Chapter 84 Cao Yan returns and becomes proficient in horizontal training

Chapter 84 Cao Yan returns and becomes proficient in horizontal training

Chapter 84 Cao Yan returns and becomes proficient in horizontal training

After a sleepless night, Li Yuan returned to the blacksmith shop, washed his face, and went back to the forge. Listening to the clanging sounds of iron hammering, his heart finally calmed down.

"This is a big deal!"

Wielding the forging hammer, Li Yuan was still thinking about what he saw and heard yesterday.

At first he just thought that someone contacted the forces in the inner and outer cities to ambush and kill Qiu Long in order to compete for the interests of Gaoliu County. Now it seems that the water behind this is probably much deeper.

The Divine Weapon Valley has dominated the Zhelong Prefecture for a thousand years, and its influence has long spread to all aspects. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a country within a country.

What level of power does Cao Yan need to have to dare to touch the tiger's whiskers?
"Lu Yunqing and Cao Yan teamed up to ambush and kill Qiu Long. The masters of Shenbing Valley have been silent for a long time. Are they also waiting for the person behind them to show up?"

Is this fishing for each other?
"It was not easy for me to get on board with Fang Yunxiu, and the spot is not even available yet..."

Li Yuan was worried.

What he saw last night made him suddenly feel a sense of crisis. He wanted to avoid too many incidents where the fire in the city gate affected innocent people.

"I'm still too weak..."

The sound of blacksmithing became heavy, and Li Yuan quickly put aside all distracting thoughts and calmed down.

Forging requires patience and talent. To forge a top-quality sharp blade, from ore selection to the final quenching, tempering, and polishing, every step needs to be just right. If it’s a little off, it won’t be considered top-quality.

Li Yuan worked quietly, and soon, a day had passed.

After work in the evening, he wiped his face and was about to go home when Zhang Ben walked over quickly with a relieved smile on his face:

"Quick, pack up and follow me to the inner courtyard. The head shopkeeper is back!"

He felt heavy-hearted these past few days. If something happened to Cao Yan, the Weapon Forging Shop's two hundred years of foundation would be ruined in an instant, and the other members of the Cao family would not be able to support the business.

"Cao... the chief shopkeeper is back?"

Li Yuan was startled, this matched what he heard yesterday.

"Yes, I came back at noon. After counting the recent business, I asked about you first."

Zhang Ben smiled, obviously in a better mood.

"He, the chief shopkeeper asked me?"

Li Yuan felt a little nervous.

"Clean it up quickly, this is a big deal!"

Zhang Ben urged.

"Please stop pushing me!"

Li Yuan fetched a basin of water and washed it, but he couldn't help feeling a little worried.

He had no good feelings towards Cao Yan. When he showed his talent before, he was also planning to bypass Cao Yan and get in touch with the Divine Weapon Valley.

just now……

"call!"

After quickly tidying up, Li Yuan followed Zhang Ben to the backyard.

The backyard is divided into three courtyards. The one where Cao Yan lives is naturally the largest and best. It not only has various pavilions, but also a small garden.

At this time, the sky was dark and candles were lit in the courtyard.

Cao Yan changed into a gown and sat at the table. Several female apprentices served him, bringing him tea and water.

"Mr. Zhang is here, please sit down."

Cao Yan raised his hand and asked the master and disciple to take a seat. He smiled gently and raised his glass to toast each other:

"A lot of things have happened in the shop these days, and it's all thanks to Mr. Zhang's care..."

"The shopkeeper is too polite. The old man is where he is today because of the cultivation of the shop. What's the big deal if I just put in some effort?"

Zhang Ben picked up the wine glass and drank it all, his face flushed.

“In times of trouble, one’s true character is revealed!”

Cao Yan put down his wine glass and looked at Li Yuan deeply:
"To be honest, I am the incompetent manager. After meeting you for several times, I didn't know that you are not only good at forging, but also have such attainments in hammering!"

After one year of studying martial arts, I have mastered the hammer technique to perfection.

The most talented disciple in the forge shop over the past two hundred years has also mastered the hammering technique in more than a year. In comparison, the apprentice in front of him is far better than him.

With such talent, within a few years, one can achieve perfection in hammering and transform one's own innate strength to the highest level.

Then I bowed into the Divine Weapon Valley...

"The disciple dare not..."

Li Yuan lowered his head and held the wine, feeling a little uneasy.

He naturally knew that Cao Yan was talking about the fact that he took the initiative to contact Fang Yunxiu...

"Not only the shopkeeper, but even I, an old man, didn't realize that he had such a good talent! His hammering skills are perfect. I, an old man, only got to the edge of this a few years ago..."

Zhang Ben raised his glass to toast, feeling quite pleased with himself.

He fell in love with such a good seedling at first sight.

"What a pity that such a good talent cannot stay in my weapon forging shop!"

After finishing the wine in the glass, Cao Yan looked at Li Yuan with sharp eyes.

At this time, no matter how slow Zhang Ben was, he realized that something was wrong.

