The Blacksmith’s Disappointment and a New Path

The maid and Luo Yingkong boarded the carriage. A young man was already seated inside, a longsword resting before him. Seeing Luo Yingkong enter, he offered a smile.

“Hehe, I was just about to head out myself. It’s on the way, on the way…”

This young man was Luo Bo, Luo Yingkong’s third brother, approximately twenty years old.

“Fourth Young Master, we’re about to depart!” the maid called out towards the courtyard.

“Coming! Wait for me…”

****

The old servant slowly drove the carriage towards the town center. The street vendors’ calls were ceaseless, a lively cacophony that had greatly astonished Lin Tian on her first visit.

Without the convenience of internet communication, one could only truly understand the world by venturing out. This was precisely why the town was always teeming with people and exceptionally bustling.

Some individuals never left their hometowns in their entire lives. Their horizons were limited, their knowledge gleaned only from books and the accounts of friends.

“Yingkong, do you intend to study martial arts at Mount Makufu?” Luo Bo, her third brother, inquired.

“That’s right.”

“But you’ve never had any exposure to martial arts. Even if Luo Tao were to sign up, he might not pass the assessment.”

Upon hearing this, her fourth brother, Luo Tao, immediately bristled. It would have been one thing if his sister weren’t present, but to speak such words in front of her was a grave slight to his dignity. He was about to retort when his third brother’s sharp gaze silenced him.

He instantly grasped his brother’s intention, which was likely to dissuade Luo Yingkong. He quickly chimed in with agreement.

“Yes, yes, that’s right. Our family runs a business. Only the poor go to places like that. The silver earned there in a whole year doesn’t even match our family’s income in a single day…”

Stay at home and run a business? Lin Tian was not that kind of person. This world had no internet, nothing to alleviate boredom. Any other transmigrator would have long since grown restless.

If the particle collider could make him transmigrate once, it could certainly do so a second time! To conduct another experiment in this world, even selling her family’s entire estate wouldn’t cover the expenses.

“I’ll be troubling you both in the future.”

Her voice was remarkably enchanting. Luo Tao scratched the back of his head with a foolish grin. “No trouble, no trouble at all… Uh, trouble with what?”

Luo Bo, her third brother, sighed. His earlier attempts at persuasion had been utterly useless. He and his brother had grown up practicing martial arts, and her words clearly implied he would be relying on them to teach her.

“Young Master, Young Mistress, we have arrived,” the old servant announced from outside the carriage, bringing it to a halt.

“Hey, speaking of which, what did Sister Yingkong ask the blacksmith to make? Is it a weapon?” Luo Tao asked.

Lin Tian ignored him. There was no point in explaining; he wouldn’t understand. As he stepped out of the carriage, the gazes of everyone nearby converged on him. Her ethereal, childlike beauty stood in stark contrast to the surrounding crowd, yet her attire clearly marked her as a young lady of noble birth.

Her two brothers emerged from behind him. The sharp, observant eyes of martial artists made the crowd shrink back, unwilling to meet their gaze. Those who had been openly appraising Lin Tian swallowed hard, no longer daring to stare.

These stares made Lin Tian very uncomfortable; it was why he rarely ventured out. However, this time he needed to inspect the blacksmith’s work. He simply couldn’t believe a gun could be crafted perfectly from just a blueprint.

Stepping into the blacksmith’s shop, the already sweltering weather seemed to intensify. A dark-skinned blacksmith, clad in a vest and shirt, was conversing with the old servant.

“How is it? Is it finished?” Luo Yingkong asked as she approached.

“Eh! Young Mistress, you’ve come yourself! And the two young masters as well. Please, have a seat. This humble shop of mine is a bit crude, so please bear with us.”

With that, the blacksmith ducked into the inner workshop and emerged with a pile of scattered gun components.

“Young Mistress, please take a look.” Though he didn’t understand why this young girl wanted such an item, her exceptional intelligence meant he didn’t treat her as a mere child.

Lin Tian glanced at the disassembled parts before her and shook her head.

“No, the rifling inside the barrel must be uniform and as dense as possible. This spring has no elasticity whatsoever, and as for these screws, it would be a miracle if they could even be tightened…”

The blacksmith listened, bewildered. Some of the terms he used were entirely new to him, but he managed to grasp the general idea from her tone and context.

Despite the flaws, Lin Tian was already satisfied with this much. Crafting the gun itself was not the primary difficulty; the real challenge lay in the bullets and gunpowder.

Bullets were even harder to make than the gun. If he couldn’t produce them, he would be limited to a muzzle-loading firearm, which would require long reloading times and offer weak power.

