Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Sun Ping arrived at his workstation early in the morning, but his complexion was not good; it was sallow and ashen.

He started coughing after only a few swings of the hammer.

Seeing this, Shen Chu quickly put down her work and asked, "Master Sun, what's wrong? You look so pale?"

Sun Ping waved his hand weakly, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I probably just caught a chill last night and I'm feeling a little unwell. You go ahead and do your work, I'll rest for a bit."

Seeing that he sounded weak and listless, Shen Chu couldn't help but feel worried, so she accompanied him back to his residence and poured him a cup of hot water.

Sun Ping took a sip of water and then caught his breath: "Shen Chu, if you have time, could you go to Renhetang at the street corner and get me some medicine to dispel the cold? It's an old ailment of mine, and two doses of medicine will cure it."

Shen Chu nodded, told him to get some rest, and then left.

Renhetang is not far from the Li residence; it's just two streets away.

As soon as Shen Chu stepped into the pharmacy, she bumped into a familiar figure.

Zhao Dezhu was standing in front of the counter, holding a bag of freshly prepared medicine, and turned to leave.

The two met face to face and were both taken aback.

A slightly unnatural look flashed across Zhao Dezhu's face, then he forced a smile: "Oh, Shen Chu, what a coincidence, you're here to get medicine too?"

Shen Chu nodded, not thinking much of it, and answered truthfully, "Master Sun isn't feeling well, so I've come to get him some medicine to dispel the cold. Manager Zhao, what brings you here...?"

"Oh, I... I also have a minor ailment, so I came to get some medicine to take care of it."

Zhao Dezhu chuckled twice, his tone somewhat ambiguous, seemingly unwilling to elaborate.

"Then you go ahead with your work, I'll head back now."

After saying that, he picked up his medicine bag and quickly walked out of the pharmacy.

His pace was more than twice as fast as usual.

Shen Chu watched him leave, then glanced at the pharmacy one last time.

He remembered hearing someone say a while ago that a new pharmacy had opened in the city, specializing in treating men's genital ailments, and that many high-ranking officials and wealthy people were secretly patronizing it.

And this Renhetang happens to be the legendary pharmacy.

Shen Chu glanced back at the shop assistant behind the counter who was grinding medicine, and then thought about Zhao Dezhu's guilty look just now. She guessed about 70-80% of what was going on.

However, he wasn't one to gossip; he believed it was enough to know the truth and there was no need to spread it around.

He then snapped out of his reverie, reported Sun Ping's symptoms, asked the shop assistant to prepare some medicine to dispel the cold, paid for it, and returned to the Li residence.

However, after taking the medicine for two days, Sun Ping's condition did not improve; he remained listless and couldn't even get out of bed.

Shen Chu went to see him every day, but he would always wave his hand and say that he was fine and would be better in a few days.

That day, Shen Chu went to see him again. Sun Ping, leaning against the headboard, suddenly said, "Shen Chu, don't push yourself too hard these days. Rest when you need to, and take leave if you don't have anything to do. Don't just stay cooped up in the yard forging iron all the time."

Shen Chu was pouring him water when she heard this. She didn't think much of it and casually replied, "Don't worry, Master Sun. I'm in good health. It's you who should get well soon."

He was also thinking of practicing more blacksmithing to speed up the progress of the "Thousand Hammers and Hundred Refinements" skill. If he could reach level 2 as soon as possible, it might even improve his physical constitution, which would also benefit his martial arts training.

Sun Ping glanced at him, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end it turned into a sigh: "If you want to rest, come and talk to this old man, just keep him company."

Shen Chu smiled and agreed, still not taking it to heart.

A few days later, Shen Chu finally figured it out.

......

Around noon, Shen Chu had just finished eating and was preparing to continue forging the sword when several figures suddenly approached.

He looked up and saw it was one of the old men who used to work under Manager Li.

The faces of the group were not good, and their eyes held a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

One of the older men lowered his voice and said, "Shen Chu, a few of us want to discuss something with you."

Shen Chu put down the hammer and wiped his sweat: "Master Wang, please speak."

Master Wang sighed and said bluntly, "You've seen it yourself, Zhao Dezhu and his gang are getting more and more outrageous. We old folks are being ostracized to the point where we can barely afford a hot meal. We were thinking that if we all banded together and worked as one, at least when the young master comes back, we'll have someone to speak up for us. You're young, and you have Master Sun backing you up. As long as you're willing to take the lead, we'll have a strong position."

Upon hearing this, Shen Chu immediately understood.

No wonder Sun Ping pretended to be sick and stayed at home, and kept hinting that he should also avoid the area.

Master Sun had probably been approached by these old men long ago. They knew that the old men wanted to form a faction against Zhao Dezhu, but they didn't want to get involved in the fight. That's why they used illness as an excuse to avoid trouble and subtly reminded him not to get involved.

Shen Chu naturally wouldn't jump into this fire pit. Although he spoke politely, he still firmly shook his head: "Master Wang, I'm just a newcomer to the manor. How could I possibly take the lead? You gentlemen are senior and experienced. You should make the decisions yourselves. I just want to quietly hone my skills. I really can't worry about anything else."

Seeing his firm refusal, Master Wang and the others could not hide their disappointment, but they did not want to force him, so they could only turn around and leave dejectedly.

However, they had only taken a few steps when they bumped into several of Zhao Dezhu's henchmen. Seeing Old Wang and his group, one of them said in a sarcastic tone:

"Hey, where are you senior colleagues going? Instead of working properly, you're just wandering around. Trying to slack off again?"

Master Wang was already seething with anger, and this provocation sent him into a rage: "Who are you calling lazy?! I've been working in this yard for decades, and you're still wearing diapers! Who do you think you are to lecture me?!"

The man, not to be outdone, sneered, "After decades you're still just an ordinary swordsmith, and you dare to boast about it? If you're so capable, why don't you forge a low-grade weapon like Master Sun?"

The two sides went back and forth, their insults growing increasingly fierce.

Master Wang, enraged, raised his voice higher and higher until he finally roared, "Don't be so smug! We've already reached an agreement with Master Sun and Shen Chu. We're just waiting for the young master to return. You'll be in for a world of hurt then! We'll see whether you lackeys or us old folks can stand up to this!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on those people changed.

But unwilling to lose face in front of so many people, he snorted coldly, said "We'll see," and then turned and went to Zhao Dezhu's house to complain.

The group embellished Wang's words, especially emphasizing that Sun Ping and Shen Chu might also get involved.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhu's face darkened considerably. He remained silent for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table: "Enough! Stop talking! A bunch of old fogies, they can't cause any trouble. Go do what you're supposed to do, don't stand here in the way!"