"Who is it?"
"It's me."
"What's the point of answering like that?" Cao Erzhu muttered under his breath, yet he quickly moved to open the door. The blacksmith shop wasn't open for business yet, but since someone knocked, it might have been urgent—maybe someone needed their goods early or had some other pressing reason.
"Dad always said, 'When someone knocks, you answer. Be polite to everyone.'"
With a loud creak, the wooden door swung open, releasing a wave of heat from inside the shop. The contrast between the outside and inside was stark—outside, the snow continued to fall under a gray sky, while inside, the air was scorching hot from the forge.
"And you are…?" Cao Erzhu asked gruffly.
He stood shirtless, his muscular arm half-blocking the door, revealing only part of his towering frame. He eyed the unfamiliar middle-aged man before him, trying to remember if he had seen him before. But the man's face drew a blank.
The stranger wore a pristine white robe. His black hair was neatly tied with a jade hairpin, and a cloud-patterned belt cinched his waist. In his hand was nothing but a humble wine gourd. Despite his simplicity, the man's presence radiated authority. His pale skin and righteous demeanor made him look completely out of place in Changde Town. No one from around here carried themselves like this.
At the very least, this man had to be some sort of official. Maybe even a village head from a neighboring town!
Dao Qiongcang gazed up at the mountain of a man before him. He smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling with nostalgia.
"Twenty years," Dao Qiongcang said, raising his hand to measure the difference in their height. "It's been over twenty years since I last saw you, and look how you've grown."
Cao Erzhu stared, still suspicious. The man hadn't even answered his question! Who introduces themselves like that?
"You can call me 'Uncle,'" Dao Qiongcang said with a playful smile. "I even held you in my arms back when you were just a little thing."
Without waiting for an invitation, Dao Qiongcang moved as if to step past Cao Erzhu. His hand gestured toward the gap under the giant's arm, as though expecting to squeeze through.
Cao Erzhu's eyes fell on the gourd in Dao Qiongcang's hand. He stepped back a little and grunted, "Here for my father, aren't you?"
Dao Qiongcang chuckled. "He hasn't woken up yet, I presume? But even if he's awake, he might not want to see me."
"Come back in the evening," Cao Erzhu said in his low, rumbling voice. "He's usually in a better mood then. Might talk to you. And…"
Cao Erzhu hesitated, then pointed a finger at the wine gourd. "That little gourd there? It's not nearly enough to even fill the gaps in my father's teeth."
Dao Qiongcang laughed, a rich sound like the chime of temple bells. He shook the gourd lightly, and the sound of sloshing liquid echoed—though it wasn't a normal echo. It sounded like waves crashing on a distant shore.
"Ever heard of a spatial ring?" Dao Qiongcang asked.
Cao Erzhu blinked in confusion but quickly pieced it together. This man wasn't just a random traveler—he was a powerful spirit cultivator, like those rare ones who occasionally wandered into Changde Town. Most spirit cultivators who came by were pretenders, hoping to dabble in a craft they barely understood. The real deal was seldom seen around these parts.
"What level are you at? Acquired? Innate? Opened your Yuan Court yet?" Cao Erzhu's interest was piqued. "Yuan Court is incredible, you know. Once you open it, you gain spiritual sense."
He moved aside, gesturing for Dao Qiongcang to enter. The giant was itching to talk about the spirit cultivation world, eager to learn more about the mysterious realms he barely knew. He figured they could chat while waiting for his father to wake up.
Dao Qiongcang chuckled but remained at the threshold. "I'll keep my level a secret for now. What about you?"
Cao Erzhu huffed. "I asked first."
Dao Qiongcang raised his eyebrows playfully. "Back when you were a baby, you bit my ear while I held you. Look—here's the scar!" He pulled his earlobe, showing a tiny mark.
Cao Erzhu squinted, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"I'm in the Sovereign Dao Realm," he finally said, straightening with pride.
