129 The Brand New Version of the Dragon-Coiling Silk

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“Boss Du, this time the payment is five times what it was before. Won’t you at least consider it?”

Li Yu’s voice remained unhurried, though she drew out the words “five times” ever so slightly, giving them an enticing emphasis.

“Heh.”

The elevator arrived. As Du Ruo stepped out, he gave a soft laugh.

“The last time, a large part of the reason I agreed was because of the bone. If it’s merely a matter of money, I don’t think there’s any need for you to say more.”

Because he was speaking on the phone, Du Ruo’s words were deliberately vague. In the past, he would not have cared—no one had been paying attention to him. But things seemed somewhat different now, and he felt it was best to be more cautious.

“All right, I understand. May I ask what you are interested in, Boss Du? If the other party can offer something that satisfies you next time, I’ll contact you again.”

After hearing this, Li Yu did not try to persuade him further. Instead, she sounded pleased. She was not afraid that Du Ruo would be insatiably greedy; no matter how much the payment was, she would not have to pay it herself. There would naturally be someone willing to cover the cost. What worried her was that Du Ruo might have no desires at all. If that were the case, future cooperation would become very difficult.

“Rare medicinal materials useful for martial training; precious martial arts, Taoist, or Buddhist texts that have never been circulated; or perhaps a worthy opponent. There are many things that could interest me. As long as something catches my eye, I may be willing to act.”

Du Ruo swiped open his door and walked inside. His answer was somewhat broad. In truth, it was merely a way to elevate his own status.

Did Li Yu really think he would rush over whenever she called? That would only make him seem cheap.

“All right, then I know what to look for. I’ll start gathering things in those areas.”

Li Yu seemed to understand. After agreeing, she hung up.

Naturally, she would have to keep an eye out for such things herself. Did she really expect to wait until her employer needed someone before she began asking around?

The previous arrangement had earned her the income of an entire year through a single commission. Having tasted the benefits, she had taken a keen interest. In any case, it did not interfere with her own career; if anything, it helped advance it. She was therefore more than happy to continue.

As for this time, it did not matter. The world had no shortage of desperate men willing to risk their lives. If Du Ruo refused, someone else would be willing to do it, and she would suffer no loss either way.

Du Ruo tossed the phone onto the bed and walked to the side to begin his daily training. The call had been nothing more than an interruption and had not affected him in the slightest.

The next day brought the same familiar setting and the same familiar people.

“Master Du, the new Coiling Dragon Silk has been completed. We were only waiting for you to come and inspect it.”

Chen Yanting stood in the same old place and greeted Du Ruo with the same enthusiasm as before.

“Master Chen, you’ve worked hard. Truly, you’ve worked hard.”

After exchanging the usual courtesies, Chen Yanting did not invite Du Ruo to the tea room this time. He knew exactly why Du Ruo had come, so he led him directly toward the testing area.

This time, however, Chen Yanting was not alone. A young man followed behind him, carrying a small wooden box.

Chen Yanting did not introduce him in detail, and Du Ruo did not ask. He merely listened as Chen Yanting described the blacksmith shop while following him at an unhurried pace.

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“Master Du, I tried out this version of the Coiling Dragon Silk myself. It may not be as easy to control, so you should be mentally prepared.”

They were nearly at the testing room. Chen Yanting offered the warning in advance. The Coiling Dragon Silk had been completed the previous day, and he had indeed tested it himself. Before delivering a weapon, they naturally had to try it out beforehand.

They could hardly hand over a weapon only to discover that it was defective. They could not afford that kind of embarrassment.

Unfortunately, the results of the test had not satisfied Chen Yanting. The former Coiling Dragon Silk had been a formidable assassination weapon—something even an ordinary, physically weak woman could use for self-defense. But the current version, in the words of the grandson carrying the wooden box, was essentially a modified fishing reel.

The only difference was that one wound fishing line while the other wound steel wire. It could hardly be regarded or used as a weapon at all.

“We’re here. Give it a try.”

Upon reaching the testing room, Chen Yanting took the box from the young man and held it out to Du Ruo, making an inviting gesture. After Du Ruo accepted it, he retreated several steps, waiting for the demonstration.

He was not the only one who was curious. The two women were equally eager, standing together and looking forward to seeing whether Du Ruo would surprise them.

Only the young man paid little attention to Du Ruo. Every so often, he cast a glance at Li Qiyao and Xiang Yuanyuan.

Du Ruo opened the box. The new Coiling Dragon Silk lay quietly inside.

Its color had changed slightly. The surface was still covered in intricate patterns, but it now had a distinctly more silvery hue, lacking the understated quality of the former version.

“The color changed because the steel wire was lengthened, which also increased the weight. Without enlarging the bracelet, we had to make it thinner. To preserve its performance, we added several more precious materials, which caused the slight change in color. My grandson suggested it, and I accepted for the sake of performance. The appearance and size are basically unchanged, but the weight has still increased. Unfortunately, there was no way around that. You’ll simply have to adapt to it.”

