Sword-Forging Man

Early morning, Changping County.

The thin mist had yet to disperse.

The entrance to the Li Residence was already packed with people.

Most of these people were dressed in rags, gaunt and sallow, their eyes hollow and listless.

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

The reason they had gathered before the Li Residence was entirely due to a notice posted by the Li Family:

Any able-bodied young man could come to the Li Residence to apply as a house guard.

For these refugees, this notice was undoubtedly the final straw of hope before starving to death.

As long as one became a guard for the Li Family, they would have a place to live and food to eat; they would no longer have to worry about the bandits and rebel armies running rampant outside, and they could live in peace!

Shen Chu, standing in a corner, was one of these people.

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

Although he had lost his job, he had at least received a decent severance package, so he spent his days at home playing games and occasionally going out for a foot massage, which was quite pleasant.

Unfortunately, it was because of staying up late for a foot massage that he accidentally transmigrated into this world, inhabiting the body of a man who shared his name and even his exact appearance—a Shen Chu who was currently a refugee fleeing for his life.

As a modern man, even though he had scrolled past short videos on his phone about "how to survive after transmigrating to ancient times,"

he only realized how difficult it truly was when it was his turn to handle it.

Want to make salt?

This world already had methods for salt production, and it was strictly controlled by the government; private salt production was a capital crime punishable by death.

Want to make paper?

Papermaking technology was already widespread!

Though not under government regulation, it had long been monopolized by wealthy merchants in every region.

Even things that only appeared in fantasy novels, like martial artists and demons, existed in this world.

Facing a desperate situation with demons in the shadows and rebel armies at his back, he had no choice but to follow the stream of refugees to Changping County, which had not yet been touched by the chaos of war.

Upon seeing the Li Family's notice for guards, he had hurried over.

For the current Shen Chu, only by becoming a guard could he survive.

Only by surviving first could he consider anything else.

At this moment, Shen Chu was staring longingly at those brand-new, lacquer-red doors.

Under the anxious waiting of the crowd, the doors finally opened.

A woman dressed in white, with a stunningly beautiful face, walked out accompanied by a group of servants.

She swept a faint glance over the refugees outside the gate, her eyes looking as if she were observing a patch of weeds; she even seemed repulsed by their proximity.

She gave an order to a burly guard behind her, and the guard stepped forward in her stead, looking at the refugees and shouting loudly:

"Those who want to enter the Li Residence as guards, come over and line up!"

Following his roar, everyone lined up in an orderly fashion for the sake of survival.

Shen Chu's luck was not great; he was squeezed to the very end of the line.

The line was long, and people in front were leaning sideways to look ahead. Shen Chu couldn't see what was happening at all, only able to hear the burly guard's gruff voice.

"D-grade bone structure, you can go!"

"D-grade upper, also go."

"C-grade lower, stay."

One after another, refugees left in low spirits.

This familiar line of dialogue reminded Shen Chu of a fantasy martial arts web novel he had read.

Could this be testing bone structure?

In the settings of fantasy novels, there was the concept of bone structure.

The higher the bone structure, the easier it was to cultivate martial arts and the faster one could break through bottlenecks.

According to what this guard was announcing, the bone structure of this world could be preliminarily divided into A, B, C, and D.

It stood to reason that D-grade was the worst.

Reaching C-grade was enough to meet the standard for a guard at the Li Residence.

And the A and B grades above C had yet to appear.

I wonder what my bone structure will be?

Shen Chu felt both anxious and uneasy.

As time passed, the number of people in front grew smaller, and more and more people left.

Nearly eighty percent of the total number of people had already departed.

Shen Chu's heart grew increasingly panicked.

With so many people failing to be selected, it was clear that even a C-grade bone structure was extremely rare.

If he wasn't selected, wouldn't that mean certain death...

Just as Shen Chu was feeling a sense of panic, the line reached him.

The burly guard merely glanced at him with impatience, casually patted his thin frame, and placed a palm on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

A pain that pierced deep into his marrow surged in. Fortunately, Shen Chu gritted his teeth and didn't cry out,

though his face had already turned beet red.

The next second, the burly guard waved his hand as if shooing away a fly: "D-grade middle, next."

The refugee behind him immediately stepped up, and Shen Chu was pushed to the side. His heart instantly turned cold.

I wasn't selected, it's over!

Just as Shen Chu was in despair, he didn't notice a curious gaze lingering on his face.

It was the woman in the white dress, whose status was a cut above the guards.

She swept a glance at Shen Chu, then chuckled softly: "Your bone structure is quite poor; I suppose you won't be able to serve as a guard, but your appearance is decent and you look honest enough. Are you interested in entering our Li Family's Sword-Forging Room?"

When he arrived, Shen Chu had heard that the Li Family was famous for forging swords, and a single blade used by a martial artist could sell for as much as a hundred taels.

Although a sword-forging man spent his days accompanied by scorching furnace fires and was not as leisurely as a guard, for him, this was already a chance at survival!

"Many thanks, Milady! This one is naturally willing!"

He hadn't expected that he would rely on his face in the end. Shen Chu thanked the woman in white with excitement, causing the smile in her eyes to deepen:

"Then go report to the Sword-Forging Room; there are specialized masters to teach you."

After saying this, she beckoned, wanting to ask Shen Chu a few more questions,

when the guard responsible for testing bone structures suddenly let out an exclamation: "It's actually B-grade upper bone structure!"

Upon hearing this, the woman in white instantly lost interest in talking to Shen Chu and turned to walk quickly toward the front of the line, where a tall youth was standing.

It was he who had been tested with a B-grade upper bone structure!

Shen Chu felt a complex mix of emotions. He had just wanted to move closer to curry some favor, but he hadn't expected to be interrupted by this person.

Before Shen Chu could even see the man's face clearly, a servant had already walked up:

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

Shen Chu had no choice but to follow.

Once inside the Li Residence, Shen Chu realized just how grand it truly was.

Pavilions and waterside gazebos were all present, and the green tiles and vermilion eaves shone brilliantly.

As they walked, the servant told him about the rules of the residence.

"As a sword-forging man, you may only move about the Sword-Forging Courtyard during your daily activities; you are not to wander about at will."

"When you encounter the Master, the Mistress, the Young Master, or the Young Miss, you must bow; you are not to raise your eyes to look directly at them."

After memorizing these tedious rules one by one, Shen Chu was brought to the so-called Sword-Forging Courtyard.

The courtyard was indeed very large. As soon as he reached the entrance, he could hear the ding-ding-dang-dang sounds of iron being hammered inside, or the hissing of blades being quenched.

The air was permeated with the unique scent of ironware.

The servant led him through the doors, and a wave of scorching heat rushed toward them, blowing against Shen Chu and making his lips dry.