Three Years of Blacksmithing, Achieving Divine Martial Arts - Chapter 24

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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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Chapter 24. Blood Refined Becomes Treasure
So Cheol

When he opened his eyes, the sun hung nearly at its zenith.
He must have fallen asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.
Opening the door, an unfamiliar courtyard greeted him first.
So Won was examining a net he’d brought from beneath the eaves, while Im Ha and two people sent by Son Cheol Shim were tidying the kitchen.
The household furnishings here outnumbered everything they’d brought from the Fishing Village.
Im Ha spotted So Cheol and brushed dust from his hands.

“You’re up then?”
“Yes. Did you both get some rest?”
“I slept fine. Your uncle’s been hunting for a place to hang that net since dawn.”

So Won tugged at one of the knots.

“A large house means plenty of options.”

So Cheol watched the two for a moment, then swallowed his smile. The tautness that had gripped his features when they’d slipped away from the Fishing Village the night before had loosened considerably.
Seeing that, some of the tension in his chest eased as well.

“I’m going to visit Cheoljangbang.”

Im Ha turned to face him at once.

“Again?”
“I need to purchase something.”
“After taking such a beating yesterday?”
“The bruising has nearly faded. I’ll have someone else move anything heavy.”

Not entirely a lie—merely that the quantity he intended to buy was anything but ordinary.
* * *
The clerk at Naemudang read the list So Cheol had handed him three times over.

“Two hundred pounds of Black Iron, three hundred pounds of Pure Copper, four hundred pounds of Pure Stone.”

He looked up from the paper.

“Young Master So.”
“Yes?”
“Are you planning to forge an entire chest of weapons?”
“I have quite a bit of practice work ahead of me.”

The clerk’s expression suggested skepticism. It wasn’t unusual for a Direct Disciple of Jangshimdang to purchase personal forging materials, but the quantity was troubling.
So Cheol didn’t bother with lengthy explanations.

“Can you provide it?”
“The goods are here. Money’s the question.”
“Then that’s settled.”

He paid with gold and silver recovered from the Broad-Sword Bandit’s stash. It was a shame to have burned through the dangerous secret message in a single day, but he had enough coin for immediate needs.
Still, his purse had noticeably lightened.

‘One man caught, one day’s profit gone. That’s how fast money bleeds away.’

It stung. Yet he was simply channeling money earned at the cost of his life back into preserving that same life.
Naemudang couldn’t deliver all the materials at once, so he arranged for them to be sent to Jangshimdang’s warehouse, then headed back to the residence first.
Before the sun dipped low, three carts made the trip.
One of the Jangshimdang disciples who saw the metal stacked in front of the room let out a low whistle.

“Youngest. Are you trying to set up a forge in your room?”
“Something like that.”

So Cheol smiled and saw his senior brother out before locking the door.
Inside the room lay Black Iron, Pure Copper, and Pure Stone that he’d purchased from Naemudang, stacked high. So Cheol withdrew the two taels of Zu Gold he’d gathered last night and twenty taels of cold iron, setting them beside the rest.
It was far more material than when he’d opened the third Xuan Gui.

“The cost of feeding it grows right along with everything else.”

The bronze cauldron offered no reply.
So Cheol moved his consciousness.
The Zu Gold rose first.
Five-colored light wrapped around the metal as a fist-sized lump rapidly blurred and faded. Black Iron followed, then cold iron, Pure Copper, and Pure Stone were drawn into the bronze cauldron in turn.
The moment the last Pure Stone vanished, the room seemed to expand. Instead, a low resonance thundered through his mind.

Boom—

So Cheol steadied himself against the edge of his bed.
The bronze cauldron’s form had grown, and the storage space within expanded all at once.
Beside the three existing Xuan Gui, a new space had appeared.
The fourth Xuan Gui.
Just as the corner of So Cheol’s mouth began to lift, unfamiliar characters appeared below.

[The fourth Xuan Gui has been unlocked.]

[New Function: Treasure Blood Refinement

]

[Place the Essence Blood of a demonic beast or martial artist into the Xuan Gui. After refining for a set period, the blood transforms into Treasure Blood of one grade higher.]

[Treasure Blood can be used to restore Qi Blood and heal wounds. When infused into a weapon, the resonance between weapon and master gradually deepens.]

[Used in conjunction with the Blood Refinement Method, it can be applied to elevate the rank of a weapon.]