Dao Qiongcang feigned shock. "A Sovereign Dao Realm master, eh? Can you do that thing—where lightning buzzes all around you? It's purple and looks incredibly cool."
Cao Erzhu's eyes lit up. "You mean…"
BOOM!
Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap erupted from the backyard. Cao Erzhu jolted in place, his words swallowed by the noise.
Dao Qiongcang shrank back slightly, his face twitching with amusement. "Your father's awake?"
Cao Erzhu simply nodded, grunting in confirmation. He knew that his father didn't appreciate too much talk about spirit cultivation.
Dao Qiongcang sighed but quickly tossed a small communication bead to Cao Erzhu. "We'll chat later. Seems like your father wants to see me now."
The little giant's eyes sparkled with joy as he pocketed the bead—only for it to shatter instantly as a bolt of blue lightning struck between his fingers.
Cao Erzhu opened his palm in disbelief. The light in his eyes dimmed as quickly as the forge's glow seemed to fade.
Dao Qiongcang didn't seem too upset. He just smiled and stepped into the blacksmith shop, where the heat enveloped him like a familiar blanket.
"It's been decades since we last met, and you're still as fiery as ever!" Dao Qiongcang called out. "I came bearing wine, ready for a friendly chat…"
"What are you doing here?" A voice thundered from the backyard, low and rumbling like an approaching storm. The beams of the house seemed to tremble in response.
"To bring you wine, of course! And maybe to reminisce a little. This here is your favorite—Drunken Immortal Brew!" Dao Qiongcang uncorked the gourd, shaking it as the rich fragrance of fine liquor wafted through the air.
"I told you to send the wine, not deliver it yourself! What's that stench anyway? Take it and get lost!"
"Hahahaha!"
As the two old friends bantered and laughed, their voices grew fainter, receding into the backyard.
Cao Erzhu scratched his head, gripping his hammer tightly. The bizarre scene left him feeling bewildered. "What kind of spirit cultivation nonsense is this?" he muttered, shaking his head with a wry smile.
Cao Erzhu stood there, bewildered, as the sounds of conversation continued to echo through the blacksmith shop. His father rarely talked so much to anyone—especially a stranger—but this mysterious man seemed to have broken through that barrier. Not only was his father talking to him, but the two were also joking as though they were old friends.
Strange. His father never had friends. At least, not that Cao Erzhu knew of.
"Who is this 'uncle' anyway?" Cao Erzhu mused.
Could this middle-aged man in white be more than just a village head? From the way his father allowed him to be so familiar, he had to be powerful—really powerful.
Cao Erzhu shook his head, pushing aside his wandering thoughts. "I have friends too," he thought. "Big Hammer is a good friend!"
Then he remembered the strange gesture his "uncle" had made before walking inside. What did that eyebrow raise mean? As his thoughts spun, he felt something odd in his palm. Turning it over, he saw a pattern of simple lines, left behind from where the communication bead had been moments earlier.
The lines formed what looked like a handshake.
"Oh? Oh?"
Suddenly, excitement surged through Cao Erzhu. He hefted his iron hammer and almost started dancing on the spot. This was clearly some kind of magical spirit array, the kind he'd only heard about. Could it be activated with spirit essence? He felt like trying it out.
"Let's give it a go."
Without thinking too much, he focused his spirit essence into the symbol on his palm. But as soon as he did, he realized that the "uncle" was still in the backyard with his father.
A feeling of dread hit him as he clutched his head.
"What have I done?"
From the backyard, an ear-piercing beep rang out.
"Di di, di di, di di..."
The shop fell into silence. The beeping stopped as suddenly as it began.
Then Cao Erzhu heard his uncle's panicked voice: "Wait! Let me explain!"
The sound of his father's enraged roar cut through the air, followed by a boom of thunder. "You flashy old Dao, you're courting death!"
Boom!
A colossal bolt of lightning exploded through the roof of the blacksmith shop, sending debris flying. Through the hole, Cao Erzhu saw a greyish-white figure soaring into the sky, knocked completely out of the shop.
