In the next few days, Qin Tiexin was no longer in a hurry to practice.
The injury was 80% to 90% healed. There was only a faint sense of soreness in his ribs and back, and there was no longer any blockage in the movement of his spiritual power. But he did not start exercising immediately, nor did he go to the Cultivation Method Pavilion to select Body Refining Cultivation Method.
He is waiting.
Wait for the best situation.
Repairing Edgeless was a big deal, and Master said he had to keep an eye on it, so he couldn't be careless. He felt that he was only a thin layer of paper away from the fifth level of Qi refining, and could be pierced at any time. When he broke through, his spiritual power would be stronger, and his control would be more precise, it wouldn't be too late to take action at that time.
Most of the time, he stayed in cave abode.
I read "The Preliminary Interpretation of Organ Nature" and "The Theory of Resonance of Spiritual Materials" over and over again. The edges of the pages were rubbed a little and there were some of his own handwriting in the margins. The handwriting was clumsy, but every stroke was drawn carefully.
What Luo Ling said that day lingers in my mind.
"The tools are made according to the people".
Qin Tiexin took out the short knife and placed it on the left hand side. He also took out two Edgeless broken blades and placed them on the right hand side.
There are two knives, one is complete and the other is broken; one is brand new and the other is old; one is exquisite and the other is rough.
He held the dagger in his left hand and the broken handle of Edgeless in his right hand.
Close your eyes.
The touch of the short knife is clear: the thickness of the handle is just right for the hand, the anti-slip pattern is stuck between the fingers, the center of gravity is forward, and there is a natural and smooth feeling when swinging.
Where is Edgeless?
He recalled the feeling when he held the knife for the first time.
It's heavy, very heavy. The handle of the knife is thicker than ordinary knives, so it's a bit difficult to hold. The center of gravity is too far forward, and it is powerful when cutting, but it is slow to move. The blade... He has never used the blade properly.
Qin Tiexin opened his eyes and looked at the crack at the fracture of Edgeless.
The crack started from the middle of the blade, extended diagonally upwards, and finally broke off completely at the back of the blade. The cross section was uneven, and the texture inside the metal could be seen - the marks left by his repeated forgings.
He ran his fingers over the section.
Under the touch of cold metal, it seems that you can still feel some kind of subtle "pain".
It's not his own pain, it's the pain of the knife.
This idea is a bit absurd, but Qin Tiexin doesn't find it ridiculous. The master said "Law Artifact has a spirit", and Old Wu also said "the sword has a soul". In the past, he only thought it was a metaphor, but now he can vaguely feel something.
Edgeless accompanied him to strike iron, chop people, and break bones. Every scratch on the blade was a mark of his battle.
What should such a knife look like?
He remembered the scene when he forged Edgeless.
I didn't know anything at that time, I just knew that it should be heavy, strong, and suitable for my own strength.
But now that I think about it more carefully, many places are indeed inappropriate.
The center of gravity is too forward, which is suitable for chopping, but not suitable for changing moves. The handle of the knife is too thick, and your hands will become sore if you hold it for a long time. The blade is not opened properly, and it is easy to chip when cutting hard objects.
He was not aware of these shortcomings before, maybe he was aware of them but didn't care. Now with comparison, Master's demonstration, and the perfectly fitting short sword as a reference, everything became clear.
Qin Tiexin picked up the charcoal pencil and drew on the paper.
First draw what Edgeless looks like now: thick and rough, with broken lines marked with dotted lines.
Then draw what he imagined: the blade is slightly narrowed, the center of gravity is moved three points to the handle, the thickness of the handle is adjusted, the blade angle...
While drawing, he stopped.
The knife on the paper looks less and less like Edgeless.
He looked at the drawing in silence for a long time, then crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the corner.
No.
It's not about making a new knife, it's about repairing Edgeless.
It is to make it more suitable for you on the original basis, rather than turning it into another knife.
In addition to studying, Qin Tiexin also did another thing these days.
He went to the Waste Equipment Pavilion three times. Last time, Master Wu didn't look like "nothing was wrong".
The first time I went there, Old Wu was squatting by the stove repairing a shield. When he saw Qin Tiexin, he raised his eyelids, then lowered his head and continued to hammer without saying anything.
Qin Tiexin didn't say anything, put down the wine and meat he brought, stood beside him for a while, and then left.
The second time we went, Old Wu was sorting out the scrap pile. Qin Tiexin walked over to help, and the two of them sorted a pile of rusted swords in silence. Before leaving, Old Wu said, "Is the injury healed?"
"It's almost ready."
"Hmm."
The third time I went was in the evening.
When Qin Tiexin walked into the Waste Equipment Pavilion, Old Wu was sitting at the workbench, staring at an oil lamp in a daze. The flame of the lamp danced, casting a shaking shadow on his face.
There is a pot of wine and two bowls on the table.
Old Wu didn't look back and said in a hoarse voice, "Sit."
Qin Tiexin Sit down.
Old Wu poured two bowls of wine and pushed one bowl over. He picked up the other bowl and drank it down. His Adam's apple rolled and the wine flowed down the corners of his mouth and soaked his clothes.
He put down the bowl and looked at Qin Tiexin. His eyes were cloudy, but there was an indescribable clarity in his eyes.
"Whatever you want to ask, just ask."
Qin Tiexin is silent.
He wanted to ask many questions: What is the relationship between Master and you? Why do you feel like that when you hear her name? What is the story of those two hundred years?
But when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back.
In the end, he just said, "Uncle Master, if you want to say it, I will listen."
