Zombie Bodyguard-Chapter 1499 - 1496: Handbook

In front of him stood a large inlaid bookshelf, taking up most of the wall space. The bookshelf was filled with books, and at a glance, it gave an overwhelming feeling. Lin Tian estimated that there were at least a few hundred volumes here, many of which were quite thick, thicker than an encyclopedia.

"Young man, this is your choice. Have a good read, and I hope you can finish them all before you leave Tang City, hehe." Tang Banqing looked at Lin Tian and once again showed that schadenfreude expression.

Lin Tian finally understood why she was smiling so cunningly. Indeed, to finish reading these hundreds of books, one’s eyes might go blind. Even skimming would take a long time, let alone reading carefully and comprehending the content.

However, Tang Banqing didn’t know about Lin Tian’s reading skills. With his super perception ability, no amount of books was a problem for him, superior even to an electronic scanner.

Lin Tian walked up to the bookshelf that was taller than he was and casually pulled out a book with a yellow cover. The name of the book was: Geology and Minerals.

"This is a book about identifying forging materials. While materials like the Outer Heaven Meteorite are rare, most of the sword-making materials come from the earth beneath our feet. How to find, how to identify rare minerals, this is the basic skill of a swordsmith." Tang Banqing glanced at the book and then introduced a couple of sentences.

Lin Tian raised an eyebrow. This requirement was indeed different from what he had imagined for a swordsmith. Perhaps he had thought it too simple. He put the book back and casually pulled out another one: "Swordsmithing and Fire Control."

Tang Banqing nodded and said, "Just as I mentioned earlier, fire control is a commonality between swordsmithing and alchemy. At what stage, and what kind of heat to use, must be precisely controlled. So, fire control requires great patience and a strong spiritual sense. Of course, as a pharmacist, you are not lacking in patience and spiritual sense, which is your advantage."

Lin Tian then pulled out a few more books randomly, all seeming to be rather miscellaneous, but each related to casting techniques.

"Old Tang, with so many books, you must at least outline an order for me, where should I start, and which ones should I focus on understanding." Lin Tian pointed at the books in front of him, asking calmly, without the worried expression Tang Banqing had imagined.

Faced with so many books, anyone else would be in distress. Tang Banqing was mildly surprised and then nodded in satisfaction. She did not answer Lin Tian’s question but instead walked to the middle of the bookshelf, opened a wooden compartment, and took out a book.

"Take this. Amongst all the books, this one is the most precious. Start with this book, and the rest are at your discretion." Tang Banqing handed the book to Lin Tian, looking quite solemn.

Lin Tian was slightly surprised at what kind of book could warrant such importance from Tang Banqing. Upon taking it, he saw the old cover was inscribed with four ancient characters: Artifact Refining Notes.

Opening the book, the characters on the pages were not printed but handwritten in small yet neat calligraphy, interspersed with hand-drawn illustrations.

The illustrations were still brushwork paintings, suggesting the author of the book was likely a skilled artist, using simple lines to make the illustrations clear and vivid.

Lin Tian had previously seen "Pharmacist Notes" by Oda Manaka, where the text and illustration recording style were similar to this "Artifact Refining Notes," with the difference that the latter was more ancient, with an unknown history.

"Lin Tian, you should have noticed by now that this book isn’t my personal notes. It’s much older than me. Many years ago, I acquired this Artifact Refining Note by chance."

"The Artifact Refining Notes are likely the insights of a predecessor, documenting many important refining methods. But I have to confess, to this day, there are parts of it I haven’t figured out," Tang Banqing said somewhat embarrassed.

"This note is called Artifact Refining, what is the difference between artifact refining and swordsmithing?" Lin Tian closed the book and asked curiously why it wasn’t called Swordsmithing Notes or Casting Notes but rather Artifact Refining Notes.

Ancients were very cautious with wording; they wouldn’t use the term "artifact refining" without reason.

"Let me put it this way, the scope of artifact refining is broader, while swordsmithing is just a branch of it. Hence, artifact refining requires a higher level of skill. You’ve heard of Qingshuang Pavilion’s black gold silk lining, right? That was crafted using artifact refining techniques. However, those are quite elementary artifact refining methods, whereas I feel that the Zhang Family’s demon-suppressing artifacts are more like products of artifact refining."

Tang Banqing thought for a moment before explaining in confusion, as she mentioned earlier that she hadn’t completely figured out the Artifact Refining Notes.

"Are you referring to the Demon-suppressing Whip and the White Tiger Seal?" Lin Tian asked in return.

Tang Banqing looked at Lin Tian and was mildly surprised: "I didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable. Yes, the Demon-suppressing Whip and the White Tiger Seal are more like products of artifact refining, which combines casting techniques with some advanced methods. However, there are no longer any complete practitioners of artifact refining. The Zhang Family’s magic artifacts have been handed down from their ancestors."

"I think you have good potential, explore gradually. Oh, by the way, the swordsmithing starts in three days, during which you should stay here and read these books," Tang Banqing said somewhat irresponsibly as she dumped a pile of books on Lin Tian and was about to leave.

Lin Tian quickly said, "Aren’t you going to teach me anything?"

"Teach what? No matter how much I say now, it’s just empty talk. Once you finish reading, there’ll be things to learn during practice." Tang Banqing gave him a stern look, as if saying he couldn’t go out without finishing the books.

After saying that, she turned and walked out, while Lin Tian called after her, "Old Tang, I gave that token to Steward Shen Danxi."

"Give it to whoever you want." Tang Banqing didn’t even turn her head, indifferent to the token.

Lin Tian shook his head with a wry smile, wondering what position Tang Banqing held in Qingshuang Pavilion, being so careless with an outer pavilion token, wouldn’t the Pavilion Master reprimand her?

Unable to figure it out, Lin Tian took a book from the bookshelf and began to read. His reading method wasn’t ordinary; he directly activated his super perception, reading faster than flipping through the pages.

With a rustling sound, dozens of pages flipped by, and even the thick books couldn’t withstand Lin Tian’s pace. Although he looked and remembered, he hadn’t yet achieved complete understanding and application.

The field of artifact refining and swordsmithing was a new territory for him, waiting for him to explore. When he initially studied pharmacist books and learned alchemy, until now, he hadn’t fully mastered it.

However, he had patience, and at the moment, he was like a parched desert, while these books were like sweet springs, with Lin Tian continuously absorbing them. Perhaps one day, the barren desert would be lush with greenery and blooming flowers.

It was noon, and after a morning without food, Lin Tian’s stomach protested. He raised his head from the pile of books, considering going out for a meal when a phone call came in. He took out his phone and saw it was another international call.