Fan Yueyin rested her shoulder on the seething open forge, crossed her arms, and stared at Qing Yan’s sweating side profile.

A few minutes she stood like that, humming and nodding to herself. Qing Yan increasingly became aware of her intrusive gaze and hastened. When Fan Yueyin pressed her face over the anvil to her own, she let out a soft yelp and smashed her hammer.

‘’Why are you holding back your voice? Are you scared of something?’’

Qing Yan didn’t stop hammering the blade taking shape. Still, she quivered.

‘’Are you mute? Or are you deaf?’’

Her blows seemed to find another source of strength. Qing Yan smashed the hammer again and again.

‘’Do you think a proper lady would work in a sweaty place like this?’’

As if hitting the nail on the hand, Qing Yan’s face blushed, then paled. Still, she offered no manner of retort.

‘’Look at those monkeys.’’ Fan Yueyin pointed at the two youngsters groaning and grunting behind them. ‘’Do they look any bit respectable? Do you think they are proper?’’

‘’What kind of animal sounds like that?’’

Li Ao and Sun Jian suppressed their voices for a while, but couldn’t stand it for long. Sharp whistles escaped from their lips as their swords exploded before taking shape even.

‘’Why are you so concerned with your image?’’

‘’Do you want to be a court lady?’’

‘’Why did you even pick up a hammer, then?’’

‘’So you could seem interesting? Did you not want to be seen as boring? Or not ambitious?’’

‘’No...’’

‘’What?’’

‘’No...’’

Fan Yueyin put her hand behind her ear and shouted.

‘’WHAT?’’

‘’No!’’

‘’Scream! I can’t hear your shitty voice!’’

‘’NO!’’

‘’Then why the fuck are you standing here like a lamb!? Scream! Wail! Make a noise! What kind of forger doesn’t shit himself when working!?’’

‘’YES!’’

Qing Yan kept shouting and hammering at the same time. Her motions quickened, and her arm turned into a faint shadow.

‘’Why are you hammering!? Why are you a Forger!?’’

Dumbfounded, Qing Yan halted for a moment. ‘’Huh—’’

‘’Don’t stop! Don’t stumble!’’

‘’I—’’ Qing Yan grit her teeth and struck down again. Each blow rang inside the smithy like a heavenly drum.

‘’SHOUT YOU FUCKING IDIOT! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?!’’

‘’AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—’’

Now she screamed like her body was being torn into pieces.

‘’What are you?’’

‘’I am a forger!’’

‘’What are you?’’

‘’I am a blacksmith!’’

‘’What are you!?’’

‘’AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—’’

Instead of finding an answer, Qing Yan kept screaming. The sharp noise made Li Ao and Sun Jian grimace, while a servant brought earplugs for the laughing Sun Zhongyan.

‘’You are a cultivator!’’ Fan Yueyin shouted back. Her mouth right above Qing Yan’s ear, her voice sent tremors through the shaking girl. ‘’You are a cultivator!’’

‘’I am saying it again, you are a cultivator!’’

‘’I am a cultivator!’’

‘’You are a cultivator!’’

‘’I AM A CULTIVATOR!’’

‘’You are not a proper lady!’’

‘’I am not a proper lady!’’

‘’You are not some bitchy weakling!’’

‘’I am not a bi-’’

‘’Bitchy weakling!’’

‘’Bi-bi-bitchy weakling!’’

‘’What does a cultivator do!?’’

‘’I don’t know!’’ Qing Yan began to sob through her screams.

‘’They persevere!’’

Fan Yueyin took a step back and, separating her arms, pointed a finger to the sky.

‘’A cultivator perseveres even when the heavens are against them!’’

‘’A cultivator who can’t take suffering—who can call that a cultivator!?’’

Fan Yueyin pressed on again and stared right into Qing Yan’s eyes.

‘’Are you a cultivator!?’’

‘’I am a cultivator!’’

‘’Are you really a cultivator!?’’

‘’I don’t, I don’t know!’’

Fan Yueyin stopped. She took two steps back, then swiped a finger over Qing Yan’s eyes to wipe her tears.

‘’Then work harder to find it out.’’

‘’Yes!’’

‘’Don’t stop screaming —go on!’’

‘’YES!’’

Saying so, Qing Yan fell into a rage where she only screamed and hammered. Once her sword took shape, she lunged towards the Qi sword hanging above her head and clashed head on.

The sword exploded over her, but she wasn’t discouraged. Now, hollering even louder, she returned to melting ore.

