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

"Master Yang, what's going on?"

Su Hao weighed the money pouch in his hand, feeling that it was heavier than usual this time.

He couldn't understand what the other person meant for a moment.

"Hehe! Master Su has helped me a lot lately. You don't know, when I brought these batches of knives back to the gang, the vice gang leader was full of praise for them and wanted to see which master craftsman they were made from. He also gave me a considerable reward..."

Yang Lu smiled and said, "So this is a small token of my appreciation for Master Su. Please accept it..."

"Is there something you need, Master Yang?"

Su Hao hesitated for a moment.

Accepting favors from others without giving them a sense that the other person is asking for something in return.

"Haha, Master Su, I'll always come to you for help, so don't worry. Please accept the money; after all, we've cooperated many times. And frankly, my Rice Gang isn't short of cash!"

Yang Lu laughed and waved his hand, not expecting Su Hao, who looked so young, to be so cautious in his actions.

"In that case, thank you very much, Hall Master Yang..."

Seeing that the other party was determined to persist, Su Hao naturally couldn't refuse too much.

After bowing respectfully, he placed the money bag on the table, acknowledging the other party's kindness.

"Master Su, we need to forge a batch of weapons next month, but we'll need you to travel out of town. When would be a convenient time for you?"

After chatting for a while, Yang Lu suddenly changed the subject to business.

Su Hao was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

However, he didn't care, since he had promised the Mi Gang that he could go out and forge weapons when they cooperated.

"My time is flexible. Whenever your gang needs me to go out, you can have someone notify me."

Su Hao didn't think too much about it and agreed.

He had previously agreed with the other party that if the work involved going out to forge, the wages would be tripled.

For materials that are more difficult to forge, the forging price will be calculated separately.

Su Hao is currently short of money, so he has no reason to refuse.

"Alright! Then I'll trouble Master Su to come with us. Don't worry about the price; it will definitely satisfy you!"

Yang Lu hadn't expected Su Hao to agree so readily, and his smile immediately grew even wider.

He originally thought that, given Su Hao's skills, he would raise the price slightly at this time to gain more profit.

After all, he had visited several blacksmith shops, and all the master craftsmen did it this way.

But to his surprise, Su Hao accepted their invitation without saying a word.

He seems to be a very straightforward and easygoing person.

At this moment, his impression of Su Hao was much better than that of the other master blacksmiths.

If everyone were like Su Hao, everything would be much easier.

"Then thank you very much, Hall Master Yang..." Su Hao said with a smile.

Over time, he found that Yang Lu was quite sincere and approachable, showing no disdain for him because he came from the Rice Gang, one of the three gangs.

Su Hao is a very honest person; he treats others the way they treat him.

Therefore, he naturally wouldn't try to raise the price or do anything that would be distasteful in response to Yang Lu's invitation.

"Haha! I should be thanking you!"

Yang Lu stood up, a rugged smile on his face. He patted Su Hao's arm forcefully, "Then it's settled. I'll arrange for someone to pick you up later!"

"Can!"

Su Hao nodded with a smile.

"Oh, by the way, there's something I might need to tell you about, it's about the Zhou family in Nanshan Town."

Yang Lu suddenly thought of something, and his voice immediately lowered.

A few days ago, the eldest son of the Zhou family, a major pharmaceutical merchant family in the outer city, got married. All three factions and two groups sent people to offer their congratulations.

After all, the Zhou family's medicinal herb business in the outer city also involved some cooperation with the Rice Gang.

As luck would have it, Yang Lu was one of the people assigned to offer congratulations this time.

It was precisely because of this that he accidentally discovered that this Master Su actually had a considerable relationship with the eldest son of the Zhou family.

"Oh? What brings you here, Master Yang?"

Upon hearing this, Su Hao's heart stirred.

Suddenly I sensed something was wrong.

Yang Lu, the head of the Rice Gang, actually took the initiative to talk to him about the Zhou family.

Clearly, this matter is not so simple!

"As far as I know, the Zhou family's marriage alliance with the Ren family is likely aimed at jointly acquiring a medicinal herb paradise called Qingzhi Valley. Both families must have invested a considerable amount of money and manpower in this endeavor. However, other powerful forces are now eyeing that place, so it's best not to get involved in the Qingzhi Valley affair, lest all your efforts go to waste..."

After thinking for a moment, Yang Lu explained the current situation to Su Hao.

Although they had some cooperation with the Zhou family, it was limited to cooperation; there was no deep friendship between them.

The reason he informed Su Hao of this was twofold: firstly, he trusted Su Hao's character, and secondly, he simply wanted Su Hao to know about it. As for whether Su Hao would inform the Zhou family, that was beyond his control.

Moreover, informing the other party of this news will have no impact on him.

"Is that so?"

Su Hao also looked thoughtful for a moment.

Unexpectedly, there was this underlying reason behind the alliance between the Zhou and Ren families.

He didn't think much of it for the time being, but instead cupped his hands to Yang Lu and said, "Thank you for informing me, Hall Master Yang. I will find time to negotiate with the Zhou family about this matter."

Although it's unclear whether the information Yang Lu brought is true or false, at least the other party informed him, which can be considered as providing him with a clue.

"Alright, then I won't disturb Master Su any longer. I'll head back now."

Yang Lu also cupped his hands in farewell to Su Hao and led his men away from the blacksmith shop.

"These are truly turbulent times..." Su Hao sighed softly.

He turned his gaze away from the direction Yang Lu and the others had left, shook his head, and prepared to tidy up before heading to Zhou's Pharmacy.

The purpose was naturally to purchase the secret medicine for the Double Shadow Eight-Foot Step and to inform Zhou Zhengtang about what had just happened.

By the way, could you please inquire about the Lin family's military strength?

Given how he treated Lin Hong today, Lin Hong, with his character, would definitely not let it go easily.

Even if they were wary of Master Liu's existence, they absolutely could not swallow this insult.

Therefore, rather than letting others plot against him in secret, Su Hao should take the initiative himself.

However, before that, we need to thoroughly investigate the Lin family's background.

Upon arriving in Nanshan Town, Su Hao went straight to Zhou's Pharmacy.

The shop assistants at Zhou's Pharmacy already knew Su Hao's identity. After some questioning, they told Su Hao that Zhou Zhengtang was in the backyard with his wife.

Now that Zhou Zhengtang is married, Su Hao can no longer freely enter and leave the inner courtyard as before, so as not to disturb their private time.

He simply found a seat in the front hall and asked the waiter to inform the other party.

At the same time, Su Hao quickly wrote down a list and then asked the other employees to help him get the medicine, and he also paid thirty taels of silver in advance.