Becoming a god starting from blacksmithing

Chapter 9 The Name of Awakening

It was just dawn.

A-Zhu fell asleep leaning against the wooden frame against the wall, her head nodding slightly. It was cool at night, so she curled up into a small ball.

Shen Chi was not asleep.

He sat beside the straw mat, watching over the person on the ground. His eyes were sore, but his mind was perfectly clear.

That night, he thought about many things. The runes on the iron sheet, the one-eyed old man named Mo Chenzi, the clues left by his father—each one was like an iron hammer hitting an anvil, no matter how hard he hit, he could not get a complete shape out.

There's another word.

Heart Imprint.

He chewed on it all night, but couldn't taste anything.

The person on the ground suddenly moved.

Shen Chi's body tensed slightly.

The man first curled his fingers, then his eyelids trembled, as if he had used all his strength to open his eyes a crack. His gaze lingered for a long time before slowly focusing on Shen Chi's face.

Then his expression changed. He struggled to sit up, but when he reached for something, he found nothing.

"Where's the metal sheet?"

Shen Chi didn't move, still sizing him up.

The man panicked and tried to turn over to look for it, using the straw mat as support. He aggravated his wound, let out a muffled groan, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

Shen Chi took the piece of iron out of his pocket.

"Looking for this?"

The man stared at the metal sheet for a few moments. Then, he deflated like a punctured bladder and slumped back onto the straw mat. He forced a smile.

Thanks.

Shen Chi held the metal piece in his hand and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

The man remained silent for a moment. His gaze fell on Shen Chi's face as he weighed whether this person was trustworthy.

But if this person wanted to take his things last night, they could have done so already. Now, not only did they save him, they also stayed by his side all night.

"Mo Huaizhou," he said, "a successor of the Mo School."

Shen Chi didn't reply.

He didn't know what "Mo Clan" was. Mo Chenzi had mentioned the term last night, but he hadn't had a chance to ask.

"Do you know my father?" Shen Chi asked.

Mo Huaizhou was taken aback.

"Your father?"

"The runes on the iron plate are my father's handwriting," Shen Chi said.

After a long while, Mo Huaizhou finally spoke, his voice much lower than before.

"This piece of iron was given to me by my master before he passed away. He said that it was something Shen Qingshan entrusted to him for safekeeping. He said that one day, someone would come to collect it."

Shen Chi's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Come and pick it up?"

"Yes," Mo Huaizhou continued, "My master only instructed me to deliver it to Qingxi Town. Once I get there, someone will naturally come looking for me."

What he didn't say was that he was intercepted before he even reached Qingxi Town. He barely escaped with his life to get here.

Shen Chi looked at the piece of iron in his hand.

His father left behind far more than he had imagined.

The backyard was quiet for a while.

Ah Zhu rolled over, mumbled something incoherently, and didn't wake up.

Shen Chi suddenly spoke.

What is the "heart seal"?

Upon hearing those two words, Mo Huaizhou was stunned.

He looked at Shen Chi, his gaze holding something indescribable—like surprise, or perhaps confirmation of something.

"you do not know?"

"have no idea."

"Last night I vaguely sensed the presence of the Heart Imprint," Mo Huaizhou continued. "Others may not be able to sense it, but I have been learning to identify artifacts by listening to their patterns since I was a child. I wouldn't say I've reached the pinnacle, but at least I'm very skilled and would never make a mistake."

Shen Chi was at a loss for words.

He didn't know what it was either. All he knew was that the line on his chest, which was usually invisible, moved slightly when he got close to this person.

"You sensed it?" Shen Chi asked.

Mo Huaizhou propped himself up and leaned closer to Shen Chi, then closed his eyes and nodded slightly.

"The Mo Clan's secret technique—identifying artifacts by listening to their patterns. It allows one to sense the patterns and energy on an object. The thing on you... is very special. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before."

He looked at Shen Chi with a probing gaze.

"You don't know what it is, but it's inside you. Can't you feel it?"

Shen Chi did not answer.

Of course he could feel it. From the moment he said "I agreed," it felt like a ring of red-hot iron pellets had been implanted in his chest, burning him every now and then.

But he didn't know what it was.

He didn't know how to talk to the person in front of him.

"We'll talk about it when you're healed," Shen Chi said, standing up.

Mo Huaizhou glanced at him and then closed his eyes.

Just then, the sound of a cane tapping on the ground came from the doorway.

笃.

笃.

笃.

Mo Chenzi pushed open the door and came in. He was leaning on a cane with one hand and carrying a cloth bag with the other.

He glanced at the person on the straw mat, then at Shen Chi.

"Are they all awake?"

He placed the cloth bundle on the table, untied it, and inside were several rough porcelain bowls and a small bag of rice. He then took the wine jug from his waist and placed it beside the bowls.

He sat down, not in a hurry to speak.

Shen Chi stood there, waiting.

Mo Chenzi picked up the wine pot, took a sip, and put it down.

"That thing on your chest," he said, "is called the heart mark."

Shen Chi paused for a moment.

"The Heart Seal is divided into nine levels: Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold, Azure, Blue, Purple, Crimson, and Multicolored." Mo Chenzi stretched out his finger and tapped it on the table one by one. "You are currently at the first level—the Iron Seal."

Shen Chi listened attentively.

"To climb the ladder, you need to keep your promises. But it's not about making any promise you can't keep." Mo Chenzi glanced at Shen Chi. "It's the kind of promise—the kind that makes your chest feel heavy just saying it. No one can really say exactly what it is. It might be a significant commitment, or it might not. And who can judge the magnitude of a promise?"

Mo Chenzi glanced at Shen Chi again.

"Have you noticed that something feels off about your body after each time you use that stuff?"

Shen Chi thought for a moment.

"My chest feels like it's been burned, and afterwards it feels cold."

"That is the price," Mo Chenzi said. "It's light now. If you can truly reach that level, you will know what heavy is."

After speaking, he picked up the wine pot and took another sip.

Shen Chi glanced at Mo Huaizhou on the straw mat, then at Mo Chenzi.

"And you? Which level are you at?"

Mo Chenzi did not answer immediately.

He put the wine jug back on the table, his one eye staring at the surface as if looking into the distance.

"I don't have a heart imprint," he said. "Only those of your Shen family bloodline can awaken this. At most... no... I only know about it."

Shen Chi pressed further, "Then what you just said—"

"If you live long enough, you'll always know things that others don't," Mo Chenzi interrupted him, his tone calm. "But most of those who know these things don't end up well."

Mo Chenzi stood up, picked up his cane, and walked towards the door.

"But do you know," he said without turning his head, "why your father left all these things behind?"

Shen Chi stood there, watching his back.

Mo Chenzi did not wait for his reply.

Instead, she said, "The rice on the table is for Mo Huaizhou to eat. Use the bowl I brought. This child is like you, yet different."

------

Wooden cabins in the mountains.

"Old Shen, your plan has encountered a change."