It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"We can make up for the shortcomings with things other than force. With wisdom, discipline, and tools. Think about it, we have the most prosperous civilization, with fire and smelting technology. We can forge materials from other races into our own weapons and equipment. Isn't this proof of the power of mankind?"

"Is Dad's weaponry also powerful?"

"Of course. Dad is serving in the army of the Huaiwang territory. He must be using the sharpest weapons, wearing the strongest equipment, following the army to defeat those monsters who dare to invade human land. One day, he will return triumphantly on a tall horse, and take us mother and daughter to live a good life..."

The corridor deep in memory is as mottled as the scenes on an old TV.

A very young boy was lying on a paint-chipped stool, talking to his mother who was doing needlework.

……

Gradually, the scene began to distort and changed into the next picture.

The gentleness just now disappeared, and the kind mother's face became hideous and her eyes were red.

In front of her stood three soldiers in tattered clothes, with a straw mat under their feet. The mat was originally rolled up and now half unfolded, revealing half of a corpse with blackened skin and flesh. The corpse was wearing tattered armor and its face was covered by the mat.

The woman screamed at the three soldiers like crazy:

"Look for yourself, open your eyes and look! This armor is made of rags and cotton, and this spear is not much stronger than a wooden pole! Is this the sincerity of you, King Huai? My man has been with you through thick and thin, and you are cutting down even the most basic armaments like this. Do you still have a conscience? You let him wear this kind of armor, hold this kind of weapon, and go to fight those foreign races? What on earth are you thinking? Tell me, tell me!"

The younger soldier lowered his head and said softly:

"Sister-in-law, please accept my condolences. We, like my elder brother, all use such equipment. Those new equipments advertised are actually only given to generals and soldiers with connections. People like us who are born as commoners and join the army to fight for fame are considered worthless in the eyes of others... Our lifetime military salary may not be enough to buy a set of exquisite armor, so how can they give it to us?"

The woman covered her face and squatted on the ground, crying non-stop, from day to night, from her clear voice to her hoarse voice.

The moon came out at night. The woman held her husband's body, her hair disheveled, her lips pursed, and she only repeated one sentence:

"He worked hard for humanity. How could you be so cruel..."

Behind her, the young boy watched the scene silently, his fists clenched silently.

……

The picture became blurry again.

"Liushi, it's your turn to serve the master today."

An apprentice in cloth clothes and a cloth hat said to another young man.

The young man was wearing simple clothes, with hair that was a little long for a man tied back. He nodded and replied:

"understood."

The apprentice asked in a long-winded way:

"It will be Qingming Festival in two days, right? Will you go to worship the dead this year?"

The young man hummed in reply, and the apprentice sighed and said:

"My father died on the battlefield, and my mother committed suicide. Liushi, you have had a really hard life. Next time I get my salary, I will treat you to a drink."

The young man said calmly:

"I do not drink."

"Never drink in this life?"

"I will never drink in my life."

The apprentice put his hands behind his head, muttered "How boring", and walked away.

The young man walked to the forging room. In the middle of the forging room was a master's chair. An old man with white hair and a youthful face sat lazily on it. Several young and beautiful maids were massaging his legs and shoulders. Around him were seven or eight busy apprentices. They all looked tired because they had stayed by the stove for too long. Their clothes were soaked with sweat, as if they were in a sauna with their clothes on.

The young man served the old man some tea. The old man squinted his eyes, took a sip, smacked his lips, and said lazily:

"Yes, after following me for so long, your tea-making skills have finally improved."

The young man did not answer. This was not really a compliment to him.

He lowered his head and said:

"Master, I would like to take a leave next week to go back and pay respects to my parents. It will take about five days."

The old man frowned, thinking, and asked:

"Next week...? There's no need to rush for a few days. The dog I raise, you know, the pure black night wolf dog, has been unwilling to eat for some reason recently. Take it to the veterinarian Qingge in Dancing Wind City next week and let Qingge take a look at the problem. This is a famous dog, and we can't delay it."

The young man was stunned for a moment and repeated:

"Master, I am going to pay tribute to my parents."

