Becoming a god starting from blacksmithing

Chapter 16 The Clock Tower Promise

It was just dawn.

There was a knock on the door.

Shen Chi pulled open the latch.

A man in gray stood outside the door. He was dressed in the attire of the Enforcement Hall, expressionless, and spoke in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant:

"The head of the hall invites you to the bell tower for a chat. That old Mr. Mo will also be there."

Shen Chi glanced at him, picked up the Hundred-Refined Hammer, and stepped out the door.

A-Zhu's voice came from behind, very softly:

"Brother Shen Chi..."

He paused for a moment.

"It's alright. You keep an eye on Mo Huaizhou."

Then he left.

------

Qingxi Town was quieter this morning than it was last night.

All the doors and windows of every household were closed, but Shen Chi knew that there was an eye watching him from behind every door.

The clock tower stands in the center of the town, the tallest building in old Qingxi. It's made of blue bricks and black tiles, with windows on all four sides of the top floor offering views of the entire town's rooftops. In the open space in front of the tower, a person stands with their back to him.

He wore a plain-colored long robe. He wasn't particularly tall, but he stood very steadily, as if nailed to the ground.

As Shen Chi approached, the man turned around.

Gu Cangming.

Shen Chi saw this face clearly for the first time—cold, as if the skin itself had no temperature.

His hands hung naturally at his sides. His sleeves covered most of them, but Shen Chi could still see them—there were two slightly raised areas on his palms, symmetrically placed.

Locking nail.

Shen gripped the hundred-forged hammer tightly.

Gu Cangming glanced at him.

"You are Shen Chi."

Then his gaze moved from his face to the hammer, paused for a moment, and then returned to his eyes.

"You look a lot like your father."

He paused for a moment.

"But he's dead."

Shen Chi's fingers tightened slightly. He gripped the hundred-chained hammer tightly, but remained silent.

At that moment, the bell tower doors opened.

Mo Chenzi came out from inside. The old man had changed into an old white robe, and without his cane, he stood empty-handed in front of Shen Chi.

He didn't turn around, but Shen Chi saw his shoulders—slightly tense, just like when he saw the carriage at the town entrance yesterday.

------

Gu Cangming looked at Mo Chenzi, the two of them were ten steps apart, neither of them made the first move.

The morning breeze swept through the alleyway, stirring up the fallen leaves. Shen Chi stood behind Mo Chenzi, able to hear his own heartbeat.

In the end, Mo Chenzi spoke first:

"You're early."

"Is it early?"

Gu Cangming spoke in a flat tone, as if stating a fact that did not need to be discussed:

"Four marks in half a month. Such an event has never occurred in a thousand years. If I had arrived a few days later, would you have taken him to ring the bell at the entrance of the Yansheng Pavilion?"

Mo Chenzi did not respond.

Gu Cangming took a step forward.

With just one step, Shen Chi felt the air tighten slightly. No magic was used, no moves were made—you could tell this person wasn't bluffing as he walked forward.

"Three years ago, you took someone away from the Yansheng Pavilion, and I didn't stop you," Gu Cangming said. "This time, I won't let you go again."

Mo Chenzi narrowed his one eye.

"Then give it a try."

The two stared at each other for three breaths.

No one made a move. But Shen Chi, standing behind, could feel the old man's right hand clench slightly, as if he were about to grasp something. He wasn't carrying a cane, but his hand itself was a weapon.

At this moment, Gu Cangming took a step back, creating distance again. Then his gaze passed over Mo Chenzi and landed on Shen Chi.

"The Iron Seal is complete. The Hundred-Refined Hammer has recognized its master. You've progressed faster than I expected."

Shen Chi finally spoke. His voice was more steady than he had expected:

"What are you trying to say?"

Gu Cangming looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then said:

"Your father walked this path and reached the sixth rank, Blue Seal. Then he died. Do you know who killed him?"

Shen Chi remained silent.

Gu Cangming didn't wait for his reply:

"It wasn't the Yansheng Pavilion. It was his own choice—he took on things he shouldn't have, and chose a path that no one could take his place on."

"He walked too fast. There was no one behind him to catch him. He fell, and that was it."

Mo Chenzi had said the same thing. But when Gu Cangming said it, it wasn't a regret, but a conclusion.

Tier 6, Blue Seal. A person standing at the pinnacle of the era.

Did his father actually have someone take over his life?

Shen Chi didn't know the answer. But he knew one thing—

"You want me to walk slower?" Shen Chi said.

Gu Cangming looked at him.

I want you to stop.

------

Shen Chi was speechless for a moment.