But no matter how he thought about it, he didn't feel there was anything wrong.

The talented apprentices in the shop would be sent to the big sects. As long as they achieved something, the shop could make a lot of profit by relying on the favor.

A business that is extremely profitable, why did Cao Yan...

What do you want to do?
Force me to stay in the weapon forge?
Li Yuan's heart tightened, but he could only pretend that he didn't understand and raised his glass to toast: "No matter how talented I am, I will never forget the kindness of the shop owner in cultivating me."

“Hey Jieun.”

Cao Yan held the cup but didn't drink it. He just said calmly:
"Originally, the shop was planning to move to the city next year, but who would have thought that this year, several shopkeepers and Guard Qin had accidents one after another, and there was no one available for a while..."

At this point, Zhang Ben's expression changed:
"The chief shopkeeper?"

Cao Yan ignored him and just looked at Li Yuan with a sincere expression:
"Cao can promise that as long as you stay for a while, all your treatment will be the same as that of the shopkeepers, and your family members can live in the shop.
In a few years, if you want to go to Shenbing Valley again, our shop will definitely support you..."

"What do you think?"

You haven't even left the chair...

Seeing Cao Yan's sincere face, Li Yuan felt a little cold in his heart, but naturally he could only bow and agree:
"I am flattered that the great manager values ​​me..."

Cao Yan was not asking this, of course, and Li Yuan didn't think he had the right to refuse.

Of course, he still struggled symbolically, fearing that if he agreed too quickly, Cao Yan would not believe him...

Cao Yan looked at him for a long time before raising his glass and smiling:
"it is good!"

Looking at the two smiling people, Zhang Ben felt a chill on his back for no reason.

……

A banquet in which both the host and the guests had a great time.

When Li Yuan left, he was a little drunk and only relied on Zhang Ben's support to avoid falling.

"Hammer genius!"

At the wine table, Cao Yan was turning his wine glass with a subtle expression.

In less than a year, his martial arts skills were perfected.

If this kind of person appeared in Zhelong Prefecture, he would not be surprised, but in Gaoliu County, he had never heard of such a person in the past few decades or even hundreds of years...

"This kind of person is always arrogant. If you suppress him like this, aren't you afraid that he might harbor resentment in his heart?"

Feng Gang walked out from the shadows holding a sword:
"If I can't use this kind of talent, I might as well kill him with a single blow to avoid any trouble in the future."

"So what if I have grievances?"

Cao Yan sneered, his eyes cold:
"All the apprentices in this yard work so hard every day, and who doesn't have a lot of complaints? But they still have to work hard every day, for fear of being kicked out of the shop."

He was somewhat reluctant to kill.

There are only a few blacksmiths who can forge top-quality blades at the age of seventeen in the past two hundred years, and those few have helped the shop develop to its current level. If it weren't for the top-quality blades and famous weapons left by those people, how could he learn the Tiger Roaring Blade to break through the inner strength, and how could he break into the Zhelong Mansion?

"Tsk."

Feng Gang twitched the corner of his mouth, and as if he suddenly realized something, he retreated into the shadows.

"Big shopkeeper!"

Chief Zhao, holding an iron spear, came to the backyard, bowed slightly, and handed over a booklet.

The booklet contains a very detailed account of all the major and minor events that have occurred in the inner and outer cities of Gaoliu County over the past few months.

"Thank you."

Cao Yan nodded slightly and asked a lot of questions before sending Chief Zhao away.

"This kid's talent is really great. He asked about red gold. Could it be that he has some confidence in forging a top-grade sharp blade?"

Cao Yan's eyes lit up: "If that's the case..."

"No wonder you think highly of him. If he can forge a top-grade blade at this age, I'm afraid the incense master would be willing to accept him!"

Feng Gang reappears like a ghost.

Cao Yan's expression turned cold: "This is my man!"

"Ha~"

Feng Gang sneered.

Cao Yan's face was gloomy, but he said no more. He just flipped through the booklet, focusing on the words "Bodhisattva Temple Blood Case" and "Fang Yunxiu".

"God Weapon Valley..."

……

"Okay, stop pretending!"

After helping Li Yuan out of the yard, Zhang Ben let go of his hand.

"No, I'm really drunk..."

Li Yuan staggered.

"Those who are really drunk say they are not drunk yet."

Zhang Ben sighed:

"If I had known this earlier, I shouldn't have let you try to make a top-grade sharp blade. Now, the head shopkeeper is reluctant to let you go..."

He didn't believe it even after a few years.

A few years later, Cao Yan clearly didn't want to let him go...

"What does this have to do with you?"

Li Yuan was more open-minded: "If you feel guilty, why not give your disciple a few hundred taels..."

"Screw you!"

Zhang Ben glared at him, and seeing that he was not drunk, he yawned and turned around:

"Since you've agreed to stay, you have to ask for what you want, otherwise..."

Otherwise, it's time to be suspicious.