The old man waved his hands and said irritably:

"I know, I know. Why do you always talk about such unlucky things? If they are dead, they are dead. Can you bring them back to life by burning some incense? Young people should do more useful things with their time. By the way, the travel expenses will be deducted from your monthly salary. When you came to see me last time, the night wolf dog barked at you twice, didn't it? Maybe it was the bad luck on you that scared it and made it refuse to eat. This matter has nothing to do with you. You should deal with it yourself. If you don't do well, I will whip you forty times at least!"

The young man lowered his head and replied:

"Yes, I understand, Master."

He stopped talking about the topic and asked:

"Master, I have almost learned all the miscellaneous skills. When can you teach me the real skills?"

The busy apprentices around them stopped at once and looked over here. Everyone had a different look in their eyes. Some were worried, some were contemptuous, and some were curious. The old man slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the young man, and said with a fake smile:

"Crafts? Young man, the most important thing to learn a skill is sincerity! Without sincerity, everything else is useless. Look, look, if you are so impetuous, what can you achieve in the future?"

The young man replied:

"I don't know. But I know that if I continue to live like this, serving tea and water, sweeping the floor, cooking, cleaning toilets, carrying manure, feeding pigs and cows, chopping wood and making fire, plowing the land, carrying coal and iron, and collecting scraps, I will never be a blacksmith in my lifetime."

The atmosphere suddenly became confrontational.

The old man slapped the armrest of the armchair heavily, stood up, pointed at the young man's nose and cursed:

"Are you questioning me? Questioning me, the forger Brotus?! No young man has ever dared to speak to me like this in these years - I tell you, if you follow me to learn skills, you must treat yourself as a servant, a hard worker, and a slave!! Liushi, don't think that your talent is of any use. Just based on what you just said, I can make sure you can't get by in the forging industry. Do you believe it? Apologize right now! Kneel down in front of me and apologize!"

Before the young man could speak, the apprentices in the room shouted in unison:

"Apologize! Apologize to Master now!"

"How dare this person speak to Master like that? Does he really think he's someone important?!"

"Brothers, teach this ignorant brat a lesson for Master!"

This is the best opportunity to show your loyalty.

The apprentices who did intensive labor every day vented all their resentment on the young man.

If you defeat him, you can take credit from the master. Maybe the master will be happy and reward you with some skills.

Isn’t this how every apprentice grows up?

Then when they become masters, they repeat the process.

However, before they could make a move, the whip in the old man's hand landed heavily on the young man's arm, tearing his clothes and leaving a bloody mark. Before the young man could react, another whip hit him in the face, causing blood to flow from the corner of his mouth, half of his face swollen, and he kept retreating.

The apprentices approached step by step with the half-finished weapons in their hands.

Finally, the young man, covered in wounds, left the mansion of the blacksmith Brotus.

Apart from the wounds on his body, he took nothing with him. When he left, no one came to see him off, including the apprentice who invited him to drink. He didn't even groan in pain, letting the blood drip all the way, walking barefoot on the bluestone road, towards the vast and homeless world.

The night wolfhound tied at the door barked at his back like General Desheng.

……

The picture gradually became fragmented.

Consciousness slowly returned.

Those distant scenes, which seemed to have not been thought of for many years, appeared in my mind again for some reason.

It was like having a long dream and watching a scrolling movie of half my life.

Liu Shi opened his eyes.

The back of his head was still aching, and he realized that he was in a dark and damp dungeon. At first, he was still confused about time and space, and even thought that everything in front of him was still a dream, but it only took him a few seconds to remember.

The fact that he was betrayed by his own daughter and knocked unconscious by the guards she brought with her.

Liu Shi lowered his head and looked at his current situation. His current situation was that his hands and feet were tied to a chair with iron chains and he couldn't get free at all.

In addition, there was a person standing in front of him at this moment.

A man who was about his age, more handsome than him, and had the air of a rich family. He had long brown wavy hair, sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, a sharp face, and a mouthful of white and neat teeth when he smiled. The tailor-made robe he wore perfectly set off his tall and strong figure.

It took Liushi some effort to remember this face.

Karissa's childhood sweetheart, whom she met once at Karissa's wedding.

