When the Yang clan members began to run back and forth, Du Chengfeng started to become busy.
The first thing to do was naturally to gather all the scattered swords and spears in the courtyard. Although the ease of discarding them after sharpening under the moonlight seemed quite dashing, after all, it was his own courtyard, and they still needed to be picked up piece by piece.
Fortunately, there weren't many swords and spears, mainly because there were dozens of maces and war hammers among the pile of weapons. These things didn't have edges, and Du Chengfeng didn't know how to sharpen them at the moment, so he could only stack them inside the house as an ornament for now.
This is also why Du Chengfeng asked the Yang clan members to find more weapons for him.
Not to mention the gap caused by the lack of those dozens of maces and hammers, even if all those maces and war hammers were replaced with swords and sabers that he could sharpen, the quantity would still be too small. Although after this night, he had already learned a lot of survival skills from the weapons of the Northern Desert Grassland people, he could even be considered a true warrior of the Northern Desert.
But relying solely on this amount of strength to defeat He Xiqing was still far from enough.
This was partly because the number of weapons was insufficient and partly because most of the weapons he had sharpened before were those of the deceased barbarians. While this did afford him a lot of understanding of the customs and tactics of the Northern Desert, He Xiqing, being a native of the Northern Desert, would naturally understand these things even better.
This meant that if he wanted to defeat He Xiqing, he must master some techniques that He Xiqing did not know.
"Brother Du, the things you asked for are ready."
While Du Chengfeng was clearing the courtyard, the carpenter Li from next door pushed the door open and entered.
In his hand, Li the carpenter held a long bench.
Unlike an ordinary bench, this long bench had a slot added by Li the carpenter, and Du Chengfeng tried it, finding it just right for placing the grinding stone.
"The stand for the emery wheel is a bit complex. I'm still figuring it out, but it'll be ready in at most two days, maybe even tomorrow."
"Thanks for the hard work; the thing is really well-made."
After trying to sit on the bench, Du Chengfeng couldn't help but admire Li the carpenter's craftsmanship.
This might just be the merit of a fully handcrafted custom piece. Unlike the cheap second-hand benches he bought from Li the carpenter before, this specially made long bench was quite comfortable to sit on. Even if he had to bend slightly to sharpen knives, he wouldn't feel tired. It was apparent that the effort Li the carpenter put into this bench was much greater than what he casually expressed; after all, to achieve this level of comfort, he had to be extremely familiar with Du Chengfeng's body posture and work habits while sharpening knives.
"Very good, really very good."
Realizing this, Du Chengfeng became increasingly delighted.
Although it was just a wooden long bench, it greatly improved his knife-sharpening efficiency!
For someone like him who was preparing to start sharpening knives, the bench was comparable to a martial artist obtaining a divine soldier treasure sword that they could wield with ease!
"Thank you so much, elder brother, you're so thoughtful."
Standing up, Du Chengfeng took the first piece of furniture from the dilapidated little courtyard inside.
"How much? I mean including the stand in a couple of days."
"No need for money, no need."
Li the carpenter waved his hands repeatedly.
"It's just making a bench; it's not worth much. Besides, Brother Du, you chopped so many barbarians before, saving my entire family. That is a life-saving grace; I'm just making a few things for you…"
"Oh, don't say that, elder brother. You're being too formal."
Hearing Li the carpenter say this, Du Chengfeng couldn't help but shake his head.
Not to mention that he had received care from Li the carpenter as an outsider when he first arrived in the village, but this little courtyard too was bought cheaply with Li the carpenter's help. As for saving lives…at that time, he was consumed with evil qi and not intentionally risking his life to protect Yang Fortress, so how can that be valid?
"Moreover, what's the point of me having so much money?"
Looking at the boxes of gold and silver treasures sent by the Yang clan, Du Chengfeng sighed.
He originally didn't want to accept these things, after all, he didn't have that close of a relationship with the Yang family to be accepting their wealth—but there was nothing he could do about it. He hadn't gone when invited to dinner, he had ignored the wine and meat they sent, and if he also refused these treasures, the old man named Yang Xuan might just die of fright on the spot.
Thus, just to make the Yang family feel comfortable providing him with work, he reluctantly accepted these things.
Reflecting on it, it was quite lamentable. He had always wanted to make a living by his own efforts, yet his greatest source of income had always been compensation for mental anguish.
Several boxes of gold and silver treasure had directly granted Du Chengfeng financial freedom.
But that was no longer what he wanted.
Before, indeed, his goal was to make money; after all, in any era, having money in hand makes life easier. Then, he could buy a larger courtyard, replace better furniture, perhaps even raise two dogs or keep a cat.
But now, surviving is the top priority.
Such wealth needs to be earned or spent with your life. If he cannot defeat He Xiqing, who is coming for revenge, no matter how much wealth he has, it will all end up as He Xiqing's spoils of war.
Therefore, all this money must be spent quickly. However, gold and silver treasure are meaningless under the current circumstances; he must swiftly convert these funds into combat power to prepare for He Xiqing's arrival for revenge with enough strength to fight him.
"So Brother Du, how did you know about that armor-clad barbarian having a big brother?"
After listening to Du Chengfeng's explanation, Li the carpenter scratched his head in puzzlement.
"Though you had told me you deduced it from sharpening the axe, isn't that a bit... So, Brother Du, if that barbarian's brother is really that formidable, why don't you just head south? Move far away, and he wouldn't possibly come south to find you…"
"That's not the case."
Hearing Li the carpenter say this, Du Chengfeng knew he had explained in vain.
Originally, he intended to suggest that Li the carpenter leave early and retreat south, but now it seemed that Li the carpenter could not understand his current situation—after sharpening that axe, he was probably the person who understood He Xiqing the most. Consequently, he could ascertain that this iron-hearted man would definitely chase him to the ends of the earth for revenge.
But only he, who had seen that memory, knew such things; Li the carpenter was completely unaware. This man, who had stayed in Yang Fortress for years, only understood that the evil qi of weapons was something frightening.
Therefore, he needed strength.
Whether to protect his little courtyard or to protect this inexperienced older brother, he needed strength.
"Anyway, just put everything down for now; we'll talk about the barbarians later."
Taking some gold and silver and forcibly stuffing it into Li the carpenter's arms, Du Chengfeng also took some for himself.
"By the way, elder brother, you mentioned last time where the market is for buying weapons?"