I have the face of a great demon.

The shopkeeper's face instantly lit up with a smile, and he was about to greet the customer when the man in black robes suddenly drew his sword with a clang.

A glint of cold light flashed, startling him so much that he shuddered and dared not move.

Liu Xingchen awkwardly touched his nose, realizing he had made a mistake.

He originally intended to take the sword, scabbard and all, and show it to the shopkeeper. Instead, he decided to do something very cool: he looked at the shopkeeper but not at the sword, and performed a blind maneuver.

Unexpectedly, my lack of skill led to me drawing my sword instead.

He sheathed the sword he had drawn halfway, took it off with the scabbard still attached, and slammed both swords onto the counter.

With a loud thud, the shopkeeper's heart skipped a beat, almost leaping out of his throat.

"Shopkeeper, how much silver can I get for these two swords?"

Hearing those familiar words, the shopkeeper finally felt relieved, as he had been afraid that the black-robed man might actually be talking about robbery.

If it's not a robbery, why are you drawing your sword?

The shopkeeper, terrified, only dared to grumble inwardly, but spoke as if he had honey on his lips.

"Oh my, what an honor to have you here! It's such a pleasure to have you in my humble shop! Are you here to pawn your precious sword? No problem, I'll give you a fair price."

Liu Xingchen was unaware that a small mistake he made unintentionally had given the pawnshop owner a hard time, and the owner dared not ask for an exorbitant price like he had for the woman pawning her hairpin.

If the price offered doesn't meet this gentleman's expectations, the sword on his back might just be aimed at his head, and he dares not take that risk.

The shopkeeper picked up the two swords, examined them carefully, and then replied with a smile:

"Sir, these two swords of yours are forged from fine steel with exquisite craftsmanship. They are so sharp that they can cut a hair in two. They are definitely top-quality goods!"

"Judging by its luster, it's like it's brand new. It must have been made recently, right?"

Having received such high praise, Liu Xingchen smiled slightly, thinking that the two swords would fetch a good price.

Little did they know that the shopkeeper was lying through his teeth. These two swords were not new at all; they had been through countless battles, and the blades had several nicks.

He merely noticed the congealed blood in the crevices of the sword hilt, which sparked endless imagination.

How could a swordsman pawn his own sword?

So the truth is, these two swords didn't belong to the man in black robes; they belonged to his opponent, and the bloodstains on the swords are the best proof of that.

This man in black robes killed someone and then pawned their sword, showing that he has no morals whatsoever and belongs to the cold-blooded killer type.

Coupled with Liu Xingchen's cold, expressionless face, the shopkeeper became even more certain of this.

"Sir, one sword will cost you twenty taels of silver, and two swords will total forty taels. What do you say?"

When the shopkeeper quoted the price, his heart was bleeding.

This is already the price of a brand new, top-quality sword. The pawnshop is practically losing money by accepting it at this price.

But in order to get rid of the man in black quickly and avoid getting into trouble, he had no choice but to accept this loss.

Liu Xingchen was overjoyed, as he had already inquired about the conversion between silver and copper coins.

One tael of silver is worth a thousand coins, so forty taels would be forty thousand coins, enough for him to live on for a while.

His lips unconsciously curled up, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Liu Xingchen happily accepted the four silver ingots offered by the shopkeeper and left.

Once the man in black robes was out of sight, the shopkeeper collapsed into his chair as if his body had fallen apart, still feeling a lingering sense of fear.

With money in hand, Liu Xingchen felt much more confident and began to plan for the future.

This trip to the pawnshop taught him a lesson, making him deeply understand the survival rule of this world—the law of the jungle.

If it weren't for his impressive attire, the dock manager wouldn't have given him a friendly look.

The pawnshop owner will probably try to drive the price down as hard as he could, just like he did with that poor woman.

Ultimately, it's the reputation of being a martial arts expert that matters!

However, Liu Xingchen knew perfectly well that he was just a pretty face with no real skills.

In other words, he can only show off in front of ordinary people who don't know martial arts. If he really encounters a martial arts master, he's doomed.

No, I need to change my outfit.

Liu Xingchen happened to see clothes hanging on a bamboo pole at a nearby house. Seeing that no one was around, he took a set of clothes and changed out of his conspicuous black robe.

But after changing into this coarse cloth outfit, I felt it was too low-class, and it wouldn't do to look like I was easy to bully.

So, he rolled his eyes and came up with an idea. He found a clothing shop, changed into a simple scholar's outfit, and instantly transformed into a refined scholar.

Walking down the street, one is neither too high-profile to attract attention, nor too low-profile to be bullied; this identity is just right.

Of course, he didn't throw away his black robe either. He packed it in a bundle and carried it on his back. If needed, he could put it on again and use it to intimidate people as a swordsman.

As for the black divine sword, with so many martial arts practitioners vying for it, it was too conspicuous and could easily attract disaster. He specially asked the tailor at the clothing shop to make an inconspicuous cloth bag to cover it, and still carried it on his back to avoid being recognized.

After settling everything down, Liu Xingchen leisurely found an inn, picked the cheapest room, and settled in. He felt incredibly comfortable, finally officially beginning his new life in this world.

Forty taels of silver is a lot, but it won't last too long if you really need to use it.

Liu Xingchen had made up his mind. After a life of aimless drifting in modern society, he wanted to become a martial artist in this new world and realize his dream of becoming a chivalrous hero.

He spent two days wandering around Lingshui Town, getting a pretty good feel for the local customs and culture.

This town is called Lingshui Town. It has a small population and is very quiet. Even a decent martial arts sect is unwilling to settle here. The only gang is a local gang, named after the place, called Lingshui Gang.

Upon hearing that the Ling Shui Gang was recruiting, Liu Xingchen immediately rushed over, hoping to take this opportunity to join the gang and officially embark on his martial arts journey.

Seeing him rushing off to the Lingshui Gang in the east of town, muttering happily things like "I'm going to learn martial arts," Linggui couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Alas, my foolish master, with a spirit like me by your side, why bother becoming a martial arts practitioner?"

"I really hope that a cultivation sect will come to recruit disciples, see the spirit within him at a glance, recognize his limitless potential, immediately take him as their chief disciple, devote all resources to nurturing him, and help him cultivate to the Golden Core stage. That way, I can break free from the limitation of a hundred-year lifespan."

However, the spirit's wish cannot be fulfilled at present. No cultivators would come to this desolate town, and the people in the town have never seen the legendary immortals. Having a small martial arts gang is already the greatest blessing.

The spirit could only watch helplessly as its master, with a silly grin, squeezed into the Ling Shui Gang, competing with a group of people who also harbored martial arts dreams for the limited entry qualification. The helplessness in its heart was worse than eating bitter melon.