Chapter 391: Taking Leave, A Sudden Change

Wangchuan rose early every day, always at the same hour.

That day, as usual, he got up on time, but instead of beginning his training, he first went to find Lin Zhentao and asked him to take him to see Elder Wan Xiwen and Elder Hu Weicheng.

Lin Zhentao was briefly startled, but he quickly hid it and said, “What does Hall Master Wangchuan need with the two elders? I heard they went to Heitu Commandery and Shenyu Commandery. They still haven’t returned.”

“I see.” Wangchuan showed a look of regret and said, “I’ve been in the Capital for a while now. The two cultivation methods I obtained from the Armory Manual Vault have both reached a bottleneck. I’ve also been here for nearly a month, so before leaving, I wanted to bid the two elders farewell. Since they aren’t here, I suppose I’ll miss the chance.”

“Hall Master Wangchuan, are you leaving the Capital? Leaving headquarters?” Lin Zhentao looked visibly surprised.

Wangchuan nodded with a smile. “I’ve been away from Sanhe Commandery for nearly a month. It’s time for me to go back.”

“Besides, winter has already set in. It’ll snow soon, and the waterways will only become harder to travel. It’s better to return early than to let my plans fall apart at the last minute.”

“In that case, shall I report it to the Gang Leader?” Lin Zhentao suggested.

Wangchuan waved him off. “No need.”

“The Gang Leader handles major affairs every day. He’s probably long forgotten a minor figure like me. I can just leave directly. When the two elders return, you can mention it to them for me.”

Wangchuan patted Lin Zhentao on the arm and said, “Brother Lin, thank you for all your help during this time.”

“Hall Master Wangchuan, you’re too polite. This is what I do every day. I’m used to it. It’s just... are you really not going to inform the Gang Leader?”

“There’s no need. I’ve been in the Capital for a while, but I still haven’t had the chance to visit Hall Master Yin, and I haven’t properly seen the sights of the city either. After I leave headquarters, I’ll probably stay in the Capital for another day or two and buy a few things I need.”

Wangchuan gave Lin Zhentao a meaningful look, the sort that said, You understand.

Then, fully armed and neatly dressed, he left headquarters with Lin Zhentao seeing him out.

Lin Zhentao stood on the steps and watched Wangchuan, fully equipped for travel, disappear into the distance. His expression changed slightly. He immediately turned around and hurried straight for the main discussion hall.

Inside the main discussion hall, the Gang Leader was reading a carrier pigeon message that had just been delivered.

Luo Tiancong’s expression was awful.

“So...”

“So Heitu Commandery has run into trouble after all.”

“Elder Wan Xiwen was injured!”

“Wu Sanlei lost an arm!”

“After escorting a major shipment, Heitu Commandery’s hall lost a large number of men and the cargo as well. Now they have to compensate the Ouyang Family eight thousand taels of gold?!”

In his fury, Luo Tiancong crushed the slip of paper into powder.

The Caobang disciple below him trembled in fear.

The pressure of a seventh-rank martial artist was not something an ordinary person could withstand.

Luo Tiancong noticed Lin Zhentao waiting outside. He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, waved the disciple away, and let Lin Zhentao enter.

“Gang Leader.”

“Su Wangchuan, the deputy hall master from Sanhe Commandery, has just left headquarters.”

Luo Tiancong’s gaze sharpened. “Why didn’t he come personally to bid this Gang Leader farewell?”

“Gang Leader,” Lin Zhentao replied, “he’s been at headquarters for more than twenty days, and you never once said you wanted to see him. He’s only a deputy hall master from a local hall. Naturally, he didn’t dare disturb you and intended to leave quietly.”

Lin Zhentao then repeated what Wangchuan had said about touring the Capital before departing and asked, “Should I bring him back, Gang Leader?”

“Go bring him back.”

Luo Tiancong took a deep breath and said, “A secret report has come from Shenyu Commandery. Jin Zhixian has been secretly colluding with the Beggar Sect and opening our waterways to transport goods for their businesses. He has utterly disgraced the Caobang!”

