Three Years of Blacksmithing, Achieving Divine Martial Arts - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 20. Now Let Us Live in Nohyeon
Son Cheol-sim studied So Cheol

for a long moment. The answer about Nei Jia seemed to take him by surprise.

“You really want the Nei Jia?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a Grade 3 combat hammer. With your strength now, most Grade 2 cultivators couldn’t hold their ground against you head-on.”
“I can forge a hammer myself in time, can’t I?”

So Cheol tapped his chest once.

“But if I die from a sword before then, I won’t get the chance to forge anything.”

Son Cheol-sim’s straight brows twitched. Then he exhaled sharply through his nose.

“For a blacksmith, you certainly think about living long.”
“I need to live long to forge more.”
“You have an answer for everything.”

Even so, he didn’t press further. Son Cheol-sim rose from his seat and gestured for So Cheol to follow.
The Armory of Jangssimdang lay beyond the Blacksmith’s forge. After climbing the stairs twice more, the disciples standing guard immediately bowed.
Son Cheol-sim opened one of the inner chests.
A garment woven from deep blue scales emerged, layered thin and delicate. It hung limp and supple across his broad palm.

Yao Lin Nei Jia

he said.

When So Cheol took it, it was lighter than expected. Pressing on the interlocked scales, they gave slightly before settling back into place.

“The primary material is scales from a water demon that lived more than a hundred years. Among Grade 3 Dharma Weapons, it ranks among the rare.”
“Even this thin—it can block strikes?”
“Put it on and you’ll understand.”

So Cheol removed his outer robe following Son Cheol-sim’s nod and fitted the Nei Jia to his body. There was none of the stiff, rigid sensation of ordinary armor. The scales adhering to his chest and ribs slid with his movements, and when he rotated his arms, they caused no restriction whatsoever.

“Take a deep breath now.”

The moment So Cheol inflated his chest as instructed, Son Cheol-sim’s palm came flying.

Thwack!

The force of the blow sent So Cheol back half a step.

“Master.”
“You’re not dead.”
“Still, you ought to warn me before you strike.”

Son Cheol-sim paid no mind and pointed at So Cheol’s chest. Where the impact had landed, the deep blue scales shimmered like ripples across water.

“See that?”

So Cheol watched the ripples spreading across his chest.

“Does it… disperse the force?”
“Precisely. The armor distributes the impact across all the scales. That property strengthens further when in water.”
“In water?”
“The original owner lived in water, after all.”

It had to be water. So Cheol ran his fingers across the scales of the Nei Jia once, taking care to manage his expression.

“Well? Better than the hammer?”
“Now that I’ve felt it against me, it suits my hand far better.”
“This one.”

Son Cheol-sim raised his hand with a smile, and So Cheol instinctively stepped back first.

“I was only joking.”
“Your instincts are sharp.”

This time, instead of a fist, a thin leather Do-rok came flying. As So Cheol reached to unfold it, Son Cheol-sim tapped the back of his hand.

“Don’t just glance at it here. Take it with you and learn it slowly. It’s the Jinsan Gong Jeol Cho.”

So Cheol’s fingers froze for just a moment. It was a Do-rok he’d never seen before. Yet from the very first stance drawn inside the cover, the next movements came to him unbidden—movements he had already glimpsed in the memories that lingered within the fifty-year-old Son Cheol-sim.

“What. You know the technique?”
“The stance you showed me before seems to connect with this one.”
“That much you ought to see. You’ve come this far in the Yeolseok Chu-beop—if you saw nothing at all, I’d have failed in teaching you.”

Son Cheol-sim scratched his chin with satisfaction, then his expression grew stern.

“But don’t be greedy. Don’t even think of mimicking it right away. Jeol Cho isn’t a technique that demands more force—it’s a technique that drives the force you possess to the edge of danger.”
“I understand.”
“Especially the Jinsan Hwashin—don’t lay a finger on it. If you try to imitate that with your body as it is now, you’ll break yourself before you break your enemy.”

A memory flickered through his mind: Son Cheol-sim’s very body transforming into a weapon. On that point, at least, So Cheol had no objection.

“Master.”

After tucking the Do-rok into his robe, So Cheol spoke.

“Might I be away for a few days?”
“Where are you going?”
“I intend to bring my uncle and aunt here. We’ve prepared a house for them—it seems odd to keep someone stationed at the So Clan Fishing Village any longer.”

Son Cheol-sim looked at So Cheol for a moment. This time his answer came quickly.

“Go, then.”
“You’re certain?”
“Do you think I’d hold you back for fear your hands will stiffen if I strike iron for four days fewer than usual?”

