All Heavens Strategy Game

The next day, as dawn broke, the chill still lingered in the air.

Today, Su Ming did not plan to practice martial arts, but instead prepared to go to the county town again.

First, the deerskin needs to be sold.

Secondly, he needed to go to the county town to buy medicinal herbs and refine the deer blood wine according to the recipe given by Su Shunfa.

Deer blood is difficult to preserve for a long time; it is best to process it fresh to maximize its medicinal properties. Delaying its preparation would be a waste.

I have to go to this county again to sell deer hides and the medicinal herbs needed to make deer blood wine.

He knocked on the door of village chief Su Dashun's house again.

Borrowing a donkey cart was already second nature to Su Dashun, so he didn't even ask many questions before telling his son Shanzi to hitch up the cart. He just patted Su Ming on the shoulder and said, "Go early and come back early. Be careful on the road."

The donkey cart creaked out of the courtyard gate, but Su Ming did not drive straight out of the village.

He took the reins, turned the black donkey around, and headed towards the more desolate and quiet area at the end of the village.

Finally, it stopped in front of that low, dilapidated mud-brick house.

Cui Chou Nu was laboriously chopping an old tree root by the side of the house when she heard the noise. She suddenly looked up and saw Su Ming and the donkey cart. A look of surprise flashed across her eyes. She then subconsciously shrank back behind the woodpile and gripped the wood-chopping knife tightly in her hand.

"Sister Cui," Su Ming said calmly as he jumped off the carriage, "I need to go into town today to visit a pharmacy."

"Does your grandfather still have enough medicine? Would he need a few more doses? I can bring them back on my way."

He took the initiative to visit, partly out of neighborly mutual assistance, and partly because he had given her a ride on his way last time, which can be considered as establishing a good relationship;

Secondly, there was a vague feeling in his heart that Cui Chou Nu was "not like an ordinary village girl." She seemed to have a significant background and now appeared to be in trouble. This kind of subtle care might be beneficial to him if she rose to prominence in the future.

For the other party, offering help in times of need carries great significance.

For Su Ming himself, it was nothing more than bringing along some medicinal herbs; it was a small favor that could lead to a potential positive connection, so it was worth it.

Cui Chou Nu loosened her grip on the wood-chopping knife. She glanced at Su Ming, then looked back at the tightly closed door, from which came a few suppressed coughs.

After hesitating for a moment, she put down the wood-chopping knife, wiped her hands on her worn apron, and whispered, "The medicine... there are two doses left."

"Grandpa coughed terribly at night..."

Her voice was still weak and had a heavy accent, but the desperation she had shown last time was gone, replaced by gratitude and embarrassment.

"I'm going to have to trouble Su Sanlang again."

"It's nothing," Su Ming said. "Do you have a prescription? Or what medicinal herbs are needed?"

Cui Chou Nu hurriedly rummaged through her bosom and pulled out a neatly folded piece of old paper, its edges frayed and worn, and carefully handed it over:

"This...this is the prescription."

"Please trouble you, Su Sanlang, to prepare three doses as instructed. The money..."

She turned to go back into the house to get it.

"Money isn't urgent, we can settle it when we get back." Su Ming took the prescription, nodded slightly, said no more, turned around, got on the donkey cart, gave a soft shout, and the black donkey started walking towards the county town.

Cui Chou Nu stood in front of the dilapidated house, watching the donkey cart disappear into the misty village road. She tightened her thin cotton-padded coat, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Is this young man well-intentioned?

Or is there some other motive?

Although Grandpa said that we should try to guess other people's intentions with the utmost malice, now that our family has fallen into such a state, what is there for others to covet?

This young man probably felt sorry for his family and wanted to help them out...

He is truly a kind-hearted person.

...

...

More than an hour later, the low city walls of Linjiang County came into view again.

Su Ming, familiar with the place, paid the entrance fee and drove his donkey cart through the gradually bustling streets.

He could have gone directly to the familiar "Pirunzhai" shop to sell deerskin, but Manager Huang, considering Su Shunfa's reputation, offered a fair price.

But then the thought shifted, and I remembered what the clever shop assistant had said when I bought the bow at "Wang's Ironwood Shop" last time—

"If you ever find any good leather in the future, just bring it over! Our boss also deals in leather goods, and our prices are definitely fairer than others!"

Su Shunfa once said that a good quality deer hide would be worth between four hundred and six hundred wen on the market.

The shop assistant at that store was very friendly last time and even gave me a quiver of arrows. His statement about buying leather goods at high prices didn't seem like an exaggeration. I might as well go and check the prices. If the prices aren't right, I can always go to another store!

