99: Chapter 99 Passive Skill: Unyielding Spirit

Wang Dachui's eyes were incredibly eager; even though the brass knuckles had already been put into Hu Gualing's backpack, he still hadn't recovered from his excitement.

With his experience in blacksmithing, it was naturally not hard to see that the quality of the brass knuckles just produced was almost the same as that longsword from before.

If Hu Gualing had only forged one longsword of fine quality, it might have been that he got lucky, but the fire hadn't even been changed, and the one that came out again was actually also of fine quality! This could not be attributed to good luck in any way.

Could it be... that this technique of Hu Gualing's, applying bean paste and then passing it through clear oil, could truly have such a subversive effect?

But he had clearly taken advantage of the time when Hu Gualing wasn't around to secretly dip some bean paste and taste it.

The taste... it was sour and salty, not as hard to accept as it smelled. If used to accompany rice, perhaps, possibly, it should be quite appetizing?

Wang Dachui recalled the taste of the bean paste he had secretly tasted, shook his head, and shook those irrelevant thoughts away.

In any case, he had tasted it himself; it was just a vat of soybean paste that every household in the village had. There was nothing special about it. How could applying it to an iron block produce such a magical effect?

Although he couldn't understand the reason behind it, he had watched the entire process of Hu Gualing Forging the weapon closely from the side. Next, he only needed to repeat the process according to the steps and see what quality of ironware he could forge with his own hands...

Wang Dachui thought to himself, his gaze involuntarily turning toward that vat of bean paste.

He never ate this stuff, so naturally, he didn't have any at home, but in Hu Gualing's Forging process, this item was indispensable.

Wang Dachui: "What's the price for your bean paste and cooking oil?"

Hmm?

Hu Gualing was stunned. This Wang Dachui, who was just gazing longingly at his brass knuckles, how did he suddenly set his sights on that vat of bean paste in the blink of an eye?

He recalled the price he had paid when he purchased them and said honestly: "The bean paste and clear oil together cost four taels of silver."

Wang Dachui took out 4 taels of silver: "Good, I'll buy it!"

Hu Gualing: "!!!"

To be honest, he really didn't know what to do with the remaining bean paste and clear oil.

The vat containing the bean paste alone weighed several catties. Adding the bean paste and clear oil, it was probably ten to twenty catties. He wasn't like Tang Yao, who had a private residence in the village where she could safely store things. If he carried it in his backpack, this ten to twenty catties of weight would greatly affect his mobility.

So, Wang Dachui wanting to buy it was the best thing possible.

However, 4 taels of silver was the price he had paid when he bought them. Now, nearly half the vat of bean paste had been used, and although the bucket of clear oil hadn't decreased much, it had been used for quenching, so it couldn't be used for cooking anymore. Its value would definitely be greatly discounted.

Wang Dachui urged: "Anyway, you've already forged the weapon, and the rest is useless to you. Just transfer it to me; I need it urgently."

"Good!"

Hu Gualing was originally a bit embarrassed, but seeing Wang Dachui's anxious appearance, he decided to just treat it as helping someone out and accepted the silver cleanly and efficiently.

However, seeing Wang Dachui's anxious look... it seemed he wanted to try it out himself?

That was fine too. With Wang Dachui's craftsmanship, after learning Carburizing and steelmaking, the quality of the equipment he forged would only be better than what he forged. In the future, if he needed equipment, he could buy it directly from the Blacksmith Shop without having to painstakingly forge it himself.

Thinking this, Hu Gualing took out the unused saltpeter and straw paper and handed them to Wang Dachui, mentioning some details to pay attention to during the Carburizing process.

Wang Dachui listened carefully, his eyes widened like copper bells, projecting a thirst for knowledge that was exactly the same as when Hu Gualing was listening to Teacher Zhang's lecture at the research institute.

After Hu Gualing finished speaking, he noticed Wang Dachui frowning and pondering one moment, then nodding in realization the next; he was clearly immersed in the ocean of knowledge.

As someone who had been through it, he could well understand Wang Dachui's current reaction and didn't disturb him further.

At this moment, he remembered something.

When he forged the brass knuckles just now, he seemed to have gained quite a bit of Forging experience, and he also comprehended some kind of skill?

However, at the time, his focus was on the brass knuckles themselves, so he hadn't paid much attention. Only now did he have time to flip through the game notifications.

Game Notification: You forged [tough steel knuckle duster], [Forging] experience +1000.

Game Notification: Through long-term labor, your physical fitness has improved, and you have comprehended the passive skill [Unyielding].

[Unyielding]: Passive skill. The lower the stamina, the higher the stamina recovery. When stamina drops to 30%, stamina recovery speed receives a maximum bonus of 50%.

Hu Gualing read the skill description several times and finally had some understanding.

The lower the stamina, the faster the stamina recovery!

In this game, stamina was not just a simple energy bar, but a concrete representation of one's physical condition. When the body was normal, stamina was full. If one engaged in activities, whether it was plowing fields, blacksmithing, or running, the body would feel tired, and stamina would decrease. If the stamina bar hit bottom, the person would be exhausted, without even the strength to move, and could only rest while waiting for the stamina to slowly recover. It stood to reason that this would also be the case when fighting outside the village later.

So, this stamina was quite important.

And this passive skill called [Unyielding] allowed him to have a faster stamina recovery speed when his stamina was about to run out, making him more enduring whether working or fighting. It was truly a quite good skill!

After reading this skill, Hu Gualing nodded with satisfaction and took the opportunity to look at another passive skill.

[Hammer Mastery]: You are more adept when using hammer-type tools and weapons.

"..." Hu Gualing couldn't help but shake his head.

This [Hammer Mastery] was obtained when the [Forging] skill reached level 5. It was hard to say if it had any practical value.

But it didn't matter; anyway, having more skills is never a burden.

What he should do most now was to deliver the longsword to Tang Yao.

Hu Gualing checked his backpack, confirmed that the longsword and brass knuckles were inside, and then pulled Xiao Niao along as they left the Blacksmith Shop.

Xiao Niao: "Where to?"

Hu Gualing: "Of course, to deliver the sword to Tang Yao!"

Xiao Niao: "Can't you just go alone? I still have to go back and practice archery..."

Hu Gualing: "No way, I'm scared, you must accompany me!"

Hu Gualing had already spoken to Tang Yao's mother in reality and learned about Tang Yao's situation—Tang Yao herself was currently a vegetable who had been lying in the hospital for more than half a year.

And the news Xiao Niao had found was the same.

Facing such a bizarre situation, even though Tang Yao hadn't shown any bad intentions in the game and had instead taken good care of them, Hu Gualing was still scared and had to drag Xiao Niao along to bolster his courage.

But Xiao Niao was also a cautious person: "...Not going, I'm scared too."

Hu Gualing: "You must go!"

The two of them tugged and pulled; Xiao Niao's build was ultimately no match for the tall and sturdy Hu Gualing, and they headed all the way toward Tang Yao's residence.