Blood Patterned Steel

The six arts of a scholar were ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. Archery and charioteering concerned horseback archery; "charioteering" meant horsemanship. After crossing four bustling streets, a distance of five thousand paces, Hong Yi arrived at Guan Shi Shop, an archery store on the eastern side of Yujing. These scholars and Imperial Academy students buy bows only to hang in their studies and show off that they've mastered all six arts. In truth, I've hardly seen any scholars who have truly mastered all six. As Hong Yi lingered and looked around, a neat, brisk shop assistant immediately came over to greet him. "A fine bow. You can tell from the sound alone. This is the one." Hong Yi took a few breaths to steady himself before speaking, but he was secretly astonished. The swords on the second floor were all displayed on racks, gleaming brightly and spotless. Their keen edges made it clear they were forged from the finest steel. "Bring me a Chestnut-Wood Ox-Horn Silk Bow with a draw weight of sixty catties." Hong Yi looked at the bow the assistant had recommended, its body lacquered in glittering gold and decorated with magpies painted in vermilion. But he knew it was all show and no substance, a mere ornament for someone's study. The shop was crowded with people coming and going, most of them scholars dressed in blue robes, along with Imperial Academy students in their academy uniforms and square caps, the two ties at the sides of their cap brims dangling down. There were also some muscular warriors dressed in foreign garb. The New Year was only eight or nine days away, and every shop in Yujing was especially lively. Before him stood a storefront, a three-story building lining the street, with a large signboard bearing gold-painted characters. The principles of the six arts were the principles of reading and archery. Gripping the bow, Hong Yi silently recited the inner principles of archery among the six arts: "Center the heart: harbor no wicked thoughts, let no distractions arise. Sincerity of intent: fix your intent on the target before you, and remain mindful of both inside and out. Preserve the spirit: move and rest with ease, dispelling clamor and delusion. Perfect stillness: keep your breath calm and your mind at ease; even when shooting at an enemy on the battlefield, let your expression remain unchanged." After drawing the bow once, Hong Yi finally understood why archery and horsemanship were the most basic and most important parts of martial training. The army's examinations tested them too. The Imperial Academy was the imperial court's university; there could be no women there. His movements followed the bow-drawing technique of the Ox Demon Great Strength Fist. Hong Yi laid out seven one-li silver coins. Just as he was about to head back to practice drawing the bow and build his strength, the assistant smiled and bowed repeatedly. "Judging by the way you draw a bow, Young Master, you must excel at both letters and arms. Would you care to buy a sword as well?" "You have an excellent eye, Young Master. The bows from Guan Shi Shop are the best in the world, every one of them a fine piece. That'll be seven silver ingots." Hearing that Hong Yi was buying a bow, the assistant immediately beamed. Hong Yi was observant and quick to notice details; at a glance, he had already formed a fairly good guess. After drawing the bow, his whole body felt as if his tendons had been fiercely twisted. His waist, legs, abdomen, arms, back, and neck all ached faintly, so badly that he could hardly speak. "Piercing a louse" was a level beyond "shooting a willow leaf from a hundred paces." "This way, Young Master. Please come up to the second floor." The assistant led him upstairs enthusiastically. There he saw a young man wearing the Imperial Academy's uniform, waving a plain white fan, with two burly, imposing men following behind—obviously skilled guards. The Great Gan Dynasty's might shook the four seas, and its weapon-making was first-rate. What was more, Yujing was the greatest center for trade and exchange. The shops here carried all manner of rare and strange wares. People from the western nation of Huoluo, the eastern nation of Yunmeng, the western nation of Yuantu, and the southern nations of Divine Wind and Liuzhu all traveled thousands of miles to Yujing to buy goods. "All right." Luckily, I recently collected a hundred taels of silver and ten gold coins from the account room. That's enough to buy some good things. Too bad I can't buy a horse. Still, a bow should be enough for strength training. Let me see how this one handles. The Great Gan Dynasty's weapons laws were simple: crossbows were forbidden, bows were not; sabers were forbidden, swords were not. Ordinary people could buy swords and take them home to keep, but they could not walk around with them in the streets. Otherwise, they would be arrested. Only scholars who had passed the county-level examination could carry swords. As for sabers and spears, their sale was forbidden, let alone carrying them in the streets. According to legend, after ancient times, there had been a master archer who hung a