The Martial Saint of Humanity, I Have Transformed Low-Level Martial Arts Into Immortal Martial Arts - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Black Snake Gang! The Heart of Killing Arises!

Zhao Tie stepped forward quickly and said, “He Hall Master, this sword does indeed have problems, but I assure you it’s certainly not our Zhao’s Blacksmith Shop’s fault… We hope you can show some leniency. We are willing to forge a new long sword for you free of charge, and it will surely satisfy you!”

Zhao Tie didn’t dare to admit it was a problem from their Zhao’s Blacksmith Shop; otherwise, it would ruin the reputation they had built over many years, making it hard to conduct business. He also knew that He Zhiyong was there to stir trouble, so he directly proposed to compensate and hoped to placate He Zhiyong.

“Show leniency? If such a shoddy weapon were used in a fight, wouldn’t it be just handing over your head to someone else? Demanding your lives would not be too much!” a Martial Artist from the Black Snake Gang sneered.

He Zhiyong waved his hand to silence his underling and grinned, saying, “Zhao, I believe this was an unintended oversight on your part… I don’t want to make things difficult for you. Just forge a suitable weapon for each of my Black Snake Gang members, and we can consider this matter resolved.”

As soon as he said this, everyone’s expressions changed in unison.

The Black Snake Gang was the largest gang in Crouching Tiger Town, with at least fifty members. If you included the semi-affiliated members, the total could easily reach a hundred. Moreover, it was not up to others to decide who was part of the Black Snake Gang.

For He Zhiyong to ask Zhao’s Blacksmith Shop to forge a suitable weapon for each of his members? It was practically an unreasonable demand! It could even be considered robbery!

“Damn it… this is too much! You’re not welcome here—get out!” Zhou Xiong, a stout man known for his violent temper, shouted angrily as he stepped forward with a heavy iron hammer in hand, glaring fiercely and ready to drive He Zhiyong away.

“Crack!”

However, He Zhiyong’s expression turned cold. Without any visible movement, Zhou Xiong let out a muffled groan as if struck by a hammer, sliding backward and crashing to the ground, clutching his abdomen and crying out in pain.

Su Hao could see it clearly; it was He Zhiyong’s lightning-fast kick that took Zhou Xiong down. The speed was beyond what ordinary eyes could capture. He Zhiyong was undoubtedly a Martial Artist who had entered the realm of Refining Strength, and his power was stronger than that of the previous Refining Strength Martial Artist that Su Hao had killed!

“Old Zhou!”

The other blacksmiths were furious and shocked, each picking up their iron hammers. They were blacksmiths by trade, strong and fiery, so how could they allow these people to bully them?

“Stop it!” Zhao Tie bellowed, halting the impulsive blacksmiths.

Zhao Tie’s face was also grim, but he understood that once they made a move, the most minor consequence would be that their blacksmith shop would struggle to stay afloat. Moreover, offending the Black Snake Gang would likely lead to retaliation against these blacksmiths.

“He Hall Master, this matter is quite serious. I hope you can give me two days to think it over,” Zhao Tie said to He Zhiyong in a deep voice.

He Zhiyong knew well that getting Zhao Tie to provide weapons for each member of the Black Snake Gang for free would not be an easy feat. Zhao Tie dragging this out for two days was likely an attempt to find some connections.

But since He Zhiyong had decided to take action, he would not let this go easily.

He immediately chuckled lightly, “Alright, Zhao, I’ll give you two days. Think it over. If you agree to my conditions, your blacksmith shop will be friends with our Black Snake Gang. Will you still worry about not having business?”

What He Zhiyong said was framed as advice, but it was, in fact, a threat. If they weren’t friends, then they would naturally be enemies!

After saying this, He Zhiyong forcefully threw the broken sword in his hand, which lodged into the ground with a thud, its hilt trembling. He then clasped his hands behind his back and, accompanied by two disciples from the Black Snake Gang, turned and left.

“I… I’m fine,” Zhou Xiong said with a pained expression, addressing those who came to check on him.

“This is going to be a problem…”He Zhiyong is quite a tough character; he wants our blacksmith shop to compensate each of them with a weapon? That’s simply outrageous!”

All the faces in the crowd were filled with worry. They knew that once He Zhiyong targeted them, it would definitely lead to heavy losses. Were they really going to end up working for the Black Snake Gang?

