Immortality begins with becoming a master weapon refiner

Chapter 4 The Beggar
The knocking came from the back door.

After Gu Qing opened the door, a simply dressed, dusty young man walked in.

"Awei?"

"There's news."

This man was originally a beggar. Gu Qing was familiar with him and had naturally been deeply involved in his life. Now that he had escaped the mire, he had not forgotten this special group.

He took in almost all the beggars in Qishan County, using them as his eyes to observe the outside world.

In times of chaos, news from refugees is the most authentic and fastest.

The beggars were almost indistinguishable from the disaster victims, and it was easy to get the information they wanted. They were able to escape the destruction of the city because of Awei's messages.

"Brother Qing, the government is going to increase taxes again this year. As soon as the news came out, many farmers were hit hard. They couldn't afford to pay the land tax and could only work as laborers to pay it off. The county magistrate arrested a lot of people."

"They've all been moved to the mining area."

Have you counted how many people there are?

Gu Qing frowned. He had eyes and ears at several important locations in Qishan County, so it wasn't surprising that he learned of this news immediately.

"One hundred and twenty."

"So many? What about Fengming Prefecture?"

"It's the same as usual, just a normal notice about suppressing bandits."

Gu Qing's eyes darted around, and she knew what was going on.

This was probably the county constable's own idea. He and the county magistrate were in cahoots, using taxation as an excuse to bring in more cheap labor, all for the sake of more profits.

In addition, the smelting department recruited new blacksmiths.

Doesn't that connect them?

"Understood. Tell the brothers to keep an eye on things and let me know if there's any movement."

"Okay, Brother Qing, um..."

Awei chuckled, rubbed his fingers awkwardly, and explained with a blush.

"Grain prices have been rising, and the brothers have been living very frugally lately."

"I understand, just wait..."

Gu Qing glanced at Awei again, their understanding unspoken.

When he came out of the inner room, he had a bundle in his hand containing twenty taels of silver. Smuggling weapons was a highly profitable business, and Gu Qing was the main maker.

He still had several hundred taels of silver, enough to support a group of beggar children.

However, when a poor person suddenly becomes rich, they may not recognize their own status and abilities. Awei needs to be wary of this. During his years of wandering, he has seen too many ungrateful people.

After he left, Gu Qing quickly went out and rushed to the military camp.

He earned relatively little from the illegal arms trade; the majority of his profits came from the county magistrate and county constable, and even several thousand taels of silver couldn't satisfy their appetites.

In this situation, we need to check if there's a problem.

Just then, the opportunity presented itself, as he was still wondering how to establish a connection with the Zhao family.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the military camp.

The soldiers passing by still affectionately called him Master Gu, just like always. But when they arrived at the smelting room, the once quiet place was now much more crowded.

The laborers in short coats carried boxes of materials in and out.

The sound of forging hammers striking echoed throughout the room.

Upon entering, he immediately saw Old Song, the warehouse manager, standing next to someone, bowing and scraping as he spoke.

That man was none other than the county magistrate, Song Long.

Wearing a belted leather armor and a tasseled sword at his waist, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a square, honest face, he easily gives people a reliable feeling.

"Oh, Brother Gu is here."

Upon seeing Gu Qing, Song Long quickly walked over, put his arm around Gu Qing's shoulder, and pointed to the burly men in front of the iron felt.

"The military craftsmen from Fengming Prefecture are skilled in armor making, and their forging techniques for breastplates are exceptional, complementing your mastery of weapon craftsmanship."

"With your help, what great things cannot be accomplished?"

Seeing this, Gu Qing said angrily, "Brother Song, are you going to go back on your word?"

"Why do you say that, brother?"

Seeing Gu Qing's anger, Song Long remained unperturbed and explained with a smile.

"The demand for military equipment in Fengming Prefecture is increasing day by day. Brother, you should work hard and do your job well, otherwise even the commander won't be able to protect you."

"you!"

"Humph."

Gu Qing turned and left without giving him any face. This situation was within his expectations. His angry words were mostly an act, after all, he was only twenty years old and had a relationship with the commander of the Fengming Army.

A little temper is normal.

After Gu Qing left, the atmosphere in the smelting room became much quieter, and the warehouse manager, Old Song, said with his head down.

"Sir, that Gu Qing is being rather ungrateful. Should we get rid of him?"

Are you teaching me how to do things?

With no outsiders around, Song Long's expression became much more stern.

"Gu Qing is just an ordinary person who is greedy for money. With more military craftsmen, he will receive much less silver. Can't he even express his dissatisfaction?"

"But he offended you, showing such a lack of respect..."

"Heh, he's not that simple."

Song Long remained silent. From what he had just seen, Gu Qing was full of vigor and vitality, with a rosy and radiant complexion. He was already in a state of being full of energy and spirit. If he was right, Gu Qing had already broken through to the second realm of martial arts, the Blood Transformation Realm!

At this age, it is expected that he will break through to the third realm—internal energy—in ten years!
At that time, his strength will be comparable to that of Commander Fengming, and he will also be appreciated and promoted, making him much more valuable than a martial artist trapped in the Blood Moving Realm.

"Gu Qing's share remains the same."

"Yes!"

No one had an opinion.

Returning our attention to Gu Qing, after leaving the military camp, he returned home and didn't go out again. He waited until it was dark and the moon was just beginning to appear before putting on a robe.

They quietly arrived at the gate of the Zhao residence.

One must be strong to forge iron. A breakthrough in martial arts realm, while not making one invincible in Qishan County, at least ensures one's basic safety.

Apart from Song Long, who is a seasoned Blood-Transferring Warrior and poses some threat to him, the others are all quite ordinary.

He feigned a falling out, using this as an opportunity to establish a relationship with the Zhao family.

Song Long would come over to negotiate with him, since the value of a hundred-forged weapon is more than ten times that of an ordinary weapon, and it might even be a way for him to curry favor with the big shots in Fengming Prefecture.

It's impossible for them to give up Gu Qing, this money-making tree.

Such words were merely a test; it's perfectly normal to view this as a business transaction—it's a give-and-take situation.

The Zhao family was merely a wealthy local family, and their influence was far less than that of the Fengming family.

In a fair competition, Gu Qing would never side with the Zhao family.

Unfortunately, their local specialties were exactly what Gu Qing needed. With his abilities, cooperation between the two sides would be the best way to maximize their benefits.

After all, one has to be more discreet when working for the government.

As the gatekeeper opened the door, after a few words, he hurriedly ran inside to announce his arrival. Before long, Gu Qing met the person he wanted to see in the hall.

The head of the Zhao family is Zhao Huaiyi.

"Patriarch Zhao."

"Master Gu, what brings you here so late at night?"

Zhao Huaiyi was fifty-two years old, thin and wiry, wearing a down cloak, sporting a goatee, and with bright, piercing eyes.

"Hehe, Patriarch Zhao should know my abilities. I wonder if you are interested in weapons and armor?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Huaiyi paused for a moment, remaining tight-lipped.

"Master Gu is joking. Weapons are fine, but armor is something that the imperial court strictly forbids from being privately made. How dare my Zhao family violate the emperor's decree?"

(End of this chapter)