The Hammer Sounds in the West Market

Chapter 91 The Hammer Sounds in the West Market

Autumn morning.

It was pleasantly cool.

A thin mist enveloped the basin and valley, covering Mingyu City as if it were draped in a white veil.

An autumn leaf fell from a branch, and was blown by the morning breeze. It flew around the houses and came to a small alley in the west of the city, where it landed at the feet of a little demon.

"The sun, like a salted egg yolk, hangs on the treetops, smiling broadly."

As Zhaoyue opened the shop door, she gazed at the rising sun and spontaneously composed a poem.

After reflecting on it, Zhaoyue realized that she had some skill in poetry. She decided that once she finished her work, she would have the poem engraved somewhere for future generations to admire.

"Young shopkeeper, are we able to sell anything today?"

The uncle next door who sells bamboo products has been making money lately; he's all smiles whenever he sees someone.

"Soon," Zhaoyue answered confidently. "It's being refined in the furnace right now."

The uncle looked around the shop and said, "I heard what you said the other day."

Zhao Yue felt a little guilty and instinctively scratched her head, but then she stopped herself, pretending to be calm, and said, "Iron smelting is not like steaming buns. It's a technical job, and you can't rush it."

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"Too.

:

The uncle put down the bamboo basket. "But I have to remind you, it's okay if the shop is empty for a few days, but it will be troublesome if it's empty for several months."

"Quack? What's the trouble?"

"Next year, the tax office will be checking the accounts, and Zhefeng Restaurant will also be checking if you have any legitimate business operations. If there isn't a single penny of income in the accounts, people will ask, 'Why are you allowed to keep such a good shop?'"

The bamboo ware shopkeeper gestured towards the street corner with his chin. "There are plenty of people waiting for shops in the West Market. If it's taken back, someone will take it over in no time."

Zhaoyue felt somewhat anxious upon hearing this.

The "No New Orders" sign has been down for three days, and the furnace has been running for three days.

But the shop was still out of stock.

Seeing that Zhaoyue remained silent, the bamboo ware shopkeeper softened his tone and offered a suggestion: "Or you could go to another shop and buy some farm tools; you need to have something in your account."

"The young master said that the Yu family does not sell goods caught by others."

Zhao Yue waved her paw, turned around and walked towards the backyard, her steps quickening considerably.

Three broken iron billets were already placed by the furnace in the backyard.

Zhaoyue glanced at it and then turned her face away; all three pieces were made by it.

"Time waits for no one, we can't afford to make a mistake this time!"

It clenched its fist to encourage itself, then picked out some dry coal from the coal basket, and following the young master's instructions, used pliers to crack open a few pieces, then lowered its head to smell them.

"Chirp!"

The door to the side room opened.

Shen Gui came out and glanced at the coal: "Remove the two pieces on the left."

Zhaoyue squatted back down and searched for a long time before finally finding the two pieces of coal core that were damp.

It threw the coal aside and blamed it: "It's all wet, why doesn't it change color and grow longer?"

Shen Gui dragged a low stool over from the wall and commanded, "Light the fire."

Zhaoyue stopped muttering to herself, struggled to pick up a bundle of dry grass, put it in fine charcoal, blew on it a few times, and as soon as sparks appeared, it was choked by the smoke and coughed several times.

This was the crucial moment for starting the furnace. Zhaoyue dared not stop, grabbing the wooden handle of the bellows and pulling back with all her might.

The fire slowly seeped into the coal, its flame turning yellow at first before finally becoming bright.

Shen Gui remained seated, only saying, "Cease for two breaths," as the firelight turned almost white.

Zhaoyue let go.

The fire in the stove dropped a little, and the crisp sound of the coal cracking gradually became clearer.

"Did you hear that?"

"What did you hear?"

"Iron Sound".

Zhaoyue pricked up her ears.

The coal was humming, the bellows was humming, someone was hauling a truck on the street, and next door someone was splitting bamboo strips. All sorts of things were crammed together, and after listening for a long time, it only felt a headache coming on.

"I didn't recognize it..."

"Then burn some more."

Shen Gui put a piece of scrap iron in, and waited until the iron turned red before taking it out. "One hammer blow every ten breaths."

Zhaoyue picked up her personal little hammer: "Why can't I hit more?"

"You can't control your strength."

"Young master underestimates me. Is it not a good thing that I'm strong?"

"Your strength and demonic energy are growing rapidly, but your mind can't keep up with your body's control. This will cause problems when you break through your foundation later."

Shen Gui succinctly revealed Zhao Yue's current physical condition.

This little guy's demonic energy is already at its peak, and its strength is growing day by day, but it's becoming harder to pick up small things.

That's why Shen Gui started smelting iron.

First, we helped the fish family retain their guests.

Secondly, it allows Zhaoyue to become familiar with her own muscles and strength through blacksmithing, laying a solid foundation for future breakthroughs.

"What is 'Observing the Dust'? It means observing the minute details, understanding the dust, seeing the small from the large, and turning the surface into a point. Only when the mind is calm can one sense the primordial energy in heaven and earth, control the acupoints of the divine body to absorb it for one's own use. This is 'Observing the Dust'. If you can't even tell how hot a piece of iron is, then any attempt to break through is just banging your head against a door."

Zhaoyue tilted its head and listened for a long time. It didn't understand, but it knew how to do it.

It clamps the billet onto the anvil and raises its small hammer.

The first hammer blow missed, hitting the edge of the iron billet.

The second blow was too light, leaving only a shallow mark.

The third hammer blow was aimed correctly, but the force was not controlled, and the iron billet flew off the anvil and fell into the ash pile.

Zhaoyue ran to retrieve it, burned it again, and beat it again.

Shen Gui sat back down on the low stool, occasionally reminding Huo Se.

The iron in the furnace went from red to dark, and then back to red. Zhaoyue felt a sharp pain in her claws, followed by her shoulders, and then she couldn't even straighten her back.

It put its little hammer on the ground and panted, "Ribbit... I haven't even managed to hit anything yet, and I'm almost gone."

"Take a short break."

"Can we take a break for a moment?"

"Can."

Just as Zhao Yue smiled, Shen Gui added, "Eat half a bowl less rice today."

"Even a short while is fine!" Zhaoyue immediately picked up the small hammer.

The sound of forging iron echoed from early morning until noon.

Zhaoyue ran out twice to check, but no guests came to the front hall.

When it returned for the third time, it struck harder.

Shen Gui tapped the hammer handle with the tip of his shoe. "What's the rush?"

Zhaoyue looked at the iron billet on the anvil; its edges had been bent crooked.

"Croak..."

Zhaoyue picked up the hammer again and started reheating it.

It was puzzled; it wanted to take orders, but why were there no customers?

Perhaps their hopes had been fulfilled, for footsteps could be heard at the door.

An old farmer stood in front of his shop, carrying half a broken hoe on his shoulder. He first called out twice towards the front of the shop, but no one answered, so he went around to the back of the shop.

Upon seeing Shen Gui and Zhao Yue, the old farmer was taken aback for a moment: "Where's Manager Yu?"

Zhao Yue was overjoyed and immediately pounced on the guest: "Manager Yu, your hand is injured and you're recuperating in the village. We can also do blacksmithing, what do you need repaired?"

The old farmer handed over the broken hoe: "The blade broke in the middle. The autumn harvest is almost here, and the dikes in the field haven't been cleared yet. I thought Manager Yu had a steady hand, so I brought it over."

As he spoke, he glanced at the furnace and his gaze fell on the three pieces of scrap metal.

"Since Manager Yu isn't here, I'll go ask somewhere else."

Zhaoyue opened her mouth.

It wanted to take it, but the three scrap pieces were piled up at its feet, and even it was unsure of what to do.

The old farmer shouldered the broken hoe again, and just as he turned around, Shen Gui spoke up: "Pay later, come pick up the goods tonight."

The old farmer stopped: "You know how to fix it?"

"meeting."

"This hoe is tough; if I don't handle it properly, it'll break. Don't ruin my job."

"If it doesn't work, I'll give you a new one."

The old farmer glanced back at Shen Gui a few times, then looked at Zhao Yue, "It's coming to fight?"

"It hits." Shen Gui nodded.

Zhaoyue suddenly straightened her chest.

The old farmer took another half step outward.

Shen Gui took the broken hoe: "I'll keep an eye on it."

Only after these words were spoken did the old farmer hesitantly release his grip.

"Then I'll come later. If you really can't fix it, just say so. Don't try to cover the opening with sheet metal; it'll break again if you put too much force on it."

"Won't."

After the old farmer left, Zhaoyue held the broken hoe and didn't move for a long time.

Shen Gui turned the broken hoe over and pointed to the grooves in the old iron: "You can't just look at the surface of the seam. If the inside isn't sealed, it's useless no matter how smooth the outside is."

Zhao Yue leaned very close, the coal dust almost touching the hoe blade: "Then how do you know if it's closed inside or not?"

