Strongest Businessman of the Cultivation World

"And then to convince the City Lord and his aide, I threw them another bait. I told them that they can let the Veterans teach their rookies the same techniques without my manuals."

Ikasa recounted to Xin Ruo how he had made his sales pitch in the Manor as he took another bite of his hawthorn candy.

They were out touring the city with the kids. Since the hostile incidents between the three forces had been reduced to the bare minimum, the city had returned to peace.

Ikasa decided that this was the perfect time to check one more item off the kid's wish list; Pei Yuan's Dagger.

The rest of the kids, bored from being cooped in the Villa, had clamored to come along. With the inclusion of a foodie like Luo Qiqi, this trip became a food tasting tour.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

Ikasa asked Xin Ruo when she did not respond to his anecdote.

"I am wondering why you would say that and harm our business. If one were to buy a single manual and then teach it to others, who would purchase from us?"

Hearing her needless worry, he scoffed.

"That's what you are worried about? Did you forget Li Shen? He had the original cultivation method, and yet without the spark of energy from my spiritual imprint, he couldn't cultivate it."

Turning serious, he looked her in the eye.

"Without my spiritual imprints, it is very difficult, no, it is nigh impossible to learn the techniques from my manuals. So, don't you worry about running out of customers!"

He patted her shoulder and reassured her. She blushed from the close contact.

This tender moment was ruined by an excited shout from Pei Yuan.

"Brother, look there! We have reached the Blacksmith's shop!"

Ikasa followed Pei Yuan's finger and noticed a large storefront not far from where they stood. A signboard with a hammer on the anvil hung from the roof.

Pei Yuan rushed to the shop, and the others matched his pace to keep up.

As soon as he pushed the door open, he was assaulted by the heat wave. The clanging sounds of hammer striking the anvil and the smoky smell of burning charcoal came soon after.

"If you are here for farming tools, take your pick from the shelf on the right."

A gruff voice directed the visitor from the backroom. The same voice chuckled a few seconds later.

"Take your Pick…  Hehehe…  What a clever pun!"

And the sounds of hammering resumed.

Stunned by the crazy behavior, Pei Yuan stood on the spot, unsure how to proceed. Only when Ikasa arrived behind him did he find the courage to speak up.

"Mister Blacksmith, I don't want any agricultural tools. I am here to commission a dagger!"

The sounds of metal hitting metal stopped abruptly. A few seconds later, the closed door of the back room opened, bathing the visitors in another wave of warmth.

A rugged man with thick eyebrows and a mustache that suited his face exited the room. He looked down on Pei Yuan and scanned him from head to toe.

Then his eyes darted from one person to another as he studied the other people in the shop.

"Who wants my custom-made dagger?"

All eyes turned to Pei Yuan. The owner scrutinized the boy once more, and then his hysterical laughter resounded in everyone's ears.

"Can you even afford the weapon made by me, the only blacksmith of Birch City, Gu Dan?"

He asked, patting his chest proudly. Ikasa groaned in his head at his actions.

'What's with these eccentric characters in Birch City? There is a haughty Commander and now this prideful Blacksmith. Except for a Bro-con and a doll-face who could match wits with old fogies, everyone was so normal in Sal City.'

Ikasa sighed and replied firmly to the boastful Blacksmith.

"Money is no object. Name your price!"

Gu Dan narrowed his eyes at Ikasa.

"Money can't buy my craft, nor can it buy what I want."

The two men engaged in a staring contest, turning the simple negotiation into a clash of ego. One believed that money reigned supreme, while the other believed in the sanctity of his forging.

Xin Ruo intervened to break the ice.

"What are your demands, Mister?"

The middle-aged man ended the staring contest to look at Xin Ruo. His gaze softened as he looked at her.

"I vowed to make another weapon only when I can protect others from the menace its wielder may cause. To break through into the Sense realm is the only way for me to do so. My price is a High-Grade Cultivation Method or guidance from a Sense Realm Expert on how to break through."

