"Virgin boys and girls?!"
Zhou Peide's body stiffened at the words, his eyes snapping to Yuan Qu with disbelief. "Isn't he a disciple of the Law Vein? Why would he need those? In Xianyang City, no less—does he not want to live?!"
"Oh, Senior Brother Zhou…"
Yuan Qu shook his head slightly. "Rules are just rules. If everyone in this world followed them, how many would rise to power?"
"If Vice Minister Zuo followed the rules, could he have climbed to his high position?"
"If Master followed the rules, would he have taken me as a disciple?"
"If I followed the rules, could I have handled all the dirty work Master assigned? Would the Zhou family have its current influence?"
"Rules are for fools. Throughout history, which king or general rose to power by following them?"
"Hmph, if we followed the rules, Zhou Bai's vengeance would never be settled!"
Seeing Zhou Peide's hesitation, Yuan Qu sneered, "Senior Brother, do you really think Master doesn't know what I'm doing?"
"Master Chen runs his shop in Xianyang, doing whatever he pleases, and yet the Enforcement Hall never bothers him. He's not afraid, so why are you?"
Zhou Peide's eyes flickered with uncertainty. After a long pause, he finally said in a low voice, "You oversee the brokers too. Finding a few shouldn't be that hard…"
"Hard!"
Yuan Qu shook his head. "If it were that easy, why would they need us? The birth charts must match perfectly. I've already scoured every option."
"Senior Brother, don't you have the roster of youths registered for the village martial assemblies? It includes their birth charts. Master Chen still needs three more. If we can help him complete the set, avenging Zhou Bai will be a simple matter."
"And Master Chen also said Zhou Bai's injuries aren't beyond healing…"
"What?!"
Zhou Peide shot to his feet, incredulous. "Junior Brother Wang brought in several medical experts, and they all said there was no hope. He's not deceiving us, is he?"
Yuan Qu shook his head. "I've delivered the message. Believe it or not, it's up to you, Senior Brother. If he succeeds, he'll likely leave immediately."
"Senior Brother, miss this chance, and there won't be another…"
Zhou Peide took a deep breath and strode out.
"Tomorrow, I'll bring the roster…"
…
Watching Zhou Peide's departing figure, Yuan Qu let out a sigh of relief.
Creak~
The door to the main hall slowly opened, and a tall figure emerged, draped in a red robe with a flower-adorned hairpin—Zheng Heibei, the leader of the Iron Blade Gang.
He let out a cold laugh, plopping into a chair with a swagger. "That old bastard always looks down on us. Even when he's asking for help, he acts like this. Why bother with him?"
"You don't get it!"
Yuan Qu sat down, took a sip of tea, and said calmly, "In Xianyang City's current situation, with all the fighting, we're the ones in the most danger."
"Old Zhang and his lot keep hounding us. With Master's temperament, he didn't hesitate to abandon Zhou Bai. When the time comes, he'll surely use our lives to wash his hands clean."
"No surprise there."
Zheng Heibei scoffed. "Didn't we know this would happen the day we took him as Master? If things go south, I'm ready to bolt."
"Bolt?"
A flicker of malice flashed in Yuan Qu's eyes. He glanced around and lowered his voice. "This foundation was built through my blood and sweat. You might be willing to abandon it, but I'm not."
"Hmph, that old ghost thinks he's clever. Let's drag the Zhou family into this mess and see if he can still stay out of it!"
Zheng Heibei didn't argue. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "What about those blade fighters? What if…"
"No what-ifs!"
Yuan Qu cut him off sharply. "That Zheng guy isn't clean either. He's been secretly making moves, thinking he'll replace us after Master sells us out. But he doesn't know those blade fighters are all mine!"
"A penniless fool—how's he supposed to compete with me?"
"Remember, we're tied together now. If you don't want to end up a fugitive hunted across the rivers and lakes, you'd better cooperate."
"Hmph! That old bastard got one thing right."
"The one who laughs last is the winner…"
…
Scrape—! Scrape—!
The sky hadn't yet brightened when Sha Lifei was jolted awake by the noise in the courtyard.
The sounds of planing wood, chiseling, and sawing filled the air.
"Time to eat, time to eat!"
"Uncle, what's cooking today? It smells amazing!"
"Sour noodle soup, braised meat bowls, vegetable tofu…"
Sha Lifei was dead tired, wrapping his head in a blanket, but the mention of food made his mouth water. He rolled out of bed, clothes disheveled, and rushed outside.
The courtyard was a hive of activity.
Carpenters were already sweating through their work, the chill of the autumn morning no match for the steam rising from their heads as they tidied up and prepared to eat.
When Sha Lifei reached the front yard, his nose nearly twisted in anger.
Six massive pots were set up, flames roaring beneath. Two bubbled with sour noodle soup, two steamed with braised meat bowls, and two simmered with vegetable tofu, the aroma drilling straight into his nostrils.
Wang Daoxuan and Li Yan were crouched on the steps, bowls of sour noodle soup in hand, scarfing down braised meat and tofu, sweat beading on their foreheads.
"You two!"
Sha Lifei's lips trembled with rage. "You didn't even call me for the good stuff!"
Li Yan lifted his huge bowl, chopsticks clinking as he slurped the last of his noodles. He let out a satisfied burp and smirked. "You were sleeping like a dead pig. We couldn't wake you, and now you're blaming us?"
"Hahaha!"
