Coming out of the shops on the west side, the murmurs of people in the market were already audible.
"A Treasure Plant was found! I heard some young man from one of the villages found a Dark Scarlet Root."
"A Dark Scarlet Root? That must be worth at least ten taels of silver!"
"More than that! Manager Song personally looked at it. I bet it was worth dozens of taels!"
"Did anyone see who it was?"
"No, Manager Song was right there; who would dare approach? I say it was probably some old rogue who sent a kid to sell it..."
The news spread like wildfire, with people whispering and gossiping. Mountain-men, hunters, and loggers alike looked on with envy. A single Treasure Plant was enough to change a family's status.
Su Yan found the rumors somewhat annoying—his seven-plus taels of silver had been exaggerated to dozens. Ignoring the gossip, he quickened his pace toward the east street.
This street was much wider, and the sounds of the mountain people seemed much quieter, failing to drown out the clang of iron from the Tianfeng Weapon Shop branch at the end of the street.
These were all shops belonging to the major city families, and the saying that "the customer is always right" did not apply here. The mountain people moved cautiously, careful not to cause any trouble. This was the only way for the common folk to protect themselves.
Su Yan first went to purchase essentials like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and rice, spending about 300 copper coins. He then bought two pairs of sturdy, closed shoes for mountain-trekking, replacing his worn straw sandals. These were a bit expensive, costing over 700 copper coins.
After buying these supplies, Su Yan walked straight to the Tianfeng Weapon Shop branch.
The incessant clang of hammers was deafening, and a wave of heat hit him before he even entered the door. Inside the shop, two masters and six or seven apprentices and clerks were bare-chested, revealing their strong, muscular physiques. They were covered in sweat as they hammered the iron, not resting for a moment.
There's a saying that life has three hard labors: punting a boat, forging iron, and grinding tofu. Centered around a fiery forge all day with barely a moment's rest, iron-forging was a brutal manual labor. Despite this, people constantly flocked to become apprentices at the Tianfeng Weapon Shop.
"Young man, are you here for farm tools or something useful for self-defense?"
As soon as he stepped inside, a slightly more neatly dressed clerk came up to him. He wasn't bare-chested but wore a coarse cloth short shirt with a sweat-wiping cloth strip tied around his waist.
The Dali Dynasty respected martial power, and weapons were neither prohibited nor controllable.
"A heavy bow for hunting, and a Mountain-Cleaving Broadsword ."
Su Yan was concise, stating his purpose clearly.
"A Mountain-Cleaving Broadsword is two taels and three Qian of silver (2.3 taels). As for the hardwood bow, young man, do you want a 50-jin draw weight or a 60-jin draw weight?"
The craftsmen directly used jin (half kilogram) to measure the bow's draw weight, saving the trouble of conversions.
'The bamboo bow's aim is unreliable, and even the toughest bamboo can only manage a draw weight of about 30 jin at most; it can't take down large prey. Given how quickly my strength is growing, 50 jin won't last long, and 60 jin probably won't either.'
So he asked, "Do you have a 70-jin hardwood bow, and a quiver of arrows?"
"We do! If there's one thing our Tianfeng Weapon Shop doesn't lack, it's weapons. We can even sell you a powerful bow of the Sharp-Tool grade."
The clerk spoke with confidence, which was, in fact, their selling point.
"Sharp-Tool?"
Su Yan's curiosity was piqued, and he asked instinctively.
The clerk, wanting to show off, explained: "Sharp-Tools are superior weapons forged by master craftsmen. They can cut hair and slice through iron like mud, and they add a third more power when fighting others."
The relationship between the tool and the person is reciprocal. While one must be skilled oneself, if two people of equal ability face off, and one pulls out a dagger while the other pulls out a machete, the result will likely be decided by the weapon. Su Yan understood this principle: not using a weapon and not having one are two different things.
"However..."
Before Su Yan could reply, the clerk changed the subject: "Sharp-Tools are not only expensive, costing at least dozens of taels of silver per piece, but their weight and the strength required to use them are also beyond what an ordinary person can manage."
He caught himself as he spoke, remembering Su Yan was a customer, and changed his tune: "Young man, a 70-jin draw weight hardwood bow and a quiver of thirty arrows cost a total of 5 taels of silver. How about it?"
"I'll take it all."
Su Yan didn't hesitate, though his heart ached. He had just earned 10 taels of silver, and after these purchases, he was left with just over 2 taels.
The clerk's face lit up with a smile as he took the silver. He retrieved the bow, arrows, and broadsword from the shop and handed them to Su Yan.
"Young man, here are your bow and blade. Try them out and see if they feel right."
The Mountain-Cleaving Broadsword was about 1.5 meters long with a medium-short handle, allowing for one- or two-handed grip. The blade was not heavy, weighing about four jin (two kg). The hardwood bow, however, was solid black, made of layered hardwood with beast sinew embedded and completely wrapped, giving it an oily sheen.
Su Yan weighed them in his hands, plucked the bowstring, and nodded, "Thank you."
With the broadsword at his waist and the bow and arrows on his back, he looked like a fully equipped hunter, despite still carrying his basket.
Finished with his purchases, Su Yan didn't linger and quickly strode out of the market.
He had barely walked half a li outside the market when a person suddenly sprang out from the vegetation beside the path.
"Well done, Brother Yan! You truly are Brother Su's tiger cub, finding a Treasure Plant like that!"
