Chapter 10: Masterpiece
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Happy returned to the game, he gained a stack of silver notes, which were earned from fighting against the Ferocious Wild Wolves for an entire night.
The fangs and claws of the Ferocious Wild Wolves could be used to create hidden weapons that were of slightly better quality. They could also be ground into powder to create medicine. Its price was basically twice of the one made from a normal Adult Wolf.
They might be difficult to handle for normal players, but experienced players who knew the wolves' attacks would actually spit at those "Ferocious Wild Wolves" and say that they were not fierce enough, and such was the case for Happy! The forest animals could not last long under his Shaolin's Long Fist, and he did not even have a chance to use the Jinchuang Ointment.
At daylight, all Ferocious Wild Wolves vanished, leaving only Adult Wolves wandering the area below Cold Mountain Temple.
The normal wolves could not help Happy at all. At the seventh realm, Shaolin's Long Fist was already strong enough to handle difficult tasks with ease. When Happy delivered a punch, the explosive power behind it was shocking, and with just two or three blows, he could crush a wild wolf's bones. The value of the wolf pelts he gained were also less than a quarter of the wolf pelts he obtained at night. So if he continued, he would just be wasting his time.
Without any hesitation, Happy took the silver notes and went to a weapons shop in Gusu City.
...
The weapons in World of Martial Arts also had a system!
The iron weapons in the beginning could only increase the strength of an attack by a little. They would also wear down very quickly. It could be said after a single fierce battle, a player would need to return their weapons to the furnace and reforge or mend them.
The price of iron weapons was rather normal. They were priced from fifty taels of silver crumbs to one hundred taels of silver crumbs.
The more durable weapons and equipment were made from bronze. They would not increase the players' attack by much, but their durability was their unique characteristic. They were solid and easy to use, so sword users would usually prefer bronze swords over iron swords. No one liked to mend their weapons all the time nor being given trouble during important moments.
However, the price of bronze equipment was much higher. They usually cost more than two hundred taels of silver crumbs, and those that were of better quality or made by famous blacksmiths would double in price!
Above bronze was refined steel, cuprite, and cold iron. Weapons of this grade had to be crafted by famous blacksmiths, and practically all the weapons had a name.
Just as the concept suggested, all the weapons created by famous blacksmiths could be considered the blacksmith's brand, and branded goods… were naturally expensive. The price was also not something normal people could afford.
The lowest graded weapon (ninth grade) cost one thousand taels of silver crumbs, and superior first-grade weapons cost tens of thousands of taels of silver crumbs.
There were also divine weapons that were rumored to never have been possessed by anyone before!
Ganjiang Sword! Moye Sword! [1]
Heavenly Sword! Dragon Slaying Saber!
Fish Swords (There were five of them, and they were Wholesome Land, Pure Harmony, Defeater of Evil, Hidden in Fish, and Giant). [2]
Each divine weapon had extraordinary abilities, but no one knew exactly what they were.
...
Happy had five hundred taels of silver crumbs, so it was only natural that he could not buy masterpieces. He took a stroll through a weapon shop and stopped before one weapon with hesitation.
The lowest price for a bronze sword was two hundred and forty taels of silver crumbs, but what he wanted to buy was a pair of gloves. There were three types of gloves in the shop. One of them was made of iron rings and looked like something used by the antagonists in movies, so he decided against it. The other pair was made of iron silk and silver scales. It could increase his defense, and when he came in contact with weapons, the gloves would also increase his damage.
The last pair had a decent appearance as well. Its durability was greater than that of bronze weapons, and as long as Happy did not have to go up against higher grade masterpieces or divine weapons, it would be very difficult to damage those gloves.
But they were just too expensive!
Two thousand taels of silver crumbs…
There was no need to even think about the last item. It was a higher grade masterpiece, and it was known as Green Jade Shrouded in Heavenly Silk. The decorations on the gloves were extravagant, beautiful, and exuded a cold presence. With just one look, it was obvious that they were a masterpiece among masterpieces, so one could forget about buying them.
Unhappy, Happy could only walk away!
"A pawnshop?"
When he saw a building with the word [Pawnshop] above it, Happy suddenly had a thought.
