Xuanwu Kingdom, Lin'an City.

It's still early spring, and the chill of last winter hasn't subsided. The snow that fell a year ago, even on a sunny day like today, has no intention of melting. In the air, wisps of cold wind were entangled, pervasive, and people were so cold that they shrank their necks.

The New Year has come to an end, and it should have been the time to stay at home and enjoy the last bit of leisure time, but the people of Lin'an City couldn't bear the loneliness, and would rather withstand the cold air and wrap themselves tightly out of their own courtyard door.

On the city's wide main street, which can accommodate four or five wagons at the same time, last year's snow has long been swept away, and the bluestone paved road is clean and dusty.

On both sides of the road, as far as the eye can see, it is densely packed with people in the city. Two long queues of people stretched from the east gate of the city to the county government mansion in the west of the city.

Although the crowd was crowded, none of the people stepped on the clean bluestone road. Even the most naughty children, even if their eyes are full of excitement, still go against their instincts and stay honestly by their parents' side. Some extroverted and courageous young people leaned out halfway out, stretched out their heads to look somewhere outside the city gates, their faces full of anticipation.

"Coming soon, huh?"

"It's almost there, I heard that I left a year ago, count the days, and I should come back today."

One young and one old, holding a long bamboo pole with big red firecrackers, stood at the gate of the city, asking questions and answers. After closing his mouth, he looked out of the city gate again. The crowd behind them also gradually boiled, and the atmosphere was warm, compared to the New Year.

The reason why everyone in Lin'an City is so excited is that last summer, in this small city on the northwest border of Xuanwu Kingdom, a craftsman who cast a high-grade spiritual weapon finally came out, although it is only the cultivation strength of the five realms of Yunling, but according to the national law of Xuanwu Kingdom, all forgers who can cast spiritual weapons will be awarded the honor of craftsmen, and they are eligible to go to the imperial capital of Xuanwu Kingdom - White Emperor City to participate in the craftsman ceremony hosted by the royal family.

The Xuanwu Kingdom is based on martial arts, so it is highly respected for warriors and monks, and it is even more blue-eyed for craftsmen who can forge divine weapons.

It is rumored that the treasure of the Xuanwu Kingdom is the halberd cast by a god craftsman with a very high status and strength. At that time, the founding emperor of the Xuanwu Kingdom relied on this magic weapon to kill the Quartet, pacify the world, expand the territory, and finally established the status of the Xuanwu Kingdom as the first power in the East Corner Continent.

Influenced by the royal family, the people of Xuanwu also worship craftsmen very much, and this is the reason why the people of Lin'an City celebrate. If there is any other reason, it may be that once there is a place where a craftsman is officially recognized, not only will this place be exempted from taxes for ten years, but in the later stage, the Dingwu Sect, which is in charge of the royal family, will come here to select cultivation or martial arts geniuses.

Once selected by the Dingwu Sect, the future is unlimited, not to mention the feudal marquis, there is a chance to cultivate into the legendary immortal realm, ascend to the heavenly realm, and live with the sky.

You must know that the Xuanwu Kingdom, which is based on martial arts, is very harsh on the selection of martial arts geniuses, and some family sects with many martial arts talents may not have the opportunity to be favored by the Dingwu Sect in their lifetime. However, a craftsman in a small border town can bring such benefits to the people of a small town, which shows how great the value of a craftsman is.

However, the common people do not feel deeply about this, and feel that it is far from the reality of reducing taxes. However, this did not affect their worship of craftsmen in the slightest.

Lin'an City can have this grand event, of course, it is not only the main street in the city that is lively.

In a small alley called Minghuo Lane in the West Market, it is more lively than the main street. Because all the blacksmiths on this street were all blacksmiths without exception, many blacksmiths felt honored when they heard that their peers had won this award, and they also stimulated their fighting spirit, so they swung the hammer at the iron embryo on the anvil, and became even more powerful. They all hope that one day, they can also forge a spiritual weapon, so as to obtain the status of a craftsman that represents honor and status.

Zhang Fengmian, a poor boy who works as a helper in the third blacksmith shop on the left in the alley, also has such a great dream, hoping to one day become a world-renowned swordsmith-level swordsmith, who can have enough ability to support himself and take care of the people around him.

Therefore, in the face of the joyful and celebratory atmosphere outside, Zhang Fengmian was a little distracted. He absentmindedly tugged at the lever of the bellows that heated the furnace, but his eyes kept on the bustling street outside.

"Want to go out and have fun?"

