The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 416 Shopping (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The next day passed in the blink of an eye. Zhao Ti went to school as usual and returned home in the evening. Before he knew it, several days had passed.

Finally, the day off arrived. After having breakfast, he tidied up and headed out to the West City.

My home is quite far from the West Side, but the advantage is that I have plenty of time; I can spend a whole day exploring.

This time, I didn't tie my left hand when I went out, thinking that it was easier to get into trouble outside than at school, and besides, my hand had been behaving well lately without any unusual behavior, so I decided to loosen it up a bit.

Crows circled overhead, protecting him. Zhao Ti walked slowly, taking nearly an hour to reach the edge of the western city.

There is a street here called Xiguan Street. The blacksmith shop is at the end of this street, and on the other side of the street is an artificial hill, secluded and verdant, with a pavilion.

It was early morning, and the early summer scenery was beautiful. There were some green trees on both sides of the road, with lush branches and leaves rustling in the warm breeze.

Zhao Ti arrived at the blacksmith shop. The shop had a flag hanging in the air. Since it specialized in forging weapons, the flag looked imposing and grand, with the character "兵" (soldier) written in black ink.

There were no customers at the door at this time. Although they were both blacksmiths, the business of weapons was far less than that of farm tools. Ordinary people would not come to buy weapons to play with if they had nothing to do. Wealthy families would only buy them once or twice for protection. If these things were not used in actual combat and were properly maintained, they would not be damaged for decades.

However, the price of weapons is several times higher than that of farm tools, and the profits are far greater than those of pig iron farm tools. It is no exaggeration to say that they can make enough to last three years if they do not make any business.

Moreover, farm tools and household implements are relatively simple, unlike weapons which come in many varieties and have distinctions between ancient and modern.

Some ancient weapons are extremely valuable, firstly because they are incredibly sharp, forged by ancient masters, and their sharpness remains undiminished over the years.

Secondly, it can be worn by celebrities, not necessarily martial artists. If it is worn by famous scholars, it can also be considered as selling a reputation.

Zhao Ti noticed that there were items hanging on both sides of the shop door to attract customers: steel knives, steel forks, and bows and arrows, all gleaming and exuding a chilling aura, indicating that the craftsmanship was quite good.

Before he even stepped into the shop, he heard the sounds of blacksmithing coming from behind. Clearly, there was a workshop behind the shop, but the sounds were not as loud and noisy as those from the farm tool shop. From the farm tool shop, it sounded like many people were forging a lot of things together, while the sounds from here sounded like one or two people were making one or two items.

Zhao Ti thought for a moment, then stepped into the shop. A chilling atmosphere enveloped him, completely different from that of a farm tool shop, making him involuntarily shudder.

On the three walls, dozens or even hundreds of swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks were hung and erected, sending a chill down one's spine.

The counter directly in front of them had many cabinets on the walls, containing small items such as daggers and short knives, as well as some oddly shaped things, like lotus seeds, caltrops, and needles, which were obviously the hidden weapons mentioned in the storybooks.

Looking at these items, Zhao Ti knew they were all expensive, especially the sheathed sword hanging on the wall. The hilt was wrapped with gold and silver threads, and the tassel was blood-red. The sheath itself looked rare; could it be the legendary sharkskin sheath?

"what are you looking for?"

At that moment, a figure on the counter looked up and asked a question.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti turned his gaze to examine the other party and saw that the person greeting customers in the blacksmith shop was actually a young girl with two small braids, dressed very simply, with an extremely ordinary appearance, and even her skin appeared somewhat rough due to its dark color.

"Please, young lady," Zhao Ti said. "I'd like to buy something; I wonder if your shop carries it or not?"

"You can choose whatever you want to buy; it's all hanging on the wall. Don't ask me. If it's something oddly shaped, don't bother asking. We don't accept custom orders right now," the girl said in a clear voice.

"We don't accept custom orders..." Zhao Ti remembered seeing a sign outside the door that said they accepted custom orders. Why was this girl saying she didn't accept them? But he didn't intend to pry, since he hadn't planned to order anything in the first place.

"Yes, we have what we need here, and we don't have what we need in the backyard. Do you want to buy a knife or a sword? Just pick one here," the girl said, looking Zhao Ti up and down with curiosity.

Zhao Ti shook his head and explained, "I neither buy knives nor swords, nor do I commission anything; what I want is something like this..."

As he spoke, he described the length and size of the iron sheet.

Upon hearing this, the girl was taken aback at first, then laughed and said, "What iron sheet? Isn't that just a sword blank? You're really something else. Why would you buy a sword blank? Do you think you can forge a sword yourself when you get back?"

Upon hearing the words "sword embryo," Zhao Ti knew it wouldn't be cheap. After all, the sword embryo was already formed; once it was forged, it would become a sword. He shook his head and said, "Miss, you misunderstand. It's not a sword embryo. I only want a piece of iron of that length."

