Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

The earthen house fell silent for a moment.

The seller glanced back and forth between the two groups of people, and tightened his grip on the cloth bag in his hand.

The short, stout stall owner cleared his throat, took a half step back, and huddled in the corner without saying a word.

The man didn't rush to offer a price. He first raised his hand in a respectful bow, his voice steady: "I've long admired the name of Luo Yi, the Red Flower Stick of the Great River Gang, and Young Master Bai."

Bai Ming nodded, his smile remaining unchanged: "Brother Luo, you're too kind."

Luo Yi withdrew his hand, his tone calm: "Young Master Bai, what is your purpose in buying the black iron?"

Bai Ming's voice remained gentle, yet it carried a hidden barb: "Brother, in the black market, it's reasonable to inquire about the origin of the goods, but questioning the buyer about their intended use is overstepping your bounds, isn't it?"

Luo Yi glanced at him, his lips twitched, but he didn't reply. He turned to the seller, his voice deepening, "Old Li, the caravan members are unfamiliar with Shanyang City. If anything happens, the Dahe Gang can take care of them. You know that."

The seller rubbed his fingers together, lowered his head, and remained silent.

The short, stout stall owner squeezed out from the corner, smiling obsequiously, and said to Old Li in a low voice, "Old Li, the Bai family has been rooted in Shanyang City for many years. If anything happens, they can handle it. Don't worry."

Bai Ming smiled and replied, his voice becoming a bit flatter: "I wonder what kind of support this brother is referring to. If it's the kind where trouble comes knocking on our door, I'm afraid Old Li can't handle it."

There was a moment of silence in the earthen house.

Luo Yi's gaze lingered on Bai Ming's face for a moment, but he didn't say anything.

The seller looked up, his gaze lingered on Bai Ming's face for a moment, then swept over Luo Yi's face before finally settling back on Bai Ming. He said, "Young Master Bai, the item is yours."

Luo Yi's expression darkened, and he remained silent.

The seller handed over the cloth bag, which Bai Ming took, nodded, took out a money pouch from his pocket, counted out some silver and put it in the seller's hand. He then handed the cloth bag to Chen Ping, casually saying, "Business in Shanyang City is all about trust. Brother, if you have any goods next time, the Bai family's door is always open."

Luo Yi glanced at Bai Ming, then at Chen Ping, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, and said in a steady voice, "Young Master Bai's offer is fair. I am late, and I have nothing to say."

He paused, his gaze falling on Chen Ping, and raised his hand in a gesture of respect: "How should I address this brother?"

Chen Ping nodded: "Chen Ping."

Luo Yi nodded, his voice calm: "If there's an opportunity another day, let's spar more in martial arts."

Chen Ping responded without saying anything more.

Luo Yi turned around and led the tall, thin man toward the hidden door. His steps were steady, and his back revealed no emotion.

The short, stout stall owner finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked out with Bai Ming and Chen Ping with a big smile on his face.

When he reached the edge of the open field, he stopped, rubbed his hands together, and looked at Bai Ming expectantly.

Bai Ming understood, took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket, casually tossed them into his hand, and nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

The short, stout stall owner weighed it in his hand, his smile deepening. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said, "Young Master Bai, you're too kind. If you need anything next time, please feel free to come to me."

After leaving the earthen house, Chen Ping took out some silver from his pocket and handed it to Bai Ming.

Bai Ming waved his hand and said gently, "Brother Chen, there's no need for that. It's just a little silver; it's nothing."

Chen Ping didn't say anything, but stuffed the silver directly into his hand.

Bai Ming paused for a moment, then accepted it without further refusal.

Then Bai Ming suddenly seemed to think of something and said, "That person seemed calm just now, but it's inevitable that he would have some thoughts after being overpowered to his face. Brother Chen, be careful when you leave the city."

Chen Ping nodded and responded.

The two weaved through the crowd and headed towards the stone steps. Bai Ming spoke up, "You have a knife now, and you've taken this black iron. You're looking for an armorer, right?"

Chen Ping responded.

"There's only one armorer in the city who can use black iron," Bai Ming said. "He's on Ironware Street in the west of the city, surnamed Zhou. Everyone who knows him calls him Deaf Zhou. He's hard of hearing, but his skills are genuine. However, for these kinds of private jobs, you have to wait until he finishes work before you can come to him. Go find him, mention my father's name, and he'll take you on."

Chen Ping noted it down.

Upon reaching the stone steps, Bai Ming stopped, straightened his long robe, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Then, Brother Chen, farewell."

