"It's getting late, I must quickly head to the blacksmith shop in town..."
Su Mu returned to the house, put on his conical hat and raincoat, and gritted his teeth to endure the itching all over his body as he briskly left Dongbian Village, heading towards Qingshui Town.
Qingshui Town is the central area within a ten-mile radius around it, situated ten miles away from the village. The official road outside town connects to Qingyun County Town, which is why many merchants come and go, making it quite bustling.
The eastern part of town has a major street named Juren Street. It's said that a successful candidate for the imperial examination once emerged from here and later became a high-ranking official in the Great Yan Dynasty.
Shop number thirteen on Juren Street is Li's Blacksmith Shop, known for the skills of the blacksmith masters here, with a good reputation spreading across the ten-mile radius, making business booming daily. This is also where Su Mu learns his craft.
Su Mu hurried all the way, but due to the torture in the rainy weather, he was delayed somewhat. When he saw the tall figure standing at the shop entrance, holding a Yang Wood Ruler, he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.
Zhou Mountain is a formal blacksmith in the shop and simultaneously the master of Su Mu and several other apprentices. However, currently Su Mu is not qualified to learn the Forging Art, and can only help with chores in the shop.
"Fifteen minutes late, extend your hand."
Su Mu extended his hand, and the next second the ruler lashed across Su Mu's palm.
The toxins in his body flared up in the rainy weather, coupled with the pain from the ruler, causing Su Mu to feel his heart subtly twitch in pain, with cold sweat emerging from his forehead.
Zhou Mountain noticed this scene and frowned, holding the ruler suspended in mid-air.
"Considering this is your first offense, I'll hit you just once this time. Remember to come earlier next time."
"Yes, Master Zhou."
Su Mu replied and quickly ran into the shop before exhaling deeply. This rainy weather was truly torturous. He immediately took off his conical hat and raincoat, then joined the other two apprentices in the shop to start cleaning, moving coal and iron ore among other chores.
Among the apprentices, Su Mu is the youngest; the other two apprentices are about fourteen or fifteen years old, and the one who has been here for the shortest time has already been at the shop for over two years.
"Su Mu, why were you late today?"
A round-faced chubby boy, Li Xiaohu, asked curiously. Li Xiaohu is the young master of Li's Iron Shop and is the son of the shop owner, Li Tie.
"Overslept a bit today."
"Oh."
Li Xiaohu responded, smiling as he reached into his clothes and took out two yellow steamed buns wrapped in oil paper. "Here, this is your share, still warm."
"Thanks, Brother Li."
Su Mu expressed his gratitude by thanking him and accepting the buns. Meanwhile, the apprentice Sun Li watched this scene and snorted coldly.
It was noon.
A bare-chested, robust black man waved at the three of them; this person was precisely Li Xiaohu's father and the owner of Li's Blacksmith Shop, Li Tie.
"The busy farming season is approaching, the shop's orders suddenly increased quite a bit. You three will assist the masters in the shop during this period, starting this afternoon."
"Xiaohu, come with me."
"Oh." Li Xiaohu grumbled reluctantly.
"As for you two, just continue following Master Zhou, do whatever he tells you to do."
Upon hearing this, Su Mu couldn't help feeling a bit excited, "Thank you, Uncle Li, I will surely work hard to learn forging."
"Thank you, Uncle Li."
Sun Li also expressed gratitude, but once Li Tie left, Sun Li's face suddenly darkened a bit, casting a dissatisfied glance at Su Mu.
He had been an apprentice at the blacksmith shop for over two years before getting an opportunity to lend a hand. This kid barely came three months ago, so why?
Being an apprentice at the blacksmith shop does not come with a salary, just a meal.
But in this chaotic era, being able to have assured meals is considered fortunate, hence many poor families try various ways to send their children to different shops as apprentices.
It's not just about food, whether it's carpentry, cooking, tailoring, or forging, starting as an apprentice offers the chance to learn a trade to sustain a family after enduring for a few years; spending five to ten years is quite normal.
In short, it's rare for someone like Su Mu to begin officially learning a craft just three months after arriving at the shop.
But only Su Mu understood that having the opportunity to start learning a craft within three months was mostly due to those people because it was arranged for him to be an apprentice at the shop.
Even knowing it was arranged by others, Su Mu gladly accepted it. He had to plan for his future path; if he could become a formal blacksmith, he could earn a considerable income every month.
The masters in the shop receive two taels of silver each month, and if there are many orders, they receive an additional silver coin reward.
In these past three months, Su Mu has contemplated that, to rid himself of the fate of being a controlled Death Warrior, there are only two paths.
One is the imperial examination. By passing it, he could become a court official, ultimately leveraging the power of the court to change his destiny.
The status of educated people in this world is very high, as evidenced by the street where the iron shop is located being directly renamed Juren Street. It's said that after becoming a court official, one would be endowed with the mysterious Dynasty Destiny.
It is hard for ordinary people to harm court officials blessed with Dynasty Destiny.
But this path seems unrealistic for Su Mu at the moment. Books are quite precious in this world and are not something he, a poor boy, can afford to study, and he also doesn't have much time to learn.
In his past life, he was a science and engineering major, had memorized some poems but hadn't studied the Four Books and the Five Classics or anything, let alone the fact that this world does not resemble any dynasty recorded in history, and the imperial exams might not necessarily test poetry.
How could he, a half-baked scholar, compete with those from prominent families who received guidance from renowned teachers since childhood, or students who have studied diligently for more than ten years?
Moreover, if he were to aim for the imperial examination, it would certainly alert those people who probably would not allow him to take it, and might even directly target him.
If the imperial examination doesn't work, the remaining option is to directly strengthen himself through martial arts.
