A second-tier, low-grade artifact forger wasn't exactly common, even in Luoxia City. As long as Song Changsheng spread the word, orders shouldn't be hard to come by. With a year still left before the auction, he had ample time to gather spirit stones.
Without hesitation, he was just about to return to the general store with Song Qingluo when a loud, booming voice caught his attention.
"Hey! Move it, move it let me have a look!"
A burly man shoved aside the people in front of him with just a few pushes.
Such rude behavior naturally provoked some grumbling, but once the onlookers saw who it was, they all wisely shut their mouths and stepped aside to make room.
"Isn't that Senior Niu?" Song Changsheng frowned as he recognized the burly man.
Niu Dazhuang had once saved his life. Now, running into him here, Song Changsheng felt obligated to greet him both out of courtesy and gratitude. The only problem was that Niu Dazhuang bore a grudge against him, though the reason remained a mystery.
"He did save my life. It'd be disrespectful to pretend I didn't see him. Besides, dueling is banned in Luoxia City. Even as a disciple of the second city lord, he wouldn't dare violate the rules publicly... right?"
After some brief thought, Song Changsheng decided to go over and pay his respects.
Niu Dazhuang had just come out of closed-door cultivation and was planning to grab a drink. When he saw the crowd, curiosity got the better of him and he came to check it out. He was watching with great interest when a familiar voice spoke in his ear:
"Greetings, Senior Niu. It's been years your presence is as formidable as ever."
The voice was unmistakable. Niu Dazhuang looked up and sure enough, it was that irritating face. His expression darkened instantly.
"You little punk, you dare show your face in front of me? You think I won't do something to you?!"
Song Changsheng gave a wry smile.
"Senior, why are you so hostile toward me?"
"Obviously because"
The words were right on the tip of Niu Dazhuang's tongue, but he abruptly cut himself off. With a fierce glare, he snapped,
"Whatever! Just get lost. Don't let me see anyone with the surname Song again!"
"I'm afraid I can't fulfill your wish, Senior. I'm here representing my clan to attend the City Lord's birthday celebration I can't just turn back halfway."
Song Changsheng felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped Niu Dazhuang might clear away the fog in his heart, but instead, the man looked like he was hiding something, as if even speaking of it was taboo.
"Grandfather… what exactly happened back then? Why won't you tell me?"
Song Changsheng sighed inwardly, then ignored Niu Dazhuang's fiery glare, gave a respectful bow, and left with Song Qingluo.
"That boy is like a bad penny!" Niu Dazhuang muttered in frustration, his good mood thoroughly ruined. Scowling, he turned on his heel and stomped off in the opposite direction.
"Was that Niu Dazhuang, the second city lord's disciple?" Song Qingluo asked only after they had put some distance between themselves and the confrontation the oppressive atmosphere earlier had left him rattled.
Song Changsheng nodded. "That's him."
"He seemed to dislike our Song Clan. Do we have some sort of grudge with him?"
That question struck a nerve. Song Changsheng shared the same confusion.
If there truly was bad blood between the clan and Luoxia City, why establish trade routes together? Why send an invitation to the birthday banquet?
"Could it be a personal feud with Niu Dazhuang? But that doesn't make sense either. With his strength, only Grandfather could match him and Grandfather hasn't left the mountain in nearly a century. How would they have even crossed paths?
And if it's just a personal grudge, why is Niu Dazhuang acting like it's some forbidden secret?"
A sudden idea struck Song Changsheng:
"Could this be an old grudge tied to the three City Lords themselves?"
It was a bold thought but if true, it would explain why people like Niu Dazhuang refused to talk about it. And yet, that only brought him back to the original question why?
"Ugh, overthinking won't help. Better to focus on earning spirit stones and getting my hands on that white tiger fang first."
Shaking off his thoughts, Song Changsheng approached the counter to find Song Xiantu.
"Elder, I have an idea I'd like your opinion on. Would you help me judge if it's feasible?"
He explained his plan in detail and ended with,
"I'd like to keep 70% of the profits from artifact forging, and the remaining 30% can go to the clan. Of course, if there are any losses, I'll shoulder those myself."
Song Xiantu smiled and replied,
"If the shop doesn't have to provide materials and the clan doesn't have to cover any potential losses, then all we need is a bit of promotion.
In my opinion, Young Master, you could easily take 90% and leave 10% to the clan."
