It was still dark, so Qin Tiexin got up quietly, dressed and pushed open the door. It was cold in spring, and the morning mist covered the quiet courtyard like a gauze.
Go to the open space in the backyard and get ready.
"Old Qin Household Body Tempering Method" was the first to reciprocate. The breathing was deep Dantian, and the airflow slowly circulated in the body with the movement. The muscles stretched and the bones crackled slightly. The sleep stagnation of the night was gradually dispelled.
After eight back-and-forth exercises, she was as white as a fish belly. Her whole body was steaming with steam, and her single clothes clinging to her body outlined the contours of muscles like rocks. At the age of seventeen, she was nearly nine feet tall, and she stood like an iron tower.
Take a breath and grab Edgeless against the wall.
A heavy sense of solidity came from the heavy knife. I closed my eyes, adjusted my breathing and then--
"Mountain Collapse!"
The blade of the blade tore through the air from bottom to top, making a dull whistling sound. Before the sword's power was fully exerted, it turned into a horizontal slash with a twist of the wrist.
"Sever the Flow!"
The light of the sword seemed to be splitting the fog in front of him into two. Before the first level of sword power was exhausted, the second level was already superimposed, and the air was squeezed, making a whining sound.
Finally, the knife's power suddenly stopped, Edgeless Heavy Saber changed from extreme motion to extremely still, and the tip of the knife touched the ground.
"Return to Stillness."
All the momentum was instantly restrained, as if the power of Sever the Flow when he opened the mountain just now was just an illusion. Qin Tiexin stood with the knife and his breathing was steady. Only the slight beads of sweat on his forehead proved that the drill just now was not easy.
Sheathed the knife and slowly exhaled the turbid air. A long line of white air came out of the cold morning mist.
"Good knife skills."
The voice came from under the eaves. Zhou Cang stood there leaning on a wooden stick and stared for an unknown amount of time. He changed into clean cloth clothes and had his hair combed. Although his legs were lame, his waist was straight and his eyes were bright.
Qin Tiexin turned around. "Teacher got up early."
"I'm too old to sleep well." Zhou Cang limped over and looked at Edgeless in Qin Tiexin's hand, "Did you master this sword technique on your own?"
"Yeah. I figured this out after using it a lot on the battlefield."
"How many styles?"
"Three types. Mountain Collapse, Sever the Flow, Return to Stillness."
"The name is realistic." Zhou Cang smiled, "The sword skills are also realistic. It's not fancy, it's just chopping and closing. But the change of power inside is not simple."
Qin Tiexin didn't say anything. Zhou Cang The master saw the trick at a glance.
"However," Zhou Cang changed the subject, "These three moves of yours are too 'heavy'."
Qin Tiexin looked at him.
"It's a good thing to lose ten points with one force." Zhou Cang said, "But have you ever thought about what happens if your opponent doesn't confront you head-on? What if your opponent Movement Method is faster than you and doesn't let you hit? What if your opponent uses clever power to unload your strength?"
Qin Tiexin thought for a while, "Then chase him and hit him until you hit him."
Zhou Cang was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and coughed. "Okay! What a 'chasing him and slashing'! Simple and direct! Yes, there are so many twists and turns on the battlefield. A swordsmanship that can kill someone is a good swordsmanship!"
After smiling, he said seriously, "But you are no longer on the battlefield now. If you encounter a real master of martial arts or... something else in the future, just relying on 'heavy' may not be enough."
Qin Tiexin nodded. "Please give me some advice."
"I can't teach you how to use the sword." Zhou Cang shook his head, "You have to walk your own way. All I can say is to look and think more. Those who die with the sword will live. The moves are fixed, but how to use them and when to use them will make you alive."
Qin Tiexin is thoughtful.
At this time, Tu Dazhu rubbed his eyes and came out of the wing. He saw Qin Tiexin already practicing and scratching his head. "Brother Qin, you are so early."
"I'm used to it. Get water to heat the stove and get ready to start it."
"Okay!" Tu Dazhu responded. Although he only had one hand left, he moved quickly and quickly filled the water tank and cleaned the ash from the stove.
Zhou Nan also got up. This child was diligent and went to hold firewood and pull the bellows to preheat the stove without being asked.
After breakfast - Qin Tiexin still five steamed buns, two bowls of porridge and a large plate of pickles - the shop officially opened.
The fire rose and the orange-red light illuminated half of the shop. Zhou Nan pulled the bellows and huffed and puffed. Qin Tiexin was shirtless, revealing his muscular upper body, and his muscles undulated under the firelight like bronze.
I'm going to cut a kitchen knife today.
It is still the most common style but uses solid materials. The red-hot iron block is clamped out and placed on the anvil.
"Clang!"
The first hammer fell and sparks flew everywhere.
