Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior

Li Lishi accepted immediately.

"That's good."

Su Mu nodded lightly and pushed his wheelchair out of the Iron Fist Martial Arts Hall. It wasn't until long after Su Mu left that Li Lishi let out a long breath; the pressure Su Mu gave him was overwhelming.

Amid the fine snow, Su Mu left Qingshui Town. After leaving the town, Su Mu confirmed that there was no one around and stood up from the wheelchair, a flash of spiritual light in his hand made the wheelchair disappear.

At the same time, Su Mu's facial features quickly changed quietly between the writhing of flesh, soon transforming his face and physique.

He walked leisurely along the official road for a while until horse-drawn carriages from a merchant caravan rolled over the snow. The flag with black characters on a cyan background for "Bai River" emerged from the snowstorm.

"Baihe Commerce Association? Seems like luck is on my side."

Su Mu thought to himself, with the end of the year approaching, the White Jade Gang's last auction of the year was about to begin. Su Mu originally planned to hire a ride to Qingyun and then to Baihe Town, but now it seemed unnecessary.

"Is your commerce association heading to Baihe Town? Could you give me a lift?"

The driver was a burly man with a long saber at his waist. He glanced at Su Mu by the roadside and saw he was a young man, without any fluctuations of Qi Blood, just an ordinary citizen.

The burly man tugged on the reins and flicked the long whip in his hands, shaking off cold dew from the whip tip and stopping the carriage, "Since we're going the same way, come aboard for a ride."

"Thank you."

Su Mu cupped his hands in salute, and the burly man shifted aside, patting the spot beside him as a gesture for Su Mu to get on the carriage. The scene of Su Mu getting on the carriage shakily entered the man's eyes, eliminating the last bit of wariness from his heart.

The carriage traveled slowly through the wind and snow, and at night, with the snowstorm worsening, the caravan had to stop and rest.

"Dinner is ready; my lady asked me to call you, and I will take you there."

Under the night sky, a maid approached and called out.

"Thank you."

Su Mu stood up shakily and followed behind the maid. The maid noticed with a sidelong glance how Su Mu staggered while walking and sympathy flashed in her eyes.

Around the fire, in the center of the crowd, the burly man guarded a gentle and graceful young girl in embroidered clothes, about fifteen or sixteen years old. Seeing Su Mu's arrival, the girl smiled and nodded.

Su Mu nodded lightly in greeting, then sat in a corner, soon receiving hot soup and a grilled cake.

After dinner, the long night passed without conversation.

The next day at noon, the caravan arrived at Baihe Town, and Su Mu got off to bid farewell to the merchant group.

"Thank you for accompanying me these past two days."

"It was nothing, don't worry about it."

Su Mu cupped his hands in salute, and the burly man waved, then tugged the reins and drove towards the city gates.

"Baihe Commerce Association, huh."

Su Mu took note of this commerce association, and if he could help in the future, he wouldn't be stingy. After entering the city, Su Mu went to the market to buy a White Eagle mask and planned to head to the White Jade Commerce Association.

"Clang!"

From afar came the sound of smithing. The Little Doctor had been brought back to the Huo Family by Yuan Qing; the Pharmacist was buried in Cyan Bamboo, and in Qingyun City, Su Mu only worried about Uncle Wu and the three master blacksmiths in the Forging Workshop.

Time flew by, and he had left the Forging Workshop for over two months, hoping Uncle Wu and the three master blacksmiths wouldn't worry about him.

However, it was indeed inconvenient for Su Mu to remain in Qingyun City or appear at the Forging Workshop.

Inadvertently, Su Mu found himself outside an iron shop, recalling that he had visited this shop several years ago, where he once bought a White Iron Zen Staff—a staff used during the battle with Black Insect Elder.

"Welcome, what do you need?"

Seeing Su Mu standing outside, a dark-skinned, eighteen or nineteen-year-old woman dressed as a matron approached him with a smile and asked, while behind her, a similarly aged, shirtless man was vigorously hammering at the Forging Platform.

"It's that kid."

Su Mu remembered that he had pointed out flaws in the forging of the Zen Staff back then, and a boy called Er Gou in the shop was quite indignant.

From the intimate gestures between the two, it seemed the boy had now married.

