Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 168 It’s Not Okay to Talk About It
The man looked to be in his thirties or forties, with a stocky build and dark skin. He must have been dealing with fire all year round, as there were many burn marks on his face and the back of his hands.

There were thick calluses on his palms, obviously from holding heavy objects for years, and there was gray-black dirt between his fingers.

Because the man looked unusual, Chen Xuan couldn't help but take a look at him. He immediately knew that he was probably a blacksmith. Considering the recent disappearance of a large number of blacksmiths in Mo City, he guessed that he must be running away.

He was obviously in a hurry and didn't even bring his luggage. He was alone and looked nervous, like a frightened bird.

"This is the direction to the academy. Ordinary underworld forces wouldn't dare to cause trouble there, let alone large sects. They would be the focus of attention, so this person is going there to seek refuge."

Chen Xuan understood roughly what this person was like in a flash of thought. As long as he was not implicated, he did not take it too seriously.

The profession of blacksmith is still somewhat special in today's era. Every officially trained blacksmith must be registered with the government and be considered one of the craftsmen.

Now a large number of blacksmiths have disappeared in Mo City. Although the reason is unknown, someone must be causing trouble. Even if you think about it in depth, it is hard not to think of some taboo topics.

'I hope it's not what I imagined,' Chen Xuan thought to himself, but he was just a small servant boy, and no matter how big the matter was, it was not his turn to worry about it.

"Master, can you please hurry up? I have something urgent to do and I'm in a hurry," the man urged.

Although he was already some distance away from the city, he did not relax at all. Instead, he became even more nervous and uneasy.

The driver responded helplessly: "Brother, there's no point in rushing. We're pulling so many people. If we go any faster, the horses won't be able to handle it. Besides, it's going to be uncomfortable for everyone sitting there due to the bumps."

Most of the passengers on the bus are dressed like scholars like Chen Xuan. He has to make a living on this road. If the scholars have a bad experience on the bus, his reputation will be ruined and who will ride in his bus in the future?

The man also knew this, but he was really anxious and wanted to fly away from Mocheng. He hesitated for a moment and said through gritted teeth, "Can't I pay more?"

"Brother, this is not a question of money..."

"Five taels of silver, young man, you can't save that much even after working hard all year round, right?" The man interrupted him.

The driver's remaining words got stuck in his throat and he immediately changed his tone, "Please consider this, everyone. It seems I'm in a hurry. Please bear with me. I'm going to speed up. Go!"

Suddenly the horses pulling the cart changed from walking fast to cantering.

It turns out that money is the key. The reason why I couldn’t speed up before was because I didn’t have enough money.

Chen Xuan thought to himself, is the blacksmith really that rich? He asked for five taels of silver, which was equivalent to one or two years' income for ordinary people.

On second thought, it seemed normal. If a blacksmith had superb skills, the things he made would be very valuable. For example, a good sharp weapon would cost several or even dozens of taels, and that was still average. If he could make a sword or a knife, and met the right person, then the sky would be the limit.

Anyway, Chen Xuan estimated that if he sold the star in his hand, it would be more than enough to buy the entire Mo City!
In fact, it would be a bit insulting to measure Han Xing with the value of Mo City. You know, it almost became a weapon in the hands of a powerful human immortal. It is no exaggeration to say that it is enough to exchange it for a throne.

Of course, the value of something varies from person to person. No matter how good it is, it is no better than an embroidery needle to those who don't need it.

The other people in the car were helpless with this speed increase. In addition to considering others, they also wanted to speed up so that they could reach the destination as soon as possible.

After walking four or five miles out of the city, Chen Xuan gradually realized that something was wrong. This road used to be very busy with people and cars, but after a while, there was not a single person in the back, and even the front became empty.

He could sense that something was wrong, and naturally the others also noticed that something was wrong, and they all became nervous.

The driver slowed down, turned around to look at the man with a sad face and said, "I've also been blinded by greed. Big brother, I don't want to do business with you anymore. No matter what happened, can you just pretend you didn't see it? I have elderly parents and young children to support. The whole family depends on me for support. Can you please not bring trouble to us?"

There was no need to think too much. The man's high speed and his unusual behavior made it clear to anyone that the problem lay with him.

It seemed that he could not escape. The man stood up with a bitter face and said, "I won't implicate anyone. I will get off the car now. Here are the five taels of silver. Take it, brother. The problem is with me. People should not lose their credibility."

"Brother, I don't want your money, you'd better go away," the coachman waved his hand to refuse, knowing that the money was not easy to take.

The man didn't say anything more. He put the money next to him and jumped off the carriage. After taking a quick look, he started running towards the academy. He probably understood that only by staying near the academy could he truly escape from trouble.

"Huh, finally we're gone, luckily we didn't get into any trouble." "Who said it wasn't true? What happened anyway?"

After the blacksmith left, everyone in the car started discussing.

The coachman hesitated for a moment, but he still had to take the passengers to their destination. He continued to ride forward, but his speed slowed down. He looked around and whispered, "The man just now looked like a blacksmith. He must have run into trouble."

