There are three families living in the two-story courtyard. In addition to the shared kitchen, Li Lin rents two rooms. The room where the sundries are usually kept has been cleared out. Li Yuan slept here during the two days of the Chinese New Year.

"Qin Xiong!"

After closing the door, Li Yuan lay down wrapped in a quilt. Thinking of that burly figure, his heart couldn't help but sink.

Qian Bao was just a gangster who was proficient in fists and kicks, and he was just causing trouble in the front street with a dozen gangsters under his command. He didn't care too much.

But Qin Xiong is different.

It has been more than twenty years since Qin Xiong joined the weapon forging shop. He has already mastered the White Ape Cloak Hammer, and may have even broken through to a level of inner strength that he doesn't even understand.

From a long-term worker's son to one of the top five in the weapon forging shop, such a person is not something Qian Bao can compare with.

"You must enter the inner courtyard!"

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

If he was still worried about Qin Xiong's previous threat, there was no need for it now. He was already thinking about his brother and sister-in-law, so naturally he couldn't let it go in the inner court assessment.

"We have to find a way to build a relationship with the second shopkeeper. With Fatty Sun here, it shouldn't be a problem?"

Li Yuan squinted his eyes and thought.

Where there are interests, there must be factions, and where there are factions, there will be competition.

In the past few months, he has not only practiced martial arts, but also has a deep understanding of the weapon forging shop.

The chief shopkeeper, Cao Yan, devoted himself to developing foreign affairs. The Gaoliu County Blacksmithing Shop was actually run by the second shopkeeper, Tang Tong, and the third shopkeeper, Wang Dingzai.

Wang Ding was in charge of the mines and cargo transportation below. Qin Xiong and other guards were also in charge of him. Tang Tong was in charge of the forging room and the inner courtyard.

Moreover, Tang Tong is Fatty Sun’s brother-in-law...

"Then, we can't hide our clumsiness!"

Closing his eyes, Li Yuan made a decision in his heart.

Buzz!

In the dark space, the palm weapon glowed with a faint light.

There were several items placed on the small gray stone platform, which seemed more crowded, and Li Yuan was afraid that he would fall.

"If I fall, I'm afraid I'll be gone..."

The dim light of the palm urn shines, and beyond the gray stone platform, there is a pitch-black void. One can't help but feel frightened just by looking at it.

"Pearls are hard to get rid of. The only thing I can use now is this bearer banknote...including the one borrowed by Fatty Sun, there are one hundred and twenty-eight taels..."

Li Yuan was counting his gains and thinking about his promotion to Zhang Binglu.

To be promoted to the position of Armed Master, one needs a thousand catties of pig iron, a hundred taels of silver, and one tael of gold. This condition once gave him a headache.

It is absolutely impossible to save so much.

"A hundred pounds of pig iron only costs one or two or three taels of silver, and a thousand pounds of pig iron only costs thirteen taels. Fortunately, what I asked for is pig iron. If it were wrought iron, the price would be twenty times higher!"

After working together in the blacksmith shop for so long, Li Yuan naturally knew the price of iron very well.

Pig iron is hammered and forged to become wrought iron.

Normally, this requires five repeated beatings, which last a whole day. After five refinings, only seven kilograms of wrought iron will remain out of ten kilograms of pig iron.

Add labor, losses, and charcoal fire costs, and the price will naturally skyrocket.

Thinking about it in his mind, Li Yuan felt that he had enough money in his hand. The only problem was gold and how to buy so much pig iron without it being eye-catching...

"Gold is okay. Although there is not much gold circulating in the market, it is still easy to find a tael. A thousand catties of pig iron is too much..."

Thinking about it, Li Yuan felt relieved. If he had enough money, the rest would be just a small problem compared to Zhang Binglu's promotion.

"If you can control two weapons at the same time..."

Li Yuan felt a little restless.

He was still thinking, could these weapons be spliced ​​into one?

…

…

"Doctor Yun, what's wrong?"

In the Four Seasons Medicine Hall, several apprentices were milling around between the beds. Qin Xiong glanced at the dozen or so gangsters on the bed with an expressionless expression.

"Um……"

Doctor Yun, who had a goatee, shook his head slightly:

"The perpetrator was very ruthless, hitting the back of the head. Although he couldn't die, his mouth and eyes were squinty. Moreover, they fainted outside the house, and all of them had cold in their bodies..."

Wind and cold entering the body?

Several medicine hall apprentices looked at each other, this was much worse than broken bones and tendons. Wind and cold can kill people.

Listening to the painful groans on the bed, Qin Xiong's face was as dark as water:

"Where's Qian Bao?"

"Qian Bao..."

Doctor Yun glanced at the bed that was about to collapse:

"Severe convulsions, wind and cold entering the body, a bruise on the back of the head, intra-abdominal bleeding, and damage to the tail vertebrae. Even if I survive, I will have to rely on crutches for the rest of my life."

"Thank you, Doctor Yun."

Qin Xiong's eyes twitched, and he clasped his fists to say goodbye.

After leaving the Four Seasons Thatched Cottage, his face suddenly darkened. Niu Gui, who came in a hurry, couldn't help but shudder and subconsciously took a few steps back.

"No, the county government didn't find anything. Inspector Qiu said they are still investigating..."

Qin Xiong's breathing suddenly became heavy.

Poor in literature and rich in martial arts, this has been the case since ancient times. He was able to get from a long-term worker to where he is today not only because of his own integrity, but also because of several groups of ruffians including Qian Bao.

The loan extended was his money and the basis for his improvement in martial arts.

"Still tracing? Very good, very good!"

Qin Xiong almost laughed out loud.

"Sister, brother-in-law... I asked around, and Liang Ah Shui left the Lihe Martial Arts School after recovering from his injury for a few days. No one has seen him in the past few days."

Niu Gui lowered his head:

"But his injuries haven't healed yet, so it shouldn't be him, right?"

More than two months ago, Wang Luan came to the forging shop for a banquet and was attacked. Many of his disciples were killed and injured. Liang Ah Shui was among them and broke a leg...

"In the twelfth lunar month of winter, the Bishui Lake is about to freeze. He is an injured person who is not well taken care of and suddenly disappears. Could it be that he went fishing?"

Qin Xiong's eyes turned cold.

Although Qian Bao seems to be generous with his work, he also knows very well who can be bullied and who cannot be provoked, otherwise the grass on his grave will be three feet high.

In the past few years, the only thing Qian Bao had misjudged was Liang Ashui.

But long after this man entered the Lihe Martial Arts Hall, Qian Bao returned the fishing boat and house, tore up the IOU, and kicked Liu Lezi out and let him do whatever he wanted.

"Liang Ah Shui..."

Qin Xiong took a deep breath and looked at Niu Gui:

"I taught you several aspects of the inner court examination two months ago. I hope you won't disappoint me!"

"Sister, brother-in-law, I..."

Niu Gui gritted his teeth:

"I will not let you down!"

…

"Hateful!"

Thirty miles east of Gaoliu City, on the frozen clear water lake, Liang Ashui dropped the harpoon bitterly.

It was more than two months late. The trap he had set had long been buried by the wind and snow. The lake was hundreds of miles away, so how could he find it?

"My spirit fish!"

Liang Ashui limped on the lake, very angry.

Before winter, he had already set up a trap and was waiting for a good harvest. Unexpectedly, first a robber killed someone and almost killed him, and then his leg was broken, which completely delayed the time.

"That's all, that's all. The entrance quota to the Divine Weapon Valley is the most important. I can't add any extraneous problems. The money I have is enough to replenish my medicine for half a year..."

…

…

call!
To be continued...