“I guess it could not hurt to check out the various occupations,” Wu Ying said, realization seeping in that research did not need to occur only in the library. “Thank you for your guidance.”
“Good. Good,” Liu Tsong said with a smile. “Now remember, speak with the administrative hall first! If you wish to begin with pill refinement, you should try for an assignment at the pharmacy, but many vie for those. Without sufficient favor or an Elder’s backing, you can forget about receiving a role there.”
“Oh.”
“Do not look so down. You merely have to study properly. It might be slower, but spending time studying the basics will reinforce your learning,” Liu Tsong said. “Also, during the winter period, many vie for a place in the pharmacy. But it’s the worst time to be there because the number of new refiners are at its peak.”
“Isn’t that good? More work?” Wu Ying said, confused.
“More of the same kind of work. Everyone is trying to make the same Bone Cleansing, Meridian Opening, Spirit Strengthening pills. After you pull the herbs for the tenth time, you’ll be able to recognize them with your eyes closed. Then there are the frost binding, chill warding, ice warding pills.”
“Bitter much?” Wu Ying asked.
Liu Tsong gave her friend a wry smile. “Yes. I got ‘lucky’ too. You’re so busy you never get a chance to look at the other stored herbs. Spring and summer often sees many of the beginner refiners, the overconfident ones, give up. Then there are more seasonal pills too, so your running is wider too.”
“The weather makes a difference?” Wu Ying said curiously.
“Of course! Drawing in the right chi is important for the proper development of certain pills. You could set up or use spirit formations to regulate the chi and environment, but those rooms are expensive to rent from the Sect. Better to plan your production around the seasons,” Liu Tsong said.
Wu Ying nodded, grateful for the wisdom the woman imparted.
“Now, if you’re serious about learning, you should purchase a copy of the Principles and Species of Roots and Herbs[3].”
“Is it available at the library?” Wu Ying said.
Liu Tsong shook her head. “Only a few copies, and those are not annotated. You need to pick up your own and begin annotating it. While it is comprehensive, there are mistakes in the work itself, as well as much that isn’t covered.”
“Oh. Do you have one?” When Liu Tsong indicated she did, Wu Ying asked thoughtlessly, “Can I borrow it then?”
“No!” Liu Tsong crossed her arms. “Would you show others your cultivation manual?”
Wu Ying winced and bowed low, offering profuse apologies. A moment later, he felt a light smack over the top of his head.
“Get up. I know you didn’t mean anything from it. But it’s still not something a refiner will ever show.”
“Yes, Senior.”
“Good. Now, make sure to come to my class in a week.”
“Your class?”
“Well, really, my Master’s. But because it’s for beginners, she has assigned me the task of showcasing the basics of herbology,” Liu Tsong said, preening a little.
“Congratulations, Senior. I’ll be sure to come. With my own copy of the compendium.”
“Good, good. Now, what else have you been up to?”
“Well…”
Soon enough, the pair fell into the usual gossip of sect life. But in the back of Wu Ying’s mind was the desire to progress both his cultivation and secondary occupations.
Chapter 3
The clang of hammers beating on iron rang through the building as the sweltering heat from the active forges made the cultivators sweat during this winter day. Two days after Wu Ying’s talk with Liu Tsong, he registered and squeezed himself into the most recent batch of blacksmithing students. There were, in fact, two different classes starting today. One group, consisting mostly of inner sect members, stood to the side and listened to the senior blacksmith as he explained their objectives for the day. All of those individuals had prior experience with blacksmithing and were now being given a series of projects to complete to gauge their level of expertise.
Wu Ying was in the other group, one consisting of a couple of his fellow newcomers to the inner sect and a few outer sect members. As Wu Ying looked around, he was amused to note that unlike the willowy, pale scholar appearance—which was the norm among the sect—many of the blacksmiths were muscular and stout. In fact, the blacksmith speaking to them was bare-chested, his sect robes tied off around his lower body as sweat gleamed off his pectorals and collected on wiry, dark chest hairs.
“You lot have indicated interest in blacksmithing. Just because you are interested does not mean we are in you,” the blacksmith growled. “I, Gan Ji Ang[4], will see to your suitability. Each of you will be assigned a forge bellows to work. You will work the bellows for the day, following the directions of the assigned blacksmith. If you fail, if you stop, you will be removed from the class. Do you understand?”
The chorus of agreements made Ji Ang smile, his scruffy short beard, pocked with burnt spots, pulling against his lips. The blacksmith assigned the various students to forges. Wu Ying found himself deep in the building and far away from the open doors. As he walked farther in, Wu Ying felt sweat breaking out across his body under the intense heat.
“Hot…” Wu Ying said.
“You’re not fire aspected,” the cultivator who walked up said. This cultivator was broader than most scholars, but not overly muscled like the older blacksmiths. However, Wu Ying could sense the cultivator was strong, at least in the middle level of the Energy Storage stage.
“No,” Wu Ying said, surprised the other had noticed. Ever since he had begun practicing the Aura Strengthening technique, few others than Elders could accurately grasp his cultivation.
“Then make sure to drink a lot of water,” the cultivator said. “I do not need you fainting on me while I work.”
“Yes, Senior. This junior is Long Wu Ying,” Wu Ying said, bowing.
“Wang Bao Cong.” The blacksmith walked around the forge a bit before turning to Wu Ying. “Go gather more coal. Quickly!”
By the time Wu Ying managed to return with the coal—after asking for directions to the charcoal storage—Bao Cong had finished his inspection of his work area. In short order, Bao Cong ordered Wu Ying to shovel in more coal and pump the bellows. As Wu Ying worked, Bao Cong laid out the raw iron to be melted down and reshaped.
“Listen well. I need you to raise and keep the fire at a high temperature for most of it, and we’ll be raising the temperature even higher later. Do not slack off and keep working the bellows. I will inform you when to stop or when to increase your efforts,” Bao Cong warned Wu Ying.
Over the next few hours, Wu Ying worked under the direction of Bao Cong. Soon, even Wu Ying’s muscular arms ached as sweat dribbled down his face. Wu Ying soon learnt to keep the water skin close by, ready for use when he had a brief break. Out of the corners of his eyes, Wu Ying paid as close attention as he could to the entire process.
Blacksmithing consisted of a few parts. He began by melting the raw iron and tossing away the slag, the unneeded portion of metal. Afterward, Bao Cong placed the molten iron in molds, allowing the iron to cool into ingots, ready for working. Once the ingots had cooled enough, Bao Cong would begin the actual process of blacksmithing by heating the metal in the forge before pounding the metal into shape. Over the next few hours, Bao Cong would pull out the metal, hammer it flat, then reheat the metal when it cooled too far, striking the iron ingot into the shape he required.