Ren Qing silently took out a money pouch from his robe. The pouch was heavy, containing at least several dozen taels of silver, enough to support a family of three for several years.
Although the Yamen had many tasks and bad luck could easily lead to dying on duty, the monthly salary they provided was substantial and reliable.
Liu Hu took the money pouch and weighed it in his hand. He took out some silver coins and threw them back to Ren Qing, then nodded expressionlessly: "This is enough. Come collect the blade in seven days."
Ren Qing turned around to leave. But just as he opened the door of the blacksmith shop, Liu Hu stopped him.
"What's the hurry?"
"This so-called 'Great Miao Blade' of yours, I've never seen anyone in Sanxiang City use this kind of weapon before. So how do you usually practice with blades?"
Ren Qing frowned. Did using blades really require practice?
Seeing this, Liu Hu sighed and said: "Wait for me a while longer."
He walked into the courtyard outside the blacksmith shop. After a short while, he returned carrying a thick tree trunk.
"With this kind of weapon, you must get your body accustomed to it as soon as possible. Otherwise when practicing with a real blade, you could easily injure yourself."
"I..."
Just as Ren Qing was about to explain, Liu Hu took an axe and directly split the tree trunk, then chopped it into the rough shape of a blade.
Ren Qing wisely closed his mouth and waited as the wooden Great Miao Blade gradually took form.
After more than an hour, the Great Miao Blade in Liu Hu's hands already looked remarkably lifelike. He gave it a simple swing and nearly hit Ren Qing with it.
"This is indeed feasible. It seems it's not just some imaginary fabrication. Though using it flexibly will be somewhat difficult."
"Brother Liu, let me try it."
Ren Qing took the Great Miao Blade. His squinting eyes revealed rotating double pupils.
He suddenly slashed with the blade, then instantly withdrew it.
The candle flame on a nearby wooden table was extinguished by the blade's wind, while the papers beside it remained completely undisturbed.
Liu Hu stared dumbfounded. It couldn't exactly be called exquisite blade technique, but there was a certain...how to put it...naturally harmonious quality to it.
He watched as Ren Qing left the blacksmith's shop. Only when he came back to his senses did he let out a helpless laugh.
Earlier he had thought Ren Qing was looking down on him, but hadn't he been guilty of the same?
The sounds of metal striking metal rang out again. Smoke slowly drifted out from the cracks in the doors and windows.
Ren Qing walked onto the street. The wooden Great Miao Blade in his hand attracted the attention of passersby.
He headed in the direction of the Chen Clan Eight Extremities Leg Technique martial arts school. After winding left and right through several alleys, he reached his destination.
The martial arts school occupied a rather small area, in fact, it was quite out of the way.
According to Ren Qing's investigations, the school only had a dozen or so disciples, all orphans that Chen Yongxing had raised since childhood, who himself, also had a daughter named Chen Lihua.
It was only to supplement living expenses that Chen Yongxing began accepting outside disciples, which provided an additional monthly income.
Ren Qing walked straight into the courtyard. On the open training grounds, over a dozen people were practicing leg techniques, continuously kicking wooden posts.
Their expressions turned cold as they looked at Ren Qing. Their movements unconsciously slowed down.
Ren Qing wore his official runner's uniform, he had no intention of hiding his Yamen identity.
On the surface, he was just here to learn martial arts. Once he obtained the Divine Leg Sutra, he would immediately make his exit.
Ren Qing was just about to speak when he suddenly noticed something strange about the martial arts disciples practicing their leg techniques - their body proportions were extremely peculiar.
Their legs were extraordinarily thick, covered with solid muscles, and without exception accounted for over half of their total body mass.
If it had been just one person with such characteristics, it might have been coincidence. But since the entire group was like this, something felt distinctly wrong.
An older martial arts disciple stepped forward and asked: "Runner, you are...?"
Ren Qing clasped his fists in greeting and replied: "I've heard Master Chen's skills are excellent, so I wish to study here for a period of time."
"Very well. Follow me."
The martial arts disciple nodded slightly and led Ren Qing into the building.
The more Ren Qing observed the other's walking movements, the more unnatural they seemed. He deliberately made physical contact, but his system interface showed no supernatural techniques.
Why do their legs seem mutated...
Full of doubts, Ren Qing arrived before a certain room. The martial arts disciple opened the door and made an inviting gesture.
Stepping inside, Ren Qing caught a faint whiff of herbal medicine.
The room was sparsely furnished. On the bed lay a weak-looking man - Chen Yongxing.
His breathing was unstable, as if he might stop breathing at any moment.
A girl of about fifteen or sixteen was helping Chen Yongxing drink herbal medicine, though he weakly tried to push it away with his arms.
Only after the girl had finished feeding him the medicine did she speak softly: "I am Chen Yongxing's daughter, Chen Lihua. Because my father is unwell, I must handle matters in his place."
"Can Master Chen speak?"
"My apologies. My father can no longer care for himself. If you still wish to learn the Eight Extremities Leg Technique, my senior brother will have to teach you instead."
"That's fine."
Ren Qing's expression remained calm, but inwardly he felt indescribably strange.
Just a few days ago he had seen Chen Yongxing, who had shown no signs of illness whatsoever, with seven or eight years of lifespan remaining.
Moreover, as a Martial Practitioner, minor injuries or illnesses shouldn't have this severe an effect.
Chen Lihua continued: "The fee is three taels of silver per month, with classes every three days. But you may not leave the martial arts school without reason."
Ren Qing agreed repeatedly. If things went smoothly, he wouldn't need to stay long anyway.
"Ugh... ugh..."
Chen Yongxing made strained noises, as if trying to say something, but Chen Lihua forcibly held him down on the bed, preventing any movement.
Ren Qing felt the martial arts school was permeated with strangeness, but since he detected no Half-Corpse cultivators, self-preservation shouldn't be an issue.
Besides, the more chaotic the situation, the easier it would be for him to obtain the Divine Leg Sutra.
Ren Qing left the room and was taken by the same martial arts disciple to the training hall where formal instruction took place.
Inside were six paying disciples who had enrolled to learn martial arts.
All of them bore bruises on their exposed skin and sat cross-legged on meditation cushions.
Their instructor was a handsome young man. When he saw Ren Qing enter, he asked the martial arts disciple about the situation.
Ren Qing noticed two martial arts disciples standing in the shadows of a corner, seemingly monitoring every move in the training hall.
"I am Jin Bing. How should I address you, junior brother?"
"Ren Qing."
"Junior Brother Ren, rest for a while. We'll begin instruction shortly."
Jin Bing was quite polite, even pouring tea for Ren Qing proactively, as if accustomed to such hospitality.
Ren Qing casually took a seat on a meditation cushion. The other paying disciples watched him warily but said nothing.
An odd atmosphere persisted for over an hour.
Then someone knocked on the training hall door. Chen Lihua's voice came through:
"Prepare yourselves. It's time for the evening meal."
Jin Bing's expression turned to one of terror. The two martial arts disciples looked greedy instead. The paying disciples displayed various reactions -
Fear. Ruthlessness. Resignation...
Ren Qing didn't understand what was happening, but the situation seemed to be developing beyond expectations.
Chen Lihua continued: "Senior Brother Jin Bing, select one person to dine with us."
Upon hearing this, Jin Bing began trembling all over. He retched dryly several times, as if having lost all strength, and said:
"You... choose for yourselves."