Blacksmith Profession

The shouting was loud enough to draw a crowd.

Qin An heard it and walked over.

Outside the Blacksmith Shop, the bare-chested blacksmith's face was flushed red.

A middle-aged man in silk said disdainfully, "It may be an old shop, but what use is it besides housing a forge? I'd have to pay to renovate it. You're lucky anyone's willing to buy it."

The blacksmith argued, "The ironwork inside could fetch a fair sum, and the furnace could be dismantled and sold too. You're trying to cheat me because I'm closing up shop."

The middle-aged man waved his sleeve impatiently. "Then don't sell. It's not as if I'm eager to buy."

With that, the middle-aged man turned and left.

The blacksmith made no move to stop him. He sat down by the door and smoked his pipe, muttering between puffs, "I work with my hands, but I'm no fool. Don't think you can take advantage of me."

With nothing more to watch, the onlookers prepared to leave.

Qin An stopped one of them and asked, "What were they arguing about?"

The man was about to lose his temper, but for some reason, he felt a chill coming from Qin An and instinctively shrank back.

"Blacksmith Sun wants to move to the next county and sell his shop, but the buyer offered too little. He's sulking over it."

Qin An looked at the blacksmith sitting by the door, lost in thought.

The man pulled his collar tighter, muttered that it was cold, and slipped away while Qin An wasn't looking.

Qin An rubbed his chin.

What the man had said, along with Blacksmith Sun's mention of working with his hands, gave him an idea.

Working with his hands meant strength, didn't it?

Qin An had the Mountain-Lifting Fist, but the technique had a requirement: strength.

The Mountain-Lifting Fist manual said that someone born with divine strength could advance a thousand miles in a day.

If he raised the Blacksmith Profession to level three and gained a talent related to strength, wouldn't he be able to practice the Mountain-Lifting Fist?

Even if the talent had nothing to do with strength, judging by the blacksmith's corded muscles, the benefits couldn't be small.

While Qin An was thinking, Blacksmith Sun noticed him. The way Qin An stared made his skin crawl.

"Is there soot on my face?" Blacksmith Sun rubbed his right cheek, but his hand came away clean.

Qin An approached him. "How much for the Blacksmith Shop?"

Blacksmith Sun looked puzzled and held up three fingers.

Qin An thought the price was reasonable and nodded. "I'll buy it."

Blacksmith Sun froze. "You'll buy it?"

He had already given up hope of selling the shop.

The crooked merchant had been rude and had driven the price down hard, but he had made a fair point.

The shop was full of blacksmithing equipment. Anyone buying it for another purpose would have to pay a considerable sum to clear it out.

But to run a forge, a person needed strength. Without that, what kind of blacksmith could they be?

Now Qin An said he would buy the shop. Blacksmith Sun didn't care what he planned to do with it; he was just glad he might finally sell it.

"But I have one condition," Qin An said.

Blacksmith Sun came to his senses and asked cautiously, "What condition?"

As long as it wasn't too unreasonable, or another attempt to slash the price, he could agree to it.

Qin An pointed at the shop. "I want you to teach me blacksmithing. Nothing advanced—the basics will do."

That only confused Blacksmith Sun more.

He wanted to buy the shop and learn blacksmithing too?

The young man hardly looked like someone accustomed to physical labor.

The three bitter trades under heaven were poling boats, forging iron, and grinding tofu. People didn't say that as a joke.

Qin An nodded. "Well? Will you do it?"

To unlock a profession, Qin An at least needed to learn its basics. With an experienced smith teaching him, he could unlock it faster.

As for why he wanted to learn blacksmithing, there was no need to explain.

This was a business deal. Blacksmith Sun could take it or leave it.

After thinking it over, Blacksmith Sun said, "Fine. But I can only teach you for three days. Then I have to leave."

"Let's sign the papers," Qin An said.

Without further talk, Blacksmith Sun took Qin An to complete the paperwork, and they finished all the formalities.

By the time they were done, it was noon.

Qin An ate a quick meal, then pulled Blacksmith Sun back to the shop to learn the forging process.

Blacksmith Sun had never seen a young man so impatient to begin. Knowing the sooner he finished teaching, the sooner he could leave, he began instructing Qin An carefully.

Flames rose in the furnace, giving off fierce heat.

Blacksmith Sun explained while Qin An followed his instructions.

"Relax your first two fingers, curl the other three loosely, open the web of your hand, and keep your wrist level. Don't let it droop."

"Turn your body to the side and squat. Use your waist and hips to rotate your upper body and take the strain off your arm."

Qin An listened intently, his understanding of forging deepening with every instruction.

Forging involved many steps: smelting, cutting grooves, hammering, quenching, tempering, flattening, grinding, sharpening, oiling, and more.

There were two hammers as well. One person used a large hammer, the other a small one.

Everything before him was new to Qin An, and he became increasingly absorbed in it.

Then afternoon came.

Qin An wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You can leave tomorrow. I don't need any more lessons."

Blacksmith Sun paused, unable to understand why.

But Qin An had said he no longer needed teaching, and Blacksmith Sun wanted nothing more than to leave. He hurriedly packed his things and left the shop.

A line of mist appeared before Qin An's eyes.

[Blacksmith Profession lv.1 (0/100): The quality of items you forge improves slightly]

[Talent: None]

Perhaps it was because of the Scholar Profession, but unlocking this new profession hadn't taken Qin An long.

For now, though, Qin An didn't continue practicing.

He had spent the entire afternoon at it, and sunset clouds were spreading across the sky.

If he practiced at night, the neighbors would probably curse him and his mother.

After a moment's thought, Qin An tidied up and headed home.

He had unlocked a new profession. He would return tomorrow to keep practicing.

On the way back, the sunset gradually faded.

By the time Qin An reached the alley outside his home, night had settled over the land.

Scattered moonlight fell across the alley. Qin An followed it deeper in.

The moment he entered, his nose twitched. Something was wrong.

"There's blood in the air."

Qin An had worked as a butcher and was exceptionally sensitive to the smell of blood. He needed only a moment to recognize it.

This was an ordinary little alley. Why would it smell of blood?

Qin An drew the Sharp Knife from his waist, softened his footsteps, and advanced slowly.

After another hundred steps, his door was close.

But the bloody scene outside it made him frown.

Three Pig Demons crouched on the ground, tearing into the flesh before them.

Between them stood a Wild Boar Demon over three meters tall, gnawing on a length of bone.

The Wild Boar Demon's belly was round, its black fur as stiff as Steel Spines. Blood dripped in a thin stream from the fur around its mouth.

Scraps of flower-patterned clothing lay on the ground. Qin An recognized them.

They belonged to a sweet girl who lived in the alley.

She was thin and had no use of her legs. She earned a living doing needlework.

Not long ago, she had told Qin An she would make him a pair of gloves for the winter.

Qin An sighed. His eyes hardened, and he walked toward the Wild Boar Demon.