At the mention of his arms, Jia Chaoyuan’s expression darkened.

"Come in, we’ll talk inside!"

He turned and walked toward the backyard.

The two followed him.

The backyard was peaceful. A thatched hut stood by a small stream, complete with a bamboo grove and a vegetable patch, no different from a mortal’s home.

A glance inside the hut revealed it was fully furnished, yet there was nothing related to Cultivation. The only Incense Burner was filled with ordinary spices.

’Has he given up on Cultivation?’

Chen Che thought to himself.

Although Jia Chaoyuan had no arms, it didn’t affect his daily life. With a light stomp of his foot, two pumpons flew out from the hut and landed before them.

An apprentice from the smithy came to serve tea.

"It’s not that I was being heartless."

Jia Chaoyuan sat cross-legged and began to speak.

"It’s just that in this state, I truly couldn’t bear to face anyone. So I had my disciples spread the word that I had passed away..."

His words were polite, clearly an explanation for Chen Che.

"I understand."

Chen Che nodded slightly.

It was like a class reunion—the one who had fallen on hard times would surely be unwilling to meet the others.

"What on earth happened to your arms?"

Lu Qinglian asked impatiently.

"Seventeen years ago, a group of people came here and invited me to become a Tributor."

Jia Chaoyuan paused for a moment before continuing.

"You know me. I’m a free spirit who can’t stand being tied down, so I refused. Who would have thought they’d fly into a rage from the shame and chop off both my arms? I couldn’t bear to take all my skills to the grave, so I opened this shop at the foot of the mountain."

"I picked a few talented kids from the village, and when I have free time, I teach them a thing or two..."

"Who were they?"

The teacup in her hand silently turned to dust, and Lu Qinglian’s voice was filled with fury.

"What’s the point in asking who they are? If you haven’t reached the Golden Core Realm, you don’t even have the right to seek revenge. It’ll only bring you more trouble. Let’s not talk about this. Has Lu Ping’an reached Foundation Establishment? Ah, his second attempt failed too. You two now..."

"Ping’an only has three years of life left and can no longer travel. I have no fixed abode, so I’ve settled down at Valley Master Chen’s place as a Tributor."

"Sigh!"

"Sigh!"

Old friends reunited, asking about each other’s pasts.

Upon learning of each other’s misfortunes, they couldn’t help but lament.

Chen Che sat to the side, not interrupting their reunion, quietly sipping his tea.

As for what Jia Chaoyuan had said, he wasn’t surprised.

The man was slightly weaker than Lu Qinglian, but he was still at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer Realm. Given this world’s cultivators’ style of eradicating problems at the root, the fact that his attackers only took his arms but spared his life meant they must have an extremely powerful background and had no fear of retaliation.

No wonder the smiths outside were so indignant when they mentioned the Tributor position.

They’d learned from a past mistake.

After a long silence, Lu Qinglian looked at Chen Che, her gaze questioning.

Clearly, Jia Chaoyuan was crippled. It was now up to the Valley Master to decide whether to take him in.

’Xing Lin from the Alchemy Hall has no legs, and now the master of the Artifact Hall has no arms. Jinyun Valley is about to collect a full set of the maimed and crippled!’

Chen Che thought to himself, slowly setting down his teacup. "Fellow Daoist," he said, "since you can’t bear to let your skills be buried with you, would you be willing to come to my Jinyun Valley to teach disciples? If you join us, I’m willing to treat you as a First-class Tributor, with benefits equal to Fellow Daoist Lu’s."

Admittedly, Jia Chaoyuan lacked arms and couldn’t forge personally.

But his lifetime of forging experience remained, which was more than enough to instruct the Valley’s disciples.

Lu Qinglian’s eyes were also filled with anticipation.

But Jia Chaoyuan shook his head.

"Thank you for your generous offer, Valley Master Chen, but I won’t go and make a fool of myself with this broken body."

"In that case, I won’t insist."

Chen Che didn’t press the matter.