Li Ao gulped. He was now a little clear-minded from the ridiculous sight and heard Fan Yueyin’s steps approach him.

She repeated the same motions with Qing Yan—resting her shoulder on the burning furnace, which not even Li Ao dared to touch bare-handed, she inspected his work. She hummed and nodded, but when he snuck a peek at her she glared back.

Instead of coming to his face, she took a few steps forward and stopped before him. There was only the anvil separating them.

The sparks of each strike shone on her face like fireflies.

‘’So you’ve seen a higher ceiling?’’

Li Ao stopped for a moment. His heart beating fast, she looked in her eyes.

‘’WHO TOLD YOU TO STOP!?’’

Scared shitless from the pressure, Li Ao hammered again.

He didn’t realize as an observer but Fan Yueyin was also making use of her cultivation base to pressure them. When she was this close, Li Ao felt the same feeling he had when in a battle.

He couldn’t assess, but she must have been in the Core Formation realm!

Her murderous intent, her unapproving gaze, and her fierce countenance with long eyebrows made her seem like a wild beast about to eat him up.

Suddenly, Fan Yueyin began walking. She circled around him, speaking at the same time in a ridiculing voice.

‘’You know someone greater than me, don't you? You probably haven’t seen them forge yet?’’

Li Ao opened his mouth to answer, but her pressure intensified. His mouth clamped shut from mere instinct.

He felt like he would die at the slightest mistake.

With sweaty vapor rising out of his back, he kept rolling the ore to make himself distracted from the sense of impending doom.

‘’What level are they? Since you don’t even put ‘me’ in your eyes, a Grand Core Formation Cultivator?’’

Grand Core Formation cultivators were those half-a step into Nascent Soul realm.

‘’They must be higher.’’

Fan Yueyin’s pretty, fierce eyes showed a bright glint.

‘’What kind of a forger are they? They must be able to shit out heaven-grade weapons, right?’’

The loud thuds of her steps seemed to suppress Qing Yan’s screams. Li Ao couldn’t even hear his own motions.

The steps seemed to weigh on his beating heart.

‘’Or Immortal-Grade? Even higher?’’

Laughing, Fan Yueyin stopped right in front of his face.

‘’What does that have to do with you, though?’’

Her question struck him dumbfounded.

‘’What is that childish thought you have? I don’t get it—I don’t think I will ever get it.’’

‘’Just because you saw a higher mountain, do I seem that low to you?’’

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She began walking again. Her pace was still dreadfully slow.

‘’Since you didn’t try to refute, you ‘do’ look down on me, right?’’

‘’But you wanted ‘my’ master to forge you a hammer. Why is that?’’

‘’Because you want a sponsor? Because you are destitute? Not the latter, from what I see.’’

‘’I’ve learned more about you, Xu Liao.’’

Li Ao felt something break in his mind. He couldn’t form a coherent thought from pressure and...he was frankly terrified.

‘’You...you are not what you present itself.’’

‘’But that doesn’t matter to me.’’

Fan Yueyin came to a stop for the second time. She whispered to his ears.

‘’Why should I care about this Imperial Ancestor and whatnot? Right?’’

Taking a step back, she smirked and started walking again.

‘’Indeed! Why should it matter to me!?’’

‘’But...it makes me confused.’’

She took a deep breath.

‘’I digress. None of that stuff matters to me, you see.’’

‘’I don’t really care. I just think it is interesting. With your skill and martial arts, one would say you are a member of the Two-Fold sect.’’

‘’But I know those retarded gorillas. They don’t have a disciple like you. They wouldn’t have one.’’

‘’Even if they did, none of them would be interested in a Dynastic power struggle.’’

‘’Again, I digress.’’ Fan Yueyin shook her head.

‘’How are you so talented? Who groomed you? Again, I don’t really care, but I think it is interesting.’’

She stepped closer to his face and inspected his trembling gaze.

‘’Are you even from this world?’’

Her glare seemed to carry a destructive force that made his heart shiver. Li Ao wanted to raise his hand, but he couldn’t open the system interface, nor make any movement. He only quivered.

‘’Okay, away with stupid stuff.’’

Laughing, Fan Yueyin retracted and sat on the burning forge. She didn’t have a single scratch on her.

‘’I promise, I really have no interest in those things. But I like it when arrogant children like you are exposed.’’

‘’Do you think you would be standing there if I wanted to deal with you?’’

Li Ao, at last, let out a deep breath. The entire conversation took at most a minute or two, but it felt like an eternity to him.

‘’Return to work.’’

Hearing her command, Li Ao didn’t dare to do anything else. Looking down at the hammer, which he dropped at some point, he picked it up again.

