Three Years of Blacksmithing, Achieving Divine Martial Arts - Chapter 4

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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 4. The Windfall Did Not End with Meat
“Wait. Medicine first.”

Im Ha sprinkled medicinal powder onto the wound and wrapped So Cheol’s thigh with clean cloth. Only after checking the knot twice did she remove her hands from his knee.

“Don’t do any hammering today.”
“That’s going to be difficult.”
“What’s difficult about it?”
“I have to go to the blacksmith shop tomorrow.”

Before Im Ha could say anything more, So Won’s voice called out from the courtyard.

“Dear! Come look at this with me. I don’t know where to even start by myself.”
“Here’s a man who’s spent his whole life gutting fish, and now he can’t manage this either.”

Muttering under her breath, Im Ha rose at once.
So Cheol tried to follow, but she turned back to face him.

“You stay put.”
“I’m only going to watch.”
“Does walking count as watching?”

In the end, So Cheol was only allowed to venture out to the courtyard after proving he could walk without limping.
The River Crocodile lay stretched out exactly as it had been before. Laid out in front of the house, it looked even larger than it had by the river. So Won tapped on the dorsal scales, then pointed with his blade tip toward the belly.

“We should start by removing the hide, but these scales look too tough for any ordinary blade.”

Im Ha crouched down and studied the carcass for a long moment.

“Leave the back alone and split the belly. The hide has to come off in one piece to fetch any real money.”
“You seemed startled enough a moment ago. Now you’re full of wisdom.”
“At least I know more than you do.”

So Won fell silent.
Once Im Ha found where the blade should enter, the work progressed quickly. To two people who had spent their lives cleaning fish, it was merely a matter of scale—the size alone was absurd.
The thick hide peeled away bit by bit. Beneath it lay firm, red flesh.

“There’s nothing to waste here.”

So Won spoke aloud.

“The hide can be sold as leather for boots or garment fabric once it’s properly dried. The bones will fetch a price at the medicine shop too.”

Im Ha asked immediately.

“And the meat?”
“I’ve heard martial artists seek it out. With a beast this large, the meat must carry stronger Qi than ordinary game.”

So Cheol asked.

“How much might we receive for it?”
“We won’t know until we take it to market. I heard old Yi caught a rare fish not long ago—three jin of meat, and he was paid thirty silver taels.”

So Won quickly waved his hand.

“That was an exceptionally rare fish, and it doesn’t mean this creature’s meat is worth the same. Don’t start dreaming about spending money before we’ve even finished.”
“I haven’t yet.”
“Your face already has.”

So Cheol did not deny it. It was true that thoughts of the metal and silver needed for the second-tier Banseokse had already flickered through his mind.
So Won set aside the sections where bone had attached.

“We should take this to the medicine shop too. Even if it’s not worth much, it’s better than throwing it away.”

So Cheol’s attention perked up at those words.
The dull ache in his thigh, which had been bothering him moments before, came back into focus. Though his body hadn’t felt heavy when he’d climbed down after killing the River Crocodile, there was definitely a hollow sensation inside him.

“Could you leave me a larger share, please?”

Im Ha stopped her knife mid-stroke.

“How much?”
“As much as I can eat.”
“That’s the scariest thing to hear.”

So Won laughed.

“You saw what he ate this evening, didn’t you?”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying it.”

Im Ha sighed even as she carved out a generous chunk of meat and set it aside. The next piece went to the same pile.
So Won blinked.

“Wasn’t that supposed to be for selling tomorrow?”
“We can earn more money. You said you’d be checking your Masculine Robust Body in three days anyway.”
“That’s true.”
“So feed him when he needs feeding.”

So Cheol wondered if this was really the same person who’d been talking about meal costs just moments ago.
He hid the way his mouth threatened to curl upward and took hold of the hide’s edge to help her.

“Don’t smile.”
“I wasn’t smiling.”
“You’re just like your uncle.”
“That’s unfair.”
“Why am I dragged into this?”

The courtyard filled with the sounds of living once more.
By the time they’d finished preparing the meat, the lantern oil in the courtyard had burned considerably low. Im Ha placed the freshest cuts into a large pot together with herbs. As it began to boil, a rich meaty aroma replaced the fishy smell.
So Cheol’s hunger returned at just the smell alone.

