Yi Bok bit his lower lip, as if suppressing a spreading grin, and nodded.
“Yes, swords. If it’s you, surely you could craft a renowned blade worthy of the Tangshan Iron House, couldn’t you?” Yi Bok’s eyes gleamed with greed as he looked at Bu Eunseol.
‘Having gained some fame through repairs, he now wants me to make something profitable.’
Seeing through his ulterior motives, Bu Eunseol said impassively, “The swords were entrusted to me because of trust. Would it do for them to pass through other blacksmiths’ hands?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Enough.” Cutting him off coldly, Bu Eunseol unhesitatingly picked up a pair of tongs and began heating a sword in the furnace.
With a hint of regret, Yi Bok asked again, “Is there no way it can be done?” Despite Yi Bok’s pleading, Bu Eunseol remained silent.
‘Truth be told, even if I wanted to forge, I couldn’t.’ He gave a faint inward smile.
Metallurgy, like martial arts, couldn’t be mastered to a high level in a short time. Thus, Bu Eunseol had focused solely on learning sword repair from the iron master. Of course, he could craft simple farming tools to some extent, but forging a sword, which required far more intricate and complex processes, was still beyond his capabilities.
“I see. Well, carry on then.” Yi Bok, eyeing the unresponsive Bu Eunseol, smacked his lips and left the forge.
Watching his retreating figure, Bu Eunseol picked up his hammer again as if nothing had happened.
***
The Ten Demon Warriors of the Death Command Sect were slain by a master of the Mount Hua Sect.
A shocking piece of news suddenly spread through the tranquil martial world.
The Ten Demon Warriors, inheritors of the ultimate techniques of the Ten Demonic Sects. Among them, a warrior of the Death Command Sect had been killed in a one-on-one duel with a master of the Mount Hua Sect.
“It must be a false rumor!” At first, martial artists didn’t believe it.
The Death Command Sect’s techniques, which condensed the essence of all spear techniques in the martial world, were considered the pinnacle of demonic spear arts, often compared to the Mount Hua Sword and the Blood Flame Blade.
Yet, not only was it not a narrow defeat or an escape with injuries—it was a complete slaying?
However, when it was revealed that the Eunyung Escort Agency had been commissioned by the Mount Hua Sect to deliver the body of the Ten Demon Warrior to the Death Command Sect, the martial world erupted.
Not long after, another rumor surfaced: a Ten Demon Warrior from the White Horse Temple had clashed with a master from the Hollow Sky Sect, suffering critical injuries and fleeing.
‘So it’s finally begun.’ From the start, the Ten Demon Warriors were created to target the masters of great skill. This had been foreseen since the announcement of the Ten Demon Warrior plan at Majeon.
But the reason martial artists were shocked was singular:
‘Was the gap between the masters and the Ten Demon Warriors this wide?’ The Ten Demon Warriors, said to uphold the demonic martial world, were repeatedly defeated by the masters without even putting up a fight? As this became known, rumors spread that the Ten Demon Warriors’ skills were actually pathetic.
“Looks like Majeon rushed things.”
In truth, the masters had all undergone seven years of grueling training at the Martial Alliance before entering the martial world. For the Ten Demon Warriors, who emerged just three years after the plan’s announcement, facing these masters was nearly impossible.
Thus, among gossip-loving martial artists, it was openly said that the Ten Demon Warrior plan had already failed.
***
The crisp autumn breeze was now in full swing.
It had been over two months since Bu Eunseol arrived at the Tangshan Iron House. During that time, he tirelessly repaired swords sent from the Zhongnan martial hall. As a result, he was called “the blacksmith who repairs swords like a ghost” within the Zhongnan martial hall.
However, since he never ventured outside and quietly focused on repairs at the Tangshan Iron House, his fame was confined to the Zhongnan martial hall. Few in Tangshan knew of him.
“It’s come to this already.” As the sun began to set, Bu Eunseol slowly rose from his workbench.
He had spent one month learning metallurgy from Wang Geol and two and a half months working at the Tangshan Iron House.
Now, only about half a month remained.
If he didn’t face the master within that time, he would face charges of defying the Demon Emperor and be attacked by Majeon’s masters.
‘No choice, then.’ Bu Eunseol felt a pang of regret.
Despite repairing all the swords from the Zhongnan branch, he still hadn’t seen any traces of the Flowing Cloud sword technique. Of course, those who used the Flowing Cloud sword technique didn’t even need their swords repaired, but he had hoped to encounter at least one by chance.
‘No helping it. This much is enough to grasp Zhongnan’s swordsmanship to some extent.’ Shaking his head, Bu Eunseol picked up his hammer again. Having grown accustomed to repairing swords, his work speed was now three to four times faster than when he started. This gave him ample time to examine sword marks.
Pause.
But as he tidied his workbench, Bu Eunseol’s hand froze. A faint sound of footsteps came from afar.
Step, step.
The sound was as subtle as ants crawling, and the pace was perfectly consistent, without the slightest deviation.
Click.
As the door opened, a man in snow-white robes walked in slowly. His appearance was refined, and his aura was like that of an immortal.
This white-robed man, a crane among chickens, spoke to Bu Eunseol, who was hammering with his back turned.
“Are you here?” Bu Eunseol turned to look at the man.