‘’Now, I almost forgot what I wanted to say.’’ She crossed her legs and rested her chin on both hands. ‘’Why are you forging?’’

Finding strength within himself, Li Ao spoke in a loud voice.

‘’For money!’’

‘’For money?’’

‘’For money!!’’

‘’Only for money?’’

‘’For money first, other things second!’’

Was that the whole truth?

Li Ao felt as if something within him changed after this retarded trial.

He was a little dissatisfied with his answer, even.

‘’What are those other things?’’

‘’Strength—and gifts.’’

‘’Gifts?’’ Her eyes shone with a weird light.

‘’I have a large family.’’ Li Ao said through gritted teeth. His shoulders ached while he raised the newly formed blade. ‘’Most of them are away fighting demons.’’

‘’When I become a Grandmaster, I will forge each of them swords and sabers and spears!’’

‘’I will make them unbreakable divine weapons, so all of them will return safe and healthy to our home.’’

When he said so, the sword in front of his eyes got shattered again. Bits of metal pierced his forehead and bled.

Li Ao took them out one by one and went over to the pile to get some more ore.

Fan Yueyin watched his back as he went and came, then laughed again.

‘’You sound confident. It is only a matter of time for you?’’

Li Ao wanted to nod, but held back the urge at the last moment.

‘’Why did you call it trash?’’

‘’Huh?’’

‘’Don’t stop you monkey!’’

‘Fuck, am I really a monkey? Why can’t I learn?’ Cursing himself, Li Ao banged at the molten liquid in the grid.

‘’Your formless sword. You called it experimental trash. Why?’’

Li Ao thought of the scarlet blade resting in his spatial ring.

‘’Because it is just that.’’

‘’Trash?’’

‘’Not for some time, but yes.’’

‘’Hah,’’ Snorting, Fan Yueyin pointed at him. ‘’Not for some time? It is bound to be less useful, so you call it trash?’’

‘’Will you throw it out when it becomes trash?’’

‘’I might just recycle it.’’

She exploded.

‘’Not even I called it trash, and you dare...’’

‘’What kind of a stuck-up bastard are you?’’

Li Ao let out a sharp breath and controlled his twitching lips.

‘’What? Are you dissatisfied?’’ She slapped her chest, glaring. Each pat sent shockwaves that made everyone in the room tremble. ‘’Who is the Grandmaster here!?’’

Seeing him breathe through his nose, Fan Yueyin laughed again.

‘’Have you ever killed an animal?’’

‘What is up with these random questions?’

Still, Li Ao nodded.

‘’How many?’’

‘’A lot.’’

‘’What did you feel?’’

‘’Nothing.’’

She nodded.

‘’Have you ever killed a human?’’

Li Ao paused, then began working without her prompting.

‘What should I say?’

‘’How many did you kill?’’

His hesitation immediately gave away the answer.

Sighing, Li Ao counted in his mind.

‘’Too many.’’

‘’Give me a figure.’’

‘’...around a hundred.’’

His voice caused Qing Yan and Sun Jian to reel back. The duo stood there, shocked, somewhat afraid, but with a glare from Fan Yueyin returned to their work.

Still, two of them were now immensely interested in the conversation between Li Ao and Fan Yueyin. One pair of ears twitching, they paid most of their attention to their talk.

‘’What did you feel?’’

‘’Pity.’’

‘’It doesn’t feel good, does it?’’

‘’No.’’

Li Ao shook his head and raised another blade. It shattered in front of him, though the pieces seemed to be larger than before.

‘’Have you ever killed a child?’’

‘’Now what are you getting at you crazy bitch!?’’

‘’What?’’

‘’My dear lady, why are you asking me these things?’’

Glaring at the stupid-looking boy, she let out a sigh.

‘’Can you kill a child?’’

‘’Or, would you kill a child?’’

‘’Never.’’ Li Ao instantly answered.

‘’Hm.’’

She shook and tilted her head around, and Li Ao waited for another question to come his way. He forged two other swords, each unsuccessful, then found something weird.

‘How am I able to go on like this?’

‘’You know, spiritual tools also have a basic consciousness.’’

Fan Yueyin’s words cut through his train of thought.

‘’It is simplistic. They are somewhat aware of their being, and aware of your being, and perhaps those that they have any relationship with.’’

‘’A spiritual sword recognizes blood when it kills. Some swords turn demonic when they are exposed to bloodshed far too long. However, they are conditioned to be that way. Not because they choose to be so. They don’t think why they are cutting people, they don’t know why they are even born.’’

