aircannonsinc Chapter 1100 Carefree
Chapter 1100 Carefree
In March, the grass grows tall and the orioles sing in Hunfang City, the willow catkins sprout new ones, and the clothes of passersby gradually become thinner.
Li Xiaoyao slowly opened his eyes, looked at the pile of clutter beside the bed, and showed a hint of helplessness. He carefully avoided a long spear that was lying diagonally, put on his straw sandals, picked up the spear, leaned it against the corner of the wall, and pushed open the door.
The courtyard was even more cluttered than the bedroom, piled with all sorts of weapons—knives, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—arranged along the walls.
The gleaming swords and heavy maces were close together, with two oddly shaped twin blades beside them.
Li Xiaoyao was sometimes very puzzled: who would use such a weapon?
But these were all made by the martial artists at great expense by their masters, or rather, by Li Xiaoyao, and he naturally accepted them all.
Li Xiaoyao swung his arms and came to a deep well in the corner of the courtyard. The muscles under his slender arms were faintly visible as he laboriously lifted a full bucket of water.
The well water in the bucket was different from others, shimmering with a pale blue light. Even from several feet away, Li Xiaoyao felt a chill seep into his bones and couldn't help but shiver.
He kept moving his hands, carrying several buckets of water in succession. He was almost exhausted, but he still couldn't stop.
He gasped for breath, poured all the well water into a large wooden tub about half his height, took off his clothes, climbed into the tub, and slowly sat down in the water until it submerged his neck.
The chill seeped into his limbs and bones, and he was almost frozen solid.
He quickly activated the nameless cultivation technique taught by his master. Strands of crimson true energy surged from his dantian, carrying a warm feeling as they circulated through his meridians, dispelling the chill and warming his body.
Li Xiaoyao exhaled a long breath of white air, feeling as if he had come back to life.
But the cold air in the well water continued to invade his body. He dared not relax for a moment and continued to circulate the nameless technique to expel the cold air and try his best to maintain his last bit of life.
The crimson true energy and the cold energy were locked in a life-or-death struggle. After an unknown amount of time, the last wisp of cold energy finally dissipated, and the crimson true energy in Li Xiaoyao's dantian was almost completely exhausted.
He opened his eyes, looked at the colorless and transparent well water, and exhaled a long breath of white air, feeling fortunate to have survived again.
He slowly stood up, water cascading down his muscular body. He clenched his fist and couldn't help but grin.
Although bathing in cold well water is uncomfortable, it makes him stronger and makes blacksmithing easier and less strenuous.
Li Xiaoyao hummed a little tune he had heard from a martial artist. The last wisp of crimson true energy in his body circulated through his meridians, and the remaining moisture on his body surface evaporated. Without using a towel to wipe himself, he put on his clothes directly.
The internal energy cultivated through this nameless martial arts technique is truly useful, but unfortunately it can only be used for bathing, not for killing or fighting like those martial artists, or for making a name for oneself in the martial arts world...
Li Xiaoyao turned around and looked at the main room with the door tightly closed; his master was still sleeping in.
If those powerful figures in the martial arts world who came to ask their master for weapons knew that all the "divine weapons" in their hands were made by Li Xiaoyao, I wonder if they would come to settle scores with their master.
Li Xiaoyao chuckled to himself, bowed respectfully three times to the main house, and then turned back to walk towards the main hall of the blacksmith's shop to finish his work for the day.
Although his master was a bit lazy, he treated him extremely well, and he felt only respect for his master.
Li Xiaoyao was originally a beggar who had been living on the streets since childhood. He barely survived thanks to his cleverness, often going hungry and never knowing when he would die on the street and become food for stray dogs.
One night when Li Xiaoyao was seven years old, a heavy snow was falling and the cold wind was howling. The roars of monsters could be faintly heard outside Hunfang City, and several shooting stars flew up from the city, illuminating the dark night.
Li Xiaoyao was so cold he couldn't sleep. Wrapped in a dirty quilt, he huddled in a corner of a dilapidated temple, watching shooting stars streak across the sky through the broken roof. The shooting stars left long-lasting streaks in his eyes, and a wave of envy rose in his heart.
Those are high-ranking cultivators who can fly and escape into the earth, possessing immortal magic and able to summon wind and rain with a mere gesture.
