“I’m sorry for being uneducated but that’s ‘low’ right?”
“Owner Zhang, did you write it wrongly?”
The group of cultivators looked like they had seen a ghost when they looked like Zhang Zhi.
“10 high-tier spirits stones for each service. Yeah, that’s what you see,” Zhang Zhi said.
Even though they knew what it meant, when they heard it from Zhang Zhi himself, they almost broke down in tears.
Someone was unwilling to give it and asked, “Owner Zhang, does it mean restoring a low-tier flying sword also costs 10 high-tier spirit stones?”
“What about refinement?”
“Everything costs the same now.” Zhang Zhi said.
For some reasons, the devastated cultivators got angry after knowing the change of price. A while ago, restoring a flying sword cost only 100 low-tier spirit stones but now it cost an astronomical figure.
The cultivators felt like they were toyed with, especially those who lined up for a few days for refinement. Their eyes were burning with rage as they criticized Zhang Zhi.
“Zhang Zhi, you son’s d*ck is going to rot!”
“Everyone, gather up and protest against this scrooge’s ridiculous pricing!”
“It’s just restoration and refinement, why are you raising the price?”
The cultivators finally let loose and scolded Zhang Zhi with the most vulgar of words, hoping that he would provide a good reason.
However, Zhang Zhi did not explain anything. He simply said, “Exit is on the left. Thank you, bye.”
The cultivators were extremely agitated.
“You scrooge! I’m going to chop you!”
“Bring down the evil merchant, return my money!”
They had hated Zhang Zhi’s attitude for a long time but before this, they needed his service so they had to endure his weirdness.
Now, since they could not afford it anyway, they lashed out at Zhang Zhi to vent their emotions.
The cultivators ganged up on him but they dared not use their spiritual power, otherwise they would have broken the rules in Lingtai Town.
Since they easily outnumbered Zhang Zhi, they could beat him up with their punches and kicks.
Han Ling’er stayed quiet throughout the incident until she saw that the group wanted to beat Zhang Zhi up. She stepped in and raised her sword. “Step down!”
The cultivators were still scared of Han Ling’er, so they dared not do anything rash.
They argued, “Senior Sister Ling’er, why are you helping this evil merchant? Is it because of the monthly 5 mid-tier spirit stones?”
“You might be getting the pay but there’s a price to it! That’s money from our blood and sweat!”
Han Ling’er might not know why Zhang Zhi suddenly raised the price so ridiculously but she did not care. Since she was a part of the blacksmith now, she had the duty to protect him.
The cultivators realized Han Ling’er was not deterred so they went rampant with their words.
“Senior Sister Ling’er, I respect you as our senior sister but I did not expect you to succumb to money! He bought you with 5 spirit stones? Where’s your conscience?”
“You and him are the same! You two must have done some shady deals in the back!”
“Come on! Come take your junior’s head, senior sister, come and take it if you can!”
The cultivators were filled with righteous indignation. They might not dare to attack Han Ling’er but they got her surrounded and showed their necks at her, prompting her to attack them.
Han Ling’er was extremely agitated by the insults. Even if she really had the guts to take the hit, aside from the fact that she would be breaking the rules of Lingtai Sect, they were the disciples from the same sect, she could never attack them.
While she was being forced back by the cultivators, Zhang Zhi stepped in and blocked her behind his back.
“You people really think that I don’t have a temper?”
Zhang Zhi drew his sword. It was as bright as a tiny sun and it shocked all the cultivators, they showed a fervent look but revered the sword.
It was the high-tier artifact that Zhang Zhi forged, it even caught the Grand Elder’s attention.
The cultivators dared not move further but they did not stop with their scoldings.
“You scrooge! Trying to kill us now? Come on, bring it on!”
“You little Qi Refining bastard! You think you can scare me with the high-tier flying sword?”
“Don’t be afraid, let’s gang up on him and take down the blacksmith!”
…
Han Ling’er held Zhang Zhi’s arm, telling him to not do anything rash. Once he used his spiritual power and initiated an attack, it would be his fault and Elder Wu would punish him severely or even take his legs and hands.
The cultivators were the worst. When they wanted Zhang Zhi’s help, all of them tried to flatter him and once they realized they could not get what they wanted, they turned on him.
Zhang Zhi could not deal with the arrogance, they were literally trying to take down his blacksmith, why should he tolerate the savage act?
“Zhang Zhi! Cut me if you dare!”
One of the cultivators stepped out and wanted to slap Zhang Zhi but before he could finish, Zhang Zhi swung his sword forward.
Nouveau Riche unleashed its powerful golden light and sent the cultivator flying out of the blacksmith.
The crowd was shocked. They did not expect Zhang Zhi to really retaliate but before they could even react, Zhang Zhin brandished his sword forward. All the cultivators who swarmed into his blacksmith were sent flying outside.
In the blink of an eye, those arrogant cultivators were beaten and ended up on the street. They did not expect Zhang Zhi to attack them and more importantly, why was he so strong?
Zhang Zhi was already at Foundation Building level, plus his epic-tier flying sword, teaching the cultivators who dared not use their spiritual power a lesson was a piece of cake.
The cultivators shouted at Zhang Zhi but the shouts were soon replaced by cackles.
“Fighting in Lingtai Town and attacking Lingtai Sect’s disciples? Zhang Zhi, you are finished!”
“There was an individual Golden Core who attacked a Lingtai Sect disciples and Elder Wu tore his hamstrings and tendons before throwing him into Beast Valley.”
The cultivators were excited at the thought of it and Elder Wu arrived as expected.
Elder Wu looked at Zhang Zhi and then the several cultivators who were beaten up. He reacted with a gloomy look, so gloomy that it actually looked scary.
The cultivators of Lingtai Sect said, “Elder Wu, Zhang Zhi beat us up! He should be expelled from Lingtai Town!”
“Kill him and make an example of him!”
The cultivators were anxious in complaining and they would viciously glare at Zhang Zhi at times.
Han Ling’er frowned. She stepped in and tried to explain that it was the disciples who started it first.
Elder Wu bellowed, “I am in charge of Lingtai Town’s rules, I know who is right and who is wrong!”
The cultivators grinned in delight. In Lingtai Town, harming others was forbidden regardless of reasons. Elder Wu would punish anyone who broke the rules, he had been governing the town for a long time and this time would not be an exception.
Elder Wu looked at Zhang Zhi strictly. “Zhang Zhi, you intentionally hurt others, I hereby declare that…”
The cultivators were looking forward to the punishment, they grinned viciously and prayed that Elder Wu would rip him into a million pieces!
“I hereby declare that your punishment is a fine of 10 low-tier spirit stones.”
Elder Wu nodded happily after that as though he strongly believed that it was the fairest judgement.
The cultivators were prepared to cheer and take pleasure in Zhang Zhi’s punishment but when they heard the announcement, they almost choked on their own saliva.
Zhang Zhi beat up that many Lingtai Sect disciples and the punishment was a fine of 10 low-tier spirit stones?
Zhang Zhi was also stunned. The reason why he started the fight was because he believed in the defense system of the blacksmith. Once he closed the door, even a Nascent Soul Patriarch could not break in.
Even if Elder Wu wanted to side with the sect disciples, Zhang Zhi could ensure his own safety by hiding inside.
To his surprise, the punishment was just a fine of 10 low-tier spirit stones. If he knew the punishment was that light, he would have beat up all the sect disciples until it was a 100 low-tier spirit fine.
The sect disciples could not accept the decision but they dared not argue with Elder Wu either. Therefore they started to show off how badly beaten they were.
“Elder Wu, I broke my arm!”
“I might not suffer any external injuries but I’m mentally traumatized!”
“My mind has gone crazy because of it!”
Elder Wu looked at the sect disciples and frowned. He looked like he was considering their situation and the disciples nodded anxiously, hoping that Elder Wu could renounce the punishment.
“All of you caused trouble in public and disturbed the peace and order of Lingtai Town. Everyone is hereby fined 100 low-tier spirit stones and is grounded for three months. Punishment starts immediately!”
Elder Wu had another glance at Zhang Zhi before he disappeared into the air.
The sect disciples were stunned.
“What the heck? Is that Elder Wu an imposter?”
“Zhang Zhi beat us up and he is fined 10 low-tier spirit stones!”
“We are beaten up and we are fined 100 low-tier spirit stones and grounded for three months?!”
“Is that the righteous and fair Elder Wu that we are talking about?”
If Elder Wu and Zhang Zhi shared the same family name, the people would suspect that Zhang Zhi was Elder Wu’s bastard.
Even though confused, the sect disciples dared not disobey Elder Wu’s punishment. They got up and wanted to pay their fine at the administration.
However, before they left, they warned Zhang Zhi. “Zhang Zhi, do whatever you want now! We will be waiting for the day you die!”
“Hmph! When Senior Brother Xingchen comes out, it will be your end! You scrooge!”
“The blacksmith abandoned its customers! It will close in less than 3 days!”
They said all kinds of things to him but Zhang Zhi did not care.
From the moment he raised the price to high-tier spirit stones, these Qi Refining and Foundation Building cultivators were no longer his customer base, so he did not feel bad about it.
The crowded and lively blacksmith suddenly became a quiet place, it looked almost deserted.
Zhang Zhi smiled and joked, “Finally, a few days of peace and quiet.”
Han Ling’er had a lot of questions to ask but she was part of the blacksmith now, so she dared not ask why.
Zhang Zhi noticed Han Ling’er’s concern. He smiled and asked, “Are you thinking that I’m trying to kill myself by setting the price so ridiculously high?”
Han Ling’er was shocked. She did not say a word but Zhang Zhi seemed to have read her mind.
She never knew how to lie, so she nodded. “We won’t get any business like this!”
Then, she remembered something and added, “If the blacksmith somehow ends up in a financial slump, you don’t have to pay me at all.”
Han Ling’er had planned for the worst case scenario but Zhang Zhi replied with a smile. “We are not doing business with those petty cultivators anymore, we are going for the Golden Core and Nascent Soul customers. Surely they can spare 10 high-tier spirit stones.”
Han Ling’er gasped in shock. She finally realized that Zhang Zhi was trying to raise the bar for the blacksmith and go after the more powerful cultivators.
It made sense because if Zhang Zhi started a forging service for high-tier flying swords, it would be able to attract Golden Core or stronger cultivators.
However, Han Ling’er felt bad for the other cultivators after Zhang Zhi ‘abandoned’ them.
Zhang Zhi knew what Han Ling’er was thinking. A little hesitation later, he said, “If a killer of Qi Refining kills a target of Qi Refining, the fee would be 100; when the killer becomes a Foundation Building cultivator and kills a target of the same cultivation level, the fee would be 1,000. And when the killer becomes a Golden Core or Nascent Soul, every kill would no longer cost a hundred or a thousand anymore.”
“It’s the same reason. My forging skills have improved, of course I have to increase the price because I invested myself in the learning as well. As for giving up on the lower customer base, would a Nascent Soul kill take a job of killing a Qi Refining cultivator?”
“Lastly, we are running a business here, not a charity foundation. If we keep being merciful, we will put ourselves in a difficult situation and eventually hurt others. Similar to what happened today, I raised the price and the cultivators turned on me and even tried to take down my blacksmith. If I started with the current price, would this happen?”
The three questions managed to completely brainwash Han Ling’er. The reason why the cultivators complained about the ridiculous pricing was because they were too low, they could not understand how amazing Zhang Zhi was.
Using cultivation level as an example, Zhang Zhi’s forging skill was certainly at Nascent Soul level.
Who would use low-tier spirit stones to measure the power of a Nascent Soul Patriciah? It would certainly attract criticism.
With that in mind, Han Ling’er said with a determined look, “Boss, should we… raise it a little higher?”