He had already shown the utmost sincerity. If the other party was unwilling, there was no need to force it.

After all, he hadn’t expected to succeed so easily when he came.

He didn’t expect Jia Chaoyuan to continue, however.

"Valley Master, might I recommend a disciple to go in my stead?"

"One of those from the shop?"

Chen Che’s brow furrowed slightly.

"No!"

Seeing Chen Che’s disdainful expression, Jia Chaoyuan smiled and said:

"This disciple of mine has an Upper Spirit Root, and his talent for Forging is no less than my own. He began forging with me at the age of seven, and in just over twenty years, he has learned everything I have to teach. It’s just that I can’t afford to support his Cultivation, and for him to remain cooped up in this village is a waste of his talent!"

"I can meet him."

Not expecting this pleasant surprise, Chen Che nodded slightly.

Jia Chaoyuan formed a Sound Transmission Paper Crane, and in a few moments, a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight hurried over.

His pant legs were rolled up, his legs caked in mud. He carried a large hammer on his back and a wild boar with exposed tusks, weighing a good seven or eight hundred pounds, over his shoulder. He had clearly been out hunting, which explained why they hadn’t seen him earlier.

Chen Che glanced at him. Unlike the other apprentices, he wasn’t burly, but rather well-proportioned.

"Master!"

He slammed the boar from his shoulder onto the ground and respectfully called out, "You called for me?"

"Liang Yuan, use your finest skill to forge a weapon for these two honored guests!"

"Yes!"

The young man clasped his hands in a salute and, without another word, walked towards the shop.

"Liang Yuan’s parents are both mortals. His family has lived in this village for generations, never taking a single step outside."

Jia Chaoyuan turned his head to look at them and said slowly, "His background is absolutely clean. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been willing to teach him everything I know. Someone like him going to Jinyun Valley is far better than a cripple like me."

DING~

His words had barely faded.

A crisp sound rang out. It wasn’t like the clang of a hammer, but more like the clear, clean chime of jade striking jade.

The sound wasn’t loud, yet it suppressed the hammering of all the other smiths. Immediately after, a continuous series of hammer strikes echoed out, like a torrential downpour, yet not chaotic. Instead, it was like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.

An expert’s skill is obvious from the first move.

"This hammering sound?"

Lu Qinglian, who had been worried, felt her eyes light up.

More than an hour later, the young man entered, breathing lightly, and held up a longsword.

"Master, honored guests!"

"Tier One Middle Grade!"

Chen Che took the longsword and flicked it with his finger, producing a clear, pleasant ring. The body of the sword was covered in cloud-like patterns and was as smooth as a mirror.

"Using Tier One Low Grade materials, you were able to forge a Tier One Middle Grade weapon through sheer skill. If not for the materials, it could have been even better. Fellow Daoist Jia, this disciple of yours is truly outstanding!"

Jia Chaoyuan’s face lit up with joy.

"Liang Yuan, pack your things. You’re leaving with Valley Master Chen!"

"Oh, okay—huh?"

Liang Yuan was stunned. "Master, are you kicking me out?" he asked in shock.

THUD. He fell to his knees before Jia Chaoyuan, kowtowing like a pestle pounding garlic. "Master, I was wrong... I’ll never make you angry again! I’ll definitely study my craft diligently! I just beg you not to send me away!"

"Silly child, your master is a cripple. I can’t teach you much more. Your talent isn’t low; staying by my side will only hold you back!"

Jia Chaoyuan sighed deeply and continued.

"I had always planned to let you go out and make your own way, but the Cultivation World is treacherous. Fellow Daoist Lu has been my friend for many years, and the person she brought can be trusted. When you get to Jinyun Valley, remember to obey the Valley Master’s orders."

"Master!"

Liang Yuan now understood. Jia Chaoyuan wasn’t kicking him out; on the contrary, he was genuinely thinking about his future.

He began to wail loudly.