Shuzu Yoshihirata.

Xiuzi had a gentle smile on his face and his eyes fell softly on Liushi's face.

"You're awake? You've kept me waiting... But judging from your appearance, you probably haven't fully woken up yet."

He smiled, raised his hand and said:

"Someone, get a bucket of ice water from the cellar. It's a rare opportunity to meet Liu Shi again after such a long absence. We should treat this distinguished guest who has come from afar well!"

47. Being a licker to each other

The bone-chilling cold water poured over his head and Liushi began to cough violently.

The sleepiness just now was swept away, and he quickly regained consciousness while shivering from the cold. The price he paid was that his head was like a broken radio, constantly making a buzzing noise.

The pain gradually became clearer.

After all the water in the bucket was emptied, Liushi gasped for breath.

"It's been three years since we last met, Liushi. Three years ago, I personally sent you away from this mansion; today, three years later, I personally welcomed you back. Are you more awake now? If not, there are other ways. For example, I can use an iron needle to pierce through the gap between your fingernails, or use pliers to pull out your teeth one by one... There are many ways."

Liu Shi didn't respond. He was concentrating on the man standing next to Xiu Zi, carrying an empty bucket.

The man was still wearing old clothes and an inappropriate hat. After seeing him, he had no expression, just drooped his eyelids and said nothing.

Of the two people who originally went to Wind City together, one became a prisoner, while the other looked as if nothing had happened.

Hidetsu laughed. He knew what Ryuishi was thinking, but as the son of the main family of the Yoshihirata family, he had no obligation to explain these things to Ryuishi. So he pretended not to see it, put on an emotional look, walked up to him, patted Ryuishi on the shoulder, and said:

"Do you know why I'm talking to you here?"

Liu Shi shook his head, then nodded.

He raised his head and said expressionlessly:

"Taking revenge? Because you are Carissa's childhood sweetheart..."

Before he finished speaking, Xiuzi suddenly threw a right hook at Liushi's face, causing blood to spurt from his nose and stars in his eyes. It was obvious that Xiuzi had been well trained, and his punch was accurate and fierce. After the fight, he said to the butler Naru standing beside him:

"Go get another bucket of water."

There was another bone-chilling feeling, extinguishing the burning pain on his face.

Xiuzi wiped the blood off his fist and said calmly:

"Don't mention that name. At least in front of me, don't mention her name with that mouth."

Liu Shi smiled self-deprecatingly, without making any comment, and his eyes returned to the despair of a dying man.

Instead, Xiuzi regained his calm smile and spoke in a tone as if he was talking to an old friend:

"Do you know? Liushi, from the day you entered this mansion, I have investigated your past thoroughly. Your father was a soldier sent by King Huai to the north to fight against foreign races, and he died on the battlefield. Your mother hanged herself one night, and you were raised by relatives and friends in turn, but they were all poor families, and no one wanted to be a burden. You became an apprentice to the famous blacksmith Brotus, and were driven out like a dog."

He changed the subject and said coldly:

"Even if you have some talent, you are still just a peasant. I don't understand why Shasha likes a lowly person like you."

After saying that, Xiuzi stared at Liushi closely.

Many people were willing to tell him about the process of Liushi's breakup with Brotaus. Liushi had the courage to say those words to the powerful Brotaus that day, which made Xiuzi think that he would definitely try to silence him now. Unfortunately, Liushi didn't seem to have any intention of arguing, and just replied:

"Yeah...I don't know either."

These words really choked Xiuzi.

Not for any reason, just because the current flow of stones made him feel very boring.

If you don't argue, you won't get angry. He didn't want to see Liushi's expression, he wanted to see his anger, regret, and pain. For three years, every time he saw Amo, he would think of Carissa, and then think of Liushi in exile. He had been looking forward to this reunion for too long, but what he got was a stone that was unmoved, which inevitably made him feel disappointed.

Fortunately, this is Fengcheng after all, the land where Liushi has lived for a long time.

I don't know if it was because he had just watched the revolving lantern of Half Life, but when he returned to this deep mansion, Liu Shi also said a few more words, which was rare: