In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 399 The Number One Escort Agency in the World
The next morning, after washing up, Gu Shaoan and the other two had a simple meal of congee and side dishes at the inn before heading out.

With Fan Sanshan around, Gu Shaoan didn't need to inquire about Feng Wanchui's whereabouts.

Led by Fan Sanshan, the three of them drove all the way to the eastern part of the city.

Along the way, Fan Sanshan whispered to Gu Shaoan, "Brother Gu, this Feng Wanchui is a renowned blacksmith in Dongyang Prefecture and even the surrounding prefectures. It's said his family has been craftsmen for generations, and his skills have surpassed theirs, especially in forging weapons and precision mechanisms. Many famous swords and blades in the martial arts world were made by him, or personally repaired and enhanced by him. However…"

He paused for a moment and then continued, "This man's real name is Feng Baijin. He has a rather eccentric temperament, extremely high skill level, and high standards. He doesn't take on ordinary jobs at all, and his fees are just like his name. If you want him to personally forge a weapon, you have to pay a hundred taels of gold, with the cost of materials extra. He only cares about money, not people. If you don't pay enough, he won't help you even if it means his death."

Cheng Shifei, standing to the side, exclaimed in astonishment, "Is Feng Wanchui so arrogant? Isn't he worried about attracting trouble? Could he be a master as well?"

Fan Sanshan said, "Buying and selling things is all about mutual consent. If you think it's too expensive, just don't go for it. As for experts, he's not really one. This guy is only at the Acquired Realm. However, Feng Wanchui has a brother who happens to be the Prefect of Dongyang Prefecture. With the imperial court as his backing, naturally no martial arts force would go looking for trouble for a craftsman for no reason."

Gu Shaoan understood what Fan Sanshan meant.

He was indeed worried that he might not get along well with Feng Wanchui and thus cause trouble by taking action against him.

In response, Gu Shaoan said, "Brother Fan, rest assured, I am not a member of the Demonic Sect, and I would not easily take action against others. If the deal cannot be reached, I will find someone else."

Seeing that Gu Shaoan understood his meaning, Fan Sanshan nodded and said, "It's good that Brother Gu understands."

While chatting, the group entered the eastern part of the city.

Unlike other areas, the eastern part of Dongyang Prefecture is mostly a gathering place for handicraft workshops and related warehouses, with a faint smell of charcoal, the smell of metal corrosion, and the mixed aroma of various raw materials in the air.

The deeper you go, the clearer and more frequent the clanging and banging sounds become.

After turning two more street corners, they found their target at the entrance of a relatively quiet alley with an old locust tree in front of the door.

The shop was slightly larger than the other blacksmith shops in the area. Instead of an ordinary signboard, a heavy wooden plaque with gold lettering on a black background hung above the door, bearing the three rugged characters "Wanchui Fang" (meaning "Ten Thousand Hammers Workshop").

The shop door was half-open, and the stove inside was burning brightly, but there wasn't much chaotic knocking. Instead, there was a calm and orderly rhythm emanating from it.

Unlike other shops, the area in front of the shop wasn't piled with semi-finished products or waste materials; it was quite clean.

Two burly men stood lazily at the entrance.

Upon seeing Gu Shaoan and his two companions approach, both of them turned to look at them.

As the three approached, one of the men at the entrance clasped his hands in greeting and asked, "Gentlemen, have you come to Wanchui Workshop to repair or purchase weapons, or to forge them?"

As the saying goes, one should respect clothes before respecting people. Given Gu Shaoan's temperament, appearance, and attire, he would only be looked up to in any place. It is rare to encounter an ordinary person who would show arrogance to Gu Shaoan upon first meeting him.

Gu Shaoan replied, "I am Gu Shaoan from Emei. I would like to ask Master Feng to help me forge a few weapons. Please inform him."

Upon hearing the words "Gu Shaoan of Emei," the man's eyes visibly sharpened. He carefully examined Gu Shaoan, lingering for a moment on the ancient-looking sword sheath, before nodding and saying, "Please wait a moment, Young Master Gu."

After saying that, the man turned around and strode into the shop.

Before long, the man turned around, stepped aside to make way, and said in a much more polite tone: "Young Master Gu, your master invites you."

