Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen – Red-Eyed Blacksmith.

Xiulan could see a breakdown of prices and quality through the system, but it was difficult to get a sense of the aesthetics of the pieces. For her purposes she needed a blacksmith with a little flare. Good quality iron and steel would not be enough.

The domestic market in temple gorge was not very large. It was generally considered a training ground for artisans training to move to the capital or more cynically a retreat for those who did not make it in the metropolis. Even the wealthy and influential noble families of Temple Gorge preferred to patronise the shops of the capital rather than their own artisan row.

Temple Gorge’s artisan row was one street removed from the river. The rent was far cheaper there then on the dockside. Xiulan browsed along the street hoping to see some sort of indication of what she was looking for.

The street was mostly filled with apprentice level work carpenters and jewellers. There were several blacksmith shops, but all of the smiths did not seem to have cultivation and skill wrapped in the same package.

Xiulan was hoping that by making the Qi gathering pills cheaper it would start to raise the level of cultivation in the interior kingdom. Looking down from her modest level four cultivation it was rather depressing that she who was only at the start of her cultivation journey was well above the average for cultivation in Temple Gorge.

She had heard that there were a few foundation establishment cultivators in the big families. Those had mostly fled the deeper water of the capital. Foundation establishment was far more common on the qi rich coasts and the royal family reportedly even had a golden core ancestor.

Xiulan broke her idle musing when she saw some work that piqued her interest. Above a small blacksmiths shop was a sign that read, “Bao’s Ironworks.” There were several swords and spears decorating the wall behind the counter. Unlike the other crude work on the street these weapons had a grace to them.

When Xiulan saw these weapons, she appraised them:

Iron Sword with decorated Iron pommel – Quality very low. Iron poorly smelted. Worth 5 silver coins. (Crafter: Fu Jinjing)

The crafter had then been given inferior metal to work with but had still produced weapons of low quality despite having inferior melt. There was a certain creativity about the work that Xiulan appreciated.

Behind the counter was a fat man who was at least partially drunk. Xiulan doubted that this was Fu Jinjing more likely this was Bao. Xiulan approached the shop and waited for Bao to notice her.

Bao took almost a minute to register that a small woman had appeared before him. He blinked and rubbed his eyes before hoping to his feet. He knocked over the bottle he had been drinking from and some wine spilled on to the wood of the counter.

He looked annoyed at his own clumsiness but more inclined to blame Xiulan for it, “what do you want?” Bao spat out. Some of his spittle flecked Xiulan’s face.

Xiulan calmly wiped off the spit from her face with a sleave and replied, “do you have any apprentices Mr Bao?”

Bao seemed more annoyed “no apprentices I do my own work. Only servant I have is a slave.”

Xiulan glanced to the side and saw a pair of red eyes peeking at her through a gap in the wood of the shop walls. Xiulan appraised them:

Fu Jinjing: First level of qi condensation – skilled artisan in the working of metal. Slave to Bao the Ironsmith. Worth 100 gold coins. Double to eliminate.

Xiulan did not allow her surprise to show on her face. Slavery of a cultivation was illegal in the kingdom. More surprising was that the slave mark only worked on those with qi if it was a special extra-strength version. The sale of such products was also illegal.

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This Bao was breaking several Kingdom laws and the punishment was death. He must be bribing the local authorities. This arrangement was too blatant to be unknown. Bao was not exactly a criminal mastermind.

Xiulan made a quick decision. She could probably buy Fu Jinjing from the man, but she was loath to waste money on this pig. While it was a merchant’s way to solve problems with money it was also not in a merchant’s nature to drastically overpay for something that could be obtained for free.

Just as Bao had begun to tell Xiulan to buy something or go away Xiulan lashed out at he with qi coated fingers. Caught off guard and with a low cultivation himself Bao could not resist as Xiulan made a very small but deadly cut in his jugular. Blood immediately started to flow from the wound.

The system was outraged, “warning the host’s action are unbecoming of the perfect merchant. The system will take one hundred gold as a penalty.”

The system had never done that before. Xiulan really needed to have Yen Wen follow her around to deal with things like this. Xiulan suspected that the system was just using this as an excuse to satisfy its craving for gold.

Bao’ counter was covered with blood no and he collapsed to the ground sputtering for breath. Xiulan made her way behind the counter avoiding the blood and moved inot the interior of the shop.

She found a very surprised Fu Jinjing. Fu Jinjing was a woman even smaller than Xiulan herself. She had black hair and red eyes marking her out as a foreigner to the Blue Crane kingdom.

There were people screaming and generally making a commotion in the street now. Xiulan would not have long before the authorities arrived. She approached the stunted Fu Jinjing and said, “you are free now. You can go anywhere you want to, but I plan to make you rich if you want to follow me.”

Fu Jinjing did not speak but nodded at XIulan. Xiulan noticed that the type of slave mark that the women had was the kind that prevented speech. She was even more disgusted with Bao. The mark would fade over time now that Fu Jinjing’s master was dead.

Xiulan heard the sound of several booted feet outside and took Fu Jinjing’s hand in her own as she pulled her outside. Soldiers had begun to crowd around the shop. Most were only at the first or second level of qi condensation.

Sensing Xiulan’s cultivation none of them dared to approach but stood around in a nervous circle. Xiulan looked around and did not see a ranking officer amongst them.

One soldier stepped ever so slightly forward and cleared his throat before saying, “magistrate Bai orders that we take you in to custody.”

Xiulan laughed her big-bellied merchant laugh. The incongruous sound even made Fu Jinjing look at her oddly.

“Tell magistrate Bai that I have only done his job for him. This man was illegally enslaving a cultivator. The fading slave collar around her neck can prove that. Besides none of you could take me anywhere. If magistrate Bai wants to demand an explanation for the death of this lawbreaker, then he can find me at the rented house of Doctor Zheng.”

That announcement served two functions. Zheng Ling and Xiulan had become prominent citizens after the duel and the distribution of the qi gathering pills. The magistrate would have to think carefully before upsetting them. If he did so he would also be seen to be standing with a known lawbreaker whom everybody on artisan row most likely knew paid him a bribe.

The soldiers did not know what to do as Xiulan calmly led Fu Jinjing away. Xiulan had made herself even more famous but at the same time the Bai. Clan would probably despise her now. They were sure to retaliate if they were not going to action against her already.

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