Chapter 782 Blacksmithing

Seeing Huo Xiang's guilty and panicked expression, Song Chunxue found it quite amusing.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy that your wife is here? Didn't you say before that you missed her terribly?"

“I… I didn’t have Liu Niang back then, and you just said that Liu Niang is outside. What if they run into me?” Huo Xiang rubbed her forehead with both hands, anxious and uneasy. “If she finds out that I had been with another woman before I got married, and even had a child with her… she will tear me to pieces.”

Huo Xiang squatted down and then stood up again, shaking the entire suspension bridge.

"Don't worry about that yet. Getting out of here is the real achievement. We'll put in a good word for you then, won't we?" Song Chunxue walked behind her senior brother. "What's up ahead?"

“It’s a furnace, no wonder Wuyou is afraid.” Lord Zhao took a deep breath. “Every sword has been forged and tempered through countless hammerings. Now that he has gained sentience, he is naturally afraid of such a scene.”

Song Chunxue put Wuyou into her storage ring. "Don't be afraid. We mortals are more afraid of these things. Just don't come out to look."

Wuyou poked her head out, as if asking: Are you afraid but still dare to go in?

“None of the passes here will kill you, but they will test your character. Apart from life and death, there is nothing you can't overcome,” Song Chunxue comforted him. “So just follow us and get through them.”

Wuyou stopped hiding and snuggled into her arms, intending to get through this ordeal with her.

Song Chunxue was both amused and exasperated; this sword had quite a temper and refused to admit defeat.

Master Han and Lord Zhao walked ahead, Wu Bing followed closely behind Song Chunxue, and Huo Xiang lagged behind, deep in thought.

He had already imagined many scenarios of reuniting with his wife, but if Liu Niang appeared, she would definitely turn around and leave.

Having spent so many years together, he knows her temperament best; she can't stand the slightest grievance, especially when it comes to matters between men and women.

Because of her relatively ordinary appearance, she seemed indifferent to the women around him, but in reality, she was the most sensitive to them.

"Song Chunxue, you are a woman, what do you think I should do..."

“Here you go,” Song Chunxue placed something in his palm. “I’ll teach you later. We’ll talk about it when we get outside.”

"Fine... Ahhh! Song Chunxue, what did you give me? It's burning hot!"

When Huoxiang caught it, she didn't notice. Looking down, she saw a red-hot iron lump in her palm. She weighed it in her left and right hands and almost dropped it.

"It's not that hot. This is a good thing. Maybe you can forge a Wuyou sword yourself. This is a gift from you, fellow Daoist. You should make good use of it. You can even use it to please your wife."

"..." It doesn't seem like a bad idea. The lady likes exquisite and ingenious things. If he could make a dagger by hand, she would definitely like it.

Lord Zhao and Taoist Han turned to look at the audacious Song Chunxue, astonished that she dared to take anything.

Clearly, the bold have more opportunities; the molten iron here, which looks scorching hot, is surprisingly not too hot to hold.

If placed in winter, this can also be used as a hand warmer.

They arrived at the dazzling array of oddly shaped, reddish-brown ironware, picked up the iron tongs beside them to choose a suitable piece, and went to the forging table not far away to forge it.

“If I’m not mistaken, this should be meteorite iron, which is extremely rare in the world, yet there is so much of it here. This is a rare opportunity, so don’t miss it.” Master Han picked up an iron hammer and began to hammer. He had always wanted a short sword, one foot and eight inches long, which would be just right.

Even if he doesn't forge it well, as long as he can take it out, he can find someone to forge it for him again.

Lord Zhao surveyed the surroundings but couldn't find an exit. Seeing everyone selecting materials and forging their own, he also felt the urge to try it himself.

Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've still seen pigs run, right? Since we can't get out, let's play around with it. Maybe the door will open by itself.

Huo Xiang leaned closer to Song Chunxue and said, "Don't you think we're being a little silly?"

"Yes, it is a bit silly. So what if we're silly? We might as well make the best of it. Besides, the person who put these things here must have a purpose, just like the previous test. We can't just do nothing, right?"

Seeing Huo Xiang's worried expression, Song Chunxue thought of her fourth son.

Sure enough, mothers grow up faster than fathers.

Women who give birth to children may seem to depend on men for survival, but women whose legs are bound by the two chains of children and family business are the first to learn to rely on themselves and the first to understand that it is better to rely on oneself than on others.

Although a couple may seem to have a harmonious relationship, they are often the most indifferent to each other.

Wealthy families often have multiple wives and concubines, while poor families rely on each other to fill their stomachs.

Too many people don't realize until they reach the age of fifty that their spouse is the person with whom they are most deeply connected in this life.

It was only then that the man realized that the person he needed and relied on most was his wife.

Because a man conquered by time will suddenly turn from a boy into a child at fifty.

Song Chunxue has seen too many couples who didn't get along when they were young, but suddenly became very virtuous in their fifties or sixties. They would not only not get angry when their wives scolded them, but would also coax them.

"Are you fifty this year?" Song Chunxue asked casually, thinking to herself.

"Next year..." Huo Xiang suddenly became alert. "Are you trying to trick me? Why are you asking about my age? I'm still young. What does it mean for a cultivator to be old?"

"Don't get agitated..."

"The old snake is over a thousand years old, why don't you ask him instead of me?" Huo Xiang was like a proud little peacock whose feathers had been plucked. "If it were anyone else, you would get beaten up for asking that, you know?"

Wu Bing, standing next to her, bit her cheek, struggling to suppress her laughter.

"What are you laughing at? You should call me uncle, how can you laugh at your elder?" Huo Xiang flicked Wu Bing's forehead without hesitation. "If you laugh again, I'll break your legs."

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because after she said that, Wu Bing turned her face away and found it even harder to hold back her tears.

"Hurry up and finish your work, just a couple of strokes will do. At least we'll get it over with and be able to leave. Maybe we'll even get a reward from our seniors."

Huo Xiang had a lot of complaints to vent, so she reluctantly picked up the hammer and started hammering and banging.

An hour later, a stone wall on the north side suddenly rose up, and Huo Xiang dropped her things and ran away.

"Let's go see if there's any treasure!"

The others, however, didn't move much, continuing to hammer the edges with their sledgehammers, hoping to make their weapons look more presentable.

Song Chunxue used to watch blacksmiths forge shovels, hoes, and spades for her at the market, so she knew how to operate them. After they were shaped, they would be dipped into the water and then hammered again.

After fighting for a while, Lord Zhao gave up, put down his hammer, and silently went to the stone gate.

Master Han's craftsmanship was superb; the shape was complete and the lines were smooth. After soaking it in water and letting the heat subside, he put it into his storage ring.

Wu Bing looked at the ugly thing in her hand, "Daoist Master, this is mine..."

"I'll keep it for you. If it's still there after you leave, it's yours." She was worried that this thing would disappear like the gold before, but she still wanted to take it with her.

As soon as they stepped over the threshold, the stone door above their heads suddenly collapsed.

"Taoist Master, be careful!"

"Junior brother, be careful."