The rest was simple. Once Lou Gao had tallied the stock of rare metals available for trade, he completed his first transaction with Yun Ming.
With the initial trade concluded and a long-term cooperation agreement signed, Yun Ming demonstrated the usage of Ether White Gold to Lou Gao one last time before preparing to take his leave. Lou Gao tried to persuade him to stay for a few more days, but Yun Ming had urgent matters to attend to and could not linger. Helpless, Lou Gao had no choice but to give up.
At the main entrance of the Blacksmiths' Association, Yun Ming bid his final farewells to Lou Gao, Si Long, Si Yu, and the other high-ranking members of the association. Lou Gao said with reluctance, "It is a pity that you are so busy, Young Master. I truly wanted you to stay a few more days so I could properly show you around Gengxin City!"
Yun Ming smiled slightly. "There will be another opportunity. It's not as if I'm never coming back."
Lou Gao said solemnly, "Then it is a promise. You must stay for a longer period next time you visit. I shall sweep the floor and wait for your arrival."
Seeing the man's sincerity, Yun Ming responded earnestly, "Very well! It is a promise."
"Everyone, until we meet again!"
Lou Gao and the others replied in unison, "Until we meet again!"
With those words, Yun Ming turned and left. As Si Long watched Yun Ming walk away, he noticed his master, Lou Gao, still staring solemnly at the departing figure, and finally asked the question he had been holding back for a long time.
"Master, what exactly did this Young Master Yun do? To make you hold him in such high regard?"
It wasn't just Si Long; Si Yu and the other Grandmaster Blacksmiths were also curious. Hearing his disciple's question, Lou Gao kept his eyes fixed on Yun Ming's increasingly blurry back and said, "Young Master Yun Ming... he has pioneered the future of blacksmithing."
Si Long, Si Yu, and the others: "???"
Once Yun Ming had completely vanished from sight, Lou Gao withdrew his gaze and spoke to his old friends and disciples beside him. "Let's go back! I will tell you the details later."
With that, he led the way inside. Now that Yun Ming was gone, Lou Gao was impatient to study the manuscript left behind.
Seeing Lou Gao in such a rush, the others naturally had no choice but to follow.
The members of the Blacksmiths' Association returned to their respective posts, and Lou Gao retreated to his Number One Forging Room, picking up the manuscript and becoming completely engrossed in it.
Through the content regarding Spirit Refinement in Yun Ming's manuscript, combined with the practical forging he had witnessed earlier, Lou Gao gained a deeper understanding of Spirit Refinement, which would be of great benefit to his future breakthroughs in the craft.
Lou Gao quickly reached the end of the few pages and discovered that Yun Ming had left him one final note.
'There is a final gift in the desk drawer. I hope it proves helpful to you. -- Yun Ming'
Puzzled, Lou Gao opened the drawer and found a bracelet inside. It emitted a fluctuation of Soul Power; it was a Storage Soul Tool. Lou Gao picked up the bracelet and sensed the items inside. Moved, he stood up, bowed in the direction Yun Ming had left, and exclaimed, "Lou Gao will certainly not fail the Young Master's expectations."
Inside the Storage Bracelet were not just any items, but five pieces of Spirit Refined Metal, including the Spirit Iron Yun Ming had forged earlier, as well as four million Gold Soul Coins.
The Spirit Refined Metal went without saying; it was meant to help Lou Gao with his insights. As for the money, although Yun Ming had won their previous bet—meaning the items should have been a gift—he had still left this sum behind. Spirit Refinement was not simple, and beginners risked damaging their own minds.
In this era, the rate at which blacksmiths earned money was average. Even as the president of the Blacksmiths' Association, if Lou Gao didn't embezzle, his annual income was only a little over one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. That was enough for daily life, but certainly not enough to buy medicine for healing the mind. Thus, this money was Yun Ming's way of leaving him a safety net for emergencies.
The notes on Spirit Refinement that Yun Ming left behind included records on the risks of the craft and various medicinal treatments, so Lou Gao understood his intentions, hence the bow.
With the metal procurement finished, Yun Ming began his journey home.
After moving far away from the Blacksmiths' Association, Yun Ming found a secluded corner and used his Teleportation Technique to return directly to his clan. He hadn't been making excuses when he told Lou Gao he had matters to attend to; the clan had sent him a message two days ago, and it was time to return.
At the Breaking Clan land, in Yun Ming's residence, a brilliant silver array pattern unfolded in the void. When the silver light reached its peak, Yun Ming appeared in the Small Courtyard. Shortly after, he tidied up briefly and headed toward the residence of the Clan Leader, Yang Wutian.
After the guards at Yang Wutian's residence announced his arrival, Yun Ming successfully met with Yang Wutian in his study.
Watching Yang Wutian scribbling away at his desk, processing official business, Yun Ming felt as if he were looking at the massive mountain of paperwork he would have to face in the future. The current Breaking Clan was not what it used to be; their operations were growing larger, and it was foreseeable that they would only expand further. This meant that the work he would have to handle daily would eventually exceed even Yang Wutian's workload. This wouldn't do! It seemed that selecting a "tool" to handle administrative affairs needed to be put on the agenda.
Just as Yun Ming was planning how to slack off before he had even taken office, Yang Wutian finished his current document, looked up at Yun Ming, and said, "You're back? Did you have a fruitful trip?"
Recalling the rare metals he had obtained and his unexpected acquaintance with Lou Gao, Yun Ming smiled. "Replying to Fifth Grand Uncle, the harvest was plentiful."
Hearing this, Yang Wutian smiled and nodded. "That's good. If you need more money, just go and take it."
He didn't even ask how much Yun Ming had spent, nor did he set a limit on how much he could take; he simply told him to take what he needed. As for how much Yun Ming spent, it didn't matter—the Breaking Clan was not short on money now!
Previously, the Breaking Clan had been a relatively wealthy Soul Master family, but they hadn't reached the point where members could spend freely. That changed only after the clan gained access to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and Yun Ming's Pill Recipe. Over the past few years, as the reputation of the clan's pills grew and their influence expanded, combined with their monopoly on the pill industry, the Breaking Clan's annual income had been doubling.
Yun Ming replied without standing on ceremony, "Understood, Fifth Grand Uncle."
After the small talk, Yun Ming got to the point. "Fifth Grand Uncle, what was that major move by Martial Soul Hall you mentioned in your letter?"
Hearing the mention of Martial Soul Hall, Yang Wutian's smile faded. He took a document from his desk and handed it to Yun Ming. "The details are all here. Take a look."
Yun Ming glanced at the Top Secret label on the document bag, took the file, opened it, and began to flip through the pages.
"One month ago, the Nili Kingdom successfully staged an armed coup, and the Royal Power changed hands. The Buffalo Kingdom saw a change in the crown prince; recently, the King has fallen gravely ill, and the Crown Prince is acting as regent. Personnel from the Martial Soul Hall across all regions are being transferred frequently."
After reading through all the documents, Yun Ming's expression turned grave.
"It seems the Martial Soul Hall is about to make its move."
Yang Wutian also sighed and said.
"Indeed!"
Thinking of the family member of a Martial Soul Hall insider currently in his home, Yang Wutian asked.
"Ming Er, do you know what their next move will be?"
Yun Ming nodded and said.
"I know, the next step of their plan is"
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader