Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill-Chapter 44: Corpse Rot Poison Water

"It’s nothing serious, just thinking about where to earn some silver," Chen Cheng said with a light laugh, trying to sound casual. He sheathed his Long Saber, walked over, and took her slender, delicate hands, rubbing them between his own.

In March, the well water was still frigid. The Chen Family drew their water from a deep well under the old locust tree at the end of Locust Tree Lane. Since it was drawn from deep underground, the water was bone-chillingly cold.

Mu Xiaowan had just finished washing a cotton quilt with the well water. Her normally fair hands were tinged red and felt ice-cold.

Mu Xiaowan gave a sweet, slightly bashful smile. She savored the warmth from Chen Cheng’s large hands; they weren’t just warm, they seemed to radiate a fiery heat.

Ever since he started cultivating Martial Dao, Brother Cheng was always warm. Her favorite thing was to snuggle against his fiery chest on cold nights; it was so warm and made her feel secure.

Mu Xiaowan leaned against Chen Cheng’s shoulder. Every night before bed, he would tell her about things he encountered on his patrols.

She had come to know most of the ways the City Guard Department constables made money.

"Brother Chen, have you thought of a way?"

"No," Chen Cheng said with a smile.

Mu Xiaowan said considerately, "What if we cut back on our household expenses? The salary from the Government Office isn’t that small."

Chen Cheng pulled her into his arms and said softly, "We still have some silver at home. We can talk about being frugal after we’ve spent it."

’What kind of logic is it to only start saving after all the money is gone!’ Mu Xiaowan knew Chen Cheng would find another way, so she just nodded obediently.

"Alright then. We’ll save after we spend it all. Oh, right, Brother Cheng, aren’t you practicing your Saber Technique today?"

Usually, when Chen Cheng practiced his Saber Technique, he would train for several hours straight and wouldn’t stop until it was time to eat.

Chen Cheng said, "I made plans to discuss something with Brother Liao San. I’ll be back in a little while."

"Alright, then I’ll practice my Saber Technique." Mu Xiaowan reluctantly left Chen Cheng’s embrace, went inside to grab a Wooden Saber, and began to practice.

She spent her days at home, and with little to do after finishing her chores, Chen Cheng, seeing her boredom, decided to teach her the Wind Chasing Saber Technique.

They couldn’t afford an iron Long Saber, so Chen Cheng had carved a Wooden Saber from a sturdy piece of wood for her to practice with.

Mu Xiaowan was naturally bright and had a good physical constitution. With Chen Cheng’s dedicated teaching, she had managed to cultivate the Wind Chasing Saber Technique to the Small Success Level in just over two months.

Although she had only just reached the Small Success Level, her Martial Arts Talent was already considered extraordinary.

Chen Cheng had also considered teaching her the Iron Armor Skill; after all, it was an Inner Breath Technique rarely seen in all of Linji City.

However, the Cultivation Technique was inherently incomplete. Even after Chen Cheng corrected it using his panel, it could only be cultivated by men. A woman trying to practice it would fail, as it now relied on the crucial Yang Qi into the Dantian Heart Method, which she would lack.

After all, when Chen Cheng had corrected that final part of the Heart Method, he had relied on an external object—a steelyard weight.

Of course, once the Cultivation Technique was fully corrected, Chen Cheng no longer needed the steelyard weight for his cultivation.

After watching Mu Xiaowan practice the Wind Chasing Saber Technique and offering a few casual pointers, Chen Cheng left the courtyard and headed out of the lane.

During the harsh winter, most people stayed indoors to wait out the cold. The streets were less crowded, and as a result, relatively safer.

As the saying goes, the year’s plans are made in the spring. With the arrival of spring, life returned. Beasts emerged from their dens outside the city, while inside, people from all walks of life began to bustle about, working for their annual livelihood. All of Linji City slowly grew more lively.

Linji Prefecture City was a metropolis, its large population a melting pot of characters from every walk of life. Naturally, this meant a rise in all kinds of criminal cases.

In the Ruyi District of the South City District, most of the streets and alleys were slums, and the situation was even more chaotic.

