What Brings You Here, Young Hero?

Lin Feng woke that morning with a heavy heart.

Last night's dream had been somewhat ill-omened, yet it had also made perfect sense.

Carrying so much silver really could invite disaster.

But he was not about to be so frightened by a nightmare that he dared not enter the city.

The system had issued him another Breakthrough Point today, bringing his total to two.

Before breakfast, he summoned the status panel and tapped Golden Bell Shield.

The status panel changed.

Name: Lin Feng.

Vitality: 21.

Martial Arts:

Six Arrow Hunter's Bow (Unranked) (Not Initiated).

Beast Hunting Fist (Unranked) (Intent Realm).

Mad Demon Staff Technique (Unranked) (Complete).

Basic Swordplay (Low Grade) (Not Initiated).

Heart Nourishing Swordplay (Moves) (High Grade) (Not Initiated).

Golden Bell Shield (Low Grade) (Initiated).

Breakthrough Points: 1

Memories of cultivating Golden Bell Shield flooded into his mind.

In those memories, he first slapped his own body with his hands, gradually increasing the force from light to heavy until he felt pain.

Later, he switched to wooden sticks. Later still, he used cloth sacks filled with sand to whip his body.

When hunting, he would even go into the mountains and ram trees with his body.

After training like that for three years, Golden Bell Shield had finally reached the Initiated stage.

Once Golden Bell Shield was initiated, ordinary people could no longer hurt him with fists, kicks, or wooden sticks. Bladed weapons, however, could still injure him.

After all, it was only at the Initiated stage. Its defensive power was not that high yet, so it was not much use for the time being.

Still, his Vitality had risen by one point, so this investment had not been a loss.

After breaking through, Lin Feng began eating breakfast. He wolfed it down so ferociously that he gave his mother and wife quite a fright.

Mother Lin placed a steamed cornbread in Lin Feng's bowl. "Xiaofeng, what's gotten into you? How can you eat so much?"

Before Lin Feng could answer, little foodie Sanbao pointed at Lin Feng and said, "Dad must have become even stronger, so that's why he can eat so much. If you can eat, you're strong."

Lin Feng smiled. "My son is right."

Seeing this, the little ones began imitating Lin Feng, stuffing down their food in huge mouthfuls.

Listening to the smacking sounds of everyone devouring their food, Mother Lin decided she would have to make more at every meal from now on.

After breakfast, Lin Feng took out the jerky stored at home and started eating again.

Only after he had finished several more pounds of jerky did his hunger finally fade.

To deal with the hunger after breakthroughs, Lin Feng had asked his mother and wife to prepare some jerky and dried shrimp.

Golden Bell Shield being initiated did not seem all that useful.

Lin Feng wanted to add more points to Golden Bell Shield, only to discover that breaking it through to the first layer required two Breakthrough Points.

He only had one Breakthrough Point left. It was not enough.

He could only wait another day.

After eating, Lin Feng informed his family, took one hundred taels of silver, collected Wang Shanxiong's head from next door, and headed into the city.

The last time he had gone to the County Town, his Beast Hunting Fist had only reached Minor Accomplishment.

This time, his Beast Hunting Fist was already complete, and he had learned Mad Demon Staff Technique and Golden Bell Shield as well. His pace had noticeably quickened.

He had walked for less than two hours when he arrived outside the city.

He looked around beyond the gates and saw that Wang Shanxiong's Wanted Poster was still pasted on the city wall.

After entering the city, he first went to the blacksmith shop.

All sorts of weapons hung behind the counter—sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, polearms, hooks, and forks, everything one could want.

From the back of the shop came the faint clanging of iron being forged.

The shopkeeper was dark-skinned and sturdily built. He looked like a man born to the forge.

Seeing a customer enter, he smiled and asked, "What would this guest like to buy?"

Lin Feng stared at the row of iron swords hanging on the wall. "I want to buy an iron sword."

"Would you like a finished sword, or a custom-made one?"