“For the next two days… everyone should just go home and rest. I will go see Lord Li and ask for his help,” Zhao Tie said to everyone, giving them a two-day break. He was planning to find someone influential in town to negotiate with He Zhiyong.

The crowd nodded reluctantly, and then Zhao Tie turned to Su Hao, reassuring him, “A Hao, this isn’t your fault. He Zhiyong is just using this as an excuse to cause trouble.”

Although the sword was forged by Su Hao, Zhao Tie had personally checked it beforehand and knew that there had been no issues, so he was worried that Su Hao might feel guilty about the situation.

“Hmm… I understand,” Su Hao replied, nodding slightly.

After that, Zhao Tie dismissed everyone, and they took a temporary break. Su Hao also returned home, resting quietly for two days.

Two days later, however, Zhao Tie instructed everyone to continue their break. This brought a heavy feeling to the crowd; clearly, the situation had not been resolved. Zhao Tie had tried to reach out for help, but it hadn’t been effective.

Although Zhao Tie treated people amiably, he was someone who wouldn’t easily bow down to the Black Snake Gang.

On the morning of the third day, Su Hao arrived outside the blacksmith shop and noticed a change in his expression as he caught a whiff of a burnt odor. He felt a slight relief that Zhao Tie was unharmed.

“Last night, someone set fire to the blacksmith shop… Luckily, it was discovered in time and extinguished. It must have been the Black Snake Gang!” Zhou Xiong gritted his teeth. Since Zhao Tie had not agreed to the Black Snake Gang’s terms, it was evident that this incident was a warning from He Zhiyong and his group!

Zhao Tie was a kind-hearted person. When Su Hao had lost both parents and couldn’t even afford food, it was Zhao Tie who let him stay at the blacksmith shop to help out without ever deducting any of his wages or rewards.

It was a pity that such a good person was being bullied by a scoundrel like He Zhiyong.

Zhao Tie continued to give everyone a break, but the veteran blacksmith Zhou Xiong and the others were unwilling to rest. Instead, they armed themselves and decided to keep watch at the blacksmith shop all night. If the Black Snake Gang came again, they would fight to the death. They didn’t believe that the Black Snake Gang would really dare to engage them in a direct confrontation; if things escalated, it would only lead to trouble for both sides!

As for Su Hao and the younger blacksmiths, they were forcibly given time off by Zhao Tie and the others, who were worried that their youth might put them in harm’s way during the conflict.

Night fell again, and without going to the blacksmith shop to work, Su Hao found his days to be quite leisurely. He spent his time practicing his punches and refining his martial arts skills.

In the dead of night, however, two shadowy figures stealthily infiltrated the small courtyard where Su Hao lived. With nimble movements, they climbed over the bamboo fence without making much noise.

Both were masked and appeared to be searching for something, quietly slipping into Su Hao’s room through the window.

“Hmm? No one here?”

As the two entered the room, they were momentarily stunned to see that the bed in the bedroom was empty.

“Has that kid gone out?”

One of the tall, lean masked men frowned, but there was clearly nowhere to hide in such a small room!

The other man sighed in resignation, “Originally, catching this kid could be used to threaten those old geezers at the blacksmith shop… Let’s report back to Master He first.”

The blacksmith shop’s side was unwilling to yield, fiercely resisting. The group of veteran blacksmiths were armed and stationed there, seemingly ready to engage in a fight to the bitter end, making He Zhiyong feel a bit of a headache.

Afterward, He Zhiyong had other thoughts and directly sent his subordinates to kidnap someone from the blacksmith shop, and the target they chose was Su Hao.

On one hand, Su Hao had no relatives or friends, so any trouble wouldn’t escalate significantly. On the other hand, Su Hao was extremely promising at Zhao’s Blacksmith Shop, showing signs of being Zhao Tie’s successor. Using him to threaten the blacksmiths would undoubtedly make Zhao Tie and the others take his safety seriously!

The two were acting on He Zhiyong’s orders, coming at night to kidnap Su Hao.

However, they did not expect that he was not home, leaving them empty-handed!

“Let’s go back,” one said.

After waiting for a moment without discovering Su Hao’s whereabouts, they ultimately decided to return and report back.

Yet as they quietly made their way along the village paths, they failed to notice that a pair of cold eyes were watching them from the darkness!