Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 50 Merits and Demerits, Rewards and Punishments, New Weapons

"Brother Chen, you've done a tremendous service! A life-saving service!"

After reading the entire letter, Duan Yufeng excitedly patted Chen Yu on the shoulder.

"Think about what would happen ten days from now if this letter hadn't been sent?"

"If they really join forces, the entire garrison of Guiyan City will be wiped out within an hour. Even if my Sunset City goes to their aid, we will only be defeated one by one."

"The enemy is unaware that the letter has been lost. They will proceed according to the original plan in ten days. These ten days are enough for Guiyan City to change the water source, inspect the food supplies, set up ambushes, and capture the traitors."

"At that time, we can coordinate the forces of the two cities, use Guiyan City to close the gates and beat the enemy, and use Luori City to bypass the enemy and destroy the stronghold of Hanya Sect. We can attack from both sides at the same time and dismantle the enemy's arrangements in one go."

"So, Brother Chen, what you intercepted was not just a piece of parchment, but the enemy's entire strategy and the lives of 30,000 defenders in two cities."

"Without this letter, fighting separately will only lead to certain death, but with it, as long as the two cities work together, the Canglang tribe has no chance of winning!"

"Is the Azure Wolf Tribe really that terrifying? It takes two cities joining forces to fight them?"

Chen Yu asked, puzzled.

Duan Yufeng continued to answer.

"Brother Chen, you have never been on the battlefield and do not know how terrifying the Canglang tribe is."

"To put it simply, the Canglang tribe is not an ordinary bandit group, but an organized, well-informed, and unscrupulous elite force of the grasslands."

"Don't underestimate them just because they only have five thousand iron cavalry. Every single one of them has the strength of the Blood Refining Realm. They can fire three arrows in quick succession while on the move, and they can fight through the forest at night as if walking on flat ground. They never attack a city head-on. Instead, they use feints, lure the enemy, cut off their supplies, and harass them, waiting for the moment when your command is most chaotic before striking a fatal blow."

"Moreover, they have been smuggling and trading with the border residents for many years, and have planted many spies in the grain routes, post stations, and caravans. Every time the border troops go out to patrol, they can always avoid them in advance; every time the border troops are rotated, they will come to test them. The fact that this letter was able to bribe the guards on the grain route was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the result of years of infiltration."

"What's most terrifying is that the Canglang tribe is ruthless. They massacre villages without leaving any survivors, and they skin the captured scouts and display their skins. They don't care about rules, they only care about the results. Their cooperation with the Hanya Cult shows that they are willing to use any means, including evil magic, poison water, poisoned food, and plagues."

Chen Yu remained silent.

He didn't really know much about what happened on the battlefield.

However, in any case, thwarting the enemy's plot will ensure the stability of Sunset City.

Only in a stable environment can one have time to develop steadily.

"Brother Chen..."

Duan Yufeng hesitated for a moment, but finally made up his mind to speak.

"Have you seen where Xu Lingyan's silver notes went?"

"He came here to do arms trading; he couldn't possibly be without money, could he?"

"If I can't find the money, it'll be hard for me to explain to my superiors..."

Duan Yufeng repeatedly tried to subtly probe, but Chen Yu wasn't one to be oblivious.

I still need to develop my business in Sunset City, so I have to give face to the City Guard. I can't keep this silver note all to myself today.

"That's exactly what I was thinking of saying."

Chen Yu picked up the conversation.

"I just found three thousand taels of silver notes on Xu Lingyan, which I guess he used to buy weapons."

Three large boxes of weapons must be worth more than three thousand taels, right?

This guy in front of me really did eat a lot...

Duan Yufeng's thoughts changed again.

This money is rightfully theirs.

Why was I late?

Without merit, there is naturally no reward.

"Brother Chen, just let this three thousand taels pass through my hands, so I can give you an explanation to your superiors."

"I'll add the three thousand taels to the bounty later, and then it'll be back in your hands. How about that?"

"Can."

"Thank you so much, Brother Chen, you've done me a great favor again!"

Duan Yufeng bowed in thanks.

His face darkened again the moment he saw the signature on the banknote.

"The Anchor Society has even gotten involved!"

"And what's the story behind this iron anchor?"

Chen Yu asked.

"The Iron Anchor Society originated from the remnants of the Grand Canal naval forces at the end of the previous dynasty."

"When the Grand Canal was rerouted, a large number of grain transport workers lost their jobs. One of them, a grain transport fleet led by General Zhou Zhenhai, refused to disband and fled into the world with the 300,000 shi of military grain that the imperial court had not yet transported."

