Chapter 48

That night, Li Ruoshui slept in Lin Zheng's room. Nothing happened between them, but it was the first time they had slept in the same bed. Li Ruoshui's face was flushed, and she kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to look at Lin Zheng. On the contrary, Lin Zheng held Li Ruoshui with ease and fell into a deep sleep. After noticing that Lin Zheng's breathing had become steady, Li Ruoshui cautiously opened her eyes and found that Lin Zheng was already asleep, with a hint of fatigue on his face. Her heart softened, and they embraced each other, sleeping soundly through the night without a word.

The next morning, Lin Zheng woke up and found that the beauty in his arms seemed to be awake as well, though she still had her eyes closed, her eyelashes fluttering, and her face was a charming shade of pink.

Lin Zheng couldn't resist giving her a quick peck on the lips, and Li Ruoshui blushed and got up, feeling a mix of shyness and happiness. After last night's heartfelt conversation and the night spent in each other's arms, their hearts were even more in tune, filled with tenderness and affection.

After nearly a year of living together, both of them had changed significantly. Li Ruoshui had grown even more charming, exuding a gentle and serene aura that always made people feel warm. Lin Zheng, after months of training, had become more coordinated and robust, shedding his former naivety and gaining a sense of composure and calmness in his eyes.

After they finished washing up, they went to the village square together, where everyone had already gathered to practice. When the crowd saw them come out together, they all wore teasing smiles.

Lin Zheng didn't seem to care, but Li Ruoshui was quite embarrassed, looking rather guilty.

The rogue wolf howled a few times, saying, "Tsk tsk, spill it! Last night, I heard quite a commotion! Ouch! You little brat, you actually dared to sneak an attack!"

Before the rogue wolf could finish, Lin Zheng sent a few gusts of wind with his fingers, each one striking the rogue wolf with a strange force, causing him to wince in pain.

"Hey, what's everyone doing? Big Wolf, are you dancing?" Xuanxuan and a few other kids rubbed their eyes and yawned as they joined the group.

"He's having a seizure, you should stay away from him, got it?" Lin Zheng teased.

"Got it!" The three kids answered in unison, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

The group gathered together for a lively breakfast. The rogue wolf once again displayed his bottomless stomach, eating all the food, saving everyone the trouble of cleaning up!

After breakfast, the group dispersed in twos and threes. Lin Dao and the others continued their training, while Li Ruoshui was pulled by Lin Qin to make a new zither. Lin Zheng went to the blacksmith's shop alone to forge some trial weapons or armor. The journey in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains had depleted all of Lin Zheng's previous items, and he had no choice but to forge new ones. Although these weapons were not divine, they were still useful in many situations, as he currently lacked a suitable weapon to provide enough assistance.

In the blacksmith's shop, the furnace was blazing, and the metal was heated to a red-hot state. Then, Hong Bo casually struck the metal with his hammer, removing all the impurities. The sound was like thunder, and after one strike, several different metals lay quietly on the anvil.

Lin Zheng watched quietly, afraid to miss any valuable experience. He saw Hong Bo raise his hammer again, striking the metal repeatedly. The different metals were firmly hammered together, and after a few more strikes, they were perfectly fused.

Hong Bo then put down his hammer and threw the mixed metal block to Lin Zheng, saying, "Look carefully, and then hammer it out."

Lin Zheng nodded gently, feeling the metal block in his hands. It contained mithril, steel, red copper, and lammite. He instantly identified the impurities in the metal block. After some thought, he picked up the hammer and struck it hard, then paused, thought, and struck again.

Each metal had a different composition, but they were fused together. Yes, the key was the arrangement. The tiny particles in each metal were arranged in the most suitable combination, allowing them to coexist without interference and to fully utilize their individual properties.

With this realization, Lin Zheng's face lit up, and his hammer began to strike continuously, the sound like a drumbeat, resonating like a heartbeat. The hammer in his hand seemed to come alive, filled with vitality. The metal block, which was slowly fusing, seemed to be moving. Suddenly, a loud thud echoed, and the large hammer struck heavily. Then, a few crisp sounds followed, and the metal block, which had been fused, separated and returned to its original form.

"Understood?" Hong Bo asked cheerfully.

"Yes, I understand. Thank you, Uncle Hong."

