Chapter 132

Three months later.
The forge at the farmhouse at dawn.
The sound of hammers echoed from the forge when no one was supposed to be there.
He was Bu-eun-sul, a young blacksmith who worked at the farm while doing odd jobs.
Tut-tut-tut.
He places the hot iron on the cobblestone and begins to shape it with a hammer.
Each time the hammer strikes the steel, the steel folds and stretches.
Squeak.
Just then, the old gate opened and a gray-clad shadow stepped into the rice farm. It was Sixman Ho.
“The Great Basin.”
Putting down his hammer, Bu Eunseol bowed his head, and Yuk Man Ho raised an eyebrow.
“What the hell are you doing without going into the house?”
“We were building things that we didn’t get to build during the day.”
“What do you mean, you haven’t made it?”
Bu Eunseol bowed her head at Yuk Man Ho’s question.
“I don’t want the other yakkers to see me making…….”
“Mmm.”
Despite the presence of the dignitary of the Great Yard, Yukmanho, the night gurus of the Minong Garden still seemed to be preventing Dao Buunsul from making things.
“Yeah, what were you working on?”
“I tried making a scythe.”
Yuk Man Ho picked up the scythe lying beside Bu Eun Seol.
“Hmmm. That’s a bit heavier than the scythes that the old yagong makes.”
He examined the scythe carefully and nodded.
“You made the sack short and the sheath long, that’s why it was heavy. Why did you make it this way?”
“Farmers use scythes not only for grain, but also for light wood. By making them like this, they can last longer without damage.”
Yuk Man Ho looked at the scythe once more.
The uniformity and density was excellent, as if the scythe had been crafted by a craftsman who had been making scythes for a long time.
“You have talent.
Yuk Man Ho put down his scythe and spoke to Bu Eun Seol.
“Do not come to the forge at this hour anymore.”
Before Bu Eun-sul could say anything, Yuk Man-ho tapped him on the shoulder and said.
“I will speak firmly to my workmen, and from tomorrow they shall make the instruments properly.”
Despite Yuk Man Ho’s trusting voice, Bu Eun Seol could only bow her head with an expressionless face.
At noon, inside Tangshan Railway Street, countless night workers poured out of the forges.
It’s lunchtime, and they’re lining up to eat.
A middle-aged man in brown clothes was looking at a display of various farming equipment. It was Yi Bok, the general manager of Tangshan Ironworks.
“You’re definitely talented.”
He glanced at the shelf in front of him and his mouth watered.
There was a display of farm equipment made by Buunsul. It was quite crude in appearance, but due to its popularity, it was missing quite a few items.
When I ask farmers why they buy it, they consistently say, “It’s just a shape, but it’s easy to use,” or “It sticks to your hand.
“You’ve stripped away all the bells and whistles and made it practical.”
Yibok had also worked at Tangshan Ironworks for a long time, so he was as discerning as any other night worker.
Dae Ya-gong, Yuk Man-ho is definitely a talented young yagong.
Still, he didn’t like Bu Eun-sul’s apparatus.
“Each instrument has its own beauty in its own shape…….”
Bu Eun-sul has little sense of aesthetics as a proper blacksmith should, and the tools he makes are strictly functional.
In short, the instruments he created closely resemble his blunt and inflexible personality.
“I’m not going to be a big ballplayer.”
He clucked his tongue and turned away,
“Are you inside.”
At that moment, a man in a pale indigo robe entered Tangshan Street.
Although his eyes were very cold and fierce, Yi Bok greeted you as if he had seen you before.
“Master Yan, what is your business?”
The shirtless man was none other than Lian Mingjin, one of the five masters who teach disciples at the Tangshan Academy of the Sect.
“I’m here to repair your sword.”
“I see, please have a seat over here.”
Despite Yan Myung-jin’s stiff tone and cold eyes, Yi Bok’s demeanor was very respectful, as if he was honoring an elderly man.
That’s because one of Tangshan Ironworks’ biggest customers are the disciples who sharpen swords for the Southern Sect’s Tangshan Committee.
Yan Myung-jin is in a position to teach such disciples, so his influence cannot be ignored.
“Why did you come yourself, and not send your disciples?”
“How can I entrust the sword, which is my alter ego, to my disciples?”
Yeon Myeong-jin was now more than thirty years old, but he spoke as if he were a younger brother, even though he was well past his prime.
“I’m afraid I overdid it with the jinqi and damaged the blade a bit during the fog. I’ll have to take a look at it.”
The Zongnan Sect’s swordsmanship is so powerful that it is not uncommon for swords to break or bend while practicing.
This is why martial artists of the Zongnan Sect often repair their weapons in the forge, until they have mastered the use of jin qi and the control of sword herbs.
“May I have a look at the sword?”
“Handle with care.”
“I see.”
Taking the sword from Yan Myung-jin, Yi Bok carefully removed the scabbard and examined it carefully.
The Old School all use swords, but each uses a slightly different form of sword.
The swords of the Zongnan Sect were slightly longer and thicker than those of the other sects.
Still, not only was the blade damaged, but even the sturdy hilt was slightly warped.
“You’ve been working him hard.
The hilt of the sword was cracked, as well as the area where the sword joins the handle and the rim of the blade.