Qin Tiexin forged carefully. He folded, forged, folded and forged again. He had to beat out the impurities in the iron material as much as possible to make the structure more compact. The impact point of each hammer force was precisely controlled. What master Qin Feng taught was also what he had learned from countless beatings.
Zhou Cang moved a chair and sat next to him, watching from time to time.
"Punch two more hammers here to get the tendons out."
"Don't rush to open the blade and then fire back."
"When quenching, the angle is a little bit more sharp to make the edge of the blade harder and the back of the blade stronger."
Qin Tiexin did it one by one. Zhou Cang came out of A Thousand Hammerings and a Hundred Refinements on the battlefield through experience. It is practical and has no pretentiousness.
It was almost noon when I finished the three kitchen knives. Qin Tiexin polished the knives and put them on the wooden handles and put them on the shelf at the door of the shop. The price was listed: forty cents.
It's ten cents more expensive than a hatchet, but the blade is thicker and the edge treatment is more sophisticated.
Soon a neighbor came over to see it. He picked up the kitchen knife and weighed it with his fingers to test the edge. Without saying anything, he took out forty coins and said, "I want this one! It will definitely cut meat quickly!"
Butcher Zhang also came. He is an expert. When he saw the edge treatment and the quality of the steel, his eyes lit up. "Hey, this knife is made of unusual iron! It's worth forty cents!"
Two kitchen knives were sold quickly, and one was left.
A man in satin clothes who looked like a butler came over to look at the knife and asked, "Can it be customized?"
Qin Tiexin raised his head. "What to customize?"
"Our master wants to buy a sword, not fancy, but Sharpness, strong." The butler said, "The price is easy to talk about."
Qin Tiexin looked at Zhou Cang. Zhou Cang nodded.
"Yes. What size? How much does it weigh? Are there any special requirements?"
The butler explained the requirements in detail. The three-foot Azure Edge Sword body should be narrow but thick enough, the sword spine should be straight, and the center of gravity should be stable. Qin Tiexin Write it down one by one.
"The goods will be picked up after one or two days of deposit. The total price is five taels." Qin Tiexin quoted the price.
The butler was surprised. "Five taels? Heavenly Craft Workshop A customized sword costs at least ten taels."
"I am Qin Household Blacksmith Shop." Qin Tiexin only said one sentence.
The housekeeper thought for a moment and took out a tael of silver, "Okay! I'll pick it up in ten days."
Send away the butler Qin Tiexin and put away a tael of silver. The opening income of the shop has exceeded 200 taels plus a tael of deposit. It is a good start for the newly reopened shop.
Zhou Nan made lunch. Simple cabbage stewed with tofu and pasted with pancakes. Qin Tiexin ate six pancakes and most of the pot dish. Tu Dazhu also ate four pancakes. Zhou Cang ate less but still very solid. Zhou Nan swallowed quietly watching them eat - I have never seen such a good eater.
Qin Tiexin didn't rest after eating. He called Tu Dazhu Zhou Nan to the anvil.
"From today on, you will officially learn to blacksmith." Qin Tiexin said, "Dazhu, although you only have one hand left, you still have strength. I will first teach you how to identify iron materials and see how hot they are."
Pick up pig iron and wrought iron steel. "Pig iron is brittle and hard but easy to break; wrought iron is soft and tough but not hard enough; steel should have a balance of hardness and toughness. To make iron, you must first know what you have in your hands."
Tu Dazhu Listen carefully and touch different iron materials with one hand to feel the texture.
"Look at the heat." Qin Tiexin pointed to the furnace, "There are particularities in what color the iron should be pinched out, what color should be forged, what color should be quenched. If the heat is not high enough, it won't be able to be broken; if the heat is too high, the iron will become 'old' and brittle."
Demonstrate several times. Tu Dazhu stares without blinking.
It's Zhou Nan's turn.
"If you are young and don't have enough strength, start by pulling the bellows." Qin Tiexin said, "Don't underestimate the bellows. If the fire is strong, the wind will be big and if the wind is small, it will be small. When blacksmithing, when to make a big fire and when to slow down, it all depends on the person who pulls the bellows."
Zhou Nan nodded vigorously. "I understand!"
"In addition to pulling the bellows, you should also learn to watch." Qin Tiexin said, "Watch how I lower the hammer, how to read the fire, and how to listen to the sound. The sound of hammering can tell you the condition of the iron."
The shop was full of fireworks all afternoon. Qin Tiexin was working on his own while giving instructions to the two of them. Zhou Cang occasionally interjecting a few words was the key.
The shop closed in the evening. Qin Tiexin divided today's income as usual. He left fifty cents for himself and thirty cents for each of Zhou Cang Tu Dazhu Zhou Nan.