“You ate two bowls of rice earlier.”
“And then I fought the River Crocodile after that.”
“Well, that’s fair.”

Im Ha set down the ladle.
The three of them sat down in a circle and ate their first pieces of meat.
He’d expected it to be tough, but it was surprisingly tender. It didn’t fall apart like fish, and it was milder than pork. Most notably, after just a few bites, warmth began rising from within his belly.
So Cheol paused with his chopsticks.
It wasn’t simply the heat from a hot broth. The warmth spreading from below his stomach crept through his waist and back, and the dull fatigue that had lingered since the riverbank gradually began to ease.

‘Is this why martial artists seek it out?’

He ate another piece.
This time the sensation was clearer.
After learning Banseokse, he’d felt his body recovering when he ate, but this meat was different—even in the same amount, what filled him was qualitatively distinct.
So Won set down his chopsticks and fanned his face with his hand.

“Why is it so hot?”
“Your face is red.”
“You’re the same way.”

They looked at each other for a moment before Im Ha suddenly wiped beneath her nose.
Red smudged across her fingertip.

“Oh dear.”

So Won burst out laughing.

“You were eating so much you liked it—now you’ve got a nosebleed.”
“And your ears are red all the way to the tips.”
“I’ve always had good color.”
“The man who went pale as a ghost by the river?”

So Won closed his mouth again.
In the meantime, So Cheol had transferred the remaining meat to his own bowl.
Im Ha’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re all right to eat more?”
“I believe I could manage.”
“…Are you even human?”

Instead of answering, he picked up another piece of meat.
When the pot was nearly empty, it felt as though a single ember had entered his body. Even his skin grew hot, yet it wasn’t unpleasant. Sitting still, his limbs actually began to twitch with restlessness.
So Cheol finally went out to the courtyard.

“What are you about to do now?”

Im Ha’s voice followed from behind.

“I won’t use my legs. Just need to loosen my body a bit.”
“The medicine I put on earlier—is that just for show?”
“If the wound opens, I’ll stop at once.”

Without waiting for a response, he spread his feet apart. He didn’t bend his thighs too deeply. As he felt the earth through his soles and straightened his spine, the heat within his belly slowly spread to his limbs.
He drew one breath in and let it out.
After that, he moved through the motions without the hammer, hands empty. The moment he had twisted his body above the River Crocodile was still vivid in his mind.
As his body tilted and came back, power gathered in his waist. His shoulders opened with the flow.

Whoosh!

His empty hands cut through the night air.
After repeating it several times, the heat that had been oppressive began to spread evenly through his whole frame. Even his arms, which had felt heavy by the river, now seemed considerably lighter.
So Cheol picked up the eight-pound hammer leaning against the wall.

Bang!

The hammer struck the hardened earth at one corner of the courtyard.
Im Ha opened the door and stuck her head out.

“So Cheol!”
“Just once.”
“Once or twice, not with that leg—”
“Dear, let it be.”

So Won caught hold of Im Ha from behind.

“Looks like his body’s itching for it.”

Im Ha rolled her eyes.

“Do you always take the boy’s side?”
“He saved my life today too.”
“And whose fault is it that his life was in danger in the first place?”

So Won fell silent.
A moment later, the two of them entered the inner room. Once the door shut behind them, So Cheol set down his hammer and tried to catch his breath.
Then a soft voice drifted from within.

“Husband.”
“Yes?”
“So Cheol’s grown so much now.”
“What brings this up all of a sudden?”

A pause stretched between them.

“Don’t you think…… it might be time we thought about having another child?”

So Cheol’s head snapped up.
The door was closed.

“You were thinking it too, just now?”
“Lower your voice. He’s outside.”
“He’s pounding away in the distance—why would he hear?”

He heard. He heard every word.
Without a sound, So Cheol picked up his hammer again and walked to the far side of the courtyard.

‘I’ll need to go further out.’

He’d always thought his uncle and aunt had no children because of their financial burden. If less money went to him, they might be able to imagine a different future. A younger sibling wouldn’t be unwelcome.
It was a pleasant thought.
But he didn’t let it linger. Before the conversation in the inner room could continue any further, So Cheol deliberately swung the hammer with all his strength.