The girl glanced at him: "You look like a scholar. Don't scholars all like to carry a sword, just for decoration? What are you doing here buying iron sheets? What's your use for them?"

Zhao Ti thought to himself, "What does this have to do with you?" He replied seriously, "I have other uses for it, not what you're thinking."

“Iron sheet, right…” The girl nodded, her fingers gently moving the abacus beads on the cabinet: “There are some similar things in the storeroom. They were leftovers from when I tried to make sword blanks before, and they haven’t been remelted yet. You can have them if you want, but you’ll have to wait a while. My father is making something in the back, and I’ll get them for you when he comes over.”

Zhao Ti was delighted to hear this, but also puzzled. He had been here two years ago and knew that there was a weapons shop there. But he remembered that there were several people helping out in the shop back then. How come there are only the father and daughter left now?

Besides, I didn't see this girl back then. I remember wandering around out of curiosity and seeing only burly men, who looked like blacksmith masters or apprentices. Where did those people go?

Could it be that business was bad and they all left?
Zhao Ti was suspicious, but since it didn't concern him about buying the goods, he didn't ask. Instead, he asked, "How much will it cost?"

"A sheet of iron? Just give me whatever you think is appropriate," the girl said casually.

Zhao Ti was speechless. You're a seller, how can you expect me to give you whatever I want? Would you sell it for a single coin?

Seeing the strange expression on his face, the girl rolled her eyes and said, "Those scrap materials don't have a fixed price. Why don't we wait for my father to come and I'll ask him?"

Zhao Ti said, "Alright, then I'll wait a bit." After saying that, he turned around to look at the various weapons hanging on the wall.

The girl's gaze remained fixed on Zhao Ti, and she suddenly asked, "Where does the young master study?"

Zhao Ti was examining the two snowflake steel hooks. These weapons had a strange design and could hook, hook, cut, and stab, but he wasn't very optimistic about them. It was extremely difficult to master such a complex weapon, and the functions were hard to coordinate seamlessly to maximize their effectiveness.

This is a surprise weapon, often used to achieve victory by taking the enemy by surprise. The story says that hooks can disarm enemies of swords and other weapons, which is a way to defeat the enemy by surprise. However, if the enemy's weapon is not disarmed by surprise, the result will be very bad. The story also says that the stranger the weapon, the faster the death.

"I am a student at the Yuzhou Academy," he casually replied to the girl, and continued watching.

The shop is filled with almost all eighteen kinds of weapons, a sight that cannot be seen elsewhere. Being there in person is different from the descriptions in the stories. Although each item is not as magical as described in the stories, at least you can touch and feel their real presence.

Zhao Ti's gaze fell on the longsword in its sharkskin scabbard. There were more than one on the wall, but this one looked the finest. A good sword would probably cost over a hundred taels of silver, almost the same as a good horse, which was beyond his means. Even if his parents didn't object to him practicing swordsmanship, he still couldn't afford it.

"Young master, you've been examining this sword for quite some time. Are you interested in it?" The girl behind the counter suddenly spoke up. "This is a fine steel sword, forged a hundred times. While it may not be the sharpest blade, it is still exceptionally sharp. It's decorated with a sharkskin scabbard, tassels of scarlet, and a gemstone on the hilt..."

Zhao Ti smiled and shook his head: "I don't buy swords."

The girl remained silent upon hearing this, and after a moment, she heard footsteps coming from the back door, and a person walked in.

The man appeared to be around forty or fifty years old, with graying temples. He wasn't particularly tall or imposing, but he looked quite robust.

Seeing this, Zhao Ti couldn't help but feel puzzled. He hadn't seen this man when he came to the blacksmith shop two years ago. Had the blacksmith shop changed hands? Had the owner sold it to this father and daughter?
"Father, this young master wants to buy scrap iron. I'll take him to the warehouse to look for it," the girl said.

"Scrap iron pieces?" The newcomer looked at Zhao Ti with a puzzled expression and asked, "What do you need that for, sir?"

Zhao Ti couldn't explain it clearly, and vaguely said, "This kind of thing is used for housework, but I can't say for sure."

The newcomer's eyes were piercing as he turned to the girl: "Is this item in the storeroom?"

The girl said, "I saw it before when I was looking around. I guess it was not made into a sword blank, so it was never smelted again and was piled up over there."

The visitor nodded and looked at Zhao Ti, saying, "I apologize, but since this is a newly acquired shop, I'm unsure about many of the items. Since my daughter has seen them, please let her take you there to choose."

Sure enough, Zhao Ti thought to himself, the shop has really changed hands. But can such a big shop be managed by just the father and daughter? They probably haven't had time to recruit any employees or apprentices yet.

"Please follow me, young master." The girl called out and walked towards the back door, and Zhao Ti hurriedly followed.

Outside the back gate was a large courtyard with several furnaces and piles of coke, firewood, blacksmithing tools, and materials under an open shed.