Zhang Ben didn't finish his words, but Li Yuan understood what he meant, but he had never intended to be polite.

"He should know that I want red gold, right?"

Turning around, Li Yuan didn't seem drunk at all.

He had known for a long time that Cao Yan had a secret room where the most precious materials and the best weapons in the weapon forging shop were all. Naturally, red gold should be there too.

"Cao Yan..."

……

"call!"

"Suck!"

Back in the yard, Li Yuan stood with the hammer in his hand, adjusting his breathing, moving his Qi and blood, and his internal strength, until his Qi and blood were exhausted. Then he took out ointment and medicated oil to wipe his body.

Then he jumped into a large water tank that he had just bought, enduring the friction of the iron sand.

Horizontal training martial arts is not difficult to learn. As long as you can endure the pain and have ointments and oils, there will be no obstacles at least before you achieve a small success.

Wow!
In the large vat, Li Yuan was stirring the iron sand naked, feeling the stinging pain all over his body, and his breathing became rapid.

Iron sand is not sand, it is used to sharpen knives. If ordinary people dare to soak here, not a single piece of good skin will be left on their bodies.

Kaka~
The vat was nearly two meters high, and Li Yuan had plenty of room to stand inside it. He made military stances to distract himself.

Even he could not handle this kind of friction.

"call!"

After a long time, Li Yuan was really exhausted. He climbed out of the vat and lay down in the yard, gasping for breath and feeling the changes in himself.

Due to the long-term friction with iron sand, his skin looks smooth, but it is still quite tough, like the soles of shoes made of several layers of cowhide. Even a slightly blunt knife may not be able to cut through it.

"If a weak woman chops, she may not be able to cut through the oily skin. However, if she is stronger, it is estimated that it will not work. Besides, she can't stand the stabbing..."

Li Yuan relaxed his muscles and bones, and the Seven Star Horizontal Body Training broke through to 'Mastery', which slightly dissipated the depression in his heart.

"With flesh and blood, it's best not to go head-to-head with swords and knives. Swords and knives can only be used as a last resort. If you really think you are invulnerable, you never know when you might be hacked to death..."

As a blacksmith, Li Yuan knew this too well.

He was skeptical about the claim that after the Seven Stars Horizontal Body Training was perfected, one would not be afraid of being cut by swords or knives.

He estimated that this fearlessness was only limited to ordinary people. It would be impossible to replace ordinary swords with sharp blades, high-quality blades, or top-quality blades.

In the same way, for masters like Cao Yan and Fang Yunxiu, even if they are holding ordinary swords, who would dare to resist with their physical bodies?
"call!"

After lying down for a long time, Li Yuan felt that his blood and energy had recovered a little and his internal energy began to flow again. He then got up, washed himself, and went back to the house to put on his clothes.

"Cao Yan is back, but Fatty Sun hasn't come back yet?"

After taking a look at the inner room, Li Yuan shook his head.

Although he guessed that nothing would happen to Tang Tong and his wife, how could Sun Hao believe it?
"This fat guy is not very courageous. Cao Yan has returned, so he probably won't dare to stay any longer..."

After tearing off a few pieces of bacon and feeding them to the fat little mouse which was still somewhat alert, Li Yuan lit the oil lamp and took out the human skin mask which he had brought out of the city but had not had time to examine closely.

"As thin as a cicada's wing!"

Holding this human skin mask up close, Li Yuan couldn't help but marvel in amazement.

The mask was so light and transparent that it looked like a work of art. He couldn't help but marvel at the craftsmanship.

“Try sticking it on!”

Li Yuan walked to the bronze mirror with the oil lamp in hand and carefully put it on his face. He felt a little cool, as if he had put on a transparent and breathable mask.

He kneaded the edges carefully and was surprised to find that his facial features in the mirror had turned into the sallow-faced swordsman 'Li Ba'!
“What a work of art!”

Li Yuan looked at it carefully but didn't find any flaws. He reached out and tried to tear it off, only to feel pain on his face, as if it was stuck to his face.

He wiped his right hand at that time and directly received it into the military space. Only now did he feel the power of this human skin mask. It was like changing a whole new face.

"It's a pity that I only have this one face. It would be nice if I could swap it back and forth..."

Li Yuan played with it and tried it several times, and he was quite satisfied. Even if he couldn't control it, this human skin mask was still a rare treasure.

"Well, stick this on, and it will be much easier to do some things."

After putting the mask back on, Li Yuan tore off a piece of straw paper, scribbled some words with his left hand, put it in his sleeve, and went out at night, heading straight for the inner city, to Lu Mansion.

If Cao Yan does it on the first day, he must do it on the fifteenth.

He doesn't know who the incense master is, but Fang Yunxiu should know, right?
After changing his face, Li Yuan acted quite boldly. He knocked on the door of Lu's mansion directly, knocked out the servant who opened the door with a punch, and pasted straw paper on the door.

Without waiting for any sound to be heard from inside the mansion, he turned and ran.

(End of this chapter)