Li Xiaoyao also wanted to cultivate immortality. He wanted to wear fine clothes, eat a steaming, trembling braised pork, and have those who looked down on him look at him with admiration.
However, children can only have their spiritual roots tested when they turn thirteen, and he didn't even know if he would live to see the next day, so this dream could only be buried deep in his heart.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the fire in front of Li Xiaoyao grew dimmer and dimmer until it went out. The firewood he had painstakingly collected had finally burned out.
Li Xiaoyao grew colder and colder, hugged himself tightly, and fell into a deep sleep.
In his dream, he finally became a cultivator, able to fly and escape into the earth, omnipotent, able to eat large portions of braised pork at every meal, and even married a beautiful wife.
When he woke up, he was already lying on the bed in the blacksmith's shop. His master glanced at him casually and asked, "What's your name?"
"Little Li the Rat..."
"That's awful. You were talking in your sleep, wanting to cultivate immortality. Cultivators seek a carefree and unrestrained life. From today onwards, you will change your name to Li Xiaoyao. Would you like to become my disciple?"
That day, Li Xiaoyao unwittingly gained a master.
Although he didn't achieve his dream of becoming an immortal cultivator, nor did he marry a beautiful wife, he was finally able to eat his fill, and his favorite dish was still braised pork.
His master also taught him a method to strengthen his body. He carried iron materials every day, and his master would blow air around him while he was forging iron. His thin body gradually became stronger, and he grew taller day by day by the raging fire.
At the age of thirteen, Li Xiaoyao, with his master's permission, excitedly went to have his spiritual root tested, but returned disappointed in the end.
He doesn't even have the five spiritual roots in his body, so he has no chance of cultivating immortality.
Although legends say there are treasures that can grant mortals spiritual roots and allow them to embark on the path of cultivation, these are supreme treasures that even cultivators would fight tooth and nail for, and mortals should never even think about getting their hands on them.
After returning to the blacksmith shop, Li Xiaoyao sullenly encouraged his master.
That night, his master passed on to him an unnamed martial arts technique, instructing him to practice diligently and to bathe in the cold well water every morning.
Li Xiaoyao didn't know what the purpose of this cultivation technique was, but he always obeyed his master's words without question.
From then on, he didn't sleep at night, but practiced his skills cross-legged according to his master's teachings, and took a bath with well water every morning.
The first time he bathed in well water, he only added a ladle of well water to a bucket of clean water, but he still felt like he had turned into a block of ice and almost jumped out of the bucket. But remembering his master's words, he gritted his teeth and persevered.
He knew his master would never harm him, and he wouldn't even flinch if his master asked him to go through fire and water.
Day after day, year after year, four years passed. Li Xiaoyao could now bathe in a large bucket of well water, barely withstand the chill, and still had some of the crimson true energy he had cultivated.
Although the nameless skill could not compare to the martial arts manuals circulating in the martial arts world, Li Xiaoyao's strength grew stronger day by day, his skin became more delicate, and his eyebrows and eyes became more and more handsome. He couldn't help but touch his face when he looked in the mirror.
But the blacksmithing work did not become easier as a result; the iron hammer Li Xiaoyao used became heavier and heavier.
At first, it was changed once a year, then once every six months, and then once a month.
Even now, if Li Xiaoyao works as a blacksmith all day, he will still be completely exhausted and feel utterly dead.
Li Xiaoyao walked into the main hall, which was where he forged iron and also received guests. It was cleaner than his bedroom, but not much better.
He looked at the heavy, dark iron hammer, a hint of fear in his eyes.
This black hammer seemed to drain his strength. Each strike felt like it wasn't hitting iron, but rather his body, causing even his soul to vibrate. By the end of the day, he felt lightheaded and trembled as he walked.
Fortunately, his master would make him a bowl of braised pork every night. After eating it, he felt much better, his whole body felt warm, as if he had taken a good nap in warm water.
He regained his strength and, after a day of blacksmithing, was able to continue practicing the nameless martial art.
That was the happiest time of Li Xiaoyao's day, not only because he could eat braised pork, but also because he could listen to his master's teachings.
Master hasn't forged iron for three years. He sleeps soundly in his room during the day and only gets up at dusk. He takes a pot of wine, lies on a recliner in the courtyard, watches the setting sun, and drinks heartily.
Li Xiaoyao had never seen his master go to the tavern on the street to buy wine, but his wine jug seemed to never be empty.