He gripped the Hundred-Refined Hammer, facing a mid-grade Lock Emperor, whose strength was comparable to a sixth-tier Blue Seal cultivator. This man could easily have the Enforcement Hall members pin him to the ground with a single word, just like Li Han had done that day.

But Gu Cangming did not make a move.

He stood still, speaking calmly as if announcing something:

"Three days. Within three days, you may leave on your own. Those who should disperse, disperse; those who should gather, gather. After three days, the Enforcement Hall will seal off the town and conduct a thorough investigation. Anyone still there will be treated as a harborer of traitors."

He took one last look at Mo Chenzi.

"This is the last time I can give them face."

Then he turned and left. Heading towards the mayor's house. Shen Chi looked in that direction, remembering that the mayor's house had been dark for a long time, and the yard was long empty. Gu Cangming was now living there.

Shen Chi stood there, watching his figure disappear into the alleyway.

"Three days," he repeated softly.

Mo Chenzi turned and walked back into the clock tower, and Shen Chi followed him in.

The clock tower was dark, with only light filtering in from the windows high up. Mo Chenzi sat on the stairs, took out his wine gourd, and took a sip.

Shen Chi stood in front of him, waiting.

Mo Chenzi put down his wine gourd and looked up at him.

"Enough to teach you what you really need to learn."

Shen Chi looked at him: "Learn what?"

Mo Chenzi stood up, walked up to him, and pointed to the hammer in his hand.

"Learn how to use that hammer."

------

Pick up the hammer, and then think about something.

"What is it?"

"A promise you made to someone. Anything at all, but it had to be from the heart."

Shen Chi held the hammer and thought for a moment.

He thought of many things, but it was no use. The hammer didn't react at all.

"Show me how you count," Mo Chenzi's voice came from the side. "It's not about 'thinking.' Thinking requires belief. If you believe that statement, then Hammer will believe you."

"What's the difference?"

"When you count, you're telling me how much you've done." Mo Chenzi walked up to him. "What I want you to think about is—how you felt when you agreed."

Shen Chi remained silent.

He closed his eyes.

He didn't think about those things themselves. He thought about A-Zhu. When he gave her the iron block, she looked down and said, "You still remember?"—that voice, that expression.

Then he thought of something even earlier. The day his father left, he stood at the shop entrance and said, "I'm going to the mine for a stroll. I'll be back in the evening." His father never returned.

Shen Chi gripped the hammer, pondering those words. He wasn't thinking about grand principles, the nine levels of Heart Imprint, or the weight of a promise. He was simply thinking of his father standing at the door, sunlight streaming in, and him saying—

"I'm going to take a look around the mine, I'll be back in the evening."

Shen Chi suddenly realized that it was this sentence. It wasn't a grand promise, just an ordinary sentence. But he waited three years for it.

The hammered surface is shiny.

It wasn't the kind of light that bursts forth from the patterns when recognizing the Lord. It was a very light, dark red light that slowly seeped through the patterns on the hammerhead, like furnace fire reflecting on iron, or like the moment when red-hot iron is pulled out of the furnace.

Shen Chi opened his eyes and saw the layer of light.

He wasn't surprised. He didn't even think about "it's done"—he just watched the layer of light rise from the hammerhead, like it was rising from water. Dark red, it slowly moved along the veins of the intertwined branches, like it was alive.

He held the hammer, and felt more than just warmth.

It was something very light, something that traveled from his palm to his chest. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew it wasn't the first time he'd felt it. He'd felt that same sensation in his chest when his father said, "I'm going to the mine," and he stood at the door watching him go.

Mo Chenzi looked at the hammer.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. His voice was soft:

"This is it."

Shen Chi looked up at him.

"Did you remember?" Mo Chenzi asked.

Shen Chi thought for a moment and nodded.

Mo Chenzi walked to the window, turned his back to Shen Chi, and looked at the darkening town outside.

"The next time you hold it," he said, his voice softening, "it will remember what you should remember. Even... when I'm gone..."

Shen Chi looked down at the light on the hammer's surface, which resembled an extremely fine vein, flowing slowly across it. Then, it gradually dimmed and receded into the iron.

But that warmth remained. It lingered in my palm, as if it had been remembered.

------

Shen Chi walked out of the clock tower and stood at the door.

In the distance, towards the town entrance, the black carriage was still parked there, its outline indistinct, but he knew it was there—like an eye that had not closed.

Shen Chi didn't turn back to look at the clock tower. He knew Mo Chenzi was still up there, and the old man wouldn't come down to see him off.

Three days.

He gripped the hundred-forged hammer tightly and walked toward the blacksmith's shop.

He didn't know if he would need it in three days.

But the dough was still warm.

This is enough.