I had done a good job of cleaning it up, but I couldn’t get rid of the marks I had made.
“It’s not hard to give you a hand, but…… will take some time.”
“Time? How much?”
“The night workers are all eating, so we’ll get to work as soon as they’re done.”
“How long will it take.”
“We’ll have you repaired and back in the field by tomorrow at the latest.”
“Does it really take that long?”
Yi Bok lowered his head as Yan Myung-jin’s eyebrows rose.
“The blade can be easily rebuilt, but the lateral force has damaged the hilt and the girth that holds the sword in place.”
Yeon Myung-jin said with a displeased expression.
“And the Archduke?”
“The Duke has gone to Zhejiang, so he won’t be back until…… moonrise.”
Yeon Myung-jin said with a displeased expression.
“Call the blacksmith now and get it done today. Now.”
Ibok looked troubled.
The smiths at the Iron Hospital are all highly skilled and proud of their abilities.
No matter what you say, no one will drop their chopsticks and come to repair your sword.
“Since you’re just starting to eat,…… could you give us a moment?”
“I’m afraid I skipped a meal to get here quickly.”
“I see.”
Ibok hung his head in disbelief.
“I lost my temper.
Pressing down his inward temper, Yi Bok said cautiously.
“If you’re in a hurry, why don’t you take the new sword we made for you first?”
“Do you think I’ve brought my own sword because we don’t have one?”
“That’s not what I meant, Master Yan, I’m offering you a good sword for free…….”
“Nonsense. Do you think I came here to get a new sword?”
“Sin, sorry.”
Ibok bowed his head hastily.
When he saw her bowing her head as if to prostrate herself, even at her advanced age, he realized he had overreached.
“Sorry, my nerves got the best of me…….”
He pauses for a moment, then sighs.
“Actually, there’s an important ceremony tomorrow at the main martial center. The Elder of the Bone Sect will be there. Do you know what I mean?”
A weapon is like a horse, the more it is handled, the more it becomes tame to its owner.
Especially for those who hadn’t yet perfected their swordsmanship, the difference between a trained sword and an untrained sword was quite significant.
“I see where you’re coming from, so let me try to convince the yahoos …….”
Just as Yibok was about to rise from his seat and go to the yagong, a gray-robed shadow walked over from the other side.
It was swollen tongue.
“Oh, here’s a young yagong.”
Yeon Myung-jin was delighted to find the puffy snow.
“I’ll just have him fix it right away.”
“Uh, no. He, he’s…….”
“What excuse are you going to give me? I don’t have time, so let’s get this over with.”
Ibok stammered, then fell silent for a moment.
If you think about it, you’re pretty good at making farming tools, so it shouldn’t be too hard to repair a blade and refurbish the hilt.
‘No, you shouldn’t say that…….’
No matter how you slice it, you shouldn’t have the Yagong of the Minor Farm repair your weapon.
How do you cover your ass if something goes wrong?
However, Yeon Myeong-jin snatched the longsword from Yibok’s hand and held it out to Bu Eun-sul.
“Come on, this is urgent, put aside the ten and repair my sword first.”
Bu Eun-sul looked away from the sword and nodded.
“Okay.”
“This guy?
Yibok naturally assumed that Bu Eun-sul would refuse.
But when he saw the longsword, he nodded shamelessly, and I was stunned.
“Boo Yagong. Are you sure you can take charge and repair it?”
At Yi Bok’s question, Bu Eun Seol glanced down at the longsword in her hand and said, “I’m sorry.
“I’ll be done in two hours.”
“Two o’clock?”
Yibok burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Repairing the weapons of the Martial Artist is a delicate and challenging task.
What would take a skilled ironworker a day to accomplish, a guy who makes farming tools can do in two hours?
“Oh, come on, it’s time to spoil him!
“Then why don’t you take charge and give it a try?”
Ibok swallowed a sneer and held out his longsword.
“Instead, if the repair goes wrong, it’s all on you.”
Yagong is responsible for the things he takes care of.
That’s not something you can get away with, even if you’re surrounded by sixty thousand lakes.
“I’m going to have to send you away, you eyesore.
Whether or not she knew what Yi Bok was up to, Bu Eunseol nodded dumbly.
“Okay.”
Then he slowly turned back to the forge as if nothing had happened.
* * *
Bu Eun-sul went into a small warehouse a short distance from the farmhouse.
He was making farming tools with the consideration of Dae Ya Gong and Yuk Man Ho, but he did not get along with the Ya Gong in the rice garden.
That’s why he’s working alone in an old warehouse away from the farm.
Duck.
But that’s weird.
He couldn’t wait to get to work, but all he could do was sit and stare at the sword.
“…….”
His eyes are solemn as he examines the sword.
His eyes flashed as he held his sword for a long moment, examining the damage to the hilt.
‘Most swordsmanship of the Zheng School condenses the Qi into dew-like droplets at the tip of the sword. But you spin your sword with all of your energy spread across the hilt.
This time, I held the blade of the sword up to the light.
“He used the entire sword shaft, not the blade, but the rotational force to sweep the sharp blade sideways.
In his mind’s eye, the curved longsword spun furiously, sweeping aside the sword grass.
“It’s the Quan Yu Sword, one of the three great swords!