Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

The western city area had seen a noticeable improvement in security, thanks to the daily patrols by the multitude of hunters from Hongshan Village.

Combined with Shen Qing's fierce way of handling affairs, no one dared to provoke trouble for the time being.

After a month or two, the several dozen families from Hongshan Village who had followed him had all made a good profit.

Inside the house.

Shen Qing, Zhang Baqing, and a few other households were sitting around an eight-immortal table, talking about recent happenings.

"Uncle Zhang's family moved to the Inner City?" Shen Qing picked up a ceramic bowl and took a sip of coarse tea before asking.

Zhang Baqing did not prevaricate and directly replied, "They just moved there yesterday. These days, everyone has earned some money, and many have the idea of moving to the Inner City. It was my cousin's wife who was urging him on, so they had to move in a hurry. However, I've already explained to not shirk the patrol duties here."

While speaking, Zhang Baqing gave Shen Qing a furtive glance, as if worried about upsetting him.

Shen Qing put down the ceramic bowl, his tone indifferent, "There's nothing to it, everyone wants to move up in the world, and water flows downhill, I understand. The Inner City is safe and prosperous, so it's not a bad place to live in."

After a few incidents, Shen Qing had already saved up quite a sum of Silver Tael, enough for his Martial Arts expenses.

Money was no longer his most pressing concern.

The protection fees from this shanty town were substantial but not exceedingly high.

Shen Qing thus didn't give it much thought.

In his view, people's hearts are prone to change.

These people, unexposed to much of the world, might stick together and rely on him when they arrive at a strange place initially.

But as time goes on, each of them will start to have their own selfish desires once they get their footing.

Unity would be impossible then, just like it was in the beginning.

Shen Qing had anticipated this.

So he had aimed to make quick money from the start.

Once his cultivation improved, there would be many opportunities to make money later on, so he didn't need to cling to a tree that was both old and decaying fast.

Zhang Baqing noticed no displeasure on Shen Qing's face and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, feeling more relaxed.

"I knew it, Qingzi, you have a benevolent heart. Following you, everyone is bound to prosper."

"Recently, has anything big happened in Taiping County?" Shen Qing went on to ask.

A hunter from the same village, seated at the eight-immortal table, said, "Just yesterday there was indeed something significant, and it is somewhat related to us."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember that demon tiger?"

Tian Xiaohu was slightly taken aback, as no one was more familiar with the tiger demon than the people from Hongshan Village. He asked, "I remember, what about it?"

"I heard that all the officers from the government office who went to encircle and suppress it died, and even people from the Guardian Martial Department suffered casualties. Several villages near Shicheng Mountain were completely wiped out."

"Ah? Such a big incident, and we didn't know anything about it?"

Shen Qing was also puzzled.

He hadn't heard a whisper about this in Linfeng Hall.

"With the troubles of the Huang Tian Sect not yet settled, and now there's this tiger threat, the county government fears triggering impeachment and unrest, so they deliberately sealed the news. If it wasn't for someone I know who happened to come across the scene, I'm afraid I wouldn't know either."

"Sigh… When can this world ever be peaceful?"

Shen Qing remained silent on the side.

If this tiger nuisance continued, the county government would sooner or later have to recruit martial masters in the city.

One must prepare for the future or face imminent worries. It's time to get ready.

Shen Qing glanced at the bow and arrows hanging on the wall; the force of this old bow was too weak.

In front of his constantly advancing cultivation, it was like a child's toy.

It was time to custom order a Heavy Bow for unforeseen circumstances.

After some more idle chit-chat about household trifles, everyone dispersed.

It was still early.

Shen Qing, having always been one to act upon his words, headed straight towards the Inner City.

In Taiping City, there were not many old masters capable of forging Heavy Bows.

Ruan Pottery Master, who lived in the east of the city, was one of them, and he was the most skilled among the many craftsmen.

The kiln of Ruan Pottery Master was somewhat remote and not easy to locate.

Shen Qing asked around and guessed his way until he finally found the narrow path leading to Ruan Pottery Master's residence.

"Ruan Pottery Master of the east city, is the renowned craftsman within a hundred miles, his skill unmatched by anyone. With time pressing, I must have him make me a Heavy Bow as promptly as possible."

"Should I encounter a tiger demon on the mountain, it would serve as protection for me."

Shen Qing silently reiterated this in his mind, stepped onto the path, and the moist earth beneath his feet squished, emitting a subtle squeaking noise.

Along the way, Shen Qing wound through sparse streets and alleys and noticed that they were filled with uncollected trash everywhere.

This was unusual, considering it was still within the bounds of the Inner City.

"Such disrepair..."

Compared to the lively times, Taiping County was now exhibiting an unnerving aspect.

Shen Qing didn't give it much thought and hurriedly made his way until he arrived in front of Ruan Pottery Master's kiln shop.

The door of the kiln shop was half open, and the light from the furnace fire shone through the crack, illuminating Shen Qing's face.

He pushed the door open, and a wave of heat hit him, accompanied by the crisp sound of a hammer striking metal.

"Ruan Pottery Master, I am Shen Qing, here to pay you a visit."

Shen Qing bowed his hands in greeting, his voice echoing in the spacious kiln shop.

"Shen Qing?" A loud voice came from beside the flame.

The speaker had a burly figure and a face full of beard, a middle-aged man.

He lifted his head, his eyes gleamed sharply, "What do you want from me?"

Shen Qing got straight to the point, "I'd like to request the Master to forge a Heavy Bow for me."

"A Heavy Bow? How heavy do you need it?"

"I need a fifty shi bow."

Ruan Pottery Master looked stunned.

Fifty shi?

One shi equals one hundred and twenty jin.

Fifty shi is six thousand jin.

A fifty shi bow would require six thousand jin of arm strength to draw.

An ordinary person couldn't possibly achieve this.

Ruan Pottery Master glanced him up and down and asked, "A Martial Arts practitioner?"

Shen Qing nodded without any confirmation or denial.

Ruan Pottery Master didn't ask further and stated frankly, "To make a fifty shi bow, I don't have any other special materials here; only an iron bow blank will meet your requirements. Such bow horns would need to be made from water buffalo horns, the string from the tendons of Mountain Treasures, the glue boiled from the swim bladder of precious sea fish; only then can it be made. The bow blank needs to dry for two months, with refinement and adjustments for a month. Plus the time taken to procure these materials—at the very least, I would need half a year to complete it... it's troublesome."

"Half a year?" Shen Qing's eyebrows knitted together: "That won't do, I need it in one month!"

Ruan Pottery Master stopped the iron-forging in his hands and stared at Shen Qing, "Are you making fun of me?"

"I'll pay extra."

"Ah..." Ruan Pottery Master's expression immediately softened. He walked to the side, picked up a piece of dark iron, and looked at Shen Qing, "One and a half months, 200 taels. If you accept, I'll do it; if not, forget it."

200 taels?!

Shen Qing couldn't help but be astounded.

Such a price could buy a fine house in the Inner City.

But after a brief consideration, Shen Qing didn't dawdle and agreed on the spot: "Alright."

Ruan Pottery Master threw the dark iron into the furnace and said, "Leave fifty taels as a deposit here, and come to collect it in one and a half month."

Shen Qing looked at Ruan Pottery Master with some suspicion.

"Young man, I've been doing this for so many years; I'm not after that little bit of your money."

Shen Qing didn't think further, took out the prepared silver, and placed it on the table: "I hope Master Ruan will make it well."

"Don't worry, it won't disappoint you."