Observing Wanfa from the martial arts school servants

Chapter 56 Demon Blood

That night, a tremendous commotion came from the central room on the third floor of Zuihong Pavilion.

The bed creaked and groaned, interspersed with the woman's intermittent moans.

As the madam passed by, she exclaimed with satisfaction, "Oh dear!" and said through the door, "The girl has finally come to her senses," before her footsteps faded into the distance.

Inside the door, Su He sat on the edge of the bed, shaking the bed board every half hour or so, making a faint sound.

At midnight, the madam passed by the third floor again.

The creaking sounds and the woman's high-pitched voice still echoed in the corridor. She stood at the door for a while, listening, and muttered to herself, "The young man is in good shape."

Another hour passed, and when the madam got up to use the restroom, the sound was still ringing intermittently as she passed the third floor.

She stood at the door for a moment, holding the oil lamp, her brows furrowed.

Su He is a frail girl; I hope she doesn't get hurt.

She raised her hand to knock on the door, but fearing she might spoil her guests' fun, she hesitated for a long time before finally taking the oil lamp and leaving.

The next day at noon, Su He finally opened the door, yawning.

Her hair was casually tied in a bun, her face was without makeup, but there was no sign of fatigue in her eyes.

Sleeping until you naturally wake up and not having to serve anyone is a way to nourish yourself.

The madam carried a bowl of white fungus soup upstairs, looked her up and down, and noticed her curvaceous figure. Suddenly, she recalled a memory from her childhood.

Back then, my grandfather was in the countryside, driving oxen to plow the fields.

Seeing the terrifying shape of the plow, she innocently asked her grandfather if the ox would damage the field.

Grandfather, his back bent and holding the plow, said without turning his head, "Aru, the more you plow the field, the better."

"There are no fields that are over-plowed, only oxen that have died from exhaustion."

Only then did she understand the true meaning of it.

For the next three days, Lin Mu didn't leave his room. Zhao Rong and his senior brother, having heard of his outrageous behavior, came together to earnestly advise him:

"Martial arts practitioners are full of youthful vigor and enthusiasm; once they taste the flavor, they forget all their worries."

"But you have to know when to stop."

Lin Mu waved his hand and said, "Just a day or two."

The two then left.

......

As evening fell, the setting sun cast a reddish glow on the quenching tanks in the backyard of the forging shop.

Ye Gang finished his work, and the sound of the hammer stopped.

Lin Mu observed for another day and finally gained some insights, the booklet becoming slightly warm.

[Minor Success in Stacking Forging Technique, 1/100]

He stood up and closed the window.

Su He was sitting on the edge of the bed folding clothes when she heard the noise and stopped what she was doing.

Lin Mu had kept the window open these past few days, so she had some guesses.

"Are you leaving?" she asked.

"Um."

"Will you come again?"

Lin Mu placed a few pieces of silver on the table and turned to leave.

Su He watched the door close, her fingers unconsciously stroking the folded clothes twice.

She knew he wouldn't come.

These past few days, she only had to use a few more words and shake the bed a few more times at night, and life has been easier than ever.

The madam dared not skimp on her tea and snacks. Her sisters gathered around to ask her what tricks she had used, and even Chunlan, who usually ignored her, took the initiative to save her a plate of osmanthus cake.

She knew in her heart that this was not a long-term solution.

But once people have tasted the joy of ease, they inevitably develop some unrealistic fantasies.

......

When we left Zuihong Pavilion, the sky had not yet completely darkened.

Lin Mu did not return to the courtyard in Xihe Town, but went directly to the Cui family's house.

Cui Youdao was checking accounts in the accounting room, the abacus beads clicking loudly.

Upon hearing the servant's report, he closed the ledger and went out to greet him.

Lin Mu got straight to the point and gave his list: I want monster hides, bones, and blood, any kind, plus five high-quality iron bars.

Cui Youdao raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't ask any further questions.

Lin Mu added, "The offerings for three months will be converted into silver to offset the cost of materials. If it's not enough, we'll make up the difference."

Cui Youdao silently did some calculations in his mind.

