Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Shen Chu pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "He probably wasn't lying. If he really stole the knife, there would be no need for him to come back and add materials to the remaining knives. Wouldn't that be pointless and unnecessary?"

He then asked Xiao Liu, "Did the Second Young Master mention anything else to you? Like the whereabouts of those knives, or does he have any other plans?"

Xiao Liu shook his head blankly: "The Second Young Master never contacts us directly. It's always one of his men, Zhang San, who relays messages. I only know what I'm supposed to do; I know nothing else."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengwen couldn't contain himself any longer. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush out: "Then I'll go find Zhang San, and then take these two guys straight to Dad to settle this!"

Sun Ping finally spoke, pressing down on Li Chengwen's shoulder and calmly advising, "Young Master, if you go to Zhang San now, he can easily claim ignorance. Since the Second Young Master dared to do it, he wouldn't leave such an obvious trail. Rushing over there will only alert him."

Li Chengwen irritably shook off his hand and paced back and forth in the warehouse like a trapped wild boar:

"This won't work, that won't work! What are we supposed to do?! The delivery is due in a little while! Half of the 1,500 knives are missing, and some have been tampered with! How am I supposed to hand them over to the authorities? How am I supposed to explain this to my sister?!"

A brief silence fell over the warehouse.

Shen Chu walked to the shelf, carefully checked the remaining materials and finished products, silently calculated for a moment, then turned around and calmly said:

"Young Master, if we start working overtime from now on, day and night, we might still be able to meet the deadline."

Everyone present was stunned by these words.

Li Chengwen's eyes widened immediately:

"Are you crazy? All those of us barely managed to complete 1,500 matches before, and now we only have so little time left. At most, we can only manage another 300 or so matches. How could we possibly catch up to 700 matches?!"

Shen Chu smiled slightly, a hint of mystery in her smile:

"As long as you can guarantee I have the stamina and provide enough helpers, I'll do everything in my power to get this batch of goods out!"

Li Chengwen stared at him blankly, remaining silent for a long time.

His gaze lingered on Shen Chu's calm face for a long time, finally gritting his teeth as if making a decision: "Fine! I trust you! Whatever you need, just say the word! We'll give you manpower, materials, and money! As long as you can deliver on time, I'll risk my 280 pounds to be with you!"

Since Shen Chu dared to say that, she must have been confident in her abilities.

After his [Refining Through a Thousand Hammers] skill was upgraded to level 2, both his forging efficiency and the quality of the finished products improved significantly. Combined with the [Twice the Result with Half the Effort] skill bonus,

As long as he has the stamina, he can produce the output of several swordsmiths by himself.

With the assistance of Sun Ping and several other master craftsmen, who worked day and night to make up for the shortfall, there was a good chance that the gap could be filled before the delivery deadline.

But the problem lies in physical strength.

High-intensity continuous work takes a huge toll on physical strength.

Although Shen Chu's physical constitution had improved to the lower grade of C, he was not made of iron. After working for a while, his movements slowed down significantly, and the force with which he struck the hammer was not as steady and powerful as it had been at the beginning.

Li Chengwen saw this and was very anxious.

He first instructed the kitchen to stew meat and make chicken soup for Shen Chu separately every day. Later, he asked someone to buy two old ginseng roots, slice them, and soak them in water for Shen Chu to drink.

While such effects are present, they are insufficient to sustain the intense, almost exhausting work.

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Li Chengwen was also extremely anxious.

As he was thinking, he suddenly slapped his forehead: "That's it! Isn't Renhetang in town very famous? Everyone says their medicine is incredibly effective! I'll go buy some medicine to boost my strength!"

He acted immediately, stuffing the silver into his pocket and heading out the door, running all the way to Renhetang.

Seeing him panting, the waiter behind the counter greeted him warmly: "Sir, what would you like to see?"

Li Chengwen wiped his sweat: "Give me some medicine to boost my stamina, something effective and fast-acting!"

The waiter sized him up, a meaningful smile appearing on his face, and lowered his voice to say:

"Sir, rest assured, our shop has plenty of this kind of medicine. We guarantee it will cure your ailment and restore your vitality!"

As he spoke, he pulled a small celadon bottle from under the counter and handed it over.

"This is our best-selling 'Qi and Blood Pill,' specially formulated to nourish qi and blood, strengthen the body, and guarantee you'll be full of energy and have the strength to do anything after taking it!"

Li Chengwen didn't think much of it, paid for the medicine, and happily returned home.

He returned to the forging compound and handed the medicine to Shen Chu: "Try it quickly! People say this medicine is very effective!"

Shen Chu took the medicine bottle, poured out one pill, and looked at it.

The pill was dark red and emitted a faint medicinal fragrance. He hesitated for a moment, but still put the pill in his mouth and swallowed it with water.

A moment later, a warm current rose from his dantian and quickly flowed to his limbs and bones.

Shen Chu's previously exhausted body seemed to be infused with new vitality; her sore muscles were relieved, and her spirits were lifted.

He clenched his fist and felt his strength returning!

"This medicine is indeed quite good," Shen Chu praised, then poured out another pill and swallowed it before picking up the forging hammer again.

But at the same time, he noticed something in his mind.

The ingredients of this medicine seem to contain some substances that are not common medicinal materials.

The warm air current contained a faint, strange aura, somewhat similar to the aura he encountered when cultivating the "Netherworld Ghost Control Technique."

If an ordinary person consumes too much of this, the effects on their health would likely be significant.

But for Shen Chu, this was a highly beneficial and harmless tonic!

Shen Chu also understood that this so-called "Qi and Blood Pill" was probably related to those demons of the Red Lotus Sect.

However, he didn't make a fuss about it; he simply kept the discovery to himself.

After finishing this shipment, he plans to run away. At that time, no matter what happens, it will have nothing to do with Shen Chu!

In the following days,

With the replenishment of Qi and Blood Pills, the double boost from the skills "Refining Through a Thousand Hammers" and "Twice the Result with Half the Effort," and the combined efforts of everyone in the Forging Courtyard, Shen Chu finally caught up with the progress.

As Li Chengwen watched the nicks in the knife diminish, his worries gradually subsided.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Li residence, Li Jiwu and Liu were plotting their own scheme.

In the morning, Li Chengwen came to Master Li's study, looking worried, and said, "Father, tomorrow is the day the knives are loaded onto the carts and transported to the Qingyang County government for inspection. Why don't we go to the knife-forging yard today to check on the progress? That way we'll have a better understanding of the situation."