Taking the Sword

Morning.

Bright sunlight spilled over the streets and alleys south of the city.

The southern district was the most prosperous part of Chuyun City. Figures moved to and fro along the bustling main street; white walls stood between stretches of connected rooftops, their upturned corners and flying eaves arching high. Long shop banners hung before every storefront to draw in customers, fluttering gently in the breeze.

You Su hurried purposefully through the streets with a steaming bun in hand. Before taking breakfast home, he had to retrieve his sword.

"Wang's Iron Shop." The shop was small, but it was the finest iron shop in Chuyun City, all because of its sole blacksmith, Master Wang. Not only had he trained under a renowned master and possessed extraordinary sword-forging skills, he was also an expert of the Condensing Water Realm.

That was why his iron shop could stand brazenly in the busiest part of town. The prominent figures of Chuyun City were all happy to patronize his business, even though Blacksmith Wang's strange temper was famous far and wide.

You Su was no prominent figure. He had only come here once, when he was very young. His master had brought him to buy his first sword, and he had used it ever since.

He wondered whether Blacksmith Wang would recognize that this was the sword he had forged when he reforged it. At that thought, You Su felt time slipping away like a shuttle through a loom.

Upon entering, he was met by the heavy smell of raw iron, and he could not help wrinkling his nose. A dazzling array of formidable weapons hung on the walls, reflecting dangerous, razor-sharp light.

Blacksmith Wang lay in a rocking chair behind the counter. He was a dark-skinned old man with a square face, thick lips, and deep and shallow wrinkles etched across his features, while his arms were massively built in a way that belied his age.

When You Su entered, Blacksmith Wang glanced at his attire, then took a puff of his long-stemmed pipe. "A rare guest. Here to buy a sword?"

"Master Wang, I'm here to collect my sword."

As though he had expected this, Blacksmith Wang rose and went into the back room. He returned carrying a simple ancient sword of solid ink-black color, then casually tossed it to You Su. You Su caught it firmly.

"Take a look. Satisfied?" Blacksmith Wang lay back down.

You Su drew the sword and gently ran his palm over his oldest and most familiar friend. The chips and wear had vanished without a trace, leaving only a smooth, delicate glaze beneath his touch.

You Su gripped the hilt and could not help giving it a few light spins. That feeling of effortless familiarity comforted him. In his heart, You Su joyfully called its name—Ink Pine—and Ink Pine Sword seemed to answer, trembling faintly.

Blacksmith Wang had forged countless swords, but he remembered every one of them. Yet when he took Ink Pine from that girl's hands, he had almost failed to recognize it as his own masterpiece.

He could not help recalling that morning. He had been proudly admiring his crowning achievement when that person barged in, leading a blind child, and snatched it away, leaving only a maxim as payment. That person had even declared with lofty righteousness that a fine sword belonged with a fine person, and that this child would make the sword's name resound across the Five Continents. He could not defeat that person, so he could only fume inwardly.

Later, that maxim helped him break through to the Condensing Water Realm and granted him several decades more life. His anger eventually faded, leaving only regret for his sword. Now, seeing the mottled marks on Ink Pine, he finally understood that the person's words back then had not been empty boasts. He knew all too clearly how difficult it was to wield Ink Pine Sword until it became like this.

That was why he had accepted thirty silver from the girl: thirty silver was all she had. As for reforging Ink Pine, the value of the materials consumed could no longer be measured in ordinary silver. The Condensing Water Realm was his limit, but with what little lifespan remained to him, he also wanted to see how high this sword and its master could rise.

You Su resisted the urge to keep playing with it, returned the sword to its sheath, and raised his hand in a solemn salute. "Master Wang, the thirty silver my junior sister gave you was only an advance payment. I'll settle the remaining amount now."

You Su understood swords as well; thirty silver could never possibly pay for a reforge of this quality.

Blacksmith Wang raised his eyelids and said disdainfully, "You're clever, but you can't afford it."

You Su had intended to say that he had money, but then he remembered that no matter how much he had, it was merely silver used by mortals. A true Immortal Sword could not be measured in vulgar currency.

Seeing You Su's hesitant, tongue-tied expression, Blacksmith Wang tugged at the corners of his withered mouth and chuckled. "Of course, I'm not running a charity either. If you want to take the sword, you'll have to agree to one thing."

You Su tightened his grip on the sword, then suddenly loosened it. He could barely protect himself now, so how could he make promises to someone else?

"Don't rush to return it. You haven't even heard what it is yet." Blacksmith Wang exhaled a mouthful of foul smoke. "The swords forged by the Treasure Forging Sect are unparalleled beneath heaven, and the swords forged by its sect master, Venerable Ye Qing, are even fought over by countless cultivators. This old man may be untalented, but I've had a few minor clashes with Venerable Ye Qing. All you need to do is promise me that you'll defeat a cultivator carrying a sword forged by Venerable Ye Qing."

You Su had never expected that an old blacksmith in such a remote little city could have any connection to a figure like Venerable Ye Qing. One had to reach the Void Glimpse Realm to earn the title of Venerable. Across the Five Continents, a Venerable was unquestionably an existence standing at the pinnacle of the cultivation world.

Seeing You Su hesitate, Blacksmith Wang sat upright and snorted. "I'm not asking you to fight Venerable Ye Qing himself, so what are you afraid of? There's no shortage of Wine Pouch Rice Bags among cultivators. With their backgrounds, they can get a sword forged by a Venerable just as easily. Why are you too cowardly to fight them?"

"But..."

Apparently afraid that You Su would refuse the sword, Blacksmith Wang hurriedly added, "Besides, this old man doesn't have many years left. You agree first. Once I'm dead, how would I know whether you did it or not?"

"Please don't say that. I agree." You Su truly could not bear to return the sword, and besides, he would not be able to find another sword this well suited to him in the short term. "Rest assured. Anything I promise, I'll definitely do."

Blacksmith Wang was satisfied and took another puff of his pipe.

Just then, two youths dressed in finery and carrying themselves with impressive airs entered the shop. They had been wearing obsequious smiles, but the moment they saw You Su inside, their expressions turned vicious. One of the slighter youths pointed at You Su and was about to demand an explanation, but his companion stopped him. Only then did he remember that this was that old eccentric's iron shop.

Through their unique and familiar auras, You Su sensed that these two were the people who often made things difficult for him. The shorter one was called Wu Ping, and the taller one Wu Cheng. Both were disciples of the Sky Guard Sect, the largest sect in Chuyun City.

Unwilling to invite more trouble, You Su put away Ink Pine Sword and bid farewell to Blacksmith Wang.

"Master Wang, I'll be going now."

"Go on." Blacksmith Wang nodded, then his tone changed as he turned and asked Wu Ping and Wu Cheng with a hostile look, "Aren't you two going to get lost?"

Though Wu Cheng was inwardly displeased that the blind man could make the old eccentric speak so amiably, he maintained his courtesy on the surface and said with a fawning smile, "Please don't be angry, Master Wang. We came at our master's request to ask about an important matter."

"What matter?"

"Uncle-Master He from the sect has been missing for five days. Although Uncle-Master He is foolish and aloof by nature and likes to travel alone, someone would still see him from time to time. This time, however, we can't find him anywhere, so our master specially sent disciples out to investigate. Do you happen to have seen him, Master Wang?"

"Never. Now get lost." Blacksmith Wang tapped the ash from his pipe and dismissed them without mercy.

You Su had not yet gone far when he heard the words "Uncle-Master He," and quietly quickened his pace.