The two soon returned home. Their house stood at the southern end of the village, with a wooden board bearing a hammer emblem hanging on the door. Across the continent, the hammer was synonymous with blacksmiths, and their father, Tang Hao, was the village's only blacksmith.
Several skinned pheasants, rabbits, and other wild game hung drying on bamboo poles in the courtyard, their surfaces roasted by the sun to a glossy golden brown.
"San, go wake Dad up. I'll dish out the porridge," Tang Xuan said. A pot filled to the brim with meat porridge simmered on the stove; the brothers had prepared it before heading out that morning. They certainly couldn't count on Tang Hao to cook. Ever since Tang Xuan had taken over the cooking, he had rarely bothered looking after the brothers.
"Okay, got it, big brother." Tang San immediately ran inside.
By the time Tang San came out, Tang Xuan had finished serving the pot of meat porridge. Its delicate aroma drifted through the house. The meat came from wild game Tang Xuan and Tang San had caught by setting traps in the forest-the same game hanging in the courtyard. There were no Soul Beasts in the forests around the village, but wild game abounded. Tang Xuan couldn't stomach the kind of hard, meager life Tang San had led before. Both brothers were still growing and needed proper nourishment; becoming as scrawny as Tang San had been in the original story simply wouldn't do. Selling the animals' pelts also helped cover household expenses. Naturally, any money they earned stayed firmly in Tang Xuan's hands. If they gave it to Tang Hao, he might spend every last coin on wine. Over the past few years, Tang Xuan had already built up a small nest egg. Tang San sat down at the table and waited with Tang Xuan for Tang Hao to come out.
A middle-aged man emerged from the room Tang San had just left, his hair a tangled mess, his face unshaven and sallow, as though he still hadn't woken up. As he approached, the reek of alcohol washed over them; one glance was enough to tell he was hungover. This was Tang Xuan and Tang San's father, Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo whose name had once shaken the continent, yet also a pitiful man. Looking at Tang Hao's dispirited appearance, Tang Xuan sighed inwardly. Having watched his wife take her own life in sacrifice before his very eyes, powerless to stop her, the agony in his heart was easy to imagine.
"Dad, the porridge is ready. Come eat," Tang Xuan said. His fondness for Tang Hao in the original story had rivaled even his fondness for its protagonist, Tang San. In this life, Tang Hao had become his own father, and he respected him deeply.
"Mm," Tang Hao replied flatly, offering only that single sound. He sat down and began gulping the porridge from his bowl. More than half the pot ended up in his stomach, but what remained was still enough to fill Tang Xuan and Tang San's bellies. Before long, the father and his two sons had emptied the brimming pot. After drinking the porridge, a faint flush returned to Tang Hao's pale face.
"Xuan, San, if any work comes in, accept it for now. I'll do it this afternoon. I'm going back to sleep for a while." With that, Tang Hao turned to head into his room.
"Dad, can I use that piece of iron?" Tang San asked, pointing toward a piece of iron in the corner.
Hearing this, Tang Hao turned to look at the corner Tang San was pointing at. "Oh, there's actually a piece of iron essence here. San, do you want to become a blacksmith?" Before Tang San could answer, however, he added, "Never mind. Use it if you want." With that, he went into his room without another backward glance.
"San, are you planning to forge hidden weapons?" Tang Xuan asked.
"Yes, big brother. Once we've undergone Martial Soul Awakening and leave home, we'll need something to defend ourselves with. So I want to make two Silent Sleeve Sword Arrows. They're among the simpler hidden weapons of the Tang Sect, and they're something I can make with what we have now," Tang San said earnestly. Well, Tang Xuan shouldn't have asked. What else would this kid want iron for? He shook his head helplessly.
The Tang Sect had been Tang San's faith in his previous life, and even in this other world, it haunted his soul and dreams. Until he encountered this world's greatest powers, hidden weapons were what he trusted most.
Tang San thought that even if he couldn't awaken a good martial soul, he could still carve out a place of his own with hidden weapons. Tang Sect, I will make you a glorious presence in this other world. I will. A confident, resolute strength surged in Tang San's eyes.
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