He still had four years, more than enough time. Lin Tian gave the blacksmith detailed instructions, explaining every single specification. This was precisely why he had come in person; without his precise instructions, relying solely on a blueprint would never have yielded the desired result.

“Old Jiang, let’s head back…”

The old servant acknowledged her, then climbed back onto the carriage.

“Eh, eh, eh, Yingkong, are you really going back already? It’s rare for you to come out; won’t you stroll around a bit more?” Luo Tao urged repeatedly.

Lin Tian pondered for a moment. Since he was going to practice martial arts, he would need to acquire a suitable weapon.

“Hmm… I lack a weapon. I suppose I can take a look.”

“Great! Brother will take you to the best weapon shop!”

Luo Tao exclaimed excitedly. Having practiced martial arts for many years, his judgment for weapons was certainly not poor. Perhaps he could even impress his sister!

Although he was older than Lin Tian, in everyone’s eyes, his mental maturity was the least developed.

“You two take your time browsing. I have other matters to attend to. The crowd is unruly, so be extra careful,” Luo Bo said before turning and departing.

Though this town was not large, it sold everything imaginable. Every resident here ran a business, and the surrounding villages also relied on this place for trade.

A maid and the old servant followed the two siblings down the street. The crowd was too dense for a carriage to navigate.

“Yingkong, what kind of weapon do you prefer?”

“I don’t know. I’ll see when we get there.”

He himself had never used a weapon. In his previous life, he had only wielded pens and keyboards. He rarely even touched a kitchen knife. To choose a suitable cold weapon, he would have to try them out first.

Enduring the curious stares of passersby, they finally arrived at the largest weapon shop in town. The words “Town Treasure Pavilion!” were written in bold, flowing script on the sign above the entrance.

Several customers were scattered sparsely inside. The walls were adorned with all sorts of weapons, but these were all cold weapons.

“Are the esteemed guests here to select weapons?”

A portly, big-eared middle-aged man approached them. His belly was as round as if he were ten months pregnant. He rubbed his hands together as he eyed the group, deducing from Luo Yingkong and Luo Tao’s attire that they were clearly from a wealthy family.

“Nonsense! We’re here to choose weapons, not to buy soy sauce, are we?” Luo Tao retorted impolitely.

The shopkeeper, far from being displeased, maintained a patient smile and said, “Yes, yes, of course. Swords and blades are on the first floor. The second floor holds bows, arrows, hidden weapons, and various miscellaneous armaments. The third floor is for armor…”

“If any esteemed guest fancies a particular weapon, you are welcome to test it in the basement. Please, make yourselves at home…”

Lin Tian scanned the weapons on the first floor, gravitating towards whichever sword or blade appeared most aesthetically pleasing.

A green longsword stood out prominently. He had no idea of its quality, but he needed to try it.

“Yingkong, are you looking at that sword? It’s forged from profound iron. I’ll take it down for you to see.”

The green longsword was handed to Lin Tian, but its tip instantly dropped to the floor as he struggled to grip the hilt.

“It’s… heavy!”

“Uh… I’m sorry, let me…”

Luo Tao took the weapon and returned it to its place, silently cursing his own foolishness. How could a twelve-year-old girl like Lin Tian, who had never practiced martial arts, possibly wield such a heavy profound iron sword?

“Yingkong, you’d probably be better suited for a light sword or a short dagger. I’ll pick one out for you.”

“No need. Let’s just go up to the second floor first…”

He knew his strength was insufficient. How could a twelve-year-old girl’s body possibly swing a sword? Weapons could wait; he needed to train himself before making a selection.

On the second floor, there were even fewer customers. His eyes immediately landed on various colored bows and arrows hanging on the walls.

He couldn’t even swing a sword, let alone draw a bow. While bows and arrows were good, they paled in comparison to a handgun.

His gaze settled on some smaller components.

“These are sleeve darts, hidden weapons concealed in the sleeve. However, they are generally used against people and are quite insidious. For dealing with wild beasts, bows and arrows are more practical.”

Most people who came here were hunters. Those who bought such hidden weapons were either bandits or villains.

“I’ll buy this.”

“Eh…”

This world lacked a fixed legal order. Bandits and mountain kings were countless. There were even mountain strongholds specifically for robbing people and plundering traveling merchants and their goods.

In a world where strength reigned supreme, power and influence dictated everything, leading to the emergence of various sects, martial artist alliances, and other major forces…

Lin Tian didn’t care about insidiousness. A useful weapon was a good weapon, and victory was paramount. It would be even better if he could coat it with some poison…