Chapter 62: Forging the Blade

The brief exchange with Wu Feng gave Cheng Feng a sense of crisis.

Looking at how he was still missing a blade.

Cheng Feng finally remembered that he still had a rusty blade.

The study and practice of the blade manual had been progressing slowly.

But recently there were some extra matters, and the blade manual study, which had not yet become a Panmian skill, was also placed last by Cheng Feng.

Cheng Feng was also helpless, but there was no other way.

One thing after another, it all piled up.

By comparison, he could only put effort into his weapon.

Fortunately, he had obtained some silver dividends, otherwise he wouldn't even be able to afford an Ordinary iron blade.

Taking the rusty blade, he made a trip to the renowned Tielutiejiangpu.

He wondered if the Martial Artist's blade in his hand was made with special materials.

Cheng Feng had always felt that the skeleton at the bottom of the lake was not simple.

He carried one hundred and fifty taels of silver on his person.

That was equivalent to carrying three houses on his person.

How could he end up doing poorly with that?

There was also the blade manual; Cheng Feng still hadn't reached the entry level.

Ever since the New Year, Cheng Feng hadn't gone to learn characters anymore; he had learned enough in three months.

At the very least, Cheng Feng had recognized all the characters in the blade manual.

Later, there were some extra matters, so Cheng Feng had temporarily brought it to a close.

A muscular man covered in bulging muscles came out of the blacksmith shop.

After Cheng Feng explained his purpose, he handed the rusty blade to the muscular man. The muscular man took the blade, examined it carefully for a while, then frowned and said, "This blade does look like it has some years on it, but it's just an Ordinary iron blade."

Cheng Feng was a bit disappointed, but still asked, "Is it really an Ordinary iron blade? Then can you help me see if this blade can still be melted down and forged into a different style?"

The muscular man nodded, took the blade, and made a few marks on a stone; deep traces were left on the stone. "Hmm, no problem, and the hardness of this blade is quite good; it would be suitable if re-smelted."

Cheng Feng discussed the style with this blacksmith master again; the old style definitely couldn't be used anymore. He drew out the Xiuchun Dao style he had long thought of, which he had bought on Taobao in his previous life.

Its shape, size, the curvature of the edge, and the design of the hilt were all clearly outlined on the paper.

As the lines gradually intertwined into a complete pattern, an exquisite Xiuchun Dao leaped onto the paper.

The blade was sharp and tough, as if it could cut through any obstacle; the hilt fit the palm, and the grip was comfortable and stable. Cheng Feng also specially added some unique decorative elements to give the whole blade more artistic sense and individual charm.

When he finished this drawing, a look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He believed that this experienced master would definitely be able to understand the subtlety contained within and forge a work exactly like the Miao Dao in his memory.

The blacksmith master also praised the blade for being designed with great aesthetic appeal.

Cheng Feng felt a surge of joy in his heart and hurriedly asked, "Then may I ask how much it costs to smelt and re-forge this blade?"

The muscular man looked at Cheng Feng and held up five fingers. Cheng Feng's heart tightened; could it be fifty taels?

That was too expensive! He gritted his teeth and asked, "Fifty taels?" The muscular man shook his head and said, "It's five taels."

Cheng Feng breathed a sigh of relief; five taels were still within his acceptable range. He took out five taels of silver, handed them to the muscular man, and said, "Then I'll trouble you."

The blacksmith took the silver, swung the blade once more, then called out an apprentice to have Cheng Feng sign and seal the receipt.

Cheng Feng took the receipt and left.

But not long after, a servant's voice came from behind: "Guest, wait, wait, there is a problem with your blade."

Cheng Feng was baffled; he had just handed the blade over, what kind of problem could there be?

Cheng Feng wanted to understand more, but the servant said the master smith had discovered a problem with the blade and asked him to go back; it should be a good thing.

Cheng Feng felt a surge of joy in his heart; was something discovered?

He gave the servant two large coins.

Cheng Feng left the servant behind and returned to the blacksmith shop himself.

This time, the person receiving Cheng Feng was an old master.

The old master had the blade placed beside him and was drinking tea.

Cheng Feng stepped forward and cupped his hands: "Old sir, greetings. Is there a problem with my blade?"

The old sir first took a look at Cheng Feng.

Then he invited Cheng Feng to sit down, had the muscular man from earlier keep him company, and then said to Cheng Feng: "Little brother, don't be anxious; this blade is not an Ordinary iron blade." The old master said slowly, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

Cheng Feng was startled; it was just as he had expected, this blade definitely had some secret.

"I have been a blacksmith for a lifetime, and I have only seen a good blade of this material once or twice." The old master put down his teacup and stood up. "This blade was cast from a mixture of rare materials; it is tougher and sharper than ordinary Swords."

Hearing this, Cheng Feng was secretly happy.

"This blade was made by mixing red gold, soft silver, black steel stone, and several other special materials; my apprentice's eyes were deceived," the old master continued.

