, Ma Xiaodong, the son of the town's dog butcher, Li Ying, the youngest son of the Li Family Cloth Shop, and Liu Yinglong, the second son of the Liu Family Grain Shop. Only the five of us will be at mastery. We're all aiming to enter the Inner Gate, so we won't make a move lightly."
"If we enter the Inner Gate first, we'll certainly look after you. After the winter taxes, we'll help you make connections and smooth things over so you can succeed in the arena."
Only then did Li Shun put something on the table, but Su Yan's gaze remained indifferent. "That's all?"
Li Shun froze, irritation rising in his heart. Su Yan was not the only person he had approached. Why did he have so little sense?
Still, Su Yan could fight and kill a vicious tiger. Even if he had only reached minor attainment, he was likely among the best at that level.
A martial artist had to train his body, but even more importantly, his courage. Without the nerve to fight to the death, he would lose seven-tenths of his strength at the mere sight of an enemy.
Despite their different backgrounds, those few at mastery had all earned their skills through years of fighting and sparring.
They naturally dared to fight, but some of the Skin Refining Realm juniors in their respective groups did not necessarily share that courage.
That made Su Yan, a Skin Refining Realm practitioner who could fight, a valuable asset right now.
"Junior brother, you're at minor attainment in Skin Refining at most. You have little chance of winning these arena matches. If you first help us become Inner Gate disciples, not only will the mountain and lake folk among the outer disciples look to you as their leader, but we'll also help you with your training afterward..."
"Senior brother, I can't swallow that cake you're drawing."
Su Yan cut Li Shun off. He wanted someone to work for him, yet couldn't produce even half a tael of silver. What a dithering, tightfisted fellow.
Su Yan abruptly stood and turned toward the tavern's exit without the slightest hesitation.
Li Shun's expression changed. He rose, knocking the wine cups in front of him to the floor with a clatter.
"Su Yan, what is the meaning of this? You've only reached minor attainment in Skin Refining. We planned all this for your own good."
"You really have mastered Skin Refining. Your skin must be thicker than Cloudcang Town's walls."
Li Shun's face turned livid, but then Su Yan's voice drifted back as he walked away. "You spent a year in the Outer Courtyard and another in the Middle Courtyard before reaching mastery. I reached minor attainment in half a month. Take a guess—what level will I be at in another half a month?"
His voice rang with arrogance. Li Shun's expression shifted, and he clenched his fists as though about to attack.
But Dian Jing stopped him with a sharp rebuke. "Li Shun!"
Li Shun had gone too far, and Dian Jing could not bear to watch. Yet he had no face to say much either, having been dragged into this himself.
"Pah! Just a lucky bastard. Could he have gotten this far without a treasure plant? We gave him face, and he spat on it. Let's see what he does in the arena with no one to help him."
The Heavenwind Armory was a powerful, long-established business in Cloudcang Town, with a legacy spanning two or three hundred years and a reputation for forging high-quality weapons.
They forged ordinary implements too, but those were merely practice pieces for the apprentices.
Their real business lay in the Mortal Weapons used by martial artists.
Severing a hair blown against the edge and slicing through iron like mud were merely the basic requirements for a Mortal Weapon.
Higher-grade Mortal Weapons even had special effects, resonating with blood and qi and channeling vital energy to let martial artists unleash greater strength. That was the true foundation of their business.
Su Yan crossed Cloudcang Town's main street and continued along the eastern street onto a broad road. Before he even drew near, he could already hear the ringing of hammers.
A spacious storefront came into view from afar, with apprentice smiths and master craftsmen gathered around furnaces, swinging their hammers.
Weapons covered the surrounding workbenches and walls: long swords with gleaming steel blades, willow-leaf sabers, long-shafted steel-tipped spears, heavy single-bladed axes...
Nearly all the ironwork here consisted of weapons. Not a single farming tool or everyday implement was in sight. Everything bared a keen edge and gleamed with a chilling light.
As Su Yan walked in, an apprentice attendant came forward to greet him.
"What kind of weapon are you looking for, sir?"
"How much would a fine steel mesh net cost?"
The request left the attendant momentarily stunned before he recovered. "That really isn't something we see often."
"Even the Heavenwind Armory doesn't have one?"
Su Yan frowned slightly, but the attendant said, "That's not it. Someone from White Reed Lake ordered some fine wire nets a couple of days ago, saying they needed them to catch treasure fish, so we made some Iron Wire Fishing Nets. Take a look and see whether one suits your needs, sir."
The attendant brought out an Iron Wire Fishing Net and handed it to Su Yan.
Su Yan inspected it and was genuinely surprised.
The Iron Wire Fishing Net had a dull metallic color and covered roughly four or five square meters. It was probably a small fishing net pieced together from leftover scraps.
Though woven from drawn metal wire, it did not feel rigid. In his hands, it had the weight and texture of seven or eight jin of coarse cloth and could be manipulated freely by whoever cast it.
Such smithing skill was beyond ordinary craftsmen. No wonder this armory had maintained its standing in Cloudcang Town for two or three hundred years.
"How much?"
The attendant's eyes lit up, and he smiled. Aside from the people at White Reed Lake who needed to catch powerful treasure fish, few others had much use for this item.
Having someone buy it now was a welcome turn of events.
"This Iron Wire Fishing Net covers four or five square meters. At a discounted price, it's fifteen taels of fine silver."
So expensive!
It cost even more than a hardwood bow. If those people failed to catch any treasure fish, wouldn't they suffer a huge loss?
Though Su Yan winced at the blow to his purse, the thought of the Velvetfire Scorpion made buying the Iron Wire Fishing Net a necessity.
If he tried catching the Velvetfire Scorpion with an ordinary fishing net and it escaped, he would likely never get another chance to capture it.
"Pack it up for me."
Su Yan took out the silver and bought the Iron Wire Fishing Net.
He had originally planned to buy a new longbow too, but now it seemed he would not have enough money for the time being. He still had not bought medicine from the Hundred Herbs Hall or Savage Beast meat from the butcher's shop at the Back Alley Temple. He did not even know whether he had enough left for those.
Before you continue