Whoosh—!

The sound of wind tore across the courtyard.
* * *
The next morning, there was no need for a separate market at So Cheol’s home.
The courtyard sprawled with freshly stripped hides, and beneath the eaves hung rows of butchered meat. So Won packed his portion to take to market while Im Ha rubbed salt into the rest of the meat to preserve it.

“Leave this one alone.”

Im Ha had set aside one sack for herself.

“It’s for So Cheol.”

So Won counted on his fingers, calculating.

“There’s quite a lot left, even with what he ate last night and what he’s taking with him.”
“Should I sell it?”
“No. Just asking.”

Since last night, he’d grown more perceptive.
So Cheol suppressed a smile as he packed his portion of meat into a sack.
Already, people were peering in from outside the door.

“So they’re saying So Cheol really caught this himself?”
“They say it’s over thirty feet long.”
“Just looking at the hide tells you. How could a person ever catch something like that?”

So Won downplayed the river incident in his retelling, but rumor did the opposite—it swelled the story beyond all reason. The tale of catching an injured River Crocodile had somehow twisted into whispers that So Cheol had strangled it bare-handed.

“It wasn’t bare-handed.”

So Cheol’s correction fell on deaf ears.
A man standing near the hide let out a derisive snort.

“You must’ve just picked up something half-dead. A boy of sixteen catching that? Come now.”

Im Ha’s salt-crusted hand closed around the kitchen knife.
The man took two steps backward before he could even finish his thought.

“What I meant was, luck counts as skill too.”
“Choose your words carefully.”
“I am. I am.”

He retreated down the alley and vanished.
So Won murmured softly.

“That man talks his own fortune away.”
“Uncle, be careful yourself.”
“I’ve already learned that lesson well.”

So Cheol slung the meat sack over his shoulder.

“I’m going out.”

Im Ha followed him to the door.

“If your leg aches, come straight back inside. And don’t swing that hammer late into the night again.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t just answer—mean it.”

This time, So Cheol didn’t hide his smile.
* * *
The Cheoljangbang External Blacksmith Shop had been blazing hot since morning.
The moment So Cheol set down the meat sack, Master Jin’s eyes widened.

“What’s this now?”
“Caught it from the river last night.”
“You did?”
“With my uncle.”

He opened the sack, and red flesh spilled out. Master Jin pressed his finger against it, sniffed, and recognized it immediately.

“River Crocodile meat. At that thickness, the beast must’ve been enormous.”
“Over thirty feet long.”
“What?”

Master Jin’s gaze shifted from the meat to So Cheol’s face.

“The two of you caught that?”
“It had already injured one of its eyes and lost strength. My uncle pinned it with a harpoon, and I finished it with the hammer.”

He’d woven truth and fiction together carefully.
Master Jin looked skeptical but moved the meat to one side.

“Even so, you were fortunate. Beasts like that—even half-dead—can still break bone with a single tail lash if you’re not careful.”
“I learned that the hard way.”
“What?”
“No, sir.”

The master’s eyes narrowed.

“You brought this to give to me?”
“You gave me a hammer yesterday, after all. There’s plenty of meat at home.”
“This one keeps putting me in his debt.”

But even as he said it, he didn’t hand the sack back.
The master paused mid-sip of his tea.
His gaze traveled from So Cheol’s shoulder to his arm, then down to his waist.

“Wait.”
“What is it, sir?”
“Stand there.”

So Cheol straightened his posture, confused.
The master came closer, pressed his forearm once, then used his fingers to probe the space between shoulder and back. His brow furrowed, growing tighter.

“Take a deep breath.”

So Cheol inhaled.
His chest expanded. The Qi that had cooled in his body through the night stirred awake again with each breath.
The master’s face went rigid.
The teacup in his hand tilted.

Crash!

The cup shattered against the floor.
So Cheol looked down. Red berries—like goji berries—spilled across the broken shards in abundance.

‘That’s more of a medicinal broth than tea.’

As that thought crossed his mind, the master murmured something low.

“A Masculine Robust Body
.

So Cheol lifted his head.
The master paid no attention to the broken cup.

“Why has it already appeared in your body?”

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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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