Son Cheol-sim waved his hand dismissively.

“Rest a bit once you’re home. Watching you glued to that furnace these past few days, I figured you’d wear out faster than the steel.”
“Money needs to be made.”

Son Cheol-sim’s eyes narrowed.

“Yes. Always the money.”

Without waiting to hear what So Cheol might say next, he pushed him toward the door.

“Get out. I’m tired of looking at your face.”
“I’ll return soon.”
“Don’t come back early.”
* * *
As So Cheol was about to leave Jangssimdang, Gwak Geo blocked the doorway. Behind him there was nothing, and no weapon in his hand—only a small silk pouch, no larger than a fist.

“So Cheol.”
“Gwak Geo.”
“Take this.”

A pouch flew toward his chest. So Cheol caught it reflexively, but the heavy sound of something shifting inside made his expression harden.

Clink.

It wasn’t the sound of silver coins. So Cheol glanced back and forth between the pouch and Gwak Geo.

“Gwak Geo.”
“Don’t give it back to me.”
“I haven’t even opened it yet.”
“It’s already written all over your face.”

So Cheol untied the cord. Inside was gold. Not merely one or two taels. Counting them, there were exactly twenty taels.

“This is far too much.”
“It’s from the master.”
“I already received the Nei Jia armor earlier.”
“So he must have asked me to do this.”

Gwak Geo stood firm, arms crossed, keeping So Cheol from offering the pouch back.

“If he gave it to you directly, you’d have more objections.”

So Cheol laughed despite his exasperation and held the pouch toward Gwak Geo.

“Then I should give it to you instead.”
“Then I’d be the one the master punishes.”
“You’re putting me in a difficult position.”
“I’m in one too. So just keep it.”

Gwak Geo paused to choose his words, then patted So Cheol’s shoulder.

“The master knows you’re desperate for funds and hammer away at metal day and night. He doesn’t like seeing a Jangssimdang disciple strain himself worrying over material costs.”

It was true that he needed money for the fourth Seon Gyu. But there was no way to explain the reason.
So Cheol tied the pouch cord shut again.

“Did he tell you to repay it a hundredfold?”

Gwak Geo’s eyes widened.

“How did you know?”
“It sounds like something he would say.”
“Then we’re done here.”

Gwak Geo smiled with satisfaction.
So Cheol tucked the gold pouch into his robe. The number one hundred would be something to ignore for now.
* * *
About an hour after leaving Nohyeon, So Cheol veered off the road.
Only after finding a tree’s shade hidden from casual sight did he pull out the Yao Lin Nei Jia again. He hadn’t been able to confirm even the Bronze Cauldron’s response in front of Son Cheol-sim.
As he stilled his consciousness, five-colored light flowed across the scales.
【Name: Yao Lin Nei Jia
(妖鱗內甲)
】
【Grade: Grade 3 Dharma Weapon】
【Equip Condition: Grade 2 · Skilled Swimming】
【Equip Effect: Bone and Muscle Correction · Underwater Activity Correction · Impact Mitigation】
【Special Achievement Unlocked: Talent Calibration · Water-Based Martial Arts Training Calibration · Underwater Training Efficiency Increase】
The conditions were already met. So Cheol removed the Seon Gyu he’d been wearing for the third time and put on the Yao Lin Nei Jia instead.
Each time he moved his shoulders and waist, the precise points where strength gathered shifted subtly. When he recalled the breathing rhythm of the Su Ryong Yu-yeong-beop, the changes became clearer.

‘It fits like it was made to work together.’

Even with only three Seon Gyus, switching what he equipped changed how he used them. The Hammer suited hammering work better, while the Yao Lin Nei Jia was more suited for water.
So Cheol didn’t remove the armor. Besides, where he was headed was near the water anyway.
* * *
Upon entering the So Clan Fishing Village, the first person to recognize him was an old man drying nets in an alley.
The old man scanned So Cheol from top to bottom. His eyes lingered long on the blue robe So Sim-hwan had given him before finally rising to his face.

“Is that So Cheol?”
“Yes. I hope you’ve been well.”
“Changed your clothes and I thought you’d changed too.”

That one remark was enough. He hadn’t even walked ten steps to the house before more people gathered. He’d entered an inner sect, they said. He’d become a master’s disciple, they said. Facts and inflated rumors poured out all at once.
So Cheol smiled loosely and made his way through the crowd. As he opened the gate, Im Ha was cleaning fish in the courtyard. She stopped, knife in hand, her eyes traveling from So Cheol’s face to his clothes and then down to his shoes.

