Chapter 318: The Weapon Room and 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》

After subduing the Ranked Martial Artists of the hall, Wangchuan’s next stop was to pay a visit to the Deputy Hall Master, Lin Cunxin.

The hall’s personnel were now under his command—there was no doubt about that. However, how many men could be maintained later and how much salary they would receive depended on the support of the “Money God.”

Lin Cunxin was currently staying in a courtyard west of the hall. Two trusted guards with Second-Rank Martial Artist cultivation personally led the security at the gate.

Only after Wangchuan had someone announce his arrival was he allowed to see Lin Cunxin.

Lin Cunxin’s injuries were not particularly severe. He had suffered a slash across the chest and abdomen, and one arm was wrapped in bandages. His body carried the smell of medicinal herbs and blood, yet his complexion looked far better than Old Seven’s.

“Wangchuan has arrived.”

“Come, please sit.”

Lin Cunxin greeted him warmly, inviting him to sit beside him with a friendly smile.

“Old Seven truly has a keen eye for talent. I support his decision to let you temporarily manage Hall Master Zhao’s affairs. Whether facing the Crimson Pavilion assassins or confronting the Beggar Sect, your performance has been outstanding. You showed courage and strategy, fought fiercely, and rendered great service to the hall. Everyone is convinced.”

“Thank you for your recognition, Hall Master Lin.”

Wangchuan clasped his fists and continued,

“I came here this time in the hope of receiving Hall Master Lin’s support… The defensive strength of the hall is too thin. I am only a Second-Rank Martial Artist. I wish to recruit more guards to better protect Old Seven and protect Hall Master Lin.”

“Recruit!”

Lin Cunxin’s expression turned serious. He made the decision on the spot.

“Our hall is already quite large. With just over two hundred people, even rotating guard duty is a problem. Wangchuan, you can rest assured—I will fully support you in recruiting troops and expanding our forces.”

Then he added,

“I will authorize you according to the hall’s peak strength—five hundred people! As long as the total does not exceed five hundred, recruit as boldly as you like. All financial matters will be covered by me.”

He knew the situation of the hall better than anyone.

With their current manpower, even his own personal safety could not be guaranteed. He had been unable to sleep peacefully at night. Naturally, he would fully support Wangchuan.

“Hall Master Lin is truly generous.”

Wangchuan smiled and clasped his fists.

“With the Money God’s approval, I feel far more confident. I will arrange matters immediately—recruit troops, strengthen the hall, and later assign some guards to protect this area as well.”

Lin Cunxin nodded with satisfaction.

“Good.”

“Wangchuan, you have thought this through carefully.”

“Hall Master Lin should focus on recovering from your injuries. I will visit again later. I will take my leave for now.”

Having achieved his goal, Wangchuan rose and departed.

…

After leaving Lin Cunxin’s residence, he went straight to the Weapon Room without stopping.

The Weapon Room was located in the eastern part of the front courtyard. Its area was considerable—more than twice the size of the Weapon Room in the Sanjiang Branch Helm.

Two large furnaces stood at the center, extending into two rows of forging tables. Twenty blacksmiths worked there, hammering away in a lively and bustling scene.

Caobang possessed its own iron mines, copper mines, and coal mines. Through maritime transport, it could also acquire large quantities of cheap mineral resources. Naturally, the organization used these resources to establish and operate its own weapons workshop.

Because it also cooperated with government authorities, it occasionally received orders from officials and local administrations.

The profit generated by this Weapon Room each month even far exceeded the income of a branch helm. It was one of the hall’s main sources of revenue—only its existence was somewhat more discreet.

Old Seven had handed the Weapon Room to Wangchuan so he could rely on it to establish his footing in the hall without being completely dependent on Lin Cunxin.

As soon as Wangchuan entered, he felt waves of scorching heat.

The scale of the Weapon Room at the Prefectural hall left him astonished.

Especially when he saw the blacksmiths—bare-chested, effortlessly swinging iron hammers weighing dozens of jin as they hammered glowing red Hundredfold Steel weapons.

