Immortality begins with becoming a master weapon refiner

Chapter 5 Precipitation
In the current situation, chaos abounds and rebels frequently emerge.

It's impossible not to be interested, especially for a wealthy and influential family like the Zhao family. They have money and connections, but what they lack are capable people.

Forging weapons and armor doesn't necessarily mean rebelling; it's also excellent for self-defense. He couldn't possibly not be tempted. He just didn't say it out loud because he was worried about Gu Qing.

Fortunately, it was made clear.

“Master, you may not know this, but my cooperation with County Magistrate Song has ended. He has hired several highly skilled military craftsmen from Fengming Prefecture to take my place.”

"If the Zhao family can offer the same terms, I will cooperate with you for mutual benefit, how about it?"

"This……"

Zhao Huaiyi stroked his goatee but did not respond.

I'm really worried that they're putting on an act. What if they find an excuse to raid and exterminate the Zhao family? Given the magistrate's greed, it's not impossible.

"I need to consider what Master Gu has said. I will give you an answer within three days, how about that?"

"Then I'll wait for good news from Patriarch Zhao."

Having achieved his goal, Gu Qing didn't press the matter further and simply gave a polite bow before taking his leave.

I believe that once Zhao Huaiyi verifies that what he said is true, he will almost certainly be tempted. Hoarding grain and money is not as good as hoarding guns! The landlords and rich men know this principle well, so I'm not worried that he won't be tempted.

After leaving.

Gu Qing returned to her residence, washed up, and went straight to bed.

The next day.

He proceeded at his own pace, cooking, practicing martial arts, brewing medicine, bathing, forging weapons, and slowly accumulating skill points.

With sufficient materials, Gu Qing could forge two hundred-forged weapons every day if he went all out. If all of them were converted into weapon crafting points, that would be 2 points, and he could obtain a year's worth of lifespan in six days.

Since the government firmly controls the supply channels, he is unlikely to turn against Song Long.

Other channels exist, but the quantity provided by the government is not as large.

Around noon.

As expected, Song Long sent an official with fifty taels of silver, the same amount as before, which meant that the cooperation would continue, and Gu Qing had no reason not to accept it.

The previous conflict is over; nobody wants to turn down money.

Two more days later.

The Zhao family's people came to the door.

At a restaurant in Qishan County, the table was covered with delicacies from the mountains and wild game. Zhao Huaiyi, with a smile on his face, raised a glass.

“Brother Gu, the Zhao family has given your suggestion seriously the other day. I trust your skills.”

"But... armor is unnecessary, a finely forged sword would suffice."

"What you really want is probably some aged medicine from deep in the mountains."

Gu Qing laughed and thought to himself, "Old fox."

"Brother Zhao is right. The world is not peaceful. The stronger you are, the safer you are."

"You provide the raw materials. How about we exchange three hundred-times-forged weapons for a hundred-year-old medicinal herb?"

Zhao Huaiyi's eyes widened like copper bells.

"Brother, you're asking for the moon! Hundred-year-old medicinal herbs are rare even in the deep mountains and forests. Don't even mention three bunches for one, ten bunches wouldn't be enough."

"Brother Zhao is too concerned with appearances when it comes to business."

Gu Qing placed the wine cup by the stove to warm it, and said leisurely.

"May I ask, what kind of person is the richest in this world?"

"Kings, nobles, generals, and ministers!"

"That's right, but what about martial artists?"

"This……"

Zhao Huaiyi stroked his beard. As the saying goes, "the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts." Medicine is far more expensive than paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones, and is not something that ordinary families can afford.

Martial arts practitioners are actually quite wealthy, but they are the type who can earn and spend money freely. "To be honest, my skills have improved recently, and a hundred forgings is no longer my limit. If Brother Zhao agrees to this condition, a divine weapon forged two hundred times is not impossible."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huaiyi immediately plucked several hairs from his beard, and his breathing became much heavier.

"really?"

"really!"

A good weapon is something that all martial artists pursue. A weapon that has been forged a hundred times is already a masterpiece, and the next best thing is a divine weapon that can cut a hair in two.

Giving gifts can bring a lot of political resources.

"but……"

Gu Qing changed the subject, saying that some things become less valuable when there are too many of them. Therefore, even if he had the ability to forge rare divine weapons in the Yan Kingdom, he would not mass-produce them, because rarity makes things valuable.

"Divine weapons have higher requirements for raw materials. It takes one hundred catties of iron ingots to refine one catty of iron essence. To forge such a divine weapon, at least ten catties of iron essence are needed, as well as other materials."

"If we fail, we'll have to start all over again. If Brother Zhao can afford that kind of expense, I'll give you a beating, how about it?"

The bait has been thrown out; when it will be delivered is up to Gu Qing.

There is a great deal of room for maneuver, and the profits are quite high.

Businessmen are a group of people who dare to take risks as long as the profit exceeds half.

"call……"

"Happy cooperation!"

"Come on, have fun!"

…………

…………

With a bright moon and few stars, Gu Qing, her cheeks flushed from drinking, walked out of the restaurant with a smile on her lips and hummed as she went back.

His cooperation with the Zhao family couldn't be kept secret from Song Long, but as long as he did his job well and satisfied the appetites of Song Long and the county magistrate, nothing would go wrong.

Zhao Huaiyi wasn't stupid; he wouldn't reveal the details of their agreed-upon cooperation.

The first thing to do now is to leverage the resources of both sides.

By improving one's Hundred Refinements Technique and martial arts cultivation, and once one's skills are up to par, one can tailor-make a weapon for oneself, so that even if the world is in chaos, one will have the power to protect oneself.

It takes time for the gains made during this period to gradually settle and reflect.

The next day.

The Zhao family, as expected of wealthy landowners, had accumulated quite a few valuable items during their years of avoiding trouble. The very next day, they sent over a rare Ganoderma lucidum, which, judging by its size, was probably more than a hundred years old and was as big as a washbasin.

The second realm of martial arts: the Blood Transmission Realm.

As the name suggests, it involves circulating qi and blood, increasing strength, and achieving the goal of being full of essence and spirit. Only when the body is strong enough can internal and external energies interact, generating internal energy, thereby advancing to become a stronger internal energy martial artist.

The process of circulating qi and blood will gradually improve a martial artist's physique, making them extraordinary, incredibly strong, and unafraid of cold and dampness.

Therefore, this process is still about building a foundation. Dietary supplements and medicinal supplements are much faster than hard training. With the help of the Zhao family, Gu Qing's cultivation speed will increase rapidly, and he may even break through to the next realm faster than before.

This is a difference in resources.

Having a skill and a powerful backer are essential to thriving in both fields; otherwise, trouble is likely to arise.

The days passed by.

Maintaining a pace of two hundred-forged weapons per day, Song Long gets one per day, while Zhao Huaiyi gets ten per month.

Three weeks have passed, and then it's January.

He only gained 20 points in the Artifact Crafting skill, but his skills improved significantly. He could now refine iron ingots to the 310th level using the Hundred Refinements Technique, and melt and forge other metals.

The Hundred Refinement Techniques contain a metal formula called "Bin Tie," which is the material used to forge fifth-grade weapon blanks. It consumes a great deal of iron ore and copper ore.

In one month, he accumulated about ten kilograms of Bin Iron, and the forging of divine weapons could begin. In addition, his martial arts skills made remarkable progress.

After digesting the Ganoderma lucidum, the Zhao family provided another century-old ginseng, which replenished his qi and blood day by day.

(End of this chapter)