The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 59: Reforging the Demon Suppression Coin

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Reforging the Demon Suppression Coin

"Young boys and girls?!"

When Zhou Peide heard this, his body stiffened immediately. He looked at Yuan Qu in disbelief, "Isn’t he a disciple of the Mystical Sect’s Magic Veins? What does he need them for, and in Xianyang City no less? Does he have a death wish!"

"My dear Brother Zhou..."

Yuan Qu shook his head slightly and said, "Rules are just rules. If everyone in this world abided by rules, how would so many people achieve fame and wealth?"

"If Left Minister Lu abided by the rules, could he have climbed to such a high position?"

"If Master followed the rules, would he have taken me as a disciple?"

"If I followed the rules, could I have completed all those dirty tasks handed down by Master? Would the Zhou Family have such influence today?"

"Rules are made for fools. Throughout history, which king or noble rose to power by following rules?"

"Heh, if we followed the rules, Zhou Bai’s enmity should never be avenged!"

Seeing Zhou Peide still hesitant, Yuan Qu sneered and said, "Brother, do you really think Master doesn’t know about the things I do?"

"Master Chen opened a shop in Xianyang and has been doing his business without any trouble from the Law Enforcement Hall. If he isn’t afraid, why should you be?"

Zhou Peide’s eyes flickered uncertainly. After a long pause, he finally said in a deep voice, "The brokers over there are also under your control, finding a few shouldn’t be too difficult..."

"It’s difficult!"

Yuan Qu shook his head and said, "If it were that simple, why would they need us? The birth dates must match exactly, and I’ve already searched everywhere I can."

"Doesn’t Brother possess the roster of boys registered for the Divine Fist Association in the villages? It has the birth dates. Master Chen needs three more. If we can help him gather them, avenging Zhou Bai would be a piece of cake."

"Moreover, Master Chen also said, Zhou Bai’s injuries are not beyond healing..."

"What?!"

Zhou Peide suddenly stood up, incredulous, "Brother Wang even invited several medical experts, all of whom said there was no cure. Is he deceiving us?"

Yuan Qu shook his head and said, "I’ve relayed the message. Believe it or not, Brother, that’s up to you. Once he’s done with the task, he might leave immediately."

"Brother, this opportunity won’t come again..."

Zhou Peide took a deep breath, got up, and left.

"Tomorrow, I’ll bring you the roster..."

...

Watching Zhou Peide’s departing figure, Yuan Qu let out a sigh of relief.

Creak~

The door of the main hall creaked open slowly, and a tall figure emerged, draped in a red robe, with floral hairpins on his head. It was none other than Zheng Hebei, the gang leader of the Iron Blade Gang.

He let out a cold laugh, sat down in a grand manner, and cursed, "That old thing has always looked down on us. Even when asking for help, he acts like that. Why do you bother with him?"

"What do you know!"

Yuan Qu sat down, took a sip of tea, and said indifferently, "In the current chaos of Xianyang City, we are the ones in the most danger."

"Old Man Zhang and the others won’t let us go. With Master’s nature, he could even abandon Zhou Bai and would definitely use our lives to absolve himself of any involvement."

"How troublesome."

Zheng Hebei sneered, "From the day I became his disciple, I expected this day to come. Anyway, if the situation looks bad, I’m ready to run."

"Run?"

A flicker of dark fire appeared in Yuan Qu’s eyes. Looking around, he said in a deep voice, "This foundation was built through my hard work. You might be willing to give it up, but I’m not."

"Hmph, that old ghost is dreaming. I’ll drag the Zhou Family into the mess too and see if he can still stay out of it then!"

Zheng Hebei did not argue, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "What about that group of bladesmen? What if..."

"There’s no ’what if!’"

Yuan Qu interrupted him directly, "The bastard surnamed Zheng isn’t honest either. He’s always secretly plotting, thinking that after Master sells us out, he can take over. But he never realized, those bladesmen were all raised by me!"

"A penniless guy, what does he have to compete with me!"

"Remember, you and I are in the same boat now. If you don’t want to end up wandering the pugilistic world being hunted down, cooperate well."

"Hmph! That old thing was right about one thing."

"The one who laughs last is the true winner..."

...

Hiss—! Hiss—!

Before dawn, Sha Lifei was woken by the noise in the courtyard.

The sounds of wood scraping, chiseling, and sawing reverberated everywhere.

"Time to eat, time to eat!"

"Uncle, what are you making today? Smells so good!"

"Fermented soup noodles, covered bowl meat, vegetable tofu..."

Sha Lifei was so sleepy he could die, but upon hearing the mention of food, his mouth started to water uncontrollably. He flipped over, scrambled into clothes, and rushed outside.

Indeed, the courtyard was bustling with activity.

The carpenters were drenched in sweat, and though the autumn morning was chilly, steam rose from their heads as they wrapped up their tasks, ready for a meal.

As Sha Lifei reached the front yard, he was furious at the sight before him.

Six large pots had been set up, flames roaring underneath. Two pots cooked fermented soup noodles, two steamed covered bowl meat, and two brewed vegetable tofu, the aroma enticingly wafting into his nostrils.

Wang Daoxuan and Li Yan were sitting on the steps, sweating profusely as they ate fermented soup noodles paired with covered bowl meat and vegetable tofu.

"Well, you two!"

Sha Lifei’s lips trembled with rage, "You didn’t even think of calling me for such delicious food!"

Li Yan picked up a large bowl, making the chopsticks clatter as he stirred, and only after swallowing the last mouthful did he burp and mock, "You slept like a dead pig, couldn’t wake you up even if we tried, and now blame us..."

"Hahaha!"

The carpenters burst into laughter.

