Becoming an immortal from a canal worker

A hoe is much heavier than a nail.

The process still involves the same three steps: heating iron, hammering, and quenching. However, once the iron material is coarse, the entire rhythm changes.

The next day, at dawn, Chen Ping first made two iron nails to get a feel for the work before picking up the hoe and iron material that Lao Sun had prepared and putting them into the furnace.

For coarse materials to be properly heated, the bellows need to be operated more than twenty times before the flames can reach the correct position.

When I sharpened the first hoe, I didn't control the angle properly, and the hammer's trajectory was slightly off-center, resulting in a slightly thicker blade.

Old Sun picked it up, glanced at it, and said it was barely usable, without throwing it into the waste bin.

On his second strike, Chen Ping stood up again, adjusted the angle of the hammer, and made the blade sharp and even.

[Forging Proficiency +1]

Current progress: Beginner 13/100

By noon, the stove had been turned off.

Old Sun asked Tie Niu to cut a pound of cooked beef at the street corner and bought two thick flatbreads.

The group finished their meal right there in the shop, amidst the strong smell of ash from the stove.

There was still heavy work to do in the afternoon, so Old Sun didn't order any turbid wine this time.

In the afternoon, the rumbling sound of horse-drawn carriage wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs could be heard outside the door.

A blue-curtained carriage stopped in front of the shop, and the driver nimbly jumped down to tie the horse.

Three people entered. The man in the lead was dressed in a blue robe and looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He had a piece of mutton-fat jade pendant hanging from his waist. He walked at a leisurely pace with a slight smile on his face.

Two guards followed behind, their hands on their swords, their steps steady.

"Old Sun, are the farm tools I ordered last month ready?"

Old Sun was sharpening an old knife on a water bench nearby. Without looking up, he simply pointed to the corner with his chin: "Twenty hoes and ten sickles, they're all over there."

Two guards walked over and picked them up one by one to examine them.

He turned the blade, weighed it, and remained silent throughout. After watching, he nodded to the man in the blue robe.

The man in the blue robe pulled a money pouch from his wide sleeve and casually placed it on Old Sun's anvil: "Five taels of silver, please."

Old Sun put down the whetstone, picked up the money bag, squeezed it through the cloth, didn't open it to count the money, put it in his apron pocket, and picked up the whetstone again to continue sharpening.

The man in the blue robe turned around, his gaze sweeping over the cramped shop.

He paused for a moment when he reached the edge of the stove.

Chen Ping was holding the wooden handle of the bellows when he noticed the man's gaze and looked up.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air, then naturally looked away.

The man in the blue robe withdrew his gaze, and left with two guards; the rumble of the carriage gradually faded into the distance.

Chen Ping lowered his head and continued to pump the bellows.

He was dressed in a blue robe, accompanied by guards, and spent five taels of silver without batting an eye. He spoke to Old Sun without any formality, clearly indicating that this wasn't his first time at this shop.

Chen Ping made a mental note of this, but didn't think about it any further, returning his attention to the stove fire.

At dusk, the fire in the stove was extinguished, and only residual warmth remained in the shop.

"We'll continue tomorrow," came Old Sun's slightly tired voice from the inner room.

Chen Ping responded and put down the hammer in his hand.

[Forging Proficiency +10]

Current progress: Beginner 25/100

As dusk settled over Qingkou Wharf, several cargo boats on the river had just docked. The canal workers, carrying their cargo packages, filed off the gangplank in a single file, their steps heavy.

Chen Ping walked to the riverbank, preparing to take a shortcut back to the courtyard.

Just then, he saw Hu Qian.

Hu Qian was standing next to a cargo ship with a very deep draft, checking the account book in his hand while talking to someone.

It was the same man from Old Sun's blacksmith shop that afternoon.

Hu Qian chuckled and his voice carried on the river breeze: "Young Master Bai, our Qingyi Society delivered this batch of grain on time. You must settle the bill on time as well."

"Of course," the man in the blue robe said with a faint smile. "The Bai family never owes money in business, but things aren't very peaceful on the Huai River lately, so your merchant guild's escort ships should be careful."

Hu Qian closed the ledger and patted his chest: "Don't worry."

Just as Chen Ping was about to walk around, Hu Qian happened to glance over and his eyes lit up.

"Chen Ping!" Hu Qian beckoned, "Come here!"

Chen Ping walked over.

Hu Qian patted him on the shoulder and grinned at the man in the blue robe, "Young Master Bai, come and get acquainted. This is Chen Ping, the Red Flower Stick of our Green Robe Society, a disciple of Manager Li Yuan. His future is limitless."

Young Master Bai's eyes flickered slightly.

He looked at Chen Ping again, this time much more carefully than he had at the blacksmith shop.

He then clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression becoming polite: "So it's Brother Chen. My apologies for my rudeness. My name is Bai Ming. The Bai family does some grain business in Shanyang City. We apologize for any neglect we may have received at Old Sun's shop earlier."

"Young Master Bai, you're too kind," Chen Ping returned the greeting.

Bai Ming smiled and said, "If there's an opportunity in the future, I hope you'll take care of me."

"each other."

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, Bai Ming bowed and took his leave, boarding his carriage.

Hu Qian leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Do you know Bai Ming?"

I saw him at Old Sun's shop this afternoon, but I don't recognize him.

"The eldest son of the Bai family in Shanyang City." Hu Qian curled his lips, looking in the direction where the carriage disappeared. "One of the top grain merchants in Shanyang City, he has always done business with our business hall. He is really rich, but he is very slippery. He is always smiling with everyone, but he doesn't open his heart to anyone."

Chen Ping nodded but didn't reply.

Hu Qian patted him on the shoulder, then turned and went back to the cargo ship to continue counting the goods.

On the way back to the courtyard, it got completely dark.

Chen Ping walked slowly, letting his breath settle down and travel from his dantian to his limbs.

I have been in the Flesh Refining Realm for some time now.

My body's energy and blood are much stronger than when I first entered the country.

But it's still one step away from true perfection.

The process of refining meat to perfection involves thoroughly tempering all the muscles in the body, nourishing every inch of muscle with qi and blood, hardening soft areas and thickening thin areas, just like how pig iron is repeatedly forged in a furnace before it can be considered truly ready for use.

He estimated that he was currently stuck at about 70-80% of the way through.

He practices boxing and blacksmithing intensively every day, and also practices walking constantly, which greatly depletes his energy and blood.

Fortunately, he had an amazing appetite, slept soundly, and had the effect of the Stabilizing Water Pillar circulating and supporting his body, so his recovery speed was much faster than that of other martial artists of the same level.

At this rate, the Flesh Refining Realm will be completely perfected in another month or two at most.

Above that is the Bone Refining Realm.

Bone tempering is far more dangerous and arduous than skin and flesh tempering.

I heard that when you first enter the country, it feels like molten iron has been poured into your bone marrow, and the excruciating pain can kill you.

We'll talk about the Bone Refining Realm later.

Right now, we need to perfect the meat-making process first.

Pushing open the gate to the courtyard, it was dark inside; Old Liu hadn't returned yet.

Chen Ping entered the house in the dark and lit a small oil lamp.

He picked up the leftover cold rice and vegetables from the stove, ate them in a few bites, and filled his stomach.

He then walked to the open space in the courtyard, took a deep breath, and focused his gaze.

He resumed his cultivation.