But Song Changsheng shook his head firmly.
"Seventy-thirty is the clan rule. I can't be the one to break it."
"Understood."
Song Xiantu agreed immediately and sent people to begin spreading the word.
A dual cultivator of formations and artifact forging at the second tier that alone made for a great marketing point. Combined with the general store's solid reputation over the years, it didn't take long to attract plenty of business.
Most of the customers were Qi Refining cultivators, but it was still a promising start.
Song Changsheng didn't act prideful. Even though he hadn't received any second-tier orders yet, he accepted commissions for top-grade first-tier artifacts without complaint.
With his current mastery of both formations and artifact forging, failure was almost impossible.
At the same time, Niu Dazhuang had already arrived at another towering peak on the eastern edge of Luoxia City.
This mountain, known as Danxia Peak, was the secluded cultivation ground of the third city lord. Unlike the ever-melodious Tianyin Mountain, Danxia Peak was steeped in silence. Its base had been designated as a restricted area, barring outsiders and leaving the area eerily quiet.
Naturally, Niu Dazhuang wasn't considered an outsider. He made his way directly to the mountainside, where a large medicinal herb garden had been carved out, releasing an intense and fragrant aroma.
At the center of the fields stood a modest bamboo building, unremarkable at first glance.
Ignoring the rare herbs around him, Niu Dazhuang approached the bamboo building and respectfully knelt.
"Disciple Niu Dazhuang greets Martial Aunt."
Creak
A gentle breeze swept past, and the bamboo door slowly opened on its own.
Gone was his usual brash demeanor Niu Dazhuang now appeared calm and solemn, walking straight in without so much as a sideways glance.
The interior was simply furnished. A white folding screen sat in the center of the room, embroidered with a lifelike plum blossom branch that seemed to bloom through the silk.
Behind the screen, the scene was obscured. Only a vague silhouette seated cross-legged on a bamboo bed could be seen.
Niu Dazhuang respectfully bowed again.
"Disciple pays respects to Martial Aunt."
"What brings you here today? Don't tell me your master wants to mooch more pills off me again?"
A cool, slightly teasing voice floated out from behind the screen.
Niu Dazhuang scratched his head awkwardly.
"Master is currently in seclusion. This has nothing to do with him."
"Oh? Now that's rare. Go on, let's hear it."
But just as he was about to speak, Niu Dazhuang hesitated. After a moment's inner struggle, he gritted his teeth and said,
"Martial Aunt, I saw someone from the Song Clan down in the city today. They've come to attend the birthday celebration."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. He shivered involuntarily, instantly regretting opening his mouth.
"Damn it, why did I have to bring this up? Now Master will whip me for sure if he finds out…"
The bamboo building fell deathly silent. Though he couldn't see through the screen the person's expression, he was sure it wasn't pleasant probably downright stormy.
"I'm such an idiot… Should've kept my mouth shut."
Niu Dazhuang cursed himself silently, feeling like he'd just been possessed.
After a long pause, the temperature slowly returned to normal. Then the voice came again, calm and unreadable:
"So… that old man from the Song Clan has finally decided to come down the mountain?"
Niu Dazhuang carefully clarified,
"It wasn't the clan patriarch it was their newly appointed young clan leader."
"Young clan leader? Song Luyan?"
There was a slight change in tone, but not lost on Niu Dazhuang.
He gave a bitter smile.
"Martial Aunt, you must've forgotten Song Luyan passed nearly twenty years ago. The one who came is his only son… Song Changsheng."
The figure behind the screen fell into silence once more. After a while, a barely audible voice murmured,
"It's already been that many years…"
Then, more audibly:
"And what kind of person is this Song Changsheng?"
Niu Dazhuang immediately shared everything he knew:
"The first time I met him was…"
When he finished recounting all the details, the voice behind the screen spoke again, calmly:
"I see. You may go now. I won't tell your master about this."
Joy surged through Niu Dazhuang's face.
"Thank you, Martial Aunt!"
In truth, he had long regretted bringing up the Song Clan. He had felt it wasn't his place to do so but something deep down told him she had the right to know, even if it earned him a beating from his master.
Luckily, his martial aunt had always been fond of him, and he'd managed to escape this one.
He quickly backed out of the bamboo building, and the warm sunlight bathed his face, instantly lifting his spirits.
