Chapter 17
Obviously Following
The shop looked very ordinary. The paint on the plaque was already peeling, and only the word “Iron” could be vaguely seen.
As soon as he walked in, he felt a wave of heat assault his face, accompanied by clanging sounds that made him feel irritated.
Even if the sound came from the backyard, it could be heard clearly.
A few days ago, when he was strolling around, Xu Bai discovered this blacksmith shop.
He came to the blacksmith shop to get some weapons.
There was no need to forge a saber. The Ghost Head Saber was good enough. What he needed was a hidden weapon suitable for the Rain of Maple Leaves.
He couldn’t really throw the maple leaves, right?
Wouldn’t that be a joke?
Of course, with his current strength and the secret weapon technique of the Rain of Maple Leaves, he could also kill people with the Maple Leaves, but it probably would only be effective towards ordinary people.
Hidden weapons were essential.
As the saying went, when one was wandering in the martial world, it was completely expected to be stabbed.
In this day and age, it was impossible not to carry some hidden weapons for self-defense.
In the shop, other than the sound of banging from the backyard, the exterior looked no different from an ordinary shop.
This blacksmith shop was opened by a middle-aged couple. The husband forged iron, and the wife acted as the shopkeeper, accountant, and so on.
When Xu Bai walked in, a middle-aged woman in her forties hurriedly approached him.
“Sir, what are you looking for?” The lady boss asked warmly.
Xu Bai looked around and realized that most of the things hanging on the wall were farming tools.
Sheng County was remote, and many blacksmiths produced these items.
They couldn’t specialize in making weapons. That would make it a weapon shop.
Moreover, sabers, spears, and swords were not easy to sell in Sheng County. If they only sold those, they would be making a loss.
From time to time, people from the martial world would pass by. Other than one or two who needed it, most of them would not specially buy weapons.
Just like Xu Bai. Now that he had gotten used to the Ghost Head Saber, he wouldn’t change a saber every time he went to another place.
Just because the blacksmith didn’t have it didn’t mean that they didn’t know how to make it.
“I want to custom-make a batch of iron beads about the size of peanuts,” Xu Bai said bluntly.
The lady boss was stunned for a moment. After she reacted, she asked, “Sir, how many do you want?”
“Ten thousand.” Xu Bai thought for a moment and gave a number.
Actually, he could not carry that many beads with him, but he decided to have it made first in case of emergencies.
He also wanted to make some sharp weapons, such as throwing knives.
However, on second thought, throwing knives was not suitable with the Rain of Maple Leaves.
Rain of Maple Leaves was about numbers and winning with numbers.
If he carried a flying knife, how many could he carry?
His surname was not Li, and he could not kill a top-notch master with a flying knife.
In terms of practicality and the compatibility with the Rain of Maple Leaves, the iron beads were better.
Wouldn’t it be great to throw them bunch by bunch?
“Sir, you can come and get the goods tomorrow.” The lady boss made a note on the paper.
“So fast?” Xu Bai was slightly surprised.
“Because of the price.” The lady boss explained with a smile, “As long as the profit is high, we will prioritize it.”
That was true. No one could go against money.
“Alright, I’ll come back tomorrow.”
After agreeing on a time and asking for the price, Xu Bai left the blacksmith shop.
He was not in a hurry to go to the inn. In fact, he originally planned to not go to the inn after completing the progress bar.
But last night, he changed his mind.
Some people, if you don’t mess with them, they’ll mess with you.
The more he tried to keep the peace, the more they would take advantage of him.
‘It’s time to wrap things up,’
Xu Bai thought as he returned home.
…
The next day.
He woke up early, washed up, and went out.
Today, Xu Bai did not go to the inn. Instead, he went straight to the blacksmith shop.
The agreed time was in the morning.
When he arrived, he saw a wheelbarrow at the entrance of the blacksmith shop. There was a wooden box on the wheelbarrow.
The lady boss was tying a rope to the wheelbarrow to prevent the wooden box from slipping.
By the time Xu Bai got closer, the lady boss was already done.
“Sir, the iron beads are inside. Do you want to check the goods?” The lady boss untied the rope on top and opened the wooden box.
Inside the wooden box were densely packed iron beads.
Xu Bai reached his hand in and casually stirred it, making a rustling sound.
He picked up another one and squeezed it hard.
Just from the feel of it, Xu Bai could sense that they were great.
He wanted to stick his hand into the metal beads again. It was like sticking his hand into rice when he was young. It was a little addictive.
Damn it, the dead memories are attacking me!
Xu Bai shook his head to get rid of his irrelevant thoughts.
“Sir, we’ll give you the wheelbarrow for free in case you can’t carry it,” the lady boss explained.
From Xu Bai’s point of view, there were a lot fewer farming tools in the shop. Judging from the situation, the farming tools had been melted to make his orders.
He did not delve into why the forging speed was so fast. It was fine as long as he got what he wanted.
After paying the bill, Xu Bai pushed the wheelbarrow back home.
After unloading the iron beads and moving them into the house, he took out a khaki-colored cloth bag and grabbed the iron beads one by one, stuffing them into the bag.
When the bag was full, Xu Bai put it in his chest pocket.
“Everything is ready.”
Stability was the way to go.
However, stability did not mean enduring all the time.
The other party had already gone too far and used the evil spirit corpse to test him. If he didn’t slap them back, they would really think that he was easy to bully.
After walking out of the door, Xu Bai did not stay any longer and walked towards the inn.
…
When he arrived at the inn, he went in to eat and drink as usual.
It was not until noon when Yun Xiang came down from the second floor and left the shop that Xu Bai paid the bill and left.
This time, he did not go home and followed behind Yun Xiang.
At noon, the streets were crowded and lively.
Xu Bai realized that Yun Xiang looked like she was shopping. She walked here and there, and from time to time, she would linger at the rouge stall.
He was not in a hurry and followed behind patiently.
Moreover, he followed her openly and was not worried that Yun Xiang would find out.
He had never learned how to follow someone, so he did not know how to do it.
If Yun Xiang was the one who sent the evil spirit corpse, it would be the same as playing an obvious card. It didn’t matter if he was discovered or not.
I’m just following you to see what you’re up to.
You’re unsatisfied?
Turn around and hit me if you dare.
—Arrogant.
For the entire afternoon, Xu Bai followed Yun Xiang.
Yun Xiang even turned her head and glared at him angrily.
Xu Bai didn’t mind and even waved his hand.
Just that gaze alone, and the fact that she didn’t say anything after discovering that she was being followed, was even stranger.
Yun Xiang was still wandering around in the afternoon, but Xu Bai could clearly feel that Yun Xiang seemed to have become very anxious and even absent-minded.
When she passed by a stall, she almost bumped into it.
However, she did not question Xu Bai. Even after she discovered that she was being followed, she did not say a word.
In the blink of an eye, night fell and the sky turned dark.
The number of people on the streets decreased until it finally became deserted.
Other than Yun Xiang and Xu Bai, there was only the moon.
Yun Xiang was still walking when she turned around and entered a remote alley.
Xu Bai followed behind.
When he entered the alley, he realized that it was a dead end.
“I can’t take it anymore.” Xu Bai came to the end and prepared to climb over.
Before he could do anything, a hand reached out from the side and grabbed his shoulder.