Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

Chapter 179: The Blade Embryo Takes Shape, Huai River Chamber of Commerce

half a month later.

Inner Courtyard, No. 6, Xuan Character.

Chen Ping walked out of the training ground, went to the side courtyard to soak in the hot spring, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to go out to the Bai family for dinner.

Push open the courtyard gate.

A person sat cross-legged on the ground in the center of the training ground.

She wore a gray short jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, her hair tied back, and a charcoal pencil clipped to her ear.

A roll of blueprints lay open on his lap, and a knife lay across his hand.

Horse-slaying sword.

But unlike the three-hundred-pound treasure weapon from last time, this one is clearly larger, longer, and heavier.

The blade was dark and dull, without any luster. The surface was rough, and you could see the hammer marks from forging. It was obviously a rough blank that had not yet been finely ground or quenched.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up, glanced at Chen Ping, stood up, and dusted off her pants. "The embryo is ready. Let's test it out."

Chen Ping walked over, bent down, and picked up the rough clay with one hand.

The moment his fingers gripped the knife handle, his arm sank down.

Six hundred catties.

He adjusted his strength, redistributed his power, gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands, and lifted it up.

The blade is five feet long, slightly curved, with an extremely thick back that narrows towards the tip, which is slightly upturned.

The handle of the knife is two and a half feet long, wrapped with thick hemp rope, and has an iron ring at the end.

It was seven and a half feet long and taller than him.

She pulled the blueprint from under her arm, unfolded it, and pointed to several locations marked with red circles.

"The sword is seven and a half feet long and weighs six hundred catties. I've positioned the center of gravity at the front four-tenths of the blade. Swing it a few times and see if it's smooth when you retract your force and change moves."

Chen Ping gripped the knife and checked its balance.

Most of the 600-pound weight was concentrated on the front of the blade, giving it a noticeable downward pull when held. He swung the blade.

The sound of the blade cutting through the air was deep and heavy, completely different from the one weighing three hundred pounds; it was as if the air had been cleaved open by this strike.

However, when this strike was made, the initial part was too heavy, and there was a slight dragging sensation when the blade was pulled back.

Chen Ping frowned, adjusted his muscles with his strength, and swung his sword again.

This time it went smoothly.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 1110 ...

The third and fourth cuts went more and more smoothly.

She stood aside and watched without saying a word, her eyes fixed on Chen Ping's forearm, observing the muscles subtly adjusting with each cut.

Chen Ping swung his sword more than a dozen times, progressing from pure strength to mobilizing his blood and qi, then to infusing it with his inner energy. Finally, the true meaning of the Tide Abyss appeared on the blade, with dark vortexes churning on the blade. The 600-pound horse-slaying sword was swung in his hands with a whooshing sound, as if he were swinging a wooden stick.

She was writing something down quickly on the blueprints, muttering to herself.

When Chen Ping stopped, she walked over, pressed a spot on the front of the blade, measured the connection between the handle and the blade, and wrote a few lines.

He raised his head and looked at Chen Ping.

"Your hand is still too heavy at the front. Shift your center of gravity back half an inch and increase the weight of the counterweight ring by 10%. This way, when you change moves, the force won't be stuck in your wrist." She changed the position of the red circle on the drawing and handed it to Chen Ping.

"Take a look and see if there's anything else wrong."

Chen Ping read it once, had no objections, and nodded.

She rolled up the blueprints, put them away, walked to the rough blank, picked up the 600-pound broadsword with one hand, carried it on her shoulder, and walked towards the courtyard gate.

I walked to the door and turned around.

"The next step is fine grinding and quenching, which will take about a month, but the timeframe is uncertain."

After saying that, he walked towards the courtyard gate.

Chen Ping watched her retreating figure and suddenly spoke up: "Young lady, you've made several trips for this knife, yet I still haven't had the chance to ask your name."

She paused at the doorway and turned her head.

"Shen Hui".

She looked at Chen Ping and her lips twitched slightly.

"However, after this knife is delivered, we will have no further contact. It's just a name; what does it matter whether you know it or not?" He turned and left.

Chen Ping stood in the training ground, watching the figure carrying the 600-pound rough object disappear at the end of the road, without saying a word.

......

South of the city.

At the end of a not-so-wide street, a new plaque was hung on a three-story building.

The four characters "Huai River Chamber of Commerce" were painted in large gold letters and shone brightly in the sun.

Two long tables were set up in front of the small building, covered with red silk, and several jars of wine and plates of fruit were placed on them.

