Chương 64: Sea of Clouds Pavilion

Qinghe County, Sea of Clouds Pavilion Branch.

"Young Master Song, Young Master Zhong! I've been watching the moon and the stars, and I finally waited for you two to arrive!" While they were still a distance away, Yun Jiu was already cupping his hands and greeting them with a hearty laugh. Seeing this, Song Que and Zhong Hong smiled and returned the gesture:"Brother Jiu!"...

"Brother Yun!"

"Brother Jiu, we were busy settling into our new place these past few days. We finally had some free time today to pay you a visit. At the same time, we wanted to tour the treasures of the Sea of Clouds Pavilion and broaden our horizons."

"Haha, then you two came at the perfect time! Our caravan just delivered a new batch of goods yesterday, and we just put them on display today. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Let me show you around, Young Master Song. Everything you purchase today will be given a 10% discount!" Hearing this, Song Que was delighted and hurriedly expressed his thanks. The two followed Yun Jiu and quickly stepped inside. The interior was quite crowded with people, all curiously observing the items just like them.

Occasionally, they would speak in hushed tones with the staff members standing nearby.

"Young Master Song, what exactly are you looking to buy?" Hearing Yun Jiu ask from the front, Song Que pondered for a moment and replied:"Spirit herbs, martial arts manuals, sabers, bows... generally speaking, anything that aids in martial arts. I don't have anything specific in mind. Just treat it as me broadening my horizons. I'll trouble Brother Jiu to introduce things to me."

"What's the trouble? This is our job, isn't it? The first floor only has ordinary goods; they won't be of much use to you, Young Master Song. Let me take you up to the second floor. That's where the truly good items are. I hope they catch your eye." Hearing Song Que's request, Yun Jiu readily agreed. This was someone he highly valued and eagerly wanted to befriend. As a servant of the Yun Family, he had been instilled from a young age with the ideology that the Yun Family's interests came before all else.

Among his duties, helping the family network and recruit talents from all paths was incredibly important. In his assessment, Song Que was absolutely someone the Yun Family should spare no effort in recruiting. Although the other party was currently weak and unknown, he couldn't say for sure what heights this youth could reach in the future.

Being able to self-teach martial arts and defeat the peak Second-Grade expert, Black Tiger Gang Leader Feng Han, at the age of 13 proved that this kid's aptitude was extraordinary! Furthermore, two years had passed. It was impossible for the other party's strength not to have progressed. Perhaps he was already a Third-Grade martial artist now, not inferior to Yun Jiu himself! Having such strength naturally commanded respect. As for Zhong Hong beside him, he was naturally just dealt with perfunctorily.

Don't call Yun Jiu a snob; coming from a merchant family, his principle was to look at profits. Only someone who could bring benefits was worthy of his respect. As a member of the Yun Family, he was also extremely proud inwardly. If he hadn't been giving face to Song Que, it's highly likely he wouldn't have paid any attention to Brother Hong. The three walked straight toward the stairs. The guards standing on both sides immediately stepped aside to make way for them upon seeing Yun Jiu.

Entering the second floor, the space was significantly smaller than below, but the decor was much more luxurious and solemn. At the moment, there were only four other customers here: two elderly men and a young man and woman. Each was accompanied by a Sea of Clouds Pavilion receptionist. Seeing newcomers enter, they all looked over curiously. Perhaps surprised by the unfamiliar and youthful faces of Song Que's group, those individuals took a few extra glances.

Only when Yun Jiu smiled and greeted them did they nod in return and resume inspecting the goods.

"Those people over there... The one in the gray robe is Fierce Tiger Gang Elder Bai Zhen. The one in brocade is Old Master Qiao; the Qiao family is a top-tier clan in Qinghe County. The young gentleman over there is Xu Shisheng, the County Magistrate's nephew. The lady beside him is also quite something; she is Tie Yuniang, the beloved daughter of the Golden Snake Gang Leader." Stolen story; please report.

"If you wish to get acquainted, Young Master Song, I can help introduce you." Hearing Yun Jiu whispering this reminder beside him, Song Que smiled and shook his head. His purpose here today was to find treasures; everything else could wait. Besides, as long as he had enough strength, making connections would be easy. There was no rush to go fawning over them right now.

"That won't be necessary for now, Brother Jiu. Today, I'll just trouble you to introduce some treasures to me."

"Haha, since Young Master Song can't wait, I won't beat around the bush! Please, follow me." Saying this, Yun Jiu led the two to a wooden display rack. On it lay an array of weapons: from sabers, swords, spears, and halberds to bows, crossbows, and hidden weapons—they had everything. Picking up a saber right in the center, Brother Jiu began to introduce it:"Look at this, Young Master Song. This saber is forged from Deep Sea Cold Iron and has gone through a master blacksmith's hundred refinements.

