Mutated Tao

Chapter 628: Ni’er

“Ni’er, come. Sit near the stove. Let’s drink some sugar water and eat some dried persimmons. You loved eating sweet things when you were younger, so we made sure that sweets were always available for you.”

“Maybe you want to eat meat instead? Didn’t you like eating meat? Let me go get some for you; your mother will cook it for you.”

The old man and old woman orbited Li Sui, frantically taking care of her. The smile on their lips never once disappeared as they offered anything they could offer.

“Wait, Ni’er, how did you manage to come back here? I heard that beast sold you—”

“We're having a festival here," the old man lightly kicked the old woman, interrupting her. "Don’t even mention that beast today! We can just talk about it tomorrow.”

Li Sui had no idea what the two were talking about, so she was starting to become impatient. “Didn’t you say that you were going to teach me how to Strike Tree Flowers? I want to learn it.”

“Of course! Come, I'll teach you now!” the old man said, nodding furiously. Then, he led Li Sui deeper into the house. He pulled open a curtain riddled with burnt holes and showed the back half of the house to Li Sui.

Li Sui was surprised to see that the back half of the house was a smithy. Clearly, the couple was only living in the front part of the house.

“Ni’er, only us blacksmiths can Strike Tree Flowers. Do you know why? It’s because only we can have enough molten metal to do so.”

The old man threw several charcoal biscuits into the forge, which was emitting a dim red color. Then, he took out the forge blower and used it to raise the temperature of the forge.

The charcoal gradually turned red beneath the wind, and the heat increased steadily. The old man turned to Li Sui while fanning the flames, saying, “Ni’er, we cannot charge less than two hundred coins to perform the Strike Tree Flower once. Molten metal is expensive. You must remember to charge at least two hundred coins for each performance."

When the old man sensed that the temperature was right, he placed a crucible into the burning charcoal. A variety of metals was in the crucible, such as discarded horseshoes and rusted knives.

“We need to charge them for the metal we use, too. Of course, you can just grab some scrap metal instead of buying decent ones. That way, you'll be able to save a lot of money.”

Li Sui's gaze was fixed on the burning furnace, and she looked like she couldn't hear the old man's explanation.

The old man happily took off his lamb fur coat and smiled upon seeing that his daughter was seriously trying to learn how to Strike Tree Flowers. She’s looking at me just like how she did in the past. Back then, she'd always sit there and watch me work throughout the entire day.

However, the old woman noticed something amiss and approached the old man. “Husband, what’s going on? I feel like something is weird. I feel like Ni’er has become a different person.”

The old man glared at the old woman while fanning the flames. He glanced at Li Sui and whispered, “What do you mean 'weird'? It’s already a miracle that she made it back alive in one piece. What else can we even wish for? Anyway, be quiet!”

The old man grabbed some good-quality charcoal and crushed it before tossing it into the crucible. “Ni’er, you need to remember to put some charcoal into the crucible. The metal will melt faster that way.”

“I understand,” Li Sui said, sounding serious.

The metals inside the crucible turned red before melting altogether. Soon, Li Sui saw the same bucket of molten metal from the performance earlier.

“Move aside. I'll pour the molten metal into that bucket. This isn't a lot, but it’s surprisingly heavy.” The old man gritted his teeth and used two hands to carry the bucket of molten metal toward the city walls.

“Ni’er, you must toss it high up into the air, and you need to use a lot of force. Otherwise, the molten metal will fall on your head.”

The dazzling display of the Strike Tree Flowers appeared once more.

Li Sui’s eyes lit up in excitement at the sight. “It’s so pretty.”

The old man was energized upon seeing Li Sui's excitement. He tossed goblet after goblet of molten metal toward the city wall.

Once the bucket no longer contained any molten metal, the panting old man walked up to Li Sui, asking, “Ni’er, how was it? Did you learn anything? I can do it again for you to see.”

“Yay! Do it again!” Li Sui happily nodded. She felt like she could watch it forever.

“All right! Then, let’s go back and melt another bucket of metal!” the old man exclaimed and led Li Sui back to his home.

However, he had just taken a few steps when a thug with a tattoo on his arm stood in their way. “Father-in-law, I saw you Striking Tree Flower from afar. It seems that you've profited quite a lot during this festival.”

The old man stood in front of Li Sui upon seeing the tattooed thug. Then, he raised the metal bucket up high and scolded, “You rascal! You already sold Ni’er once. Are you not satisfied yet?!”

The old man’s words made the tattooed thug realize the identity of the woman standing next to the former.

The tattooed thug's eyes lit up when he saw Li Sui. "You actually managed to come back? Ni’er, did you come back here because you've been missing your husband?”

“Scram!” the old man roared and threw the metal bucket toward the tattooed thug. The latter retreated and avoided getting hit by it.

“How dare you attack me, old man!” The tattooed thug was furious. He rolled up his sleeves and started beating up the old man. “You better listen to what I'm about to say, old man! Ni’er is married to me, so she's no longer a part of your family! I can sell or pawn her off anytime I want! I have the right to do so, and it doesn't matter even if the guards have already captured me once!"

“Ni’er! Run! Run back to the house!” the old man shouted at Li Sui while defending himself against the tattooed thug.

However, Li Sui remained unmoving. She cast a puzzled gaze at the scene as she tried to understand what was going on.

Her father had never taught her anything like this, so she had no idea what was going on.

A dull thud echoed as the old man collapsed to the ground.

Li Sui saw that and stepped forward. “Why are you beating him? He taught me how to Strike Tree Flowers. Stop beating him.”

The tattooed thug turned to Li Sui and replied, “Oh? So you've matured a bit after getting sold? Back then, you wouldn't even say anything while I was beating you up, but you've actually become daring enough to fight back?"

Smack!

The tattooed thug slapped Li Sui in the face. "What's up with that look? Do you want to get beaten up, too?”

Li Sui stared alternatingly between the injured old man and the tattooed thug. An unfamiliar feeling filled her chest; it was her first time experiencing this kind of emotion.

Smack!

The tattooed thug slapped her again and roared, “What are you doing standing here, you bitch! Go back home and wash my clothes! I want you to clean the house, too!”