“How much did that robe cost?”
“That’s the first thing you’re curious about after seeing me?”
“Your face hasn’t changed.”

So Won, hearing this from inside the room, burst out laughing.

“I told you. I said she’d look at the clothes first.”

So Cheol smiled and set down his bundle.

“My senior brother lost a wager and bought it for me.”

At those words, Im Ha’s eyes narrowed further.

“What kind of wager would make someone buy a robe like that?”
“I won.”
“I can tell that from the robe.”

There was no way to evade the questions. In the end, So Cheol loosened up and told the story of his first Dharma Weapon at Jangssimdang, leaving out only the Bronze Cauldron, the Seon Gyu, and his actual level of attainment. There wasn’t much else to hide.
As So Won listened, he slapped his knee several times.

“Didn’t I tell you? I said he’d be good at hammering.”
“You said his bones would be good when we put him in the forge practice.”
“That’s not entirely wrong either.”
“You said it was second-rate.”

So Won’s mouth closed quietly. At the sight of the exact same scene from before, So Cheol felt the tension ease slightly from his shoulders.
As evening fell, neighbors who had been coming by one after another began to drift away. In one corner of the courtyard lay eggs, dried mushrooms, and a bottle of liquor that someone had left behind.
Im Ha clicked her tongue at the sight of them.

“Last year that man was raising a fuss saying our fence blocked the shadow from his field. Today he leaves eggs.”
“That’s just how people’s hearts are.”

In the meantime, So Won picked up the bottle and held it up to the light.

“Why are you trying to open that already?”
“I’m not opening it. Just seeing what it’s worth.”
“Put it down.”

When So Won meekly set the bottle down, So Cheol looked between the two of them before broaching the real subject.

“Let’s head to Nohyeon, Uncle and Aunt.”

Im Ha’s hands stilled, and So Won glanced at So Cheol a moment later.

“All of a sudden?”
“I’ve arranged a house for us.”
“A house?”
“Right next to my master’s residence. High walls, and martial artists come and go there constantly.”

So Won’s expression grew peculiar at those words.

“How much did you pay?”
“A hundred silver taels.”

Im Ha smacked the back of So Won’s hand as he set down the wine bottle.

“Why do you ask that first?”
“You were curious too.”
“I’m curious where the boy found that kind of money, not what he spent it on.”

When both their eyes turned back to So Cheol at once, he brought out the explanation he’d prepared.

“At Jangssimdang, we’re paid for making weapons. I gathered enough from several days’ work to buy it.”

At least that much was true.

“And Uncle won’t need to go to the river every day anymore.”

This time So Won’s face clouded over immediately.

“That won’t do.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve spent my whole life doing this. You want me to go to Nohyeon and stare at walls all day?”

Im Ha spoke up matter-of-factly from beside him.

“You’re not the sort to sit still anyway.”

Just as So Won was about to nod, she continued.

“In four days, you’d be climbing over someone else’s walls to cast your fishing line.”
“When have I ever climbed over a neighbor’s wall?”
“When you’re drinking.”

So Cheol finally laughed.
So Won pouted for a moment, then let out a stifled chuckle himself.

“Don’t sell the boat.”
“I won’t need to.”
“And bring the nets with us.”
“What would we use them for?”
“When you live long enough, you find a use for everything.”

Im Ha interjected.

“Just try bringing that foul-smelling net into the new house.”

The exchange went on, but there was no refusal in it. So Cheol felt his heart settle at last. Hwang Tae-gon’s death didn’t make the fishing village safe—he still wasn’t certain who stood behind it all, but now that the name Wang San had entered his suspicions, there was no reason to leave the two of them exposed any longer.
He couldn’t explain all those circumstances. But mentioning that it was next to Son Cheol-sim’s house would be enough.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll organize things. I’ll pack what’s urgent first, and you can come back for the rest later.”

Im Ha was already surveying the room.

“We need to take the cauldron. And the blankets—new ones cost money, so we should bring these…….”

So Won seized the opening to add his thought.

“The nets.”
“Don’t mention the nets one more time.”

So Cheol watched quietly as the two of them debated the inventory. They hadn’t packed a single thing yet, and already Im Ha was dividing what to take from what to leave behind, while So Won kept slipping mentions of nets and fishing rods into every gap in the conversation.
He’d thought they might hesitate once it came time to actually leave—this was the only home they’d ever known, and the river that had sustained them both lay just beyond the door.
But their words had already moved past where they’d go tomorrow to what they’d carry with them. That was when So Cheol laughed.
The house he’d arranged in Nohyeon felt, for the first time, like a real home.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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