"The Iron Anchor Society's headquarters is located on Anchor Island in the East China Sea. Using an iron anchor as its symbol and the motto 'Anchoring the four seas, ensuring food supply throughout the world,' it has established a gray empire spanning both land and water at the confluence of the coast and inland rivers."

"Tongzhou, Yunzhou, Haizhou, Huaizhou, Qingzhou, and Wanzhou are their six major anchor towns."

"With the Iron Anchor Society's immense power, obtaining weapons would be a simple matter of a word. Why would they need to negotiate with these scoundrels, the Crow Cult?"

Chen Yu was puzzled.

Duan Yufeng answered all his questions and continued his story.

"Although the Iron Anchor Society is powerful, it is not without rivals."

"In Sunset City, the Iron Anchor Society has two major enemies: the Canal Gang and the Salt Gang."

"The orthodox canal gang views the Iron Anchor Society as 'canal thieves,' and the two factions have a long-standing feud. Last year, the anchorage in Yunzhou was burned down by the canal gang, and thirty-six anchormen were drowned at the bottom of the river. The two sides have reached a point of no return."

"The Salt Gang is a different story. The Iron Anchor Society controls the 'transportation,' while the Salt Gang controls the 'production.' On the surface, they keep to themselves, but Shen Wanchao, the Golden Chain Elder of the Iron Anchor Society, secretly acquires salt fields, intending to integrate production and sales and break the century-old pattern. From then on, the two sides became enemies and began to fight each other openly and secretly."

"It seems the Anchor Society is in a bad situation now, and they even have to rely on the power of the Raven Cult."

Compared to the Iron Anchor Meeting, Chen Yu had another issue he was more concerned about.

"Brother Duan, I need your help with something too."

"Please go to the Sword Forging Manor and help me testify that Han Feilong colluded with the Cold Crow Sect to smuggle weapons!"

Chen Yu looked serious. He knew that his position in the Sword Forging Manor was not high, and that no one might believe what he said.

With Duan Yufeng, an official, as a witness, a lot of unnecessary trouble can be saved.

"No problem, that's exactly what I was thinking too."

Duan Yufeng readily agreed.

The two said no more and quickly returned.

Back at the Sword Forging Manor, they ran into Hou San right outside the gate.

"Just as I expected, this guy was taking a chance, thinking that no one had seen him while he was hiding in the carriage, so he dared to run straight back to the manor."

Chen Yu pushed off with his feet and leaped into the air.

Like a giant eagle descending from the sky, it snatched Hou San from the carriage.

Upon arriving at the court of law, Zhou Juncheng, the presiding officer, and Hou San had a heart-to-heart, friendly exchange.

In a joyful atmosphere, Hou San was deeply moved and finally confessed to all his crimes.

Following the clues, they implicated Han Feilong, Meng Feishang, and more than a dozen other people involved in the case from the outer and middle courts.

Seeing that Hou San had confessed honestly, Zhou Juncheng finally put down the branding iron in his hand.

"Deacon Zhou, I have some physical evidence here."

Chen Yu took out half a piece of willow bark and seven sets of bronze keys from the package.

The willow bark contained information about the secret dealings between Han Feilong and Xu Lingyan.

After checking, Zhou Juncheng picked up the key and examined it closely.

"These...these are the keys to the various halls in the inner courtyard?"

Zhou Juncheng's expression grew increasingly serious.

"It seems this matter is quite complex, even involving the inner court!"

Duan Yufeng spoke up: "Deacon Zhou, you're being blinded by your own involvement. Your vision is limited to the interior of the manor, and you haven't been able to see the overall situation clearly."

"Think about it, without the inner court's backing, how could the Cold Crow Sect dare to do business with a nobody like Han Feilong?"

"Duan Chasi is absolutely right!"

Zhou Juncheng nodded and bowed, as if he had realized something.

"Han Feilong is merely an apprentice in the outer academy, and his master, Meng Feishang, is only a third-class craftsman. For them to be able to produce so many weapons at once, they must have someone supporting them!"

"Young Master Duan, I am truly sorry! This matter is of great importance, and I must report it to the Hall Master immediately! I cannot invite you for a drink today, but I will treat you another day so we can drink heartily as an apology."

Seeing Zhou Juncheng's anxious expression, Duan Yufeng said no more.

"The official business is urgent, and it is inconvenient for me to stay any longer. I will take my leave now and we will meet again another day."

The three of them left one after another.

……

The following morning, the court delivered its verdict in the case.

