Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

If it weren't for Steward Li asking him to teach Shen Chu that day, and if Shen Chu hadn't argued with him, he wouldn't have taken the opportunity to leave the Li family;

If he hadn't left the Li family, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation!

The root of it all is that damned Steward Li and Shen Chu!

Just as Han Tieshan was immersed in boundless resentment, a series of deep voices suddenly rang in his ears:

"The flames of calamity give rise to the red lotus, the world is transformed from impure to pure; dynasties have accumulated countless sufferings, but the primordial transformation delivers all beings!"

"Han Tieshan, you harbor deep resentment. Only by joining my Red Lotus Sect can you attain true freedom!"

Han Tieshan suddenly looked up and saw a group of people standing at the door.

The leader, his face expressionless, had just uttered those words.

Behind him followed a group of refugees, their faces filled with fanaticism!

......

After the incident with Han Tieshan that day, Shen Chu finally felt at ease in the Li family.

His daily life was extremely regular. He spent his days forging knives and his private days practicing boxing. He never left the house, just like a wooden stake firmly rooted in the Li family.

Although Li Chengwen had developed some goodwill towards Shen Chu because of Li Jiwu's matter, he didn't pay much attention to her at first.

But as time went on, he discovered that Shen Chu was completely different from the others.

When others had free time, they would gather together to drink, gamble, chat idly, and gossip, but Shen Chu never participated.

The other person who didn't participate was Sun Ping; the two of them quietly forged knives and iron in the courtyard.

"This Master Sun, and this Shen Chu, are both really reliable workers," Li Chengwen remarked to Manager Li in private.

Manager Li seized the opportunity to speak up: "Young Master, the whole Han Tieshan affair stemmed from our neglect of the craftsmen below, which gave the Second Young Master the chance to take advantage. Now that Master Sun has been promoted to a lower-grade blacksmith, and Shen Chu is a reliable and hardworking talent, why doesn't the Young Master take this opportunity to win over the hearts and minds of everyone in the forging workshop?"

Li Chengwen, unusually, listened to this advice.

In the following days, he would visit the forging yard every few days, sometimes bringing some wine and meat to comfort everyone, sometimes sitting down to chat with the masters. If anyone had heavy work to do, he would take the initiative to ask for two more people to help.

During lunch break, several old knife-forging men sat together eating.

One of them picked up a piece of braised pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and exclaimed, "Hey, have you guys noticed? Lately, the young master is like a different person. He comes here every few days, and we don't even have to go to the cafeteria ourselves anymore; they just send people to deliver the food!"

Another person laughed and said, "That's right! In the past, the young master would only come a few times a year, and when he did come, he always had a stern face. Now he's bringing wine and asking if I'm feeling well. I'm actually a little unaccustomed to it."

"Isn't this great!" the third person chimed in. "The young master treats us well, so we work even harder. It's much better than before, when all the benefits went to Han Tieshan and his gang, and we didn't even get a sip of the soup."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and a harmonious atmosphere filled the courtyard.

Manager Li stood not far away listening to these words, feeling extremely pleased.

The eldest young master is doing well, so naturally, he, as the manager, is also rising in rank. He has worked for the eldest young master for so many years, and he has finally made his mark.

In the evening, Manager Li was in a good mood, so he invited a few old friends to go drinking.

The group drank and chatted until the moon rose high in the willows. Then, Steward Li, slightly drunk, bid farewell to everyone and staggered toward the back gate of the Li residence.

The night breeze was cool, and the alley was deserted.

Steward Li was leaning against the wall, humming a little tune. Just as he turned the corner and walked not far from the back gate of the Li residence, everything suddenly went black.

翌日清晨，天光微亮.

A scream came from the alley behind the Li residence, followed by a cacophony of footsteps.

Several servants who had gone out early to buy groceries found Steward Li lying on the bluestone road.

His face was normal, and there were no external injuries on his body, but his eyes were wide open, and his pupils were filled with deep fear, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying before he died.

The news spread quickly, and the government sent constables to cover Steward Li's body with a white cloth and set up a cordon around the area.

Several constables stood aside and talked in hushed tones.

"Brother, you've been in this business for decades, have you ever seen anyone die like this?"

"I've never seen him before. He wasn't injured at all, and his clothes were neat and tidy. He didn't look like he had been beaten or struggled. But look at his eyes, they're wide open like saucers. He's clearly been extremely frightened."

"Could it be that it's been possessed by an evil spirit? Lately, things have been really strange around here..."

"Are you out of your mind? Stop talking nonsense! In my opinion, he probably drank too much and died suddenly. I've seen plenty of people like that. They look fine on the surface, but their internal organs can't take it anymore."

"And these eyes..."

"He probably had a spasm when he died; his muscles were stiff, so it's normal that he couldn't close his eyes."

The group was talking,

Master Li led the way, followed closely by Li Chengwen and Li Jiwu, and the three of them walked out quickly.

Master Li's expression was grave. He spoke a few words to a few servants, his brows furrowed.

Li Chengwen squatted down and reached out to lift the white cloth, but was stopped by the constables.

"Young Master, please accept our condolences. It is not advisable to move the body now."

Li Chengwen's hand froze in mid-air, and his eyes instantly reddened.

Although he usually bossed around Manager Li around and cursed at him at the drop of a hat, he knew in his heart that Manager Li was the person he trusted most.

If it weren't for Steward Li managing all the affairs of the forging compound behind the scenes all these years, he would never have been able to hold his head high in front of his father.

"Old Li..."

Li Chengwen was somewhat saddened and whispered a name.

Li Jiwu, who was standing to the side, also stepped forward, his face filled with grief. He gently patted Li Chengwen's shoulder and sighed, "Brother, please accept my condolences. Steward Li has worked hard for our Li family for most of his life and has done his best."

He offered words of comfort, but inside he was overjoyed.

With Manager Li dead, it's like my brother lost an arm in the knife-forging compound; it's practically God helping him out.

Master Li took a deep breath and turned to the constables, asking, "Gentlemen, have you found out what the cause is?"

The lead constable cupped his hands in greeting and chuckled, "Master Li, our preliminary examination shows that your steward has no injuries whatsoever, nor does he appear to have been attacked. He drank alcohol last night, and in my opinion, he most likely died from excessive drinking. We've seen this kind of thing many times, so you don't need to worry too much."

The constable clearly didn't want to cause any more trouble.

He was eager to close the case as soon as possible, so he casually came up with the easiest explanation.

Master Li frowned and then lifted the white cloth to take another look.

Manager Li's eyes had closed at some point, and his facial expression had returned to a normal, serene state, making him appear as if he had indeed died from drunkenness.