Yong was a skilled merchant. At least he liked to think so. His true talent lay in the fact that he could feel the unrest in a place before things reached a boiling point. He had left the imperial city just before the lady of Snow Peak disappeared ten years ago and a similar feeling had started to take hold while staying in Iron Falls city. Maybe some merchants would use this talent to make more money on strife, but Yong would rather keep his head attached to his shoulders. A living merchant is a good merchant.

He groaned as he left the nameless village once again. There wasn’t much that could be found here besides a few unworkable ores and simple produce. Luckily the blacksmith was skilled. The old man had never disappointed Yong with his quality.

That was another point altogether. Whoever the kid that the blacksmith sent to deliver the nails gave Yong that feeling again. There was going to be a storm around here soon.

He shivered at the thought. The city was about to be engulfed in something, and even the little villages across the region were part of the trouble.

He sighed as he accepted the fact that he probably couldn’t escape it this time. Maybe he should try to make money on the strife. His father always said ‘If you can’t earn money from a war you simply can’t earn money’.

The smith was skilled, but Yong was hesitant to try commissioning weapons from him, swords can't be made by just any amateur.

Then the idea struck like lightning.

He didn’t need to make weapons. Everyone needs to cook, no matter which side they are on, right?

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I was hallucinating. Yeah that had to be it. There was no way that someone was really trying to hide in the bushes using a headband with twigs sticking out of it as a disguise. No one in any world was actually that stupid. The guy didn't even react when I went up to him at first. Seemingly convinced that his disguise was perfect. I had to take a few moments to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

“Can I help you?” The older man jumped when he realized I was talking to him.

He took a few moments to collect himself and brush the twigs from the silver lined white robes he wore as well as take off his headband. He placed it in the sleeve of his robe with the utmost care.

I noticed him while I was working out this morning. He had probably been watching for some time before I noticed him. It’s another world so maybe people here are just shy or something. As for other possibilities… I would prefer not. Not hateful or anything but definitely not my style, and watching people from the bushes is just creepy either way!

“Ah, yes.” He cupped his hands and gave a light bow. Then squinted a bit at my face.

“Are you aware of…” He gestured towards his own face. I looked at him sideways. Then I looked over into the water and saw that something was written on my face.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

I couldn’t read it, but I'm ninety percent sure Hu left some form of profanity on my forehead.

“God damnit!” I began to try wiping off the writing.

“I apologize for my… secrecy.” He nodded to himself.

“This is a smithy correct? I would like to purchase something.” He seemed rather proud of his statement for some reason.

“Then use the front door.” I gathered up my things, finished cleaning the smudged profanity on my face and made my way back to the little house. At least he didn’t give me the creepy feeling that cultivator did.

I returned and the man in robes arrived some time later. He seemed momentarily entranced by the axe that Hu was using to chop firewood. I had gotten so angry about the axe not being able to chop down what looked like small Christmas trees that I ended up making myself a new one that was almost twice the size. It was way too big for Hu to use it effectively but he refused to use the old one.

"It's, quite a small home isn't it?" The older man almost seemed a bit fearful for some reason as he said it. Not that it mattered that much. Honestly I had started getting attached to the small little home. It was definitely crowded, especially on days that Hu stayed over, but it had begun to feel irreplaceable to me.

Long Fa was visiting Zhou for some reason, probably to get more of his homemade wine.

"What d'you want?" I pulled the chain beside the fire and used the rake to break up the buildup in the center while I asked, causing my entire frame to be surrounded by flying sparks while I spoke.

"I would like a sword." He kept glancing at my machete while he said it.

"I don't make weapons." While I might be American, I don't plan to become some otherworld arms dealer. It's probably for the best that I don't know shit about making guns or chemicals. On the other hand... No. I should stand by this... But a sword would be cool...

"The blade you have here would imply otherwise." He gave a questioning look while gesturing towards my machete.

"It's a tool for clearing trails, not a sword." I sat down on the tiny wooden chair Long kept near the anvil. It was small to the point I was basically squatting instead of sitting, but it was surprisingly comfortable once I got used to it.

"Then I would like to purchase one of those 'tools' as you call it." He was rather insistent. Something about it put me off though. In his mind this was definitely a sword, or at least close enough to be used as one.

"Then have a wonderful day." I smiled as I said it.

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The elder of the snow peak had been watching the smithy for a few days under his master's orders. He had even used the stealth artifact left to them by one of the previous masters, It was meant to make one undetectable by anyone below the earth realm. Yet for some reason, the large foreigner had seen through it as if it wasn't even there. He was strange enough on his own, but then the child he was sent to keep an eye on was chopping wood with what could only be a heavenly weapon. Their entire sect had only a singular heaven ranked weapon, and it was the fan that each sect leader passed to their successor. Even the knife kept by the doorway was better than could be found in most sects. Yet for some reason the man refused to sell him a weapon. He hadn't even considered naming a price. It was infuriating.

While he tried to get his thought in order, he was making his way through the forest. He was suddenly trapped in what felt like a quagmire. Everything felt sluggish, even the energy in the air around him seemed to disappear entirely. His reserves of spiritual energy depleted rapidly as he tried to take control of his body back. The world seemed to fall away from him.

Then, an old man with a shaved head sauntered from the shadows of the trees. The spiritual power in the surroundings coalesced around him, swirling and dancing like living fire.

The man in robes fell to his knees when he approached.

"So, why is the snow peak's elder watching my shop?" He spoke slowly. Squatting down to look the elder in his eyes

The elder began to shiver. He had felt an aura from that place but he thought it was just the strange foreigner at first.

This wasn't simply power. This was his domain. The strange formation in the small house that had been built into every crevice, even the structure of the workspace had played into it. No matter how shabby it might have looked, he had stepped into the personal realm of an expert beyond his ability to gauge.

"I-I" He couldn't even get out the words as he shook beyond control. He was prepared to beg for his life.