Zhang Tie

"Slap, slap."

"Slap, slap."

"No, cough, cough, don't hit anymore. I, I'm awake, cough!" a weak voice said, followed by a cough and a large mouthful of water being spat out.

"He's awake, and we actually saved him," Zhang Tie heard a childish voice say groggily. He opened his eyes and saw a pair of sturdy thighs and a small boy in front of him, with inverted trees and sky in the distance.

He felt like he was hanging somewhere, soaked to the bone, his mouth and nasal cavity filled with a sour, stinging sensation.

Zhang Tie strained his neck, finally seeing a robust man standing before him; those thick thighs belonged to him.

Zhang Tie was utterly confused. Hadn't he been practicing the Elephant Armor Technique in a medicinal bath just before? His master had used a secret technique of golden needles to stimulate acupoints to help him absorb the medicinal power better. But after a golden needle was inserted into his Baihui Acupoint, he had lost consciousness. How had he ended up hanging here after waking up?

Where was this place? Before Zhang Tie could figure it out, a flood of jumbled memories surged into his mind, and a tearing pain caused him to pass out again.

When he woke up once more, Zhang Tie found himself lying on an old wooden bed. The darkened ceiling made it impossible to discern the original color of the wood, and a faint smell of mold permeated the room.

Just then, Zhang Tie suddenly discovered many new memories appearing in his mind.

Among the memories was a boy also named Zhang Tie, the son of a blacksmith. Although his family wasn't wealthy, they owned a hereditary blacksmith shop, so their living conditions were passable.

From the age of six, his family had scrimped and saved to send him to school. However, Zhang Tie never studied diligently. He often secretly skipped school with a few rich kids, listening to storytellers recount tales.

Soon, he became fascinated by the Jianghu stories the storytellers told, always wishing he could one day be like the characters in the books, a lone swordsman venturing across the land, upholding justice, eradicating evil, and becoming a renowned hero known throughout the world.

Later, his parents discovered his truancy and confined him to the woodshed for reflection. But this couldn't stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a hero. So, he escaped through the window, intending to seek out reclusive masters in the mountains to learn martial arts.

As a result, he was chased by a wild boar in the mountains. While hastily crossing a river, he accidentally fell in. As he cried for help, he choked on a large amount of water and then lost consciousness.

Zhang Tie lay on the bed for a long time, gradually understanding his current situation.

He himself had originally been in another world, cultivating in a martial arts sect.

Because his cultivation had hit a bottleneck, his master used the secret technique of golden needles to stimulate acupoints during a cultivation session to help him break through.

As a result, after the golden needle pierced his Baihui Acupoint, he lost consciousness. Upon waking, he had inexplicably taken over the body of this runaway boy who had drowned after falling into a river.

If his guess was correct, his master must have killed him. After death, his soul had occupied the body of this boy, who also happened to be named Zhang Tie.

Although he didn't know why this had happened, it had indeed happened. But why would his master kill him?! And why would his soul occupy this boy's body?!

The sudden sound of a door opening interrupted Zhang Tie's thoughts. He looked up to see a middle-aged man dressed as a hunter walking into the room. Beside him stood a boy of seven or eight.

The man looked at him and said, "You're awake, get up and eat something."

Zhang Tie got out of bed, noticed that it was already evening, and then followed the man to eat something in the small courtyard outside.

During the meal, through conversation, Zhang Tie learned that the man's name was Li Tie Zhu, a hunter from the mountains. His home was in a village at the foot of the mountain.

Yesterday, he had encountered Zhang Tie while hunting in the mountains and had rescued him from the river.

After the meal, Li Tie Zhu inquired about Zhang Tie's situation and learned that he was the son of the head blacksmith in the county town. Li Tie Zhu told Zhang Tie not to worry, that he could rest well tonight, and he would be sent back first thing in the morning.

There was no incident during the night. As soon as dawn broke the next day, Li Tie Zhu got up and escorted Zhang Tie to the foot of the mountain, telling him to proceed along the main road to reach the county town.

Zhang Tie slowly walked along the road, resting by the roadside when he felt tired. After about half an hour, he saw the city gate of the county town in the distance. He entered the city gate and soon arrived at his family's blacksmith shop. However, the shop was closed. So, he went around to the back alley, found the back door, and pushed it open to enter the courtyard.

As soon as he entered, he saw his mother working. His mother looked up and saw Zhang Tie, becoming so emotional that she couldn't speak, unsure whether it was from happiness or anger.

"Where have you been these past two days? Your father and brother have been looking for you everywhere and even reported you missing to the yamen. You've truly worried us to death." As she spoke, her eyes turned red, and tears began to fall. Zhang Tie looked at the woman before him, feeling a bit lost.

It wasn't until evening that Zhang Tie's father, Zhang Fugui, and his two elder brothers, Zhang Jin and Zhang Yin, returned one after another.

Seeing Zhang Tie return, they were naturally overjoyed and thoroughly relieved.

During dinner that night, Zhang Tie recounted his experience to everyone. They all sighed, saying Zhang Tie was truly lucky to be alive and that they would prepare gifts to thank the hunter named Li Tie Zhu.

His parents told Zhang Tie to rest well and that if he didn't want to go to school, it was fine. In a few days, like his two brothers, he would follow his father to learn blacksmithing. At least it was a trade, and he could make a living when he grew up.

Late at night, Zhang Tie tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

He kept thinking about what had happened to him. Although he didn't know why he could live another life, he didn't want to spend his days aimlessly as a blacksmith. The martial arts dream stirring deep within him grew stronger under the cover of night.

In his previous life, he hadn't had the chance to hone his skills before suddenly perishing.

In this life, he didn't want to spend his days with the furnace and hammer.

Zhang Tie wanted to join a renowned sect, learn profound martial arts manuals, and ultimately become a martial arts master, roaming the Jianghu, upholding justice, and saving the common people.

However, Zhang Tie understood that merely having enthusiasm was far from enough to achieve this goal.

His current body was only seven years old and not yet capable of venturing out independently. His accidental fall into the river and subsequent death after running away from home was a good lesson. Therefore, this matter required careful planning. As he lost himself in these thoughts, Zhang Tie slowly drifted off to sleep.

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