Clang! Clang!
Jin Feng tossed the long blades to the doorway, and Qing Huai immediately rushed over with his guards.
They had stood watch at the shop’s entrance all night.
Even the women preparing to change shifts stopped their work, craning their necks to see the commotion.
“Don’t touch them yet, they’re still hot.”
Seeing Zhang Liang reach for a blade, Jin Feng quickly warned him.
Though the blades had been quenched, they were still very hot, likely to burn skin on contact.
After a night of hard work, Jin Feng was exhausted, only recovering after downing two bowls of millet porridge.
Once the blades had cooled enough, Jin Feng had Man Cang attach the prepared wooden handles, then handed a blade to Qing Huai.
The cooled blade was jet-black, gleaming with a cold sheen.
As a military man, Qing Huai fell in love with it at first sight.
He flicked the blade with his finger, and it let out a crisp, resonant hum that lasted several seconds.
“Good blade!”
Qing Huai couldn’t help but exclaim: “Sir, this blade looks fierce and imposing. Is it sturdy?”
“You saw it yourself, Marquis. This is the first time forging with the new furnace. I can’t say how it turned out, we’ll only know by testing it.”
Being his first attempt at forging in Da Kang, Jin Feng couldn’t guarantee complete success.
“Zhong Wu, bring my sword!”
Qing Huai called out.
“Marquis, your blade was crafted by a master in the capital. If it gets damaged, it’s not worth it. Use mine instead, it’s standard issue. If it breaks, I’ll just get another.”
Zhong Wu ran to his warhorse, unstrapped his sword, and presented it with both hands.
To prevent breaking, Da Kang’s standard military blades were heavy and thick. Zhong Wu’s was no exception.
Over a metre long, more than ten centimetres wide, with a spine an exaggerated one centimetre thick.
This single blade, if melted down, could make three black blades.
“Come, let’s test it.”
Qing Huai didn’t take Zhong Wu’s sword but gripped the black blade’s handle with both hands, ready to strike.
“Marquis, be careful.”
Zhong Wu drew his sword and, without flourish, slashed at the black blade.
Clang!
The blades clashed, emitting a sharp ring.
Zhong Wu’s broadsword snapped in two, the front half falling to the ground with a clatter.
Qing Huai carefully inspected the black blade.
It was pristine, not a single nick on the edge.
“Let’s try this one!”
Qing Huai picked up the other black blade and swung at a nearby wooden post.
Swish!
In a flash, the bowl-sized post was sliced clean through.
The cut was smooth as a mirror!
“Good blade! No, this is a divine weapon!”
Qing Huai’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he caressed the blade, like a lover.
“Sir, could you part with these two blades and sell them to me?”
Holding a blade in each hand, Qing Huai asked sheepishly: “Name your price, sir. As long as I can afford it, I’ll pay without question.”
“Since the Marquis asks, how about trading them for that jade pendant?”
Jin Feng pointed at Qing Huai’s waist.
Qing Huai was a proud man; offering the blades for free would make him uneasy.
Meanwhile, Jin Feng was running low on silver and needed funds.
A fair price would suit both sides.
Without hesitation, Qing Huai unfastened the pendant and handed it to Jin Feng.
Jin Feng accepted it with a smile, tucking it into his pocket.
“Congratulations, Marquis, on acquiring divine weapons. Your humble servant salutes you!”
Zhong Wu tossed aside his broken sword, clasped his fists, and knelt.
The other guards quickly followed suit.
Man Cang trembled with excitement.
Most apprentices slaved for years like mules, their learning dependent on the master’s mood.
Man Cang had prepared to work for Jin Feng for three years without pay.
Yet Jin Feng never treated him as mere labour, never hiding anything from furnace-building to last night’s forging.
Crafting divine weapons like the black blades would surely make Jin Feng famous, and Man Cang, as his apprentice and assistant, would reap endless benefits.
With this thought, Man Cang looked at Jin Feng with gratitude.
He expected Jin Feng to be equally thrilled, but Jin Feng showed no surprise, as if forging such weapons was trivial.
Little did he know, to Jin Feng, it truly was.
In his past life, working part-time at a machinery plant, any blade he made was no worse than the black blade.
Cutting Zhong Wu’s sword wasn’t because the black blade was razor-sharp, but because Zhong Wu’s was too brittle.
Like glass, a small nick on the edge makes it shatter easily.
Similarly, a nick on Zhong Wu’s iron sword made it snap.
If not for the impure pig iron left by the old blacksmith, the lack of coal, and the subpar furnace, Jin Feng could have crafted even better work.
Da Kang’s technology was just too backward.
“I know these divine weapons are worth far more than a jade pendant. Consider me owing you a favour.”
While everyone excitedly passed around the blades, Qing Huai approached Jin Feng, speaking softly.
“You’re overthinking, Marquis. It’s a fair deal, I take the pendant, and we’re square. No debts.”
Jin Feng smiled: “No need to talk of favours, Marquis. Just don’t regret it later.”
“Does sir mean you can make more such divine weapons?”
Qing Huai caught Jin Feng’s implication.
“Why not?”
Jin Feng said: “It’s just time-consuming.”
“Sir, did you learn this technique elsewhere, or is it your own creation?”
Qing Huai pulled Jin Feng back into the smithy, speaking faster.
“I developed it from watching my father forge,” Jin Feng could only say.
“Can such weapons be made just by building this furnace?”
Qing Huai pointed at the furnace.
“The furnace is only part of it. It also requires other methods and my special mineral powder.”
“Does anyone else know the powder’s formula?”
“No.”
“Sir, such divine weapons, if used well, could be vital for Da Kang. Please don’t share this technique.”
“Don’t worry, I plan to make a living with this skill.”
Jin Feng laughed.
Two black blades for a jade pendant. If he did nothing else, forging a pair every ten days or so, he’d never lack money.
“If you’re thinking that way, I’d like to propose a deal.”
Qing Huai said: “If you’re willing to teach this craft to the court, name any price, and I guarantee the court will agree. If you seek recognition, I can recommend you for a post at the Artisan Bureau. With your talent, you’d quickly rise there!”
