A Long Grind to Daoist Monarch-Chapter 160 - 132: First Among the Six Households, Ninghai Zen Returns

"Li Yuan? The Master Li who forged weapons for the young master!"

Lao Dao had a smile at the corner of his mouth. After leaving Fulong Mountain and no longer leading the Red Eyebrow faction, there were only two people he could call "old acquaintances."

Probably just Li Yuan, the blacksmith of Yihai Prefecture, and Liang Laoshu, the fisherman of Black River County, were kindred spirits who shared a few drinks as "old friends."

"Younger Brother Li, years ago, you moved your kiln to Black River County and became neighbors with Tongwen Hall, but I haven't seen you visit."

Lao Dao stood up and strode across the clean-swept courtyard to greet the impressive figure braving the snow and wind:

"I thought our relationship had grown distant, that the self-made Master Craftsman Li had no place for a former bandit leader like me."

Li Yuan showed a look of embarrassment and hurriedly replied:

"Brother Dao, you're mistaken. I knew Master Ning likes peace and quiet and doesn't want to be disturbed. Also, someone as ordinary as me, how could I have the gall to step through the gates of Tongwen Hall?"

Lao Dao laughed heartily, leading him into the main hall while Bai Ming dutifully picked up the kettle of hot water on the iron stove, tiptoeing to pour tea for the two elders.

"You've been too modest, Younger Brother Li. The young master doesn't dislike social interactions; he just finds the entanglements of the world burdensome and bothersome, preferring not to deal with outside matters and people." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Lao Dao pushed the teacup over and pulled out a nearby round stool, allowing Bai Ming to sit down.

This younger brother of Young Master Qi seemed gentle but was actually observant and intelligent.

However, his health was frail, not material for martial arts.

As for the path of Dao arts?

Staying in Black River County might make it hard to progress.

The Dragon Court governs countless spiritual paths, and unless one learns the unconventional ways of the Mountain and Marsh Cultivator, they might never climb higher in their lifetime.

"Brother Dao, it's all thanks to your advice back then, showing me the right path. I followed hundreds of artisans to join the military and traveled far to Celestial Water Prefecture.

Frankly, I thought the journey was uncertain, but unexpectedly I endured and found fortune in misfortune, joining under Grand General Zhao."

Li Yuan raised his head and drank the scalding tea all at once, exhibiting the boldness of drinking strong liquor.

"Younger Brother Li, with your extraordinary skills, you'll be valued wherever you go."

Lao Dao shook his head with a smile.

In craftsmanship, from a hundred learning the trade, only one becomes skilled!

Among a thousand skilled, only two or three might become Master Craftsmen.

The competition within is no less fierce than the path of Martial Dao.

A simple ten-refined steel knife requires countless complex processes to craft successfully.

Material preparation, forging, polishing, quenching... all these skills, without years or even decades of immersion and practice, one cannot claim mastery.

The master's role in the craft is often just to lead the way, and how much genuine knowledge one attains depends entirely on one's comprehension and talent.

Li Yuan was an exceptionally outstanding talent; the iron refining technique that takes common people three years to barely master, he could make flawless in mere months and even innovate in the design of blades and spears.

As a result, he rose to prominence swiftly, renowned at Baisheng Hall, considered a candidate for the next Master Craftsman.

"My master valued face and disliked hearing about students surpassing him. Coupled with slander and incitement from small-minded people, when I won first place in a forging competition, I became somewhat arrogant, greatly displeasing him. He publicly rebuked me for being too sharp and needed to be humbled, no longer allowing me to lead the hammer."

Li Yuan mentioned past events, not filled with resentment as before, but rather with a sense of sighing.

"I prided myself on my skills and saw no need to endure that indignity!

So I was willing to cancel my status as a craftsman of Baisheng Hall and directly broke away.

In retrospect, maybe I was impulsive. If I had been a bit flexible, giving my master a way to save face, perhaps it wouldn't have turned into a rigid relationship of mutual hostility."

In the crafting profession, which revered skill as king, like martial arts, much importance is placed on inheritance continuity.

Many skills are passed down within a single lineage, taught only to sons and grandsons, leaving outsiders with nothing to learn.

Thus the saying, "Three years of apprenticeship, three years of working, three years of mastery."

Only when you treat the master like a father will a craft be truly learned, understanding all its intricacies.

In other words, the master-disciple relationship in craftsmanship is akin to father-son, responsible for caring in old age, carrying the casket, and keeping vigil.

"In the blink of an eye, ten years have passed. Many entanglements are too tangled to sort out, left as a muddled account."

Lao Dao resonated deeply, for even when he became the Doorman Uncle of Tongwen Hall under a different name, he could not let go of the Red Eyebrow of Fulong Mountain, ultimately shouldering the crimes and karma of his sworn brothers alone.

"Younger Brother Li, you'd never visit the Three Treasures Hall without reason. What brings you to me today isn't just for reminiscing, is it?"

Li Yuan got straight to the point without hedging or beating around the bush:

"In Wagang Village, I saw Bai Qilang, undeniably a disciple of Tongwen Hall, reflecting Master Ning's style in his conduct.

The brat surnamed Zhu offended him, and before the night was over, he was dead, dealing cleanly with the kiln, He Family, and everything involved."

Lao Dao had a smile at the corner of his mouth. This decisive quality of handling grudges on the spot really resembled Ninghai Zen. It's unfortunate the young master wasn't in Black River County to witness it firsthand.

"Logically, I owe him a favor. I initially planned to craft a finely honed weapon to repay it, but seeing Qi Lang's interest in blacksmithing, I decided to wait and observe him a bit longer. If he truly has the talent to become an artisan, I might as well teach him the Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique."

Li Yuan explained slowly. He had learned the hammer technique from Baisheng Hall, and the skills of porcelain firing and brick firing were from the Celestial Water Prefecture army.

"You're truly generous. The eighty-one hammers of the Chaotic Cloak are Baisheng Hall's secret art, which can't be learned without formally apprenticing and being accepted as a legitimate disciple."