Becoming a god starting from blacksmithing

Chapter 21 Solo Journey in the Wilderness

After crossing the third hill, the road begins to descend.

The vegetation on this side of the mountain is much sparser than that on the side of Qingxi Town. The soil is grayish-white and hard to the touch, like stepping on a dried-up riverbed. The wind blows in from the mountain valley, carrying an unfamiliar smell—not the smell of rotting grass and trees, but more like rust, mixed with the burnt smell of something.

After walking for about half an hour, Shen Chi's bronze seal moved slightly. It pushed upwards from his chest, as if someone had stuffed something down his throat.

He stopped.

Shi Jian also stopped. He tilted his head and listened for a while.

"They're here."

Shen Chi held the hundred-refined hammer in his hand.

He didn't ask "who's here," he knew. He still remembered that feeling; Ah Zhu said, "The light is black," and Old Man Mo said it was the executioner from the Tribunal.

At the bend in the mountain road ahead, three black lights flew close to the ground at an extremely fast speed, like three snakes crawling along the ground.

Shen Chi did not dodge. He raised his hammer and met the attack head-on.

when--

The first beam of black light struck the hammer, scattering shards of light. Shen Chi took a step back, his foot crushing a grayish-white stone. His hand went numb from the impact—the force didn't feel like magic; it felt more like being struck solidly with an iron rod.

The second one was heading straight for A-Zhu. Shen Chi turned around, held his hammer horizontally, and used the hammer body to block it.

when--

Another muffled thud. He took half a step back, a dull pain shooting through his hand. The patterns on the surface of the hundred-refined hammer lit up for a moment, then immediately dimmed again.

The third beam of black light didn't strike anyone. It landed on the road in front of the four of them and exploded—scattering debris and creating a crater the size of a washbasin.

This is not an attack. It's a road closure.

Three people emerged from the woods.

Dressed in black.

Confirmation of the ruling. That's right.

Shen Chi recognized the clothes. The person at the alley entrance that night was wearing the same clothes. The one who fell before him, pierced through the heart by the Blade of Promise, was also wearing the same clothes.

The leader glanced at the four of them, his gaze lingering on Shen Chi's chest—the light of the bronze seal hadn't completely died out, shining through from under his collar, and it was bronze in color.

"Second tier. The information is correct." His tone was flat, as if he were confirming a menu.

His gaze shifted to Mo Huaizhou and Shi Jian, and he added, "Those two, one a locksmith apprentice, the other a locksmith warrior. Ignore them."

The two assassins behind him nodded slightly.

Shen Chi's heart sank—Mo Huaizhou and Shi Jian's cultivation levels had been seen through at a glance, and his own initial stage of the Bronze Seal realm was no match for this person.

The leader made a move.

The short blade pierced straight for Shen Chi's throat. Shen Chi only had time to raise his hammer.

when--

The hammer and the short blade collided, sparks flying. Shen Chi was thrown back three steps, his knees bending to their limit before he regained his balance.

Before he could even regain his footing, the second blade was already upon him. It slid down the hammer handle, slicing towards his fingers that gripped the hammer. Shen Chi released his grip, the hammer fell, and with a flick of his wrist, he gripped the lower part of the handle again, using the end of the handle to stop the slash. The blade tip grazed his knuckles, leaving a bloody gash.

Shen Chi gritted his teeth, staring at the other person's mask. He realized—every move this person made was a killing blow. This person wasn't there to capture or scare people; they were there to kill.

The other two assassins also made their move.

One lunged at Mo Huaizhou, its five fingers forming a claw, the fingertips condensing black locking energy—a Lock Master level attack. If this claw landed, it could leave five holes in an iron plate.

Mo Huaizhou did not retreat. He flipped his left hand, revealing a palm-sized bronze contraption—round, like a compass. The outer shell was rough, and the patterns were not very fine, but the springs meshed perfectly. He pressed the spring with his thumb, and with a click, a semi-transparent bronze-colored air shield exploded, unfolding in front of him to the size of half a door.

The claw struck the air shield with a dull thud. The air shield trembled slightly but didn't shatter.

The assassin glanced at the shield, then at Mo Huaizhou—as if to say, "That's something."

Mo Huaizhou ignored him. He squatted in a horse stance, his hands supporting the qi shield, sweat beading on his forehead. He named this shield the Bronze Turtle Shield; it could withstand three to four attacks from a Locksmith-level expert. Once it was used up, it was gone. But now was not the time to be sentimental.

Another assassin attacked Shi Jian.

Before Shi Jian could even get close—the array plate beneath his feet had already lit up. Pale blue light rose from the ground, like threads wrapping around the opponent's ankles, wrists, and waist. But the assassin only paused for a moment, his energy lock trembled—most of the blue light threads snapped, and he continued forward.

Shi Jian didn't panic. He took another step and switched to the second array plate. This time, the ground suddenly became as soft as mud—the assassin's feet sank in half an inch. But only half an inch. He glanced down, channeled his inner energy into his legs, and pulled himself out with a forceful effort.

Shi Jian frowned and muttered a soft count: "Four breaths."

On the front, Shen Chi is still stubbornly holding on.

