Book 1 Chapter 7

What kind of place is the Iron Transformation Forge?

It was the day after I had been living with my master for over a year and six months.

On that day, as usual, I was cooking, doing laundry, chopping firewood,

and on top of that, training. By now, I was somewhat accustomed to all the chores in the mountain hut. I could wield a 50-jin iron washboard and do laundry without turning rags into rags, and I could swing a 100-jin iron axe

like swinging a stick and chop firewood.

That day, my master took me down to the village at the foot of the mountain. Until then, I had been suffering from endless chores accompanied by hellish muscle aches and had no opportunity to go down to the village. It was a considerably prosperous village, and my master entered the largest blacksmith shop in the village. Then, he went into a room with the owner and seemed to be discussing something seriously. How much time had passed, my master's loud voice was heard from inside the room. It seemed that the intended business was not going well.

"Why isn't it possible!"

My master seemed to be emotionally agitated.

"Isn't he still a child with the fuzz barely gone? It's natural."

"What nonsense, that kid is already 15 years old. He's a proper adult now. Besides, his strength is probably three or four times stronger than an ordinary adult. You know that well, having checked it yourself."

'Huh? I'm still 12 years old… Did my master misremember my age? That can't be right, can it?'

My master's angry voice, who had lied to the owner about my age by three years, was heard again. What was my master angry about now?

"In any case, 2 taels of silver is too cheap! I demand special allowance for 3 taels of silver. Considering that child's abilities, it's natural."

"Isn't that too expensive? How about special allowance for 2 taels of silver?"

"No. This child is not an ordinary child! He handles a 50-jin steel bar like a toy. He can do the work of three or four strong men with ease."

'This must be about the washboard!'

Inside the room, a dispute that seemed unlikely to end continued. It was a conversation that was difficult for me, who was still young, to understand. My master's loud voice was heard again beyond the sliding door. Ignorant people indeed had loud voices.

"Are you blind even with your eyes open?"

"Of course not. Why do you ask when you know well?"

"Then why are you acting like you're blind? Anyone who saw you would think your eyes are some kind of ornament. Don't you see that fresh and vigorous young body?"

For a moment, a long silence filled the room. The owner seemed to be in a dilemma. But soon,

"Alright, I've lost. I accept your terms. It's settled for 3 taels of silver with special allowance."

"Good, I will hand over this child for that price. Please take good care of him."

From inside the room came a conversation that could only be heard at the scene of a transaction involving a group of handsome boy traffickers.

'Is he trying to sell me to that old blacksmith owner?'

'Is the blacksmith owner a pervert who enjoys handsome boys?'

At that moment, a strange flash and a chilling unease swept through my mind. However, if I judged calmly, it was a situation that could sufficiently occur given my master's character.

'No way, no way, it can't be. The price is too cheap. It's impossible for only that much money to be exchanged for selling a handsome boy like me. If it were just for one night, maybe…?'

The moment these thoughts came to me, I felt like chunks of ice dancing down my spine. My spine chilled. I felt a chill. An unknown fear began to dominate me. I felt a creepy chill and unconsciously hugged myself. While I was lost in these various thoughts, the door opened, and my master and the owner came out. Then my master said to me.

"Ryu Yeon! You will work at this blacksmith shop starting today. Work hard."

At that moment, I doubted my ears. Half of my prediction that my master would sell me off had come true. Although it wasn't selling me to a perverted old man—the old man's appearance was enough to warrant such a misunderstanding—instead, he sold his disciple into the most harsh working environment. A blacksmith shop is a representative of the three difficult professions (三難職業) that people avoid, isn't it? The three difficulties refer to workplaces that are dirty, difficult, and dangerous. Aren't these professions avoided even by adults? I could absolutely not work in such a place. My thoughts quickly turned into action.

"Master, how could you do this to me! I absolutely will not… *gulp*!"

At that moment, my master covered my mouth with his smelly, pot-lid-sized hand. Then he said to the owner.

"Ah, please wait a moment. I'll have a little talk with this brat. Shall we go, disciple?"

Then my master dragged me behind a secluded building.

"No, you brat! What is it you can't do? This is all a method that I, your master, have painstakingly devised for three days and three nights to give you a trial. If you can't even overcome such a trial, how can you learn martial arts and become a peerless master? This work is also an extension of your training. It will all help your martial arts training. Stop complaining and just work hard. It will all become blood and flesh."

I was utterly speechless. The fact that I didn't die from qi deviation at this point was truly a blessing in disguise, a stroke of luck, and divine providence. To give me a trial? My master seemed to be under the delusion that anything could be forgiven if he just used the word "trial." Furthermore, he claimed it would help my martial arts training? I had no idea what could possibly help.

"What on earth will help my martial arts training? I can't imagine at all. Well, trying to imagine something that doesn't exist in the first place is illogical."

Even though I posed a sharp question using letters, my master answered without the slightest embarrassment.