Zhou Cang didn't ask for it this time, "My old man is staying here with you for food and accommodation. Why do you need money? Keep it for buying things for the shop."
Qin Tiexin insisted. "It's what I deserve. Teacher, your advice is my reward."
Zhou Cang looked at him and refused to accept it anymore.
In the evening Qin Tiexin started studying prosthetics again.
The day before, I had more specific ideas for the simulation in the Void Realm. I looked for paper and pens - I bought rough straw paper and charcoal strips. I started sketching under the oil lamp.
First draw the Tu Dazhu iron hand. The whole thing looks like half a glove. It is bent and formed with a steel sheet with good toughness. There are a few simple tenon mechanisms inside and are controlled by springs. The wrist is made of movable joints that can rotate in a small range. The areas that touch the skin are padded with cork leather.
After drawing, show it to Tu Dazhu.
Tu Dazhu's eyes lit up when he saw the rough but clear graphics on the paper. "This... can this really be done?"
"Try it." Qin Tiexin said, "Tomorrow I will buy the materials and make the simplest version first. If it doesn't work, I will change it."
"Okay!" Tu Dazhu nodded vigorously.
Then Zhou Cang prosthetic limb. This one is more complicated. It needs to be able to support the whole body weight, be able to move, and also consider wearing comfort. Qin Tiexin is similar to the "wooden leg" structure, but the core support is made of iron, the joints are connected with copper shafts, and the sole of the foot is made into a curved surface to imitate the rolling of human feet when walking. The contact surface is also cushioned.
Zhou Cang looked at the sketch and was silent for a while and said, "I'm sorry for you."
"It should be." Qin Tiexin said.
It was already late at night after I finished sketching. Tu Dazhu Zhou Nan went to sleep. Zhou Cang also went back to the house.
Qin Tiexin Blowed out the lights in the shop, leaving only an oil lamp on the table in his hut.
Take out the sword Lin Feng again.
Pull the sword out of its sheath. The blade of the sword glows dimly under the dim light. Hold the hilt and close your eyes, sinking in consciousness.
[Appraisal]Ability expansion.
The physical structure of the sword body clearly appears in front of the "eyes". The fine iron is dense and has few impurities. The dim circuit at the core is still weak and the energy flow is as slow as a snail.
This time there is no longer any attempt to activate or communicate, but more careful "observation" of the circuit itself.
The circuit structure is extremely complex and is made up of countless tiny lines intertwined, like some kind of Elder Gu characters and like natural veins. Most of the lines are dim and only a few main paths have extremely weak energy flowing through them.
Qin Tiexin attempts to "walk" along one of the energy flows.
The consciousness extends slowly like a thread. The energy flow is very thin and weak, as if it will be cut off at any time. Carefully follow the winding path and bypass several obvious breaks and blockages.
Suddenly the energy flows to a node, where the lines intersect to form a small vortex-like structure. There seems to be a very fine shimmer in the center of the vortex.
Qin Tiexin's consciousness "touched" that light.
"Buzz--"
An extremely slight tremor came from the sword. It was not a physical shock but directly affected his consciousness.
Immediately afterwards, a weak but clear flow of information was transmitted back to his consciousness.
It's not words, it's not images, it's more like... a feeling.
A feeling of "Sharpness". It is not an ordinary Sharpness, but a Sharpness with a certain "Penetration" and "tearing" will. It is as if this sword has once cut through something beyond matter.
There is also an idea of "protection". It is very faint but very firm. It is like a person holding this sword and standing somewhere to protect something behind him.
Finally, there is a kind of "expectation". An expectation that vaguely points to the distance.
The information flow only lasted for a moment and then disappeared. The sword body returned to calm and the circuits were as dim as before.
Qin Tiexin opened his eyes and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. The transmission of information just now consumed a lot of energy.
He looked down at the sword with complicated expressions.
This sword is indeed not simple. It carries a certain "thought", which is the imprint left by the caster or user. The "Sharpness" and "guarding" thoughts are probably left by Lin Feng or Lin Feng Lineage. And that "expectation"... is it pointed at yourself?
Lin Feng What do you hope to do?
Qin Tiexin doesn't know. But he knows that this sword is a key. But he can't find the keyhole yet.
Sheathed the sword, rewrapped it, and put it back under the bed.
I blew out the oil lamp and lay down. I opened my eyes in the darkness and looked at the blurry outline of the roof.
The master's shop has reopened. There are teachers, brothers and apprentices. Life seems to be back on track.
But Qin Tiexin knew something was different.
He has experienced battlefields, killed people, seen life and death, and carried the ashes of his brothers. He has an invisible sword in his hand and a mysterious catalog in his body, and is surrounded by incomplete but reliable partners.
The road is still long.
Close your eyes and fall into sleep.