After a moment's consideration, Su Ming changed direction and headed towards the alley where Wang's Ironwood Shop was located.

The shop was wide open, and the same shop assistant from last time was sweeping at the entrance. When he saw Su Ming driving the donkey cart over, he was taken aback at first, then a smile spread across his face:

"Hey! Young Master Su's here? Is there something wrong with your bow?"

He subconsciously assumed that Su Ming was there for after-sales service.

Su Ming shook his head and asked, "I still don't know what my older brother's name is?"

"My name is Wang Tielei," the waiter replied.

Su Ming casually took a long roll wrapped in old cloth from the car, placed it on the counter, and called out, "Brother Wang, do you buy hides?"

"Take it! Of course I'll take it!" Wang Tielei's eyes lit up. He put down the broom and untied the cloth bundle.

When he saw the deer hide—though it had arrow holes—which was already quite well-tanned, thick, and with relatively intact fur, he couldn't help but gasp and look at Su Ming in surprise.

"Deer hide?! Brother Su, you... you've only been hunting deer for a few days? And it's of this quality!"

He knew very well how difficult it was to hunt deer, which was far more challenging than hunting ordinary wild boars.

An ordinary hunter can shoot thirty or forty paces.

The deer, however, was alert and could not get within seventy paces.

You may only shoot a deer from seventy paces away!

This clearly shows that the opponent's archery skills are excellent!

It only took the young man three or four days from buying the bow and arrows to shooting the wild deer. Such a harvest in such a short time is truly amazing!

"Luck," Su Ming said calmly, but his eyes were fixed on Wang Tielei's expression.

Wang Tielei carefully stroked the leather, checking its thickness, elasticity, and damage, and quickly made a decision in his mind.

Although the tanning technique on this leather is somewhat rudimentary, its freshness and integrity, as well as its large size, make it a fine piece even after repair. The arrow hole is not a critical point.

He looked up and quoted a price:

"Brother Su is a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush."

"How about this hide, 650 coins?"

Six hundred and fifty coins.

Su Ming silently recited in his heart.

This price is indeed fifty coins higher than the upper limit mentioned by Su Shunfa, almost reaching the edge of a premium.

It seems that Wang Tielei, or rather his backer, is indeed willing to spend money on acquiring high-quality leather goods, and may also have special channels to sell them.

Su Ming did not agree immediately, but pondered for a moment, as if weighing the price.

Immediately, he turned back to the donkey cart, took down two more long rolls also wrapped in cloth, and gently placed them on the counter, revealing two more deerskins.

Upon seeing this, Wang Tielei was first taken aback, then instantly understood:

Good guy!

It turns out that the boy only took out one card at first to test the waters!

Test whether Wang's Ironwood Shop is being honest about its price!

If I had quoted a low price just now, the other party probably wouldn't have offered the other two hides at all, and would never have come back for better goods in the future!

Having figured this out, Wang Tielei not only didn't feel tricked, but secretly praised himself:

'This young man appears quiet and reserved, yet his mind is so meticulous.'

"He doesn't easily trust people, but once he's made up his mind, he's incredibly stubborn."

"This kind of personality, in the business world, actually makes for the most reliable partner—as long as you don't cheat him, he will definitely not let you down."

Wang Tielei immediately felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.

Fortunately, the price I offered was sincere enough, and I passed the young hunter's silent "test".

His smile widened, tinged with relief and enthusiasm: "Wow! Young Master Su is truly a hidden talent! Three top-quality deer hides in one go! Looks like you've had a very fruitful trip into the mountains!"

At such a young age, he single-handedly shot and killed three deer, and he didn't even know how the deer fell to the ground!

How could he always hit the target seventy paces away?

As he spoke, he quickly inspected the other two pieces of leather, both of which were in similar condition to the first one.

"All three are in good condition! How about we price them at 650 each?"

Su Ming nodded: "Okay."

These three hides were originally from three deer that were hunted.

After the distribution according to the rules, the other two deer hides were supposed to belong to other people, but Su Shunfa, Su Laonian, and Su Dalu only wanted the deer meat and insisted on giving him all three hides.

They said tanning leather was too troublesome and they were too lazy to do it.

Moreover, Su Ming deserves the most credit and should take the lion's share.

Su Ming couldn't refuse, knowing that the three were honest and kind and intended to take care of him, and also because his family really needed the money, so he accepted it.

In retrospect, it was quite a substantial sum of money.

