Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

I was given a severe dressing-down.

Seeing that Zhao Dezhu's expression was not good,

The group looked at each other, then had no choice but to slink away.

After the room quieted down, Zhao Dezhu sat at the table, gazing out the window with a gloomy look in his eyes, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.

After a while, his gaze slowly returned to the unopened packet of medicine on the table. He picked up the medicine and weighed it in his hand, his eyes flickering as if he were plotting something.

.......

Sun Ping took leave for several days in a row.

In the forging yard, only Shen Chu remained, all alone at his workstation.

Without Sun Ping as their leader, Zhao Dezhu's lackeys indeed began to stir.

First, when distributing the iron materials, someone deliberately picked out a few scraps for Shen Chu, and said with a sly smile, "Master Shen, good materials are in short supply, you'll have to make do with these."

Shen Chu didn't say anything, took it and stuffed it into the stove.

Heating, forging, and quenching – the entire process flows smoothly. Thanks to the combined effects of meticulous work and efficient processing, those scraps of material were transformed into a sharp-edged dagger.

Its quality is even better than that of other products made from better materials!

The man stared in disbelief, speechless for a long time.

Then someone came up with another plan.

When assigning work to Shen Chu, they deliberately made sure he had a lot more work than others, twice as much, hoping he wouldn't be able to complete his tasks so they could deduct his wages.

Seeing this, Shen Chu sneered inwardly.

He's focused on accelerating the progress right now, and this arrangement is exactly what he wants.

Shen Chu then picked up the hammer and started hitting.

By the time he finished work in the evening, he not only completed his quota, but also played two extra rounds, each one perfectly executed and without a single flaw.

For several days in a row, several lackeys tried every trick in the book to trip Shen Chu up, but Shen Chu remained as stubborn as a mule, impervious to reason, and not a single penny of his wages was deducted.

On the contrary, the few of them were keeping an eye on Shen Chu every day, and they neglected their own work, so Zhao Dezhu said a few words to them indifferently.

Having been rebuffed, the group sidled up to Zhao Dezhu to complain, "Brother Zhao, that Shen Chu is completely unresponsive! No matter what we do, he acts like nothing happened. Where will we put our pride if this continues?"

Zhao Dezhu did not answer, but stood in the corner of the courtyard, watching Shen Chu's figure at her workstation from afar.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled into the courtyard. Shen Chu was bending over, arranging several knives that she had just finished making. Zhao Dezhu's gaze lingered on those knives for a long time, and a thoughtful look gradually appeared in his eyes.

He ignored the complaints of his lackeys and simply waved his hand, saying, "Alright, I understand. You can all go now."

.......

That evening, the knife-forging yard closed for the day.

Shen Chu washed her face and was about to go back inside to practice her boxing when she saw Zhao Dezhu smilingly greet her as she reached the courtyard gate.

"Master Shen, you must be tired after a long day." Zhao Dezhu's attitude was much warmer than before.

"I asked the kitchen to cook two dishes and warm up a pot of wine. I wanted to invite Chef Shen over for a chat. Just the two of us, no one else."

Shen Chu glanced at him, her mind racing.

Although he didn't care about being targeted these past few days, he knew that things couldn't continue like this. He hadn't wanted to get involved in the factional struggles within the institute, but since Zhao Dezhu had come to him, he might as well take this opportunity to make things clear and avoid future trouble.

So he nodded: "Alright, then I'll trouble Steward Zhao."

The two entered Zhao Dezhu's room one after the other.

Sure enough, there were several small dishes and a pot of warm wine on the table. The dishes were plentiful and clearly prepared with care.

Zhao Dezhu poured Shen Chu a glass of wine with great enthusiasm, then poured one for himself, raising his glass and saying with a smile, "Master Shen, come, let me toast you first. I've seen all the work you've done in the yard; you're truly a skilled worker!"

Shen Chu picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and didn't say anything more.

Zhao Dezhu put down his wine glass and began to ramble on about reminiscing about the bitter past and appreciating the present.

He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, sighing frequently, his eyes even turning a little red.

The more Shen Chu listened, the more she felt something was wrong.

He was no greenhorn; he had spent many years in the workplace in his previous life and had seen this "recalling past hardships before making empty promises" tactic many times.

He didn't bother beating around the bush and interrupted Zhao Dezhu directly: "Manager Zhao, I understand what you mean. But I'm just a newbie, and I only want to forge knives and practice my skills in a peaceful way. I don't want to get involved in anything else, and I'm not interested in it."

Zhao Dezhu's expression stiffened slightly when he was interrupted so bluntly, but he quickly recovered and laughed, "Master Shen, you're too kind! The way you're talking makes it sound like I'm trying to get you to do something bad."

He then changed the subject again.

"However, Master Shen, I've carefully compared the knives you've made these past few days, and to be honest, the quality of some of them is far beyond what a novice could produce. They're just as good as, if not better than, the veteran craftsmen in the workshop who have been working for many years."

Shen Chu remained outwardly calm, but her heart skipped a beat.

He's been so focused on grinding the game lately that he's gotten carried away with a few plays, getting a bit too good and revealing his true skill level.

It seems I need to be more careful about concealing my true abilities in the future...

Seeing that he didn't respond, Zhao Dezhu leaned forward again: "Master Shen, I truly believe in you. If you're willing to work for me, I guarantee your life will be ten times better than it is now. Not just in terms of wages and benefits, but also some... benefits you can't even imagine."

As he spoke, his gaze hardened, and a mysterious tone crept into his voice: "We people are born to suffer. But if we can find our true home, join our big family, call each other brothers and sisters, and help each other, then things will be different. Not only you, but everyone around you will benefit. Do you believe me?"

Shen Chu's heart tightened upon hearing this.

He had seen too many similar comments online in his previous life.

What "large family", "brothers and sisters", "blessings",

These words, when put together, form a standard template for the rhetoric used in pyramid schemes and cults.

Combined with the information he had previously obtained about the Red Lotus Sect from Han Tieshan, all these clues led him to a guess:

This Zhao Dezhu is definitely not simply recruiting people; he's proselytizing!

Shen Chu remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was on high alert.

He didn't respond to Zhao Dezhu's words, but instead stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said, "Manager Zhao, you understand what I mean. That's all I have to say. It's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest any longer. Farewell!"

After saying that, Shen Chu turned and left without any hesitation.