Chapter 62

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"Are you really not going to attend the wedding?"

The next morning, in front of the Zhang family business, Zhang Yun, who had come to see him off, said this. Zhang Jian, who was saddling up Zhaoyao, replied while tightening the straps.

"If I go to a place where all the family and relatives are gathered, I won't have a good time."

Zhang Yun nodded. His words were true. While his sister Zhang Yan would be happy, his mother Lady Yang and the elders of the family would not welcome Zhang Jian's appearance.

"Just send my regards."

"…Alright. Tell her that you're doing well and that your martial arts have become even stronger."

Zhang Jian smiled and climbed onto the saddle. He then looked around at Zhang Yun's family, who had come to see him off, and at Jixi, who had brought him the medal and silver coins early in the morning. The two siblings looked dejected, and Yan also seemed reluctant. Jixi, on the other hand, seemed to have other worries.

But when she met Zhang Jian's eyes, she smiled and nodded. Zhang Jian, who didn't want to get further involved with the martial arts alliance, didn't ask any more questions. He simply nodded back and turned his gaze to the siblings. His older brother Zhang Shang looked up at him and said,

"Will you come to play again later?"

"Will you?"

Zhang Ying, standing beside him, echoed her brother's words. Zhang Jian couldn't help but smile at the sight of the children.

"Yes, later."

Wearing a bamboo hat, Zhang Jian answered and then grabbed the brim of the hat, bowing slightly to Yan, Zhang Yun, and Jixi. He then gently tugged on Zhaoyao's reins. Zhaoyao, who had been lazing around for a few days, snorted in annoyance and started walking slowly.

Zhang Jian thus left the Zhang family business, with Zhang Yun's family and Jixi watching him go. After a moment, Zhang Yun's family entered the business to start another busy day. Only Jixi remained, watching Zhang Jian as he grew distant. She had been considering whether to tell him about Jian Youying's death but ultimately sighed and turned to return to the alliance as he completely disappeared from sight.

After leaving Zhang Yun's business, Zhang Jian did not immediately leave Shenshanchuan.

He had a lot of money from the pocket money given by Zhang Yun and Yan, the reward from the martial arts alliance, and the gratuity given by Zhu Yue Xingxing the previous day. Normally, he might have gone to a tavern to kill time, but now he needed to get a new sword. His blade had been damaged in the fight with the imperial guard.

Riding Zhaoyao, Zhang Jian arrived at the blacksmith's street in Shenshanchuan and dismounted, leading the horse. There were too many people, making it difficult to ride.

"…Is this pure gold?"

While leading Zhaoyao, Zhang Jian examined the martial arts alliance medal given by Jixi that morning. The gold medal, shaped like a six-pointed star, had the characters "Wulin" (martial arts) engraved in black. After looking around, Zhang Jian casually put it in Zhaoyao's saddlebag. He thought he could sell it if he needed money in the future.

He soon stopped in front of a blacksmith's shop that sharpened swords and knives. The sound of hammering from inside stopped him in his tracks. The shop wasn't too big or too small, which suited Zhang Jian.

After tying up Zhaoyao and approaching, a young man cleaning the shop greeted him.

"Welcome. What are you looking for?"

Looking around the shop, he saw many weapons hanging on the walls and various farming tools. Glancing through the door behind the young man, he saw the red glow of a furnace and two people sweating in front of it. An old man with white hair and a middle-aged man who looked like him. Seeing them, he noticed the young man also resembled them.

"Ha ha. That's my father and grandfather."

"Three generations of blacksmiths?"

"No, I can't even hammer properly yet. I'm not a blacksmith."

But despite his words, he looked proud, suggesting he had a great sense of pride in his work. Zhang Jian nodded and continued.

"I want to see a sword."

"Custom order?"

"No, something already made."

The young man nodded and brought out a few swords. Zhang Jian saw that they were decent blades. But after examining them for a moment, he put them down and took out a pouch from his robes. Inside was the gratuity given by Zhu Yue Xingxing.

"I want to see something that matches this amount."

The young man took the pouch without much thought but was startled when he saw the yellowish glow among the silver coins.

"Y-You want something that matches this amount?"

"None?"

"…Please wait a moment."

The young man, who had been pondering, returned the pouch and went into the back room. After a while, the hammering stopped, and the old man came out. As he did, the hammering resumed. Zhang Jian noticed the young man had taken over the hammering.

"So, you want to see something expensive?"

Zhang Jian nodded and handed over the pouch again. The old man took it and checked the amount.

"Hmm. With this amount, we could make a new one for you."

"I plan to leave Shenshanchuan today."

"Is that so? Well, waiting isn't ideal. Let me see your sword."

"Sword?"

"The one on your waist."

He wanted to see the sword Zhang Jian was currently carrying. Despite the bold request, Zhang Jian, seeing no threat from the old man, handed over the sword in its scabbard. The old man, who didn't seem to have any martial arts skills, slowly drew the sword and said,

"Things that people use often leave traces. This is true for martial artists as well. A good blacksmith can tailor a weapon to fit the user based on these traces. I've been working with iron for over fifty years and have made a living with this skill. If I had more time, I could make a custom one, but since you're in a hurry, I'll find the best match among what we have."

The old man, despite his serious face, chatted amicably as he examined Zhang Jian's sword.

"Ah, you've used this one roughly. Most of the damage is recent…"

The old man's expression stiffened as he examined the sword.

"…You must be quite skilled. How did such a skilled person end up with a damaged blade?"

Zhang Jian raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly at the old man's ability to gauge his skill from the sword. Most martial artists couldn't be sure of their opponent's skill until they clashed blades. Had this old man become so adept through years of working with metal?

"I had a run-in with a brute."

The old man nodded and then put the sword down.