"Ha ha!" Hong Bo let out a hearty laugh and walked out of the blacksmith's shop. In his heart, he was amazed, but his good self-control kept him from showing it.

"Damn, it took me a month to learn this from the old man. This kid is a freak, not inferior to his father and his older brother. Maybe he can be well trained!"

Lin Zheng remained in the blacksmith's shop, quietly savoring the wonderful feeling of inspiration. He needed to master it and make it a natural part of his body. Moreover, this feeling seemed to be very helpful in battle. Soon, the small blacksmith's shop was filled with the sound of metal being forged.

For three days, Lin Zheng worked tirelessly from morning till night in the blacksmith's shop. The once spacious shop was now cluttered with various materials.

Lin Zheng was carefully forging a set of soft armor. Several pieces were already on the table, and the one in his hands was slightly smaller.

"Hmm, after adding the sea blue stone, it has indeed become more resilient, and the color is also good," Lin Zheng muttered to himself. He then picked up a piece of a wild beast's fur from the table and carefully attached it to the inside of the soft armor. He took a bottle of light red liquid and carefully applied it to the junction between the fur and the soft armor. Then, he waved his hands, using a gentle flow of spiritual energy to strike the soft armor, gradually making the fur adhere perfectly to the inside, giving it a seamless look.

Lin Zheng slowly put down the soft armor, nodded in satisfaction, and began to store it away. He then picked up a long piece of beast skin with beautiful and intricate patterns. The skin was shiny and had delicate flowers scattered throughout, which was the skin of a Hundred-Flower Python. Lin Zheng had brought it back intact, though it had a few damages, it was still large and long enough.

After some thought, Lin Zheng quickly moved his hands over the beast skin, and the tough skin split neatly like paper. Soon, small pieces of the beast skin appeared before him.

Lin Zheng carefully examined them and then took out various gems and the cores of wild beasts from the cluttered blacksmith's shop, placing them in front of him.

Soon, Lin Zheng's hands moved swiftly, and he began to embed the gems into the beast skin, including sea blue stones, dust-avoiding stones, and wu wang stones. The small gems were arranged neatly on the beast skin. Then, he carefully ground the cores and applied an unknown liquid to the beast skin, followed by a layer of mithril. Finally, he shattered a mist pearl and wrapped the wide bracelet, which was now adorned with gems and intricate patterns.

After about half an hour, the bracelet emitted a brilliant light, which then disappeared. Lin Zheng picked up the bracelet and examined it. The simple patterns exuded the unique charm of the Hundred-Flower Python, and the ordinary gems were scattered on the bracelet. Lin Zheng nodded in satisfaction and began to make the next bracelet.

From morning till night, Lin Zheng worked tirelessly, returning to his room exhausted and falling into a deep sleep. The next morning, he continued his work, this time making a necklace, a special one for Li Ruoshui.

On the table were various clear gems, cores of wild beasts, and other materials. Lin Zheng kept drawing on the blueprint, one after another, and constantly studied the materials.

For three days, Lin Zheng did not leave the blacksmith's shop. Although everyone was worried, they followed his instructions and did not disturb him. On the third evening, Lin Zheng finally emerged from the room, his eyes bloodshot, his hair disheveled, and his steps unsteady, looking extremely tired, which shocked everyone. Although they knew Lin Zheng was working hard on something, this was the first time they saw him in such a state.

The rogue wolf laughed, wearing a large floral shorts. The three kids gathered around him, blinking their big eyes at Lin Zheng, while the others showed concerned expressions.

Li Ruoshui's heart ached, and she quickly went to support Lin Zheng. Lin Zheng greeted everyone, indicating that he was fine, and ignored the rogue wolf's antics. With Li Ruoshui's help, he returned to his room to rest. Although everyone was full of questions, they didn't say much, waiting for Lin Zheng to rest and explain later.

Lin Zheng did not appear for dinner. When Li Ruoshui returned, she told everyone that Lin Zheng had fallen asleep as soon as he got back, without saying anything. She assured everyone that Lin Zheng was just exhausted and would be fine after a night's rest, which put everyone at ease.

And our blacksmith Lin Zheng was now sleeping soundly...

PS: Sorry, everyone, for the late update! Lin Zheng and the group are about to leave the small village and venture into the wilderness. Please support us! Thank you for Guan Da's recommendation and everyone's support!