The Blacksmith's Boy

Yong City, Shuofang Commandery.

The northern frontier of Great Qin, the front line against the Xiongnu.

At the foot of the Great Wall, a border town named "Beacon Tower" was perpetually shrouded in wind, sand, and a chilling aura.

In a blacksmith shop west of town, smoke billowed.

"Cough... cough cough..."

A violent, suppressed cough erupted from the inner room, as if the speaker was trying to expel their very lungs.

"Ling'er!"

A young man in a coarse cloth tunic, his body covered in grease and sweat, abruptly dropped the hammer in his hand and rushed inside.

Behind him, a one-legged old man pulling the bellows stopped his work, his aged face etched with worry.

On the bed in the inner room, a maiden as pale as paper curled up, covering her mouth with an old cloth. Her frail shoulders trembled violently.

"Brother... I'm fine..."

The maiden forced a smile when she saw the young man enter, but before she could finish speaking, another earth-shattering cough wracked her body, and a few drops of crimson seeped through the cloth.

The young man, named Wei Zhe, snatched the cloth away. Seeing the blood, his heart felt as if it had been sliced by a knife.

"You say you're fine! Where's the medicine? Did you take today's dose?" Wei Zhe asked urgently, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

"The medicine... I finished it yesterday," the maiden whispered, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

Wei Zhe's heart sank.

He was Wei Zhe. Seventeen years ago, he had been abandoned in the snows of Shuofang Commandery and taken in by the blacksmith shop owner, the one-legged Jiang Bo, who raised him.

The maiden on the bed was Jiang Ling'er, Jiang Bo's only daughter, two years younger than Wei Zhe. Though they were called brother and sister, they had grown up together and their love ran deep.

Jiang Ling'er had been frail since childhood. After a serious illness three years ago, her condition worsened, requiring a medicinal herb called "Purple River Grass" for constant nourishment.

This herb was only carried by merchant caravans traveling north and south, and it was prohibitively expensive, consuming almost all the blacksmith shop's savings.

"Brother, don't worry. The merchant caravan should arrive in a couple of days. Father... Father will find a way," Jiang Ling'er weakly comforted him, reaching out her cold little hand to grasp Wei Zhe's sleeve.

Wei Zhe clasped her hand tightly in return, the warmth of his palm seeming to be the only thing he could offer her at that moment.

He turned his head to look at Jiang Bo, who stood leaning on his crutch at the doorway, silent. Wei Zhe's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word.

A way?

What other way could there be?

Over the past few years, to buy medicine for Ling'er, Jiang Bo had already mortgaged half of his ancestral shop. Now, apart from the three of them, the only thing left in the blacksmith shop was the dilapidated furnace at the entrance.

"Zhe'er, come out."

Jiang Bo's hoarse voice broke the silence. He turned and walked back to the furnace.

Wei Zhe tucked Jiang Ling'er in, saying softly, "Ling'er, you rest well. I'll be back soon."

With that, he walked out of the inner room.

"Jiang Bo," Wei Zhe said in a low voice.

"Three more days, and the new round of conscription will begin," Jiang Bo said without looking at him, his gaze fixed on the roaring furnace fire, as if watching his own past fade away.

"Great Qin Elite Warriors: one enemy killed, one rank promoted, one qing of land awarded, nine mu of housing. If one unfortunately falls in battle, the death benefits will be enough for Ling'er's medicine for ten years."

The old man's voice was calm, yet it struck Wei Zhe's heart like a heavy hammer.

Jiang Bo had once been one of Great Qin's elite warriors. During a bloody battle against the Xiongnu, he lost a leg while covering his comrades, and with it, his chance to achieve fame on the battlefield.

"Jiang Bo, you mean..." Wei Zhe's breathing quickened.

"I mean, this is our only path." Jiang Bo turned, his eyes flashing with a complex light – reluctance, determination, and deep helplessness.

"I watched you grow up. You're like my own son. Sending you to that place where death is almost certain... I... I can't bear it. But Ling'er..."

The old man didn't finish his sentence, but Wei Zhe understood everything.

Become a soldier of Great Qin, exchange his life for money, for rank, for Ling'er's hope of survival.

"I can't go on like this anymore."

"I have all this strength, yet I can only watch Ling'er's body deteriorate day by day."

