The Person Erased from Nothing

When Ren Qing arrived at the Blacksmith Shop, the door was tightly shut, and Liu Hu's thunderous snoring came from within.

He had no choice but to find a nearby Tea House to kill time.

But before Ren Qing could wait for Liu Hu to wake up, he heard a commotion outside the tea house, with crowds of people bustling and discussing something.

Ren Qing walked to the window and looked toward the end of the street.

He spotted quite a few Constables escorting five Fire Workers to the Yamen, seemingly arriving from outside the city.

Could they be the Fire Workers from Hexing Street?

He recalled that nine people had been dispatched to deal with the plague, yet five had survived.

Ren Qing listened to the public's reaction—all were worried the plague would spread to Sanxiang City, so they kept their distance from those Fire Workers.

He felt it wasn't that simple; the plague outside the city likely involved the Forbidden Zone, but fortunately, the Forbidden Guard bore the risk.

On the surface, Sanxiang City still appeared prosperous, even if people went missing or died every day.

After all, there were over a hundred thousand people here, and most citizens lived fairly ordinary lives.

As evening approached, Ren Qing finally stepped into the Blacksmith Shop, glad he hadn't made the trip for nothing.

A few days unseen, Liu Hu's exposed skin on his chest and abdomen was covered in burn marks, and his eyes were bloodshot from staying up late.

Liu Hu yawned: "Wu'ai, when I get busy, day and night blur together."

"You're pushing yourself too hard."

"The forging process simply can't be interrupted, otherwise it might affect the quality of the blade—can't be careless."

Ren Qing noticed the Great Miao Saber hanging on the wall.

"Wait."

Liu Hu took down the Great Miao Saber and handed it to Ren Qing with both hands: "The Great Miao Saber is forged, but it's an odd, unconventional blade—hard to use."

Ren Qing felt his arm sink as he took it and couldn't help examining the Great Miao Saber.

The blade was nearly four feet long, the scabbard made of wood wrapped in brass as decoration, giving it a rugged beauty.

"Not bad, right? This took a lot of effort to forge."

Ren Qing praised with a delighted expression: "As expected of Sanxiang City's famous blacksmith—your skill in forging blades is truly masterful."

Liu Hu proudly explained: "To forge such a long, narrow blade as one piece requires patient hammering into shape, otherwise the nearly four-foot edge might develop cracks, leaving hidden flaws."

Ren Qing said sincerely: "Thank you."

Even without drawing it, the weight alone proved it was made of genuine material.

Liu Hu watched Ren Qing caress the scabbard with fondness and couldn't help adding: "I was worried the Great Miao Saber would be too heavy, but I didn't expect you to have such strength."

"About right."

For Ren Qing, wielding the saber one-handed might be a bit tricky, but the Great Miao Saber could be held with both hands.

That way, the weight of the Great Miao Saber actually became an advantage.

Ren Qing couldn't wait to draw the Great Miao Saber, and a dazzling cold light flashed through the Blacksmith Shop.

The blade reflected a clear image like a mirror, and the edge had wavy quenching patterns.

"Why isn't it sharpened?"

Liu Hu laughed: "Since it's your blade, sharpen it yourself—it'll help you get to know the Great Miao Saber better."

"Fine."

Liu Hu briefly taught Ren Qing the technique of sharpening, then gifted him a palm-sized Whetstone.

With Ren Qing's eyesight, sharpening was no problem, and he could even do it far more precisely than Liu Hu, since he could attend to the finest details.

"No matter the blade, seventy percent depends on forging, and the remaining thirty on maintenance."

Liu Hu took out a porcelain bottle filled with Blade Oil, which applied daily could prevent the blade from rusting and extend its life.

He began explaining the key points.

Ren Qing sat cross-legged on the floor, listening patiently, then casually picked up the Great Miao Saber.

He wet the Whetstone with a bit of water and ran the edge across it, the metal friction producing a harsh screech.

"You..."

Liu Hu flew into a rage—he'd just said not to be careless with the blade, and now Ren Qing was sharpening it so casually, as if he had no respect.

Wait!!!

Liu Hu's expression turned strange. He noticed Ren Qing's sharpening motion was extremely steady, without even the slightest variation.

And with the Great Miao Saber's four-foot blade, the sharpening sound from start to finish was identical—simply unbelievable.

Liu Hu didn't even dare to interrupt, quietly waiting for Ren Qing to finish sharpening the Great Miao Saber, a look of admiration spreading across his face.

He said with relief: "Ren Qing, with talent like yours, if you put it into..."

"Let me try the Great Miao Saber first."

Ren Qing's hands itched as he gripped the saber with both hands and swung it. At first, his movements were clumsy, but with the Double Pupils in use, they grew increasingly fluid.

Though it was a four-foot Great Miao Saber, and he stood in the cramped confines of the Blacksmith Shop, surrounded by piled-up furniture and odds and ends, Ren Qing still managed to unleash the saber's ferocious momentum to its fullest.

Clang!!!

He sheathed the blade.

Turning to Liu Hu, he asked, "Brother Liu, what were you about to say just now?"

"Uh."

Liu Hu's mouth twitched, a cold bead of sweat dripping from his forehead.

He gave an awkward smile and said, "Nothing. The Great Miao Saber hasn't been wasted in your hands. I just hope it's still intact and unharmed a few years from now."

"It's getting late. I'm heading back to the Yamen. If Brother Liu needs anything, you can send word to the Fire Refining Hall on Tan Street."

"Then I'll go back to catching up on sleep. This deal was a loss-making venture anyway."

In truth, the Great Miao Saber was better suited for mounted combat, tied to a horse's back for quick draw.

But Ren Qing found it awkward—it dragged on the ground when hung at his waist, and was hard to draw from his back. So he simply tied a slipknot to fasten it across his back, ready to loosen and pull the whole blade free at any moment.

He headed straight for the Yamen. Passersby turned their heads at the sight of the Great Miao Saber, even drawing gasps from children.

Some of the martial artists among them wore expressions of faint disdain.

A blade that long—wielding it would surely end in self-injury.

Once back at the Fire Refining Hall, Ren Qing wrapped the Great Miao Saber in cloth strips. That way, even when carrying it, others would only see a thin rod.

Xiao Wu touched the Great Miao Saber with envy. He could barely swing it, but his arm would soon ache and go weak.

"Qing Ge'er, did you know those fire refiners from Hexing Street came back today?"

"I saw them with my own eyes."

The fire refiners from their Tan Street and those from Hexing Street shared the same Fire Refining Hall, so Xiao Wu couldn't help but worry.

"By the way, what about the five of them?"

"They say the plague outside the city is severe. After they returned, they were locked up in Sibu Hall. Should be let out in a few days."

Li Mian passed by and added, "It was four, actually."

Ren Qing frowned, about to argue, when he suddenly sensed that the fire refiners in his memory had grown blurry, their figures fading from five to four.

One of them seemed erased from existence.

Li Mian added, "Ask Li Heng. He saw those four fire refiners when they entered the Yamen too."

Li Heng was sweeping dust off the steps. Hearing this, he nodded. "It was four, that's right."

Ren Qing relaxed his furrowed brow and carefully replayed the memory in his mind several times. Indeed, there were only four fire refiners.

He must have misremembered just now...