Chapter 32: A Long Way back Home (1/2)
Chapter 32: A Long Way back Home
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
The hammering skill is all about frequency, power, and speed. In this respect, Junior Leopard had some experience. He had a good grasp of the hammering skill. As for the Nine-styled Wild Hammering Skill which he had learned, although it was a martial art skill, one could only comprehend it through the hitting of metal. From his insights, he was now able to fold and forge nine times after each fire, each time in between breaths.After striking nine hammers in succession, each hammer had the same strength. After that it would pass through the fire nine times, striking the hammer a total of 721 times. The weapons forged in this manner were finely composed in structure and the material was evenly spread. The impurities were few, and it extremely sharp.
Of course, this 729 hits were the most that he could manage in one day. It must be known, although the time needed to hammer to 729 times was not long, however, it was 81 breaths, and it was sufficient to squeeze dry all of his strength within his body. Adding on to the process of going through the fire each time, which was the smelting process, the method needed to control the fire and the energy spent were equivalent to striking the hammer. Although in total only 4-6 hours of time was spent, after this 4-6 hours, all his energy was sapped up, and couldn't even lift up a hammer.
He was so meticulous because he was forging the weapons for himself. It wasn't the case when he was forging other people's weapons, such as the weapons displayed at the Wu's ironware shop for sale. In other people's eyes, the weapons looked extremely sharp and the quality superior but for him all the hammering and striking to forge those weapons was merely just for fun.
Of course, it was not his fault. Whoever heard of a real authentic master forging many excellent pieces of works. Generally speaking, it would be great if an authentic master could forge a dozen excellent works in their whole lifetime. This was because forging weaponry would severely consume energy and strength. Junior Leopard forged two Nine Forges Kunais and he was already extremely exhausted. For these wizard weapons to forge dozens or even hundreds of them, creators would need a very long time to recover their pneuma.
Overall, Junior Leopard was very satisfied with the two Kunais that he had forged himself. This was especially the case when he successfully used the Nine Dragons Heavenly Fire Technique to direct his pneuma. Even though he did not know how this directing of pneuma would impact the two Kunais which he had forged, he was still very happy about it.
On the second afternoon, Junior Leopard packed up the second Kunai which he had finished smelting. He left the smelting room with a face full of excessive desire.
...
”Are you heading home?”
Qin Xuanlong looked at Junior Leopard somewhat surprisingly. However, he realized it very quickly. He was just but a nine-year-old kid. He had come to the Wu Family for about a year and hadn't returned home once. It would be just the same for anyone else as it was normal for those who became apprentices to not go home for four to five years.
However, Junior Leopard was not normal. He was no longer an apprentice, but a Blacksmith who could earn money in the ironware shop. Other Blacksmiths who lived nearby had a day or two off each month so for Junior Leopard to stay here for an entire year only went to show that he was a fairly patient guy.
Thinking about it, he said without hesitating: ”Well, the New Year will be here in two months time anyhow. You can go home and come back after the New Year. Do not forget what you have learned.”
Junior Leopard was very happy and thanked him a lot. It was very nice to have a two-month holiday and celebrate the New Year with his family.
He did not go home right away. Anyway, in a few days time, it would be the new year. It was also Qingyang Market's market-day. By then he could go back with those hunters who came over from the village to the market. This could save him some trouble.
The main reason why he asked to go home was that there had always been one thing on his mind.
That was, the last scene that Li Haoran had left in his memory.
In fact, Li Haoran left him only a few memories. Apart from the training method for the Yin and Yang Heavenly Sword, it was his fear of the cyan-clothed young man who took his life away. Another thing was why his soul had left his body.
Junior Leopard thought one reason was that he practiced Yin and Yang Heavenly Sword, so his soul was refined by the sword's Qi. The other reason was the weird wind blowing suddenly at the West Mountain pass at that time.
The chilly wind gathered his soul together. Otherwise, based on the strength of his soul, it would have long been blown away by the mountain wind.
Junior Leopard had always suspected that the gust of strange wind was a kind of Evil Qi.
There were all kinds of Evil Qi between heaven and earth, but it did not mean that an Evil Qi was easy to find. You can compare it to there being so many beautiful women in the world but you may not be able to sleep with a beautiful woman in this life.
It requires on to have a good moral standing to find Evil Qi.
Junior Leopard had desired to practice the Yin and Yang Heavenly Sword for a long time, but it was difficult for him.
It was hard for ordinary people to find an Evil Qi, let alone two opposite kinds of Evil Qi with extreme properties that the Yin and Yang Heavenly Sword needed.
Actually, although Evil Qi really existed at the West Mountain pass, according to Junior Leopard's current cultivation, he was unable to collect it or practice it. He merely wanted to be prepared for practice in the future.
Living in the Wu's for so long, he naturally knew a lot of things in the martial arts world. Of course, he now understood better some special techniques such as Yin and Yang Heavenly Sword.
As for this kind of method that could condense the heaven and earth Evil Qi that the body was unable to absorb, he was extremely looking forward to it. Hence, no matter what, he wanted to go to the West Mountain and see the Evil Qi there, to actually look at what it was.
...
The sky gradually dampened. Raindrops also started to fall.The chilly wind carried the humid air and blew it in his face. This caused Junior Leopard to somewhat have a chilly mood as well.
It was a rainy market-day.
Very few people went to the market. Junior Leopard went to where villagers usually sold things, only to find that none of the villagers were there.
”Don't tell me I have to go home alone?” Junior Leopard's facial muscles twitched slightly. To be honest, the mountainous village where he lived was not far from Qingyang Market and only a 25,000-meter distance. In his previous world, it would only take 20 to 30 minutes by car. However, this current world was totally different. There were no cars but endless mountains. What's worse, the road was muddy due to the rain. Junior Leopard could imagine how he would look like, when he got home.