Three pieces of leather, totaling 1,950 coins, nearly two taels of silver.

Wang Tielei deftly counted the money, strung it together with a rope, and handed it to Su Ming, saying with a smile, "Brother Su, if you ever need any good leather goods, animal sinews or horns, or if you need bows, arrows, or knives, just come to my Wang's shop!"

"Remember my name, Wang Tielei. I'm a shop assistant here, but I'm not exactly a nobody."

"Su Ming." Su Ming took the heavy copper coin and gave his name again.

—This means we've officially met.

After pocketing the money, Su Ming left Wang's Ironwood Shop. He then asked for directions to "Ji Ren Tang," the largest pharmacy in town, and drove there in a donkey cart.

First, following the prescription given by Cui Chou Nu, I got three doses of medicine to treat colds and coughs, which cost me over a hundred coins.

Next, he took out the deer blood wine recipe given to him by Su Shunfa and bought other medicinal materials according to the recipe.

Several kinds of wild medicinal herbs that are not particularly rare but also uncommon, plus some yeast, honey and other ingredients for processing,

He also deliberately mixed in some unusable medicinal herbs to prevent the formula from being leaked.

All in all, it cost nearly three taels of silver!

The money he had just earned from selling deerskins, plus his previous savings, was gone in an instant!

These auxiliary ingredients are not too expensive or rare, and are easy to gather. However, the most important medicinal material is a century-old Ganoderma lucidum, and we are just missing this one ingredient.

Su Ming asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have any century-old Ganoderma lucidum?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "Sir, a hundred-year-old Ganoderma lucidum is a rare treasure that is hard to come by. Our shop can only occasionally get one or two, and they are immediately ordered by wealthy families in the county or medicine merchants in the prefectural city."

"As for the price... don't even think about it if you don't have sixty or seventy taels of silver."

"We don't have any right now. If you need them urgently, I can get some from other counties. I estimate the price will be around 80 or 90 taels. Or... try other pharmacies."

Sixty or seventy taels!

Su Ming's heart sank upon hearing this.

This price is astronomical for him right now.

Even if the pharmacy didn't have it, I still couldn't afford it!

It seems we'll have to figure out the main ingredient for this deer blood wine ourselves.

"Phew... If all else fails, I'll just go pick them myself in the mountains. Otherwise, with such exorbitant prices, I really can't afford them!"

For a moment, Su Ming even had the idea of ​​going into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs.

With a sense of helplessness and an even deeper sense of urgency, Su Ming carefully put away the medicinal herbs and hurried away from the pharmacy.

On the way back, we passed the market in the west of the city, which was at its liveliest time. Various vendors' calls filled the air.

Just as Su Ming was pondering how to obtain a century-old Ganoderma lucidum,

suddenly,

A cold glint flashed on one of the stalls.

It caught Su Ming's attention.

The stall owner was a lean man with several oddly shaped "knives" in front of him—they were more like heavy machete heads than knives, with a sturdy wooden stick next to them.

Seeing Su Ming stop and look at him, the stall owner immediately perked up, picked up the knife head and a hollow wooden stick, and deftly connected and twisted them together. With a soft "click", a long knife about four feet long, with a simple design but a cold gleam, was assembled!

"Young man, look! A top-quality broadsword!"

The stall owner introduced the stall with great enthusiasm, spitting as he spoke.

"According to the laws of our Great Zhou Dynasty, commoners are not allowed to privately possess waist knives or long swords."

"But our broadsword is different!"

"Look, if you take it apart, it's just a wood-chopping knife and a wood-carrying stick. No one can deny that!"

"But when trouble comes, this kind of fighting spirit turns it into a handy weapon that can chop and hack away!"

"Whether for self-defense in the mountains or for travel, this is the perfect weapon for self-defense! Only 550 coins!"

broadsword!

Su Ming's eyes lit up.

The last time he went hunting in the mountains, he encountered a wild boar, and all he could use was a slingshot and a machete.

The machete is too short, making it difficult to attack the enemy.

But this broadsword, normally a woodcutter's knife, can be assembled into a long sword in critical situations, and importantly, it's not illegal, so ordinary people can carry it with them...

Su Ming was immediately tempted and took the set of broadswords. He weighed them in his hand; the blades were heavy, the edge was fairly sharp, and the wooden sticks were sturdy.

It is indeed a clever and practical tool.

As dangers increase in the mountains, having a long weapon in hand can greatly enhance one's sense of security.

A bow and arrow, combined with a broadsword, are used to deal with large wild beasts.