Pawnshops were places where people could get a huge sum of money in exchange for their items, which had to be repaid in interest within a short period of time, so good things always appeared in them. Incidents of valuable treasures ending up buried under a pile of junk always happened there, and the prices for those items would usually be much lower than in regular shops.
As long as a person's eyes were sharp and they had luck, they had a chance to get good quality items that had come into the hands of the pawnbrokers because the original owners could not redeem their items within the loan period.
While thinking about it, Happy walked in with his five hundred taels of silver crumbs.
The pawnshop was different from the pawnshops during the Qing Dynasty. It had a huge section that was no different from one in a normal shop with all the items that had not been redeemed during the loan period. There were all sorts of items there: sabers, swords, medicinal pills, clothes, jade items, and even martial arts manuals. The shop had everything and sold it at high prices.
Happy looked over.
He ignored the useless jade items as well as clothes. He was not interested in medicinal pills either. He only looked at the weapons and martial arts manuals, but he still got nowhere. There was nothing that suited him.
Some of the items might be valuable, but once he added in the repair fees, he would end up with a similar price as in the normal shops. He would not have saved up on anything.
When Happy was about to turn tail and leave, two players dressed as workers hurried into the shop. They passed by him and quickly glanced at the items and prices on the counters.
They did not stay for long. A quick look was all they wanted before leaving.
It was a very inconspicuous thing, but players would usually not venture into places like pawnshops. It was also not very wise to put on a show of glancing at things quickly in this sort of place.
Happy's footsteps came to a halt. When the duo left, he cast his eyes on an item that one of the people had examined for a longer period of time. Then, his expression changed.
It was a jade item!
There was an old jade on the counter. It looked incredibly normal, and it was placed among many other jade items. If it were not because of the duo's strange actions that stirred up Happy's curiosity and puzzlement, it would have been difficult for him to realize that there were some faint words carved on the jade slit ring.
In the world of martial arts, some of the older martial artists were worried that their martial arts would be lost or they would forget some words from their skills. Because of that, they liked to write down martial arts manuals or incantations on small jade pendants that could be easily carried around. Those jade pendants would only reveal their secrets in certain situations, and the jade before Happy was clearly one such item.
"I see."
Happy smiled, looked away, and left.
While the price of the jade slit ring was similar to that of the other jade accessories and he could absolutely afford it, he would not have any money to spare once he bought it. Instead of buying a normal high-tier martial art that would be of little value to him for the time being, it would be better to spend his money on something more meaningful.
Happy did not believe that the pawnshop would not have noticed the jade's value when it was very obviously used to pass down a martial art and pawnbrokers were all brilliant at their job.
There could only be two explanations for the low price then.
Either the value of the martial art on the jade slit ring was not high or parts of the incantation were missing!
By the looks of it, the two players had their eyes fixed on the "bait" cast out by the pawnshop, but Happy did not have any intention to be another stupid fish, so he turned around and left the pawnshop.
*****
"The boy didn't fall for it!"
The two players walked out from behind the corner of the pawnshop with frowns on their faces.
As they watched Happy leave, they looked at each other in dismay.
"That shouldn't have been possible."
"We finally managed to trigger a slightly higher-level mission from the shopkeeper, the reward for which was one hundred taels of silver crumbs, but we didn't manage to complete it. That boy is too stingy."
Happy did not know that everything before had been a mission set up by the shopkeeper of the pawnshop. Because of his experience, he had unknowingly avoided the disaster of being scammed.
Translator's Note:
[1] Ganjiang and Moye Swords: Made by a swordsmith couple who lived during the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. A pair of swords were forged by and named after them. Known as the Swords of Love.
[2] Fish Swords: China's most legendary swords are the ones made by Ou Yezi and his pupil, Ganjiang during the Warring States era, which are these swords plus all the ones mentioned above, and more. Read more here: https://www.sinodefenceforum.com/chinas-legendary-swords.t3323/
Chapter 11: Rascal in the Tavern
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Wine" was written in huge letters on a white piece of cloth to serve as one tavern's signboard. It fluttered in the wind above the government-made road outside Gusu City. There were a few simple rectangular tables and long benches placed by the road. A young waiter ran back and forth passionately while occasionally shouting, "Alright. Dear customer, please wait for a while, I will serve you in a moment." Then, he would pour wine into the cups of the few customers in the shop, which made him look very busy.
