The transaction for the Chuyun Jin was scheduled for nine o'clock that night, at a hot spring hotel named "Huaxi Mu" outside Benxi city. The hotel was reputed to have excellent hot springs. Before heading there, Yao Yao and I went into Benxi city. Following the address Li Jingxiang had given us, we found the weapon workshop of the Jinqiang Sect. Its official name wasn't Jinqiang Sect, but rather "Jinqiang Culture Tourism Industry Co., Ltd." The weapon workshop was also not called a weapon workshop, but the "Jinqiang Cultural Tourism Craft Exhibition Hall." The exhibition hall was built against the mountain, covering a considerable area and exuding grandeur.
"No wonder we can't find traditional martial arts sects in the market anymore; they've all changed their names," Yao Yao remarked, surprised by the changes of the times. It was understandable, as while establishing martial arts sects and the like were considered traditional culture, the Yanxia Nation didn't offer much support unless they possessed strong cultural influence, like Shaolin or Wudang, which could openly be called sects.
We had contacted them beforehand. A young lady in a suit greeted us. The front area was a showroom, displaying not only exquisitely crafted weapons but also some artistic works and even a few antique collectibles. It seemed the sect leader of Jinqiang was a man of refined taste.
We wouldn't, and didn't need to, meet the sect leader. We were there to buy swords.
After touring the exhibition hall, we proceeded to the backyard. The backyard was a landscape zone composed of natural and artificial rock formations. I noticed that between these formations, numerous modern technological materials like soundproofing and acoustic panels were installed. It wasn't until we reached the deeper parts of the rock formations that I understood the purpose of those panels: only from here could we faintly hear the clanging of hammers on anvils from behind.
As expected, after passing through the landscape zone and a row of buildings, we finally arrived at their actual blacksmith shop. It was less of a blacksmith shop and more of a small metal processing factory. The factory floor was equipped with various machinery and processing equipment. Of course, there were also traditional tools for crafting weapons, such as furnaces, bellows, and quenching pools – tools you'd only see in movies.
Several workers in uniform were busy working in an orderly fashion. The young lady led us through the factory area, and then to a small, Chinese-style courtyard. She guided us into an office and introduced us to a man with a white beard and white hair, who looked nearly sixty. He introduced himself as Cui, the third eldest in his family, with the江湖 (jianghu) nickname "Blacksmith Cui San'er." I, being not so uncouth, respectfully addressed him as "Master Cui San."
First, I paid for Yao Yao's Zi Wu Yuan Yang Yue (Twin Hook Blades) so they could start working on it. After completing that transaction, I showed Master Cui San the weapons the demons needed, asking him for an estimate on the cost of bulk customization. Of course, we wanted them all made from the highest-grade meteor iron.
Master Cui San, being a businessman at heart, provided us with guiding prices based on estimated weight and processing difficulty. Eight weapons, plus Bing Bing's saber, making it nine in total, came to 9.62 million yuan.
Rounding it off: 9.5 million.
My heart tightened. Even if Chuyun Jin sold for 8 million, it wouldn't be enough. After ordering the Zi Wu Yue, I would only have 1 million yuan left. It seemed I'd have to negotiate the price harder for the transaction that night.
I decided to place a reservation then and left the weapon blueprints with Master Cui San. He needed to design 3D models on the computer first, and the design itself was free.
Master Cui San said not to rush, implying that we should see the finished Zi Wu Yue before deciding whether to forge other weapons. In other words, 9.5 million yuan was the final price, no negotiation, because they were confident in their value.
I asked when they would be finished.
"The Zi Wu Yue is quite complex. I will personally forge it. It will be shaped tonight, quenched tomorrow morning, and polished in the morning. It should be ready by noon," Master Cui San said confidently.
Those influencer father and son before me had said that slow work meant fine work, and it would take a long time. It turns out they were pure scammers...