Chapter Thirty-Six: Pickpocket

  "Zeng Lao Ge, Ding Da Ge, Yuan Xiong, let's go, go to the blacksmith shop and take a look."

  Zhao Ji called out to Zeng Yi, Ding Dian and Yuan Chengzhi, then headed off in one direction.

  Earlier, Zhao Ji had already remembered the location of the blacksmith's shop. At this time, without Zeng Yong bringing the way, he could find it by himself.

  At this time, the flow of people in the town did not decrease but increased. Those who were relatively wealthy and had real purchasing power would not rush to come early in the morning.

  There were many people in the town, and one profession was particularly active, that is, pickpocketing. It's unknown whether Zhao Ji's luck was good or bad, but he actually encountered one.

  As he squeezed forward against the tide of people, Zhao Ji felt a hand reaching into his pocket. Immediately, he realized that he had encountered a pickpocket.

  His right hand shot out like a poisonous snake emerging from its lair, and before it had fully entered the pocket, Zhao Ji had already grabbed it.

  "Little brother, what are you doing? At such a young age, you're not studying well and have come out to be a pickpocket. You have no future."

  The owner of that hand was a fifteen or sixteen year old, whose face still had a childish look that hadn't completely faded away, and when Zhao Ji saw it, he couldn't help but frown.

  "What are you doing, big brother? You've got it wrong, I'm just passing by. Why did you grab my hand and squeeze it so hard?"

  Struggling for a while, seeing that it was impossible to get free, he instead felt his wrists ache. The young man's face changed color and he shouted in extreme dissatisfaction.

  "Little brother, if you've made a mistake, you should admit it. Trying to lie your way out of it will only make things worse. So, you'd better repent."

  With an unchanging faint smile on his face, Zhao Ji was like a sacred priest guiding lost lambs, instructing them in a gentle and persuasive manner.

  "Big brother, who are you to lecture me? I do what I want, why do you have to interfere? Quickly take your stinky hands away. Do you know who I am? I'm a student of the Ferocious Tiger Martial Arts Hall. Believe it or not, if I shout, dozens of people will rush out and beat you up so badly that even your mother won't recognize you."

  The young man's face showed an expression of extreme impatience, pretending to be a big brother, and patted Zhao Ji's shoulder with his empty hand, saying in a smooth tone.

  "Hmph, at such a young age and you're not studying well."

  Under Zhao Ji's slightly furrowed brow, his hand trembled slightly, and with a "crack" sound, the young man's right arm was immediately dislocated.

  "Right, looking at your skilled hands, you shouldn't be a novice pickpocket, I'm sure you've gotten a lot of unexpected wealth. How about contributing some to me so we can all enjoy it? When there's money, everyone spends it."

  As he spoke, Zhao Ji quickly reached out and snatched a brightly colored red envelope from the young man's waist, which felt slightly heavy in his hand.

  "Ah, my arm is broken! You dare to break my arm and rob me of my money? You're dead for sure, I'll definitely kill you!"

  The young man let out a mournful scream, as if his parents had died, with cold sweat dripping from his painful face, and the angry and ferocious expression on top of that made him look even more terrifying.

  "Listen up, kid. You dare to threaten me? If you don't scram, I'll break your other arm too, and you won't even be able to become a one-armed man."

  His face suddenly sank, and Zhao said viciously.

  Having experienced Zhao Ji's ferocity, the young man had a hidden fear in his heart. As soon as his face sank, he was startled and quickly ran far away, shouting: "You, you wait, if you have the ability don't run, I'll let you know what it means to be fierce."

  As soon as he finished speaking, the young man's figure had already disappeared, and in the face of his threat, Zhao Ji only smiled disdainfully and didn't take it to heart.

  In those days, when performing tasks, Zhao Ji also faced threats from many young masters and encountered a lot of revenge, but he handled them all, not to mention the obvious threat of a small mixed child in his early teens.

  "Let's go to the blacksmith's shop."

  He weighed the purse in his hand and felt it was quite heavy, so Zhao Ji's mood was pretty good. He called out to Zeng Xian, San, and the others.

  Following Zhao Ji's side, walking forward in the process, Zeng Yu said with some hesitation: "Brother Zhao, you just broke that half-grown child's arm, isn't that not good? It will bring trouble."

  "Zeng, don't worry about it, I'll take care of any trouble that comes up, I won't drag the village into this. Besides, I didn't break that kid's arm, just dislocated it."

  Zhao said lightly.

  "Brother Zhao, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not afraid of trouble, it's just that I think you used a bit too much force. Now that I know it was just dislocation, I can rest assured. After all, the child didn't commit an unforgivable crime."

  As soon as Zhao Ji finished speaking, Zeng Yu hurriedly explained.

  In Zeng's heart, there might be a feeling of blaming Zhao for being too heavy-handed and causing unnecessary trouble, but he was even more unwilling to offend Zhao, so he hurriedly explained.

  "I know, Brother Zeng doesn't need to explain."

  Zhao did not express approval or disapproval.

  After a few exchanges, the group arrived in front of a blacksmith's shop. The four people walked in without stopping, and some heat came rushing out to greet them.

  This is a moderately sized shop, with iron goods displayed everywhere along the walls and on the counter, from kitchen utensils like knives, ladles, and pots to weapons used by warriors.

  As soon as he entered, Zhao Ji's attention was focused on the blades. Although there were not eighteen types of blades here, some common ones were available.

  He walked up to a wall with many long swords hanging on it, each with its own unique style and design. Some looked ordinary, while others were quite dazzling.

  "How many of you are there? What can I get for you, or would you like me to introduce some dishes?"

  A short young man dressed as a shop assistant came forward and said to Zhao Ji and others.

  "We need to buy some swords, what's good to introduce?"

  Turning around, Zhao Ji said.

  "Excuse me, what kind of weapon do you need? Swords, guns, spears, or halberds?"

  The fellow asked again.

  Zhao Ji replied: "I need a sword, are there any good treasured swords here?"

  "We have all sorts of differently shaped swords here, but actually, there are only two kinds. One is an ordinary iron sword, worth one or two silver coins; the other is a fine iron sword, worth ten silver coins."

  He took down two precious swords from different parts of the wall, handed them to Zhao Ji together with his partner, and said warmly: "You can take a closer look and then decide which sword to buy."

  In a blacksmith's shop, the ironware used in daily life and the blades used by warriors are not on the same level of value. A precious sword costs at least one or two silver coins, while a kitchen knife only needs a dozen copper plates to be settled.

  The chapter has been sent over.

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