Add a slingshot made of ox tendon that you can carry with you, and you can hunt small prey such as squirrels.

With this kind of equipment, going into the mountains will be like a fish in water!

"Too expensive." Su Ming put down his knife, shook his head, and bargained, "Could you make it cheaper?"

Five hundred and fifty coins was almost half of his remaining money.

"Hey young man, this price is fair! The blacksmith's wages and the cost of the wood will not be reduced by a single penny..." The stall owner tried to bargain.

"530 coins, I'll buy it."

"No, the minimum is 550 coins!" The stall owner hesitated, about to agree, but seeing Su Ming riding his donkey cart and looking like he was in a hurry to get home, he figured the kid was anxious to go home and didn't want to waste time, so he insisted, "It really can't be less!"

Su Ming remained silent, turned around and left without hesitation, ignoring the stall owner's calls from behind.

He thought of Wang's Ironwood Shop. Since they also sold hunting and farming tools, they might have similar broadswords, and the price might be negotiable.

Return to the ironwood shop.

As soon as I entered,

They saw Wang Tielei talking to a middle-aged man in his forties who was dressed in a decent silk jacket and had a prosperous appearance.

The man was composed and had shrewd eyes as he surveyed the furnishings in the shop.

"Master, please look at this month's accounts..."

Wang Tielei was speaking when he saw Su Ming return. His face immediately broke into a smile. "Brother Su? Did you leave something behind?"

"Brother Wang, do you sell any broadswords here?" Su Ming asked directly.

"A broadsword? Yes, I do!"

Wang Tielei quickly led him to see several hanging in the corner of the wall. Their shape was similar to those seen in the market, but their workmanship looked more regular.

At this moment, the portly middle-aged man also turned around and his gaze fell on Su Ming.

He glanced at him casually at first, then paused slightly and carefully looked Su Ming up and down.

The boy was poorly dressed and had a youthful face, but when he stood there, his posture was as upright as a pine tree, his eyes were calm as water, and his steps were steady and light. He had a kind of composure that was inconsistent with his age and appearance.

Ordinary people might just think this young man is mature beyond his years, but Manager Wang, who has traveled all over the country and seen the world, vaguely felt that there was an inexplicable "strength" about this young man.

Seeing this, Wang Tielei quickly introduced, "Master, this is Su Ming, the young man I mentioned to you. He's a hunter from Sishui Village, and he's incredibly skilled! Don't let his young age fool you; he's a fierce man who can draw a three-stone bow."

"Look, they just bought the bow and arrows three or four days ago, and they hunted three deer, and just sold us their hides!"

"Brother Su, this is the owner of our Wang's Ironwood Shop, Manager Wang Fugui."

Su Ming cupped his hands in greeting to Wang Fugui: "Manager Wang."

Wang Fugui smiled warmly and returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Young Brother Su, you are indeed a handsome and distinguished man. I heard from Tie Lei that you are an excellent archer and a skilled hunter. Seeing you today, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved."

His words weren't entirely just polite.

The other person looks to be no more than thirteen years old, yet they can draw a three-stone bow, which shows that they are incredibly strong!

You should know that an ordinary hunter has at most a bow with a stone, or even less than a stone!

Moreover, the opponent is young, and his strength will definitely increase in the future, making him even more powerful!

Now that we can hunt deer, how will we be able to do it in the future?

"You flatter me, Manager Wang," Su Ming said calmly.

Wang Tielei brought over a broadsword and introduced it, saying, "Brother Su, this is a wrought iron blade with a jujube wood handle; it's sturdy and durable."

"It usually sells for 540 coins, but if you want it, give me a round number, 500 coins!"

This price is much more reasonable than the stalls at the market.

If the other party hadn't been willing to make friends, they probably wouldn't have offered this price at all!

Indeed, sometimes you have to show your talent and let others see your potential value in order to gain greater benefits for yourself…

Without hesitation, Su Ming nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take this one." He counted out five hundred coins and handed them to Wang Tielei.

Wang Tielei took the money, disassembled the broadsword, wrapped the blade and the wooden stick separately with cloth, and handed them to Su Ming.

With the transaction completed, Su Ming prepared to take his leave.

It was getting dark, and if we stayed any later, we would have to spend the night in the city. In this day and age, you can't sleep on the streets; you have to stay in a restaurant, which would be another expense.

He doesn't have the money to stay at a restaurant!

however,

Just as he turned around and stepped one foot across the threshold, Wang Fugui's voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Young Master Su, please wait!"