Chapter 334: Wangchuan, the Martial God of Wealth

Now that Old Seven had spoken plainly, Wangchuan no longer needed to keep Yang Feiyue’s secret from him.

The two of them both felt the same sense of ease that came from complete honesty.

“I heard Zhu Rong say that yesterday, when they ambushed your fleet at the ruins of the Yulong Gang’s Water Stronghold, one of their groups was ambushed by a woman, which caused their attack on the fleet to fail at the last moment. Who was that woman?”

Old Seven brought up a certain person.

Bai Jingtang!

Wangchuan had already prepared for this and answered, “A chivalrous woman I got to know in Huishui County.”

“She is a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. Back when she was only at the third rank, she fought alongside me against the Blackwind Stronghold, the Five Poisons Sect, and people from the Crimson Pavilion, so we built up a bit of friendship. You could say she’s a friend.”

Old Seven nodded thoughtfully.

“A disciple of the Qingcheng Sect, and from a famous orthodox sect at that. No wonder she has a righteous heart.”

Then he paused, looked at Wangchuan, and said, “Still, the fact that she was willing to offend the Beggar Sect just to help you suggests that the two of you are quite close.”

“…”

“Where is she now?”

“She already left and returned to Weihai Commandery.”

Wangchuan answered honestly. “The reason I was able to invite her over this time was also because I paid her a fee of one hundred taels of gold.”

After taking the one-hundred-tael gold note, Bai Jingtang had drifted away without another word. After all, she was the person overseeing a studio on the coast and had many affairs to deal with.

“One hundred taels of gold is not expensive.”

Old Seven took out gold notes worth five hundred taels and said, “Now that the Ouyang family has seen what our Caobang in Sanhe Commandery is capable of, they will likely strengthen their ties with us in the future and assign us more escort work for their fleets. Stay in contact with your friend. There should be more opportunities for cooperation later.”

A Deputy Hall Master of the Caobang had to possess a certain network of connections.

“Yes!”

Naturally, Wangchuan agreed at once.

Then he quickly thought of a question.

“Old Seven, this shipment of the Ouyang family was worth a total of three thousand taels of gold, yet escorting and protecting it alone cost them one thousand four hundred taels. Can the Ouyang family still make money off a shipment like that?”

“Merchants are all cunning! That cargo is worth only three thousand taels of gold on the coast, but once it is transported inland, its value more than doubles! If part of it is sent to the capital, it may sell for three or even four times the original price! Do you think they make money or not?”

That single sentence from Old Seven made Wangchuan understand at once.

He really had been worrying for nothing.

“Old Seven!”

“I have one more matter to request.”

“Now that this escort mission for the Ouyang family has ended, I would like to seek a reward for all the brothers who participated in this operation. I hope Old Seven will approve a martial arts manual as a prize for them.”

Old Seven considered it briefly, then nodded in agreement.

“Everyone performed well on this mission. And besides… improving the strength of the disciples in the hall and branch helms is one of the Caobang’s most urgent priorities right now. Very well, I approve it. Go handle it yourself.”

“Thank you, Old Seven!”

Wangchuan was overjoyed.

With that one sentence from Old Seven, he could harvest another wave of loyalty and goodwill while also helping his subordinates grow stronger.

After leaving Old Seven’s courtyard, Wangchuan quickly set the matter in motion.

The Armory Manual Vault became busier than ever.

The news soon sent the entire Sanhe Commandery hall into an uproar.

More than four hundred disciples had taken part in that mission…

With so many disciples benefiting, the men of the Caobang were once again made to witness the sheer extravagance of the newly appointed Acting Deputy Hall Master.

Back when Deputy Hall Master Zhao Jinshan had still been in office, he had never distributed martial arts manuals on such a scale!

For a time, Wangchuan’s prestige among the disciples of the Sanhe Commandery hall rose by another level, and he even earned himself the title of the “Martial God of Wealth.”

That was something he himself had not expected.

Taking advantage of the moment, Wangchuan also arranged a third-rank martial art for Chen Ergou and the others under his command, personally instructing them in the methods and techniques of cultivation to help them grow stronger.

The next day, the rewards from above arrived!

Old Seven summoned the leaders of the Four Helms, Three Islands, and Seven Mines to the hall for a meeting.

Wangchuan had now risen to the same standing as Deputy Hall Master Lin Cunxin.