Sha Lifei couldn’t even be bothered to argue, grabbed a bowl and squatted on the steps, eating so fiercely that his eyes bulged and face reddened.

Manager Wan also arrived, smiling, holding a large pipe, "Brother Li, done eating? Come on, follow me to check out the drum."

Li Yan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly followed, "It’s finished already, so fast?"

"Haha, how is that possible..."

As Manager Wan walked, he shook his head laughing, "Making a drum, from selecting materials, cutting boards, stretching, drying, to covering it with skin and adding nails, ordinary ones require more than ten steps. At our ’Wensheng Pavilion,’ the process has over twenty."

"No matter what, it takes over a month."

"But you’re lucky. The Si Skin brought back some time ago was already being processed by me, saving quite a bit of time..."

As they spoke, he led him to the back courtyard.

Unlike the front, this was Manager Wan’s dwelling. It also had many tools, but all crafted from top-quality wood, oiled to a shiny finish.

Li Yan even sensed some incense aura, indicating they were not ordinary items.

On the shelves, the Thunderstruck Jujube Wood that was brought back had been cut and baked into curved planks, neatly arranged to dry.

Originally fine and tough, the jujube wood, combined with the patterns formed by the thunderstrike, had an exquisite beauty.

Li Yan used Yang Jue to sniff, and instantly a fiery, robust scent filled his nose, clearing his mind.

It was precisely the Thunder Astral Gang Qi contained in the Thunderstruck Jujube Wood.

Even before refining into a Magic Artifact, its power was impressive. No wonder it’s considered a premium material in making artifacts.

Li Yan couldn’t help but smile.

Manager Wan, standing by, added, "There’s something else I need to tell you, young man. I’ve reduced the size of the war drum by half."

"Not because I’m stingy, but once this drum is completed and enlightened, turning into a real Magic Artifact, if made to the size of Qin Han war drums, I fear a few strikes would injure your Divine Soul."

"I understand your situation, spells aren’t learned in a day, but the Hidden Energy requires constant practice. Otherwise, it’s like sailing upstream; this size is just right."

"The Thunderstruck Jujube Wood is itself a Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure. Just a few days’ drying is needed, then skinning and nailing. In seven days, you’ll have your treasure ready."

"I’ll trust your judgment."

Li Yan understood the goodwill and nodded immediately.

"There’s more."

Manager Wan took out a wooden box from his sleeve, carefully opening it. Inside was a piece of leather cord, seemingly ordinary, but Li Yan detected a rich scent of incense mixed with a cold, lethal aura emanating from it.

In a low voice, Manager Wan said, "The reduction left some Thunderstruck Wood for me as well. I can’t let you suffer a loss."

"Amongst the Si Skin we acquired, one had already developed Dao, offered at the Doumu Temple Taibai Mansion. We made it into leather cords for the drum’s tassels."

"I kept a bit for myself; hand me your Demon Suppressing Coin Blade Tassel."

Li Yan’s eyes lit up, and he quickly handed over the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Blade Tassel.

Manager Wan effortlessly dismantled it, then approached the altar, lit three incense sticks before the Ancestor, and began braiding.

His hands moved swiftly, like light and shadows, and with each knot, he would pinch the spell, murmuring continuously, pointing at the knot before proceeding to the next step.

Li Yan could sense each knot infused with an icy Evil Qi blended with the scent of incense.

Knotting Evil!

His eyes brightened immediately.

Wang Daoxuan once told him, a blade must be sharp, a talisman without Evil Qi isn’t effective. When crafting a talisman, the talisman head and heart are just the basics; to truly make the talisman efficacious, it needs "Knotting Evil" and "Entering Taboos."

"Knotting Evil" meant infusing Gang Qi and Evil Qi into the talisman paper.

"Entering Taboos" involved inscribing the name of a Divine.

Only after these two steps does a talisman become useful.

Manager Wan could integrate Knotting Evil into artifact refining, clearly possessing an extraordinary heritage.

But of course, without Wang Daoxuan’s hint, who could think this amiable old manager was an Elder of the Xianyang Craftsmen Guild with a Dao level two stories high?

Finally, before the three incense sticks burnt out, Manager Wan completed the blade tassel.

The new blade tassel was more unembellished, hiding the Three Talents Demon Suppression Coin entirely, even suppressing its scent. Without activation, it seemed no different from an ordinary item.

Li Yan received it with great delight evident on his face.

From now on, there was no worry of the Three Talents Demon Suppression Coin attracting unwanted attention.

After the blade tassel was fabricated, Manager Wan seemed visibly tired, took a few drags from his pipe, and smiled, "This tassel can also hang on the war drum. When the drum strikes for Evil Exorcism, its power will double, but I fear you lack sufficient Storing God to activate it."

"Thank you, Senior."

Li Yan bowed deeply.

Manager Wan waved it off, "No need, Zhao Lvzi told me, without your help, the Thunderstruck Wood may not have been retrieved, and my plans would have failed."

"We side door magicians can’t compare to the true Mystical Sect and must support each other."

"Senior is indeed righteous!"

Li Yan expressed his gratitude once more with a cupped fist.

Manager Wan had indeed been a great help this time. Combined with the gold obtained from the bandit camp, once the affairs in Xianyang were settled, he could head to Taibai Mountain to establish a pavilion.

With the Magic Artifact completed, his spirits soared.

He lingered for another day, and by noon, finding himself really bored, he grabbed some wine and food, intending to climb the mountain to drink with Zhao Lvzi.

However, before he could leave, a man charged into the courtyard in a panic, collapsed to his knees with a thud, and wailed,

"Old Man Wan, Zhuzi has been abducted, I beg you to save him!"

He cried as he kowtowed, his forehead covered in fresh blood...