The firecracker debris hadn't been swept away yet, red paper scraps were scattered all over the ground, and the air smelled of gunpowder.

Bai Chongshan stood at the front, dressed in a long silk robe, twirling a string of walnuts in his hand, his face full of wrinkles from smiling.

There were three people standing beside him.

Sun Guangde, in his early fifties, had a round face and squinted eyes when he smiled. He wore a faded but crisply starched blue cloth robe, his hands folded in front of his abdomen, and stood very properly.

Wu Peiran, in his early forties, with a thin face and tightly pursed lips, stood at the very edge, dressed in a grayish-brown short coat, looking like a wooden stake. Jiang Dehai, in his late twenties, was the youngest, wearing a clearly new silk shirt. The material wasn't of high quality, but the cut was perfect. He stood there looking around, his excitement barely concealed.

The four stood side by side under the plaque, smiling as they welcomed the guests who came to offer their congratulations.

Merchants from nearby streets came by with gifts, someone from the South City Camp delivered a banner, and several young people dressed as students from the Cangwu Outer Academy came by, made a brief appearance, bowed, and left.

Bai Ming stood at the door, responsible for greeting and receiving guests, busy with various tasks, his smile never stopping.

The commotion lasted for about half an hour before the crowd gradually dispersed.

Bai Chongshan ushered the group upstairs.

The tea room on the third floor is not large, but it is tastefully decorated.

A rosewood tea table, a purple clay teapot, a landscape painting hanging on the wall, and a south-facing window that offers a view of the banners in the direction of the southern city camp.

The group took their seats, and servants brought them tea.

Jiang Dehai sat down, first touching the mahogany tea table in front of him, rubbing his fingers along the wood grain, then picked up his teacup, took a sip, and chuckled, "Master Bai, this main hall you've acquired is far more impressive than my doghouse."

He put down his teacup, stood up, and bowed respectfully to Bai Chongshan.

"We outsiders are able to make a living in this Tianyan City, a place teeming with hidden talents, all thanks to your patronage, Master Bai." Bai Chongshan looked at the group, smiled, and gestured for them to sit down.

"Please sit down. We're all in the same boat. Let's stick together and support each other in the future."

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, put it down, and glanced at the three faces, his voice becoming slightly deeper.

"However, have you all remembered the rules I told you before?"

Jiang Dehai nodded repeatedly: "That's right, how could we forget to work for Master Chen?"

He counted on his fingers: "If it weren't for Master Chen's reputation, would the government army have given us so many preferential treatments? If it weren't for Master Chen's reputation, how could this chamber of commerce have been established? How could those students from Cangwu have helped us?"

Bai Chongshan nodded, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.

"Master Chen's reputation is the source of our confidence to stand tall and make money in this city, but this confidence is meant to deter the scoundrels, not to be used by you to bully others. Just honestly earn the hard-earned money we deserve. Anyone who dares to secretly touch those dirty businesses that might bring trouble or controversy to Master Chen will have their hands chopped off by me."

Hearing this admonition, the group nodded solemnly.

Bai Chongshan turned to Bai Ming: "Tell me about the next steps."

Bai Ming took out a thin booklet from his sleeve, opened it, and first reported on the current status of the Chamber of Commerce.

"We have manpower. Over the past few months, we've gradually recruited quite a few by spending money: thirty-two servants and helpers, fourteen merchants and cart escorts, eight shopkeepers and accountants, six warehouse workers for moving and bookkeeping, and twenty martial arts masters to guard the house. They are all freelance martial artists of at least Ming Jin level. The Qinglin Society was responsible for connecting them, and their backgrounds were thoroughly investigated." He turned a page.

"There are two grain shops belonging to the Bai family in the south of the city, one medicine shop belonging to Uncle Sun, two general stores belonging to Uncle Wu, plus this small building, making a total of six places. Two warehouses are rented in the south of the city near the city gate, where grain and medicine are stored separately."

He closed the booklet and glanced at Bai Chongshan.

"We have enough manpower for daily operations, but if we want to expand, we don't have enough space. We need to expand next."

Bai Chongshan nodded and said, "Tell me how to expand."

Bai Ming turned to the next page of the booklet.

"The shopfronts are the easiest to secure. As long as the money is in place, we can first rent three prime shops each in the south and east of the city, splitting the inventory equally between grain and medicine. For general merchandise and ironware, we can start with established shops and not rush to spend money on them."

He paused, then frowned.

"But we are still short of manpower. Recently, many migrants from surrounding counties have come to Tianyan City to make a living. It is not difficult to select some honest and capable people from among them and recruit them as low-level helpers."