"Of course, if you swing the iron hammer diligently, your arms will gain strength, and your grip strength will also increase. Moreover, your palms will harden. Also, you can learn patience in the process of handling fire and iron. Isn't this enough?"

It was the moment my master's specialty, 'everything is training,' was wielded like an invincible weapon, but this time, I had prepared a formidable counterattack.

"But won't this kind of rough and tough work like hammering iron make my hands rough and dull my hand senses? Didn't you, master, say that our sect's secret technique, the Flying Thunder Blade, requires delicate hand sensitivity? Won't this kind of work rather hinder my training? Surely you're not going to be petty and go back on your word now, are you?"

I smiled a triumphant smile. Then I looked at my master with eyes that dared him to say something if he had anything to say. But my master suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Ho ho ho, ha ha ha! It's admirable that you even thought of that. But rest assured. Who am I, this master? I am the sect leader of the Flying Thunder Sect, possessing the world's best martial arts. How could I not have countermeasures for such things? Countermeasures have already been prepared. You can focus on your training with peace of mind."

My master's words pierced my heart like a blade of anxiety. At that moment, I felt it. Another great anxiety approaching me… If my master prepares something, it's obvious. He was not someone who would do anything good. I wondered what kind of person he was, as if he were naturally gifted with the talent to always come up with infinitely wicked things.

"Uh… the countermeasures, what are they? Wh-what are they?"

My tongue became stiff with anxiety, and my voice trembled. I felt my whole body shiver eerily, like a person with a chill.

"You'll know when you come home later. Now, work hard."

After saying this, my master displayed the Phoenix Dance's Flight technique, a movement skill, and lightning-fastly fled. His speed was so fast that I couldn't catch him. This battle, too, was my complete defeat. There is nothing a loser can say. Other than the fact that I have to work here… A master selling his disciple as a laborer? It's an unprecedented and unacceptable anomaly, isn't it? And for a mere 3 taels of silver, no less. I could only curse my fate of having to endure such things.

The name of this blacksmith shop was Iron Transformation Forge (鐵化莊), which I presumed meant a place where iron transforms. This Iron Transformation Forge was the largest blacksmith shop in the village, producing not only various farming tools but also weapons, making it an armory (武器店).

The Iron Transformation Forge primarily made swords among weapons, and since the owner, Elder Jang, was a renowned swordsmith, there were quite a number of martial artists who patronized the Iron Transformation Forge. Since swords (劍) are high value-added items, the Iron Transformation Forge was making a considerable profit. The 3 taels of silver I received monthly was less than a drop in the bucket.

The main customers of this Iron Transformation Forge were a slightly larger sect located on the mountain behind our hut and a courier service operated by the lay disciples of that sect, who were its top regulars. The name of that sect was the Ami Sect (阿彌派), named after the mountain behind our hut, Ami Mountain. My master had told me it was a considerably large sect.

What was even more ear-catching was the fact that almost all of its disciples were women. Especially the part about many beauties was so astonishing that I couldn't close my mouth. However, the fact that there were also many cantankerous old women and even older women, and that most of these women were nuns, made me feel as disappointed as if I had been dumped. Well, my master consoled me by saying that there was hope for fresh lay disciples…

Since the Ami Sect primarily used swords, it seemed they were supplied with a significant quantity of swords from here. The courier service operated by the lay disciples of the Ami Sect was the same. This village was probably under the protection of that Ami Sect. It was natural for a village to be at the foot of a mountain where a great sect was located. The people of this village couldn't even imagine life without the Ami Sect. The Ami Sect was a part of this village, no, the whole of it.

That was the story of the Iron Transformation Forge, and learning the basics of the job was the work of my first day. The iron hammer that struck the iron was said to weigh at least 50 jin. It was my personal hammer, specially prepared at the request of my close master. Of course, I wasn't grateful at all.

However, as if to mock the laughter that it was too much for a child, I handled the iron hammer without difficulty, surprising everyone. My body had been trained with a 50-jin steel washboard, so it wasn't too difficult. After learning the basic tasks, I headed home. Not knowing what difficulties and misfortunes awaited me hand in hand…

What awaited me when I left the Iron Transformation Forge and returned home with my tired body was my master's cruel smile—or so it seemed to me—and a pouch of beads. There were various kinds of beads, and each one had a small hole in the center. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—seven beautiful rainbow-colored beads were in the pouch. The beads were not expensive gemstones, but they seemed to have been made by some special method. Perhaps that's why their colors were so beautiful and exquisite.

"Master, what are these beads?"

I immediately asked my master, filled with curiosity.

"They are beads, as you can see. What else could they be? Didn't I tell you earlier? I already have a method that won't dull your hands. These beads are one of those methods."

'One of them!' This meant there were others. A chill suddenly ran through my body. My body trembled.

"What can I possibly do with these beads? I, your incompetent and unfortunate disciple, cannot possibly know. Please teach me."