As previously stated, this world does not match any historical dynasty, being a place where true Martial Dao exists. Powerful Grade-Entering Martial Artists can allegedly break armies, split mountains, and shatter stones alone.
This path seems to be the most promising for Su Mu, and his attribute panel can be put to good use; he just needs to improve his comprehension step by step and gradually become stronger.
He believes that one day he will have the opportunity to escape the identity of a Death Warrior and solve the toxins within his body.
He doesn't intend to be forced into rebellion with a knife against his throat one day.
"But no matter which path I choose, I can't do without silver coins; a smart woman cannot cook without rice, and a penny can deter a hero!"
Su Mu thought clearly, so now he needs to earn money, the more the better.
The apprentices' lunch in the shop consisted of two sweet potatoes. After hastily finishing their meal, Su Mu and Sun Li headed to the forging room in the back courtyard.
Clang clang clang!
The deafening sound of metal clashing was incessant, and the moment Su Mu stepped in, he felt as if he had entered a giant boiler, with the temperature suddenly rising by more than ten degrees.
"Master Zhou."
The two of them respectfully approached a forging platform, greeting Zhou Mountain.
In front of the casting platform, Zhou Mountain was sweating profusely, his arm muscles bulging as he swung an iron hammer heavily down, clang, the sound reverberated enough to make the two involuntarily take a step back.
"You came just at the right time, let's start with you, Sun Li. Use the hammer over there, wherever I strike, you follow."
"Whether forging swords or farming tools, they all need to go through processes like beating, filing, quenching, and polishing. Among them, beating is the most important."
"A piece of steel for forging swords needs to be beaten tens of thousands of times, folded and forged dozens of times, to remove impurities and have sufficient strength; otherwise, it's an unqualified inferior product."
"Use force, give me some force!" Zhou Mountain shouted as he swung the hammer.
"Yes!"
Sun Li responded and swung the hammer forcefully.
During the forging process, Zhou Mountain observed Sun Li's every move. He noticed that Sun Li's eyes occasionally glanced elsewhere while forging, giving him an unsettling feeling.
After a period, Zhou Mountain shouted lowly, "Switch."
Su Mu took over the forging hammer, and Zhou Mountain placed the steel into the furnace, burning it red hot before taking it out again, then solemnly hammering it.
Su Mu gritted his teeth, exerting effort as he began to swing the hammer.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
"Didn't you eat? Give me some force, forging is basic for a blacksmith." Zhou Mountain scolded when he saw the situation, while Sun Li's mouth slightly curled upon witnessing it.
"Yes, Master Zhou!"
Su Mu gritted his teeth and continued hammering, his eyes fixated on where Zhou Mountain struck, each swing was immensely focused.
Clang clang clang!
Sweat drenched his entire clothing, sweat droplets the size of beans rolled into his eyes, turning salty and painful, yet Su Mu's eyes remained fixed on the forging platform.
"This lad might be a good seedling... so focused, though physically too weak; a good blacksmith can't be lacking in strength, what a pity."
Zhou Mountain judged Su Mu in his mind; his two apprentices each had their strengths and weaknesses, but overall, he favored Su Mu more.
Watching the fully dedicated Su Mu, Zhou Mountain's gaze softened slightly, "Alright, you go rest for a bit, switch."
Hearing Zhou Mountain's softer tone, Sun Li clenched his fist secretly.
After a day.
"There's a bit of soreness!"
Su Mu's arms stung intensely; his palms had several blisters, feeling as though his arms didn't belong to him anymore.
Physically exhausted, but mentally very excited.
[Forging (Entry Level 1%)]
"Comprehension indeed is amazing!"
In merely one day, his attribute panel already showed a forging skill, though it's just entry-level, as long as he persists, it surely can gradually improve, subsequently increasing longevity and comprehension.
"Five Animals Qigong shouldn't be neglected."
After dinner, Su Mu returned to the village from the town, besides being an apprentice at the town's blacksmith shop, he was also a villager from Dongbian Village, where he owned a small courtyard in the westernmost part.
Sssss...
Su Mu inhaled sharply with clenched teeth, entering cultivation of Five Animals Qigong, Tiger Play, Deer Play, Bear Play… one form after another, after a long set Su Mu couldn't help but utter a soft "Eh".
"Seems the arm muscles aren't as sore?"
Discovering that Five Animals Qigong surprisingly relieved muscle soreness slightly, Su Mu was quite delighted.
"Truly worthy of the Body-Strengthening Technique created by Divine Doctor Hua Tuo!"
Growl growl.
A hungry stomach grumbled.
So hungry, craving meat.
Having eaten dinner, Su Mu found himself hungry again; rummaging through the room, he found a few oddly shaped sweet potatoes.
Lit some firewood, roasted a few sweet potatoes, and after eating them, Su Mu exhaled contentedly, although he didn't get to eat meat, he felt satisfied.
"Forging is physically demanding, my food intake will increase, the shop's meals aren't enough… later on when returning to the village, I can take the small path, bringing some wild vegetables back."
The next day, Zhou Mountain watched Su Mu's hammering performance, feeling slightly puzzled; in strength Sun Li surely surpassed Su Mu, but over these two days, Su Mu performed better.
"Probably holding on through gritted teeth, quite a hardworking lad."
Zhou Mountain nodded towards Su Mu, valuing him more, and this scene didn't escape Sun Li's watchful eyes.
Following was the day after day of hammering and cultivating Five Animals Qigong, although monotonous, Su Mu enjoyed it immensely, feeling the improvement each time after the soreness, this feeling brought comfort.
When one invests wholeheartedly into something, time passes swiftly.
Three months later.
Clang!
In front of a forging platform, after a hammer swing, Su Mu paused slightly, suddenly feeling a warm flow emerging from within, making his eyes brighten, suspecting it was likely a breakthrough in forging skill.