The document was distributed throughout the entire village, and Chen Yu picked up a copy and read it carefully.

Judgment of the Sword Casting Manor Family Law and Official Transfer Documents:

Sword Forging Manor has been established for ninety-three years, with the iron motto being "Forging iron into tools, and not engaging in evil ways."

On August 16th of this year, a major transgression was discovered in the village.

The craftsmen Meng Feishang, Wen Chenyi (the furnace master), Wu Chen (the accountant), Han Feilong (the apprentice), and Hou San secretly colluded with the Cold Crow Sect, offering to forge military weapons as a pledge of loyalty in exchange for the sect's "talismans" and "secret medicines."

The Cold Crow Cult is an evil cult that the imperial court has ordered to be eradicated. They use human blood to quench fire and sacrifice living people in their furnaces, and their actions are insidious.

These five people not only violated the rules of the village and the laws of the country, but also became tainted by evil spirits, defiling the purity of my furnace fire.

The heads of the Zhuang family discussed the matter and concluded that although the family rules were strict, they were insufficient to punish the crime of colluding with a cult. Since the matter involved a warrant for the imperial court's arrest warrant, it could not be settled privately.

Therefore, we will first enforce the family law, and then hand the case over to the relevant authorities, so as to prove the innocence of our village.

At midnight, our village opened the torture chamber. The four main culprits, after being branded with hot irons and given salt water to rouse their senses, all confessed the truth.

Meng Fei confessed: Xu Lingyan, the leader of the Cold Crow Cult, promised that "after the cult is established, he will be granted land and made a king." Therefore, he presented forty iron knives and three hundred crossbow bolts as tribute.

Wen Chenyi confessed: Xu Lingyan taught him the "Secret Method of Tempering with Human Blood", which uses the blood of prisoners to temper blades, making the blades appear with crow patterns and exceptionally sharp. He knew he had fallen into evil ways, but the secret method was so tempting that he could not resist.

Wu Chen confessed: In order to change the records within the sect, weapons were disassembled and marked as farm tools, and secret codes were used to communicate with the sect's spies.

Hou San confessed: He delivered goods to the mass grave outside the city seven times and personally witnessed living people being sacrificed to the furnace. He was terrified but dared not report it.

Han Feilong is dead, and the other four will be punished according to the family law.

Meng Fei is guilty of leading the rebellion against the village and inviting evil into the house; his crime is unforgivable.

He was stripped of his third-class craftsmanship, his right hand tendons were crippled, and his foot tendons were severed as a warning to others.

Wen Chenyi: The furnace head taints the furnace fire, human blood replaces the clear spring, and evil magic forges blades.

He severed all five fingers of his right hand, banished him from ever touching a hammer again, and branded the character "crow" on his forehead so that all craftsmen in the world would know of his depravity.

Wu Chen: His pen and ink aid evil, and his mind is insidious and vicious.

Gouge out their eyes and cut out their tongues.

Hou San: He assisted in smuggling on multiple occasions and witnessed evil rituals without reporting them.

Hit eighty with the rod and cut off the ears.

The above four offenders, though punished according to family rules, still had breaths of life left.

Eleven other accomplices have also been apprehended.

This matter concerns the Cold Crow Cult and cannot be settled within the village. It is now being transferred to the City Guard for investigation.

On the 17th day of the eighth month of the 43rd year of Yongchang, the Sword Casting Manor submitted a memorial.

After carefully reading through all the contents, Chen Yu felt that something was amiss.

The document doesn't mention a single person from the inner court!

"Han Feilong and his apprentice were merely the executors of the deal; the real strategists were the people behind them."

"Anyone with eyes can see that only members of the inner court have the power to facilitate such a large-scale weapons deal."

"Only a few underlings have been punished so far, which means the real big fish hasn't been caught yet."

"Or perhaps he has already been discovered, but someone with greater power has protected him."

"Regardless of the situation, it indicates that there are serious problems within the resort!"

Just as I finished reading the judgment, the curtain of the fine blacksmith's workshop suddenly moved on its own without any wind.

Then there was a loud "bang".

Someone bumped into the door frame.

Chen Yu looked up and saw his senior sister, Luo Ninghai.

A huge body was squeezing in through the doorway.

"Junior brother, look at this!"

Luo Ninghai strode forward, clutching a piece of yellow paper in his hand.

Chen Yu took the yellow paper and saw that it was a reward from the manor.

Sword Forging Manor - Special Reward Order for Outstanding Contributions:

Chen Yu, a disciple of the Central Academy, is twenty-three years old and comes from Changhe County, Sunset City. He has been in the manor for a month and a half and is in charge of fine forging.

