The 52nd chapter: The fallen master of refining soldiers, Needle Heart Craftsman Yu Ya

  The person who entrusted me with the task was a middle-aged man with a haggard face, a gaunt complexion and an air of despair.

  "Three goods, my name is Yu Ya, I am a refining master." He introduced himself.

  Chu Yun was taken aback: "Yu Ya? Could it be that Needlework Craftsman from the Eccentric Masters' List?"

  The 108th Junchao List, the 72nd Yishi List, the 36th Qiren List... The strong are all recorded on the rumor-filled list of Fengyu.

  Chu Yun rose in rank due to the creation of the Ascension Pill, and is now ranked over 90th on the Jiejie Rankings. In his past life memories, the Yu Ya in front of him was known as "Needle Heart Craftsman" and was listed on the higher Xiangshi Rankings for his exquisite craftsmanship and expertise in creating needle instruments.

  "Zhen Xin? Haha, those are all things of the past. It's really hard for young people like you to still remember things from over a decade ago." Yu Ya slowly shook his head and smiled self-deprecatingly, "Over a decade ago, I was severely injured in an accident and never fully recovered. Currently, the spiritual energy within me can only control some small demons. It's precisely because of this that I've been searching for the Tian Ling Zhen Xin Dan."

  The spiritual light of the demon master is only to a certain extent stronger than that of the demon beast, in order to tame the demon beast. The body stores the spirit, and the soul produces the spirit. If the demon master is seriously injured, the spiritual light will be damaged.

  Chu Yun's adoptive father, once known as the fierce tiger among all stars, was invincible. It was because he cut off his left arm that his body suffered heavy injuries, his spirit was damaged, and his combat strength greatly reduced, so his prestige was no longer there.

  Chu Yun's eyes widened as he recognized Yu Ya, due to memories from his past life. He vaguely recalled that Master Yu Ya had indeed experienced a period of decline, but a few years later, he once again rose to the top of the Xiangshi rankings and became the undisputed number one in refining arms, with an aura unmatched by anyone else, and his door was thronged with visitors like a marketplace.

  "Could it be that I've coincidentally encountered Master Yu Ya's downfall?" He couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement in his heart, "The Shu Family Island is currently lacking a master shipbuilder to forge warships. If we could invite Master Yu Ya over, wouldn't that be wonderful? Now that he's down on his luck, it would be like sending charcoal in the snow, forming a good relationship. As for his severe injuries, could it be that in his past life he had consumed the Tian Ling Zhen Xin Dan and recovered the spiritual light within his body, thereby returning to his peak glory?"

  Yan Que's eyes narrowed slightly: "Since you mentioned Tianling Zhenxin Dan, then please elaborate on this commission."

  As soon as the entrustment was mentioned, Yu Ya couldn't help but take a deep breath, and his eyes revealed a deep incomprehension, with a hint of resentment: "My injury has already reached a point where it can no longer be cured by ordinary medicinal pellets. More than ten years ago, I began searching for the legendary Tianling Zhenxin Dan, which is the only divine pellet that can comprehensively enhance one's innate qualities and save me. Just last week, my efforts of over ten years finally paid off, and I obtained the formula for the Tianling Zhenxin Dan."

  I have a close friend, surnamed Zhong and named Qi. He is the current "Thousand-Armed Craftsman" on the list of extraordinary scholars. When I obtained the alchemy formula, I was naturally overjoyed and trusted him extremely, so I invited him to drink wine to celebrate. During the banquet, he asked to take a look at this legendary alchemy formula. I knew that he had been an alchemist for some time in his early years, but because it didn't suit his nature, he didn't achieve anything, and later changed his profession to become a weaponsmith. Without suspecting anything, I showed him the alchemy formula.

  Yu Ya took a deep breath, her eyes already red with rage, her face filled with the anger of being betrayed: "But then he saw this Dan Fang and his expression was shocked. Suddenly, he started to move, knocking me down. Haha laughed loudly, saying that I had endured for too long, today finally got what I wanted, got the Dan Fang."

  "I couldn't believe it was true, and immediately questioned him. Zhong Qi pointed directly at my nose, scolding me, saying that he had always resented being surpassed by me in the past. Later when I was injured and down on my luck, he approached me as a friend, but actually wanted to see my downfall and suffering. Now that I've found the Dan Fang, he doesn't want to see my rise, so he's stealing it."

  "I immediately cursed loudly, but he just smiled and said 'curse well'. Then he started smashing everything in my shop, destroying it. He also snatched away my early work, the Dingxing Bow. Alas, you can't know a person's heart no matter how well you know their face. I spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted. When I woke up, my chest was filled with anger, but when I wanted to find Zhong Qi again, he had vanished! With no other choice, I came to the Tiange Book Academy for help."

  "There are actually such despicable people, hateful!" Yan Que's style was upright and honest, and after hearing this, he became furious.

  Chu Yun's expression was serious: "This is going to be difficult, Zhong Qi has disappeared and must have gone somewhere to refine the Tianling True Heart Dan. Now there are no clues at all, we can only go to the scene of the incident first."

  Yu Ya nodded: "I'll take you there now. If we succeed, I'll give you the Dan Fang as a gift. And if we can retrieve my Ding Xing Bow, I'll also present it to you with both hands. Please, everyone!"

  Chu Yun hastily waved his hand and smiled: "Master is being polite, we will definitely do our best."

  "The title of Master, I really don't dare to accept." Yu Ya shook his head with a bitter smile, it seemed that more than a decade of decline and being betrayed by his close friend had already worn away all his pride.

  Three days later, four people set foot on Zhongleng Island.