Heavenly Craft Workshop Chengxi New Store.
It was a small shop in a remote location and mainly sold the cheapest iron nails and iron pots and agricultural tools. Zhao Ming was wearing the coarse cloth of a salesman and standing behind the counter, his face so gloomy that he could drip water.
It's been three days.
Every day before dawn, I have to get up to clean the shop, take stock of the goods, and greet customers. All the people who come here are poor people bargaining and fussing over prices. Their hands are muddy and their bodies smell of sweat. Zhao Ming When was it that you got this kind of anger when you were a child?
What made him even more intolerable was the looks from the people around him. Those old guys looked at him with curiosity, pity, and more of gloating. Who didn't know that he was the son of the owner? Who didn't know that he was "assigned"?
"Zhao Ming! What are you doing? Didn't you see the customer coming?" the shopkeeper - a greasy-faced old man in his fifties - scolded.
Zhao Ming came back to his senses and saw the peasant woman standing in front of the counter holding a broken iron pot. "Brother, the bottom of this pot is leaking, can you fix it?"
Zhao Ming When he saw that the pot was black and shabby, he didn't know how old it was. He frowned in disgust and said, "Why should I fix it? Just buy a new one. There are thirty coins over there."
The peasant woman shrank her hands. "Thirty cents... is too expensive. It only costs a few cents to replenish it..."
"No replenishment, no replenishment!" Zhao Ming waved his hand impatiently, "If you want to buy it, buy it or not, don't block it!"
The peasant woman was frightened by the attitude and walked away muttering.
The shopkeeper came over and cursed, "How do you do business? If a customer wants to replenish the pot, just do it for her! Earning a few pennies is not money? Besides, replenishing the pot is our Heavenly Craft Workshop business, so you should drive the customers away!"
Zhao Ming Terrible Neck: "That kind of tatters can't be sold for a price even if they are repaired..."
"Rags?" the shopkeeper sneered, "Young Master Zhao, you are the clouds in the sky and we are the mud on the ground. The rags you despise are the jobs we need to support our families! If you don't want to do it, tell the shop owner as soon as possible and don't show off to us here!"
Zhao Ming was choked to the point of being speechless and her face turned red.
The shopkeeper ignored him and turned around to greet other customers.
Zhao Ming stood on the spot and clenched his fists tightly. His nails dug into his palms and hurt.
It's all Qin Tiexin... It's all because of Qin Tiexin!
How could he have ended up in this situation if it hadn't been for him!
Hatred grows like poisonous weeds in my heart.
In the evening, the shop closed. Zhao Ming dragged his exhausted body back to Heavenly Craft Workshop's back house - now even his living place had been downgraded and he could only squeeze into a shared room with a few waiters.
As I passed my father's study, I heard laughter coming from inside.
It's the father, Lady Xue, and that little kid babbling.
"Lang'er comes to see daddy..."
"Giggle... Dad..."
It's fun.
Zhao Ming Standing in the shadow outside the door, listening to the laughter and laughter inside, I feel cold all over.
He once shared the laughter there.
There is nothing now.
I turned around and staggered back to the servant's room. My roommate was already asleep and snoring loudly. Zhao Ming lay on the hard bed and opened his eyes to look at the dark roof.
An idea popped up like crazy and I couldn't suppress it anymore.
Spirit Awakening Pill... Where did father hide it?
If... if I eat Spirit Awakening Pill and test out that I have Spirit Root, will my father value me again? Will he give everything back to me?
Yes! That must be the case!
My father was just deceived by Lady Xue and that brat! As long as he shows his worth, his father will definitely change his mind!
But... Spirit Awakening Pill Would such a precious father give it to me?
Zhao Ming Thinking of his father's cold face, he recalled his words, "Either become a man or get out of this house."
No. My father won't give it to me. He only has eyes for that little cub.
Then... steal!
Once this thought arises, it can no longer be contained. It is like a wildfire that spreads across the prairie fire in an instant.
Yes, steal! Steal Spirit Awakening Pill and eat it yourself! Come back when Spirit Root is detected! Even if his father is angry, he will not do anything to him! He is the only Spirit Root descendant of Zhao Household!
Zhao Ming's heart was pounding wildly. His eyes were frighteningly bright in the dark.
Start planning. Where will father hide Spirit Awakening Pill? Bedroom? Study room? Or... a secret room?
He knew that his father had a secret room behind the study that only his father could enter.
It must be there!
Zhao Ming Turned over and faced the wall, his teeth chattering.
Wait. Wait for an opportunity. Wait for father to go out. Wait for Lady Xue to be gone. Wait for everyone to relax their vigilance.
Then go steal it!
As for what to do after stealing... I'll tell you later! Anyway, we can't go on like this!
To take back everything that belongs to you!