NOVEL FROG Chapter 101: Looking Back to the Past
By midday of the following day, Ling Yi and his three companions each led their horses, moving with the crowd through the west gate of 'Muzhi City.'
In front of the headquarters of the [Blacksmith Guild·Shuimu Principality Branch], a three-story building that towers fifteen meters high.
Ling Yi paused and said to Zhang Mufeng, "A-Feng, you should head back first. It's been a while, and I'm sure your senior brothers are looking forward to seeing you."
"Mhm~" Zhang Mufeng did not refuse, as they had already agreed on this during their journey. He nodded and said, "Then, Brother Yi, I'll head home first. I'll come find you at the guild later."
"Hehe~" Long Yin moved forward, patted Zhang Mufeng's now just as broad shoulders as his, and teased, "Don't spill the beans when you get home, kid. Remember to call Brother Yi 'Master Uncle' in front of the family, don't forget—!"
"Exactly!" Qingqiu Xin took the chance to chime in, "If your old man finds out you call his junior brother ‘Brother Yi’, making you almost brothers, you might want to prepare some medicine for bruises in advance—"
Shooting a glare at the two gloating troublemakers, Zhang Mufeng retorted, "I remember both your fathers also call Brother Yi a brother, should you two call him ‘Uncle’ first—"
Having finished, without waiting for the two to respond, he mounted his horse, nodded at Ling Yi, and said, "Brother Yi, I'll be off then—"
Ling Yi waved his hand, reminding him, "Take your time on the road and watch out for pedestrians~"
Zhang Mufeng nodded, replying, "Got it! Don't worry, Brother Yi, I will—"
With a gentle nudge to the horse's belly, he rode off at a brisk pace with the clear rhythmic sound of hooves, "de~ de~ de~" fading into the distance.
Headquarters of the "Blacksmith Association - Shui Mu Principality Branch," on the third floor, facing south in an eastern office.
Ling Yi sat at the desk, his attention focused on the accounts and documents laid before him.
Across the desk, Old Master Jin fiddled with a brand-new tea set, occasionally glancing towards the absorbed Ling Yi with a look of gratification and satisfaction on his aged face.
In comparison to two years ago, Old Master Jin appeared even older, with his hair and beard now whiter. Yet, there was a vibrancy to his demeanor now that surpassed his earlier years.
It made sense, really. Although Old Master Jin was one of the three master craftsmen in the principality and a welcomed guest at Duke Mufeng and other lords' tables, he was, at the root of it, just an old blacksmith swinging a hammer.
With his growing age, his once formidable power as a Soul Revered had begun to wane.
What must it feel like to witness your once vigorous and powerful body slowly age and weaken?
Even though the disciples and successors he mentored spread across the entire Shui Mu Principality, such fame did not bring any true benefit to Old Master Jin or his descendants.
The blacksmiths, though considered distinguished among ordinary people, did not hold much standing in the Soul Master-dominated world of Douluo Continent.
Contrarily, while Old Master Jin had many descendants, he sometimes worried if after closing his eyes for the last time, the Jin family could still sustain themselves in Muzhi City without a new, influential heir taking charge.
Although Jiang Yuan refers to Old Master Jin as his 'second granduncle', he is not truly part of the Jin family—his surname is Jiang!
Even if Jiang Yuan’s martial spirit is the Jin family's "Iron Hand Guard".
Fortunately for the Jin family, and luckily for Jin Gang himself, in his twilight years, he has taken in a disciple like Ling Yi, who is truly an "anomaly".
Before accepting Ling Yi as his apprentice, Old Master Jin's greatest wish was for any of his twelve direct disciples to break through to the rank of Master Blacksmith and inherit his position as one of the three master craftsmen of the duchy.
After decades together, these twelve disciples were handpicked by him, not only based on character, talent, or family background but to ensure that, once they inherit his status, they will continue to support and uphold the Jin clan in "Mu Zhicheng".
With thirteen senior advanced blacksmith disciples supporting the Jin family, the lives of their fourteen families will surely flourish.
Yet, when Ling Yi unexpectedly progressed to level ten, obtaining a century-old first soul ring, and requested to use Fu Shan’s connections to enter the duchy's military, Old Master Jin suddenly realized that this young disciple has always been highly self-reliant.
Since entering "Mu Zhicheng", whether it was enrolling in the Soul Master Academy or becoming his apprentice in blacksmithing, Ling Yi has truly advanced steadily, step by step.
Of course, this is by no means a bad thing.
On the contrary, Ling Yi is not someone who only focuses on cultivating soul power or forging without thinking—Old Master Jin's hopes for him have only grown richer.
After years together, seeing Ling Yi grow from a seven-year-old child into a young boy just over ten, Old Master Jin believes he understands Ling Yi fairly well.
Ling Yi was a person of remarkable purity.
In school, he united his classmates, respected his teachers, and diligently pursued his studies. He shared his learning achievements generously with fellow students.
At the blacksmith shop, he humbly sought guidance from senior brothers, dedicatedly honing the tedious art of forging. He was amiable to everyone—wise, patient, humble, and kind.
Practically every accolade Old Master Jin could think of seemed to fit this young disciple.
In honor of this, Old Master Jin even penned a letter—a rare gesture after decades of silence—to his once-apprentice brother, who had achieved great success and become the only divine craftsman in the Douluo Continent, Tiexufu, asking him to agree to teach Ling Yi the complete "Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique," so that such a gem wouldn't be left undiscovered.
According to Old Master Jin’s plans, when Ling Yi grew stronger and hit a bottleneck as a senior blacksmith, he would recommend that Ling Yi travel to "Gengxin City" in the Star Luo Empire to learn advanced forging skills from Tiexufu himself.
Two years passed quietly until, unexpectedly, a chubby man claiming to be Tiexufu’s disciple arrived, saying he was paying a visit to his uncle.
A soul king-level nephew and also a master blacksmith!
The fact that someone of that caliber would come knocking at his door—when Old Master Jin was nearing the age of eighty—was astonishing.
In a bit of a daze, he welcomed the nephew named Lou Gao, watching as he headed north to find his young disciple, Ling Yi. At that moment, Old Master Jin's spirit soared.
Indeed, in just over half a year, when his young disciple Ling Yi returned to "Muzhi City," he became a blacksmith master—following in the footsteps of himself, Fu Shan, and Li Qiang—as the fourth master of the Waterwood Principality.
And this was not the greatest surprise of all.
Even now, Old Master Jin clearly remembers the day when a young apprentice became a disciple of the blacksmith.
Standing before him, the apprentice declared his ambition to gather all the senior blacksmiths of the "Shuimu Principality" and form a guild similar to the "Blacksmith Association" in the "Stellaris Empire's" Metal Capital, 'Gengxin City.'
He aimed to unite all the blacksmiths within the "Shuimu Principality" under this organization.
He wanted to elevate the status and tangible benefits of every blacksmith, whether in the eyes of the world or in real terms!
He wanted to...
Now, more than a year, nearly two years later, all these goals have been achieved one by one.
Today, every able-bodied member of the Jin clan is part of this association, including all of Jin Gang's apprentices and their students.
Only now does Old Master Jin suddenly realize that bringing all the blacksmiths together has resulted in such an unexpectedly enormous entity!
Next, without making too many promises, I should be able to provide two updates every day.
Well, I won't say much more. It's almost 1 a.m., and I need to sleep because there's work early tomorrow morning.
(End of Chapter)