"I need it urgently. A finished one will do."

The shopkeeper pointed at the row of iron swords on the wall. "Ordinary iron swords are five taels of silver, refined iron swords are ten taels, Fine Steel Swords are twenty taels, and hundred-forged fine steel swords are forty taels.

The price of our shop's treasure is negotiable.

Which kind would you like, sir?"

Hearing those prices, Lin Feng felt he had brought a little too little silver. If he wanted to play the part of a great hero, the weapon in his hand could not be too shabby.

Ordinary iron swords and refined iron swords were out of the question.

Lin Feng asked, "What exactly is the difference between the swords at each price?"

The shopkeeper took four iron swords off the wall and placed them on the counter. "You've come to the right person, sir."

Lin Feng thought, You're the only one here. Who else would I ask?

This man had clearly come from a blacksmithing background. The moment Lin Feng asked a technical question, he became animated.

The shopkeeper picked up an ordinary iron sword. "If you only want it for practicing swordplay, this ordinary iron sword will be enough.

But if you intend to stab people with an ordinary iron sword, it won't do. It can easily get stuck in the gaps between bones."

As he spoke, he even made a stabbing gesture with the ordinary iron sword.

Lin Feng took a step back, afraid the man might hurt him.

The shopkeeper continued, "When a higher-priced iron sword meets a lower-priced one, if they strike the same spot, after only a few blows the cheaper sword will be chipped.

You get what you pay for.

If you're roaming the martial world, at the very least you need a Fine Steel Sword.

Our shop is running a promotion right now. Buy a Fine Steel Sword, and you'll receive an exquisite Sword Sheath as a gift."

The Fine Steel Sword was what Lin Feng had his eye on as well.

If Mr. Hong did not give him a sword, he at least needed a usable one in hand.

Of course, the Sword Sheath was important too. After all, he needed something to put on a show.

"What does the Sword Sheath look like? Take it out and let me see."

The shopkeeper took an iron Sword Sheath from beneath the counter. It bore brass patterns and looked quite exquisite.

"Sir, if this Sword Sheath were sold separately, it would cost more than ten taels of silver. Giving it to you as a gift means you're definitely getting a bargain."

Judging by the workmanship, it really would cost more than ten taels if bought separately.

Lin Feng asked, "Wouldn't you lose money selling it this way?"

"You'd lose even more if it sat unsold. One look tells me you never learned swordsmanship at a martial academy, nor do you have a master to teach you swordplay."

Lin Feng was startled. Was it really that easy to see through his background?

"How can you tell?"

"Any martial academy that teaches swordsmanship issues matching swords to its students, and when a master takes on a disciple, they give the disciple a sword as well.

Whether it's a sect or a martial academy, they all have their own blacksmith shops.

So none of them need to come here to buy swords.

That works out in your favor, sir."

Lin Feng understood. Competition in this trade was fierce; blacksmith shops did not have an easy time of it.

Lin Feng immediately spent twenty taels of silver on the Fine Steel Sword and Sword Sheath.

The shopkeeper smiled as he saw him out. "If you have any other needs, sir, please visit our humble shop again. We accept all kinds of custom orders."

After leaving the blacksmith shop, Lin Feng bought another set of clothes and a bamboo hat, spending ten taels of silver.

Once he put on that outfit, his whole bearing immediately rose to another level.

Lin Feng went to the entrance of the county yamen, tore down Wang Shanxiong's Wanted Poster, and walked inside.

Seeing Lin Feng's attire, the minor official guarding the entrance respectfully asked, "What brings you here, young hero?"

Lin Feng unfolded Wang Shanxiong's Wanted Poster. "I'm here to collect the reward!"

Though the minor official spoke respectfully, his gaze never stopped examining Lin Feng.

In their line of work, their eyes were the sharpest.

With just a few looks, he spotted the flaws in Lin Feng's appearance and sneered inwardly, Where did this greenhorn come from? Even if he gets the silver, he probably won't make it out of the city alive.