The lead executioner's blade moved with lightning speed, each strike avoiding direct contact with the hammer, instead cutting around its surface into the gaps and slicing towards the joints. Shen Chi already had four cuts: one on his left arm, one on his ribs, a small piece of flesh sliced ​​off his right fingers, and a cut on his inner thigh. Each cut was shallow, but blood flowed, and so did his strength.

The bronze seal burned on his chest. The flames of the oath surged into the hundred-refined hammer, and the intertwined branches on its surface lit up one by one. He swung the hammer, carrying three inches of fire, and smashed it towards the leader.

when--

The opponent used the side of his short blade to block the hammerhead. He looked at the bronze-colored fire on the hammerhead, his gaze flickering slightly behind his mask.

"The Oath Fire can erode the Locked Yuan." There was no surprise in his tone. "But you are too weak to erode it."

He kicked Shen Chi in the stomach. Shen Chi flew through the air and crashed into a rock. The rock cracked. He slid to the ground, his mouth full of blood, the hundred-refined hammer slipping from his hand and rolling three steps away.

He tried to get up, but the excruciating pain in his abdomen made it hard to breathe, and all he could see were stars.

The lead executioner didn't chase after them. He stood there, watching Shen Chi struggle.

"Killing you doesn't require much effort. It just requires confirming a few things. Confirmed."

He drew his knife, ready to step forward.

Then he stopped.

Shi Jian squatted on the ground, one hand resting on the last array plate. He didn't activate the attack array, nor did he unleash any spiritual light—he did things more quietly.

He pressed a silver ring into the groove in the center of the array plate. The array plate emitted a very soft hum, and the patterns on its surface turned into concentric silver ripples, like ripples spreading when a pebble is thrown into water.

The silver ripples rose, paused in the air for a moment, and then dissipated.

But the pattern—the ripple design—was instantly recognizable to all the assassins from the Judgment Division present. It was a message from the former Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, of the highest level. The message would reach the former Pavilion Master directly in the first instance.

The lead executioner stopped in his tracks. He turned around and stared at the array plate in Shi Jian's hand.

"The methods of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Are you one of the old Pavilion Master's men?"

"Disciple," Shi Jian said, "is not qualified for his personal acceptance as a disciple. But he is qualified to use this token."

The leader paused for a moment. He was calculating. The message had already been sent out; the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion already knew the location, the assassins, and what was happening. If he killed Shen Chi now—the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's records would be the evidence. At the three-faction meeting, the matter of the Judgment Division "executing targets under the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's observation when there are records of such executions" would be brought to the table.

He couldn't make that decision.

"stop."

The two assassins simultaneously withdrew their weapons and retreated to his side.

The leader looked at Shi Jian, then glanced at Shen Chi, who was getting up from the ground.

"The road to Tian Shu City is still long." He turned and walked into the woods.

"grown ups--"

"I said let's go. Let the Chief Judge decide this matter."

The three men retreated into the shadows of the woods. The sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, eventually swallowed by the wind.

------

The mountain path quieted down.

Shen Chi picked up the Hundred-Refined Hammer. Blood from his tiger's mouth smeared onto the hammer handle, seeping into the intertwined branches. The bronze light followed the lines, absorbing the blood. Shen Chi noticed that the lines on the hammer's surface were slightly deeper than before—as if the iron had remembered being struck.

He walked over to Mo Huaizhou. Mo Huaizhou was sitting against a tree trunk, the bronze-colored air shield in front of him cracked. He turned the broken mechanism over and looked at it—the spring was broken, the bronze shell was dented, and it was no longer usable. He put it back in his pocket and dusted off his hands.

"I've used one," he said. "There's one left."

His tone was calm. But Shen Chi knew that he had secretly assembled this piece himself in the shop. During that time, Mo Huaizhou lay in bed recovering from his injuries during the day. When Shen Chi was away and Azhu was asleep, he would tiptoe to the backyard and, using the residual heat of the furnace, hammer away at the scraps of metal. One night, Shen Chi got up in the middle of the night to add charcoal and saw light coming from the backyard. He pushed open the door and saw Mo Huaizhou sitting on a small stool, a pile of parts spread on his knees, his forehead covered in sweat, but his hands weren't trembling. Shen Chi didn't ask, and Mo Huaizhou didn't explain. The two looked at each other, and Shen Chi closed the door.

Thanks.

Mo Huaizhou raised his chin slightly, which was considered an acceptance.

A-Zhu squatted down beside him, remaining silent. She stared at the bronze seal on Shen Chi's chest—the light was still shining, but dimmer than before.

"Your light is trembling," she said.

Shen Chi glanced down. The bronze seal was still there, its color unchanged. But it was beating, faster than usual, rhythmic like a heartbeat. Ah Zhu was never wrong—this might be the seal adapting to a stronger opponent.

Shi Jian walked over and carefully placed the array plates one by one into the wooden box. When he reached the last one, he paused—the silver ring was still embedded in the groove. He took the ring off, wiped it with his sleeve, and put it back in his pocket.

Shen Chi watched him finish putting it away and asked, "What was that you just now?"

