In the world of martial arts, grind your skill level to become a saint.

The next day.

Su Hao got up early to practice his skills. After improving his proficiency in Yue Shan Quan to 10 points, he stopped and started cooking porridge with the bone broth he had made the night before.

After a large pot of rice porridge was cooked, Su Hao set aside half of it, put it in an earthenware pot, and prepared to take it to the shop for lunch.

All that was left was to start feasting.

Since practicing martial arts yesterday, he felt his appetite had increased, especially after drinking the blood-strengthening soup, which significantly shortened the time he was hungry.

This indicates an enhanced ability to absorb and digest nutrients.

The half-pot of porridge was quickly finished. Su Hao rinsed the bottom of the pot with two ladles of water to clean the residue, then drank it all, finally feeling full.

After eating and drinking his fill, Su Hao packed his things and went out to Blackwater Street.

The blacksmith shop was Su Hao's real livelihood, and it brought in a considerable income each month, amounting to about one or two taels of silver. After deducting taxes and the fees paid to the gang, he could still have about one tael of silver left over.

Although Su Hao now has some side hustles to make money, he doesn't want to give up this skill.

Most importantly, the fact that this craft has been included in the system suggests that it must have some special features.

After all, skills like reading and writing were not included.

Walking through the narrow rat alley, Su Hao carefully avoided the occasional golden rice grains that appeared on the path, and his eyes couldn't help but catch sight of the torch traces left on the ground.

Moreover, on some of the earthen walls, splattered bloodstains can still be clearly seen.

Su Hao walked this road every day, so the changes in the surrounding environment made him feel uneasy.

I guess that the group of people from the Zhong Sheng Sect must have passed through here again last night.

However, he was too tired last night and was unaware of what was happening outside.

Just as Su Hao stepped out of the alley, a wooden cart suddenly passed by.

Su Hao stopped in his tracks, his gaze falling on the straw mat on the wooden cart.

To be precise, it was on two blackened and rotting corpses inside the straw mat. Judging from their size, it should be an adult and a child.

As for gender, Su Hao had no way of knowing.

The man pushing the cart was a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion and thin body. He covered his mouth and nose with a straw cloth, leaving only his bloodshot eyes visible.

He glanced blankly at Su Hao, who was standing at the entrance of the alley, then lowered his head and continued pushing the wooden cart away.

Su Hao covered his mouth and nose, but he felt that he could not block out the stench of decay in the air. He glanced at the yellow and red liquid dripping on the ground, frowned, and retreated to the side road of the alley, heading towards Blackwater Street from another road.

Lately, he's noticed that things are getting increasingly interesting in the Rat Alley area.

Gang fights, church parades, and the occasional corpse lying in a corner, whether beaten to death or starved to death, all contribute to a sense of oppression.

Upon arriving at the shop, Su Hao lit the furnace and began forging iron as usual.

As the sky grew brighter, more and more pedestrians began to appear on the streets.

Su Hao's shop gradually became busier.

With his forging skill reaching LV3, Su Hao's forging speed and skill are now far superior to what they were before.

So even though business has doubled compared to before, he still has plenty of room to cope.

The products they create are of even higher quality and craftsmanship, and have been highly praised by customers.

In the days that followed, Su Hao officially began a life revolving around three points: home, work, and study.

Every day, she travels back and forth between the blacksmith shop, the martial arts school, and her home, and every three days she goes to the Hongqiao Town Market to update Bai Jie's story.

His life was incredibly fulfilling, and his martial arts skills and techniques continued to improve over time.

Half a month passed quickly.

That day, Su Hao was busy all morning and finally finished all the orders on hand.

After glancing around to make sure no one was outside, he hid all the copper coins he had collected under the gaps in the roof tiles before starting to eat lunch.

During this period, Chen Biao and his gang from the Fierce Tiger Gang never came to the shop again.

Su Hao's life has become relatively peaceful and stable.

However, the reason they didn't cause trouble at the shop wasn't because they had a change of heart, but because Su Hao had heard rumors recently that the Fierce Tiger Gang had clashed with other gangs in Hongqiao Town over territory, and that gang seemed to be called the Black Tiger Gang.

As the saying goes, "Two tigers cannot share one mountain." In this town of Hongqiao, there are only two gangs whose names contain the character for "tiger" and who have made a name for themselves. Naturally, both sides regard each other as a thorn in their side.

However, their fighting to the death had nothing to do with Su Hao. After all, no matter who was in charge of Blackwater Street, these people would still collect their dues, take their benefits, and bully others—they were all the same.

After lunch, just as Su Hao was about to take the money to the boxing academy...

But a commotion came from outside the door.

Su Hao looked over and saw several people barging in from outside, with Chen Biao and his group leading the way.

"Ah Hao, you've struck it rich lately! Everyone in Blackwater Street is coming to you forging iron!"

Chen Biao walked in shirtless, revealing the two distinctive knife scars on his chest, head held high and swaggering in.

Upon seeing Su Hao, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Su Hao calmly moved the stool he was carrying to a nearby shelf before approaching him: "Brother Biao, you're joking. I'm just barely scraping by..."

"With your skills, you can easily make a living..." Chen Biao waved his hand, not sitting down as before, but saying, "It's almost time to pay your shop's rent. Is everything ready?"

Example money?

Su Hao frowned slightly. He remembered that it had only been a little over half a month since he last paid.

"Brother Biao, it's not time yet..."

Su Hao was somewhat embarrassed and wanted to say something more, but a long-faced, pointed-mouthed young man next to Chen Biao glared at him and shouted, "Just hand it over! Stop with the nonsense! This isn't a discussion!"

Upon hearing this, Su Hao felt a surge of anger.

But he didn't say anything more, instead looking at Chen Biao and waiting for him to speak.

"Hey! How dare you talk to our Brother Hao like that!?" Chen Biao glared at the long-faced youth, a faint smile on his face. He stepped forward and patted Su Hao on the shoulder, saying, "The gang's expenses have been high lately, so we're collecting money early. If you can't come up with it right now, that's fine. But I do have a big business deal for you to handle."

Upon hearing this, Su Hao became wary.

Chen Biao's sudden appearance here, using the pretext of the "tribute money" to cause trouble, is definitely not that simple.

"I wonder what instructions Brother Biao has? I'm afraid my skills are not good enough to handle this task."

Although Su Hao guessed that Chen Biao's intentions were not good, it would not be wise to refuse him in the current situation, so he had no choice but to ask.

"It's simple! I need 50 knives next month. Find some time to forge them for me. You can pay for the materials first, and I'll settle the payment with you after you receive the knives. Is that alright?"

Chen Biao stared at Su Hao, his tone becoming increasingly forceful.

50 knives?

Upon hearing this number, Su Hao's expression turned grim.