He held up one finger.

"The main problem is that there are too few people to run the trade routes. Fourteen people are not enough to support several routes. Not everyone can do this kind of trade. You need to know some martial arts to defend yourself, be brave, be able to endure hardship, and not be weak in the knees when you encounter petty thieves on the road. We have to carefully select these experienced people."

He held up another finger. "We need to recruit another batch of guards. Recently, there have been quite a few more martial artists in Tianyan City. Some are here to try their luck in Cangwu, while others have come from other places to make a living. There are quite a few skilled fighters among them. If we look for them and offer fair prices, we won't have to worry about finding people."

After listening, Bai Chongshan nodded, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"There's one more thing."

He glanced at the people inside the room.

"From now on, just as Chairman Zhao Shuyan instructed before, tell the merchants to keep their eyes open. If they encounter any strangely shaped minerals, ancient medicinal herbs, or rare treasures they can't name, regardless of whether they recognize them or not, as long as they exude spiritual energy, don't hesitate to spend money to buy them and bring them back to the Chamber of Commerce."

He paused.

"These items are given to Master Chen first; those he doesn't want are then put up for sale by the Chamber of Commerce."

Jiang Dehai chuckled and said, "I'm an expert at finding bargains. Back when I was a street vendor, I loved to explore the black market and find all sorts of strange and unusual things. Leave this to me."

Sun Guangde nodded without saying anything more.

Wu Peiran thought for a moment and said, "I've also been keeping an eye on the medicinal herbs. Some of them are rare and precious, but ordinary people don't recognize them."

Bai Chongshan nodded in satisfaction, spinning the walnut twice in his palm.

"Alright, it's settled then." Bai Ming closed the booklet and added, "By the way, Father, regarding the escort of the caravan out of the city, our own guards are not strong enough. I plan to go to the Baishui Escort Agency in the east of the city this afternoon to discuss a cooperation agreement and contract a fixed escort route."

Jiang Dehai interjected, "I know a manager at the escort agency. How about I go with you? Having an acquaintance makes it easier to negotiate a lower price."

Bai Ming glanced at Bai Chongshan.

Bai Chongshan nodded in agreement: "You two go together. Find out their bottom line and their asking price first."

Just then, footsteps came from the stairs.

A servant hurried up and whispered a few words in Bai Ming's ear.

Bai Ming glanced at Bai Chongshan: "Father, someone from down below is looking for us. They say there's a very important deal to be done."

Bai Chongshan exchanged glances with the people inside the room, stood up, and went downstairs.

There was a person standing in front of the counter on the first floor.

He was in his thirties, with a dark complexion, wearing a worn-out martial arts robe, and a knife at his waist with several fresh scratches on the scabbard.

His arm was wrapped in a blood-stained strip of cloth, as if he had been injured not long ago.

A martial arts practitioner. Seeing Bai Chongshan come down, the man's eyes lit up. He leaned closer and whispered, "Shopkeeper, I have a good treasure here, will you buy it?"

Bai Chongshan looked around; there were still a few employees tidying up the shelves in the shop.

He smiled and said, "Let's go upstairs."

There was a small reception room on the second floor, where a servant poured a cup of tea for us.

The martial artist didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the teacup, took a sip, wiped his mouth, and looked at Bai Chongshan.

Bai Chongshan sat down opposite him and asked, "What treasure?"

The man glanced around, took something out of his sleeve, and placed it on the table.

A purple crystal core, about the size of a fist, with fine lines on its surface, gleamed faintly under the light.

"Crystal core." The man held up two fingers. "A second-grade demon crystal core."

He paused, then chuckled.

"Manager Bai, let's not beat around the bush. Your Huai River Chamber of Commerce is backed by Master Chen of Cangwu. We all know that in the underworld. Does Master Chen buy these second-grade crystal cores? If he does, he'll offer them at the black market price of two hundred taels of silver per core. If you dare to make that offer, all the crystal cores our brothers risk their lives for in the Southern Ridge will be exclusively supplied to you!"

Bai Chongshan stared at the purple crystal core on the table and remained silent for a while. Seeing that he didn't say anything, the wandering martial artist assumed that he was complaining about the quantity and moved closer impatiently.

"Manager Bai, there are thirteen of us brothers who are experts in the Transformation Realm. Every time we go to the Southern Ridge as a group, we can hunt at least ten Grade Two Crystal Cores. In Cangwu, these are hard currency that can be directly exchanged for Merit Points. Are you really not going to ask Master Chen for his opinion?"

