Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

The day the first batch of knives successfully came out of the furnace, the entire knife-forging compound was in an uproar.

Li Chengwen stood in the courtyard, personally counting the rows of neatly stacked longswords, each blade gleaming with a cold light.

He counted them again and again, confirming that the quantity was correct and the quality met the standards, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

Immediately, a big smile spread across Li Chengwen's face, and he shouted loudly to the masters and apprentices filling the courtyard:

"Brothers! The first batch of goods is finally done!"

A cheer erupted in the courtyard.

Some people tossed their hammers high into the air, some patted each other on the shoulder and laughed, and a few of the younger guys just plopped down on the ground.

Although they were panting heavily from exhaustion, their faces were full of smiles.

After more than half a month of intense work, everyone was exhausted. Now that they finally saw the results, the feeling of relief was sweeter than honey.

Li Chengwen was especially pleased.

He rubbed his hands together, walked back and forth in the courtyard, patting the craftsman on the shoulder from time to time, and giving the apprentice a thumbs up, his mouth agape.

For him, this batch of knives was much more than just an order.

This was the first major event he had independently led, an opportunity for him to prove himself in front of Master Li, and the first step for him to declare to everyone that "Young Master Li is no less than Second Young Master Li"!

Shen Chu stood beside her workstation, wiping the sweat from her face.

Looking at the jubilant scene before him, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Shen Chu was no less happy than anyone else, not because of how many orders he had completed, but because he could finally give Li Chengwen an explanation.

Once all these orders are delivered, he can leave with a clear conscience and no longer owe anyone any favors.

That evening, Li Chengwen was in a great mood. With a wave of his hand, he booked an entire restaurant and invited everyone in the hospital to a banquet.

The crowd surged into the restaurant, filling more than a dozen large round tables to capacity. Chicken, duck, fish, and meat were served in a continuous stream, and the sounds of wine jars being broken open echoed throughout the restaurant.

Shen Chu was seated at the main table, where a large plate of braised pork knuckle, with its bright red color and alternating layers of fat and lean meat, was placed in front of him.

He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The rich aroma of the sauce and the soft, chewy texture melted on his tongue, making him squint his eyes involuntarily.

While chewing on the pork knuckle, Shen Chu silently sighed to herself.

To be honest, if it weren't for the mess with Han Tieshan, and if the shadow of the Red Lotus Cult weren't constantly hanging over my head, continuing to work peacefully in the Li family would actually be a pretty good choice.

Although the work is tiring, there is no worry about food and clothing. I can quietly develop my skills, slowly grind up the [Thousand Hammers and Hundred Refinements] skill, and after mastering the Crushing Stone Fist, I can find other martial arts to grind. This life is both down-to-earth and fulfilling.

What a pity...

As Shen Chu chewed on the pork knuckle, she couldn't help but sigh again.

Unfortunately, they encountered treacherous individuals like Han Tieshan and Zhao Dezhu!

However, it can be considered a blessing in disguise. If he encounters any more members of the Red Lotus Cult again, he will kill them all without hesitation. Otherwise, he would be letting down the [Cultist] class he worked so hard to obtain, and even more so, the useful skill [Fragrance Takes Away All Beings].

Thinking of this, Shen Chu took another big bite of the pork knuckle, as if the pork knuckle were the head of some Red Lotus Cult demon.

Just as he was enjoying his chewing, a figure suddenly plopped down next to him, reeking of alcohol.

Shen Chu turned her head and saw that it was Sun Ping.

The old man had clearly drunk quite a bit tonight; his face was as red as Guan Yu's, and his eyes were somewhat glazed. But he was still holding a glass of wine in his hand, swirling it around, and somehow managed not to spill a drop.

When Shen Chu saw him arrive, she had a question on her mind that had been bothering her for days. So she put down her chopsticks, leaned over, and asked, "Master Sun, I've always wanted to ask you, have you ever practiced or seen something like the Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron before? Otherwise, how could you have known at a glance how to save it that day?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ping scoffed dismissively and waved his hand, "I'm a weapon refiner, after all. What's so special about this silver-patterned meteorite iron? You're making a fuss over nothing."

Shen Chu found it somewhat amusing, and teased him, "Since you're a weapon refiner, why don't you hang out with the other three low-grade weapon refiners in the academy? What are you doing hanging out with us ordinary sword forgers every day?"

Sun Ping chuckled, picked up his wine glass, took another swig, wiped his mouth, and said with a hint of drunkenness and disdain, "What kind of bullshit low-grade weapon forger? Who gave me that title? What kind of thing is this title? It's only..."

He had only spoken halfway when a fat figure suddenly stumbled over and grabbed Sun Ping's shoulder.

It was Li Chengwen, whose face was flushed from drinking.

He was also holding a glass of wine, his tongue slurred from drinking, and he mumbled indistinctly as he interjected:

"Old Sun is right! Those three... those three damn blacksmiths, damn consultants! All they know is how to take our Li family's money! I went to ask them for help myself, and guess what? They all refused! Saying they had other things to do! Bah! Bullshit! Tomorrow I'll find a chance and I'll make sure those three bastards get the hell out of here!"

After saying that, without waiting for Sun Ping's consent, he grabbed Sun Ping and drunkenly mumbled, "Old Sun is still the most reliable! It has to be our own people who are reliable! A master swordsmith! A hundred times better than those three money-grubbing bastards!"

Sun Ping's eyes rolled back as he was being strangled, but he was too lazy to struggle. He just patted Li Chengwen's back helplessly and mumbled in agreement.

Shen Chu looked at the two drunkards hugging each other and shook her head helplessly.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and felt a sudden urge to urinate. He got up, said goodbye to Sun Ping and Li Chengwen, and slipped out of the banquet.

He looked around but couldn't find a latrine. Luckily, the back door of the restaurant led to a quiet alley, so he found a corner to relieve himself.

He hadn't drunk much alcohol to begin with.

After relieving himself of the water, and with the night breeze blowing, he felt even more energetic.

Just as Shen Chu was about to return to the banquet, she suddenly caught sight of a furtive figure at the end of the alley, who was walking quickly along the wall towards the Li family's knife-forging courtyard.

What the hell?

He raised an eyebrow slightly, then slowed his pace and followed silently.

......

"I can't pass, I can't pass..."

Apprentice Xiao Liu had drunk quite a bit today and pleaded with everyone, "I can't drink anymore, I really can't drink anymore, I'm going to the outhouse to relieve myself..."

Having said that, Xiao Liu swayed and staggered out, while the people nearby laughed loudly, "This Xiao Liu always says he can drink a lot, today we're going to drink him under the table!"