When Li Xiaoyao is about to finish his work for the day, his master will slowly stand up from his recliner, go to the kitchen to make a bowl of braised pork, personally serve it to Li Xiaoyao, and then lie back down on the recliner.
While Li Xiaoyao was eating, his master looked up at the sky, drank wine, and asked him if he had any difficulties in cultivating the nameless technique. He was able to resolve his doubts in just a few words.
After finishing his meal, Li Xiaoyao returned to his room to cultivate his nameless martial arts technique. As he closed the door, he could still see his master lying under the starry sky, holding a wine jug in one hand, gazing at the brilliant Milky Way with a thoughtful expression, as if considering how to pluck the stars from the sky.
Whenever this happened, Li Xiaoyao would wonder what his master was thinking, and why the blacksmith would be interested in the stars in the sky.
But he dared not ask. Although his master never scolded or beat him, and never got angry, he always felt that his master had a deep-seated majesty that, if it were to erupt, would make even those ruthless martial artists tremble in front of him.
……
With his master's reputation spreading far and wide, martial artists and chivalrous knights flocked to the blacksmith's shop seeking weapons.
But the master set a rule that the door would only be open to guests one day a month, and only ten weapons would be accepted on that day. The rest of the time, the door would be closed to guests, and the master would focus on forging weapons.
This strange rule displeased many martial artists who were eager to forge weapons, but they dared not offend their masters, fearing that they would not be able to forge weapons for them, so they had no choice but to obediently queue up.
What they didn't know was that the divine weapons they wielded were all forged by Li Xiaoyao, a seventeen-year-old boy.
It wouldn't take more than a few days to forge ten weapons; Li Xiaoyao spent the rest of his time forging strange materials.
These materials are extremely hard. Li Xiaoyao can forge a hundred-refinement divine weapon in three days, but it often takes ten days to half a month to barely shape the materials his master gave him.
He is currently forging a purple stone, only the size of a fist, but weighing over a hundred pounds, and more than ten times harder than black iron.
It took Li Xiaoyao seven days to barely smooth out the sharp edges of the stone's surface, giving it a vaguely square shape, but it was still a long way from being finished. Li Xiaoyao didn't know why his master had him forge these materials, nor did he know what they were for.
But he never disobeyed his master's orders. He would just silently swing the heavy black hammer, pouring all his strength into the purple stone, enduring the pain of his body and soul shaking together.
Time passed slowly as Li Xiaoyao tirelessly forged his weapons. As noon approached, a clear voice suddenly came from outside the tightly closed gate: "Junior Chen Yuan, on the orders of Master Fu, has come to pay his respects to Senior Wang."
The sound of Li Xiaoyao swinging the hammer was extremely loud, filling the main hall with the booming sound of the hammer hitting the purple stone.
But even the thunderous sound of forging could not drown out this clear voice, which entered Li Xiaoyao's ears clearly.
He paused for a moment, his black hammer hovering in mid-air, then turned and shouted, "You've mistaken me for someone else. This is a blacksmith shop, not a martial arts gang. There's no Senior Wang here!"
He had dealt with many martial artists in the martial arts world and knew that they referred to stronger martial artists or highly respected people as "seniors." The outsider must have come to the wrong place.
Li Xiaoyao had never encountered anything like this before, but martial artists often came here seeking weapons and loitered around the area, so it wasn't surprising that they were mistaken for members of a martial arts gang.
The voice outside the blacksmith's shop was silent for a moment, then rang out again: "I, Chen, have not come to the wrong place. Please come and talk to me in person."
Li Xiaoyao said impatiently, "You're so stubborn..."
"Xiaoyao, you must not be rude."
He was interrupted before he could finish speaking. Li Xiaoyao shut his mouth, turned his head and saw that his master, who never got out of bed during the day, had actually walked out of the main room.
He walked into the main hall carrying his ever-present wine jug, frowned slightly, then went to the front door, removed the latch, and opened the door.
Sunlight streamed into the dimly lit main hall, where a young man in white stood.
Li Xiaoyao stood there, stunned. He had seen all sorts of martial artists in the world, from heroic figures to elegant young men to silent and cold swordsmen. He had even seen a cultivator who could fly and escape into the earth when he was thirteen, but none of them had shocked him as much as the white-robed youth in front of him.