‘’They only have a primal instinct, and that instinct is transferred from the intent of the forger, and how they are used.’’

‘’It is a matter of upbringing.’’

Li Ao listened to her lecture while reviewing some words he read in the Elementary Forging Manual.

The meaning seemed almost the same.

‘’Tell me.’’

‘’How different is that from a child?’’

He felt something click, but Li Ao still didn’t get it.

‘’You think it is a matter of time for you to become a Grandmaster.’’ She continued without him giving an answer.

‘’What does being a Grandmaster mean? It means being able to forge Heaven-Grade weapons with intact consciousness. It means every spare project of yours will spawn a new being into the world. Even your trash.’’

‘’When you become one, are you going to still throw away experimental trash?’’

Li Ao understood her meaning.

‘’How different is that from orphaning a child?’’

‘’Re-cycle it, you say. How different is that from killing a child?’’

‘’I understand if you have animosity toward demons. They are simply abhorrent beings. There can only be feud between our two races.’’

‘’I can understand if you have no thoughts about killing animals. It is simply the way life works. They are at the bottom of the ladder in any civilized world.’’

‘’But to kill something with intact, growing consciousness, or worse, throwing it away without a care. That is unacceptable.’’

‘’A forger must love their creation!’’

She was overtaken by passion, and her shout reverberated inside the dark smithy.

‘’If you can’t even love your own children, or cherish them, how will you remain a human?’’

‘’What is the point of rising if all that remains behind is sacrifice?’’

There seemed to be a story to her words that made little sense without knowing, but the previous statement rang clear in Li Ao’s head.

‘A forger must love their creation.’

Shutting off the outside world, Li Ao seemed to enter a trance as his movements became melodious. He neither looked, nor reacted to Fan Yueyin’s following words. He heard nothing, but only noticed her gone when another one of his blades failed.

This time, it managed to stay intact.

Looking at the deep cut over the blade, Li Ao clenched the hilt.

‘I don’t get it.’

Fan Yueyin was a romantic, idealistic Grandmaster.

That was the right way, Li Ao thought.

Someone needed to have passion, and needed unwavering faith in their ways to keep climbing the stairs to heaven.

Any line of study required faith beyond imagination. The determination to brave the unknown and pour your lifetime into it was an endeavour not many could even dream.

That was admirable.

Yet, that was the only thing he felt. He considered Fan Yueyin’s words again, and he realized why she said so.

It was not just an attempt at making herself understood, but an attempt at making him aware of his thinking.

‘I don’t get it.’

Li Ao still didn’t agree with her idealistic belief. He had to let go of some things as he moved on. Not everything could catch up to him in time.

Even if he was stubborn and reforged that scarlet blade every time he improved, for example, would it be the same?

It was just a completely different thing. Even if he tried to preserve it with new materials, even if he engraved formations on it, it would change.

There was no way for things to remain the same.

Instead of being attached, it was easier to let go.

Of course, Li Ao’s views weren’t set in too deep. After all, he was a novice in cultivation and forging.

Most importantly, he was young.

He was easily influenced. He had an impressionable nature. His judgment wasn’t sound in the great scale of things.

That’s why he didn’t dwell much more.

He was the type to not decide before the time to decide came. Or perhaps he was not, and only thought himself so.

Returning to work, Li Ao poured the molten liquid into the grid when he heard Fan Yueyin’s words from behind.

‘’You really don’t want to become my disciple?’’

‘’I love my grandpa very much, Big Sis Fan!’’

Sun Jian’s honest shout caused Li Ao to smile.

‘’I know, I know. I also love him very much, so why don’t you reconsider?’’

‘’Big Sis Fan...’’ Sun Jian took a long time to find a word. ‘’You are...not a good teacher!’’

‘’My grandpa teaches better!’’

Li Ao fell into the forge from shock, swallowing a pile of ash. Coughing out, he saw Qing Yan rise from the ground with a bruised forehead.

Away from them, Sun Zhongyan fell into a coughing fit, beet red, then laughed when he saw Fan Yueyin’s twitching lips.

‘’Good boy...okay.’’

Suddenly, she threw a piece of coal at Sun Jian’s head and struck him down.

‘’OW!’’ Sun Jian fell with a shout, then rose at the same speed. He rubbed a faint swelling on the back of his head with an indignant expression. ‘’Big Sis is a bully!’’

Snorting, Fan Yueyin left towards the dais and leaped onto it.

‘’What are you all staring at?’’ She shouted in a cold voice.

‘’Get back to work!’’