“And now Heitu Commandery has also suffered heavy losses.”

“These two places must be thoroughly straightened out.”

“This Wangchuan... since he has some ability and has already broken through to the fourth rank, we may as well put him to use.”

Lin Zhentao looked shocked. “The Gang Leader wants to send him to Heitu Commandery or Shenyu Commandery? That would be inappropriate, wouldn’t it?”

“Sending rootless fourth-rank martial artists to Heitu Commandery and Shenyu Commandery would be sentencing them to death. Don’t worry. This Gang Leader is not that foolish.”

Luo Tiancong’s words made Lin Zhentao relax somewhat. He immediately turned and took people with him to look for Wangchuan.

Luo Tiancong then summoned two more disciples.

“Immediately send word to Yin Xingtian. Tell him to put aside everything in his hands and come see me at headquarters.”

“Yes!”

One disciple left at once.

Luo Tiancong then gave the second man another order.

“Send this to the hall master of Sanhe Commandery.”

“Yes!”

Meanwhile, after leaving headquarters, Wangchuan walked through the streets of the Capital and made his first stop at Treasure Pavilion.

A shop assistant greeted him warmly. “Sir, what would you like to buy?”

“I’ve heard Treasure Pavilion is filled with fine goods. I’d like to take a look around first.”

Wangchuan was young, but his cultivation was not weak, and his bearing was extraordinary. Every gesture carried its own quiet authority. Naturally, none of the usual petty scenes of being looked down on occurred.

The assistant accompanied him the whole time, enthusiastically introducing every sort of weapon and piece of equipment.

On the first floor, Wangchuan saw Heart-Piercing Crossbows, Tang Sect hidden crossbows, Silver Thread Garments, Golden-Thread Soft Armor, Yellow Dragon Bows, and all manner of Thousand-Forged weapons. There was everything one could want. It truly broadened his horizons.

He noticed that the Heart-Piercing Crossbows here were not especially expensive. One cost only a hundred taels of gold.

The Yellow Dragon Bow was priced at only fifty taels of gold, cheaper than what he had paid back at the Hall of Master Artisans.

Wangchuan ground his teeth inwardly.

Places without competition really did have outrageously inflated prices.

But here in the Capital, these things were practically sold at commoner prices.

He was almost tempted to ship an entire boatload of weapons back home and make a fortune off the price difference.

Then he moved on to the Thousand-Forged weapons.

Here, they generally sold for fifteen taels of gold apiece. They were even cheaper.

The Weapon Room in Sanhe Commandery had the ability to forge Thousand-Forged weapons itself, but their sale price was still not low. It seemed that the Capital simply had far more master blacksmiths.

Wangchuan could not help seriously considering whether he should buy a batch of weapons and upgrade the equipment of the people back in Sanhe Commandery.

Chainmail armor. Thousand-Forged weapons. Heart-Piercing Crossbows.

Any second-rank martial artist would see a tremendous increase in battle strength. They might even be able to fight a third-rank martial artist head-on, or threaten someone above the fourth rank.

“Do you have anything better?” he asked.

“We do, we do! Sir, please come upstairs.”

The assistant had already recognized from the Thousand-Forged Battle Armor that this was no ordinary customer, and he invited Wangchuan upstairs with a smile so wide that it nearly split his face.

The second floor contained Thousand-Forged Battle Armor and weapons forged by true master craftsmen.

Autumn Water Sword: Blue Grade (Durability 100/100)

Attack 50–55;

Speed +2;

Armor-Piercing +1;

It could slice hair and sever steel. A genuine masterpiece.

Compared with the Thousand-Forged series, it carried twenty more points of attack.

Then Wangchuan saw the price, and his heart gave a violent jolt.

One thousand taels of gold for a single sword.

Truly expensive...

“I’ll take this one.”

Wangchuan paid for it without the slightest hesitation.

“Excellent, sir!”

The assistant’s face crinkled with joy.

After all, Wangchuan could buy a Lesser Rejuvenation Pill worth a thousand taels of gold without even blinking. There was no reason to be stingy over a weapon that provided such a direct and tangible increase in combat power.