Chapter 11: Social Etiquette and Heading to the Blacksmith Shop

The Tang family had the only blacksmith shop in Saint Soul Village.

Though Tang Hao's personal character left much to be desired, even Lin Ye's grandfather, Old Jack, had to admit one thing: Tang Hao's blacksmithing skills were truly exceptional. The tools he forged were not only top-quality but also incredibly affordable.

Because of this—and coupled with Tang San's polite and well-behaved nature, which made Old Jack quite fond of him—Old Jack had yet to chase Tang Hao out of the village.

Despite his remarkable blacksmithing skills, Tang Hao usually only made farming tools. Lin Ye had never heard of him forging weapons; at best, he might craft axes.

But making a sword was definitely more difficult than forging an axe or other agricultural tools.

Still, Lin Ye wasn't about to give up. After all, this was crucial to his training. He wanted to gain strength quickly so that one day he could venture out and explore the continent.

Although Tang Hao had never been known to forge weapons, if he could create exceptional farming tools, making a sword shouldn't be an issue.

If worse came to worst, Lin Ye had even considered sketching out the general design of his Golden Sword Martial Soul and having Tang Hao replicate it.

With a detailed blueprint, it would be hard for even someone like Tang Hao to mess up the job.

Plus, by training with a sword modeled after the Golden Sword, Lin Ye would grow more accustomed to wielding the real one when performing techniques like Dugu Nine Swords.

...

Lin Ye rummaged through his belongings and found some sheets of white paper left over from his time studying at the village's private school.

Selecting one sheet, he summoned his Golden Sword Martial Soul, and using a piece of charcoal, he carefully sketched out the basic design of the sword.

Once the sketch was completed, he folded the paper neatly and tucked it into his pocket.

However, Lin Ye didn't head straight to Tang San's house. He had somewhere else to go first.

Since childhood, Lin Ye had observed how his grandfather, Old Jack, handled the village's many affairs as the village chief. People often came by to bring gifts—such as pheasants, rabbits, or large fish—asking Old Jack for help with various tasks.

Old Jack, being the village chief, would always try his best to assist the villagers, whether or not they brought him gifts. But offering a token of appreciation certainly helped.

Old Jack had a saying for this: "Renqing shigu," or "the ways of the world." If you wanted someone's help with something, even if the person was kind-hearted, giving a small gift would ensure the job was done well. It didn't matter how valuable the gift was; it was the thought behind it that made the difference.

Lin Ye planned to follow this principle.

Since he wasn't entirely sure how skilled Tang Hao was at forging weapons, Lin Ye decided to bring a gift to show his sincerity and to ensure Tang Hao would take the job seriously.

Tang Hao loved his liquor, so naturally, Lin Ye intended to bring him some wine. A few copper soul coins would be enough to buy a small keg of barley wine, which wasn't too expensive.

Digging out a small wooden box from under his bed, Lin Ye opened it to reveal some old childhood toys and a small pouch of coins.

Opening the pouch, he saw more than twenty copper soul coins—his savings from various New Year's gifts over the years.

He took out five coins, put the pouch back into the box, and pushed the box back under his bed before heading out toward the village tavern.

The tavern in Saint Soul Village was located on the east side of the village, housed in a small wooden building.

Inside, right by the entrance, stood a counter, and behind it, various bottles and barrels of wine were displayed on a sturdy shelf. The tavern offered just three types of alcohol: rice wine, fruit wine, and barley wine.

Outside the tavern, several large wooden barrels were stacked, and above the entrance hung a wooden sign shaped like a barrel, indicating the shop's purpose.

Lin Ye made his way to the front of the tavern.

As soon as the owner, a middle-aged man with a beer belly and a balding head, saw Lin Ye, he greeted him with a smile, "Well, well, if it isn't little Lin Ye! What brings you here today?"

"I'm here to buy some wine, Uncle Max. Could you give me a small keg of barley wine?" Lin Ye said as he placed five copper soul coins on the counter.

"Hmm? Lin Ye, you're still so young. Don't tell me you're planning to sneak a drink?" Uncle Max raised an eyebrow, not taking the coins immediately.

"I'm not drinking it myself, Uncle Max. I'm giving it as a gift," Lin Ye explained, shaking his head.

"A gift? To whom? Don't tell me you're giving it to that drunkard, Tang Hao?" Uncle Max chuckled heartily at the thought.

Lin Ye nodded, his expression calm. "Yes, I want to ask Uncle Tang Hao to help me forge something."

Uncle Max, hearing Lin Ye confirm it, looked a bit puzzled. "You need something forged? You really don't need to bring him wine for that. Tang Hao may love his drink, but when it comes to forging, he takes it seriously. His work is always top-notch; there's no need for bribes."

"It's fine," Lin Ye replied, shaking his head. "I'd like Uncle Tang Hao to do his very best, and giving a gift to show my sincerity certainly won't hurt."

Uncle Max chuckled again, shaking his head. "You sure are something, Lin Ye, acting like a little adult. Well, if you insist."

Seeing Lin Ye was set on his plan, Uncle Max didn't argue further. He took the five copper soul coins and handed Lin Ye a small keg of barley wine from the shelf behind him.

"Here you go, little Lin Ye. Your wine."

"Thank you, Uncle Max!" Lin Ye thanked him, then turned and left the tavern, heading toward the blacksmith shop on the west side of the village.

Saint Soul Village wasn't very big.

After leaving the tavern, it didn't take long for Lin Ye to reach the area near the blacksmith shop.

All he had to do was walk up a flight of steps, and he'd be at the Tang family's doorstep.

As Lin Ye climbed the stairs, carrying the small keg of wine, he could already hear the rhythmic clang clang of hammering coming from the blacksmith shop.

It seemed that Tang Hao was hard at work.

"Hey, Tang San!" Lin Ye called out as he approached the shop, making his way inside.

However, to Lin Ye's surprise, the person working the forge wasn't Tang Hao—it was Tang San! This caught Lin Ye off guard.

The forging hammer in the shop was incredibly heavy, weighing at least 300 to 400 pounds. It wasn't something an ordinary child could even lift, let alone swing with such ease.

"Lin Ye, what brings you here?" Tang San smiled as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, clearly happy to see his friend.

"I wanted to ask Uncle Tang Hao to help me forge something, and I brought this as a small token of appreciation for him," Lin Ye said, holding up the small keg of wine.

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