Zhao Ti noticed a thick, wide, red-hot iron object stuck in a furnace. It seemed to be something the girl's father had just made. This object should be a weapon, but Zhao Ti couldn't identify which of the eighteen weapons it was from its shape. It must be a strange and unusual weapon.

"Young master, this is it." The girl arrived at a row of houses by the courtyard, opened one of the doors, and immediately the distinctive, pungent smell of metal wafted out.

Before Zhao Ti even entered, he saw the scene inside the storehouse. It wasn't exactly messy, but it wasn't tidy either. Many oilcloth bundles were piled up against the wall, obviously containing weapons. There were also shields, bows, and arrows lying around carelessly, some with broken strings and covered in dust.

The girl said, "I've only had time to clean up everything in this shop for a short time. I've already asked the broker to hire people, but I haven't heard back yet. However, I've been inside this warehouse and seen those iron sheets and bars."

Zhao Ti asked curiously, "Judging from your accent, you're not from Yuzhou, are you?"

The girl smiled and said, "My father and I are from Shanzhou. We came to Yuzhou to visit relatives. We saw that the mountains and rivers here are beautiful and the scenery is lovely, so we decided to stay here and find a way to make a living. It just so happens that this shop is going to be sold. My father was originally a blacksmith in Shanzhou, so he took over the business."

"I see." Zhao Ti nodded. He could tell that the father and daughter were not speaking the local dialect, but he didn't know exactly where they were from. He didn't expect them to be from Shanzhou.

Shanzhou is located northeast of Yuzhou, far from Taijiang, bordering the boundless sea to the east, and facing the Shuiyun Island Kingdom across the water.

"Young master, take a look. Do you have any suitable ones?" The two entered the storeroom, and the girl went to a corner of the storeroom, pointing to several iron sheets and bars scattered there.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti looked over and saw that these iron pieces were all about three feet long. They were obviously used as materials for sword and knife blanks, but they were discarded due to a forging failure or some other reason.

“It should be about right…” He stepped forward and reached out to pick up one of them to try it.

But at that moment, his left hand, which had been still for a long time, suddenly generated a great force, pulling him to the side. Then, he forcefully rummaged through the tattered oilcloth bags and pulled out something.

Zhao Ti was immediately alarmed. He didn't even see what the left hand had grabbed. He hurriedly used the Four Illuminations Divine Skill to suppress the opponent.

But before the internal energy of the Four Illuminations Divine Skill could fill his left arm, the sudden force vanished instantly, leaving him feeling as uncomfortable as if he had punched cotton.

Zhao Ti stared blankly at his left hand, where he saw a sloppy, black object. It was flat, like a fire poker, and uneven, like a long piece of iron. He couldn't tell what shape lay beneath the filthy rust.

This... His heart skipped a beat. Why did his left hand suddenly spring up and pull out this thing?
The left hand possesses a demonic quality, but it also reflects some of the author's own thoughts. Generally, it only seeks to gain an advantage and protects the author, and will not do anything detrimental to the author. So... could this dark and inconspicuous thing be something special?
"Young master, what is this...?" the girl asked with a puzzled look.

"I saw a piece of iron here in the sunlight, so I pulled it out to take a look. Sure enough, it's scrap metal just like the others," Zhao Ti said calmly.

“This one… I’m afraid it’s already rusted solid. It’ll break if you use too much force, won’t it?” the girl said, staring at the black, flat, round iron object in his hand.

Zhao Ti shook it gently, and the iron piece trembled. He didn't know if it would really break or if the rust on it would fall off, but since he had grabbed it with his left hand, he should buy it and take it back to study it carefully. It was just one more piece.

"It's alright, I'll pick another one, I'll buy two..." he said, walking forward and picking up a relatively intact and clean piece of iron, which he then said to the girl.

The girl nodded, her gaze sweeping over the two iron pieces. She said somewhat apologetically, "The one that's about to rust and go hollow can be considered an extra. I'll only charge you for one piece, young master."

Zhao Ti thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, Miss."

After saying that, the two went back to the shop in front. The girl's father was wiping the counter and asked as the two entered, "Did you find any scrap?"

Zhao Ti waved the iron sheet in his hand: "Shopkeeper, there's a lot of scrap material here. I've selected two pieces from it."

The girl's father glanced at the two items, a look of doubt on his face: "What's the use of these ruined sword blanks? They have too many impurities, so they can't be forged into steel. In the end, we can only remelt them into a new batch of molten iron."

Zhao Ti said, "I need it for housework, but I don't know its exact purpose. Just buy it. How much will it cost?"

The girl glanced at her father and smiled, "I'll give you three qian of silver then."

Zhao Ti nodded. It wasn't expensive; in fact, it was close to the price of the iron itself.

He then paid the money, carefully picked up the two iron pieces, and walked out of the shop.

(End of this chapter)