Thud!
A shattered jade hairpin and a bloodied front tooth clattered to the ground. Cao Erzhu flinched as he saw his uncle's belongings tumble from the sky.
For a moment, he hesitated. The sky, which had been bright just minutes ago, had turned ominously dark. Thunder rolled across the heavens, and the smell of rain and charged air filled his nose.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, bolts of blue lightning rained down on his uncle, each one hitting him dead-on. The man's once white robes turned charred and black as he was tossed about by the lightning like a ragdoll, completely unable to resist.
And then he was gone—blown out of sight and far beyond Cao Erzhu's spiritual senses.
"Uh…" Cao Erzhu looked down at his palm, the corner of his mouth twitching. He regretted his actions, but it was too late now. He didn't dare make a sound.
A gruff voice echoed from the backyard: "Get over here!"
Cao Erzhu steeled himself, gripping his hammer tighter as he shuffled toward the backyard. When he got there, his father was lying on the ground, drenched in sweat but looking as though he'd just finished a mild workout, not a furious display of power.
Thinking quickly, Cao Erzhu scrambled to explain. "Uncle wanted me to go with him, but I told him I wasn't interested in the spirit cultivation world. Then I realized something was off, and you found out just in time! Right?"
He gave his father a nervous grin, scratching his head with the hammer.
To his surprise, his father didn't scold him. Instead, in a calm, almost gentle voice, he said, "Open your hand."
"Oh…" Cao Erzhu obediently opened his palm, revealing the handshake symbol.
"Now, erase it."
Cao Erzhu blinked, then hurriedly rubbed at his palm as if wiping away dirt. The symbol didn't budge.
His father suddenly laughed—a loud, boisterous laugh—and purple lightning crackled in the air. For a brief moment, Cao Erzhu thought his father was about to strike him. But the older man simply moved his fingers, clearly restraining himself.
"Use your spiritual energy, you fool," his father said, more gently this time.
"Oh!" Realization dawned, and Cao Erzhu quickly gathered his spirit essence. With a flash, the symbol on his palm dissolved into spirit energy and vanished like dry wood turning to ash.
"It's gone." He tried to hide his disappointment but couldn't help but look pleased with himself.
His father, watching closely, shook his head. "It's not gone. It's just hidden deeper now. Try using your Penetrating Divine Senses."
"Oh." Cao Erzhu did as instructed, channeling his power again. Purple arcs of lightning began to snake across his body, wrapping him in an ethereal glow.
"Good, good…" His father nodded, but his expression quickly darkened. "More power! Don't hold back. How is this even possible with such little effort?"
Cao Erzhu hesitated. "But the shop might—"
"Do it!" His father barked. "I said more power!"
"Oh..."
Reluctantly, Cao Erzhu ramped up the intensity, releasing one ten-thousandth of his Penetrating Divine Senses' power. The entire backyard buzzed with energy. The purple lightning swirling around him intensified, nearly turning into a small sea of thunder that filled the shop.
Rumble!
The air crackled with energy as lightning arcs danced in all directions, shattering the space around him. The walls rattled, and ironware hanging on the shop's walls disintegrated under the force of the lightning.
"Not enough! This isn't even 10%!" His father roared, eyes blazing.
He raised his hand, and with a swift motion, sucked in the excess lightning around Cao Erzhu, absorbing it into his body.
For the first time in a long while, Cao Erzhu's father was actively helping him with his training. Excited by the rare opportunity, Cao Erzhu went all out.
The small sea of lightning around him surged, expanding until it almost consumed the entire blacksmith shop.
Boom!
The Penetrating Divine Senses God Punishment Tribulation crackled with thick, pulsing energy, each bolt of lightning refined over countless cycles.
"Boom boom boom…"
The shabby blacksmith shop reverberated with the thunderous roars. Normally, such noise would surely alarm the entire neighborhood, but the storm clouds and rain outside cloaked the disturbances.