"Valley Master Chen, I entrust my disciple to you today. I hope you will treat him well."

Jia Chaoyuan was also very reluctant to part with him, but he forced a smile.

’This is a man worthy of respect.’

A sense of respect rose in Chen Che’s heart.

This Major Cultivator was sincerely thinking of his disciple’s best interests, just like Li Xiaoshuang.

"I promise."

Chen Che nodded slightly. "The moment he enters the Valley, he will be a Second-class Tributor. I will also ensure he successfully reaches Foundation Establishment. The only condition is that he must serve the Valley for thirty years. After that, whether he chooses to stay or leave, I will not stand in his way."

"Excellent!"

Hearing this, Jia Chaoyuan’s face beamed with joy.

Liang Yuan was not yet thirty. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, his lifespan would immediately increase to three hundred years.

Even after serving Jinyun Valley for thirty years, he would still have the best years of his life ahead of him.

And if he chose to stay in the Valley, he would have a powerful backer for the future.

...

「That night.」

Inside and outside the Market, the lights were still brilliant.

Cultivators knew no day or night. The Jinyun Valley of today had practically become a Nocturnal City.

In a corner of the valley, a large group of cultivators was busy hammering and building, constructing the new Sacrificial Hall.

In the plaza, the Little Chick folded its wings and landed. At the same time, several figures swiftly approached.

"Ding Fei."

Chen Che commanded one of the approaching figures.

"This is Liang Yuan, a Second-class Tributor of the Valley, who will also serve as the Vice Chief of the Forging Hall. He has no daily tasks; he only needs to instruct disciples in Forging. Arrange a residence for him and inform him of the Valley’s rules."

"Yes, Valley Master!"

Ding Fei curiously sized up Liang Yuan. When they left this morning, they had clearly said they were going to recruit a Foundation Establishment Major Cultivator. How did it end up being a Qi Refining Cultivator?

Though confused, he didn’t voice his questions.

"Tributor Liang, please follow me."

"Ah, alright, alright."

Liang Yuan clutched the bundle on his back.

Inside the bundle, besides his clothes, was the hammer his master had given him.

It was his first time leaving the village, and he had stepped into such a bustling place. He was curious about everything, yet also wary of his surroundings.

"Valley Master Chen, thank you..."

Watching the two of them leave, Lu Qinglian remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

She believed Chen Che had accepted Liang Yuan as a Tributor as a favor to her.

"When it comes to the Sacrificial Hall, I don’t play favorites for anyone. Liang Yuan possesses forging skills, has Ninth Layer Cultivation, and has received all of Jia Chaoyuan’s True Inheritance. He naturally deserves the status of a Second-class Tributor."

Chen Che glanced at Lu Qinglian and changed the subject.

"Also!"

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I won’t stop you from wanting to avenge Jia Chaoyuan, but only on the condition that you do so after you’ve left Jinyun Valley!"

’This woman repeatedly asked who the culprit was back at the village. When Jia Chaoyuan wouldn’t say, she tried asking Liang Yuan from the side multiple times, but he had no idea. Besides, a power that could make a Fourth Level Cultivator swallow his anger and suffer in silence... across all Sixteen States, there are only a handful. Her own cultivation resources are entirely dependent on Jinyun Valley. Not just for Foundation Establishment, but even for Core Formation in the future, she’ll need Jinyun Valley. If she dares to cause trouble right under my nose, I will show no mercy.’

"You can rest assured, Valley Master Chen!"

Lu Qinglian clasped her hands and said earnestly, "He who eats the king’s bread must do the king’s bidding!"

"See that you remember your words today, Fellow Daoist."

Chen Che’s words were pointed, but his tone softened. "Also, you performed a great service with your recommendation today. In addition to your salary, I will reward you with another five hundred Spirit Stones. I also have a Longevity Pill here. While it can’t save Lu Ping’an, it can extend his life for a while."

"Qinglian will never forget the Valley Master’s great kindness."

Lu Qinglian was overjoyed.