Imperial Forgemaster

After class, Wu Zhangkong canceled the evening special training for the three of them due to an urgent matter, telling them to arrange their own time.

"Tang Wulin, want to go to a fun place?"

After class, Xie Xie walked up to Tang Wulin and draped an arm over his shoulder.

"No." Tang Wulin refused without a second thought.

"Why? We've been training for a month already; I'm practically exhausted."

"I plan to pick up a forging commission to earn some money, and I have some business at the Blacksmith Association." Tang Wulin wasn't lying to him; he truly wanted to use these few hours to ask Yao Lao about those pill formulas and pick up a forging task while he was at it.

"Forging is so boring! How about I treat you to a meal? All you can eat."

"Really?"

"Really!"

Tang Wulin had absolutely no resistance to the topic of food, so he agreed.

"Where are you going?"

Just then, Gu Yue walked up behind the two of them.

"None of your business!" Xie Xie said haughtily.

"I was asking Tang Wulin." Gu Yue snorted coldly and walked to Tang Wulin's side.

"Uh..." Tang Wulin scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. "Xie Xie and I are just going out to grab a bite."

"I'm going too," Gu Yue said, grabbing Tang Wulin's hand directly.

"I say, don't you have any shame as a girl? We're two brothers going out, why are you tagging along? Besides, even if you go, I'm not paying for you," Xie Xie said with a look of disgust.

"As if I care!" Gu Yue stuck her tongue out at Xie Xie. "Even if you don't pay for me, Tang Wulin will, right?"

Tang Wulin really didn't know how to refuse a girl, so he could only nod in agreement.

"Ugh! Fine, fine, just tag along then! It's not like one extra meal will break me," Xie Xie said helplessly.

"Hmph!"

Soon, Xie Xie led the two of them to a snack street not far from East Sea Academy.

"I didn't expect a young master like you to come to a place like this to eat," Gu Yue remarked sarcastically from the side.

"Tch, what would a woman like you know? True delicacies are hidden in places like this."

The atmosphere here was indeed vibrant; small shops were packed tightly against one another, and the narrow street was crowded with people, the air filled with the aroma of various delicacies.

This made Tang Wulin think of Aolai City. There was a similar snack street near his home, and his parents often took him there when he was a child.

Thinking of this, Tang Wulin missed his parents again. He felt he should find some time to go back and visit them.

"Right here!"

Xie Xie, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped in front of a small shop.

Tang Wulin looked up at the shop's name.

"Braised Beef Pot."

"This place is delicious. I've been eating here since I was a kid. Beef with white rice, plus a bottle of soda—the feeling is just incredible."

As a native of East Sea City, Xie Xie was very familiar with everything here.

"Sounds good!" Tang Wulin said with a smile. He was indeed hungry, and to him, as long as he could get full, what he ate didn't matter much.

The shop wasn't very big, containing only five or six small tables. Four were already occupied, so it seemed business was quite good.

After they found an empty table and sat down, a middle-aged man walked over and said with a smile, "Yo, Xie Xie is here! And you brought friends, too!"

"Yeah! The usual, please, Uncle Li," Xie Xie said with a smile.

"Coming right up!"

Soon, three Braised Beef Pots, three bowls of white rice, and three bottles of soda were placed on their table.

"This seems to be the first time you've brought friends to Uncle Li's place! It looks like they're very important friends to you," Uncle Li said, smiling as he patted Xie Xie's hair.

Instead of dodging, Xie Xie smiled and nodded.

This scene shocked Tang Wulin. He had been roommates with Xie Xie for over a month and knew full well that he had a severe case of mysophobia, yet now he was letting the owner of a street-side shop pat his head.

"Dig in! What are you waiting for?"

As he spoke, Xie Xie opened the iron pot of beef in front of him. Immediately, the aroma of the beef rushed into their nostrils.

"So fragrant!"

Tang Wulin was already hungry, and he couldn't hold back any longer. He opened his iron pot and began to eat heartily.

"Mmm! It really is delicious!" Tang Wulin couldn't help but give a thumbs up.

"Is it really that good?" Gu Yue, still skeptical, picked up a piece of beef and put it in her mouth.

Suddenly, Gu Yue's eyes lit up, and her movements quickened as well.

"Uncle Li, another twenty portions of the same."

Xie Xie knew Tang Wulin's appetite well, so he called out toward the stove not far away.

"Coming right up!"

A long while later, Tang Wulin looked at the stack of empty iron cans before him, still feeling unsatisfied; he hadn't eaten his fill yet.

"Alright, the nightlife has only just begun! I'll take you to eat something else in a bit." Xie Xie naturally knew that this amount of food couldn't possibly fill Tang Wulin's stomach.

Tang Wulin nodded with a smile.

"Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to talk to you about today." Xie Xie's expression turned slightly more serious.

"What is it?" Tang Wulin asked.

"Can you perform Hundred Refinement?"

"Of course!"

"What about Thousand Refinement?"

Tang Wulin couldn't quite understand why Xie Xie was asking these questions, but he replied anyway, "Barely, I suppose. But I'm not very proficient at it."

"Damn, you're actually capable of that!"

Gu Yue, who was listening from the side, couldn't help but feel a bit shocked at this answer. "Doesn't that mean your forging level has already reached the Master rank?"

Tang Wulin rubbed his hair, feeling a bit embarrassed. "No, I'm still just a second-rank blacksmith. My Thousand Refinement isn't that stable yet. Gu Yue, do you know a lot about forging?"

"I suppose you could say that!"

However, Xie Xie's eyes lit up. He stood up, patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder, and said, "Wulin, are we brothers or what?"

"What are you planning?"

Xie Xie chuckled. "Nothing much. I just want to know if you can forge mecha parts for me in the future? Don't worry, the price I offer will definitely be higher than the market rate."

Tang Wulin said with some confusion, "My Thousand Refinement isn't stable. Wouldn't it be faster if you just posted a commission at the Blacksmith Association?"

Xie Xie put on a mysterious expression. "It seems you're still overestimating the number of Master-rank blacksmiths. Even if I posted a forging commission, there's no guarantee anyone would take it, and even if they did, who knows how long I'd have to wait? So, since you're right here, why look elsewhere? You're a ready-made blacksmith, aren't you?"

"But I can't perform stable Thousand Refinement yet!"

"Dummy! I'm not at the stage where I need to build mecha parts yet either, but I believe that by the time I am, you'll definitely be a Master-rank blacksmith."

"I want in too!" Gu Yue suddenly raised her hand from the side.

"Why do you have to compete with me for everything?" Xie Xie looked at Gu Yue, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Blech! None of your business, and I'm not asking you!"

Tang Wulin nodded helplessly and said, "Fine, fine! Once I can perform stable Thousand Refinement in the future, I'll prioritize forging mecha parts for you two."

"Good brother, for life!" Xie Xie immediately hugged Tang Wulin.

"From today on, you are my, Xie Xie's, personal blacksmith."