Ten percent, thirty percent, fifty percent… All the way to one hundred percent!
Cao Erzhu poured all his might into the God Punishment Tribulation, each surge of energy making the shop tremble. Yet, the raw power was absorbed through his father's mouth and nose, leaving the shop unscathed despite the raging storm.
"So powerful…"
Cao Erzhu was in awe. It had been ages since he had seen his father in action, and he had nearly forgotten just how formidable he was. The arrival of that mysterious uncle had triggered this display of might.
"Who caused you to be distracted?" the giant, half-reclining in the backyard, growled as he adjusted his cloak. His irritation was palpable.
"Oh!" Cao Erzhu realized that his father had reacted. In a fit of improvisation, he threw Dao Qiongcang's wine gourd into the sea of lightning.
The gourd burst open, and a tidal wave of Drunken Immortal Brew exploded, mingling with the thunderstorm. The shop was soon filled with the intoxicating aroma of the wine, but in an instant, the fragrance was entirely absorbed.
The burly giant on the ground, after a moment's pause, lifted the large wine barrel and drank deeply, savoring the brew as though it was an ordinary part of his diet. The God Punishment Tribulation, capable of even dissolving the Great Path, went down with it.
"Release mode," he instructed with a stern look.
Understanding his father's command, Cao Erzhu's brows furrowed amidst the lightning storm. He shouted with all his might.
"Open!"
Boom! Boom!
The intensity of the lightning surged to terrifying levels, like a dam bursting and releasing torrents of lightning that blasted through the gaping hole in the roof and the wooden door.
"Ta!"
Kui Leihan merely tapped the lid of the barrel with his fingertips. Instantly, the all-consuming God Punishment Tribulation was contained, the thunder's roar fading into silence.
Boom! Boom!
Despite the suppression, the explosions continued in the backyard. Cao Erzhu unleashed every ounce of his strength, feeling an unprecedented satisfaction.
He had never been able to go all out before, always fearing that his cultivation might disturb the neighbors. But now, with his father's protective presence, he could focus entirely on his training.
"Gaga, creak…"
The half-closed wooden door of the Cao Blacksmith Shop groaned under the strain. The purple-blue light flashed intermittently, a phenomenon that lasted for more than a quarter-hour until Cao Erzhu was utterly spent.
"Father, I can't hold on any longer…" Cao Erzhu gasped, his sweat evaporated by the relentless thunderbolts.
"Search! Find that pattern and expel it from your body. Otherwise, you'll keep releasing it until you die!" his father commanded.
"Ah?" Cao Erzhu was taken aback. He immediately started his search, determined to meet his father's demand.
Though he was skilled in many areas, his prowess with the God Punishment Tribulation and body control was unrivaled—only his father surpassed him.
Soon, under the cleansing power of his Penetrating Divine Senses, he located the friendly handshake pattern buried deep within his energy reserve.
"Father, I found it."
"Use the release mode. Expel it, but don't destroy it. Otherwise, it will just hide again."
"Oh." Cao Erzhu took a deep breath, adopting a horse stance and exerting every ounce of his strength. He pushed out the blood and sweat, gradually shifting the handshake pattern.
"What is this thing…"
He was shocked. Despite the immense power of the Penetrating Divine Senses release mode, the pattern from the uncle barely budged.
Looking at his father, he saw no intention of assistance—only a fixation on his wine barrel.
"Ha!"
Determined to solve the problem himself, Cao Erzhu threw himself into the task, almost destroying his energy reserve in the process. He poured out his spiritual source, trying to expel the pattern.
"Ahhh…"
His body trembled as he reached his limit, cracks forming as if his very being was about to shatter.
For a moment, his vision darkened, and his mind buzzed.
When he came to, he found himself sprawled on the ground. His father, propped on one elbow, looked as though he had just seen a ghost. His eyes were wide with surprise, and circles of light danced in his pupils.
"Father?" Cao Erzhu called out, concerned.