From the Valkyrie to the Endless

The edge of the blade has a cold glow, with a hint of coolness. The back is wide and the blade is thin, like a cicada's wing, with a deep blue quenching mark on the spine of the blade.

"You can give it a try."

The foundry master took out a steel column as thick as a finger, held it horizontally in one hand, and asked her to test its sharpness.

Shen Qing held the knife in his right hand, his breathing gradually became heavier, and he recalled the power-generating technique of the thunder knife in his mind.

The speed of internal force flowing through the meridians suddenly increased, like the breath of a whale suddenly pouring into the waist and back, and with a sudden burst of force, a huge force reached the forearm.

In an instant, veins popped out on the white jade-like back of the hand, a dull thunderous sound was heard faintly, and a bright knife light flashed past.

Chi-

Sparks flew and the steel column broke with a sound. The cut was slightly black and smooth as a mirror.

Shen Qing slowly exhaled, looking at the blade that was not damaged at all, and couldn't help but admire:

"Good knife!"

This was her first time to wield the knife, but she did not feel any sluggishness. The moment she swung the knife, she even felt an unprecedented sense of pleasure, as if she were using her own arm.

The Thunder Blade lives up to its name, its power is as fierce as thunder and fire, and as fast as lightning, which suits her very well.

"The guest has great swordsmanship. Even an ordinary sixth-level post-natal warrior would find it difficult to take this blow."

The foundry craftsman nearby's eyes lit up and he began to praise.

This was not a compliment. With his vision as a congenital martial artist, that strike of the sword was enough to instantly kill a martial artist at the fifth level of the acquired realm.

Shen Qing sheathed the sword and did not put it back into the wooden box, but hung it behind his waist.

After paying the balance of forty taels of silver, Shen Qing asked casually, "Who was that person who was following Captain Song just now?"

"That's Captain Song's nephew, named Yang Qiancheng. He's said to be a big shot from the imperial capital, and he just came to Changling not long ago."

The forger looked helpless: "I'm sorry to make you laugh, it's just a coincidence. If you had come a few days later, I wouldn't have the time to forge the sword for you."

In the next period of time, he will turn down all business and focus on providing military equipment to Song Ruilin.

Even so, ten days is not enough time.

Hearing this, Shen Qing seemed to be thinking about something.

Yang is the surname of the royal family of Daxia. Coming from the imperial capital, and with the surname Yang, even if he is not a member of the royal family, he can't be far off.

I thought Song Ruilin's sister married a remarkable person, but I didn't expect she had such a background.

Song Ruilin has connections in the imperial capital, plus his innate cultivation, so he can definitely become a close minister to the emperor in the court, and it would not be a problem for him to become a fourth-rank or even third-rank military officer.

Now he is hiding in this small city of Qianzhou, being a sixth-rank commander, he must have some ulterior motives...

After coming to his senses, Shen Qing immediately said goodbye and prepared to leave.

Shen Qing didn't care about the identity and background of Yang Qiancheng. If Yang Qiancheng wasn't so powerful, with open Qi channels and almost perfect acquired state, she would even have planned to kill him and then disguise herself and leave the city.

"If you have nothing to worry about, it would be best for you to leave Changling in the near future."

After a slight hesitation, the foundry engineer gave a subtle suggestion:

"If it's convenient, it's best to leave Qianzhou."

"Thank you for the reminder. What's your name?"

Shen Qing knew that his reminder was well-intentioned and thanked him immediately.

"My surname is Liu, and my given name is Yao."

"Why doesn't Brother Liu leave?" Shen Qing wondered.

Liu Yao seemed to be a smart man, so he would understand the meaning of Song Ruilin's sudden expansion of the army.

"Our roots for generations are here, and we can't leave."

Liu Yao sighed, shook his head, said no more, turned back to the foundry, and blended into the billowing black smoke.

Shen Qing did not stay for long and left soon. She was not in a hurry to return to the inn, but instead went to the Sihai Tower under the name of Tonghai Merchant Alliance.

Sihailou is the most core industry of Tonghai Merchant Alliance, and its main customers are not ordinary people, but people who practice martial arts.

Most of the things sold here are related to warriors and are very valuable.

Weapons, protective armor, medicinal powders and pills for healing wounds and increasing internal strength, and even various types of information...it can be said to have everything.

After entering Sihailou, Shen Qing went straight to the counter and stated his purpose straight away:

"I want a map within a 200-mile radius."

"The map of my Sihailou is divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. Which level do you want?"

The shopkeeper behind the counter was about forty years old, dressed in dark purple brocade, with a wealthy face and a smile in the corners of his eyes.

"What's the difference?"

"A first-class geomancy map shows all the dangerous mountain passes at a glance, and the mountain roads, big and small, are like the lines on the palm of your hand."

"Class B, the locations of cities and towns are clear, and all martial arts sects, including where there are bandits, are clearly marked, and updated every month."