The young man did not possess the astonishing aura of martial arts masters and immortal cultivators, but he had an otherworldly air about him, as if he were a celestial being descended to earth. Every move he made exuded a carefree spirit, and his eyes seemed to contain a sky full of stars, reminding Li Xiaoyao of the brilliant starry sky that his master would gaze at every night.
The master was dressed in a tattered cloth robe with two patches and several dried wine stains. He wore a pair of yellowed straw sandals and carried an old wine pot. He stood in front of the young man in white, and even Li Xiaoyao felt ashamed for him.
But the next moment, Li Xiaoyao was completely stunned.
The young man in white bowed respectfully to his master: "This junior, Chen Yuan, from the Tai Xuan Sect, has come to pay my respects to Senior Wang on the orders of the sect leader."
The master glanced at the young man in white and sighed helplessly, "It's not easy to have a few days of peace and quiet... Come in."
The young man in white then stepped into the blacksmith's shop, glanced at Li Xiaoyao, and a hint of inquiry appeared in his eyes.
The master also looked over and said calmly, "My little disciple Li Xiaoyao, Xiaoyao, why don't you bow?"
Li Xiaoyao blankly put down the black hammer in his hand, and like a martial artist in the martial arts world, he cupped his hands to the white-robed youth: "Li Xiaoyao greets... greets senior."
The young man in white carefully examined Li Xiaoyao and smiled slightly: "As expected, a great teacher produces a great student. Young friend Li has excellent aptitude. At such a young age, he has already cultivated to the perfection of Qi Refining. Foundation Establishment is just around the corner. He will surely inherit the mantle of his predecessors in the future."
"I obtained this spiritual jade pendant by chance. It has been of some help in my cultivation. Please accept it as a small gift."
As he spoke, a jade pendant appeared out of thin air in the white-robed youth's palm. It was carved with lifelike images of dragons and phoenixes, emitting a soft glow, and slowly flew over.
Li Xiaoyao had never seen such a scene before. Startled, he released his grip on the black hammer, which was about to strike the ground when it suddenly stopped. He was then lifted up by an invisible force and flown to a stone platform to the side.
The master said calmly, "You may accept it."
Li Xiaoyao glanced at his master hesitantly before slowly reaching out to take the spirit-communicating jade pendant.
The master said calmly, "You can't slack off for a day while you're forging iron. Keep working and don't get distracted."
"Yes!"
Li Xiaoyao quickly stuffed the jade pendant into his pocket, suppressing the shock and doubt in his heart. He picked up the black hammer, and the thunderous sound of forging echoed in the main hall once again.
……
Chen Yuan glanced thoughtfully at the young man who was still forging iron, then followed the middle-aged man into the backyard and into the main house.
The main room was very ordinary, just the most common bedroom in an ordinary person's home, furnished with a bed, cabinets, table and chairs.
"Sit down and talk."
The middle-aged man sat down on his own, and Chen Yuan sat down opposite him, his body ramrod straight.
This senior Wang was dressed in plain clothes, with an ordinary face and no aura whatsoever, just like a down-on-his-luck middle-aged blacksmith.
He picked up the overturned teacup on the table, placed it in front of Chen Yuan, grabbed the wine pot, poured a cup of cloudy yellow wine, and said lightly, "My humble abode is simple and my hospitality is lacking. Please do not take offense, young friend."
"How dare I, a junior?" Chen Yuan replied, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.
He was taken aback; the wine looked unappetizing, but it tasted surprisingly good.
The wine contained a trace of intense spiritual energy, which flowed through Chen Yuan's meridians and eventually merged into his limbs and bones, subtly enhancing his physical body.
Chen Yuan drank the turbid wine in his cup in one gulp and silently refined the spiritual energy within. Half an hour later, his physical body had become much stronger, no less than when he refined a ten-thousand-year-old body-tempering elixir.
He slowly put down his teacup, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to the middle-aged man: "Thank you, senior."
The middle-aged man said calmly, "Since you are a disciple of Fellow Daoist Fu, I, Wang, will naturally give you some benefits."
"However, as far as I know, Fellow Daoist Fu has no accomplished body cultivators under his tutelage."
"Your body is surrounded by a layer of golden light, and your physical body is comparable to that of a demon saint, yet your cultivation level is still stuck at the Void Refining Realm. That's rather strange. When did the Tai Xuan Sect acquire someone like you?"