So Cheol read through to the final line and fell silent for a long moment.

“Blood as material?”

It was an absurd function, but its utility was instantly apparent.
He now had a means of recovery even when medicine ran dry. And weapons could make use of it too.
The question was whether it actually worked.
So Cheol drew the blade he’d taken from Hwang Tae Gon lightly across his left index finger.
Drawing Qi Blood inward and pushing the thick vital force through his fingertip, a crimson drop formed—different from ordinary blood.
Essence Blood.
As one drop, then two, fell into the bronze cauldron, it responded.
Five-colored light enveloped the suspended Essence Blood.
So Cheol did not stop, extracting several more drops. When the tenth entered, his vision dimmed slightly and he drew his hand back.

“That drains more than I thought.”

Even at Rank 2, his limbs felt heavy and sluggish.
Within the Xuan Gui, the ten drops of Essence Blood had gathered into small crimson beads. Five-colored light circled slowly around them.
It had not yet become Treasure Blood. It needed time.
So Cheol shifted his attention to the fourth Xuan Gui instead of waiting for the result.
The Illusion Shark Mask he’d obtained last night came to mind—a Rank 3 Rank Weapon crafted from shark hide.

It concealed his aura, allowed him to hold his breath far longer underwater, and paired well with water-based martial arts.
He placed the mask into the new storage space.
A chill ran across his face and neck.
His breathing deepened, and the qi within his body settled naturally. He could distinctly feel his bones and muscles recovering.
When he recalled the Water Dragon Swimming Method, even the connection between movements became clearer than before.
The Flowing River Step, the Jade Fin Undershirt, the Water Dragon Swimming Method, and the Illusion Shark Mask—all four were linked to water.
So Cheol looked down at his own hands.
How far exactly he had progressed was not the pressing concern at the moment.
What mattered was two days from now.
When Hwang Won came to meet the Master of Guangsha Manor, he would have one more card to play.
With that thought, even the silver he had just spent felt less wasteful.
His stomach rumbled sharply. The price of drawing out his Essence Blood had not forgotten to come calling.
So Cheol rose from the bed.

“I’d better eat the Ox Horn Fish first.”
* * *
A large cauldron hung in the kitchen of the new house.
Im Ha stood before it, gazing down at the Ox Horn Fish.
Silver scales glimmered each time they caught the lamplight.

“You’re really going to eat this?”
“That’s why I brought it.”
“So Cheol.”

Im Ha pointed at the fish.

“Something like this could fetch three hundred taels of silver.”
“I know.”
“And you’re going to eat it anyway?”
“I have the money.”
“That’s the most terrifying thing to hear.”

So Won interjected from the side.

“It’s good for the body, isn’t it? I noticed earlier the boy’s complexion was a bit pale.”

Im Ha’s gaze fixed immediately on So Cheol.

“Are you hurt?”
“I’ve been training rather intensively.”
“You traveled around like that yesterday, and today you trained again?”

He regretted dragging his uncle into this unnecessarily.
So Cheol quietly picked up a knife.

“I’ll prepare it.”
“Leave it. Do you know how to clean fish better than I do?”

The knife was taken from his hands at once.
Im Ha grumbled as he cut the meatiest portions into generous chunks.
As the broth began to boil, a sweet fragrance tinged with richness spread through the house.
So Won finished half his first bowl and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“This is potent.”

Im Ha managed only a few spoonfuls before setting his bowl down. His face had already flushed.
So Cheol did not press either of them to eat more.
He was different.
As the hot broth entered him, his body responded at once. His depleted Qi Blood gradually refilled, and as he expelled his Essence Blood, the heaviness that had weighted his limbs dissolved away.
He finished the first bowl and reached for a second, and Im Ha’s expression grew increasingly complicated.

“Three hundred taels, four times over.”
“The two of you can finish the rest.”
“If I eat any more, I’ll collapse first.”

So Cheol laughed and drained the broth.
He distributed small bowls to the people who had helped Son Cheol Shim organize the house.
So Cheol asked them to store the remaining meat carefully.
It could feed them for at least several days. Those days mattered.
Only two days remained until his meeting with Hwang Won.
* * *
When night fell, the new house’s yard grew quiet.
So Won sat on a bench beneath the eaves, a pipe in his mouth. The fishing net he’d brought from the Fishing Village had finally found its place in a corner of the yard.
So Cheol took a seat beside him and extended a thin book.