Led by the man, Gu Shaoan and his two companions entered the neighborhood.

As soon as they stepped over the wall separating the front yard, rows of stone houses came into view of Gu Shaoan and the others.

The clanging and banging sound of hammering metal became even more pronounced.

As you step into the largest stone house, a wave of heat hits you, mixed with a distinct smell of sweat.

Upon entering the stone house, the first thing that catches the eye is the huge furnace in the center of the house, which covers an area of ​​nearly three zhang (approximately 10 meters). The blazing white flames inside the furnace illuminate the interior.

The entire stone house felt like a sweltering summer day.

Dozens of blacksmiths in the workshop were forging weapons around the furnace, with other younger people who looked like apprentices helping them.

Unlike the usual hot and chaotic blacksmith shops, the temperature here is high, but the air circulation seems to be designed so that it is not too stuffy.

The walls were covered with various metal blanks, semi-finished products, and some highly completed weapons and armor plates, which gleamed with a cold or dark luster under the firelight. The ground was also paved with special stone.

Most striking was a middle-aged man, unusually tall and burly, shirtless, deep inside the shop.

Upon seeing the middle-aged man, Fan Sanshan lowered his voice and said, "That man is Feng Wanchui."

Gu Shaoan's gaze fell on Feng Wanchui, who looked to be in his early fifties. His skin was bronze from years of exposure to the furnace fire, his head was bald, and his muscles were bulging, exuding explosive power.

At this moment, Feng Wanchui was not hammering his weapon, but holding a forearm-length black file, he was meticulously polishing a curved metal piece fixed on an anvil that gleamed with a faint blue light.

His movements were as steady as a rock, and his gaze was so focused that it seemed as if the whole world consisted only of the metal in his hands.

Seeing that Feng Wanchui was busy, the man who had just led the way did not dare to disturb him, but simply gestured for Gu Shaoan and the other two to wait.

Gu Shaoan and the other two did not urge them, but stood quietly in place.

Cheng Shifei looked around curiously, attracted by the scene of this blacksmith shop that was different from the usual ones.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Feng Wanchui finally stopped what he was doing, picked up a piece of velvet cloth next to him, wiped the blue metal plate with great care, put it into a wooden box lined with soft padding, and then slowly turned around.

His gaze first fell on Gu Shaoan, especially on the Yitian Sword at his waist. He paused for a moment, then swept over Fan Sanshan and Cheng Shifei before finally returning to Gu Shaoan's face.

"The Heaven-Slaying Sword of Emei? You are Gu Shaoan, the young master of the Emei Sect?"

Gu Shaoan nodded, neither humble nor arrogant, and said, "Gu Shaoan of Emei greets Master Feng." Feng Wanchui grunted in acknowledgment, then walked to a stone mortar next to him, scooped up a ladle of water and gulped down a few mouthfuls. After wiping away non-existent sweat with a handkerchief, he said, "No credit. You can bring your own materials or buy them from me. Whether it's repair or forging, the starting price is one hundred gold coins per weapon."

Gu Shaoan first took out a wooden box from the package and tossed it to Feng Wanchui.

After catching the box and opening it, Feng Wanchui discovered that the bag was filled with lifelike gold leaves.

Each gold leaf is not the kind that is as thin as a cicada's wing, but rather slightly thicker, weighing about three ounces, totaling two hundred leaves.

These two hundred gold leaves alone weighed six hundred taels.

In addition, the craftsmanship of forging gold leaves makes this box of gold leaves even more valuable.

“Indeed, this bag of gold leaves is worth seven hundred gold.”

Then, Gu Shaoan took out the Qingliu Jade Ore and the Cold Marrow Essence Gold from the bundle on his shoulder and placed them on the stone table next to him.

Upon seeing the two pieces of ore that Gu Shaoan had taken out, Feng Wanchui's eyes lit up, and he rushed to Gu Shaoan in a few steps.

After observing for a while, Feng Wanchui exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually Qingliu Jade Ore and Cold Marrow Essence Gold?"

Seeing that Feng Wanchui recognized the two pieces of ore so quickly, Gu Shaoan couldn't help but nod to himself.

Each type of ore possesses its own unique properties. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the ore and create a stronger weapon, different materials and techniques are required during forging.

