In Sichuan Province, there are two sects that belong to the Nine Great Sects.
The Emei Sect, which along with Shaolin forms the center of Buddhist martial arts. And the Qingcheng Sect, which continues the great lineage of Daoist martial arts.
From a martial artist's perspective, the status of these two sects is quite similar.
But from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about martial arts, the story changes.
The Golden Summit of Mount Emei, where the Emei Sect is located, is about a seven-day walk from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and the nuns and warrior monks of the Emei Sect are only interested in cultivation and martial arts. They don't even have common branch locations.
That's why ordinary people in Sichuan Province aren't very interested in the Emei Sect. It would be difficult to even have a conversation with a nun from the Emei Sect in their lifetime.
However, the Qingcheng Sect is different.
The Qingcheng Sect is only a two-day journey from Chengdu and has been actively expanding its influence. They've established three large branch locations within Sichuan Province.
Anyone living in Sichuan Province, unless they live in a particularly remote area, can frequently see martial artists from the Qingcheng Sect, and they're only one or two connections away from knowing a Qingcheng Sect martial artist. In many ways, the Qingcheng Sect can be considered the dominant sect in Sichuan Province.
Among the branch locations of the Qingcheng Sect, the largest one is undoubtedly the Chengdu branch.
The Chengdu branch of the Qingcheng Sect has dozens of Daoist priests and hundreds of lay disciples.
Since the size of this single branch is larger than that of an average mid-sized sect, quite a few people make their living by associating with the Chengdu branch, and the Tang family was one of them.
The Tang family had many physicians for generations.
Until Tang Wuzhen's great-grandfather's time, they were merely unremarkable local physicians, but things improved when Tang Wuzhen's grandfather began trading with the Qingcheng Sect.
Their income became relatively stable, and the Tang family's reputation improved as they treated martial artists from the prestigious Qingcheng Sect.
What more could a physician need? It's a rather comfortable life if one doesn't get too greedy.
Tang Wuzhen had no complaints about his father being a respected physician. Therefore, he thought he would follow the family business and live like his father.
His father, Tang Jixian, thought the same. Tang Jixian taught Tang Wuzhen medical skills with the intention of passing down the family business.
However, Tang Wuzhen had not yet attended to patients.
Although Tang Wuzhen had sufficient medical knowledge, he still lacked experience, and patients preferred to be treated by the experienced Tang Jixian rather than the young Tang Wuzhen.
Besides, Tang Wuzhen's father, Tang Jixian, was still in his prime working years.
As a result, Tang Wuzhen's role was to handle menial tasks.
For example, tasks like finding herb gatherers deep in the mountains to procure medicinal herbs.
Even now, Tang Wuzhen was on his way to meet an herb gatherer.
The herb gatherer Zhong Guo handed a bundle to Tang Wuzhen and held up one finger.
"One silver piece."
Tang Wuzhen slightly opened the bundle and grumbled.
"Isn't this much less than usual?"
"Look at the bottom of the bundle. Do you know how difficult it is to find Sichuan chinaberry fruit and mantis egg cases in this weather?"
"...I know. I was just saying."
Tang Wuzhen handed over one silver piece to Zhong Guo. It was expensive for a bundle of herbs.
But compared to the value of the herbs that Zhong Guo had given him, it was rather cheap. Zhong Guo was a skilled herb gatherer who didn't even bother with common herbs like kudzu root or duckweed.
In fact, for a physician, half of the skill is in their ability, and the other half is in the variety and quality of herbs they possess.
Tang Wuzhen's father, Tang Jixian, knew this well, which is why he sent his son to get herbs from the herb gatherer Zhong Guo twice a month.
The round trip from Chengdu to Zhong Guo's hut took a full day.
Others might find it bothersome, but Tang Wuzhen enjoyed this errand.
The herb gatherer Zhong Guo and Tang Wuzhen were similar in age and got along well. Also, by visiting Zhong Guo directly, he could get a considerable side benefit.
Tang Wuzhen casually probed Zhong Guo.
"...Got anything this time?"
"I do have something."
Two weeks ago when he visited, Tang Wuzhen had received a handful of deer jerky that Zhong Guo had prepared. It was a high-quality product, well-seasoned and properly dried.
A month ago, they had shared a pheasant that Zhong Guo had hunted while looking for herbs. They had shared rabbit meat, which was relatively common compared to the precious deer and pheasant meat, too many times to count.