Chen Ping cupped his hands in greeting and said calmly, "I will give Master Bai an answer after the provincial examination."

Bai Ming paused for a moment, then laughed, this time a more genuine laugh than before: "Alright, the Bai family will wait."

He turned and walked into the crowd, his figure disappearing into the dim light of the oil lamp a moment later.

After leaving the black market, Chen Ping headed towards Xifang City.

Li Wenxiu sat on the steps in front of the earthen house, holding a book in her hands. She looked up when she heard footsteps, saw Chen Ping, nodded, and said nothing more.

Chen Ping squatted down beside the steps and said, "The Bai family wants to help you resolve your place of origin issue; it can be settled before the provincial examination."

Li Wenxiu paused, put down her book, looked at Chen Ping, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "The Bai family helped me because of you, right?"

Chen Ping nodded, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Li Wenxiu lowered her head, tapped her fingers lightly twice on her knee, then looked up: "What are the conditions?"

"Go with them to Tianyan Prefecture."

Li Wenxiu paused for a moment, then asked, "What about Gouwa?"

Chen Ping looked at him, not speaking immediately, and after a moment asked, "Tell me, what are your chances of passing the imperial examination?"

Li Wenxiu lowered her head and remained silent for a long while, as if she had carefully considered something in her mind. Then she raised her head and her expression calmed down.

"Before I fled, I read the books of sages and wrote the words of sages. I had never seen or understood anything about human affairs." He paused. "As I traveled along the way, I saw more things and gained a deeper understanding. When I picked up my pen again, it was different from before. I was confident in my writing, but whether it was good or not depended on fate."

Chen Ping looked at him without saying a word.

After a moment, he nodded: "Okay, I believe in you. If you pass the exam, bring Gouwa with you."

There was a moment of silence at the entrance of the earthen house.

Li Wenxiu looked at Chen Ping, opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything, only nodded.

End of You hour

As Chen Ping walked along the Ironware Street in the west of the city, the clanging sounds came from the shops on both sides, blending together and making his eardrums tingle.

Zhou the Deaf's shop was located in the most secluded corner at the end of the street.

A tattered wooden plaque, its inscription long since illegible from the soot of the stove, hung diagonally on the door frame.

Chen Ping pushed open the door and went in.

The shop was dimly lit, and the fire in the stove had gone out.

A withered old man in his early fifties was huddled in a corner, wiping a knife blank with a cloth in his hand.

Hearing the creaking of the wooden door bearings, the old man raised his eyes and glanced indifferently at Chen Ping.

His withered lips moved up and down, but he didn't speak.

Chen Ping leaned closer and raised his voice: "Introduced by Bai Chongshan, there's work to be done."

The old man's ears twitched. He put down the knife blank, stood up, walked over, glanced at the cloth bag in Chen Ping's hand, and reached out.

Chen Ping handed over the cloth bag, then took off his soft armor from behind and placed it in the old man's hand as well.

The old man unfolded the soft armor, examined it carefully in the dim light of the shop, ran his fingers along the edge of the armor plates, opened the cloth bag, squeezed the black iron inside, and weighed it.

He was silent for a moment, then looked up and made a gesture, showing five fingers.

"Five days?" Chen Ping asked.

The old man nodded, put the soft armor and cloth bag into his arms, turned and walked into the inner room with steady steps, without looking at Chen Ping again.

Chen Ping stood in the shop for a moment, then turned and went out.

The official road leading out of the city was wide, with fields stretching out on both sides. The sun was setting, and there were few people in the fields. The wind pressed the roadside grass low.

Chen Ping walked about half a mile, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

A thin layer of sweat suddenly appeared on the back of my neck.

He didn't turn around, his steps remained unchanged, and his eyes swept over the puddle by the roadside.

Two blurry figures were reflected in the puddle, about twenty paces behind him. They were not walking fast, but their steps were very steady.

Chen Ping continued walking forward, his ears lowered to catch any sounds behind him.

Footsteps, two people.

He slowed down slightly, listened for a moment, and then turned around.

On the official road, Luo Yi stood still, with a strange man in a dark short shirt beside him. Neither of them concealed themselves and just stood in the middle of the road looking at him.

Luo Yi turned his head and spoke to the stranger in a low voice, but loud enough for Chen Ping to hear clearly: "The person is here, the information is accurate, give me the money."

The man didn't speak, but lowered his head, took out a money pouch from his pocket, counted the money, and handed it over.