The blade is two feet two inches long, and the total length is over three feet. It weighs 40 catties. It's so sharp it can cut a hair blown against its edge. Among the weapons here, it absolutely ranks in the top two." Taking the saber, Song Que weighed it in his hand and gave it a test swing. He shook his head:"Too light. Brother Jiu, could you please find me something heavier? Holding light things like this, I just don't have the feel for it."

"Haha, Young Master Song is truly born with divine strength! Then take a look at this one. The blade was mixed with Black Iron during forging. It's both tough and heavy. It weighs nearly 100 catties and is the heaviest saber we have here." Song Que reached out to take the saber Yun Jiu offered. It was heavier than the previous one, but with his two Elephant Force of strength, it still felt like holding a bamboo twig or a blade of grass. It was hard to get a feel for it.

Song Que shook his head regretfully:"Still too light. Are there no others here?" Watching the youth casually toss the heavy saber around like a toy, Yun Jiu smiled bitterly:"We truly don't have any others. Heavy sabers are rarely used, and their price is high, so very few are produced. If you need one, Young Master Song, I will send a letter back to headquarters to have them search for you. They will definitely have a weapon that suits your needs."

"That would be wonderful! I'll trouble Brother Jiu to keep an eye out for me. The heavier the saber, the better. If not, it needs to be at least 200 to 300 catties to suffice." Hearing such a request gave Yun Jiu a bit of a headache, but he was simultaneously amazed by the other party's strength. One must know that as a Third-Grade martial artist, he did possess 9 Horsepower and could easily lift a heavy saber like that.

But the problem was, whenever he wanted to lift a heavy object, his body needed to mobilize the power of his blood and Qi; he couldn't sustain the activity for long. If you gave him a 300-catty heavy saber, forget about using it against an enemy—just swinging that massive thing around for a moment would deplete his blood and Qi, leaving him standing there panting like a dog! Since this youth dared to ask for it, he naturally wasn't being ignorant.

He was relying on a powerful physical constitution, possessing enough raw strength to easily lift such a heavy saber! The stronger Song Que was, the more pleased Brother Jiu felt. He noted down the request in his ledger, then enthusiastically led the two to a rack displaying bows and arrows.

"Look here, Young Master Song. These bows are manufactured according to the exact standards of the Divine Archer Battalion. They are all Iron-Arm Bows. The best one here is this one with two silver stars engraved on its limbs."

"Brother Jiu, what is this 'Divine Archer Battalion standard'? This little brother is ignorant and ill-informed; could you explain it to me a bit?" Song Que asked curiously.

"Easy to explain! Did you know, Young Master Song, that our Great Yan Dynasty has a military branch with less than a thousand men, designated the 'Divine Archer Battalion'? These are the true elite troops, the royal family's ace-in-the-hole army!"

"These fierce soldiers are all Second-Tier martial artists or above, selected from the best sharpshooters in the army. All of their equipment is custom-made specifically for them by the Artisan Battalion."

"The Iron-Arm Bow was meticulously designed and manufactured by the Ministry of Works. It is made from Hundred-Refined Iron and is extremely durable. Pulling the bowstring requires at least one Horsepower. Each star on the bow limbs represents an additional two Horsepower required. Having two stars means it takes five Horsepower to draw."

"Above that, there are the Silver-Wing Bows, which require Bear Force to draw, and the Golden-Bell Bows, which require Elephant Force to draw. But those are strictly regulated, and the manufacturing materials are scarce, so very few leak out into the public. There are absolutely none in Qinghe County. The best one here is probably this Two-Star Iron-Arm Bow." So that's how it is! Song Que and Zhong Hong learned something new on this trip.

"Above the Golden-Bell Bow, is there a bow that requires Flood Dragon Force to draw?" Zhong Hong, who had been listening intently, asked curiously.

"Haha, Young Master Zhong must be joking. The absolute best the Artisan Battalion produces is the Golden-Bell Bow, which requires one Elephant Force to fully draw. Moreover, they are only equipped to generals and carry more of a symbolic meaning."

"Any bow better than that would be a world-renowned divine weapon or sharp tool, painstakingly created by grandmasters, and cannot be mass-produced."

"Ah, I see. I was about to say, if there really was a thousand-man Divine Archer Battalion equipped with Golden-Bell Bows, that would be too terrifying! Hehe, forgive my ignorance, Brother Yun."

"Young Master Zhong is too polite. If you don't know, you ask; no one knows everything." Yun Jiu answered seriously. His frank and sincere attitude gave both of them a favorable impression. Song Que stepped forward and took down the Iron-Arm Bow engraved with two stars. It felt quite heavy in his hands. He tried pulling it and found that, indeed, he had to use nearly thirty percent of his strength to draw the bow fully.

Hearing the bow body start to creak, he didn't dare apply more force and gently released his grip, letting the bowstring slacken. It's a pity they don't have a Silver-Wing Bow here. Song Que sighed, but acquiring this Two-Star Iron-Arm Bow on this trip was already quite excellent. With this thing in hand, a careless Second-Tier martial artist could easily be punctured by him. At least this trip wasn't for nothing!