Bladesmith

Early morning in Changping County,

the thin mist had yet to disperse,

but the area in front of the Li Family's gates was already packed with people.

Most of them were dressed in rags, with sallow, gaunt faces and vacant eyes.

They were all refugees who had recently fled to Changping County.

The reason they had gathered in front of the Li Family's gates was a notice the family had posted:

Any able-bodied young man could apply to become a guard at the Li Residence.

For these refugees, the notice was nothing short of the last lifeline before they starved to death.

Once they became guards at the Li Residence, they would have a place to live and food to eat. They wouldn't have to worry about the bandits and rebel troops running rampant outside, and they could live in peace!

Shen Chu, standing in a corner, was one of them.

Half a month ago, he had been a game designer who'd just graduated.

Though he'd lost his job, he'd at least received a generous severance package. He'd stayed home playing games every day, occasionally going out for a foot massage. All in all, life had been pretty pleasant.

Unfortunately, after staying up late for a foot massage, he'd unexpectedly transmigrated to this world, into the body of a refugee named Shen Chu—someone who even looked exactly like him.

As a modern man, he'd come across short videos on his phone about "how to survive after transmigrating to ancient times."

But only when it had actually fallen to him to put that advice into practice did he realize just how difficult it was.

Want to make salt?

This world already had a method for making salt, and it was controlled by the authorities. Making it privately was a capital offense.

Want to make paper?

Paper-making was already widespread, too!

It wasn't regulated, but it had long since been monopolized by wealthy merchants across the land.

Even Martial Artists and demons—things that should only have appeared in fantasy novels—existed in this world.

With demons lurking in the shadows and rebel troops at his back, Shen Chu had been left with no choice. Struggling to survive, he'd followed a group of refugees to Changping County, which had yet to be touched by war.

After seeing the Li Family's notice seeking guards, he'd hurried over as well.

For Shen Chu, becoming a guard was the only way to survive.

Only after he survived could he consider anything else.

At that moment, Shen Chu was gazing anxiously at the fresh, vermilion-painted gates.

As the crowd waited impatiently, the gates finally opened.

A beautiful woman in a white dress emerged, accompanied by a group of servants.

She swept her gaze over the refugees outside the residence. Her eyes were like those of someone looking at a patch of weeds, and she seemed almost disgusted at the thought of getting any closer.

She murmured an order to a burly guard standing behind her, and he stepped forward in her place, shouting at the refugees:

"Anyone who wants to become a guard at the Li Residence, come over and line up!"

At his shout, everyone obediently formed a line, desperate to stay alive.

Shen Chu wasn't very lucky. He was pushed straight to the back.

The line was long, and people ahead of him were craning to see what was happening. Shen Chu couldn't make out anything, and could only hear the burly guard's rough voice.

"Ding-grade, lower tier. You can leave!"

"Ding-grade, upper tier. Leave, too."

"Bing-grade, lower tier. Stay."

One refugee after another left, looking utterly dejected.

The familiar-sounding lines reminded Shen Chu of a xuanhuan wuxia webnovel he'd read.

Could they be testing our bone aptitude?

In fantasy novels, people had something called bone aptitude.

The better one's bone aptitude, the easier it was to cultivate martial arts, and the faster one could break through.

Judging by the grades the guard was announcing, bone aptitude in this world could tentatively be divided into Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding.

Ding-grade was probably the worst.

Bing-grade was enough to meet the requirements for becoming a guard at the Li Residence.

As for Jia and Yi, the grades above Bing, none had appeared yet.

I wonder what grade my bone aptitude will be.

Shen Chu was both anxious and uneasy.

As time passed, fewer and fewer people remained ahead of him, while more and more walked away.

Almost eighty percent of the crowd had already left.

Shen Chu grew more and more panicked.

So many people hadn't been selected. Bing-grade bone aptitude was clearly rare, too.

If I'm not selected, won't that leave me with no way out...

Just as Shen Chu started to panic, the line reached him.

The burly guard merely glanced at him, then looked impatient. He gave Shen Chu's frail body a casual pat and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

A pain that pierced to the bone shot through him. Thankfully, Shen Chu managed to hold back his cry,

though his face had already flushed red.

The next second, the burly guard waved him away like a fly. "Ding-grade, middle tier. Next."

The refugee behind him immediately stepped forward, pushing Shen Chu to the side. His heart sank.

I wasn't selected. It's over!

Just as Shen Chu despaired, he failed to notice the curious gaze resting on his face.

It belonged to the woman in white, whose status was a cut above even that of the guards.

She glanced at Shen Chu, then chuckled. "Your bone aptitude is quite poor. You probably won't make it as a guard, but you look decent and seem honest enough. Would you be interested in joining our Li Family's Sword-Forging Room?"

On his way here, Shen Chu had heard that the Li Family was renowned for forging blades. A weapon made for a Martial Artist could even fetch a hundred taels.

Though bladesmiths spent all day beside blazing furnaces and had a far less comfortable life than guards, for him, this was already a miraculous escape from certain doom!

"Thank you, miss! I'd be glad to!"

He hadn't expected to end up relying on his own face after all. Shen Chu thanked the woman in white excitedly, making the smile in her eyes deepen.

"Then report to the Sword-Forging Room. A master will teach you."

She beckoned him over, about to ask Shen Chu a few more questions,

when the guard responsible for testing bone aptitude suddenly cried out, "It's Yi-grade, upper tier!"

The woman in white immediately lost interest in speaking with Shen Chu. She turned and hurried toward the front of the line, where a very tall young man stood.

He was the one who'd been found to have Yi-grade, upper-tier bone aptitude!

Shen Chu's feelings grew complicated. He'd just been about to step closer and curry a little more favor when that young man had stolen the moment.

Before Shen Chu could get a clear look at him, a servant had already come over.

"What are you standing there for? I'll take you to the Sword-Forging Room."

Shen Chu had no choice but to follow.

Only after entering the Li Residence did Shen Chu realize just how grand it was.

Pavilions and waterside terraces abounded, their jade-green tiles and vermilion eaves gleaming brilliantly.

As the servant walked, he explained the rules of the residence.

"As a bladesmith, you may only spend your time in the Sword-Forging Courtyard. You mustn't wander wherever you please."

"If you encounter the master, madam, young master, or young miss, you must bow. You mustn't look them directly in the eye."

After memorizing all the tedious rules, Shen Chu was taken to the so-called Sword-Forging Courtyard.

The courtyard was indeed very large. Even before they reached the entrance, he could hear the clanging of metal being hammered inside, and the sizzling of blades being quenched.

The air was thick with the distinctive smell of iron.

The servant led him through the door, and a wave of scorching heat rushed toward them, drying out Shen Chu's lips.