"Man, that place has such a suffocating vibe…"
"Master should be coming out of seclusion soon. I better head back for now. Oh, and I still need to send someone to investigate what that auction house's final mystery item is. Can't believe there wasn't even a single leak about it…"
Muttering to himself, Niu Dazhuang turned to descend the mountain.
But he hadn't gone far when a young woman appeared before him.
She wore a light blue waist-length skirt. Her figure was graceful and lithe, her skin smooth and fair as porcelain. Her face, untouched by makeup, was breathtaking in its natural beauty so much so that it made him forget to breathe.
Niu Dazhuang only glanced once before a sense of foreboding hit him.
"This is bad."
But by then, there was no avoiding her. He could only brace himself and walk forward.
The woman also noticed the burly figure of Niu Dazhuang. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she asked,
"Senior Brother, what are you doing here?"
Niu Dazhuang felt a pang of guilt but forced himself to act composed.
"Didn't I just come out of seclusion? Thought I'd walk around the city a bit. Passing by Danxia Peak, it's only proper to pay respects to Martial Aunt."
The woman covered her mouth and giggled.
"Since when did you become so thoughtful? Don't tell me you stirred up trouble again?"
Being teased by his junior sister, Niu Dazhuang felt his pride wounded and put on a stern face.
"Look who's talking! Weren't you in seclusion? What are you doing here?"
"Hmph, not telling you."
The woman scrunched her petite nose, spun around with a flick of her slender waist, and walked past him toward the bamboo building.
Seeing that she didn't bring up that particular topic, Niu Dazhuang breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to leave, he heard her voice pause behind him:
"Senior Brother, the Patriarch's birthday celebration is coming up. Has anyone from the Song Clan arrived yet? Master's been mentioning them a lot lately."
"How would I know? You should ask someone else. I've got things to do, so I'll be off."
He laughed awkwardly, then quickly turned and left, not waiting to hear what else she had to say.
Seeing his hurried departure, Zhuang Yuechan raised an eyebrow in mild confusion but didn't dwell on it. She turned and continued toward the bamboo house…
.....
Thanks to Song Xian'tu's tireless promotion efforts, Song Changsheng received a steady stream of orders for custom-made magic tools. At first, they were all for high-grade Tier-1 items, but due to his exceptional craftsmanship, word quickly spread. Gradually, more and more cultivators came seeking him out eventually even a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator arrived.
Although it was only to repair a low-tier Tier-2 magic weapon, the reward was far more generous than crafting a top-grade Tier-1.
That day, as dusk approached, Song Changsheng had just handed over a batch of finished weapons when a woman in black robes walked into the shop immediately catching his attention.
She was quietly observing the shop's interior, while he in turn observed her.
She looked to be in her early thirties. Her features weren't stunning at first glance, but the longer one looked, the more appealing they became.
What truly drew his focus, however, wasn't her appearance it was the utterly unfathomable depth of her cultivation. Even with his Eye of True Sight fully activated, he couldn't detect the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power from her. She appeared even more like a mortal than a true mortal.
But could she be a mortal? Song Changsheng was confident he wasn't blind.
The woman said nothing at first, and he didn't rush to speak either, simply lowering his head and continuing with his work.
After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the woman finally spoke:
"Which one of you is Master Song? I'd like to commission a magic weapon."
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow in surprise. Is someone like her coming to him for a commission?
Though puzzled, he still stepped forward and replied politely:
"Senior, I'm the artificer here. May I ask your name? And what kind of weapon would you like crafted?"
The woman turned to look him up and down, then replied calmly:
"You may call me however you wish. I want a flute forged. Low-tier Tier-2 level."
As she spoke, she placed a spatial pouch on the table before him.
"This contains the materials and the payment."
Just as he was still thinking about how to "address her casually," her words brought him instant joy he finally got a proper Tier-2 commission!
He eagerly picked up the pouch and looked inside his eyes went wide. Inside were piles of rare and precious materials. Forget a low-tier Tier-2 weapon; there might even be enough here to forge a top-tier one!
That gave him some pause. If he failed the refinement, he'd be liable for a massive loss…
He was about to decline, but the moment he saw what she meant by "payment," all hesitation vanished.
In one corner of the pouch sat a massive pile of spirit stones at a glance, no fewer than twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"I'll take the commission," Song Changsheng said at once, then asked, "Senior, when would you like it finished? Any special requirements?"
As he lifted his gaze, he noticed that the woman was still staring directly at him…
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