The carpenters burst into laughter.
Sha Lifei didn't bother arguing. He grabbed a bowl, crouched on the steps, and ate so fiercely his eyes bulged and his neck strained.
Manager Wan arrived, a smile in his eyes, puffing on his long pipe. "Brother Li, finished eating? Come with me to check on the drum."
Li Yan's eyes lit up, and he hurried after him. "It's done already? That fast?"
"Haha, not quite…"
Manager Wan shook his head, chuckling as they walked. "A single drum, from selecting materials to cutting boards, shaping, drying, and stretching the hide, to nailing it down, takes at least a dozen steps. For our 'Sound Pavilion' craftsmanship, it's over twenty."
"No matter what, it takes at least a month."
"But you're in luck. The rhinoceros hide we got recently—I've already had it prepared, saving a lot of time…"
They reached the back courtyard.
Unlike the front, this was Manager Wan's personal space, filled with tools made of fine wood, polished to a glossy sheen.
Li Yan even caught a whiff of incense, a sign these were no ordinary items.
On a rack, the lightning-struck jujube wood had been cut and roasted into curved planks, neatly arranged for drying.
Jujube wood was already dense and tough, but the lightning's marks gave it a unique, striking beauty.
Li Yan inhaled through the Yang Technique, and a fierce, scorching scent flooded his nose, clearing his mind.
It was the aura of heavenly thunder contained in the lightning-struck jujube wood.
Not even forged into a magical tool yet, it already held such power—no wonder it was a top-grade material.
Li Yan couldn't help but smile.
Manager Wan spoke up. "One more thing, young brother. I've reduced the war drum's size by half."
"It's not that I'm being stingy. Once this drum is complete and consecrated as a true magical tool, if it were the size of a Qin or Han war drum, you'd barely manage a few strikes before your spirit would shake and you'd be injured."
"I know your situation. Magical arts aren't mastered in a day, but this hidden strength needs constant practice, or it's like rowing against the current. This size is just right."
"This lightning-struck jujube wood is a treasure of heaven and earth. A few more days of drying, then we'll stretch the hide and nail it down. Within seven days, you'll have your treasure."
"I'll follow your guidance, Senior."
Li Yan nodded, recognizing the man's good intentions.
"And another thing."
Manager Wan pulled a wooden box from his robe and carefully opened it, revealing a plain-looking leather cord. Yet Li Yan caught a potent scent of incense, laced with a cold, lethal aura.
Manager Wan lowered his voice. "Reducing the size left some lightning-struck wood, which I'll keep. But I won't let you lose out."
"Among the rhinoceros hides we got, one had some cultivation and was enshrined in the Doumu Temple's Taibai Mansion. I used it to make this cord for the drum's tassel."
"I kept a piece for myself. Give me your blade tassel."
Li Yan's eyes brightened as he handed over the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin tassel.
Manager Wan deftly disassembled it and entered the inner hall, lighting three sticks of incense before the ancestral statue. He began weaving.
His hands moved like shadows, tying each knot with a magical gesture, chanting softly, and pointing at the knot before moving to the next.
Li Yan could sense it—each knot infused with a cold, lethal aura mixed with the scent of incense.
Knotting the murderous intent (sha)!
His eyes gleamed.
Wang Daoxuan had told him: a blade without firmness lacks sharpness; a talisman without murderous intent lacks spirit. When crafting talismans, the head and core are just the basics. To make a talisman effective, it needs "knotting the murderous intent" and "inscribing the divine name."
"Knotting the murderous intent means infusing the talisman with potent or lethal energy.
"Inscribing the divine name" means writing the name of a deity.
Only with these two steps is a talisman functional.
The fact that Manager Wan could infuse his craft with fiendish qi was proof enough—his background was anything but ordinary.
No wonder, as Wang Daoxuan had hinted, this kindly old manager was also an elder of Xianyang's artisan guild, with a cultivation level two stories high.
Finally, before the three incense sticks burned out, Manager Wan finished the blade tassel.
The new tassel was plainer, hiding the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin completely, its aura so restrained it seemed ordinary unless activated.
Li Yan took it, his face lighting up with joy.
From now on, he wouldn't have to worry about the Three Talents Coin drawing attention.
After finishing, Manager Wan looked weary, taking a few puffs from his pipe and smiling. "This tassel can also hang on the war drum. If you strike it to expel evil, its power will double. But I'm afraid your spiritual reserves might not be enough to activate it."
"Thank you, Senior."
Li Yan bowed deeply.
Manager Wan waved it off. "No need. Zhao Donkey told me if it weren't for your help, we wouldn't have gotten this lightning-struck wood, and my plans would've fallen through."
"We unorthodox practitioners can't compare to the orthodox sects. We have to support each other."
"Senior, your kindness is great!"
Li Yan clasped his fists in gratitude again.
Manager Wan had been a huge help this time. With the gold from the bandit stronghold, once things in Xianyang settled, he could head to Taibai Mountain to build a temple.
With the magical tool nearly complete, his mood soared.
He stayed another day, and by noon, feeling restless with nothing to do, he grabbed some wine and food, planning to head up the mountain to drink with Zhao Donkey.
But before he could leave, a man burst into the courtyard, panicked, and dropped to his knees with a thud, wailing:
"Uncle Wan, Zhuzi's been kidnapped! Please, save him!"
He kowtowed repeatedly, blood streaming from his forehead…
*(End of Chapter)*