"Dad," Tang San called suddenly, pointing to a piece of pig iron in the corner. "Can I use that iron? I want to make a few things."
After cultivating in this world for several years, Tang San had been unable to achieve a breakthrough in his Mysterious Heaven Skill. He planned to forge some of the hidden weapons he excelled at making, in case he needed them.
At his words, Tang Hao turned his gaze toward the pig iron. "Oh? There's actually iron essence in this piece." He walked over and bent down to examine it, then turned to Tang San. "Use it if you want. Just don't let it get in the way of making dinner."
With that, Tang Hao returned to his room to sleep.
"All right." Tang San nodded.
Tang San felt thoroughly content with Tang Hao's presence. In this life, he thought, at least he had someone he could call Dad.
Watching Tang Hao's lethargic figure retreat, Xiao Yan clutched his stomach, hollow with hunger. A self-mocking smile tugged at his lips, and he could not help shaking his head. He was deeply disappointed in this father.
For someone from a feudal era like Tang San, blood ties always seemed to mean love. But for a young man from modern society like Xiao Yan, there could be no real affection between people who had never built a relationship through spending time together.
Love never arose out of thin air.
Xiao Yan even felt a little disgusted by this hollow pretense of familial affection.
Tang San went over, picked up the pig iron, and placed it directly on the forge beside the bellows. Once the charcoal was lit, he could begin forging it.
"Brother, sorry for the trouble, but could you light the fire for me?" Tang San turned toward Xiao Yan, his voice clear and calm.
"All right." Xiao Yan nodded. With a bowl of thin porridge in his belly, he had regained a little strength. He lit the charcoal and worked the bellows. They wheezed with each pull, and scorching flames rose from the charcoal furnace.
Looking at the fiercely burning flames, Xiao Yan kept feeling something strange. He discovered that he seemed to have a powerful ability to control fire. With his thoughts alone, he could change the shape of the flames burning in the furnace.
Why is this happening? Xiao Yan stood slightly dazed, unable to understand it. Tang San, of course, noticed none of this.
Clang!
Once the pig iron had gradually turned red-hot, Tang San picked up the forging hammer and struck it hard, producing a crisp ring.
In the inner room, Tang Hao was already snoring on his bed.
After arriving in this world, Xiao Yan had learned from the villagers that it was called the Douluo Continent and had two great empires. One was the Heaven Dou Empire, where he now lived.
The other was the Star Luo Empire to the south.
Fasinuo Province, where Holy Soul Village was located, lay at the junction of the two empires. Nearby Nuoding City was very close to the Star Luo Empire's border.
During that time, Xiao Yan had also learned from the villagers that everyone on the Douluo Continent possessed something called a martial soul. A martial soul could be part of the body, an animal, a plant, or an object.
At six years old, people could awaken their martial souls through an awakening ceremony. If someone's martial soul was a hoe, then that person would be somewhat better at tilling fields than others.
If the martial soul was an animal, its owner could gain some of that animal's basic abilities. Thus, martial souls had become an important presence capable of changing people's lives.
Xiao Yan also wanted very much to know what his martial soul would be.
A hammer? Fire? Or the blue silver grass that grew everywhere?
More important than a martial soul, however, was the soul power people hoped would appear. In this world, everyone possessed a martial soul, but not everyone possessed soul power.
Several hours later.
It was now afternoon, and Tang Hao was forging farm tools.
"Is Blacksmith Tang home?" A somewhat aged voice came from outside.
"Mm." At the sound, Tang Hao gave an indifferent grunt.
Hearing that voice, Xiao Yan knew the old village chief, Grandpa Jack, had arrived. He hurried out of the house and saw an elderly man in his sixties. Though tall and lean, the man was hale and hearty, and his clothes were clean and tidy.
Compared with his father, Tang Hao, he was the opposite extreme.
The village chief was a kindly old man. A few years earlier, when Tang Hao's family had been at its hardest-pressed, he had often brought them food.
For that reason, Xiao Yan deeply respected the old village chief. He remembered every person who treated him well.
Tang Hao, however, thought nothing of it. He was always cool toward the old village chief, even looking down on him somewhat, simply because the chief was less than ten years older than him yet insisted on standing a generation above him.
For that reason alone, Tang Hao had always felt rather annoyed with the old village chief.
"Grandpa Chief, you're here." Xiao Yan approached Old Jack and bowed respectfully.
"Oh, little Yan! Come, let Grandpa have a look at you." Old Jack patted Xiao Yan's head and led him inside.
"Old Jack, what do you want?" Tang Hao asked coldly.
Old Jack seemed accustomed to Tang Hao's attitude. "Tang Hao, your two sons are almost six, aren't they? They should attend the awakening ceremony in three days. Don't be late."
"If only our village could produce a soul master! That would bring glory to our ancestors!"
Tang Hao glanced at Old Jack and yawned. "Better to produce a cook than a soul master. I'm so hungry right now..."
"Tang Hao... how dare you insult soul masters?" As though Tang Hao had touched a dragon's forbidden scale, Old Jack roared at him, "You should know the place soul masters hold in my heart! If I hear you say anything like that again, I'll drive you out of the village! If not for your two children, do you think I'd willingly come to this dog kennel?"
"..." Despite Old Jack's rebuke, Tang Hao did not grow angry. He simply continued hammering the farm tool in his hands.
"Ah..." Old Jack sighed, then turned to Xiao Yan and Tang San. "I'll be going now. Little San, little Yan, take good care of yourselves."
"Grandpa will come get you in three days."
With that, Old Jack gave Tang Hao a fierce glare before leaving his smithy.
"Take care, Grandpa Jack." Xiao Yan waved to Old Jack.
Night fell, and dinner was over.
Tang Hao headed outside as he always did. For him, it was a matter of routine: going out to drink the cheapest, foulest ale.
The three days passed quickly. Tang San still ran to the mountaintop every morning to cultivate his Purple Demon Eye and Mysterious Heaven Skill.
As for Xiao Yan, besides cooking with Tang San each day, he secretly used the flames in the furnace to practice some simple fire-control techniques. He also hammered and forged pieces of pig iron to strengthen his body.
Xiao Yan himself did not know why he could control the shape of flames.
He kept feeling that it was a special ability bestowed on him by heaven.
"Little Yan, little San, Grandpa's here to get you." Old Jack arrived at the smithy on time. Perhaps because of his disgust with Tang Hao, he did not even go inside this time, instead standing outside the door and calling softly.
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