"If I live another life and still can't protect the person I cherish most, what's the point?"

"Seventeen years old, it's the perfect age to enlist."

"Enlist and serve, kill enemies and earn merit!"

Wei Zhe's gaze shifted from confusion to unwavering resolve. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He was a transmigrator, his soul originating from an era of peace and tranquility. Having lived in this era for seventeen years, he had long grown accustomed to its clashing swords and the cheapness of life.

He knew better than anyone how powerless a commoner's status was in these chaotic times. To rise above, to protect those he cherished, he had no choice but to pick up a sword and tread the path of blood and fire.

"Jiang Bo, I understand."

Wei Zhe took a deep breath and nodded heavily at the old man, "I'll go!"

The very moment he made up his mind.

"Ding."

A crisp chime, like the clash of metal, suddenly rang out in his mind.

The instant Wei Zhe decided to enlist and join the army for fame and fortune.

A cold, mechanical electronic voice echoed in his mind.

"Host's strong will detected, initiating Hundred Refinements to Steel System activation quest: Join the Border Army. Upon completion, the system will officially activate and unlock the Beginner's Gift Pack."

"Does the host accept the quest?"

"System?"

Wei Zhe was stunned at first, then a surge of ecstasy washed over him.

As a transmigrator, how could he not know what a system was! This was the golden finger every transmigrator dreamed of!

He had thought he would struggle in obscurity like countless ordinary people in this era, but unexpectedly, when he was at his most desperate, a turning point arrived!

He knew history well and understood that this was a magnificent yet incredibly brutal era. Qin King Ying Zheng unified the Six States, attacked the Xiongnu to the north, and conquered the Hundred Yue to the south; what ambition and strategy he possessed.

He also yearned to witness firsthand the monarch later known as the "First Emperor of All Time" and to leave his own name amidst the grand tide sweeping across the land.

But in the past, to take care of Jiang Bo and Ling'er, he could only bury this desire deep in his heart and content himself as a blacksmith's apprentice.

Yet now, Ling'er's illness and Jiang Bo's helplessness had driven him to a dead end.

And the system's appearance was undoubtedly a ray of dawn at the end of that dead end!

Joining the army was originally a gamble with a near-certain death, but with the system, it had become a path to the heavens!

"Accept quest!"

Wei Zhe roared in his mind without hesitation.

"Quest accepted successfully, reward issued in advance."

"Congratulations, Host, the system is officially activated."

"Distributing Beginner's Gift Pack..."

A series of notification sounds made Wei Zhe incredibly excited.

"Congratulations, Host, for obtaining a data-like physique. You can continuously grow stronger by tempering yourself and forging divine weapons."

"Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the Profound Rank Forging Diagram: Hundred Battle Blade."

"Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the Profound Rank Hammer Technique: Thousand Refinement Force."

"Congratulations, Host, for obtaining one opportunity for martial arts enlightenment."

"Does the Host wish to claim the gift pack immediately?"

"Martial arts?"

Wei Zhe was stunned again.

He had always thought this world was simply an ancient battlefield, where generals were powerful and relied on their thousand-times-tempered martial skills and innate divine strength to fight a hundred enemies. He had never heard of "martial arts" as a form of supernatural power.

Could it be that this world was more profound than he had imagined?

After a brief daze, an even more surging ecstasy followed.

He was going to rise!

He might become the only person in this world to embark on the path of cultivation!

Moreover, this system was named "Hundred Refinements to Steel," which could not only temper the body but also forge divine weapons. Tempering should mean getting stronger by killing enemies; forging was his old trade as a blacksmith's apprentice!

This was simply a tailor-made system for him!

"Claim rewards!" Wei Zhe silently recited in his mind, suppressing the excitement in his heart.

He knew that from this day forward, his life would be completely different.

"Host command confirmed."

"Rewards being distributed."

"Data-like physique activated. The Host can obtain 'Tempering Points' by killing enemies, which can be used to improve themselves. By collecting materials and 'Tempering Points,' weapons can be forged."

"Using martial arts enlightenment opportunity..."

The moment the system notification ended, Wei Zhe felt a warm current pour into him from the top of his head, instantly flowing through every limb and bone.

His entire body felt as if it were immersed in a warm medicinal bath, incredibly comfortable.

In response to the requests of many readers, we are now launching the VIP member ad-free feature.

Click to view