“Uncle. Please accept this.”
“What is it?”
“Martial techniques.”

The pipe nearly fell from So Won’s lips.
He looked between the book and So Cheol.

“You’re asking me to do this?”
“I’m not asking you to become a martial artist right away.”

So Cheol opened the pages.
Water Dragon Swimming Method.

It was content he’d copied from his own silk text—written simply so So Won could understand the methods of moving in water, the breathing, the sequence of channeling force.

“It’s not an easy technique. But you’ve spent your whole life in the water.”
“So?”
“Try it a little each day. It doesn’t matter if it takes years.”

So Won turned a page, then closed the book immediately.

“The characters alone are difficult.”
“I’ll teach you.”
“You’re already busy.”
“We can look over it whenever time allows.”

So Cheol paused for a moment.
The next words didn’t come easily.

“And if I don’t return for a long time.”

So Won’s hand stiffened.

“Take the book to Master Son Cheol Shim.”
“…Why?”
“Master Son Cheol Shim will understand. Please tell him about me as well.”
“Tell him what?”
“That I’m asking him to look after you both.”

The sound of insects in the yard seemed unusually loud.
So Won set down his pipe.

“Where are you going?”
“I’m not leaving right away.”
“Then why would you say such a thing?”
“Just to be safe.”
“Safe from what?”

So Cheol didn’t answer.
He couldn’t tell his uncle everything about Wang San and what had happened at Guangsha Fangjhu. Even if he did, there was nothing they could do about it.
So Won waited for a long moment, then set the book down on his lap.

“So Cheol.”
“Yes.”
“Why can’t you just stop? Why not give this up?”

This time, So Cheol couldn’t answer right away either.
So Won glanced around their new house once more.
The spacious courtyard and freshly papered window frames caught his eye. Inside the room lay the quilts Im Ha had been organizing before falling asleep, and new furnishings they’d gathered.

“We don’t need this house.”

His voice had grown quiet.

“We don’t need the money either, and I don’t need to become a martial artist. Your aunt and I could go back down to the Fishing Village, cast our nets, and live out our days.”

He looked down at the book in his hands.

“That’s how I’ve lived my whole life anyway. Eat, catch fish, mend the nets when winter comes. It was enough.”

So Cheol watched his uncle’s profile.
So Won almost smiled, then failed.

“When your father died and I brought you in, I thought at least I could raise one nephew to be a proper person.”

His grip tightened on the pipe he held.

“I thought sending you to Cheoljangbang would mean advancement. I didn’t know you’d end up risking your life fighting against swordsmen like that.”
“It’s not because of you, uncle.”
“But I sent you there.”
“I chose to stay.”

So Won’s face hardened.
So Cheol continued.

“I had chances to run. When I first saw martial arts, I could have left then too. Even when entering the Inner School, I could have escaped.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because I want to live.”

So Won looked at him.
Having tasted death once, So Cheol feared it all the more. If there was a path at the end of martial arts that extended one’s lifespan, he wanted to walk it to its end.

“I’m afraid too.”

So Cheol spoke without emotion.

“When I stood before the jaws of that strong crocodile, I was terrified. When the Trident Spear came flying last night, I was terrified. That’s why I want to become stronger.”

Living an ordinary life didn’t make danger disappear.
Hwang Tae Gon alone had robbed the helpless So Won of five silver taels and, when he needed to silence his victim, had tried to murder his entire family.
This time it was Wang San. Going back to the Fishing Village wouldn’t erase suspicions already kindled.

“It’s not something that ends just by going back now.”

So Cheol spoke.

“So I will move forward from here.”

So Won said nothing for a long time.
He sat motionless until the flame at the end of his pipe went out.
Only after a considerable pause did he reach down and pick up the book resting on his knee.

“This.”
“Yes.”
“Can I really learn this?”

So Cheol looked at his uncle.

“It won’t be easy.”
“I’ve heard that much.”
“Still, you’ve spent more time in the water than I have.”

The corner of So Won’s mouth twitched slightly.

“That’s true enough.”

He opened the book and studied the posture illustrated on the first page for a long moment.

“You told me to deliver this to Son Cheol Shim if you didn’t return, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I won’t.”

So Cheol’s eyebrows shifted.
So Won tucked the book inside his robes.

“You come back yourself and teach me.”

A moment later, he added one more thing.

“Because I’ll be practicing it myself until then.”

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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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