On the sixteenth day of the eighth month this year, it was discovered that Han Feilong, an apprentice at the Outer Court, had secretly colluded with the Cold Crow Sect.

He intercepted Han Feilong's delivery outside Sunset City, killed him single-handedly, and then broke into Luoya Ferry at night, personally killing the incense master Xu Lingyan and capturing the traitor Hou San alive.

The villa's innocence was thus preserved, and the cult's conspiracy was thus uncovered.

This achievement is truly a meritorious deed of beheading the rebel leader and seizing all the evidence; therefore, he is hereby awarded six great rewards in recognition of his merit.

First, five thousand taels of silver will be withdrawn by the Foreign Affairs Office on the same day, without being deposited into the public account, and exempted from commission and taxation.

Second, you will receive 3,000 contribution points, which will allow you to borrow all the books on the three lower floors of the library without paying any fees.

Third, you are granted special permission to enter the underground level of Cangfeng Cave and freely choose a weapon.

Fourth, he was bestowed the title "Crow Slayer" and the craftsmanship title "Chen Crow Slayer". His name was included in the first volume of the "Iron Book of the Central Courtyard". He was specially permitted to set up a "Crow Slayer Furnace" in the Central Courtyard, recruit five apprentices, and bear all profits and losses himself. The estate would take a 10% cut, and the forging skills would be counted as contribution points.

Fifth, a pardon will be granted, made of fine iron and inscribed with "Meritorious Official of Sword Casting Manor". Except for the crimes of patricide and betrayal of the manor, all other crimes will be pardoned.

Sixth, the hereditary status of craftsmen in the manor will be granted to their descendants for life, exempting them from examinations. Upon entering the manor, they will be granted official craftsman status, and within three generations, one person will be allowed to directly fill the position of "Crow-Slaying Furnace" furnace head.

This serves as the basis.

Ye Qingcang, the master of Zhujian Manor (Master's Seal)

Lu Dabao, Head of the Foreign Affairs Hall (Seal of the Head of the Hall)

Zhou Zhengqing (Iron Brand) is the head of the Intermediate People's Court.

Chen Yu was slightly surprised when he saw the contents of the reward.

"I didn't expect the rewards to be so generous, covering multiple aspects, including tangible rewards, honorary titles, and even benefits for future generations. It seems the resort takes this case very seriously!"

"It's just that this honorary title sounds a bit awful, Chen Zhanya... I'm still called White-Cut Chicken..."

Chen Yu thought to himself, "This is what I'm thinking."

"The main focus is still on choosing a weapon for the Hidden Peak Cave. Both of my swords were swallowed by the Eye of the Raven God, so I need a new weapon."

"Having a good weapon gives you the confidence to go out and fight!"

Chen Yu looked up and saw Luo Ninghai staring wide-eyed at him.

She kept muttering to herself, pointing at the words "five thousand taels of silver," "three thousand taels of silver as contribution," and "hereditary artisan status" on the special reward order, her voice unusually excited.

"I read it seven times! Seven times! I thought I, Liang Wen, was just bad at reading and had misread it. In just one night, you went from being the youngest junior apprentice in the workshop to the master of the furnace!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, and spittle flew onto Chen Yu's face.

"Look at this 'Self-Reliance Upon Opening the Furnace'! Look at this 'Iron Plaque for Exonerating'! I, Luo Ninghai, have been forging iron in the Fine Forging Workshop for ten years, forging twenty-five exquisite weapons, and only earned five hundred contribution points. You... your contribution points have suddenly reached three thousand!"

Luo Ninghai patted his chest, trying to make his voice sound more relaxed.

"Three thousand forgings... How many swords would that take? How much coal would that require?"

"Junior brother, you've burned through a lifetime's worth of skills in one night."

She paused, a complex expression flashing across her dark face.

It was a mixture of envy, resentment, and a touch of shyness.

"Senior sister, I... am volunteering. I don't need a monthly salary, I just want to follow you into the 'Crow-Slaying Furnace' and share some 'forging' tasks with you. With another 500 contribution points, I can be promoted to a first-class craftsman. I will definitely repay you then!"

"..."

Chen Yu was momentarily at a loss for words.

A moment of silence.

Luo Ninghai shoved the special reward order into Chen Yu's arms and pushed him out.

"Go collect your reward, and don't forget to treat your senior sister to a meal when you get back!"

Chen Yu stood outside the door, pondered for a moment, and decided to go to Cangfeng Cave to select new weapons first.