Taverns were a major characteristic of the world of martial artists.
They were also the place where fights were most likely to happen.
Bang!
A plump hand slammed against the table. The bowl, chopsticks, and wine all trembled, which showed just how great the man's strength was.
"Shopkeeper!"
With a drunken burp, a man whose chest was exposed and who had a fierce face lifted his wine pot. He stood up while taking a swig.
The shopkeeper was an honest middle-aged man. He was also on the thinner side, so he looked as if the wind could blow him off his feet at any moment. He smiled obsequiously and walked over. "Dear customer, what might you want?"
"Give me another… two pounds… of wine. Takeaway."
There were a few empty wine pots on the table in front of the man. The side dishes were also in disorder. He seemed to have drunk quite a lot. The people beside him could already smell the unpleasant stench of alcohol on him.
"Alright, Young Zhuzi, give this customer another two pounds of Red Daughter [1]. Dear customer, I will calculate the price. Your bill is a total of…" The shopkeeper was about to give the man the bill when the man cut in.
"Don't need to make any calculations. It's a total of one hundred taels of silver crumbs. I'm here for the monthly tribute."
The man did not bring out any money. Instead, he extended his hand to the shopkeeper, who was now as pale as a sheet of paper, and looked down on him. His words had been spoken in a very straightforward and forceful manner.
"Ah… This is… you are…"
The shopkeeper was an honest man, and he did not understand what the huge man meant. From his shock, he even began to stutter.
"I forgot to tell you. My name is Li Shan, and this tavern of yours has to pay a monthly tribute. I showed you respect by eating your stuff just now. Hurry up and give me the money. I still have to go to the next place to collect its tribute."
The drunk man, Li Shan, no longer looked drunk. His face grew fierce, like he was a rascal.
"Li-Li Shan…"
The shopkeeper and waiter trembled in fear. They no longer dared to ask the man to pay the bill, but they could not accept giving him their money either. In the face of the tyrant bullying them, they could only stand around like fools.
Li Shan's face darkened!
"What now? Are you looking down on me?" A white sword made of refined steel appeared out of nowhere, and he placed it horizontally before the shopkeeper and the waiter without another word.
When they saw that the shopkeeper and the waiter were about to have their blood spilled in the tavern, the people sitting by the tables next to Li Shan's could no longer continue watching.
"Stop!"
A young man slammed his hand against the table and stood up!
His three companions, who were two boys and a girl, also stood up with surprise and delight on their faces. There was also righteous indignation mixed into that. They glared at Li Shan and moved, quickly forming a square formation to surround him.
In truth, the moment Li Shan drew his sword, they had received an unexpected notification!
[Will you receive a low-level World of Martial Arts quest: Encountering Injustice? Help the shopkeeper defeat Villain Li Shan, and you will complete the quest! Villain Li Shan, a local rascal. Qi Realm: None.]
In truth, the players had heard rumors about this a few days ago. It was said that a rascal was throwing his weight around the taverns on the government-made roads outside Gusu City. He came twice every day to collect protection money from innocent, middle-aged shopkeepers, and all the players who were near the area could trigger the quest to deal with him!
What had attracted the group of players the most was that once they completed this quest, they would receive the shopkeeper's gratitude and get ten Jinchuang Ointments. If they could kill Villain Li Shan, their reward would be even greater. Not only would they be able to get Li Shan's Refined Steel Sword—a weapon that cost more than five hundred taels of silver crumbs—they could even get one hundred taels of silver crumbs—which was the protection money Li Shan collected—and a sword manual.
Refined steel weapons were highly valuable, and coupled with the other rewards, it was enough to attract all the newbies. The three boys and the girl had deliberately rushed to a tavern on this side of the city and waited for more than an hour to see Li Shan act violently.
At that moment, the four of them did not hesitate to take the quest.
"Oh, you even have someone come forward to help you?"
Villain Li Shan looked down upon the four youngsters who only held normal iron swords and sabers in their hands. He shoved the shopkeeper and the waiter away. "Are you thinking about relying on your numbers?"
