Iron skin

Cuilan came to tell Shen Lian that Wang Fugui had sent someone with refined iron.

"Take it to my room," Shen Lian instructed.

Before long, there was a pile of about ten kilograms of refined iron in the corner of his room.

"Iron Skin Gu, come out and have a meal," Shen Lian called. The Iron Skin Gu quickly left the aperture, exiting his body, and eagerly feasted on the pile of fine iron. Shen Lian squatted nearby, watching closely. He noticed that the Iron Skin Gu indeed had sharp teeth and was really eating the iron.

In the blink of an eye, more than a catty of refined iron was eaten.

The Iron Skin Gu burped happily, re-entered Shen Lian's body, and went back into its aperture. Then, it shook itself and produced some dark liquid. This liquid quickly evaporated and mixed into the misty primeval essence, giving it a hint of iron. Watching this, Shen Lian wondered if the liquid from the Iron Skin Gu could be a unique substance that turned skin into iron. "Is it the element of iron? Let me test its effect.

" According to the method recorded in the book, Shen Lian communicated with the Iron Skin Gu with his mind, and conveyed his thoughts to the Iron Skin Gu.

Sure enough, the next moment, the Iron Skin Gu understood what he meant, and began to shake his body.

Immediately, the primeval essence in the aperture violently rolled and stirred, spread out like an explosion, and flowed to the surface of the body.

Shen Lian's eyes widened.

He noticed that his skin was now covered in a faint, glowing layer, reflecting the distinctive metallic shine of iron in the sunlight.

Shen Lian stood in front of the mirror. He had transformed into a man of iron! The iron-colored skin covered the whole body. Shen Lian poked the skin on the back of the hand with the silver needle, and continued to increase the force. Finally, the silver needle bent, but it couldn't pierce his body at all.

There is no such thing as pain!

"Gu Masters are really extraordinary individuals!"

"I'm just a beginner, a white-level Gu Master, and I've already gained such impressive defensive power. That's amazing!"

Shen Lian was filled with emotion and couldn't help but feel a little proud.

In reality, the strength of Gu used by a white-level Gu master wasn't particularly strong. However, Shen Lian's Iron Skin Gu had evolved to the Bronze level, and the iron-infused primeval essence it produced had a high concentration. This is why it had such a remarkable effect.

"If I still have bewitching points left, and I continue to evolve the Iron Skin Gu to attain the level of the legendary indestructible body, will I even need to fear demons?"

After figuring out the purpose of the bewitching value, Shen Lian was completely excited, thrilled! The more of this resource, the better. Just imagine, if he had an unlimited supply of bewitching points, he could evolve any Gu to its highest potential.

Fortunately, he has almost figured out how to use the Demagogy Gu. Isn't it just to confuse others? So let's carry the bewitching to the end!

Therefore, his path as a Gu Master became increasingly clear: to acquire bewitching points for evolving Gu, and to accumulate more primeval essence.

Shen Lian's eyes were now clear, and he was no longer confused. A determined expression appeared on his face.

Boom boom!

Outside the door, Cuilan lightly tapped on it. "Young Master Lian."

"What's going on?"

"Master wants you to come over for a discussion."

"I understand." Shen Lian pushed the door open and saw Cuilan standing there, her head bowed. She was dressed in a modest gray linen skirt, concealing her two gracefully proportioned, long legs.

She had a slender waist, shapely hips, narrow shoulders, and a somewhat ample chest. She was quite attractive. Shen Lian's gaze passed over the plain gray linen skirt. He hadn't paid much attention to people's clothing before. However, upon closer inspection, this gray linen skirt didn't suit Cuilan's character at all. A pretty woman suddenly seemed more like a village girl.

"This outfit...," Shen Lian thought, and then he suddenly noticed some scars on Cuilan's wrist. It triggered a memory. Six months ago, for Cuilan's birthday, she had bought herself a lovely water-blue skirt. It was quite charming and had received numerous compliments.

Unexpectedly, Shen Lian's third stepmother just bought the same style of skirt. It wasn't a big deal at first, but when the fourth stepmother heard about it, she sneered and said that third stepmother's taste was almost the same as that of a lowly maidservant.It's possible that the third stepmother suddenly got angry. Cuilan's skirt was torn to shreds by her, and she was severely whipped.

The scar on her wrist was a result of that incident. Shen Lian's heart skipped a beat, and he began to bewitch. "Cuilan, you are my personal maid, why are you dressed so low-key?" Cuilan suddenly became nervous: "Young Master Lian, I, I…" She hesitated, frightened and flustered. Shen Lian pulled the corner of his mouth, waved his hands and said, "I have no other meaning, just want to tell you that you are my maid, representing my face, and wearing such a low-key and simple dress will make people mistakenly think that I'm mean to others. Understand?"

"Yes, yes!" Cuilan nodded as a chick pecked at the rice. Shen Lian took out ten taels of silver and handed it over: "Go and buy a new set of clothes, um, just buy that water-blue dress, you look good in it."

"Yes, alright?!" Cuilan suddenly recalled something and hastily gestured. "This lowly servant dare not…" 

Shen Lian said loudly, "This is my command. If anyone tries to trouble you, tell them to come to me directly."

Cuilan gazed at Shen Lian in a daze. "Take the money and buy it right away," Shen Lian said without hesitation. Cuilan accepted the money hesitantly, her heart racing. "Successfully bewitched Cuilan, gained 1 bewitching point."

As expected, a strange voice chimed in, causing Shen Lian laugh from the bottom of his heart. He turned and headed to his father's study.