A tall man with a full beard, a sturdy physique, and a rough appearance suddenly appeared behind Zhang Fengmian, bent down, and gently patted him on the shoulder.

Zhang Fengmian looked back at the thick and fine boss with a smile and nodded. I thought to myself, who is the person who is about to be welcomed into the city by the stars and moons of all the people in Lin'an City, that is a craftsman, an orthodox craftsman who has been enshrined by the imperial court. Who wouldn't want to stand at the door and be the first to see it?

The boss Liu Laosan shook his head and wondered: "What's so good about that guy Hongzhong?" A big old man, you've been watching it here for almost ten years, haven't you gotten tired of watching it? ”

"That's different!" Zhang Fengmian heard the boss's disdainful tone, his eyes widened and he argued: "Mr. Hong is now a craftsman of the imperial court, and he is a person who eats Yulu. The status is transcendent, even the county order of our county is lower than him, and it is naturally not the same as before. Now the blacksmiths on Minghuo Street are all following his example! ”

"Shh Liu Laosan pursed his lips, rolled his eyes, and said, "Take him as an example, aren't they all blacksmiths, who still takes whom as an example." Even if he Hongzhong has become a craftsman now, doesn't he still want to come back here to strike iron? Besides, our county official, except for us ordinary people, he doesn't bow his head in front of anyone. Obviously, he is a county parent official, and he holds authority, but he can't hold his head up to the Nalin Mansion again and again......"

When talking about this county official, Liu Laosan had a look of disdain written on his face, and he complained and said contemptuous words, if it wasn't for Zhang Fengmian pointing outside and telling him to be careful, he would probably be able to say that it was dark.

"You better put your mouth on the door, Mr. Xu said, the partition wall has ears, and our county magistrate's ears are smart!"

Liu Laosan glanced at the lively street outside the window, remembered those peers who were not very good with him, thought so, and immediately closed his mouth.

Not long after, he turned his head to look at Zhang Fengmian and asked, "Are you really going to go out and have a look?" Don't worry, you won't be deducted from your boy's salary this time! ”

Zhang Fengmian turned his head to look outside, then at the boss Liu Laosan, and finally shook his head. Of course, he knew that this rough man with a knife mouth and a tofu heart would not really deduct his wages. Although he used to say this often, he never did.

The reason why Zhang Fengmian didn't want to go was very simple, on the one hand, because it was not time to get off work yet, and on the other hand, he knew how difficult it was to get this job of filling his stomach.

When he was five years old, his parents died of illness, leaving him alone to survive until the winter on a small half jar of moldy rice. In the end, even the small half jar of moldy rice bottomed out, and the young Zhang Fengmian understood that he had to go out and find a way to fill his stomach.

In the well-known poor village on the outskirts of his home, no one can help him. In the winter, your own rice is not enough to eat, who can take care of you as an outsider?

However, the old man and his wife next door were kind-hearted people, and when they saw the poor orphan Zhang Fengmian, they actually divided half of the little rice left in their house and prepared to pour it into the rice jar of Zhang Fengmian's house. At that time, the old couple smiled and said: "We are old, and we don't know how long we can live, and it is a waste to keep these rice, Xiao Fengmian is the time to grow taller, of course we should eat more and grow up quickly." ”

But Zhang Fengmian refused, thinking that the old couple was getting older, and how they could earn it back without rice. But I'm still young, as long as I find a way, I can always fill my stomach.

So he made up a random reason to prevaricate the old couple, turned around and left the village, wanting to catch a vole or something in the field outside, bring it back and roast it to eat.

But in the middle of winter, the world is desolate and lonely, not to mention voles, except for the snow, not even a single withered yellow grass root can be found.

Then, Zhang Fengmian had no choice but to focus on Lin'an City. That's what Zhang Fengmian doesn't like the most, all of them are snobbish, bullying, and there is no good thing.

But people can't starve to death if they live. When my mother first left, I promised her that she would live well and grow up well.

So Zhang Fengmian was wearing tattered gray cloth clothes, stepping on rotten cloth shoes with a few holes on his feet, standing at the gate of the city, shivering from the cold. He looked up at the huge stone plaque on the city wall, gritted his teeth, and slipped through the gate.

After entering the city, he ran from east to west, from south to north, and went to shop and family to find him, hoping to help him do something, so that he could change his food. He even ran to the gate of the Lin Mansion, hoping that the richest family in Lin'an City would be kind, and pity him for a lonely orphan. But before his feet stepped on the white jade steps in front of the gate of the Lin Mansion, he was thrown out by the guard at the door by the collar.

