Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Liu closed the door behind her, walked to the table, and sat down.

Li Jiwu quickly picked up the teapot on the table and poured her a cup of tea.

Liu took a sip of her drink before slowly saying, "It's done."

Li Jiwu's eyes lit up immediately, but he remained composed and asked in a low voice, "My father agreed?"

"I agree." Mrs. Liu put down her teacup, a smug smile playing on her lips.

"He'll probably be taking the eldest young master out on business in the next few days. You can have Dezhu prepare to report to the sword-forging compound."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiwu's face lit up with barely suppressed joy, and he quickly bowed deeply to Liu Shi, saying, "Thank you so much for your help, Aunt Liu! I am deeply grateful!"

Liu waved her hand and laughed, "We're family, no need for formalities. Dezhu is my distant cousin, and I'm happy that you promoted him to be the manager of the knife-forging compound. This is a win-win situation, and neither of us loses out."

Li Jiwu nodded repeatedly, about to say a few polite words, but his gaze inadvertently fell on Liu Shi.

She wore a light outer garment, the neckline slightly open, revealing a patch of snow-white skin. Her hair was loosely styled, and a lingering springtime charm and languid allure remained in her eyes, making her appear exceptionally alluring in the dim candlelight.

Li Jiwu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his eyes unconsciously became somewhat heated. He took half a step forward and smiled, "Aunt Liu is right. We are family, and we really shouldn't speak like outsiders."

His hand silently covered Liu's hand.

Seeing Li Jiwu's hand cover hers, Liu did not immediately pull it away; instead, she gently patted the back of his hand.

With a hint of feigned reluctance, she glared at him reproachfully: "Second Young Master, what are you doing?"

Seeing her like this, Li Jiwu became bolder and grabbed Liu's hand, laughing, "Aunt Liu, your hands are so beautiful, smooth and tender like jade. Father is truly blessed."

Liu feigned anger, her face hardening as she lowered her voice and said, "I'm your second mother, how dare you disrespect me? If word gets out, will you still have any face left?"

Li Jiwu remained calm, still holding her hand, and said emphatically, "Aunt Liu, you're being too polite. Precisely because you are my second aunt, it is even more my duty to take good care of you and be filial to you on behalf of my father. My father is getting old and his energy is waning; there are some things he inevitably can't do. As his son, isn't it only natural for me to share his burdens and fulfill my filial duty to you?"

He spoke in a grand and dignified manner, but with an ambiguous smile on his face, his fingers were still gently drawing a circle in Liu's palm.

Liu's stern face finally broke down, and she burst out laughing. She pulled her hand back and gently patted his shoulder: "You have such a mouth, you can talk the dead back to life."

Li Jiwu chuckled and leaned closer: "So Aunt Liu agreed?"

Liu rolled her eyes at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but simply picked up her teacup and took another sip, her eyes and brows exuding a captivating charm.

The atmosphere between the two became increasingly ambiguous. They teased each other, their voices growing softer and their laughter growing ever quieter.

Just then, a loud "bang" came from outside, as if something had been knocked over.

Both of them were startled at the same time, their smiles instantly freezing, and they turned to look at the doorway.

Li Jiwu abruptly released Liu's hand, strode to the door, listened intently for a while, and then carefully opened the door a crack, peering out.

The yard was empty except for a spotted stray cat crouching by a flowerpot in the corner, scratching at an overturned flowerpot with its paws. When the door opened, it looked up and meowed at him before nimbly leaping onto the wall and running away.

Li Jiwu breathed a sigh of relief, closed the door, and went back inside.

"It's nothing, just a stray cat."

Mrs. Liu patted her chest, a trace of lingering fear still on her face:

"That scared me to death."

After being startled, neither of them wanted to continue flirting.

Li Jiwu coughed twice, then said seriously, "Aunt Liu, let's leave it at that for tonight. I'll make arrangements for Zhao Dezhu. You should go back and get some rest, so as not to arouse Father's suspicion."

Liu nodded, straightened her clothes and hair, and returned to her original appearance.

She got up and walked to the door, glancing back at Li Jiwu with a lingering reluctance in her eyes:

"Then I'll be going. Take care of yourself."

After saying that, Liu pushed open the door and hurriedly disappeared into the night.

Li Jiwu stood at the door watching her figure disappear into the distance before closing the door, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

Everything returned to silence.

Only then did Shen Chu slowly raise her head from the shadows outside the courtyard wall.

He had just returned from committing murder at night when he happened to hear some noises coming from Li Jiwu's room. Out of curiosity, he stopped to listen.

Unexpectedly, what I heard was such a sordid matter.

Shen Chu's expression was somewhat subtle.

In his past life, he had watched a lot of random videos online, including things like Tokyo Hot, married women, and intimacy—the themes were incredibly diverse.

He considered himself quite knowledgeable, but this was the first time he had ever actually encountered something like this in real life.

He recognized Liu when she first showed herself.

It was the woman in the white dress who had invited him in that day.

No wonder she gave me a chance even though I didn't have the natural talent.

It turns out that this is what this second wife likes.

It seems that my face really can be a source of income in this Li household.

However, this second mistress seems to have quite a few like-minded people. Although I have received favors from her, I cannot allow myself to be taken advantage of for her sake...

It's just a pity for Master Li...

Shen Chu touched her face again, gave a wry smile, and quietly turned and left.

......

The next morning,

The forging workshop was filled with the glowing fire of the furnace and the clanging of hammers; everything seemed normal.

Shen Chu stood in front of his workstation, holding a forging hammer, repeatedly hammering a piece of red-hot iron.

After days of practice, his technique became increasingly refined, each hammer blow steady, accurate, and powerful.

Sweat dripped down his chin, landing on the scorching anvil, where it evaporated with a hiss.

He was immersed in this pure labor, feeling the energy within his body flow with each swing of the hammer.

The proficiency of the [Refined Through a Thousand Hammers] skill is increasing slowly.

But what bothered him was that the skill was still stuck at level 1, completely unaffected.

Ugh,

I wonder when I'll be able to reach level 2?

Shen Chu couldn't help but sigh. Just then, footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate, accompanied by several respectful greetings.

He looked up and saw Li Jiwu wearing a moon-white brocade robe, smiling, walking into the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Behind him followed a man in his early thirties, with a stocky build and dressed in simple clothes.