Tang Wuzhen thought that about twenty percent of the herb money paid to Zhong Guo might as well be considered payment for these snacks.
With a subtle expectation, Tang Wuzhen asked:
"What is it this time?"
"Mushrooms."
Zhong Guo took out three or four dried mushrooms from his pocket.
However, Tang Wuzhen's expression crumpled miserably. Dried mushrooms are decent enough as something to chew on, but they didn't meet the expectations of Tang Wuzhen, who had been hoping for meat.
"What kind of mushrooms are these? Don't you have any leftover jerky or rabbit meat? I even bought Baijiu on the way here, making a big decision."
Tang Wuzhen grumbled, but Zhong Guo smirked confidently.
"You don't know how to appreciate good things. These mushrooms are much more precious than jerky."
"Those?"
Tang Wuzhen is a physician. He knows all the mushrooms used as medicinal herbs and most edible mushrooms. But this mushroom was a type he had never seen before.
"Is it some sort of culinary delicacy? But I'm not particularly fond of mushroom dishes..."
"No. It's not for the taste. This is a special mushroom."
"Special? Is it some kind of magical herb? Like an incredible magical herb that builds up martial energy equivalent to decades of training when eaten."
Zhong Guo narrowed his eyes and looked at Tang Wuzhen.
"If it were such a thing, I wouldn't show it to you. I would have hidden it away and sold it to some martial arts master."
"Then what is it?"
"It's a mushroom that provides a special experience. Follow me."
Zhong Guo led Tang Wuzhen to his hut.
Zhong Guo finely chopped the dried mushrooms and handed half a handful to Tang Wuzhen.
"The only downside is its unpleasant taste. Swallow it as soon as you put it in your mouth."
"If it doesn't taste good and isn't good for your health, why eat it?"
"You'll know when you try it."
After saying that, Zhong Guo put half a handful of finely chopped mushrooms into his mouth. And swallowed it right away.
Zhong Guo grinned and looked at Tang Wuzhen. His eyes seemed to ask if Tang Wuzhen was too afraid to eat it.
Being in his prime and full of vigor, Tang Wuzhen didn't want to be looked down upon by his peer, Zhong Guo.
So Tang Wuzhen also put the mushrooms into his mouth. A strange, unpleasant taste and smell that was hard to describe filled his mouth.
Tang Wuzhen almost reflexively spat out the mushrooms, but he endured and swallowed them.
But nothing happened.
"...It just tastes awful and nothing happens. What's so special about it?"
"Wait a moment. You'll soon find out."
Zhong Guo lay down on the floor diagonally. Tang Wuzhen did the same. The two chatted leisurely.
About a pretty girl in the village below whom he wanted to talk to, or about setting a trap in a place where pheasants often came, so next time he visited, he could taste pheasant meat. It was small talk.
And after an hour or two passed, Tang Wuzhen felt a strange feeling.
"...Huh, what?"
"Is it starting?"
The tips of his hands and feet tingled slightly, and his body felt languid and relaxed.
The sensation was somewhat similar to the effects of alcohol but vastly different.
His vision became blurry, and he saw colorful illusions. Despite not having eaten anything, he could taste and smell delicious food he had eaten in the past.
"What is this?"
"It's a mushroom that induces hallucinations. I can get it very occasionally."
"Amazing..."
He felt a sensation that couldn't be expressed in words.
A relaxed yet ecstatic feeling. And a bit of confidence that he could accomplish anything.
But being a physician, Tang Wuzhen became a bit anxious.
"This won't cause any health problems, will it?"
When Tang Wuzhen asked, Zhong Guo, lying diagonally on the floor, smirked.
"It's nothing like that, so don't worry. But don't tell Tang senior about this."
"Of course I won't tell him..."
How much time had passed like that? The effects of the mushrooms began to gradually weaken.
Judging by how much the sun had set, it seemed about half an hour had passed since the effects began.
Tang Wuzhen was regretful that this unfamiliar sensation was coming to an end, so he picked up another mushroom that Zhong Guo had put out.
Seeing this, Zhong Guo waved his hands.
"Stop. Nothing good comes from exceeding the appropriate level."
"Are you being stingy?"
"That's not it. It's inconvenient to sell, and it spoils if kept for too long, so there's nothing to be stingy about."
Tang Wuzhen looked at Zhong Guo and grinned. The same smile Zhong Guo had shown earlier, as if asking if he was too scared to eat it.
"Then there's no problem, right?"
Tang Wuzhen quickly gobbled up the mushroom. It was twice the amount he had eaten the first time.
Zhong Guo made a disgusted expression.
"You'll be sorry no matter what happens. I've never eaten that much at once either."
"It'll be fine."
Tang Wuzhen answered confidently and closed his eyes.
And a moment later, Tang Wuzhen felt as if his entire body was sinking down into the earth.
==
Just a little while ago, Tang Wuzhen had been lying down, chatting with Zhong Guo.
But now, Tang Wuzhen was standing in front of a furnace with bright red flames blazing.
Tang Wuzhen stared quietly into the furnace.
And the moment the iron inside the furnace heated up sufficiently, he stretched out tongs like lightning and pulled out the iron lump from inside the furnace.
Then, holding the well-heated iron with tongs in his left hand, he swung a hammer with his right hand.
Clang—
The first hammer strike.
With a loud metallic sound, the impurities that had covered the iron lump in the furnace burst out in all directions as sparks. The scene was surprisingly beautiful and magnificent.
The sparks touching his arms were hot. But even more than that, it was ecstatic. This was the moment that Tang Wuzhen loved most in the life of a blacksmith.
Tang Wuzhen was gripped by a strange sensation.
'...I'm a blacksmith?'
Even while thinking that, Tang Wuzhen swung the hammer in his right hand again.
Along with slightly fewer sparks than before, impurities mixed in the iron lump flew out, and along with that, the distracting thoughts in his mind burst out.
'Of course I'm a blacksmith. I've spent my entire life hammering iron, and there isn't a single person in the world who knows more about iron and metallurgy than me, including both Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, and there never will be. How could this Ouye not be a blacksmith?'
Ouye thought so as he swung his hammer repeatedly.
But three strange characters floated around in his mind. Tang Wu Zhen. Tang Wu Zhen... Three characters that felt like a person's name no matter how he looked at it.
Eventually, Ouye stopped hammering for a moment.
If he hammered the iron while being distracted by strange thoughts, the sword he made would turn out to be a mediocre item.
Ouye took a deep breath in and out repeatedly and thought.
'I must forge the five famous swords for the King of Yue. It's certain to be the masterpiece of my lifetime, so things shouldn't go wrong from the start.'
Only then could Ouye finally shake off the unfamiliar name from his mind and focus on his work again.
From the first sword, Zhanlu, to the completion of the fifth sword, Chungou.
Ouye never once became distracted by idle thoughts and devoted his entire being to making the swords.
After about twenty years had passed like that, the moment he completed the fifth sword, Chungou, Ouye shed his human body and ascended to heaven as an immortal.
As he rose above the clouds to meet other immortals, Ouye felt a hand shaking him.
Then he heard a voice that was both strange and familiar.
"Hey, Tang Wuzhen. How long are you planning to lie there?"
Ouye raised his head. A strange young man was looking down at him.
'No, what do you mean a strange young man? It's Zhong Guo. The guy I was just eating mushrooms and chatting with... No, that's not right. I was in the middle of ascending to immortality after completing five swords...'
His thoughts didn't make sense. So Tang Wuzhen answered a bit stupidly.
"Uh... What?"
"Get up quickly. We need to leave before the sun sets further."
Tang Wuzhen held his head.
The memories of Ouye, the blacksmith of Yue, and Tang Wuzhen, the son of a physician family, were mixed up in confusion.
He couldn't tell if Ouye was dreaming of becoming Tang Wuzhen, or if Tang Wuzhen had dreamed of being Ouye.
Is this what they call the butterfly dream?
As Tang Wuzhen sat there bewildered for quite some time, Zhong Guo looked down at him with a dismissive expression.
"I told you to eat moderately, but you boldly ate a bunch at once and now you're all limp. I thought something serious had happened."
Tang Wuzhen looked outside with an embarrassed feeling.
The sun had already declined quite a bit. He must have been out for about an hour.
However, an hour didn't feel like a long time. No, it felt ridiculously short.
Having spent decades making swords in his dream, how could just an hour feel long?
As Tang Wuzhen got up unsteadily, Zhong Guo said:
"Are you leaving right away?"
"I have to."
"Well, alright. See you in two weeks. I'll catch either a pheasant or a rabbit, so don't be late."
"Sure."
Tang Wuzhen gathered the herb bundle and hurried his steps toward Chengdu.
Tang Wuzhen's mind was still hazy.