Chapter Twenty-One: Venus Satin Steel

Xiao Cheng broke both men's legs without pause and immediately left, instructing Sun Qian to lead the way to the shop owner. As for the consequences those two would face, he never gave it a thought. Though his cultivation was now meager, escaping from a place like this would be no challenge for him—unless, of course, a master at the Golden Core stage was present.

Sun Qian, terrified by the recent scene, now led the way ahead, trembling like a leaf. Sweat streamed down his face, but he dared not wipe it away. First, he feared Xiao Cheng—he had witnessed the youth’s abilities firsthand. Even the city lord’s men were not spared; killing Sun Qian would be nothing to him. Second, he dreaded that the city lord’s men might blame him for Xiao Cheng’s actions, though he’d had nothing to do with it.

“Are you very afraid of me?” Xiao Cheng strolled leisurely behind Sun Qian, asking offhandedly.

Gulping, Sun Qian nodded stiffly.

“No need to be afraid. I won’t harm you. Just lead the way,” Xiao Cheng reassured him. Sun Qian was just an ordinary man, making a living by guiding others—Xiao Cheng had no wish to make things difficult for him.

Hearing this, Sun Qian seemed a little relieved. It appeared the man behind him was not a bloodthirsty killer; gathering his courage, he said, “Young man, you’d better… leave quickly, before the city lord’s men arrive.”

Xiao Cheng was slightly surprised—he hadn’t expected Sun Qian to warn him at this moment. He found himself developing a certain fondness for this kind-hearted fellow.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Xiao Cheng replied with a smile.

Sun Qian shook his head. Since Xiao Cheng would not listen to advice, there was nothing he could do. He simply could not believe a youth of eighteen or nineteen could handle the city lord’s men—armed as they always were. As the saying goes, no matter how skilled a martial artist, he still fears a kitchen knife, but a knife is useless against a gun. No matter how strong the boy, he could not withstand a hail of bullets; techniques like Iron Shirt and Golden Bell Cover were nothing but fables. No ordinary body could resist bullets.

The rest of the journey passed in silence. Sun Qian led Xiao Cheng to a bar with an ostentatious sign.

Xiao Cheng pushed open the door; raucous music burst out, accompanied by a heady, decadent scent that nearly knocked him off balance. The stench was overwhelming. Under the pulsing, colorful lights, nearly a hundred people—men and women alike—gathered around the bar, completely unclothed. One could only guess at what such a gathering implied.

It was a debauched party.

Though Xiao Cheng had not been a stranger to carnal pleasures in his past life, he still found this scene deeply repugnant. To engage in such acts before all and sundry was little better than animals. His face darkened, and he thought he might go blind from the spectacle; shaking his head, he decided to have Sun Qian fetch the owner.

But glancing back, he saw Sun Qian, the pudgy fellow, staring at the scene inside, drooling. Xiao Cheng could not help but feel exasperated.

“Go in and call the owner out,” he ordered.

Sun Qian snapped to attention, a little embarrassed.

After Sun Qian went inside, Xiao Cheng quickly moved away—he found the smell revolting. About ten minutes later, Sun Qian emerged, followed by a gaunt, silver-haired Caucasian man.

The foreigner was so thin he was little more than skin and bones, and yet he still joined such parties. One wondered if the slightest exertion might cause him to fall apart.

“Sir, what can I do for you?” the man asked in halting Chinese.

“I heard you have meteorite iron. I’d like to purchase some,” Xiao Cheng replied.

The foreigner brightened at this; few ever sought out meteorite iron, save for the occasional collector.

“This way, please,” the man said, gesturing politely.

The three of them returned to the shop Xiao Cheng had recently visited. The two young men whose legs had been broken were gone—likely off gathering reinforcements. Xiao Cheng paid it no mind.

Led by the foreigner, Xiao Cheng climbed to the second floor. No wonder he hadn’t seen any meteorite iron earlier—it wasn’t kept downstairs.

The entire second floor was lined with glass display cases brimming with stones of all kinds, including several meteorites as large as a human head, their metallic luster betraying a high iron content. Xiao Cheng knew he had come to the right place; he hadn’t expected this foreigner to have such an impressive collection.

“Sir, these are all meteorite iron with high iron content. Please, see if any suit you,” the man said, indicating the stones.

Xiao Cheng was in no hurry. He took his time surveying the collection.

The foreigner’s stones were all rare specimens. While most were useless to him, many were uncommon enough to impress a connoisseur. Xiao Cheng, no novice who judged stones by their shape alone, had studied extensively under his master in his previous life, and with the vast knowledge from the immortal scriptures, he could name every stone here.

“Where did you get this one?” he asked, pointing to a fiery red, porous rock.

To the untrained eye, it looked like volcanic stone. But Xiao Cheng saw subtle differences—delicate greenish striations that true volcanic rock would never possess.

“Sir, do you recognize this stone?” the foreigner asked, astonished. He had researched the rock extensively, even analyzing it with gamma rays, but could not determine its composition. Yet the young man before him seemed to know.

“Oh, that’s a Longevity Stone. It’s similar to volcanic rock and probably came from a jade mine. But it’s not valuable and serves only as a curiosity.”

Since the foreigner did not know its true purpose, Xiao Cheng did not elaborate. In truth, Longevity Stone slightly prolongs life. It contains trace spiritual energy that is slowly released; long-term exposure benefits health. But for cultivators, such meager energy is negligible.

The foreigner immediately believed him, as the stone did indeed come from a jade mine, and scans had revealed no precious metals within—it was worthless.

Excited, the foreigner began pointing to other unusual stones, asking Xiao Cheng to identify them. Xiao Cheng, seeing no harm, obliged, explaining them one by one. The foreigner was awestruck, unable to fathom how one so young could possess such encyclopedic knowledge of stones.

“Sir, your erudition is astonishing. It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Brock. Earlier you mentioned wanting to buy meteorite iron—please, choose any meteorite here as a gift from me, to thank you for your insights.”

“Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Brock. I’ll take this one,” Xiao Cheng replied without hesitation, readily accepting the gift. After all, a few words had earned him the very thing he’d come to buy—where else could one find such fortune?

Foreign customs differed greatly from those of his homeland. When offered a gift, his countrymen would first demur, refusing several times before accepting, considering it polite. But foreigners gave gifts sincerely, and to refuse would be an insult. Out of courtesy, Xiao Cheng should not refuse.

He did not choose the largest meteorite, but a medium-sized one with the highest quality meteorite iron inside.

Brock, pleased that Xiao Cheng had accepted, continued, “I have another peculiar stone here—would you please identify it for me?”

So that was the reason for his generosity—no wonder he’d presented the meteorite. Xiao Cheng smiled, unfazed by Brock’s calculation.

With an air of secrecy, Brock unlocked a wall cabinet, then removed a compartment to reveal a metal panel. Opening it, he took out a box and laid it before Xiao Cheng.

“This is a most unusual stone. At first, I thought it was metal, but it lacks ductility. Its hardness exceeds steel, but does not match diamond.”

Judging by Brock’s mysterious manner and the elaborate precautions, Xiao Cheng guessed the box must contain something extraordinary. Brock, though not as knowledgeable as Xiao Cheng, had enough experience to judge the worth of a specimen.

Slowly, Brock opened the box, revealing a palm-sized silver stone.

At the sight of this silver stone, Xiao Cheng nearly bit his tongue, elation surging through him.

He thought, “It’s actually a Venus Patterned Steel!”

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