Upon hearing this, my master chuckled and said, "I'll show you," and picked up a red bead. Then he took out something thin and long from his sleeve. It was a thin silver needle, about the length of an adult's forearm. A fine thread was tied to the tip of the thin silver needle.

My master held the silver needle in his right hand and gently tossed a bead in his left hand into the air. The tossed bead spun and flew through the air. At that moment, the silver needle in my master's right hand flashed. It was not an illusion, a visual trick, or a hallucination. In a fleeting moment, the silver needle in my master's right hand performed a quick and precise movement. And when I looked at the silver needle held in my master's stopped right hand, astonishingly, the red bead that had been tossed into the air was embedded in it, emitting a brilliant light. The tip of the needle, which had moved like lightning, had accurately pierced the tiny hole, the size of a grain of rice, in the center of the rotating bead.

It was a situation that would make even ghosts weep. I stared blankly at my master with wide, bulging eyes. Even if my master was a child exploiter, some things were still admirable.

My master gave that familiar unpleasant smile and this time held seven beads in his right hand and a silver needle in his left. This time, he tossed seven beads into the air simultaneously, and the silver needle in his left hand moved like lightning again. Soon, the stopped silver needle had seven beads embedded in it side by side. Not a single one was missed. My master easily performed this trick using only his left hand.

Next, he showed the same demonstration with 10 beads, and then with 20 beads. Finally, he held two beads of each of the seven colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—a total of 14 beads, and tossed them into the air. Then, using the silver needle, he strung the tossed beads together one after another, like skewering them. Looking at the strung beads, they were threaded in the order of the rainbow colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. My master made not a single mistake during the demonstration. And that, with only his left hand… On that day, I not only missed the opportunity to openly mock my master but instead found him quite impressive.

'Ha, this is ridiculous. He could make a living as a circus performer.'

"This training maximizes your eye power and, along with it, improves your hand's accuracy and speed. And the most important thing is the finishing. This is very important."

Then, he released the silver needle from his left hand and held the tip with his right hand. The beads threaded onto the needle slid down the thread. A wooden stick, about the size of a finger, was tied to the end of the thread, preventing the beads from slipping out. Then, he cut the thread at a point where there were about 30 beads. And then he tied the ends of the thread together. The skill with which he tied the knots was so exquisite that there was no gap between the beads. A necklace was born.

"Did you see? There are 30 beads in one necklace. Not more, not less. And when you tie the knot, you must tie it securely! Without leaving any gaps! Your daily work quota will start at 100 pieces. Work hard!"

As soon as my master finished speaking, I had a strange feeling. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was being tricked.

'Work hard? Wasn't this part of my training?'

At this time, I hadn't noticed because I was so impressed by my master's dazzling skill, but this 'making necklaces by threading beads' hid an enormous amount of corruption and conspiracy. My master was selling these necklaces to a general store (雜貨店) in the village for 2 copper coins each. No, to be precise, he received the beads from the general store and was paid 2 copper coins for each necklace he made by threading those beads. In short, it was a form of side job (副業).

The profit from this side job was 200 copper coins per day, which amounted to 6,000 copper coins per month. Since 1,000 copper coins was 1 tael of silver, he was earning 6 taels of silver per month. This was more than my monthly salary. The money-crazed master had not only exploited his disciple's wages but, not content with that, had pushed, no, had thrown his only disciple into the abyss of a side job.

But damn it, that wasn't the end of it. There was another 'to be continued.' After finishing the demonstration of making necklaces, my master handed me a block of wood and an ordinary throwing knife (飛刀) that could be found anywhere. Then my master told me to carve a statue with this throwing knife. No, not just statues, but to carve woodwork (木工藝品). Small wooden Buddha statues, wooden combs, hairpins, accessories (裝身具), and the like… They were all things that could be sold for money.

My master said that since it was the first time, I should try carving one per day. And the important thing was to be able to carve even with my left hand.

"This will also greatly help in cultivating precise and delicate hand sensitivity. It will fully compensate for the roughness or dullness caused by blacksmith work. Yes, indeed."

My master said. In any case, he was a man who knew how to talk well. Finally, I understood why my master had brought me here. He must have had the intention of using my carving skills, which he had seen when I was carving at my parents' graves. These carved works—items that could be called works of art without shame—were traded at the general store along with the necklaces, for 15 copper coins for small ones and 200 copper coins for large and elaborate pieces—works that took 3-4 days to carve. It was another side job (副業) besides the necklaces. My master undoubtedly intended to use me until not a single drop of blood could be squeezed out of me.

My master was a person who would have no defense if accused of child abuse (兒童虐待罪) and labor law violations (勞動法 違反) in the government office. No one would defend my master. Me? If I were to stand in the position of the accuser, I would certainly not stand in the position of defending my master.

Thus, I ended up with one main job (本業) and two side jobs (副業) completely against my will, and from then on, my misfortune (不運) and arduous life journey began.