"Wait a moment. I'll be right back."

He didn't wait for Zhang Jian's response and quickly went up the stairs. Zhang Jian smiled and looked around the blacksmith's shop. Not long after, the old man came down with a sword that had a lavish scabbard and hilt.

"Here, try this one."

Zhang Jian was slightly put off by the sword's lavishness. The gems and gold on the scabbard were one thing, but the colorful tassels on the hilt were horrifying. It looked more suitable for a ceremony. Despite this, he decided to try it out for the old man's sake.

"Ah."

But as soon as he touched the scabbard and hilt, he felt something was right. It fit his hand perfectly. When he slowly drew the blade, the feeling was the same. The blade, shining brightly, exuded a mysterious power beyond just being sharp.

But Zhang Jian quickly sheathed the sword and handed it back to the old man. The old man, who had been slightly hopeful, looked puzzled.

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"The decorations are too flashy."

"The sword itself? Does the sword itself not suit you?"

"It suits me, but…"

"Alright then. Wait a moment."

The old man, without waiting for Zhang Jian's response, went back to the forge. Zhang Jian smiled and nodded, deciding to wait and look around the shop. The sword itself was that good.

"Father, what are you doing?"

"Mind your own business and keep working."

"Ah, yes. Dukmun, keep hammering."

"Yes."

Such voices came from the forge. Zhang Jian, looking at the hoe in front of him, heard the hammering and the conversation. A family business passed down through generations. It was a strange sight to him. In his current life, he had become a wandering martial artist against his family's wishes, and in his past life, he didn't even know his father.

The blackened hoe, with its white-sharpened edge, reflected half of Zhang Jian's face. Meeting his brother Zhang Yun had brought up various vague thoughts. The family head who didn't care about his secrets as long as he brought glory to the family, Lady Yang who couldn't accept him as her son. These thoughts led to even more distant memories, to a time before his new life, to the face of a woman. Young but tired, she smiled at her only son without a trace of fatigue. His mother.

"Ah, meeting you here."

Zhang Jian, lost in distant memories, turned his head at the unexpected voice. There stood a tall man with a neat martial uniform, hands behind his back. He was smiling strangely at Zhang Jian. Zhang Jian frowned. He recognized the face. The man, seeing Zhang Jian's expression, asked uncertainly,

"…Don't you remember me?"

"Give me a moment. I think I will soon."

The tall man laughed in disbelief. Then Zhang Jian remembered his name.

"Ji Yunsheng?"

Ji Yunsheng, still with his hands behind his back, bowed slightly.

"Nice to see you again, Zhang Jian. How have you been since then?"

He was a martial artist from the Ji family who had been involved with Zhang Jian over a woman the previous day. As Zhang Jian recalled his name, he also remembered the woman he had left behind in the distant past.

"Shit."

"…W-What? Suddenly?"

Ji Yunsheng was taken aback by the sudden curse. Zhang Jian looked around. No one else was there, just Ji Yunsheng.

"…You might not know, but our Ji family has an estate here in Shenshanchuan. I didn't come here specifically to find you."

"You came to this blacksmith?"

Ji Yunsheng nodded.

"Yes. I personally entrusted a sword to them because of their excellent craftsmanship. What about you?"

At that moment, the old blacksmith came out.

"Here, how about this now?"

Zhang Jian saw that the lavish scabbard and colorful decorations on the hilt had been removed, leaving a clean and simple appearance. He took it, drew the blade, and found it unchanged. The absence of the tassels made it less cumbersome, which he liked.

"Good."

"Isn't it?"

Zhang Jian nodded, sheathed the sword, and lightly bowed to the old man.

"I'll take good care of it."

"Hehe. I made this one a while ago, but the order was canceled just before completion. It's fortunate it found an owner now."

After receiving the sword and bowing, Zhang Jian turned and left the blacksmith's shop. Ji Yunsheng, seeing him leave, was taken aback.

"Wait! Hey! I'll come back later!"

Ji Yunsheng, saying this to the old blacksmith, followed Zhang Jian and called out to him.

"Hey, since we've met like this, it's a kind of fate, isn't it? Why don't we have a drink somewhere?"

"It's only been a few hours since dawn…"

"What does time matter when martial artists meet and share a drink?"

Zhang Jian looked at him with disbelief.

"Last time, we were ready to draw our swords and fight."

"That was because a spy from Lianjia was involved. In this vast world of martial arts, relationships are always complex. If you're okay with it, we could be friends."

But Zhang Jian looked at him with a blank face. Ji Yunsheng, realizing he couldn't change Zhang Jian's mind, forced a smile and bowed.

"Sorry, I got carried away. I apologize for bothering you. Have a safe journey."

Zhang Jian lightly returned the bow and turned. Zhaoyao, following the reins he tugged, walked behind him. Ji Yunsheng, watching him go, sighed and went back into the blacksmith's shop.

With a new sword and Ji Yunsheng left behind, Zhang Jian led Zhaoyao out of the blacksmith's street and headed towards a less crowded area. As they entered a dim alley in broad daylight, Zhaoyao, wondering why this man was acting this way, tugged at the reins with his head.

Zhang Jian stopped and stroked the horse's neck.

"Someone is following."

Turning around, he saw someone cautiously appearing at the alley's entrance, wiping his nose and grinning.

"Hehe, as expected, Brother Zhang. You have a keen sense."

Zhang Jian looked up at the sky above the narrow alley, where the clear winter sky was trapped between the buildings. He sighed and said,

"What is it, Yang Hong?"

"Hehe, don't you remember what I said? We need to do something big again. This time, it's really big. Brother Zhang will be interested."

Yang Hong, smiling in a strangely servile and cunning way, approached. Despite his annoying face, Zhang Jian found himself smiling.