After dinner, Xiao Wu went to rest in the guest room, while Ling Yu carried some food to the smithy. The meal he had left there at noon remained untouched.
The room was very dark. Ling Yu immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, then used his Soul Skill and found Tang San crouching in a corner.
When he walked over, Tang San looked up at him, then went still again.
Ling Yu said nothing either. He set the food aside and found somewhere to sit.
The aroma of the food stirred Tang San's taste buds, and his stomach rumbled. After all, he had traveled hard that morning and had not eaten all day.
"Eat. Everyone's worried about you."
"Your father has only gone away, and you still have your teacher, don't you?" Ling Yu offered a few words of comfort.
At the word "teacher," Tang San's gaze shifted, and much of the bewilderment in his eyes vanished. He then got up and began eating. Seeing this, Ling Yu left.
When Ling Yu went to the smithy again the next morning, he found clean bowls and chopsticks on the table, weighing down a note:
"I've gone back to the academy. Thank you."
I don't know whether this is good or bad. I'm afraid he'll only sink deeper. Ling Yu silently thought as he read the note.
"Xiao Yu, how's Xiao San?" Old Jack asked when he saw Ling Yu come home carrying the bowls and chopsticks.
"Grandpa Jack, he went back to school. He probably went to find his teacher."
"I see..." Old Jack sighed.
"Go wake Xiao Wu up for breakfast. You really didn't bully her, did you?"
"I really didn't, Grandpa." Ling Yu gave a wry smile.
Old Jack nodded. He knew Ling Yu's character and that he would not do such a thing; he had merely worried instinctively.
"Xiao Wu, are you up?" Ling Yu knocked on the door.
"Yes." A reply came from inside.
"It's time for breakfast."
"I'll be there in a bit."
"All right." Ling Yu left after speaking, thoughts rising as he walked:
Did I say too much yesterday? Pouring it all into her head at once really was going too far.
Inside the room, Xiao Wu listened to his retreating footsteps with a complicated expression, but she still quickly got ready and went to eat.
A few days later, while they were taking a walk after dinner, Ling Yu called out, "Xiao Wu!"
"What is it?"
"It's about time. To keep Tang Hao from noticing anything unusual, we need to go back to the way we were. Don't show any hostility toward Tang San either. He doesn't know much right now."
"He's clearly scheming against me, yet I'm not even allowed to hate his child." Xiao Wu frowned, feeling indignant.
"Actually, Tang Hao's wife was also a transformed soul beast."
In an instant, Xiao Wu's eyes widened in disbelief, but she soon understood. This was why she had felt a sense of familiarity from Tang San.
"She was a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor."
"How do you know all this?" Xiao Wu already believed Ling Yu, but she still could not help asking.
"That's a secret. Trust me, all right? I won't hurt you." Ling Yu shook his head, then continued.
"In Tang Hao's eyes, the two of you are like a reenactment of his own story. If you and Tang San get together, he'll choose to protect you. But if you don't, he might hurt you for the sake of revenge."
"Revenge?" Xiao Wu looked at Ling Yu in confusion.
"Could that hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor have...?"
"Yes. Someone discovered her, and in the end, she sacrificed herself to Tang Hao. That's also why he went into hiding here after Spirit Hall put him on their wanted list."
"I understand..." Xiao Wu looked dejected and said no more.
As the vacation drew to a close, the two returned to the academy.
"Ling Yu, what's wrong with Xiao Wu?" Tang San asked while Xiao Wu was out of the dormitory. The other working students in the room had also noticed the change in her.
Their big sister, who was usually so playful, had suddenly become quiet. The contrast was too great.
"It's something to do with her family. Don't worry too much. She'll be fine in a while." Ling Yu made up a lie to cover for her.
"I see..." Everyone nodded. Xiao Wu never told them about her family, but any family that could obtain a hundred-year soul ring for a child presumably had considerable standing, though they did not know why her family had sent Xiao Wu here.
"By the way, Tang San, is your smithy still hiring?" Since he had decided to stay a while longer, Ling Yu also intended to put learning ore identification and smelting on his agenda. After all, he would need that knowledge to research Soul Tools later.
"Hm? You want to become a blacksmith?"
"I'm quite interested in ore smelting and forging. Could I trouble you to introduce me to your shop's owner?"
"Sure. I'll tell Uncle San today."
"Sorry for the trouble, then. Thanks."
"No problem."
Tang San soon brought back the smithy owner's reply. He wanted to meet Ling Yu first.
The next morning, Ling Yu went to the smithy. For these three children who had broken through to become Soul Masters, the school only required them to stay on campus at night and paid little attention to what they did the rest of the time.
"Kid, what are you doing here?" A burly man walked out.
"Hello, Uncle. I'm Tang San's classmate. My name is Ling Yu. I'm here for our appointment."
"Oh, he did mention that. I'm the owner here. My name is Shi San. Just call me Uncle San."
"Hello, Uncle San!" Ling Yu bowed.
"You really want to learn smithing with that build?" Shi San frowned. He knew from Tang San that Ling Yu was a Soul Master, but he could not understand why he would choose smithing instead of being a Soul Master. Tang San, at least, needed to earn money as a blacksmith's son.
"Don't worry, Uncle San. I'm a Soul Master now, and my physique is quite strong. Forging shouldn't be a problem."
"As for why I chose to become a blacksmith, I'm interested in forging and handicrafts. I want to make some things myself," Ling Yu explained.
"All right, then. I'll take you on as an apprentice. We provide two meals here. You'll start by identifying materials, then gradually move on to forging. As for wages, how does ten Copper Soul Coins a day sound?"
"Thank you, Uncle San." Ling Yu bowed.
He then changed into the old clothes he had brought, activated Martial Soul Possession, and used his first Soul Skill to examine and learn about the ores, startling everyone in the smithy.
"Lad, what are you doing?" Shi San was taken aback. He watched the Yellow Soul Ring floating around Ling Yu with some envy.
"Uncle San, this Soul Skill lets me examine and sense the condition of the ore. It seems I can even see the different components inside." Ling Yu picked up a piece of unrefined ore and studied it closely.
"What...?" Everyone in the smithy stared wide-eyed.
Blacksmiths relied on the experience passed down by their predecessors to smelt ores and forge them into objects, but that experience only allowed them to make judgments based on appearance and condition. Yet the child before them could actually examine the ore's internal condition and distinguish its different components.
"He was simply born to be a blacksmith!" one blacksmith murmured.
"Soul Masters... truly amazing... why don't I have that kind of ability?"
"Lad, why didn't you say so sooner?" Shi San was somewhat beside himself with joy.
"How about this? I'll start by giving you one silver coin a month. Can you examine the impurities inside these blocks of pig iron?"
"Uncle San, let me try." Ling Yu walked over to the metal blocks Shi San had pointed out and sensed them carefully.
"I can, Uncle San." Ling Yu nodded.
"Good! Good!" Shi San patted Ling Yu on the shoulder.
The other blacksmiths were also rather excited. The quality of the raw materials largely determined the quality of the finished products. With Ling Yu's help, the shop's business was bound to get better and better.