Lately, more and more wandering bandits and thieves had been drifting into Ruyi District. Although Chen Cheng was a constable for the City Guard Department, which gave him a certain deterrent presence—local petty crooks wouldn’t dare target the Chen Family—he couldn’t account for newcomers from other areas who didn’t know who he was.

Ordinary thieves were one thing; they didn’t dare act so brazenly in broad daylight. But those who were cultivating Martial Dao and possessed some strength might not be so cautious. ’I need to take some precautions.’

Chen Cheng had heard from Liao San about a type of Hidden Weapon available on the Black Market. It could spray an incredibly potent Corpse Rot Poison Water. If an ordinary person were to be splashed by it, their skin would immediately fester and dissolve, leaving them either dead or grievously injured.

Even a Perfect Martial Artist of the Skin Grinding Realm, whose skin was as tough as ox-hide or even had the resilience of Copper Hide, would be severely wounded if splashed with the Corpse Rot Poison Water.

This devastating weapon was said to be incredibly difficult to produce and was practically never seen on the open market. Only the Black Market sold it, and only occasionally.

All of Linji City’s Four Outer City Districts had a Black Market. They operated at night in extreme secrecy, with bandits, desperadoes, and Jianghu figures frequently gathering to trade all manner of rare resources.

Such lawless places were, of course, extremely dangerous, and Chen Cheng didn’t dare venture into one lightly.

Besides the Black Market, this poisonous Hidden Weapon was also sold through special channels. Liao San knew of a pawnshop that sometimes had it in stock, but he’d have to send someone to ask if it was currently available.

The poisonous Hidden Weapon was expensive; a single one cost five taels of silver. It could only be sprayed a few times, and once the poison was depleted, the device became a useless trinket.

Though the poisonous Hidden Weapon was powerful, its drawback was obvious: its projection speed was limited. A vigilant Martial Artist, even one at the Skin Grinding Realm, could easily dodge it.

With his level of strength, Chen Cheng himself had no need for such a weapon. However, street patrol constables had to rotate for night patrol duty once a month.

When Chen Cheng was not at home, Mu Xiaowan would be vulnerable. With this poisonous Hidden Weapon for self-defense, she could easily handle even a stronger-than-average thief if they broke into the house.

As for a thief at the Skin Grinding Realm, it was highly unlikely they would bother with a poor area like Locust Tree Lane.

Before long, Chen Cheng arrived at Ronghe Restaurant on Upper Street. Liao San was seated in a relatively secluded corner of the main hall and looked as if he’d been waiting for some time. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

It was still more than two hours before the lunch rush, so the restaurant was nearly empty. The scar on Liao San’s face was prominent, and dressed in his City Guard Department uniform, he clearly looked like trouble. The few other patrons in the restaurant kept their distance.

Usually, when constables stopped at a restaurant to rest, they would just sit for a moment, have a few sips of wine, and then get back to their patrol.

On the table sat only a dish of peanuts, a dish of fennel beans, and a pot of liquor.

Gesturing for Chen Cheng to sit, Liao San glanced around. Seeing that no one was close enough to eavesdrop, he lowered his voice. "Ah Cheng, I have a lead on that Hidden Weapon you asked about. The pawnshop has one in stock right now."

Chen Cheng smiled. "That’s fantastic. Thank you, Third Brother."

"We’re brothers. Cut the formalities." Liao San waved a hand dismissively, then added, "Only thing is, this one isn’t five taels of silver. It’s eight."

"Eight taels of silver?" Chen Cheng’s face fell. He had hesitated for a long time before committing to the price of five taels. With his total savings only amounting to fifteen or sixteen taels, buying this would mean they would truly have to start pinching pennies.

If he spent eight taels, more than half of his savings would be gone in an instant. The days to come would be even tougher.

Liao San saw Chen Cheng’s hesitation and explained, "This one was pawned off for good by some Jianghu traveler. The price is higher, but it can fire ten times—three or four more shots than the usual models.

"Things have been tense in Linji City’s Four Outer City Districts lately. The Black Lotus Sect is stirring up trouble again. You and I, our strength is limited. It’s better to have a Hidden Weapon for protection. If you’re short on cash, I can lend you some."