"Ah? What's the matter? What does it have to do with his identity as a blacksmith?" someone asked curiously.

The coachman lowered his voice and said, "It's because of his identity as a blacksmith that he got into trouble. I'm telling you, I heard it from my colleagues. I heard that the three major gangs in Mo City have been hiring blacksmiths at high prices recently. They say so, but in fact, they are forcing them. No one knows what they want so many blacksmiths for, nor where they are taking them. Anyway, none of them come back. You just need to listen to this matter, and don't shout about it, so as not to get into trouble."

"What do they need so many blacksmiths for? Do they want to make weapons and armor for rebellion?" someone asked in surprise.

The coachman shrank his neck and said, "That's not the right thing to say."

The word "rebellion" was a taboo in that era, and the person who said it was a rough man who shouted it out without thinking.

The topic ended here, and everyone was very secretive.

You see, a large number of blacksmiths disappeared, and everyone would think of rebellion. But now it is a peaceful time, and it doesn't make sense at all. The necessary conditions for rebellion do not exist at all. How many people are willing to give up their good lives and do something that will cost their lives?
After a moment, a passing Jianghu traveler said thoughtfully, "A large number of blacksmiths in Mo City have disappeared. Could it be related to that incident?"

"What's going on? Does this big brother have any information channels? Tell us, everyone is in a panic," the man who spoke without thinking asked directly.

It's said that people are in panic, but in fact it's only the blacksmith circle, everyone has a look of frustration.

The wanderer was about twenty years old, and he had grown a beard to look mature. He probably had no parents. After all, in that era, people didn't grow a beard when their father was still alive, and didn't celebrate their mother's birthday when she was still alive. This was also the reason why Chen Xuan had never seen Gao Jingming host a birthday party for many years.

He cradled a knife in his arms and mused, "Hey, this has spread throughout the underworld. There's nothing to hide. You guys aren't from the martial arts world, so you probably haven't heard about it. Liu Zhenwei, the Chongyan Sect's top expert, will challenge Guo Jinglong, the head of the Hanshan Sword Sect, in the northwest desert of Huizhou in six months. I invite all the fellows in the world to witness this. Both of them are renowned innate masters who have been around for many years. This battle is sure to shock the Jing Kingdom martial arts world."

Chen Xuan had also heard of the Chongyan Sect. This name did not indicate a legitimate force. It was one of the eight major underworld forces in Jing Country and was classified as an unorthodox sect by the five major sects. It used fire as its totem, hence the name Chongyan Sect.

As the name of the martial arts world, challenges and competitions between masters are inevitable. There is nothing surprising about Liu Zhenwei challenging Guo Jinglong. No matter who they win or lose in the end, their reputation will definitely spread after the battle.

Most of the people present were not very interested in the fighting and killing in the martial arts world. The cart driver asked in surprise: "Let them fight their own battles. What does this have to do with the Mocheng blacksmith?"

"Hey, it's a big deal. The Hanshan Sword Sect has been passed down for many years, with a history of more than 300 years. There are many masters in it, and there are also many magical weapons. Liu Zhenwei of the Chongyan Sect is a little worse. It seems that he has no suitable weapons. I guess they need so many blacksmiths in order to make weapons for him," the Jianghu guest grinned.

This was becoming increasingly unreliable. The driver hesitated and asked, "Two questions. How powerful is Liu Zhenwei? The Chongyan Sect is full of talented people. Does he need ordinary blacksmiths to forge weapons for him? And can ordinary blacksmiths forge the weapons he needs?"

Spreading his hands, the Jianghu guest shrugged and said, "How would I know? I'm just guessing. But then again, Liu Zhenwei might not need an ordinary blacksmith, but he can't stand the fawning and flattery of the small Jianghu forces, such as the three major gangs in Mo City. Regardless of whether he can help or not, he has to have the right attitude, right?"

"That makes sense. Tsk, this is really a fight between gods and mortals suffering."

"Not really. Those blacksmiths are usually very quiet. Who did they offend? It's all Liu Zhenwei's fault. Why challenge them for no reason?"

People began to complain, but they only said it verbally. What if Liu Zhenwei personally designated them as cowards?

The Jianghu guest shook his head and said, "That's just my words. The situation is irrelevant. You can just listen to it. Anyway, I want to go and see them fight in half a year."

The group was chatting when the carriage suddenly stopped. The driver said with a gloomy face, "There's something wrong up ahead. Let's wait a while and let them deal with it before we go over."

A few hundred meters ahead, I saw a carriage blocking the middle of the road. Seven or eight armed men surrounded the man, and it was obvious that the two sides were having an unpleasant conversation.

"Those are members of the Langya Society. How dare they block the road and arrest people? Aren't they afraid of offending the academy and being blamed?"

"It won't affect us, right? The road is closed. It's obvious that they don't want outsiders to see them."

"Brother, please stop talking. I'm afraid..."

(End of this chapter)