Chapter 94: Let's Go Spread a Little Slander at the Blacksmith Guild!
The reason the Jia Ma Blacksmith Guild protected its smiths so fiercely wasn't just because they were few in number—it was also due to the immoral behavior of certain families.
Alchemists, due to the nature of their pills, couldn't easily be put under house arrest. Who knew if that seemingly harmless pill wasn't laced with something "special"? Since pills are ingested, and all medicine has some toxicity, an alchemist with deep pharmacological knowledge could slowly poison an entire clan.
But blacksmiths? The quality of a Dou Device they create is easy to test in a match. And if they tried to slip in something like "radioactive metal," it'd be quickly detected. With the resilient constitutions of Dou Qi practitioners, only the most exotic metals could have noticeable effects—and those metals weren't exactly something a blacksmith could just acquire on their own.
Mu Yun dared to speak so freely to Jiang Lin because his clan, the Mu Clan, was too closely tied to the capital to even consider confining a wild blacksmith. But in another, more powerful family, discovering that Jiang Lin wasn't a registered smith might've easily led to darker intentions.
The Miteer Chamber had always assumed Jiang Lin had received some blacksmithing inheritance and was already certified by the Guild. Only the Blood Beast Mercenary Group, who had been sent to investigate, learned the truth: Jiang Lin was a locally grown, completely self-taught wild blacksmith.
Luckily, due to the Guild's long-standing mix of arrogance and reclusiveness, blacksmiths traveling outside major cities were relatively safe these days. Though of course, it didn't stop foreign forces from occasionally kidnapping them.
"So you're telling me I should register with the Jia Ma Blacksmith Guild as soon as possible to get their protection?" Jiang Lin asked as he looked down at Mu Yun and the others. His terrifying spiritual perception told him they bore no ill intent. If they had, even from under fifty meters away, he'd have sensed the subtle shift in mental energy.
According to what Yao Chen had explained about the three realms of spiritual perception:
Form Sense let one perceive physical shapes.Qi Sense allowed the user to detect meridians, blood flow, and energy currents—an ability useful in both alchemy and blacksmithing.Intent Sense was the perception of mental fluctuations, soul energy, and even precognition of danger.
Jiang Lin had never been able to sense Yao Chen or Ling Ying beside Xiao Xun'er. But precisely because he couldn't, it told him everything—these people weren't ordinary. He simply avoided them without making a fuss, while those very people believed they hadn't been noticed at all.
No one had ever explained the stages of spiritual perception to Jiang Lin, so he didn't realize how terrifyingly advanced his sense already was. Born with innate spiritual clarity—this had never existed before on the Dou Qi Continent.
Had it not been for sheer luck—like bumping into a Gu Clan heiress or turning a corner and meeting the Pill Sovereign—no one would've noticed anything unusual about Jiang Lin until he reached Dou Huang or Dou Zong level.
"Yes, the sooner the better. If you wait too long, other blacksmiths may cause trouble. Pei Su didn't seem to have much influence, but as a Tier-Two smith, he might've had a few friends in the Guild," Mu Yun said seriously.
Truth be told, Mu Yun wasn't very confident Jiang Lin would trust them. What if they were tricking him into going back just to trap him?
You know, like when your mom tells you she won't punish you for running off, then you run back home and BAM—gate shuts, and your childhood is scarred forever. (sniff sniff)
"I understand. Can I come with you guys when you head back?" Jiang Lin suddenly leapt down, landing in front of Mu Yun and patting his stunned shoulder.
"But you'll have to wait a few days. I have some things to take care of first."
Mu Yun stared blankly. He no longer worried Jiang Lin might attack them—now he was just trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.
Wait... where did all that caution go? You trust us this easily?!
And what's with this shoulder grab and buddy-buddy behavior after just a few lines of dialogue? Isn't this a bit... too intimate?
Now, Mu Yun finally understood why people in Qingshan Town and Wutan City had described Jiang Lin as "a bold and unpredictable fellow who advances and retreats at lightning speed."
His attitude shifted so fast—but just enough to stay within your comfort zone. When you wanted his trust, he gave you that overbearing CEO-level trust, making you feel honored. But when you didn't want his trust? Boom—gone. Not even a polite goodbye.
"Y-Yes, of course!" Mu Yun quickly recovered. Jiang Lin returning with them to the capital was the best possible outcome.
Jiang Lin pulled two Dual-Blade Feather Sheath Wings from his white bone ring and tossed them down. Mu Yun and his team scrambled to catch them.
"Send these to the Miteer Chamber. We promised to auction two units, and we won't go back on that." Then Jiang Lin pulled out a booklet. "This is the training manual for the low-tier Huang class flying technique, Feather Sheath. Keep it safe. The Miteer Chamber has a copy too. Spend the next few days here in Wutan City training—if you use the wings without mastering Feather Sheath, you'll crash and die."
Mu Yun carefully accepted the manual. Then Jiang Lin's next words made his heart leap:
"Usually, when blacksmiths say 'two to three months,' they mean from raw ore to a finished Dou Device. But your information was valuable. I said there'd be a reward. If you master Feather Sheath within half a month, I'll give each of you a set of Dual-Blade Wings."
Mu Yun's team had greatly expanded Jiang Lin's worldview, so this reward was well-earned.
Besides, once he joined the Guild, the Dual-Blade Wings wouldn't be as valuable.
Jiang Lin planned to sell the blueprints to the Guild, who would then cooperate with other powers in the empire to establish nationwide aerial mobility—well, nationwide flying Dou Device sales.
"Now I just wonder… does the Guild have patent protection? Hm... Given the 'brotherhood' between smith guilds... shouldn't I go plant a little slander just in case?"
(END CHAPTER)
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