Shen Wanquan was practicing calligraphy. His move with a brush was like a flying dragon and a dancing pheonix. "Father, your calligraphy is getting better and better." Shen Lian praised with a smile. Shen Wanquan raised his head, laughed happily, and said with deep meaning: "Lian'er, my calligraphy is not even one-thousandth as good as your poems."

Shen Lian looked at the paper where it was written:

As the moon descends, black crows fill the sky,

Frost blankets all, where dreams and sorrows lie.

By Gusu City's side, at Hanshan Temple's door,

In the silent night, the bell tolls o'er the shore.

 "This is what this child came up with by chance," Shen Lian laughed and touched his nose. He didn't anticipate that all the poems composed during the poetry event would be shown to his father.

Shen Wanquan asked with curiosity, "Where is Gusu City? I don't think there's a place by that name in the Northern Land." "It's just an ancient place name, of unknown origin," Shen Lian explained. "It maybe fictional. I saw it by accident. By the way, what can I do for you?"

Shen Wanquan didn't inquire further, put down his brush, took a seat, and sighed. "After the tragedy involving the Zhu family, everyone in the major families of Snow Cliff City is at risk. They are spending a lot of money to hire some skilled individuals as guards. We need to make early preparations as well."

Shen Lian raised an eyebrow and asked, "Father, you want to recruit some guards?" Shen Wanquan nodded: "Among our current household staff, your old uncle Sun is the only genuine expert. Regrettably, he's old. The rest of the servants are basically for show basically decorations, they cannot be relied on."

"Old Uncle Sun?" Shen Lian naturally knew the servant who was nearly sixty years old at home, named Sun Yuanxiang, but he didn't know that he was a real master.

Shen Wanquan smiled and continued, "In his youth, your uncle Sun was highly esteemed. He once infiltrated a bandit village, defeating hundreds of foes with not a speck of dirt on his white clothing. He also pursued and eliminated the notorious Heisha Three Brothers across seven thousand miles."

"However, he fell victim to an enemy's plot and was gravely wounded. I personally rescued him, and in gratitude, he chose to stay with our Shen family as a retainer. Over time, his name faded from the Jianghu,After a long time, he was rarely mentioned in the Jianghu, making him unknown. That's why many of you younger folks are unaware of the true extent of his strength."

Shen Lian was taken aback, suddenly eager to meet Uncle Sun. Shen Wanquan proposed, "Lian'er, I'd like to entrust the task of hiring guards to you. What do you think?" Shen Lian nodded and readily accepted, "Certainly, I will ensure the success of this task."

After leaving his father's study, Shen Lian approached a handyman to inquire about Uncle Sun's whereabouts. He was informed that Uncle Sun was conducting martial training for the servants at the martial arts field.

Shen Lian quickly passed through three gates and came to the rear of the mansion. On a large piece of yellow sand, there was an old man with white temples, bare breasts, wearing only a pair of tight shorts, with a sword in front of him, standing in the cold winter wind, commanding twenty young servants.

Practice punches and sweat. Shen Lian stood on the side and watched. Sun Yuanxiang noticed Shen Lian almost instantly, and asked the servants to train by themselves, and he walked over quickly by himself.

Observing the future leader of the Shen family, the family's backbone, Sun Yuanxiang respectfully clasped his hands and inquired with a smile, "Young Master Lian, why do you have time come to the martial arts field today?" Shen Lian glanced at the nearby servants who were still diligently training, cleared his throat, and expressed, "Uncle Sun, I'd like to... engage in a friendly sparring session with you."

"What, compete with me?!" Sun Yuanxiang rubbed his hands together, and said with a broken smile,

"Young Master Lian, I don't have much ink in my stomach, how dare I show off in front of you. The fame of your poems have been passed on from mouth to mouth, and have spread thousands of miles away. " Seeing the old man obviously misunderstood, Shen Lian said seriously:

"I want to learn martial arts with you." He wanted to test whether the fighting power of a Gu Master was higher than that of a martial artist. Sun Yuanxiang was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help considering Shen Lian carefully, half-believing and half-doubting: "Young Master Lian, you didn't come to joke with the old man, did you?" Shen Lian took a deep breath, shook his head and said,

"I'm not joking."

Sun Yuanxiang couldn't help feeling solemn, thought for a while, and said, "Young Master Lian, go to my place and have a cup of tea first.

" Afterwards, the two came to an independent small courtyard. This was Old Uncle Sun's residence. Being able to have a separate courtyard in the Shen family showed the status of Uncle Sun. Sun Yuanxiang closed the door.

"Young Master Lian, do you really want to compete with me?" Shen Lian nodded again. Sun Yuanxiang frowned into a pimple, puzzled:

"Why?"

Shen Lian didn't waste any words; he immediately communicated with the Iron Skin Gu. His appearance underwent a dramatic transformation shortly after.

"you!"

Old Uncle Sun's expression changed drastically, and he took a step back in shock, his eyes full of disbelief. Shen Lian licked his lower lip, his eyes were excited, and he rushed forward quickly, striking out with an iron fist.

After a brief moment of surprise, Sun Yuanxiang swiftly composed himself, displaying remarkable agility as he skillfully maneuvered. It was akin to the old saying, "Passing through thousands of flowers, not a single leaf touches the body." Shen Lian pursued him and made efforts to land blows, but he couldn't even grasp a piece of his clothing.

After some time, the primeval essence in the aperture was depleted, and Shen Lian's skin returned to its usual state. He was breathless and gazed at Old Uncle Sun, unable to utter a word. He had assumed that after becoming a Gu Master, handling martial experts would be a breeze, but he was taken aback. Sun Yuanxiang chuckled, cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Lian, this old man hereby congratulates you on becoming a Gu Master."