"A message," Shih-Chien said. "Let my master know where we are."

"He'll come to save us?"

"No." Shi Jian closed the lid of the box. "He'll only know that the Tribunal acted in front of us. That's enough."

Shen Chi thought for a moment: "What do you mean by 'enough'?"

Shi Jian stood up and patted the wooden box. His tone was casual, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

"The Tribunal wants to kill you. The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion wants to observe you. The Enforcement Hall wants to arrest you. The three factions each manage their own affairs, and are all subordinate to the Yansheng Pavilion, of equal rank, none of them being more powerful than the others. But if the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion 'sees' your attempt to kill you—the Tribunal will have to consider whether this decision should be made by higher authorities."

Shen Chi's grip on the hammer tightened. "Who...is up there?"

"The Yansheng Pavilion has a revered leader who never shows his face. Theoretically, the Enforcement Hall, the Judgment Division, and the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion are all under his jurisdiction—but no one has ever seen him. Therefore, the decisions of the three factions are ultimately made through collective discussion, and no one can make a decision unilaterally."

Shi Jian paused for a moment.

Ji Wuwang didn't want to be asked at the meeting, "Why did you kill someone the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion was observing?"

Shen Chi pondered this sentence. The three factions were not monolithic. The Tribunal wanted to kill him, but that didn't mean everyone wanted him dead. These fissures might be his only chance to survive.

Who is Ji Wuwang?

"The head of the Judgment Division. Unlike Gu Cangming, she rarely takes action herself."

------

The four continued on their way.

A-Zhu walked beside Mo Huai-Zhou for a while, then suddenly asked, "That shield you were using earlier... did you make it yourself?"

Mo Huaizhou was taken aback—A-Zhu rarely spoke to him first. "Hmm."

"It looks nice," A-Zhu said, "but it's cracked, which is a bit of a shame."

Mo Huaizhou didn't reply. But he paused for a moment. This little girl could not only see the light, but also judge the quality of the craftsmanship.

As they crossed the fourth hill, Shi Jian suddenly spoke up: "Did you notice the leader of those three people just now?"

Shen Chi thought for a moment: "With every stab he made, he wanted to kill me."

"Yes. They are different from the Enforcement Hall. The Enforcement Hall is for arrests, while the Tribunal is for killings."

"Then you activated your communication command."

"Then he withdrew. Not because he couldn't win—but because things got complicated and he had to go back to consult with his superiors."

Shen Chi was silent for a moment. "Will he come again?"

Shi Jian didn't respond, but he didn't deny it either.

------

As darkness fell, the four of them stopped to spend the night in a mountain hollow.

The spot Shi Jian found was surrounded by rock walls on three sides, with an opening on one side, sheltered from the wind. He set up a small array on the ground. He looked at the three of them.

"The Primordial Profound Void Formation. It will issue a warning if anyone gets too close and will also retaliate."

Mo Huaizhou examined the formation, then sat down against the rock wall. He took out the broken bronze tortoise shield from his pocket, examined it several times, and then put it away. He then took out another object—an iron ball the size of a walnut—and weighed it in his hand. Its outer shell was engraved with fine patterns, like an unopened flower bud. He had made it from the last few pieces of good iron he had kept in the shop, and hadn't tested it yet.

"Hidden Killer, a hidden weapon of the Mo Sect, splits into several thin blades when triggered, specifically designed to break through the energy lock."

Shi Jian and Mo Huaizhou exchanged a glance. Then they each lay down.

A-Zhu sat by the fire, poking at it with a twig. She didn't speak, but Shen Chi knew she was looking at her chest—the light of the bronze seal was almost invisible in the firelight, but it was still flickering.

Shen Chi sat a little further away, leaning against a rock, his hundred-refined hammer resting across his lap. He looked down at the hammer.

During the daytime battle, the intertwined branches on the hammer's surface had been ignited by the Oathfire. Now the fire was out, but the patterns hadn't completely disappeared—faint veins remained on the hammer's surface, slightly deeper than before. He remembered Mo Chenzi saying, "A hammer can remember its user. Each time it's used, the patterns deepen."

He gripped the hammer and tried to activate the Heart Seal. Bronze flames of vow surged from his chest, flowing down his arm into the hammer handle. The intertwined branches glowed again, one by one—bronze in color, the same as the Heart Seal.

He stared at the light for a while. Then he remembered what the executioner had said during the day—"You're too weak, you can't be corroded."

He was telling the truth. They simply can't win now. But the road to Tian Shu City is still long.

Shi Jian's voice came from the darkness, very low: "Still not asleep?"

Shen Chi didn't open his eyes: "You weren't asleep either."

"I'm calculating," Shi Jian said. "There's a good chance that Ji Wuwang might send someone else."

Shen Chi remained silent for a moment, then placed his hand on the handle of the Hundred-Refined Hammer.

"Attack when they come."

Shi Jian did not respond.

In the distance, night birds took flight in fright.

Shen Chi sat in the darkness, gripping his gavel. He knew the Tribunal wouldn't let this go. But it didn't matter.

He has a hammer. He has a sword. He has a group of people willing to follow him.

enough.