"Remember, remember with your hands."

"Your hands can remember things? Young master, this is legitimate business. The old farmer needs it tonight. If it breaks, we'll have to buy a new one."

"Scared?"

Shen Gui looked at it.

Zhaoyue looked down at the broken edge: "A little."

"Even if we're afraid, we have to fight."

So the fire was reignited.

Zhaoyue first ground away the rust at the broken part little by little, and then, as Shen Gui had instructed, smoothed out the joints on both sides.

The first step was done fairly well, but after it was put into the furnace, it kept staring at the door, as if afraid that the old farmer would come back early.

The fire grew brighter and brighter.

Shen Gui said, "Take it out."

Zhao Yue paused for a moment, and when the iron pliers were inserted, the edge of the broken piece was already bent.

"It's over!" Zhaoyue's eyes widened.

Shen Gui: "Let's start over."

The second time, the fire was too big; the surface burned quickly, but the inside wasn't burned through yet.

"Again."

Shen Gui struck the hammer once, making it start all over again.

Zhaoyue did not complain.

As darkness fell, the doors to the front hall remained open, and the shops on the street gradually lit up their lamps.

The broken hoe was burned again and again.

Zhaoyue later lost count of how many times she had struck the hammer. Her ears were filled with the clanging sound, and a piece of her paw was worn raw, burning with pain when she gripped the hammer handle.

It slowly began to understand something.

When iron is not fully heated, the sound is muffled.

If the heat is too high, the sound will be diffused.

Only during that precise, brief moment does the hammer strike and the anvil echo cleanly.

"Young master."

"explain."

"I think I heard it."

Shen Gui glanced at the hoe blade, "Then let's continue."

On the last attempt, Zhaoyue controlled the wind and retrieved the iron herself.

The small hammer fell every ten breaths, each strike slow and deliberate, gradually tightening the seams of the hoe blade. Once the blade was neatly trimmed, it placed the entire hoe into the water trough.

"Pfft."

Water vapor suddenly rose up.

Shen Gui took out the broken hoe and flicked it at the seam with his finger.

"Dang"

The voice is clear and bright.

"Did it work?"

Zhaoyue was stunned for a moment, then jumped high into the air.

"I've done it, Frog Lord!"

It circled the yard twice with the hoe handle in its arms, then rushed to the front hall, held the hoe up to the lamp, and found it pleasing to the eye no matter how it looked at it.

"I ordered this; it's my first shipment!"

A furious shout came from next door: "Can't a person get any sleep?!"

Zhaoyue immediately shrank back, hugged the hoe back to her chest, and said in a low voice, "If the hammer had fallen a little faster back then, the quality might have caught up with the tail of the Eternal Flow."

Shen Gui put away his tools: "Go to sleep. Don't be arrogant. Think about where you went wrong before you sleep."

Zhaoyue's joy hadn't faded, and she readily agreed.

midnight.

When the old farmer came to get his hoe, he tried it a few times and then tapped the stone steps outside the door with the hoe blade.

He paid for the repairs and said before leaving, "The Yu family's craftsmanship is still there."

Zhaoyue escorted the person all the way to the alley entrance, and then counted the copper coins three more times upon returning.

That night, it tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

At first, I was thinking about the word "done". The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. After turning over several times, I realized that I had almost burned the hoe and had also missed the blade three times.

The sledgehammer is too big to lift, the small hammer isn't big enough, and the tongs are too long; even standing by the furnace, I can't reach the coal at the very back.

Because of their body shape, many things that can be done easily by reaching out require them to change their posture or run a few more steps when they do them.

During the day, it was only grateful that someone was there to protect it, but it didn't realize its own shortcomings until late at night.

So how do we overcome our weaknesses?

This question lingered around Zhaoyue for an entire night.

When the window paper glowed, it realized it hadn't slept all night.

Just as Chen Shi (7-9 AM) arrived, Zhao Yue, with dark circles under her eyes, went to the front hall to open the door as usual.

As soon as the first door panel was pulled open, a pair of boots were revealed.

Zhaoyue raised her head.

A woman carrying a sword stood at the bottom of the steps, with the museum's nameplate hanging from her waist; she had been waiting for a while.

Zhaoyue stared at her for a few moments: "You're... that sword cultivator?"

The woman first looked at the guarantee sign by the door before saying, "My name is Yan Xiaolou, the senior disciple of the inner sect of Zhefeng Pavilion. The Yu family shop owes a month's taxes, so I came to inquire about it."

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