Bai Chongshan was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "This deal involves too much money and too many people, so I really can't make the decision myself. If you trust me, please keep the crystal core for yourself first. Let me consult with Master Chen, and I will give you a definite answer within three days."

The wandering swordsman, though disappointed, understood the rules and nodded with a smile, "Alright then, for such an important matter, we should consult Master Chen's opinion."

He put the crystal core back into his sleeve, stood up, and muttered to himself.

"I really don't want to deal with those four great families in the city anymore. They look down on us and try to drive down the price of the crystal cores we hunt for. If you can give me a fair price, I'll bring all the colleagues I know to supply you."

He cupped his hands in greeting to Bai Chongshan.

"Alright, thank you very much for helping to pass on the message, Mr. Bai. I await your good news."

After saying that, he strode out the door.

Bai Chongshan sat on the second floor, watching the man's figure disappear through the door. The walnut in his hand paused for a moment, then started spinning again.

He went up to the third floor.

In the tea room, everyone was looking at him. Bai Ming spoke first: "What kind of deal?"

Bai Chongshan sat down in the chair and recounted what had just happened.

Jiang Dehai's eyes lit up when he heard about crystal cores: "Then Master Chen should agree, right? Thirteen people, ten second-grade crystal cores each time, what a huge deal that is!"

Sun Guangde held his teacup without saying a word.

Wu Peiran glanced at Bai Chongshan but didn't say anything.

Bai Chongshan shook his head, his voice calm.

"We cannot collect the crystal cores yet."

Jiang Dehai's excitement froze: "Why...why, Master Bai? Why aren't you making money?"

Bai Chongshan placed the teacup on the table and tapped it lightly on the rim with his finger.

"The path of exchanging crystal cores for merit points, and merit points for resources, is controlled by the four great families. Where do their children get merit points when they enter Cangwu? Most of them come from the crystal cores that their family members hunt demons outside, which they then exchange for merit points to support their children's cultivation."

He looked at Jiang Dehai.

"If we open the door to buying crystal cores, we'll be shaking their foundation. This is different from robbing them of a few shops. They'll feel the pain of having their shops taken, but they'll fight tooth and nail if we touch their crystal cores." Jiang Dehai opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Bai Chongshan leaned back in his chair, the walnut slowly turning in his palm.

"We can't make enemies with them on behalf of Master Chen right now."

The tea room fell silent for a moment.

Wu Peiran spoke up, her voice low, asking only, "And then what?"

Bai Chongshan glanced at him, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"We'll talk about it later."

......

Inner Courtyard, No. 6, Xuan Character.

Chen Ping had just finished practicing the Blazing Sun Burning Sea True Scripture when someone knocked three times on the courtyard gate, neither too hard nor too soft, in a very proper manner.

He got up and opened the door.

Deacon Lin stood outside the door, followed by a servant pushing a small cart piled with several food boxes and some daily necessities. Deacon Lin cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "Young Master Chen, Chairman Zhao of the Qinglin Society asked me to come. He said that he has reached a cooperation agreement with our Wanbaotang. From now on, we will arrange for someone to deliver meals to you every day, three meals a day without fail."

He pointed to the car behind him.

"Six bowls of rice, four dishes, and a pot of soup, the same portions as the Bai family's. If you have any other preferences, please let me know in advance, and I'll have my staff adjust accordingly."

Chen Ping glanced at the car and asked, "What price did Qinglin pay?"

Deacon Lin smiled but did not answer directly: "President Zhao has his own arrangements, Young Master Chen need not worry."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Of course, if you want to eat at the Bai family's, you can do so anytime. We'll still deliver your meals here."

Chen Ping paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Please thank Chairman Zhao for me."

Steward Lin cupped his hands in greeting, gave a few instructions to the servants behind him, and then turned and left.

From that day on, every morning, noon, and evening, the servants of Wanbaotang would push a cart to the door of No. 6 Xuanzi, place the food box by the door, knock three times, and then turn and leave.

Six bowls of rice, four dishes of vegetables, and a pot of soup.

The portions were generous, the food was hot, and it was clean. Chen Ping didn't even need to leave the courtyard.

My days were incredibly simple. I practiced martial arts at dawn, ate while practicing martial arts, soaked in hot springs while practicing martial arts, and then slept.

He was the only one in the training ground. Jingye leaned against the weapon rack, a futon placed in the center of the field, and the hot spring in the side courtyard was steaming.

The courtyard gate is always closed.

The outside world is irrelevant to him.