The man greeted him with a fawning, flattering salute, but he was thin and monkey-like, with scant flesh on his face and lips as thin as a blade.
"Wang San?"
Su Yan's eyes narrowed, and a cold smile touched his lips: "What do you want?"
Wang San was a notorious scoundrel in Cloud-Front Village, a bachelor in his early thirties and a lazy wastrel. Although he nominally took over the mountain-trekking trade from Su Yan's deceased father, his basket often went in empty and came out empty. Besides petty theft and begging, he mainly hung around with the thugs and scoundrels, like Niu Han's group, to grab a few scraps. He was despised by everyone.
Wang San heard the displeasure in Su Yan's voice but didn't seem to care; his skin was thicker than a city wall. He took two steps forward, rubbed his hands, bowed slightly, and whispered: "It's nothing, big brother. I just wanted to ask my little brother for a small token of good fortune. I'm a bit short on cash lately."
His eyes darted around slyly, thinking: 'There's a saying about sharing half when you meet. I, Wang San, am righteous, so taking a small token shouldn't be too much.'
Su Yan sneered, "Are you dreaming in broad daylight, Wang San?"
Wang San looked annoyed and cursed inwardly at Su Yan's lack of tact. He was forced to say, "Brother Yan, one shouldn't show off wealth. You don't want everyone to know you found a Treasure Plant, do you?"
Wang San, despite being a rogue, understood the principle of keeping wealth hidden. Su Yan's parents were dead, and he was just a half-grown boy. Could he hold onto that silver? If the news spread, people might come to take everything he had, even his home.
'What a shame this isn't in the deep part of Cloud Ridge Mountain.'
A flash of regret crossed Su Yan's eyes. If this were deep in the forest, Wang San's grave would be growing grass by next year. Since they weren't far from the market, and he wasn't sure if Wang San's presence was noticed, directly using force wasn't suitable. Besides, the matter of the Treasure Plant getting out was inevitable.
"Let me tell you something, then. Do you really think that Treasure Plant was mine?"
Su Yan's expression was calm. He grabbed Wang San's shoulder, gripping it like a chick, with immense force that made Wang San yelp in pain.
"Ow! You... you..."
Before Wang San could curse, Su Yan shoved him to the ground with the flat side of his broadsword. Wang San was left with a red mark on his face and mud rolling on his clothes, utterly pathetic.
Su Yan strode away. Wang San was furious but dared not speak, partly out of fear of Su Yan's strength and partly out of concern that Su Yan might be partnered with a group of mountain-men and was just the one sent out to sell the goods.
"Pah! I'd like to see who you're working with!"
Wang San stewed in anger, but Su Yan had already disappeared down the road and rushed back to his house.
He moved all his daily necessities—oil, salt, sauce, vinegar—out of his basket. He then placed the hardwood bow and Mountain-Cleaving Broadsword into the Bug Realm space.
He took out the Hundred Herbs Illustrated Guide and flipped through it. The yellowed pages contained simple drawings of various herbs, with tiny text next to them describing the herbs and their effects.
"It's rudimentary, but it's usable. I wonder what that manager's intentions are..."
There is a saying that courtesy shown to an inferior person must hide a motive. Why would he send a booklet to a lowly mountain-man? Did he really think Su Yan was some big shot?
Su Yan put the booklet away and muttered to himself, "The gift isn't grand, and the motive isn't too weighty. That suits me perfectly. I'll surely find more Treasure Plants and rare herbs in the future. If I can establish a connection with the Hundred Herb Hall, it will save me a lot of trouble."
Song Qi had a goal, and Su Yan had a plan; they would take what they needed from each other. Su Yan's initial reason for asking to buy the guide was simply to leave an impression, paving the way for selling valuable herbs and Treasure Plants in the future. He didn't expect to receive it for free, which was a good turn of events. He would see how to handle the situation later.
Su Yan checked the time; it was only noon. He picked up his empty basket and strode towards Cloud Ridge Mountain.
He did not venture into the deep mountains this time. Instead, he chose a secluded route, walking about two li into the mountains until he reached a desolate area.
The tall trees reached for the sky, their branches spreading out like a canopy, yet the noon sun still managed to cast dappled light spots onto the ground. The surrounding bushes were lush but only hip-high, offering no obstruction to his view.
He released the Dark Water Centipede and placed the carcasses of the two scorpions and the toad from the previous day beside it. The centipede wasted no time and began to devour them.
Afterward, Su Yan took out the hardwood bow and arrows, aiming at an old, gnarled birch tree trunk seventy paces away. He stood firmly, feet shoulder-width apart, drew the bow, knocked an arrow, and released it toward the wrinkled bark of the old trunk with a swoosh.
The arrow missed by half a palm's width. Su Yan didn't get discouraged, drew another arrow, and continued shooting.
'The Mountain-Trekking skill was taught to me by Uncle Xie, and only through repeated practice did it advance and materialize as a skill. Although I don't have a formal archery technique, if I practice enough, I believe an archery skill will naturally form.'
Su Yan was determined. The old tree trunk looked like a bright red target in his eyes. Arrow after arrow flew, and each shot required considerable effort to draw the bow. While building strength and practicing archery, Su Yan also took out the Hundred Herbs Illustrated Guide to study intently during his rest periods.
This cycle—shooting arrows, reading books, eating—continued for three to five days.