Chapter 7: The Butcher's Bone-Cleaving Blade

The hammer head cut through the wind, circling his body as it moved.

Qin Xiong narrowed his eyes slightly.

That frail-looking youth was performing the first, second, and third forms of the Cloak Hammer. His moves weren't exactly standard, and his force was light, but the way he wielded the hammer carried a fluid, flowing grace that the other apprentices beside him lacked.

Though to him it was still pitifully raw and unpracticed, for an apprentice learning a hammer technique for the first time to reach such a level showed his talent.

This kid…

"He, he…"

On the vast open ground, a crowd of apprentices wielded their hammers in dance, but only Lu Zhong stood in a daze, not even noticing when the hammer in his hand slipped and fell.

The other apprentices couldn't see the difference, but how could he miss it?

This skinny, chick-like apprentice from the Middle Court, on his very first time swinging a hammer, was actually far more fluid than he himself had been when just starting out?

"Heh, looks like a fine hand at the forge!"

Qin Xiong's expression shifted subtly. He stared for a few moments, then glanced at a few other apprentices before turning and walking away.

A chill ran down Lu Zhong's back. He turned his head and saw his own master, and his heart immediately sank. Losing all interest in receiving pointers, he hurried after him.

Bang!

The great hammer struck the ground, kicking up dust.

"Hah!"

Li Yuan gasped for breath, a great sweat breaking out despite the chill of the night air, yet he felt no fatigue—instead, a sense of unfinished business.

Under the blessing of the Mastery-level hammer technique, he had a strong urge to swing the hammer freely, yet had to restrain himself.

The place and timing were both wrong.

"As expected, the Practice Hammer's blessing leans more toward hammer technique—a small test, and already I've surpassed the other apprentices!"

Glancing at Lu Zhong's retreating back, Li Yuan felt he had gauged things well: better than the other apprentices, but not by too much.

"Still need to be cautious!"

Steadying his breathing, Li Yuan released the hammer. The apprentices on the training ground also dispersed one after another, with only a few still gritting their teeth and persisting.

Niu Gui was among them.

"Too much is as bad as too little. Though my spirit is high, my body is still a bit frail. I already overdid it last night—today isn't suited for extra practice."

Li Yuan returned to the Middle Court, did some stretching exercises first, then fetched a basin of water to wash himself. By then, the sky had already gone fully dark.

At that moment, Niu Gui returned to the Middle Court, but he was still standing in stance, occasionally swinging his hammer, which spurred a few apprentices who had already lain down to grit their teeth and get back up again.

"Way too intense…"

Li Yuan had no experience in martial arts training, but he did have fitness experience. Going all-out wrecks the body—rhabdomyolysis is no joke.

He wanted to offer a few words of advice, but thought it over and gave up.

It wasn't that they weren't close enough for such talk, but that these apprentices were fighting for a chance to change their fate—no one could make them give it up.

"I'd really love a glass of watermelon juice!"

Lying down without undressing, Li Yuan drifted back to memories of his past life, and fell asleep wrapped in nostalgia.

The next morning, he woke to the groaning of his fellow bunkmates. Li Yuan also felt aches all over his body—in fact, among the Middle Court, there were few whose bodies were worse than his.

This had nothing to do with innate constitution; it was purely the result of long-term malnutrition.

"I want to eat meat!"

Li Yuan heard his stomach growling.

At fifteen or sixteen, an age when one's appetite is at its peak, combined with a sharp increase in physical exertion, it would be strange not to be hungry.

Bearing the hunger, Li Yuan and a few apprentices had already set to work—lighting fires, hauling charcoal, tidying the yard…

"Liu Qing, I'll chop the firewood."

Li Yuan spoke up and swapped tasks with Liu Qing, who was naturally happy to oblige.

"Blind spot right under the lamp—I actually forgot about this chopping knife!"

Reaching out to grip this chopping knife with its many notches, Li Yuan saw gray light appear before his eyes once more, though the glow was far weaker than with the Practice Hammer.

【Notched Chopping Knife (Unranked)】

【Control Requirement: None】

【Control Effect: Firewood-Chopping Blade Technique (Entry)】

"…The lowest of the low among unranked items!"

Li Yuan shook his head inwardly, but had no intention of asking Liu Qing to swap tasks back. With a casual swing, the upright firewood was split clean in two.

"Even though it's not a hammer, the force-generating technique is the same!"

Growing familiar with the force-generating technique, Li Yuan worked quickly. In no time at all, he had finished chopping the day's firewood, and afterward he didn't idle either, continuing to busy himself with other tasks.

Over the past month or so, at times like this he had always felt his vision go dim, but now, though the chores were many, he took joy in them, constantly familiarizing himself with the force-generating technique.

