The terrain of Beiyang Mountain is remote, and there are no hunters within ten miles, but there is an official road around the location.
On weekdays, there are not many escorts or traders on the official road, but it has attracted a group of bandits from the green forest to gather in the mountains.
After all, the more lucrative a place is, the easier it is to be targeted by the government. In order to seek self-protection, most bandits usually choose more remote places.
It was late autumn at this time, with a chill in the wind, and the yellow leaves fell and covered the ground.
As long as you climb Beiyang Mountain, you can see a small valley from the top of the mountain. Because of the withering leaves, the hidden mountain village is exposed.
The cottage was built with old wood. There were no professional carpenters among the bandits, so the few thatched houses were a little crooked, but they were more than enough to block the wind.
A few patrolling bandits were wandering around lazily. Usually in autumn, there would be fewer merchants and escorts, which also made them hungry in recent days.
In order to make a living, the big boss took a group of people to the distant Guandao to rob food a few days ago, but there has been no news since then, and I am afraid that something unexpected has happened.
But even so, the rest of the people in the village did not fight openly and secretly for the vacant position. It was because they were so poor that they didn't even have kerosene to light the lamps, and the most valuable things they had were just a few skinny horses that were about to die of old age.
Only one dilapidated house in the village still had candles lit even during the day, and white smoke slowly floated out from the cracks in the windows.
There is a small yard surrounded by fences next to the house, where some fruits and vegetables are planted. Someone should take care of it on weekdays, but for some reason the bandits walked around it.
Unlike the cool outside, the room was as sultry as midsummer. A tall and strong man was holding a hammer in his hand, swinging it towards the stove in front of him, and the sound of metal collisions kept ringing.
His upper body was naked, his skin was dark, and his muscles were as solid as rock, especially a pair of arms that were thicker than ordinary people's thighs. One look at him showed that he was extremely powerful.
As the hammer hammered for a long time, the hot red iron block on the stove gradually took shape. In order to ensure strong firepower, the strong man would bend down from time to time to add some coal.
After the iron casting was completed, he did not choose to use tools to pick it up. Instead, he stretched out his palms and dipped some water. Then he grabbed the hot iron and threw it into the sink when he was about to be scalded.
Although it is a bit tricky, it can be seen from the extremely thick calluses on the palms of the strong man that he often polishes his body in his spare time.
The iron instrument fell into the water and made a sizzling sound. The strong man seemed to have heard the melodious musical instrument playing and closed his eyes to enjoy it.
The strong man's name is Qin Bai. He is over thirty years old and has been working as an ironworker for fifteen years. In the eyes of these bandits in the village, he is a complete weirdo.
Because there are no ordinary people like Qin Bai, who has been there since the establishment of the village. He has always stayed in one place, rarely leaving the front door or taking a step outside. Every day, he only works for iron.
Moreover, there was a lack of resources in the village, so most of the time he kept melting iron tools and recasting new ones, and so on.
But one thing I have to admit is that Qin Bai is really not easy to mess with. He occasionally shows strength and can easily lift nearly a hundred kilograms of heavy objects. Although I don’t know what kind of martial arts he has practiced, you can tell just by looking at his body shape. Very powerful.
And he had three meals a day provided by the village. Even the boss didn't dare to disagree, because these people saw it with their own eyes. At that time, someone who offended Qin Bai was hit with a hammer, and his head was smashed to the ground. .
Even if there is no food in the village, he can still eat some of the fruits and vegetables he grows himself.
When the water in the sink stopped boiling, Qin Bai took out the semi-finished ironware inside. It was a dagger as short as an arm, which could also be called a dagger. Although it had not been sharpened, the blade showed extremely gorgeous quenched spark patterns. .
His expression was slightly dissatisfied, but he still put it on the whetstone and gradually sharpened the blade.
After about half a day's work, the dagger was completely cast. Qin Bai placed it under the candlelight, and the reflection of the light caused half of the room to be shrouded in cold light.
If anyone with eyesight saw this short knife, they would probably be extremely shocked. In this unknown small village in the barren mountains, there is such a talented craftsman hiding.
Although it is not a magic weapon, it is extremely difficult to forge a weapon that is not inferior to fine iron in a simple environment.
"Dong dong dong."
There was a knock on the door. Qin Bai didn't look up and said lightly: "Come in."
The wooden door was carefully opened, and an old bandit in his fifties walked in. He was considered an old man in the whole village. He was a little sallow and thin, and his cheeks were sunken.
"Mr. Qin, this is tonight's meal."
Qin Bai ignored him and threw the newly cast iron tool directly into the furnace. At the same time, he kept muttering: "I have wasted so much strength and lost five days. When will I be free?"
In response to these nonsense, the old bandit did not dare to take a breath, and he often heard inexplicable shouts coming from the house.
For example, "Enhance it for me!", "I'll make a lot of money if I make a little masterpiece!", "I'm tired of blacksmithing, and occasionally someone will come over and let me beat it!"
He couldn't help but swallow, put down the food and thought about leaving.
"Wait a minute." Qin Bai called him, and the other party suddenly froze in place, his legs trembling slightly.
The old bandit remembered the rumors in the village that he was a cannibal who would eat people without spitting out their bones, and he liked to be called sir.
"Is this what you want for dinner?" The plate was filled with steamed buns and pickles, and it was obvious that they were a little stale.
"Nothing else, Mr. Qin, there isn't much food left in the village."
The old bandit didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction. The hammer weighed at least forty or fifty kilograms and was half the size of a man. His bones couldn't withstand a single blow.
"Okay." Qin Bai waved his hand to let him go quickly, looked at the steamed buns on the plate, sighed and poured the food into the stove.
The smell of the pickles was more pungent than aged stinky tofu, and he didn't have the courage to eat it.
At this time, most of the iron had melted. He didn't take any tricks this time and chose to use a clamp to take it out.
Qin Bai threw the iron block back onto the stone pier in front of him, raised the hammer and struck it hard.
His expression seemed extremely focused, but he was actually staring at a system panel that no one else could see.
Checking in: 43 days, 11 hours and 27 seconds left.
Locked location: Beiyang Village.
Sign-in task: blacksmithing.
Sign-in reward: unknown.
Points: 4173.
Qin Bai's expression relaxed: "It won't be long before the next achievement is completed, and I can finally be relieved."
After a little trimming, he got busy again.
