Chapter 9: Women Only Slow Down My Smithing

"Excuse me!" Chen Xun shouted with a frown, speeding past, leaving a trail of astonished murmurs behind him. "Such speed, this young man!" In the backyard of the blacksmith shop, the big black ox was tending the fire and brewing medicine, not wanting Old Sun to die either, mooing softly with its head drooping. By the bedside, Sun Kaiyue was in a state of decline, lucid one moment and forgetful the next, though today his complexion was quite rosy. He beckoned Chen Xun and the big black ox into the room, slowly rising to lean against the wall. A black ox head peeked in, looking at him with concern. "Hehe," Sun Kaiyue patted the big black ox, smiling benevolently, "I'm alright, everyone has their day."

"Old Sun, it's nothing. I asked the city doctor, and if you keep taking your medicine every day, you can live at least another ten years!" Chen Xun laughed nonchalantly, "I'm strong, and business is good every day, we're not short of money."

"I still remember your first day at the blacksmith shop," Sun Kaiyue said with a wrinkled smile, looking at Chen Xun, "like a country boy, all bluster and noise." Chen Xun forced a smile, not responding.

"I don't really have much to teach you, you've learned it all. From now on, the shop is yours," Sun Kaiyue said with a slight smile, holding Chen Xun's hand, "Save some money, find a wife, and stop buying medicine."

"Old Sun, you underestimate me. How much can these herbs cost?" Chen Xun waved his hand, saying, "Old Sun, didn't you hear me? I asked—"

"No need to comfort me, I know my own body," Sun Kaiyue coughed, interrupting Chen Xun. "I have something for you." He then took out a secret manual from behind his pillow, smiling weakly, "My son once read this before he went to seek immortality."

"Old Sun, I'm not interested in becoming an immortal," Chen Xun said, uninterested in the manual, "Living well is what's most important."

"If only my son had your temperament," Sun Kaiyue's eyes dimmed slightly, sighing softly, "I have nothing else to leave you, just take it."

"Alright," Chen Xun nodded.

"Big black ox, hehe, stick with young Chen Xun," Sun Kaiyue looked at the big black ox, his eyes filled with affection, "I've seen many beasts, but you are the most spirited. Heaven has its virtues, it will bless you." Moo! Moo! The big black ox's head moved.

"Old Sun, don't talk like that, the doctor said the better your attitude, the longer you live," Chen Xun said, gripping Sun Kaiyue's hand tightly, feeling icy cold as a bone-chilling coldness slowly seeped into his heart.

"Young Chen Xun."

"I'm here, Old Sun."

"Thank you both." Sun Kaiyue smiled warmly, deeply gazing at Chen Xun and the big black ox, as if imprinting their faces deep into his mind, never to be forgotten. "Go now, I need to rest a bit."

"Alright, old ox, let's go make the medicine." "Moo!" Chen Xun and the big black ox hurried out, fumbling with the medicine according to the recipe in the yard. The next day, a chilly wind blew, and countless yellow leaves fell from the plum tree outside the courtyard. Sun Kaiyue passed away peacefully in his room. On the street, the big black ox pulled a cart with a coffin on it, Chen Xun pushing from behind, expressionless. Passersby frowned deeply, sensing bad luck and keeping their distance. Unconcerned with the onlookers, the man and the ox slowly pulled the cart towards the outskirts of the city, their movements careful, fearing any jolt.

Chen Xun found a geomantically auspicious place to bury Old Sun, the tombstone engraved with "Mentor—Tomb of Sun Kaiyue." As the cold wind blew, yellow paper filled the sky, a desolate atmosphere lingering between heaven and earth. Chen Xun offered incense and bowed, the man and the ox slowly walking back towards the city, their figures gradually disappearing. They returned to the blacksmith shop and stared blankly for a long time; the chair was empty, as if the little old man would never doze off there again.

"It's alright, old ox, we should be happy." "Moo?" "If it weren't for us, what would Old Sun do, having no one to handle his affairs?" "Moo?" "We've at least managed the blacksmith shop well these past few years, and Old Sun lived happily, didn't he?" "Moo!" "That's right, we did a great thing. Come on, be happy, ha, ha, ha." "Moo! Moo! Moo~~" The man and the ox laughed uglier than crying, and the shop gradually fell silent again. Chen Xun's words were perhaps meant to comfort the big black ox, or perhaps himself.

"Ah!" Chen Xun suddenly slapped his head, realizing something was amiss. "Moo?" The big black ox looked at him with puzzled eyes, wondering what was wrong.

"Old ox, we've been duped," Chen Xun said firmly, conviction in his eyes, "That doctor definitely saw our urgency and misled us about the price of the herbs." He was heartbroken; why hadn't he learned medicine properly? In his small village, there were no doctors, only folk remedies for treating external injuries. He hadn't expected such a day. A miscalculation.

The big black ox was startled, nudging Chen Xun: Why hadn't you learned medical skills?

"Let's focus on smithing and making money first, we still owe the neighbors quite a bit this year," Chen Xun's eyes blazed with fire. The medical profession was indeed lucrative, and as one travels the world, bumps and bruises are inevitable. Learning some medical skills was essential, and he had a new goal in mind. Moo! The big black ox's eyes sparkled, thinking that if Chen Xun learned medicine, he could treat himself, and people wouldn't have to die from illnesses.

Chen Xun saw the big black ox's approving gaze and smiled slightly, his earlier gloom swept away. Life is always full of the unknown and challenges, that's what makes it exciting.

"Old ox, to work!" "Moo!" The blacksmith shop resumed its clanging and hammering sounds. Now, Chen Xun's control over his strength was so precise that he could strike without harming an ant's body, yet directly take its head. The ant nest in the shop suffered a great disaster, beginning to relocate en masse, leaving behind many headless corpses.

Now, Chen Xun's blacksmith shop was renowned throughout the surrounding streets for its fair prices, high quality, and good reputation. Many matchmakers came knocking, their eyes swirling with admiration even at the sight of his sixteen-pack abs, barely able to contain themselves. Chen Xun responded with a cold laugh, telling the matchmakers, "Having forged iron here for years, my heart has grown as cold as the hammer in my hand. Women only slow down my smithing speed." With these words, countless young women in seclusion sighed in despair, thinking to themselves that this was indeed the man they admired, his every word so heroically extraordinary.

A year later, Chen Xun finally paid off his debts and even saved some money, continuing to invest in speed. As dawn broke and the streets were sparsely populated, they cleaned up the blacksmith shop, packed up various items—pots, pans, ladles, everything—and hung them on the sides of the black ox.

"Old ox, ready to go." "Moo!" They carefully sealed up the shop, keeping the deed to themselves, knowing they could always come back for a visit.

"Let's go." Chen Xun took one last look around the streets, a carefree smile on his face. "Moo! Moo!" The big black ox bellowed happily, Chen Xun having promised to take it to buy wood carvings and to release wishing lanterns. A sense of ritual in life was essential, otherwise it would be too dull. Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, the crisp collision of items rang from the black ox as the two figures gradually disappeared.

As the sun rose, someone passed by Chen Xun's blacksmith shop and discovered it was closed, the owner nowhere to be found. They all sighed secretly, wishing they had commissioned more ironwork while they had the chance. With Chen Xun's shop closed, the nearby blacksmiths were overjoyed, celebrating universally and raising their prices. Who wouldn't raise them?