Jiang Zuo thought for a moment but couldn’t find the answer.

He had to see the Thunder Mark Hammer for himself.

After a brief pause, Jiang Zuo sent a message to the group: "You’ve all been agonizing over this for so long, just to make the Thunder Mark Hammer usable?"

Xiao Xiaomo immediately replied, "Yes."

Po Xiao: "A Thunder Mark Hammer isn’t that expensive, is it? Why not just buy another one?"

For a moment, the entire group fell silent.

Most of them hadn’t considered that question.

Thunder Mark Hammers were indeed rare, but with their resources, how could they possibly fail to buy one?

Besides, Blade Master Hai Bian knew a Blacksmith.

It was Xiao Xiaomo who spoke up again: "That won’t work. Chu Qing... her mental state is unstable. The fact that this one can’t be used just makes her more determined to use it."

Fairy Mo Yan: "She just gets fixated on things. She’s the stubborn type who won’t give up until she’s reached a dead end—and even then, she’ll keep going."

Jiang Zuo understood. People with great Talent were all like this.

That’s why Jiang Zuo had given up back then—decisively and completely.

’Why do so many of the highly talented die young?’

’It’s because their minds break, and they drive themselves to their own deaths.’

After getting the address, Jiang Zuo decided to head over. He was also quite curious about what secrets a seemingly ordinary Thunder Mark Hammer could be hiding.

This time, Jiang Zuo brought Sweet Potato along to let it run around for a bit, hoping it wouldn’t be so wild next time. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He bought some apples on the way and hailed a cab. Fortunately, it wasn’t far—only about a half-hour drive.

To Jiang Zuo’s surprise, Chu Qing’s group didn’t live in the suburbs or the city proper, but in an area of what looked like private, single-family homes.

Soon, Jiang Zuo arrived in front of a house with a yard and knocked on the door.

The door opened shortly after, revealing Chen Yi.

"Brother Zuo, you’re finally here! If you had come any later, Chu Qing was going to be beaten to death."

Jiang Zuo didn’t understand the details, but he could guess that when Chu Qing had one of her episodes, she found an effective outlet for her frustration.

And that outlet, he surmised, was Chu Qing.

Jiang Zuo followed Chen Yi down to the basement, where there was a forge.

When he entered, Jiang Zuo witnessed an astonishing scene. A girl in a cute dress was relentlessly swinging a hammer.

Her target was a boy, who was already a bloody mess. Surrounding them was a circle of adults and young adults.

As the girl hammered away, she muttered to herself, "How could this be? How is this possible? Was I wrong? Yes, I was wrong... but where did I go wrong? Where?"

The scene was utterly bizarre, especially with the look of pure despair on the boy’s face.

Seeing Jiang Zuo enter, Xiao Xiaomo quickly explained, "Chu Qing has a special constitution. No matter the injury, he’ll recover in two or three days. So, it’s not a huge problem... though he might develop some trauma. But with Fairy Mo Yan here, that’s not a big issue either."

At that, Chi Xue Child, Liuyue Xue, and the others nodded in agreement.

It was their way of showing that they weren’t, in fact, abusing a child.

Jiang Zuo didn’t pay it much mind and instead asked, "Where’s the Thunder Mark Hammer?"

Getting straight to the point was his style.

A man dressed like a craftsman handed the Thunder Mark Hammer to Jiang Zuo. "I’ve been forging metal my whole life and identifying Magical Treasures for just as long, but I have no idea what’s going on here."

Jiang Zuo said nothing, simply taking the Thunder Mark Hammer.

Jiang Zuo remained impassive, but his lack of a reaction was seen as a bad attitude in itself. The Blacksmith was slightly displeased, especially after seeing Jiang Zuo’s Cultivation was only at the 1.4 level.

A Cultivation of 1.4 was very low to most, but to the members of the group, it was astounding.

Of course, outsiders wouldn’t know that he had reached the 1.4 level in just over a week.

This man wasn’t part of the group, however; he was here on commission. The person next to him had been invited by Blade Master Hai Bian.

Neither of them had much faith in Jiang Zuo.

Jiang Zuo, however, just gave the Thunder Mark Hammer a couple of glances, using his Innate Qi to inspect its interior. He soon discovered a lock hidden within.

This lock was what was preventing the Thunder Mark Hammer from being used.

Withdrawing his Innate Qi, Jiang Zuo looked at Chu Qing. "Do you know how to forge?"

Chu Qing looked at Jiang Zuo. She recognized him, of course; she often heard her younger brother sing his praises.

So she replied instinctively, "A little."

"Do you like to forge?"

"Very much."

No one understood what Jiang Zuo was doing. But when he asked his next question, everyone’s hearts clenched. "For the sake of forging, are you afraid of death?"

Chu Qing answered without hesitation, "I am."

Hearing this answer, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, terrified that the two of them would do something reckless.

One was mentally unstable, and the other had a complete disregard for consequences.

However, Jiang Zuo’s next words sent their hearts racing again: "Then do you dare to forge with the resolve to face death?"

The answer was just as unhesitating: "I do."

Jiang Zuo smiled faintly. "Very good."

Then, Jiang Zuo looked at Chi Xue Child. "Do you have any basic forging materials, like Profound Iron Wood?"

Chi Xue Child looked at Mo Yan. "Do you have any?"

Mo Yan looked pained. "Why don’t you provide it?"

Liu Yiyi chimed in from the side, "Because we’re poor and don’t have any Spatial Treasures. Unlike you, who has a powerful master for a single, reckless apprentice. Everything you own is a luxury."

Mo Yan retorted bluntly, "Of course. For all I know, I’m my master’s illegitimate daughter. He may not give me Spirit Stones, but the old man isn’t stingy with his Magical Treasures."

Everyone: "..."

A Demon Cultivator was a Demon Cultivator, through and through. To dare say something like that.

Even though her master wasn’t stingy, it still pained her, a proud Demon Cultivator, to give these people a piece of Profound Iron Wood.

A single piece of Profound Iron Wood was worth three to five First-Grade Spirit Stones.

Taking the Profound Iron Wood from Mo Yan, Jiang Zuo asked Chu Qing, "Can you forge this into a Profound Iron Sword?"

Chu Qing nodded. "I can."

Jiang Zuo tossed the meter-long piece of Profound Iron Wood to Chu Qing. "Use this to forge a traditional dagger."

Then, he tossed her the Thunder Mark Hammer. "Use this hammer. And when you think the time is right, activate its Thunder Mark.

"Remember, once you accept this task, you are not allowed to stop unless you die.

"Refusing means you give up forging forever.

"So, once you begin, you either succeed, or you die on the path to success."

Chu Qing murmured to herself, "’Die on the path to success? Die on the path?’"

At that, the craftsman spoke up, "Are you insane? She’s just a child! You’ll get her killed!"

Blade Master Hai Bian’s friend added, "Shouldn’t we discuss this a bit more? Perhaps there’s another way."

Jiang Zuo ignored them and looked directly at Chu Qing. "There isn’t much I can tell you. The only thing I can say is that my path is the correct one.

"Trusting me will lead you to success, but you could also die on the path to it.

"Choose."

Just then, Xiao Xiaomo spoke up worriedly, "Boss Po Xiao, isn’t this too cruel? Chu Qing is still so young. And she..."

Before Xiao Xiaomo could finish, Chu Qing stood up. She smiled at her and said, "Don’t worry, Sister Xiao. I can take responsibility for my own choices. I accept."

******

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