Thirty taels of silver per month, and three pills of Qi and Blood Pills at a market price of ten taels each, totaling sixty taels per month, and one hundred and eighty taels per three months.

He nodded, took out an account book and a worn-out brush from the drawer, dipped it in ink, and wrote down the list item by item.

He paused when writing about the refined iron bars: "The refined iron warehouse only has ordinary iron materials. The high-quality refined iron has to be purchased on the spot. I will send someone to the shop to pick up the goods first thing tomorrow morning and have them ready before nightfall."

"Put the materials under that old elm tree in the west of the city," Lin Mu said. "Someone will go and get them tonight."

"OK."

"After the discount, the Cui family will give you another two taels."

"Thank you, Steward Cui."

Lin Mu cupped his hands in satisfaction, then turned and left the Cui family's gate.

The Cui family held a high position of worship, and even when purchasing these rare items, they did not ask many questions.

But Lin Mu misunderstood.

Cui Youdao closed the ledger, his amiable expression fading slightly.

He walked through the corridor, his pace quicker than usual, and stopped at the door of the study, gently knocking three times.

"Come in." The head of the Cui family was leaning back in his armchair, flipping through an old chess manual, with a cup of cold tea beside him.

Cui Youdao reported everything that had just happened, including the list—monster hides and bones, monster blood, high-quality iron bars, and the old elm tree in the west of the city.

The patriarch stopped flipping through the chess manual.

"Forging Demon Blood Weapons?" He put down the chess manual, raised his eyes, and asked, "Is this the Ye family you're looking for?"

"If it is the Ye family that is forging weapons, the Ye family should be the ones to do it," Cui Youdao replied.

The head of the Cui family made a decision instantly.

"My Cui family has at least twenty or thirty retainers."

Offerings are easy to obtain, but master weapon smiths are hard to find!

"If Lin Mu can find us a master weapon forger, then our efforts in supporting him will not have been in vain."

"Find someone smart enough to keep an eye on things."

"Don't get caught, lest you alert them."

"Heyuan County is only so big, it can't run away."

Cui Youdao acknowledged and left.

......

That night, it was dark and windy.

The branches and leaves of the old elm tree in the west of the city rustled in the night wind, and a tightly sealed wooden box appeared under the tree.

A few stray dogs were peeking out of the alleyway when they were choked by a strong, fishy smell, sneezed, and ran away with their tails between their legs.

A figure silently swept past on the distant wall.

Lin Mu lightly touched the top of the wall with his toes, pushed his Wind Step to its limit, and slid down from the height like a night bird, stopping abruptly beside the old elm tree.

He bent down to test the weight of the wooden box, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then, with a mighty swing of his arms, hoisted the box onto his shoulder.

With a sudden burst of speed, only a very shallow footprint was left on the dirt road, and the person was propelled to the alley entrance by the force of the impact.

Following the Wind Step, he glided silently along the wall and disappeared into another narrow alley in an instant.

Unbeknownst to him, a white-clad youth with a high ponytail knocked out the Cui family spy with a single chop to the neck and hung him far behind.

......

Lin Mu's next stop was his third aunt's blacksmith shop.

The blacksmith's shop was located at the west end of the village, surrounded by only a wasteland and a few stacks of straw.

He carried the wooden crate into the shop, bolted the door behind him, and listened for a while with his ears pressed against the door panel. When he saw no movement, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The furnace was ice-cold, and my uncle's hammer hung on the wall, its wooden handle worn smooth by polishing.

He placed the wooden crates next to the forge and pried open the seal bearing the character "Cui".

Black horn cowhide was stacked on top, with iron-backed wolf bones wrapped in oiled paper underneath.

The iron bars were neatly stacked, five in total, each over seven feet long.

There were also four sealed earthenware jars next to it; when shaken, a dull thud could be heard—the blood of demonic beasts.

The black iron ore sand and the cold pool water used for quenching were placed in a separate small wooden box and put aside.

He chopped the empty wooden box into firewood and stuffed it under the furnace.

The seal was burned clean, the ashes were crushed and mixed into the coal pile.

Everything was tidied up, and all that remained in the shop were the forge, iron materials, hammers, and a pile of coal in the corner.