Longevity by Grinding Skills-Chapter 36: Settling Down

’You diligently recited the Supreme Kindness Heart Spell. A spiritual light flashed in your mind. You tried to grasp it, but it slipped away. Your Linn Character Technique Skill Level has increased.’

’A blurry figure suddenly appeared in the vast emptiness of your mind. It seemed ethereal and slow, vanishing in an instant. You seem to have grasped some of the secrets of the Linn Character Technique.’

’...’

About the time it took to drink two cups of tea, Xu Yunfan opened his eyes. He looked exhausted, but his gaze was lost in thought.

’Today, when I was cultivating the Linn Character Technique, the notifications from the Attribute Panel seemed a little different. I even managed to visualize an ethereal, illusory figure in my mind.’

’It seems this figure is what leaves me so exhausted after my daily cultivation of the Linn Character Technique.’

He had a feeling that if he kept this up, he would soon achieve initial mastery of this Dharma Gate.

He stopped thinking about it for the moment, rolled over, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Xu Yunfan told the innkeeper not to enter his room. Between his physique and his cold tone, the innkeeper knew he was dealing with a Mortal Martial Artist and hastily nodded in agreement.

After leaving the inn, he found a brokerage. After he explained his purpose, the Broker Boss looked somewhat troubled.

"Sir, if your household registration certificate is lost, it will be quite difficult to purchase property in Beiye City."

Xu Yunfan’s expression didn’t change. He took a Silver Ingot from his robes, which he had squeezed into a round lump with his finger strength.

"In that case, I’ll need you to handle it with care."

’Those in the brokerage business naturally have connections high and low. As long as enough money is paid, they should have their channels.’

Sure enough, the moment the Broker Boss saw it, the troubled look on his face vanished, replaced by a wide grin. He quickly took the silver, weighed it in his hand, and stuffed it into his pocket.

’At least fifty silver taels.’

The boss was ecstatic. ’I’ll make at least twenty silver taels from this trip alone. As expected, these martial wanderers are the truly generous ones. They spend money like it’s dirt. As long as you flatter them properly, making money is easy!’

"Of course, of course! Sir, just write down your name and age. Leave the rest to me. I’ll get it expedited for you. Shall we go look at some houses now?"

’Most of these powerful martial wanderers are tired of the killing and want to live in anonymity. It’s not common, but he’s seen his fair share of cases.’

’As for the Government Office, as long as the money is right and the person isn’t on a wanted list, they’ll welcome anyone.’

According to the Broker Boss, this was all for generating revenue!

Seeing Xu Yunfan nod in agreement, the boss called over a young assistant and said, "Sir, I’ll have to personally run the errand for the residency papers. This is Xiaozhou, the cleverest lad in our shop. He knows the houses in this city like the back of his hand. He’ll take you."

"Lead the way."

Xu Yunfan had no objection.

After following Xiaozhou around Beiye City for a while, Xu Yunfan reflected on the place. Although it was called a small city in Northern Qingzhou, it was anything but. Backed by Jiyun Mountain, it boasted mountain goods and wild game. Commerce was thriving, its population was large, and the city itself covered a respectable area.

Unfortunately, there were still many beggars and vagrants along the streets.

’In this harsh environment, it would be difficult for them to survive the winter.’

Finally, in the southern part of the city, Xu Yunfan found a two-courtyard residence. Most importantly, the courtyard itself was spacious, there was a well on the side, and it was situated next to the Clear Water River, which flowed into Beiye City, making daily life very convenient.

"The previous owner called this place Qinghe Residence. He was also a martial artist, so he paved the courtyard with bluestone slabs to make training easier. See, there’s even a weapon rack under the wall. He wanted to go to the State City to further his studies, so he’s selling his property to raise silver taels. This residence just went on the market."

Xu Yunfan looked around inside and out and found it all quite satisfactory. The most important thing was that one of the courtyard walls bordered the river, which meant he could build a toilet with running water.

’As a modern man, this was especially important to him; he simply couldn’t stand the ancient outhouses.’

He nodded slightly. "How much?"

"Three hundred and fifty silver taels."

"I’ll take it."

After swiftly concluding his business, Xu Yunfan hurried off, making a beeline for a well-known blacksmith and weapons shop in the city.

The moment he stepped inside, a wave of heat mixed with the acrid smell of smoke and fire hit him in the face.

The walls and racks inside the shop were covered with all sorts of weapons.

In the back of the shop, a blacksmith was working bare-chested, his muscles knotted and bulging. He raised his arm high, the Iron Hammer in his hand whistling through the air as he brought it down hard on a red-hot block of iron. Sparks flew, and the rhythmic CLANG CLANG CLANG of hammering filled the air.

Seeing a customer enter the shop, the blacksmith put down his Iron Hammer, washed his hands in a nearby bucket of clear water, and asked,

"Here to buy a weapon?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

’A blacksmith at the Minor Achievement of Skin Cultivation.’

"Boss, you don’t have any hammer-type weapons?"

"Hammers?"

The blacksmith asked reflexively, then turned his head and finally noticed Xu Yunfan’s towering, solidly built frame.

Now at the Great Mastery of Skin Cultivation, Xu Yunfan’s arms were thick and powerful, his muscles bulging. His back was especially broad and solid—a build like a bear.

’A man with a build like that must be an expert with heavy weapons.’

"I don’t have any ready-made, that’s true. But if you want one, sir, I can forge one for you."

The blacksmith responded enthusiastically. The selling price of one heavy weapon was equivalent to four or five weapons of the same quality.

Xu Yunfan wasn’t too surprised to hear this.

’Hammer-type weapons were rare in the Mortal World. For one, very few people used them. For another, forging a Heavy Hammer consumed a huge amount of Refined Iron—enough material to make three or four ordinary swords or sabers.’

Xu Yunfan immediately picked up a brush and paper, carefully drew the design of the weapon he wanted, wrote down the detailed dimensions, and handed it to Blacksmith Lv.

Blacksmith Lv took the diagram, pondered for a moment, and made some quick calculations in his head.

After a long moment, he spoke slowly, "A heavy hammer of refined steel, as tall as you and as thick as a baby’s arm... it would weigh at least 120 jin."

"Only a truly valiant warrior could wield something like that."

’A weapon of this weight could barely be swung, let alone used to fight enemies. He probably wouldn’t be able to last long.’

’After all, a weapon this heavy would be difficult just to lift. To swing it freely, you’d need the strength of a thousand jin, or it would be impossible to handle with any agility.’

"Just make it according to the requirements."

Xu Yunfan’s expression was calm.

Hearing this, Blacksmith Lv didn’t dally, his expression filled with confidence.

"In all of Beiye City, I’m the only one who can forge a Top-grade Mortal Weapon. You’ve come to the right person!"

’For a small border city like this, having a blacksmith who could forge a Top-grade Mortal Weapon was already quite impressive.’

’Forging a weapon of the Sharp Blade Level would require rare materials and an even rarer blacksmith. He hadn’t gotten his hopes up.’

’Most importantly, a weapon that reached the Sharp Blade Level would cost at least a thousand silver taels.’

Xu Yunfan readily paid the deposit and agreed on a delivery date with Blacksmith Lv. He then turned and strode out of the blacksmith shop, quickly returning to the inn.

’He still had a fortune to guard; he couldn’t be away for too long.’

Two days later, with the Broker Boss’s introduction, Xu Yunfan smoothly went through the process at the Government Office—signing and fingerprinting documents, getting registered—and officially obtained his identity, deed, and residency papers.