"Phew, what kind of goods, dare to run to the gate of the Lin Mansion to spread wild. Get out of here, or I'll kill you with a stick! The guard was fierce, but his eyes were full of cruelty.

Zhang Fengmian stood up, patted his clothes that were not very clean, straightened his waist, stared at the guard angrily for a while, and finally turned to leave.

All the way over, he didn't find anything to eat, and the hungry Zhang Fengmian was so hungry that his eyes were full of stars, and finally his eyes gradually became blurred, and as soon as his consciousness dissipated, he fainted on the way out of the city.

Then, Liu Laosan, who had returned from cutting wood in the city, met the poor boy and took him back to his blacksmith shop. After hearing what happened to Zhang Fengmian, he patted Zhang Fengmian on the shoulder with a smile and said, "I see that your kid's bones are quite amazing, why don't you come to me as an apprentice, and I will give you five copper plates a day, how about it?" ”

At that time, Zhang Fengmian was afraid of missing this hard-won opportunity, so he hurriedly nodded like a garlic mallet, with an irrepressible look of joy on his face.

From that day on, his life was finally getting better. Although it is still hard, it is much better than the previous situation of being hungry. Sometimes I can even save money to buy some incense paper money, go to my parents' grave to burn it and worship it, tell my father how I have been doing recently, and ask my father and mother how they have been doing recently.

Zhang Fengmian sometimes thinks that if the legendary reincarnation is true, then his father and mother should have entered the reincarnation path by now, maybe they have been successfully reincarnated. I hope that such a kind person as my father and mother can be reincarnated into a rich and noble family, and I will no longer have to suffer from lack of money.

Thinking that he burned money and incense, and what he said, his father and mother might not be able to receive it, Zhang Fengmian was a little sad; But when I thought that my father and mother might be reincarnated into a rich family, I was sincerely happy again, covering all my previous unhappiness. Therefore, the smile on his face will be even stronger at this time.

"If you don't want to go, forget it, anyway, I guess that guy Hongzhong won't have much of a good face when he comes back this time."

The words of the boss Liu Laosan interrupted Zhang Fengmian's thoughts and pulled him back from his memories.

Zhang Fengmian looked at the boss puzzled, and Zou Mei asked, "Why?" ”

Liu Laosan looked at him with a smile, and pretended to be mysterious: "You don't know this, right?" ”

Zhang Fengmian nodded.

Liu Laosan pretended to clear his throat, stood up, put one hand behind his back like a classmate, and said: "All craftsmen who go to the White Emperor City to participate in the craftsman's ceremony, in addition to the ceremony itself, there is also a competition process, just like a martial arts competition. After the competition, the winners can stay in the White Emperor City as royal worshippers, and as for the others, they can only go back to their own homes and find their own mothers. ”

"Obviously, Hong Zhong didn't stay in White Emperor City, which means that he lost in that competition, maybe he lost badly, how can you say he has a good face?"

Liu Laosan sighed and said: "But this is also normal, who can go to the imperial capital to participate in the ceremony, which one is not a master with miraculous skills, even if it is the legendary Jindan craftsman, what level is Hongzhong?" It's normal to lose it! ”

Zhang Fengmian didn't believe the boss's words, pursed his lips, and questioned: "You haven't been to White Emperor City, how do you know?" ”

Liu Laosan's eyes widened, gave Zhang Fengmian a brain meltdown, and said angrily: "What's the matter, Lao Tzu has never eaten pork and never seen a pig run?" Stinky boy, give me a good look at the furnace, or I'll be careful I'll deduct your wages." ”

After saying that, he walked away and went to sleep in the backyard.

It was noon, and the lively atmosphere at the city gate had gradually cooled, and although everyone was still gathered on both sides of the wide stone road, there would inevitably be some doubts and complaints.

"Are you here today? It can't lie to us, right? ”

"These big people have weird tempers, why do they always change hexagrams?"

Two women were already starting to look displeased.

At this moment, the young man who was guarding the city gate before was holding a slender bamboo pole with firecrackers, suddenly freed his hand and pointed to a certain place outside the city, and shouted: "It's coming!" Here it comes! ”

Everyone looked in the direction and saw a group of men and horses walking towards this side, and at the forefront were three people riding tall horses.

The one in the middle is the new craftsman Hong Zhong who was born in Lin'an City, and the two beside him are dressed in black armor and a black sheath long knife at the waist, majestic and majestic, not angry and self-assured.