Before even finishing his speech, he executed Split Mount Hua and swung his sword down on the young man in the lead, making the latter unable to say the righteous speech he had scripted in his head.
The youth hastily brought up his sword to block the attack.
Despite being drunk, Villain Li Shan was still abnormally agile. With his mighty arm strength, he delivered a slash that the young man could barely hold against. He staggered, and then was kicked away by a Pierce-the-heart Kick, which resulted in him nearly crashing into another young customer.
Happy swiftly shot out from his seat.
Bang!
The table and bench before him were instantly crushed by the person who had flown into it. The shattered cup and plates scattered all over the ground, creating a mess.
Happy tossed away the wine cup in his hand, but he was not angry. He did not help the four chivalrous people handle Li Shan. He searched for another clean table and sat down before continuing to drink as if nothing had happened.
In truth, the system had also given him the notification, but he did not take the quest.
Before Villain Li Shan even attacked, Happy had sized him up in secret, and the conclusion he came to was that he could not fight against him with brute strength.
Li Shan might have drunk a lot of wine and stank of alcohol, but his right arm remained extraordinarily steady when holding the Refined Steel Sword. There were thick calluses on his purlicue, which meant that he was a martial artist who had practiced for a long period of time and had reached a certain degree of skill. Based on this alone, not only would his Arm Strength be much higher than Happy's, his skills with the sword might also be quite high.
While the system said that he was a normal local rascal who had no qi realm, this did not mean that he did not have qi or was not strong. He might be just one step away from Gate Realm, which was not uncommon in World of Martial Arts!
More importantly, however, Happy knew the local rascal's strength setting very well.
There were plenty of quests such as this in the city, but the names for the quests were different. Even though Li Shan's name might seem to have been carelessly given without any thought placed in it, the rascal's strength was right below Gate Realm. He was also in possession of a martial art that was at least at the ninth realm. The rumors about the rascal dropping his Refined Steel Sword and manual were real and were indeed good rewards, but how many people could kill a martial artist who was just one step away from Gate Realm?
Hence, Happy did not speak. He swiftly made up his mind and refused to accept the quest, which was why trouble did not come for him, and he did not attract Li Shan's attention.
Unlike him, the four enthusiastic and high-spirited youngsters only realized that something was off the moment they attacked!
Li Shan's sword strikes might have been very steady, but they were also filled with violence. He used his hands and feet at the same time he attacked to kill and wound in the most efficient manner. With three sword strikes, he sent the three boys and girl flying, and he even beat up the two other players who had also taken up the quest but had not managed to attack to the point that they could only cry bitterly.
"Attack him together!"
The six players retreated until they stood together, and one of them came up with an idea.
The others nodded simultaneously. Then, they attacked from two different directions! This time, they decided to use their advantage in numbers to forcefully take down Li Shan.
Happy continued drinking wine while shaking his head repeatedly.
'What are they thinking? Do they really think Villain Li Shan is a stupid wild beast?'
With a shocking and terrifying roar, Li Shan jumped back, easily avoiding the brunt of the six people's united attack. It threw them into chaos, and he immediately turned his head around to crush them!
The six people failed in their quest, and they even had all their possessions stripped away by Li Shan. After that, they could only leave in anger…
The pitiful shopkeeper had no choice but to pay the protection money to send away the fiend.
Li Shan returned to his drunken state and was about to leave with the money in his pocket when the sound of the air roaring rose from behind him. The man came to an abrupt stop and drew his weapon again. His eyes, which were not fully open, burned in anger as he glared at the boy in front of him.
"Who are you?"
When he saw that Villain Li Shan was tipsy and could not even hold his sword steadily, the boy smiled faintly and flung the hero's headband [2] from his chest behind himself.
"Pardon me, I'm here to rob you."
Translator's Note:
[1] Red Daughter: Chinese wine.
[2] Hero's headband: So I did some research for 英雄巾, and the only thing that showed up was the white piece of cloth placed over the faces of heroes in China, which is definitely NOT what is used here. So I believe that what is referred here is the martial arts headbands, but since the word 英雄 means hero, I kept it as hero's headband. An image: https://www.birthdayinabox.com/pages/karate-party-ideas-games-martial-arts-headband-craft
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