Ikasa and Xin Ruo exchanged glances. He almost burst into laughter.

"That's all? All of your 'money-can't-buy-what-I-need' talk is for this? Either you don't have enough gold, or you don't know where to buy what you want."

He mocked the man whose face was reddening with anger.

"I have had enough of you. If your money can buy everything you need, go find another blacksmith. Because your wealth cannot purchase the dagger you want in my smithy !"

With this scathing remark, he turned to return to his furnace room.

Ikasa turned to the anxious Xin Ruo and loudly said, "Tsk Tsk. What a foolish man! A chance to obtain everything he wishes for has walked right to his doorsteps, and he is thinking of slamming the door shut."

Gu Dan paused in his actions and stopped the door to the backroom from closing. Without turning to face Ikasa, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"I can fulfill both of your conditions, Blacksmith Gu. All you have to do is forge the best possible dagger for my guy."

The older man's hand trembled. He slowly turned around, unable to trust this stranger's words.

"Whether it be the guidance from a Sense Realm expert or a high-grade technique, I can give it to you."

The kids bobbed their heads to assure the man of the truth in Ikasa's words.

"My Father is a Sense Realm Expert." Xin Ruo chimed in.

"And I am the Merchant of Manuals! I can satisfy your need for every type of battle technique and cultivation method."

Ikasa boasted with pride, imitating the Blacksmith's chest pat from a few moments ago.

"I do not believe such an opportunity will suddenly come to me."

Gu Dan stared at Ikasa and Xin Ruo with apprehension mixed with hope. His apprehension was justified.

Before Ikasa's arrival, people who had seen High-Grade Cultivation Manuals in the Tier-3 cities could be counted on one hand. And the ones who practiced them were even rarer.

As for the guidance from the Sense Trainers, all of them belonged to the top echelons of the city. Why would they visit this humble smithy when they can have their weapons made from a forge in Tier-2 or even Tier-1 Cities?

If he could, Ikasa also wanted to commission Pei Yuan's dagger from a better Blacksmith. But he had no means to contact the higher-tier cities at the moment.

Hence, he had to convince the one available to him.

"I know mere words can't convince you. So, I will return with proof to back my claims tomorrow."

Ikasa nodded at the Blacksmith and exited the store.

They had walked for a while when Hei Ying noticed the absence of Yan Xiao.

She scanned all the nearby stores to see if he was attracted to something, but his figure could not be seen.

"Brother Ikasa, Sister Ruo, Yan Xiao is missing!"

They immediately stopped in their tracks. Ikasa and Xin Ruo surveyed the nearby surroundings. When their search turned out futile, Xin Ruo panicked.

He soothed her and looked her in the eye.

"You take Hei Ying and Pei Yuan and search the alleys in the upper lanes. I will take Luo Qiqi and Chu Qing to search the lower streets. Whether you find him or not, meet back here in half an hour."

One thought occupied his mind as he paced down the street he had just come from.

'I hope this is not the doing of Hu Clan Bastards!'

After searching through all the nearby alleys and lanes, they arrived before the Blacksmith's.

Just to be sure, Ikasa peeked into the store. And there he saw Yan Xiao, his attention captivated by something in the backroom.

Ikasa tip-toed his way over, shushing his two companions into silence. Yan Xiao was so taken in by the sight before him that he didn't notice Ikasa.

Before them, Gu Dan was striking a red-hot piece of metal with his hammer. With every blow, the metal changed shape.

And with every strike of the hammer, fascination on Yan Xiao's face also grew.

As Ikasa looked at the wonderment on the youngster's face, he realized something.

'This young man has found his calling.'

He accompanied him for a few more minutes until the promised time for his rendezvous with Xin Ruo was near.

He gently placed a hand on the young lad's shoulder and made him aware of his presence. They exited the shop without disturbing the master working on his craft.

As they walked back to Luo Qiqi and Chu Qing, Yan Xiao looked at Ikasa with passion in his eyes.

"Big Brother, I want to learn Smithing!"