If an unskilled craftsman forges the weapon haphazardly, the resulting weapon will be subpar.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Shaoan took out six blueprints from his pocket.

The paper was covered with patterns of sword blades and scabbards that Gu Shaoan had drawn last night.

The requirements for these blades are also included above.

For example, Zhou Zhiruo's swordsmanship is mainly light and delicate. She has mastered the "Willow Catkin Sword Technique" and the "Thousand Willows" moves in the "Emei Sword Classic" to a higher level, which are more suitable for the light and flexible longsword.

Yang Yan's swordsmanship is characterized by its grand scale and rapid attacks. The sword suitable for Yang Yan also needs to be light, but not too flexible, and its focus should be on sharpness.

After taking the blueprints from Gu Shaoan and looking through them one by one, Feng Wanchui glanced at Gu Shaoan with some surprise, seemingly not expecting Gu Shaoan to be so well-prepared.

After pondering for a moment, he glanced at the two pieces of ore on the table and picked them up to feel their weight.

“This Qingliu Jade Mine contains twenty-five catties of Cold Marrow Essence Gold per piece, which is more than enough to forge six weapons. However, to forge good weapons, it will need to be combined with some other ores. The extra material cost will be one hundred gold coins. The value of these gold leaves is just right.”

Upon hearing the price, Cheng Shifei's eyes widened in surprise.

Seven hundred taels of gold is equivalent to seven thousand taels of silver.

An ordinary family of four could not earn this much money in a lifetime.

Gu Shaoan didn't pay attention to the specific price, but instead cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Master Feng."

Seeing that Gu Shaoan did not bargain, Feng Wanchui nodded: "However, it will take quite a while for the six weapons to be delivered; it will be six months before we can pick them up."

Finally, Feng Wanchui added, "These weapons are quite valuable. Once forged, they will probably be just as good as the Heaven-Slaying Sword in your hand. I advise you to come and pick them up in person. Once they leave the Wanchui Workshop, it will be no problem for Wanchui Workshop if they are lost."

Gu Shaoan replied, "I've noted it down."

After finalizing the deal, Feng Wanchui led Gu Shaoan to a small stone house nearby to discuss the design, patterns, and other details of the finished weapons.

After everything was finalized, it was nearly noon when Gu Shaoan and his group came out of Wanchui Workshop.

A moment later, inside a restaurant.

While waiting for the food to be served, Fan Sanshan asked, "It will still be six months before the weapon is forged. Brother Gu, are you planning to set off soon, or wait another day?"

Gu Shaoan thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait one more day!"

Since it was his first time visiting Dongyang Prefecture, Gu Shaoan planned to take a stroll around the prefecture and see if he could find any rare medicinal herbs.

Upon hearing this, Fan Sanshan laughed and said, "That's perfect."

Under Gu Shaoan's gaze, Fan Sanshan spoke up: "When Brother Gu and Master Feng were discussing forging weapons, I happened to take some time to visit a friend in the south of the city. I learned that he was going to retire from the business tonight, and most of the escort agencies in Dongyang Prefecture would be coming over. I thought I'd take Brother Cheng to see the world."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan thought of the bodyguards he had seen at the Dongyang Post Station yesterday.

"So those bodyguards at the post station yesterday gathered there to witness this person's retirement from the martial arts world?"

Fan Sanshan nodded and said, "That's right. My friend's name is Lü Tengkong. He runs the Flying Tiger Escort Agency, which has an excellent reputation throughout the Great Wei Kingdom. It is known as the 'Number One Escort Agency in the World' and is also the leader of the Dongyang Prefecture Escort Alliance."

"It is because of this identity that people from various escort agencies in Dongyang Prefecture rushed to Dongyang Prefecture."

At this point, Fan Sanshan paused for a moment before continuing, "In addition, there is another reason. It is said that tonight, someone will go to the Flying Tiger Escort Agency to entrust a shipment to them. The shipment is the Heavenly Demon Harp, a treasure of the Heavenly Dragon Gate more than ten years ago."

Upon hearing the words "Heavenly Demon Harp," Gu Shaoan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Some long-forgotten memories in my mind were suddenly stirred up at this moment.

"The Heavenly Demon Harp, the number one escort agency in the world, what a coincidence?"

(End of this chapter)