Each of them displayed masterful skill. Nearly all had grasped the technique of the One-Breath Triple Strike.

The sight gave him the same shock as an unsophisticated country visitor wandering into a magnificent garden for the first time.

More than twenty blacksmiths were hard at work.

Over eighty assistants served beside them—crushing ore, melting iron, clearing slag, operating the bellows…

Everything operated in perfect order.

Wangchuan was extremely satisfied.

If the Weapon Room of a branch helm resembled a small workshop, then this place resembled a mature factory.

A smile spread across Wangchuan’s face.

If one calculated that each blacksmith generated at least one hundred taels of silver in profit per day, the Weapon Room could produce seven hundred and twenty taels of gold in revenue for the hall each month.

After deducting costs and wages, the monthly profit still exceeded six hundred taels. If those weapons were sold through weapons shops, the profit would be even greater.

Tsk, tsk.

This place was a gold mine.

After making a round through the Weapon Room, Wangchuan finally stopped in front of three larger forging tables.

These three forging tables were enormous.

The blacksmiths responsible for them were all men in their prime. Their arms carried the characteristic reddish hue of the profession.

Their hammer swings were stronger and steadier than the others’, yet the sparks they produced were the smallest.

CLANG!!!

CLANG!!!

The forging techniques of these three were different from the rest.

Wangchuan’s arrival had long attracted the attention of everyone in the Weapon Room.

The Thousand-Forged Token hanging at his waist had also been noticed by all.

Yet—

no one slowed down or stopped working because of it.

The entire workshop functioned like a precisely operating machine.

Wangchuan had no intention of interrupting them either. He stopped Cui Mingjue from stepping forward and quietly stood to the side with his men, watching the three blacksmith masters forge.

The three veteran masters possessed astonishing strength. They seemed to make no effort to control their force—each hammer blow looked powerful enough to shatter the glowing iron completely.

Yet later it seemed as though they were barely exerting any force at all.

From beginning to end, they used entirely different levels of strength and forging techniques.

Chen Ergou and Zhao Heiniu had seen the Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique before, but even they could not understand what they were witnessing.

They did not know what the masters were doing—

or perhaps they did not know what had been done.

All they knew was that the rough shape of a weapon slowly emerged, and it clearly looked far superior to the Hundredfold Steel weapons in their own hands.

Wangchuan understood.

This was the 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》.

A more advanced blacksmithing skill.

He watched silently for over an hour.

Finally, one of the masters stopped to rest. The other two also ceased their work and walked over toward Wangchuan.

“Brother Cui, and this gentleman is…?”

“Allow me to introduce him. This is Hall Master Wangchuan, who has taken over Hall Master Zhao’s duties.”

The three masters had been wondering why such a young man carried the token of a Deputy Hall Master.

When they heard that he was the recently celebrated Caobang hero Wangchuan, their eyes immediately lit up.

They clasped their fists in greeting.

“Greetings, Hall Master Wangchuan.”

“Greetings, Hall Master Wangchuan.”

“Greetings, Hall Master Wangchuan.”

They knew Zhao Jinshan’s injuries were severe and that he was no longer fit to lead missions. Naturally, they treated Wangchuan with great courtesy.

Wangchuan nodded and smiled at the three masters.

“The realm of your 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》 is truly remarkable. It left a deep impression on me.”

“Hall Master understands forging as well?”

One of the masters looked at him with curiosity.

The other two also stared at Wangchuan.

Wangchuan’s smile widened.

“Before joining Caobang, I actually worked as an apprentice in a blacksmith shop—mining ore, crushing ore, smelting… and I know a little of the Hundredfold Steel Forging Technique as well.”

“We never expected the Hall Master, with such noble status, to know the trade of blacksmithing. Truly…”

“I could not have guessed.”

“Haha…”

Upon hearing that Wangchuan knew blacksmithing, the three masters clearly felt closer to him. The smiles in their eyes became noticeably more sincere.