At the same time, his gaze also drifted toward the kitchen.

That was Fatty Sun's territory—anyone who touched or looked around carelessly would get a vicious beating. Though Li Yuan was very curious what effects those kitchen knives might have, he wouldn't invite trouble upon himself.

Amid the busyness, the sun soon reached its zenith.

The Weapon-Forging Shop's midday meals weren't bad. The Middle Court apprentices also got three steamed buns, two bowls of thin porridge, and half a plate of pickled radish to eat.

"No fat at all!"

Whether the steamed buns tasted good or not no longer mattered—Li Yuan finished his in no time. Though his stomach was roughly seven or eight parts full, he still felt hungry.

"The Middle Court's meals are only enough to fill the belly. If you want to practice martial arts, you need extra nourishment—otherwise, sooner or later, you'll train yourself to death!"

The hunger even overpowered Li Yuan's desire to explore the Soldier Control Register. Pocketing the broken silver his second brother had given him, Li Yuan headed straight for the cooked-meat shop, bought half a jin of the cheapest pork offal, and ate it down before feeling he had real food in his stomach.

"Shopkeeper, may I have a look at that meat-chopping knife of yours?"

Having finished the offal in a corner, Li Yuan went back to the cooked-meat shop. The shopkeeper greeted him with a smile, and upon hearing the request, glanced back at the busy owner before reaching it out:

"See?"

【Butcher's Meat-Chopping Knife (Unranked)】

【A bone-chopping knife used by the butcher Hu for years, severely worn...】

【Command Effect: Dao Gong Initiation】

【Command Condition: None】

"Dao Gong Initiation!"

Li Yuan felt a slight joy in his heart, glanced at the severely worn bone-chopping knife, and called the shopkeeper with a face full of coarse flesh over.

After some haggling, he bought the knife for one qian of silver.

"Command!"

Finding a corner in an empty alley, Li Yuan half-closed his eyes; on the small gray platform, the butcher's bone-chopping knife sat there conspicuously.

However, the Commanding Talisman could not command it.

"Although this platform is small, accommodating a few weapons is no problem, but to command more blades, I must promote the Commanding Talisman..."

Just thinking of those harsh conditions made Li Yuan feel a bit of a headache.

The Great Yun Dynasty collects taxes every autumn harvest, and only accepts silver; silver is expensive, requiring twelve hundred copper coins to exchange for one tael of silver, and gold...

... simply does not circulate in the market...

Li Yuan turned thoughts in his mind, constantly trying other uses of the Commanding Talisman; he tried changing the weapon he commanded.

Voom~

When the butcher's bone-chopping knife replaced the training hammer in the Commanding Talisman, Li Yuan felt somewhat unaccustomed, as if someone had stripped away a piece of clothing.

"The stance methods and hammer techniques I recorded are still there, but with the Master-level hammer technique gone, that familiarity of practicing hammers for decades is missing..."

Li Yuan leaned against the earthen wall, feeling:

"But there is a sensation of chopping meat for many years... It seems changing the commanded weapon affects me little, but it also seems I cannot change it at will..."

"Can I change the commanded weapon only once every two days?"

Li Yuan understood in his heart.

In the following days, Li Yuan switched back to his commanded weapon; with the support of the Master-level hammer technique, his stance method gradually entered a state of excellence, but his appetite grew larger and larger, requiring him to buy half a jin of minced meat almost every day.

The small silver given by Second Brother was quickly running out; Li Yuan always firmly believed that the best place for money was spending it on oneself.

Qin Xiong did not come to teach the Cloak Hammer again afterwards, seemingly having an escort mission; Lu Zhong taught in his place, and over a few days, the eighteen forms of the hammer technique were all roughly taught.

Li Yuan did not reveal any more, merely progressing slightly faster than the other apprentices, drawing attention without appearing too conspicuous.

"Li Yuan, come over here and clean up!"

This day, Li Yuan, having just finished standing the stance, had not yet had time to wipe his body when he heard the voice of Fat Sun coming from far away.

Several apprentices who had not yet entered the room heard the voice, immediately sped up their movements, and rushed back inside; Li Yuan rubbed his wrists, replied with a sound, and came to Fat Sun's small courtyard.

As the head cook managing the food and drink for most of the Weapon Forge, Fat Sun's treatment was needless to say; he had an independent small courtyard, meat at every meal, and could even take hot baths.

At this moment, full of wine and food, Fat Sun was soaking in the room; he did not avoid Li Yuan, leaning in the bath tub, smoking his pipe with one puff here and there.

"Heard your hammering is quite good?"

Watching Li Yuan clean up the cold leftovers, Fat Sun in the inner room blew a smoke ring:

"What a pity, what a pity."

This fat man...