  Zhēng Lóng Dǎo is a village-level island, located on a special fire vein. The temperature on the island is very high, which can trigger underground fires and build a refining furnace for soldiers. Therefore, it is a gathering place for refining soldiers.

  There are many iron shops on the island. Three steps one room, five steps one house, forming a unique landscape.

  Led by Yu Ya, Chu Yun and the others arrived at a very dilapidated ironwork shop.

  The store entrance is deserted, with no customers in sight. It forms a stark contrast with the surrounding stores on either side.

  A messy scene in the blacksmith's workshop, half-finished ironware scattered on the ground, the dark furnace had gone out, and the simple table, chairs and benches were the only decent furniture.

  Obviously, Yu Ya didn't have the mood to pack up before he left.

  "Three of you find a place to sit, I'll go to the village to fetch some wine and food." Yu Ya smiled suddenly and went out again.

  Jin Bi Han looked around and stood still without moving her feet. The Princess of Dunhuang frowned secretly: Is there a place to sit here?

  "Let's get packing." Chu Yun sighed and said.

  After finishing cleaning up, Yu Ya still hadn't returned.

  "You stay here first, I'll go take a look." Chu Yun had no choice but to also leave the door. He asked passersby where else sold wine and food, and then walked in that direction.

  At the entrance of a shop, he found Yu Ya negotiating with a stout peasant woman.

  "I'm telling you, Auntie, this time I'll owe you half a di zhai stone coin. Today, let's just put it on account for now. I'm in a hurry to entertain my guests! Help me out, and I'll definitely pay you back another day!" Master Yu Ya spoke in a low and humble tone, one piece of silver enough to bring down a heroic man.

  "No way, each one has to pay their debt, how can my store continue to operate? Do you think I don't know? Your ironwork shop was smashed to pieces, what money do you have to repay me? Hmph, the Jia family's people have already come to your place to collect rent. You'd better think about it, what are you going to use to pay the rent?" Huang Fu sneered at Yu Ya with disdain.

  Yu Ya's face turned red as she was about to speak, when suddenly a hand stretched out from behind, fingers pinching three earth-destroying stone coins.

  "This is the geomantic stone coin, bring wine and food over." Chu Yun's voice came from behind him.

  "Ah, it's you, little friend." Yu Ya's expression was very awkward.

  Chu Yun smiled and patted his shoulder, while taking over the wine and food that the fat woman hastily handed over. "When I was young, I often stared at the wine and dishes in the store. At that time, I was shy and could only smell the fragrance, drooling all over the floor, staring eagerly."

  One sentence brought them closer together.

  Yu Yaqi said, "Isn't the young friend the Young Master of Shu Family Island? How can he have such an experience?" Chu Yun's current reputation is widely spread among the upper echelons. Yu Ya, a humble and ordinary master, belongs to the lower class, only vaguely heard that there is a Young Master of Shu Family who is quite accomplished, but knows nothing else about it.

  "I am an adopted son, not born of Father Island's blood, yet Mistress Island has given birth to two sons." Chu Yun said with a faint smile.

  "So that's how it is, no wonder I felt a different kind of aura from you." Yu Ya nodded, and her good impression of Chu Yun increased involuntarily. She continued, "Letting Xiao You bear the expense, I'm really sorry about that. This money, I will definitely make up for it!"

  Chu Yun knew he was in a difficult situation, but he didn't refuse. This concerned a man's dignity. He nodded respectfully and said sincerely: "Actually, I've always been very interested in refining soldiers. I also took a course on refining soldiers at the academy, and there are some doubts that I would like to ask for guidance from my seniors."

  "Oh? Tell me then, I may not be able to solve it, but I'll definitely try my best." Yu Ya replied casually.

  Yu Ya is indeed a capable person on the list of eccentrics. Although he has fallen, his vision remains. His answers often hit the nail on the head, getting straight to the heart of the problem.

  Of course, the greatest gain is not the answer to the question, but the relationship between Chu Yun and Yu Ya.

  Chu Yun has memories of her past life, so she doesn't have the same arrogant attitude as people of the same age, and she knows how to get close to others.

  When he walked back to the store, he directly called Yu Ya "Uncle", and Yu Ya called him "Little Cloud".

  The dishes were actually not sumptuous, but the four of them ate with relish. From getting off the boat to now, their stomachs were indeed hungry.

  Bang!

  While eating, the store's large door was suddenly kicked open by someone.

  "Yu Ya, you're finally back! Pay the rent, pay the rent quickly! Hand over the money." A group of people rushed in, led by a sly-looking man with a servant's attire, who had an extremely arrogant attitude.

  "Rent? Isn't it supposed to be collected at the end of the month? There are still six days left." Yu Ya stood up.

  "Six days? You think I'm an idiot?! Humph! Six days later, you'll be long gone. What kind of business can your crappy blacksmith shop get? Hand over the money! If not, I'll beat you to a pulp!" The leader of the house servants yelled, with more than ten people behind him jeering in unison.

  Yu Ya's face turned ugly and she gritted her teeth: "You're taking advantage of someone in a difficult situation!"

  "Taking advantage of someone's misfortune, how about that?" The head of the household servants raised his head, slanting his eyes. "The entire Steam Island is a subsidiary island of the Jia family, it's all Jia family land. You're just a small ironworker, dare to disobey the Jia family? Dare to default on the Jia family's debt?"

  Yu Ya opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by Chu Yun: "Forget it, why bother with this kind of scoundrel?"

  "Dog leg?! Ah yo, dare to scold your old man! Brothers, come on, tear this little rabbit's mouth. Then smash this store, search thoroughly!" The leader of the house slaves roared with extreme anger. Finally, he added another sentence, "If no money is found, all these people will be caught and sold as slaves! Dare to owe Jia family money?! No way!!"