As the various leaders arrived, they clasped their fists and greeted him.

“Hall Master Wangchuan.”

“In the future, I hope Hall Master Wangchuan will look after us.”

“Everyone in the Leishui Branch Helm is waiting for Hall Master Wangchuan to honor us with your guidance.”

After Old Seven arrived, everyone took their seats.

Old Seven publicly announced:

“This time, Acting Hall Master Wangchuan carried out the escort mission for the Ouyang family’s fleet with distinction. He killed a great number of river bandits and restored the power and intimidation of our hall and our gang. The rewards from above have arrived!”

“It has been decided that Wangchuan will be formally promoted to Deputy Hall Master of the Sanhe Commandery hall.”

The moment this decision was announced, Lin Cunxin and Cui Mingjue alone remained calm, having long expected it. The other leaders all showed visible shock, then quickly rose to their feet and clasped their fists in congratulation.

“Congratulations, Hall Master Wangchuan!”

“Congratulations!”

“…”

Wangchuan smiled and returned each salute in turn.

“I will still need everyone’s support in the future.”

“Of course.”

Now that they knew Wangchuan had officially become Deputy Hall Master, the smiles on their faces carried even more sincerity and respect.

Old Seven continued:

“In consideration of the fact that Wangchuan has not yet held the position of Branch Helm Leader of the Sanjiang Branch Helm for long, and that he is still needed there to maintain order, he will retain that office and continue to hold both posts concurrently.”

“Wangchuan.”

“Your subordinate is here.”

Wangchuan rose and clasped his fists respectfully.

Old Seven smiled with approval.

“You will have to work harder from now on. On one hand, you must manage the Sanjiang Branch Helm well, and on the other, you must take responsibility for the hall’s personnel, the Armory Manual Vault, and the Weapon Room.”

“I will devote my heart and soul to it. I will not disappoint you, Old Seven!”

A faint smile rested on Wangchuan’s lips as he met Old Seven’s eyes, both of them understanding each other perfectly.

“In addition.”

Old Seven continued his announcement.

“In recognition of your performance and your appointment, the higher-ups have already prepared two fourth-rank martial arts manuals for you. One is the fourth-rank sword art 《Water-Moon Sword Art》, and the other is the fourth-rank movement skill 《Cloud Ladder》.”

Wangchuan’s eyes lit up.

“Thank you, Old Seven!”

“Not so fast.”

Old Seven revealed a hint of a smile.

“It isn’t over yet.”

Then he continued:

“In addition, you are rewarded with one thousand taels of gold, one ‘Lesser Rejuvenation Pill,’ and one ‘Thousand-Forged Battle Armor.’”

By this point, one thousand taels of gold and a ‘Lesser Rejuvenation Pill’ no longer made much impression on most of the people present.

But the moment they heard the words ‘Thousand-Forged Battle Armor,’ even Lin Cunxin could not help but lift his head and look over, visibly moved.

Wangchuan received the rewards from Old Seven’s hands.

His gaze was drawn at once to the largest of them all, the ‘Thousand-Forged Battle Armor.’

Spread out before him, the armor was thick and exceptionally eye-catching.

It was a suit of armor that looked both complex and imposing. Its surface was a cold silver color. The outer layer consisted of overlapping fish-scale plates, each one forged with the techniques of 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》. Every plate was extremely tough and flat, fitted together with flawless precision to protect the entire body. Beneath that lay a soft beast-hide lining, connected as well to a shoulder guard that could be strapped in place to protect the arms, while the thighs had also been taken into account…

At the chest, the armor bulged slightly outward, where a reinforced heart-protecting plate offered extra defense.

As a blacksmith, Wangchuan could naturally tell that the craftsmanship and defensive power of this thing far surpassed the Golden-Thread Soft Armor and the Silver Thread Garment. It also exceeded the Fish Scale Inner Armor and even chainmail.

Looking more closely, he saw:

Thousand-Forged Battle Armor: Blue Grade (Durability 100/100)

Defense +25

Additional Heart Defense +20, includes Toughness +1; (Can resist armor-piercing attacks)

Weight 35 jin, Speed -5

A suit of armor built up through a massive amount of 《Hundred Ingenious Thousand-Forging Technique》 craftsmanship, designed primarily to protect the torso, forearms, calves, and heart.