Old Wu laughed, the laughter was as dry as a broken bellows.
"You brat..." He shook his head and poured another bowl of wine, "Okay, let me say. After all, these things have been suppressed for two hundred years, so it's time to find someone to talk to."
He picked up the bowl and didn't drink. He just looked at the wine in the bowl.
"Two hundred years ago, I was still a disciple of the Lingxi Sect. At that time, I was also a genius in refining weapons. I was a junior weapon refining master at the age of twenty, and became a senior master at the age of thirty. Everyone in the sect said that I have a chance to become the legendary master craftsman."
"Luo Ling... She was not called True Person at that time, but she was Luo Ling. She is the number one weapon refining genius of Liuyun Sect. She is a few years younger than me, but her talent is not inferior to mine. We got to know each other when the two sects communicated."
Old Wu paused, his eyes drifting away, as if he was looking at something from long ago.
"Our concepts are similar, but also different. She values 'quality', and I also valued 'quality' at that time, but our understandings are different. She thinks quality is 'fit', and I think quality is 'extreme'."
"We have argued many times and cooperated many times. We have argued and cooperated and cooperated..."
He didn't say any more, but Qin Tiexin understood.
Young geniuses, similar pursuits, and exchanges of ideas day after day. Their feelings naturally took root and sprouted.
"What happened next?" Qin Tiexin asked.
"Later... as you know." Old Wu lowered his voice, "Lingxi Sect was destroyed."
Six words, light and airy, but as heavy as a mountain.
"Overnight, the mountain gate was destroyed and all the disciples were dead. When I rushed back from Liuyun Sect... there was only ruins left."
He picked up the bowl, his hands shaking, and some wine spilled out.
"I checked, but there are no clues. I don't know who the enemy is."
"At that time, I wanted to take revenge like crazy. But I didn't even know who my enemy was, so how could I take revenge?"
Old Wu stared at the wine in the bowl with empty eyes.
"At that time, Luo Ling was about to form an elixir... We made an appointment that when I also form an elixir, we would propose marriage to the elders of the two sects."
He twitched the corners of his mouth and smiled uglier than crying.
"But I can't do it anymore. The sect is gone, the revenge has not been avenged, and the road ahead is dangerous. I don't know what day she will die outside. I can't drag her along."
"So I left a letter saying that I had another way to find and asked her not to wait. Then I left alone and never came back."
Qin Tiexin Listen quietly.
He could imagine the scene: young Master Wu standing in front of the ruins, with the bones of his master behind him, an unknown enemy in front of him, and a girl who couldn't let go in his heart.
Then choose to go alone.
"Wandering around outside, looking for clues and enemies. I found some clues, but I still don't know who it is."
"Later, I was injured once, and my cultivation level dropped to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. By the time I realized that I needed to practice and improve myself, I ran out of time. My lifespan was short, my meridians were solidified, and it was difficult to improve my cultivation level."
Old Wu put down the bowl and stretched out his right hand.
The palms are rough and covered with calluses, but if you look carefully, you can see several dark scars spreading from the wrist to the forearm, entrenched under the skin like earthworms.
"The injury is healed, but Dao Path is also broken. Frustrated, I returned to Liuyun Sect under an assumed name and hid in the Wasted Equipment Pavilion."
"I heard before that Luo Ling went to the Shang Sect for further study. I thought... well, she is more talented than me and should have a better future. I am a useless person, so why bother me anymore."
He raised his head and looked at Qin Tiexin with complicated eyes.
"She has become a golden elixir True Person, and has a lifespan of a thousand years. What about me? Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and has less than twenty years left to live. Why should we meet? It only annoys her and reminds me of my failure in this life."
It became quiet in the pavilion.
There was only the crackling sound of the burning oil lamp and the faint chirping of insects in the distance.
Qin Tiexin looked at Old Wu.
That old face had deep wrinkles and his eyes were cloudy. But if you look carefully, you can see a very faint light in the turbid depths that belonged to the genius weapon refiner two hundred years ago.
Pride, guilt, inferiority, unwillingness... all mixed together to create this pot of bitter wine.
He picked up his bowl of wine and drank it in one gulp.
The wine is very spicy and burns my throat.
"Uncle Master." Qin Tiexin put down the bowl and said in a very soft voice, "You are not a useless person."
Old Wu said nothing.
"You taught me the resonance forging method, the nesting of spiritual patterns, and taught me a lot." Qin Tiexin said.
Old Wu still didn't answer, just lowered his head and looked at his scarred hands.
After a long moment, he waved his hand.
"Go back. Don't tell her these things..."
Qin Tiexin stood up, bowed deeply, turned and left.
When he walked to the door, he heard the voice of Old Wu coming from behind him, very softly, as if talking to himself:
"Tiexin... Study hard, that short sword... she made it well."
Qin Tiexin paused for a moment, did not look back, and continued walking out.
The night is already dark.
As he was walking back to Luoling Peak, his mind was filled with Old Wu's words.
Two hundred years of past events can be described in six words: love, separation, and waste.
But behind those six words, are how many days and nights of struggle, how many impulses to look back, and how many bottles of bitter wine are endless?
Qin Tiexin raised his head and looked towards the top of Luoling Peak.
In the direction of Zhuxintang, the red light of the underground fire is faintly visible.
What is Master doing now? Refining weapons? Reading books? Or... occasionally think of the person who left without saying goodbye two hundred years ago? Or has he forgotten?
He doesn't know.
But he knows one thing: there are some things that should be said and some people that should be met.
Just not now.
It's not for him to say.