Chapter 246 - 142: The True Dragon Raises its Head

Luo Tiezhu introduced the Mountain Pattern Armor as he showed off the blueprints.

Luo Tiezhu was a Master Blacksmith, and the blueprints he’d drawn for the Mountain Pattern Armor were far more complete and exquisite than the Iron Armor Chen Cheng had sewn into his clothing lining. It could truly be called a Treasure Armor.

Chen Cheng was quite satisfied after looking it over. The only drawback was that the Mountain Pattern Armor was a bit *too* complete—it protected every single vital point.

"Elder Luo, could the protection for this particular vital area be simplified, or perhaps removed entirely?"

Luo Tiezhu let out a sly chuckle. "Young man, you just don’t get it, do you? The very essence of this Mountain Pattern Armor lies in this protective piece. It symbolizes the True Dragon raising its head.

What’s the most important thing in this world? It’s this, of course! A man’s most vital point. You can’t be careless with it.

You’re still young. You haven’t suffered a loss like that, so you wouldn’t know. Back in the day, I was nearly done in by a treacherous scoundrel. He almost made sure I could never have children or grandchildren."

Luo Tiezhu’s face lit up, and he looked like a giddy child as he continued, "But that treacherous scoundrel has finally gotten his just deserts! You could say it’s let me vent some long-held frustrations.

That’s why I’ve been so happy lately, drinking and celebrating every single day.

Zhou Hongjun, oh, Zhou Hongjun, who would’ve thought a bastard like you would see this day?"

Chen Cheng asked in surprise, "The treacherous scoundrel you’re talking about is Zhou Hongjun, the Patriarch of the Zhou Family from the South City District?"

Luo Tiezhu nodded. "When we were young, that son of a bitch worked as a blacksmith with me. One time, he made a mistake and tried to pin the blame on me. We got into a fight over it.

The damn scoundrel fights dirty. He went for a low blow. If I hadn’t been quick on my feet, my ’dragon root’ would’ve been snapped right off.

That’s why, when forging Inner Armor, you absolutely must protect the ’dragon root’. The best way is to shape it like a True Dragon raising its head. Not only does it protect the True Dragon’s vital point, but it also allows the ’dragon root’ to... well, raise its head freely."

’So the Luo and Zhou Families have this kind of history.’ Chen Cheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’If Elder Luo knew the man who annihilated the Zhou Family was right here in front of him, I can’t imagine how excited he’d get!’

Snapping out of his thoughts, Chen Cheng said, "Elder Luo, while the Dragon Protection Lock is certainly secure, it might be a bit... inconvenient when nature calls. How about we simplify it a little more?"

"You do have a point there." Luo Tiezhu clearly hadn’t considered this and began to ponder. "This suit of Mountain Pattern Armor is forged from Profound Iron, which is already quite heavy. If the Dragon Protection Lock uses that much extra material, it’ll be even heavier. I fear the ’dragon root’ might be adversely affected.

Then, the ’dragon root’ might be too damaged to raise its head at all, which would defeat the purpose."

After some back-and-forth revisions, the final blueprint for the Mountain Pattern Armor at last satisfied Chen Cheng. The Dragon Protection Lock was simplified considerably, making it less conspicuous and ensuring it wouldn’t interfere with the... ’True Dragon raising its head’.

"Alright, you can head back for now, kid. At the earliest, it’ll be seven days; at the latest, half a month. I’ll have this Inner Armor forged for you by then," Luo Tiezhu said.

Chen Cheng asked, "Elder Luo, is there any way to make it faster?"

Luo Tiezhu’s eyes widened. "Of course it can be faster. But forging Profound Gold Inner Armor requires tremendous strength to hammer the ingot. You need someone with the power of two thousand jin to strike it continuously.

In the entire Luo Family, only my son, Luo Mingyu, has that kind of strength and can serve as my striker. But he happens to be away, so we have no choice but to wait for him to come back.

Don’t you worry, kid. Since that girl Yunzhi asked this of me, this old man will naturally treat it with importance. When Mingyu gets back, the two of us will pull an all-nighter if we have to, but we’ll get that Inner Armor finished within a day."

Hearing that it could be crafted in a single day, an idea sparked in Chen Cheng’s mind. "Elder Luo," he asked, "does the striker need to have blacksmithing Skills?"

Luo Tiezhu shook his head. "Not at all. You just need to have a whole lot of brute strength."

"How about I be your striker?" Chen Cheng offered.

"You? I doubt you’re up to it, kid! The striker who hammers the ingot needs to be..." Luo Tiezhu pursed his lips, thoroughly unconvinced. But then he saw Chen Cheng casually lift a three-hundred-jin Black Gold Brick with one hand and start tossing it back and forth as if it were a ball of cotton. Luo Tiezhu froze on the spot.

...

「Two hours later, in the Luo Family’s Blacksmith Workshop.」

The Profound Gold Block, smelted from Black Gold and Profound Iron, was formed. An old man and a young man, both bare-armed, began to forge.

"Ah Cheng, strike!"

Chen Cheng, single-handedly wielding a five-hundred-jin, pitch-black sledgehammer, replied, "You got it!"

...

In an instant, the Blacksmith Workshop filled with the sound of hammering, as dense and rapid as a sudden downpour.

...

As night fell, the hammering continued, growing ever more urgent!

...

By midnight, they had already worn out three large sledgehammers. Chen Cheng switched to a smaller hammer made of Profound Iron, yet it weighed a thousand jin.

An even denser rhythm of hammering rang out, continuing through the entire night!

...

The next day, as dawn broke, a red sun rose slowly from the horizon.

The hammering, which had resounded all night, suddenly stopped.

"Ah Cheng, would you be willing to take me as your master?"

...

「Nearing Noon.」

"Sigh... With my meager skills, I’m not worthy of being called ’Master’!

Ah Cheng, I take back what I said. You should find a master who can forge Spiritual Artifacts!"

He watched as Chen Cheng donned the freshly forged Profound Gold Inner Armor and put a green scholar’s robe on over it.

Luo Tiezhu let out a soft sigh and shook his head as he walked out of the Blacksmith Workshop, yet his steps were surprisingly light.

In just one day, his understanding of Chen Cheng had been completely transformed.

Not only did the kid possess Innate Divine Power, but he also had an incredibly high aptitude, absorbing most of Luo Tiezhu’s blacksmithing Skills in the process.

"A new generation of talent always emerges to surpass the old. I’m getting old, after all!"

...

When Chen Cheng emerged from the Blacksmith Workshop, he found Mu Xiaowan and Luo Yunzhi waiting in the courtyard.

"Xiaowan, what are you doing here?" Chen Cheng asked with a gentle smile.

In the warm spring sun, Mu Xiaowan stood in a green dress, her figure peerless. Her smile was like a blossoming flower, revealing pearly white teeth.

"Sixth Madam said you and Master Luo were smithing all night, so we were discussing whether we should prepare some food for you."

"There’s no need. We’ll eat at home."

Chen Cheng stepped forward and gently wrapped his arm around Mu Xiaowan’s slender waist.

"Well..." Luo Yunzhi sighed softly, but a hint of a smile played in her beautiful eyes. "I knew you two wouldn’t stay to eat at the Luo residence. I’ve already had a carriage prepared for you. It’s waiting at the entrance."