13 Buying a Sword

"Everything has a spirit and Qi, and with Qi comes spirituality. Corpse ghosts are born from the Qi of the netherworld, so they are spiritual."

"I understand, thank you!"

Lu Zheng donated another kan and left.

...

"Master, this young master is so generous. I can see that he is full of yang energy. That corpse ghost might come after him again. Wouldn't it be a pity if he were to face a ghost disaster?"

"It's fine. Besides, he had already avoided it yesterday, he might not encounter it again. Even if the corpse ghost does find him again, the protective amulet will protect him."

Master Mingzhang shook his head and said, "do you think I'd be able to find the ghost? The county has tens of thousands of people, and the ghost knows the art of disguise. Where should I start looking?"

"Uh, master, you're not using him as bait, are you?"

"Don't talk nonsense. I see light in Young Master Lu's eyes. When he heard that mortals could deal with corpse ghosts, he already calmed down."

Master Mingzhang said thoughtfully, "perhaps I don't even need to do anything this time."

"What? So..."

...

On the way home.

Lu Zheng rocked back and forth as he leaned against the carriage with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

He had to make some preparations. He wanted settle down, develop his career, cultivate, and gradually integrate into this world.

However, he had just arrived and did not know how to start cultivating.

It was very likely that he would encounter some problems.

Instead of letting the three rays of light of providence in the jade seal to collect dust, he could improve his combat skills.

Although he could choose to travel back to the modern world and escape at any time, he could consume the ghost' energy if it really came for him when he was prepared.

...

He left early today and didn't spend much time in Baiyun Temple. Lu Zheng returned home not long after noon.

After sending Uncle Li back to his room to rest, Lu Zheng locked his bedroom and returned to the modern world.

He turned on his phone and searched for shops that sold swords.

He washed up, changed, took a taxi, and set off!

In the car, Lu Zheng did not idle around. He kept searching for actual sword-fighting techniques on the internet.

There were more than 10 basic movements of traditional Chinese sword-fighting techniques.

The images and videos of the movements could be found all over the internet.

Although they looked ordinary, they were all developed from actual combat.

Techniques of various sects were derived from a combination of these basic movements and their own style.

However, with the rise of modern firearms, martial arts had become purely for performance. The ability to combine and adapt the techniques to different situations had long been abandoned.

Martial arts were not useless. Take two people with same level of physical fitness, one could only punch, but the other could concentrate their strength and attack with different forms.

The result was obvious.

Those who fight without practicing martial arts were just hooligans.

Even the heroes in Wuxia novels could be knocked down by an experienced hooligan with a brick, not to mention in reality.

...

Lu Zheng absorbed the basics of sword-fighting techniques along the way and soon arrived at his destination.

Hall of Ancient Swords.

They specialized in selling ancient weapons.

Although they were works of art and not used in combat, they were made from real materials.

In ancient times, all of them would have been godly weapons that were hard to come by.

After all, China's manufacturing industry was no longer the same as before. Would the steel used to make swords be more difficult to refine than the steel used to make submarines?

Although the great Jing dynasty could cultivate immortality and refine Qi, there was no blast furnace to produce steel.

So...

It was fine if the ghost did not come, but if it did, Lu Zheng would make it pay.

"Hello, welcome!"

Her voice was sweet, and within a second, Lu Zheng immediately dropped his imposing manner.

Why were there two girls in cheongsam standing at the entrance?

Would a man's desire to buy weapons be aroused by a beautiful women?

You're selling swords, not... Hey, there's a spear?

...

The hall was big, and there were all kinds of swords on display.

As expected of a place that specialized in making swords, the color and the patterns on them were exquisite

Some swords had two dragons carved on them while others had moons and stars. Some were carved only on the scabbard, while others were directly carved on the blade.

They were indeed beautiful, but they were only good as display If it was used for fighting, it would be a waste.

There were a lot of customers in the shop, but most of them were tourists. The employee was used to it. He would occasionally stopped tourists from taking photos, but he was not annoyed.

How did they earn money?

Then, Lu Zheng glanced at the sword in front of him and understood.

[Name: Gilded Spring Dragon Sword]

[Material: Ancient high-quality steel]

[Forging: Hand-forged]

[Price: 188888]

Tsk, tsk, how particular!

"Hello," he said. Lu Zheng walked around and found a pretty young lady.

"Hello, how may I help?" The young lady's eyes lit up.

In this kind of shop, those who took the initiative to ask were those who were interested in buying.

"Do you have a sword that can be used in actual combat?"

The young lady smiled as if she had expected it. "The swords in our shop are all made of high-carbon steel. They are basically made of the same material as military-grade weapons..."

"Don't try to fool me." Lu Zheng immediately cut her off. "Military blades are short, so they are hard and brittle. Traditional swords are long and have more toughness. They are two kinds of steel."

The young lady: (* ° ω ° *)

Is that so?

"You are an expert." A magnetic voice sounded.

Lu Zheng turned around and saw another middle-aged man.

"You are?"

"I'm the owner of this shop. "

What's going on? Are all the bosses these days middle-aged men?

"Hello, I'm not an expert. I just did some research on the internet."

The young lady: /(T o T)/~~

Her commission disappeared.

The boss laughed and glanced at the young lady. She then left feeling aggrieved.

"Sir, you want to buy a sword?"

Lu Zheng nodded. "Yes, one that can be used in actual combat."

Due to the popularity of the Ming Dynasty's guards and some movies, swords became popular.

"An actual combat?"

The middle-aged boss grinned. Was there such a demand in the modern world?

What are you trying to do?

"Will it work?"

"Of course." The owner explained, "if we were in the ancient times, every sword in my shop would be a divine weapon."

Lu Zheng nodded. As he expected.

"Then, can you sharpen it?"

The shop owner was speechless.

What is he trying to do?