Daoist Li felt a slight movement in his heart, slowed his cleaning actions, and looked up in confusion:

"What is the Head Cook pitying?"

"There is something I just found out."

Tapping his pipe casually against the outside of the bath tub, Fat Sun lowered his voice, a smile on his lips:

"That Qin Xiong is good at martial arts, good at wine and meat, but the best thing about him is women!"

"Ah?"

Li Yuan's heart stirred.

"It is said he keeps one in the Chaiyu Market, heard her surname is Niu, slender figure, quite beautiful..."

Fat Sun was slightly mocking:

"Heard her surname is Niu?"

"Surname Niu?"

Li Yuan's thoughts turned, and he immediately recalled someone:

"Niu Gui?!"

After a slight shock, Li Yuan came back to his senses.

He felt some disappointment that the spot was pre-arranged, but did not take it too to heart; a century-old brand with over two hundred years of history would have collapsed long ago without a promotion path.

If not this time, there would be next time.

At the very least, he learned Wu Gong a year or two early; not a loss...

"Our Weapon Forge is a two-hundred-year-old brand; cultivating apprentices has its own process, but according to custom, Qin Xiong would not be the one teaching you Wu Gong..."

Putting down his pipe, Fat Sun stood up from the bath tub with his huge belly, wiped himself roughly, put on his clothes, and walked out.

"So that's how it is..."

Li Yuan looked slightly dazed.

A bit curious about what this Fatty Sun intends to do.

Could it be that he stumbled into this Fatty's favor by sheer accident?

Or perhaps...

"This time, each courtyard has only one quota for joining the Inner Court. So, over a month ago, Niu Gui joined the Middle Courtyard. Do you understand?"

Fatty Sun wore a half-smile, wanting to see the boy's expression of unwilling disappointment.

Li Yuan lowered his head: "Thank you, Shopkeeper Sun, for the guidance."

"Are you not disappointed?"

Fatty Sun felt slightly disappointed: "You clearly performed the best, yet you cannot go to the Inner Court. Do you feel no resentment in your heart?"

"I am a bit disappointed, but not much. As for resentment..."

Li Yuan's heart tightened, and he lowered his head to answer honestly:

"This opportunity was never mine to begin with; why should I resent it? At the very least, I learned Wu Gong..."

Fatty Sun's smile faded; he stared at Li Yuan for a while before breaking into a grin: "That is somewhat interesting..."

"This Fatty..."

Li Yuan felt his heart prickle under that gaze; could this Fatty Sun's Wu Gong be formidable as well?

"Pity, you are still wrong."

Fatty Sun tapped his pipe, saying Longhu Longhu Dandan:

"Although the White Ape Cloak Hammer is not the finest Wu Gong in the shop, how could it possibly be passed on to you so easily?"

"Incomplete?"

Li Yuan realized.

"The techniques are naturally complete, but with only the techniques and stance cultivation, even with top-tier bone structure, you cannot hope to enter the basics without three to five years!"

As Fatty Sun spoke, his fat palm also landed on Li Yuan's shoulder.

Li Yuan wanted to dodge, but where could he escape? Intense pain and coldness surged into his heart almost simultaneously.

"Your bone structure is passable, mediocre at best, let's say mid-to-low? Pity, your physique is a bit weak..."

Li Yuan's back grew cold, and cold sweat soaked his clothes.

The moment that large hand pressed his shoulder, he felt like a lamb fallen into Hukou, with life and death not up to him.

Now he could not help but gasp heavily, his heart pounding wildly.

This Fatty who flattered and smiled beside Qin Xiong is actually so formidable?!

"What, are you surprised that I know Wu Gong?"

Fatty Sun greatly enjoyed others' shock and bewilderment:

"You think I hold such a lucrative post as the Middle Courtyard's Shopkeeper on what merit? My Wu Gong, hmm..."

Isn't it because your brother-in-law is the Second Shopkeeper?

Li Yuan slandered in his heart but could only feign an attitude of listening attentively.

"The White Ape Cloak Hammer has an internal and external distinction, a saying of three great and three small harmonies, and is divided into training methods, fighting methods, and Liu Hu Xi Fa."

Moonlight shone down as Fatty Sun, now devoid of smiles, spoke Longhu Longhu Dandan:

"Now, I will teach you the 'Ape Six Breathing Method'!"

So complicated?

Li Yuan was somewhat stunned:

"Why do you want to teach me?!"

"To teach you a lesson: in this world, if you want others to look at you differently, either your talent is not bad, or you must have some ulterior motive...

With your mid-to-low bone structure, could it be because your talent is extraordinary?"

Fatty Sun paced a few steps, hands behind his back, turning around; in the night, the sneer on his fat face was still visible:

"Naturally, because your second brother gave me money!"

(End of this chapter)