Bringing Dinner

"Not enough." Wu Changkong shook his head. "The batch I bought yesterday is only enough for my own battle armor, and only for the main framework."

"The characteristics of the four of your martial souls are all different... so the types and proportions of materials needed for each set of battle armor will be different as well."

"The quantity and variety we need to buy will be extensive, far beyond what we got yesterday."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the four of them. "This semester, you'll first study the theoretical foundations. Get a solid grasp of metallurgy, soul power theory, and the principles of basic inscription."

"Once the semester ends and vacation begins, we'll go to Kangxin City together, choose the materials on-site, and decide on the plans there."

"Kangxin City?" Shui Yue'er tilted her head, tapping her chin with one finger. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Kangxin City, the City of Steel," Xue Wu said. "It's the Heaven Dou Empire's largest distribution center for metal ores. Half the people in the entire city deal with ore."

"The rare metals in Uncle Tie Meng's shop all come from the mines in Kangxin City."

"And my family lives in Kangxin City too. I can be your guide when the time comes, and you can try Kangxin City's specialty, glutinous rice."

At that, Shui Yue'er's eyes lit up. "Glutinous rice? Great, great!"

Gu Qingbo said, "The way the class monitor is acting, he's kind of like a teacher."

"Do I really seem like one?"

Shui Yue'er reached out to pat Wu Changkong on the shoulder. "Now that Xiaobo mentions it, you really do. Think about it—you stand so straight, speak so seriously, and even assign us homework. Changkong would definitely be suited to being a teacher someday! We should call you Teacher Wu."

"Then would you like to copy the basic repairman's notes ten times right now?"

"No!" Shui Yue'er immediately pulled back her hand and hid behind her sister, only half her face peeking out as she warily watched Wu Changkong. "You're not a teacher. You're my brother-in-law—no, my future brother-in-law."

"Yue'er..."

After the afternoon theory class ended, the dismissal bell finally rang.

Wu Changkong packed his textbooks and notes into his storage belt, greeted Bing'er and the others, then strode toward the academy gates.

The signboard of the blacksmith shop was already visible in the distance, accompanied by the clanging of hammer on iron.

He stood outside the shop for a moment, looking at the familiar furnace fire and anvil.

The sight suddenly left him in a daze. He attended classes and cultivated at the academy during the day, then rushed to the blacksmith shop after school to swing a hammer and earn money.

It reminded him of Tang Wulin. That kid had been the same back then, constantly running between the academy and the blacksmith shop.

Cultivating by day, forging at night, exhausted like a dog yet never once complaining.

He had never expected that after living again, he would end up leading a life so similar to Tang Wulin's.

He shook his head, throwing off the brief haze in his mind, and stepped into the shop. "Uncle Tie, I'm here."

Tie Meng looked up, his bald head covered in sweat.

He grinned. "Perfect timing. I just got an order for two woodcutting knives. The customer needs them tomorrow morning, and I was just worried about being short-handed."

"Warm up first and forge these two knives."

"There's also an order for a set of knee guards. See if you can make those too while you're at it."

Wu Changkong nodded and walked to his workstation. He skillfully checked the furnace temperature and the water temperature in the quenching pool, then took two refined iron billets from the rack and shoved them into the hottest layer of charcoal in the furnace.

The bellows roared in his hands as the iron gradually changed from ash-gray to dark red.

Then he gripped the first billet with tongs, set it steadily on the anvil, and swung the fifteen-pound long-handled iron hammer in his right hand.

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

The hammering that followed became one continuous stream, the interval between each strike almost exactly the same.

Tie Meng was cutting material for the knee guards nearby. Every so often, he glanced toward Wu Changkong's workstation, his eyes filled with both admiration and a hint of wistfulness.

This kid said he had learned forging from his father since childhood. It definitely wasn't bragging. This level of skill required at least seven or eight years of experience.

The two woodcutting knives gradually took shape beneath Wu Changkong's hands.

He smoothed the blades, forged symmetrical bevels along both edges, and made the transition from spine to edge as smooth as if measured with a ruler.

For the final step, quenching, he submerged the orange-red blades into the quenching pool at precisely the right angle and speed.

With a sharp sizzle, white mist surged up. The water churned violently before gradually settling.

He drew the short blade from the water, its edge now an even dark gray.

He flicked the blade with a finger, and a crisp, lingering hum echoed through the forge.

He placed the two knives on the finished goods rack, then immediately started on the knee guards...

By seven in the evening, the sky had long since turned dark.

Wu Changkong had just fished the knee guards from the quenching pool when someone lifted the curtain at the forge entrance from outside.

Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er stood in the doorway.

Shui Yue'er carried two stacked food containers in her hands.

"Changkong, we brought you dinner!" Shui Yue'er said as she skipped over.

"Why did you bring me food? I was just thinking of going out to eat later."

"My sister said you definitely hadn't eaten while forging, so she specially went to the cafeteria to get this for you."

Shui Bing'er followed behind her, looking a little embarrassed.

"Eat quickly. It won't taste good once it gets cold."

"Thank you. You even made a special trip here."

"Uncle Tie, I'm going to eat first."

"Sure."

Wu Changkong then left the forge and went to the wooden table in the storefront. He lifted the lids, and steam rushed toward his face.

Braised pork, poached chicken, vegetables, pork bone soup, and fragrant white rice filled the air with their aroma.

"Have you two eaten?" He picked up his chopsticks.

"We have."

Shui Bing'er nodded. Her gaze lingered on his coal-smudged face for a few seconds before she pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. "Wipe your face. It's covered in ash."

"About when do you get off work?"

"Probably another two hours." Wu Changkong wiped his face with the handkerchief. "There's still a batch of rough farm tools that need to be finished. The customer is coming to pick them up early tomorrow morning."

"You should head back and rest first. We still have class tomorrow, so there's no need to wait for me."

"Alright, we'll go first. Don't stay too late." Shui Bing'er nodded, grabbed Shui Yue'er, who still wanted to linger, and turned toward the door.

After the two left, Wu Changkong sat at the wooden table and shoveled food into his mouth from the containers. He ate fast and fiercely, completely unlike the slow, refined way he ate in the academy cafeteria.

He bit into a piece of braised pork. It was fatty but not greasy, rich with sauce, and he devoured it bite after bite with white rice.

Just as he was eating with full focus, Tie Meng's apprentice, Big Ox, returned from the back courtyard after moving iron materials and stopped for water. As he passed the wooden table, his steps halted, his eyes settling on the handkerchief in Wu Changkong's hand.

He walked over, plopped down beside Wu Changkong, and lowered his voice. "Changkong, is that your girlfriend? I'm so jealous. Someone even brings you food specially."

Wu Changkong swallowed the food in his mouth and corrected him. "She's my classmate. She isn't my girlfriend yet."

"Classmate?"

Big Ox blinked, then suddenly choked violently on his water. He pounded his chest as he coughed.

"Wait... classmate? The only soul master academy nearby is Heavenwater Academy, but doesn't Heavenwater Academy only accept girls? Could it be that you..."