"I want to buy some swords and sabers."

"Just a moment, please."

Upon hearing there was a customer for swords and sabers, the woman turned around and entered the iron shop, leaning over to shout a few words loudly to the man hammering away, who also turned and shouted back a few times before grasping the words. He then put down the hammer and brought out a few swords and sabers from the shop.

"One of your best swords and sabers, please."

"Alright." The man had lost his former youthfulness and energy, gaining steadiness, "Here, you see, these are the shop's best swords and sabers, forged with sixty-fold Refined Iron."

Su Mu drew out one of the sabers, its cold light faintly flashing.

"This saber is quite good, evenly textured, although the furnace was too hot during quenching. Moreover, the iron ore from Baihe Town lacks rigidity; next time, it would be better to mix in some Foreign Iron Stone for blade refining."

This time, the man listened without showing displeasure, trembling slightly, his eyes gleaming, but the woman beside him revealed dissatisfaction upon hearing it.

This man was around the same age as her husband, and her husband had been smithing since childhood, having taken over the iron shop last year. Her husband's master, while alive, had praised her husband's technique as surpassing that of his own.

The master could only forge Thirty-Forged Blade Soldiers while her husband could produce Sixty-Forged ones. The woman had always taken pride in her husband.

"I'll take both the sword and saber. What's the total price in taels?"

"One hundred taels each."

The woman spoke coldly, reaching to take back the sword and saber from Su Mu, which usually sold for thirty taels each. But she disliked Su Mu, so she tripled the price.

When Su Mu heard this, he reached for the silver notes, but the man quickly reprimanded the woman.

"Cui Lian, what's this about one hundred taels? You're talking nonsense." The man took the sword and saber back from the woman, then bowed deeply while offering them to Su Mu, "Thank you for your guidance, sir. These are gifts to you."

"What? You're giving them to him? Er Gou, have you lost your mind?"

"Cui Lian!"

"It should be priced accordingly." Su Mu shook his head and declined to accept.

"Thirty... no, three taels each, a total of six. The sword and saber are only worth six taels."

"Alright."

Su Mu paid the six taels and left with the sword and saber while the man wanted to see him off. Su Mu shook his head, and the man stopped.

Only after Su Mu's silhouette vanished in the alleys did the man return blissfully to the shop, prompting the woman's inquiry.

"Er Gou, what's with you?"

"Cui Lian, do you remember what I said about that past visit from a high master who bought a Zen Staff from us?"

The woman was astonished, "You mean he is the master?"

Er Gou shook his head.

"Not the high master, but he's also a master. I'm not as talented as my mentor; it was that master's guidance that rapidly improved my skill, just barely exceeding my mentor's. With today's guidance, my Forging Art will likely advance further."

"What? His words were so impactful!"

The woman was shocked, but Er Gou didn't reply further, repeatedly processing Su Mu's words before delving into the Forging Platform.

White Jade Commerce Association, with its flying eaves and decorative archways.

Su Mu, wearing a White Eagle mask, took out a small cloud-patterned White Jade Order, causing the approaching maid's expression to change slightly, and she immediately spoke with respect.

"Honored guest, please step aside; I'll fetch the steward."

In a quaint study, soon arrived a lean man in his early forties, exuding some authority.

"I'm Bai Qiushan. Over these years, not many White Jade Orders have been issued by the White Jade Gang. May I know how our honored guest came to have one?"

Bai Qiushan, with the surname Bai, was evidently not just a regular commerce association steward. Su Mu had heard the White Jade Commerce Association's founding family bore the Bai surname.

"Can the White Jade Order be seen as a favor from the White Jade Gang, can this be true?"

"Indeed true, it was presumptuous of me. May I ask what might our honored guest require from the White Jade Commerce Association?"

"I need a batch of Demon Bird Blood, preferably with a Fire Attribute and of the highest quality possible."

Upon hearing this, Bai Qiushan got up and left the study, returning about two quarters of an hour later.

"Thank you for waiting. I checked our commerce association's inventory, and, unfortunately, we currently have no stock of Fire Attribute Demon Bird Blood." Bai Qiushan first apologized with a bow, then lowered his voice.

"However, I do have a lead that might fulfill your needs."