Watching the slow tone of the old master speaking to him, Cheng Feng felt a slight sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, the old master continued: "But precisely because this blade was misjudged by my eldest apprentice, this receipt is no longer valid."

Cheng Feng was puzzled: "Old master, what does this mean?"

"Because of the materials—these materials are undoubtedly quite precious. To tell you the truth, I can procure some of these materials here, but the price is indeed not cheap; it really cannot be bought with your five taels of silver."

"I have two plans here; see what you think. First, the five taels of silver will be returned to you, and I will add another five taels as compensation for your loss. We won't forge this blade; you may seek a more capable person elsewhere. In business, one speaks of business; if I were to do this deal, I reckon this shop would lose more than half its value. I am truly ashamed."

"Second, if you want to re-forge it, that is also possible, but you must add some more silver. We will add some more special materials, and I will halve the cost of the materials as your compensation. I, the old man, will personally forge a blade that is absolutely suitable for you, following your design drawing. Looking at the weight of this blade, two blades can be forged; the weight and quality will definitely not be inferior."

Seeing the old master speaking with such sincerity, the anger in Cheng Feng's heart dissipated by more than half. Hearing that the old master would personally take action, Cheng Feng was even more overjoyed.

The material costs were halved, the old master was personally taking action, and he could even get two blades.

The old master's Pile Stance of one thing after another had already left Cheng Feng so dazed he couldn't find north.

Happiness had come too suddenly.

Suddenly, Cheng Feng thought of something: "Then how many more taels of silver do I need to pay?"

The old master hesitated for a moment and held up five fingers.

Cheng Feng raised an eyebrow: "Five taels?"

The burly blacksmith to the side said: "It is fifty taels."

Cheng Feng bristled; this was even after the price had been halved, if it hadn't been halved, it would have been one hundred taels.

Cheng Feng asked skeptically: "Are the materials for this Sword so valuable?"

The burly blacksmith was about to explain,

when the old master shouted angrily: "You shut up."

He then turned to Cheng Feng and said patiently: "A Martial Artist's Sword or blade can be called a Martial Artist's second life, so a Martial Artist's weapons are never cheap. Blades like yours are rarely sold on the market; they are basically bought up by wealthy families and powerful clans as soon as they appear. If you don't want to be inferior to others in terms of weaponry in the future, my advice is that if you can forge a good blade, then forge a good one. Today's matter was because I didn't teach my apprentice well and misjudged the situation. Normally, my labor fee alone would be thirty taels; you can consider it yourself. If you don't believe me, go outside and ask around about the reputation of me, Liu Tiechui."

After speaking, he prepared to pick up his teacup.

Cheng Feng had naturally already asked around; the quality of the blades forged by the blacksmiths here was quite good, and seeing the old master take the patience to say so much, it was likely also for the sake of his reputation.

Cheng Feng had no choice but to say: "Alright then, I will listen to Master Liu, but I will pay twenty-five taels first to make it thirty taels total. May I bring the remaining twenty taels when I come to collect the goods?"

The burly blacksmith to the side said angrily: "We have no such precedent."

Liu Tiechui waved his large hand to interrupt: "It is fine. The little brother is a smart man; I trouble the little brother to keep this matter to himself in the future."

Cheng Feng cupped his fists and said: "Master Liu, rest assured, this one understands."

After writing up a new receipt, Cheng Feng walked slowly home to get the money; the silver he had tucked away hadn't even stayed warm yet, and now it had to come out again.

Inside the blacksmith shop, the burly blacksmith asked: "Master, why do you value this kid so much?"

Liu Tiechui said angrily: "It's because you are useless; you could even get this wrong. Do you think that kid has no background? The competition between the major Martial Arts Halls in a few days is happening because this kid is about to be taken in by Wang Tieshan as a Closed-door Disciple. You caused this slip-up at such a critical juncture; how could people not gossip? We are neutral; we only care about forging iron, and we don't need to worry about the rest. You should study what I left for you properly in the future."

In the following days, Cheng Feng occasionally wandered around the tavern.

During the day, he relied on nourishing pills and steeled his heart, taking them four times a day.

Once in the morning, eating to replenish his strength; once at noon; in the afternoon, eating to replenish his strength; and twice at night.

Following this sequence and frequency,

Cheng Feng had also steeled his resolve.

If there were points, he added them.

If there were no points, he created points to continue adding them.

In any case, Cheng Feng had to work hard.

Four days passed very quickly.

Cheng Feng's footsteps were a bit unsteady, and his state was a bit floaty.

Four days of continuous "sieging cities and capturing strongholds."

Even originally pleasant things felt like being chased and driven by a wolf.

However, the fields would not complain.

They even hoped the old ox would work harder.

As the old saying goes, there are no fields that can be plowed to ruin, only exhausted oxen.

Cheng Feng even had some dark circles under his eyes.

But looking at the Basic Blade Technique 100/100 on the Panmian,

one more day of hard work, and he could upgrade it.

He smiled with satisfaction.