Chen Yanting seemed to realize what Du Ruo was examining and offered an explanation from behind him.

The forging of a weapon was a serious matter. Many martial artists used the same weapon for their entire lives. Even when it had to be reforged after being damaged, they would try to preserve the habits and feel of the original. This was especially true of an unusual weapon like the Coiling Dragon Silk. Without a warning, a change in weight could cause its wielder to entangle himself—or even injure himself. That would be a rather disastrous joke.

“Mm. It’s quite good.”

Du Ruo nodded to Chen Yanting and his grandson, signaling his approval. The bracelet’s color had changed, but the effect was insignificant. As long as it was not overly gaudy, he could accept the current design.

Du Ruo’s senses were exceptionally keen. The moment he took it in hand, he knew that the new Coiling Dragon Silk was roughly a quarter heavier than the old one. That did not affect him, nor did he care.

He gripped the dragon tail and pulled. A length of steel wire slid out. It was less than a third as thick as the previous wire, woven from numerous fine strands. Its color, too, carried a hint more silver. To Du Ruo’s eyes, three strands woven together would produce a wire roughly equivalent in thickness to the former Coiling Dragon Silk.

“The steel wire is also a higher-grade material. Because of its reduced dimensions, its strength and resilience cannot quite match the old version, but the difference is negligible. If I were to quote a new price now, we probably wouldn’t accept less than fifty thousand for this Coiling Dragon Silk.”

Chen Yanting offered another explanation, then added, half joking and half serious:

“You certainly got a bargain.”

Du Ruo smiled. Since Chen Yanting had put it that way, it would be difficult for him to pay only thirty-five thousand if he commissioned another one.

Thwack!

As soon as Du Ruo finished speaking, he hooked a finger around the dragon tail and flicked it. The tail shot silently through the air and struck a solid-wood pillar five meters away. The tremendous force drove it completely into the post.

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“Not bad.”

Du Ruo nodded. He had just sent the dragon tail flying at tremendous speed, yet not the slightest sound had come from the connection between the steel wire and the bracelet. This pleased him greatly. The previous version had produced a faint noise, but Du Ruo always struck so swiftly that the battle was already over the instant he made his move, so it had not mattered much. The new version was even quieter, however, and that naturally pleased him more.

Chen Yanting, standing to one side, did not respond. He stared blankly at the dragon tail, which had driven itself completely into the wooden post.

At that moment, he finally understood why Du Ruo had been confident that he could control ten meters of Coiling Dragon Silk.

This was no ordinary hidden-weapon technique. The dragon tail was made of metal, with steel wire trailing behind it, yet Du Ruo had driven it so deeply into a post five meters away with a casual flick. That was absolutely beyond the ability of an ordinary person.

Snap!

While Chen Yanting was still marveling, Du Ruo made another move. He swept his hand, and the steel wire shuddered in the air.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Chen Yanting thought he saw not a silver flash, but a streak of red. That single tremor seemed to carry tremendous force. The dragon tail embedded in the wooden post was suddenly yanked sideways, bursting out through the side of the post and tearing away a chunk of wood that crashed to the floor.

“This isn’t scientific!”

Before Chen Yanting could voice his shock, his grandson had already shouted beside him. His attention was no longer on the two women. His eyes were wide as he stared at the wooden post, his voice filled with disbelief.

It was a solid-wood post. In his eyes, driving a metal dragon tail into it was already a miracle. He had touched the tail himself; it was not a sharp weapon. Though flat, it had no cutting edge.

Even more incredible was that Du Ruo could make the dragon tail emerge sideways from inside the post merely by shaking the steel wire. If it had been him, he might not have been able to pull it out even with brute force, much less smash it out laterally without anything to brace against.

No one offered him an explanation. Du Ruo’s movements had not yet stopped.

The five-meter length of steel wire seemed to come alive in Du Ruo’s hands. Gleaming with red light, it danced through the air like a python, lashing the wooden posts and human-shaped targets ahead of him and leaving behind a series of utterly impossible marks resembling sword cuts.

“Hah!”

Du Ruo abruptly drew the steel wire back. Then, with a low shout, he used an outward thrust of his palm to hurl the dragon tail forward once more.

The dragon tail continued onward with its five-meter length of steel wire, dragging the dragon clasp and the wire behind it. Du Ruo then flicked his wrist, transmitting his force through the wire. The flying dragon tail suddenly changed direction in midair, weaving between the wooden posts and human-shaped targets in a manner that none of them could comprehend.

Ching!

A crisp sound rang out as the dragon tail pierced through a wooden human-shaped target and came to rest against the steel wire. The faint metallic collision echoed through the room as everyone held their breath and watched intently.

At that moment, the steel wire before Du Ruo had wrapped around a solid-wood post and two human-shaped targets. Every so often, a streak of red light flashed across the silvery wire.

“Ha!”

With a furious shout, Du Ruo jerked his arm backward. The Coiling Dragon Silk fastened around his wrist recoiled as well, and the wrapped steel wire suddenly tightened.