Chen Yuan was secretly surprised by the middle-aged man's sharp eyes. Master Fu had only said that this Senior Wang was a weapon refiner, but he never expected that his eyesight would be so sharp that he could see through his background at a glance.
"Senior, you are wise. I have only recently joined the sect and am about to break through to the Integration Realm," Chen Yuan replied truthfully.
The middle-aged man nodded slightly: "What kind of magical artifact do you want to refine here? Do you know my rules?"
"The sect leader didn't say anything, but he gave me a letter to pass on to you, senior. Please take a look." Chen Yuan took out the jade slip that Master Fu had given him and handed it over with both hands.
"Fellow Daoist Fu has already returned to the Spirit Realm?" The middle-aged man looked surprised, reached out and took the jade slip, and probed into it with his divine sense. The divine sense imprint left by True Person Fu did not hinder him in the slightest.
After a while, he withdrew his divine sense, looked Chen Yuan up and down, and said with a half-smile, "Fellow Daoist Fu values you quite a bit, even willing to waste a favor just to ask me to repair a magic weapon for you. Where is that Xuan Yin Armor?"
Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve, and a Xuan Yin Armor, many times smaller than before, appeared out of thin air on the table. It was exquisite and small, with a few wisps of demonic energy swirling around it, floating and undulating.
A petite, pretty young girl flew out of the Xuan Yin Armor and bowed gracefully to the middle-aged man: "This humble servant, Xuan Yin, greets Senior Wang."
Chen Yuan then took out a jade bowl filled with demonic ink and said respectfully, "This is the true demonic energy bestowed by the sect leader, which can be used to repair this treasure."
“The Heavenly Demon Armor…” The middle-aged man examined the Xuan Yin Armor, his gaze lingering on the wound for a long time, his brows furrowed.
He suddenly reached out and took the jade bowl. The heavy jade bowl felt as light as nothing in his hand. He scooped up a handful of ink, and the invisible barrier around the jade bowl had no effect on him.
He held the ink, condensed from the true demonic energy, in his palm. It remained solid and did not disperse, behaving as obediently as the most ordinary water, without exerting its pervasive corrosive properties at all.
Chen Yuan was secretly alarmed. Master Fu gave him a brief introduction to this Senior Wang on the map he had been given.
The middle-aged man was named Wang Yu. He was once a renowned weapon refiner throughout the entire spirit world. His cultivation level of the Perfect Integration Realm was only one step away from the Great Ascension Realm. His weapon refining skills were superb, making him one of the top in the spirit world. He had refined more than one Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure.
However, for some unknown reason, he offended Tianrui Palace and had no choice but to go into hiding, disappearing for thousands of years and never showing his face in the cultivation world again.
However, it was clear that Master Fu and Wang Yu had a close relationship, and he even knew that Wang Yu was living in seclusion in this ordinary little town.
Wang Yu glanced at the demonic ink, put it back into the jade bowl, and said, "Although this set of Heavenly Demon Armor is badly damaged, the Heavenly Demon Armor is originally formed from the formless. It is based on the thought of the Heavenly Demon. As long as this thought is not destroyed, it can be repaired. This bowl of demonic energy is enough."
"But the person who left this wound is extremely powerful, and is not an ordinary person even among the Mahayana practitioners. After countless ages, a trace of power still remains, like a carbuncle that is attached to the bone. It must be slowly removed so as not to damage the original body."
"This power has already damaged the Heavenly Demon's will. Even if it is repaired, this treasure's defensive capabilities will not be as strong as they were at their peak. Can you accept this?"
Chen Yuan said, "As long as this treasure can be repaired, I will be satisfied."
"However, I will be participating in a great battle a hundred years from now, and I need this treasure to protect me. May I ask how long it will take for you to repair this treasure?"
Wang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Seventy or eighty years will suffice."
Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't obtained the Ferocious Tiger Demon Core, and if he couldn't even repair the Profound Yin Armor in time, his strength would be greatly reduced, and the risks of entering Tyrant Turtle Island would inevitably increase significantly.
Chen Yuan clasped his hands and bowed: "I, a junior, can wait seventy or eighty years. Thank you for your trouble, senior."
"This junior possesses another treasure that I wish to refine. May I ask what the rules are for requesting your assistance in refining such a treasure?" (End of Chapter)