Chapter 80: Mysterious Alchemist, Tier-Two Ying Jiang!
While Jiang Lin was deep in enlightenment in the Forging Valley, he had no idea that his one move—the "cross-armed kill"—had nearly caused the total number of blacksmiths in the Jia Ma Empire to drop by 1%.
Why are there so few blacksmiths? Because the vast majority become alchemists. Both professions require strong soul power as their core entry requirement. Whether one has metal-in-fire or wood-in-fire attributes is secondary—it only affects the quality of weapons or pills slightly, and there are pills that can tweak one's Dou Qi attributes anyway. Of course, the change is minor and can't alter one's main Dou Qi type. With Blood Fusion Pills available, attribute pills weren't all that surprising.
Back when these attribute-altering pills were first developed, the Blacksmith Guild almost went to war with the Alchemist Guild. It was pure bullying! Fortunately, the Heavenly Craft Pavilion stepped in and developed a sixth-tier Dou Device called the "Golden Qi Cauldron," which was distributed free to Blacksmith Guilds. If a fire-wood attribute alchemist refined something in it, it would come out perfectly suited for fire-metal attribute blacksmithing!
After that, the two guilds quieted down and agreed on three rules, including never forcibly altering another person's Dou Qi sub-attribute against their will.
"Captain, this is getting a bit complicated. It's beyond what we can handle. So… how should we write the report?" a teammate next to Mu Yun asked.
If they had stepped in early to resolve the case, they might've gotten double rewards from the Blacksmith Guild back in the Imperial Capital. But now it seemed the case involved internal conflict between blacksmiths. That meant taking action would risk further reducing the blacksmith count in the Jia Ma Empire—and that was a gamble with unknown consequences.
Besides, if this was a conflict between two blacksmiths, the final decision should rest with the Guild. If the Blood Beast Mercenary Group took matters into their own hands and executed someone without permission, it would show blatant disregard for the Guild's authority. Even if Jiang Lin had killed Pei Su, Mu Yun believed the Blacksmith Guild likely wouldn't seek revenge.
Thinking this through, Mu Yun said, "Forget it. We were only assigned to investigate. Just send the intel back. But, brothers, I think we should meet with this young blacksmith Jiang Lin first before deciding anything. Then we can figure out what to include in the report."
From their gathered intel, it seemed Pei Su had tried to bully this unaffiliated blacksmith, thinking that without the Guild's protection, he could kill and rob him cleanly. Even if the Guild found out, as long as the body was gone and the guy wasn't officially registered, they wouldn't make a fuss.
Now that idiot Pei Su had gotten himself killed, as long as Jiang Lin wasn't clearly at fault, this would likely blow over. Of course, Mu Yun didn't know the full story between them—but he had a better idea.
"As they say, winners take all. There's no point risking anything for a dead fool. But we can use this to build a good relationship with Jiang Lin and help him shine even more." Mu Yun smiled and explained his idea to his teammates. With their unanimous agreement, he nodded and said:
"In that case, we'll need to keep our story straight. Yes, it carries a bit of risk, but Jiang Lin is clearly going to become a Xuan-rank blacksmith. A future Xuan-tier's friendship is worth more than any small risk we face now."
With that, Mu Yun led his team toward Wutan City. Since they wanted to meet Jiang Lin, it would be better to do so as mercenaries—it would be easier to get close and less likely to make him wary. After all, a group of Da Dou Shi walking straight into Myriad Medicine Hall would definitely cause him unnecessary trouble.
Mu Yun was from the Mu Clan in the Jia Ma Imperial Capital. His team was composed mostly of young heirs from powerful families across the empire, taking time to explore the world before settling down to inherit their family legacies. That was why, though mercenaries, they conducted themselves with tact and grace.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lin—just a few days after returning to the Forging Valley—received a message from Xiao Yi Xian via Ying Jiang, reporting that the Wutan City mission had been completed.
"Oh right, I'd almost forgotten about that. Took over two months, but that's pretty quick. Last time, when I hunted that Tier-Three Wind Song Falcon, I spent nearly six months prepping, and only dared go for it after I became a Dou Shi."
Outside the Forging Valley, Jiang Lin took the letter from Ying Jiang and led it through the valley tunnel.
The illusions around the Forging Valley were extremely advanced. Those inside could see out, but not the other way around. Every time Ying Jiang returned, it flew overhead, and Jiang Lin would come out to meet it.
That's the wonder of formation arrays.
"With my current strength, I can deal with soft-shelled Tier-Three beasts, but something like a Thunder-Avoiding Black Rhino is way too risky."
After bringing Ying Jiang into the valley, Jiang Lin skimmed through Xiao Yi Xian's letter, then began packing to head for Wutan City. Ever since Xiao Yan had pissed him off last time, he'd gone home to sulk for three months.
Yao Chen once said Jiang Lin came from a very reclusive race… and clearly, his usual behavior matched that.
With his current power, Jiang Lin could only defeat a Thunder-Avoiding Black Rhino at great cost. Pei Xuan would likely be destroyed, and both his Tier-Two armor and under-armor might be ruined. As for aerial kiting? His Black Feather Bow could wound but not kill. If he used too many Tier-Three arrows and the rhino escaped into the deeper mountains, Jiang Lin wouldn't dare pursue.
Because if a Tier-Three flying magical beast found him out there, he'd have no choice but to tearfully tell Pei Xuan to abandon him and flee with his marked clothing in another direction.
In short, the Thunder-Avoiding Black Rhino gave Jiang Lin a taste of what other Dou Shi felt when they couldn't pierce his defenses or catch up to him—an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
"Five sets of Tier-One dual-blade Feather Sheath Wings, two sets of Tier-Two four-blade ones... yep, that's enough. Ying Jiang, let's go to Wutan City," Jiang Lin said after checking his gear.
Ying Jiang flopped to the ground and immediately fell asleep.
"Xiao Yi Xian said there's a mysterious alchemist in Wutan City lately? Huh, Wutan's not that big, but it's been lively lately. Come on, come on, don't fall asleep—wait, what the—Ying Jiang, you advanced to Tier Two?!"
Screech!
(END CHAPTER)
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