louse a hundred paces away and shot an arrow straight through it. This feat had been recorded in the classics ever since, and had become famous far and wide. Over time, "piercing a louse" had come to represent the pinnacle of archery. At the same time, he turned his big toes outward and dug in with his little toes, spread his knees, drew in his buttocks, subtly thrust his waist forward, pushed his chest out, and pointed his navel toward the ground, lowering his center of gravity. "Young Master, this is the finest sword in Guan Shi Shop. If it still doesn't satisfy you, then wait a few days. Even if you want a divine weapon forged from Heavenly Ladder Patterned Steel, Ice Crack Patterned Steel, or Chrysanthemum Patterned Steel, we can procure one for you. You'll only need to pay a deposit. But a Blood Patterned Steel sword? I've never even heard of one." The name Guan Shi Shop was itself a clever choice, a testament to the pinnacle of bow-making. Twang! The bow bent into a full moon. When he released the string, it gave off a crisp, forceful, solid sound. "Customer, what kind of bow would you like? We have ox-tendon bows, silk bows, python-tendon bows, and bows made of bamboo, mulberry, and chestnut wood, as well as fine tô wood. You look like a young scholar in a blue robe, so you should get this gold-lacquered bow painted with magpies. Hang it in your study and it'll be both elegant and a fine display of martial spirit..." Guan Shi Shop's second floor held far fewer customers, because a fine sword cost much more than a bow. Hong Yi had barely stepped upstairs when he heard a voice. "Blood Patterned Steel is smelted in a furnace by Daoists, its interior threaded with veins of red like human flesh. It's an immortal weapon for spirit-driven flying swords, used to assassinate people. Yujing in the Great Gan Dynasty has everything under the sun, and is full of Daoist temples. How could it not have something like that?" Hong Yi entered the shop and saw many scholars and Imperial Academy students buying bows. He thought to himself, So this is what Guan Shi Shop looks like. The walls were covered with bows of every kind for customers to choose from. Hong Yi walked closer and examined the longbows and shortbows. Hong Yi took the bow and ran his hand along it, unable to suppress a flicker of excitement. This bow cost seven or eight taels of silver. At the Marquis Mansion, he earned only four taels a month. After buying paper, ink, food, clothes, firewood, charcoal, lamp oil, and the rest, he could never have saved enough for it. In the early days of the Great Gan Dynasty, martial training had been valued. But after a long period of peace and strict controls, literary pursuits had eclipsed martial ones. Moreover, twenty years ago, the imperial court had removed horseback archery from the civil service examinations, judging candidates purely by their literary skills. The dynasty had embraced peace, its weapons stored away and its horses sent to pasture. Nowadays, few scholars were accomplished in both letters and arms. "Hmm? I can actually tell whether someone has martial training just by looking at them? My eye has grown sharper." Hong Yi was utterly startled. The assistant quickly brought over a bow. It was of medium length, with a taut, powerful string. "This is Guan Shi Shop's finest sword. If you're still not satisfied, then wait a few days. Even if you want a divine weapon forged from Heavenly Ladder Patterned Steel, Ice Crack Patterned Steel, or Chrysanthemum Patterned Steel, we can procure one for you. You'll only need to pay a deposit. But a Blood Patterned Steel sword? I've never even heard of one." "Hmm? But that can't be. Unless... unless she's a royal princess from one of the surrounding nations, here in Yujing to study. She wants to buy Blood Patterned Steel?" Hong Yi suddenly realized his perception had changed. His eyes had grown sharper. After practicing advanced fist and footwork for so many days, leaving his body as a wandering spirit every day to watch Hong Xuejiao practice her forms, and studying the Martial Classic, he had mulled over the techniques and sharpened his powers of observation. He could see that most of the scholars and Imperial Academy students buying bows had no martial training at all. Their flesh hung slack, with none of the taut, solid strength that came from exercise. The young man waved his fan and spoke to himself, sounding clear and unlike a man. Hong Yi stole a glance and saw no Adam's apple. It was a woman disguised as a young gentleman. No wonder drawing a bow is the foremost way to train strength. The ancient sages even made it one of the six arts. Martial training offers all kinds of ways to build strength—carrying iron sand, strapping on lead weights, putting pressure on the waist and abdomen, rolling stone balls, playing with stone locks, lifting spears and staffs—but none compare to drawing a bow. I drew it only once, without even aiming, and already feel as if my whole body is about to split apart. Never mind shooting arrow after arrow, each one hitting the target. After silently reciting these principles, Hong Yi felt his breath grow steady and his mind calm.