"Class C only lists cities and slightly larger counties. It does not include deserted villages and towns, nor does it include the locations of many martial arts sects."

"The lowest-quality ones only indicate the location of the big city and the approximate route."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing asked about the price of the map one by one, and finally gritted his teeth and bought a second-grade map for twenty taels of silver.

It is now the beginning of the month and the Grade B map has just been updated and is still quite accurate.

She didn't need to deploy troops or use sophisticated feng shui maps; a second-rate map would suffice.

The reason for purchasing the map was that after obtaining the weapons, an extremely serious problem was placed before Shen Qing.

She didn't have much money left, so she had to find ways to increase income and reduce expenditure.

Saving money is naturally impossible. Saving money will limit the speed of improvement in one's cultivation. The medicinal materials needed for martial arts practice are indispensable and must not be cut off.

Then finding a way to open source became the only solution.

Killing people and setting fires will earn you a golden belt. A man cannot become rich without unexpected wealth, and a horse cannot grow fat without night grass. All Shen Qing can think of now is to rob other thieves.

The heroes in the martial arts world are generous and do the "righteous act" of robbing the rich to help the poor.

When she thought of this, she couldn't help but recall the stories in the books she had read in her previous life. The protagonists had constant adventures, and wherever they went, they met heroes from all walks of life. They had followers like clouds and spent money like water.

It is obviously impossible for her to live that kind of life now. Not to mention bowing down to them when they meet, it is normal for those heroes and knights to be excited about the sight of prey and take her as their husbands.

After all, they are children of the world.

The constraints that the court laws have on them are indeed limited.

Hurrying back to the inn, Shen Qing unfolded the map and looked at it carefully, and soon locked onto the target.

This map, which cost twenty taels of silver, is worth every penny. It not only shows the intertwining forces in various places, but also provides specific markings on their strengths.

Within a radius of 200 miles of Changling City, the most powerful force is called the Star-Moon Sword Sect, which covers an area of ​​more than 120 miles.

There are two martial arts masters in the sect and more than thirty innate masters, which is quite impressive.

Moreover, behind the Xingyue Sword Sect, there is a close connection with a great master who is based in Qianzhou.

This level of power is too far away from Shen Qing's current strength, so her target is a group of bandits less than thirty miles away from Changling City.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 17: Driving the tiger and swallowing the wolf

According to the map, there are about ten bandits in this gang. The leader is at the fourth level of the acquired realm, and the others are at the first to third level of the acquired realm. There is even a ruffian who doesn't know any martial arts.

With Shen Qing's current strength, and with Zhao Yu's cooperation, it wouldn't be a big problem to defeat this group of bandits.

After taking a look at the sky outside, Shen Qing went downstairs and asked for a lot of chili powder from the inn's kitchen. He mixed it with flour and kneaded it into dough balls.

After doing all this, the last rays of the sun disappeared at the end of the sky, and the dazzling light dissipated, revealing a sky full of stars.

"go out."

Shen Qing woke up Zhao Yu who was practicing martial arts on the bed and walked out of the city.

"Where are we going?" Zhao Yu glanced at the dark sky, somewhat puzzled.

"Killing for money."

Shen Qing raised her hand to hold the hilt of the knife behind her waist and strode towards the city gate. She didn't think that this was a righteous act, she just simply lacked money.

When leaving the city, the two were not stopped by anyone, but Shen Qing still noticed something was wrong.

The soldiers stationed at the city gate were already fully armed, all wearing fine armor, holding sharp weapons, and breathing long and deep, obviously they all had internal strength.

An army of people who practice martial arts are certainly good at fighting and can be as tough as tigers and wolves, but they also eat more and consume more energy, so food and fodder alone are a big problem.

To support an ordinary soldier in battle, including logistics, dozens of civilians are needed to work behind him. If it is a warrior, the number will be even more staggering.

For a small, remote town like this to form an army of warriors is too outrageous no matter how you think about it.

…………

…………

Thirty miles outside the city, we entered a continuous mountain range, where there were many bandits lurking.

Next to the official road, on an inconspicuous low peak, stand a few wooden houses.

In one of the wooden houses, an oil lamp was burning, and three figures were sitting around a table, talking in low voices.

"There's news from the city that Song Ruilin suddenly expanded his army, saying he wanted to suppress bandits."

A man in white shirt spoke first. He looked to be in his early twenties, with calm features and a very fair complexion.

"The drunkard's intention is not to drink. Song Ruilin's knife can't cut us."

A man in his thirties shook his head. There was an obvious burn scar on his left cheek, which looked a little scary under the candlelight.

"Brother, the brothers have some complaints and want to go somewhere else. Do you think we can change the rules?"

The most burly man among the three scratched his head and said, "We are all hot-blooded men. If you keep not letting us touch women, something bad will happen sooner or later."

His outward aura fluctuations were the strongest, having already entered the fourth level of the acquired realm, but among these three, he clearly did not have much say.