A flash of surprise passed through his eyes—not because of the man’s striking appearance, but because of his stance.
‘This man…’ No one can stand perfectly upright.
The ground is never perfectly flat, and humans instinctively place more weight on their dominant leg. Yet this man stood with both legs perfectly balanced, as if measured with a ruler, without the slightest tilt.
It was proof that his sense of balance was unimaginably refined.
‘…An extraordinary master.’ Simply standing on the ground, he seemed to carry the heavens on his back.
If such a man wielded a sword, his techniques would be incomparably solid and stable.
“Who are you?” At Bu Eunseol’s question, the white-robed man smiled, revealing white teeth.
“Are you the blacksmith who specializes in repairing the swords of the Zhongnan Sect’s Tangshan martial hall disciples?”
“That’s right.” The white-robed man looked at Bu Eunseol, who regarded him impassively, with intrigued eyes.
‘A blacksmith who knows nothing of martial arts.’ The man was exuding a sharp aura that no martial artist could ignore. Yet, seeing Bu Eunseol maintain his calm demeanor, he assumed Bu Eunseol had no martial training.
“Repair my sword.”
“Repair requests should be made to the errand boy at the entrance of the Tangshan Iron House.” Bu Eunseol added, “For your information, the errand boys have all gone home by now. The forge will reopen around dawn tomorrow, so make your request then.”
He then turned back to his workbench and resumed hammering.
The white-robed man, staring blankly, gave a peculiar smile and said, “If I formally submit a request, it might become troublesome for you.”
But as Bu Eunseol continued hammering without a glance, the man gave a wry smile.
“If word spreads that my sword was entrusted here… from that day on, you’ll be repairing martial artists’ swords until your bones wear out.”
“What do you mean?” As Bu Eunseol turned, the white-robed man smiled faintly.
“I am Yeo Hwajin, the master of the Zhongnan Sect.” A faint gleam shot from Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
The master, Yeo Hwajin, who had been hidden like a dragon in the clouds, had finally appeared.
‘Why has he come to me?’ Though inwardly tense, Bu Eunseol maintained a natural expression and said, “The master… you mean one of those great martial artists of the orthodox sects?”
“Do you still want me to go through formal channels?” As Yeo Hwajin smiled, revealing white teeth, it felt like a refreshing breeze.
Staring at that smile, Bu Eunseol let out a feigned sigh and extended his hand.
“Give me the sword.”
“Good thinking.” Yeo Hwajin untied his sword and handed it over, which Bu Eunseol received with both hands.
At last, he could examine the traces of the Flowing Cloud sword technique, the pinnacle of Zhongnan’s three great sword techniques.
Shing.
As he drew the sword, a dragon-like hum resonated, revealing a blade that radiated a chilling aura.
“A fine sword.”
At Bu Eunseol’s murmur, the white-robed man nodded. “It’s the Beksu Sword, crafted by the master of the Beksu Ironworks in Yongcheon, Zhejiang Province.”
“But it’s too old. It must be at least twenty years old.”
“Correct. You know your stuff.” A deep affection surfaced in Yeo Hwajin’s eyes as he looked at the sword. “My master gifted it to me for my sixteenth birthday. It’s not a master-crafted blade, but to me, it’s priceless.” Bu Eunseol understood why a master like Yeo Hwajin insisted on using such an old, ordinary sword.
A sword gifted by his master. He wanted to cherish and use it for a long time.
“Can you repair it?” At Yeo Hwajin’s question, Bu Eunseol examined the sword closely again.
‘It’s different.’ Unlike the countless swords from the Tangshan martial hall he had seen, this one bore no similar traces. A glint flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes, but Yeo Hwajin, standing with his back to him, didn’t notice.
“It’s possible.”
“How long will it take?”
“Fifteen days.”
“Too long. I’ll wait ten days.” Yeo Hwajin said firmly, “If it takes longer, I’ll consider you unworthy of touching this sword and take it back.”
“Understood.” Bu Eunseol carefully placed the longsword on the workbench and said with a serious expression, “Come back in ten days.”
“Very well.” Yeo Hwajin smiled without malice.
As he turned to leave, he suddenly struck at Bu Eunseol with lightning speed.
Whoosh!
Yeo Hwajin’s two fingers nearly reached the Cheonju acupoint on the back of Bu Eunseol’s neck. Located at the second cervical vertebra’s spinous process, a slight misstep could paralyze half the body—a dangerous acupoint.
“…” But Bu Eunseol remained hunched over the workbench, as if he felt nothing.
Yeo Hwajin, observing him impassively, spoke again.
“Hey, blacksmith.”
Only then did Bu Eunseol turn around, as if startled.
“You’re still here?”
“Can I see your hands?”
“My hands?”
As Bu Eunseol looked puzzled, Yeo Hwajin said solemnly, “Show me.”
Meeting his serious gaze, Bu Eunseol reluctantly set down his hammer and extended both hands. Yeo Hwajin stared intently at the palm of Bu Eunseol’s right hand. Blacksmiths who had worked in forges for years typically had calluses from gripping hammers.
And Bu Eunseol’s palm indeed bore vivid calluses from hammer work.
“What’s this about?” At Bu Eunseol’s words, Yeo Hwajin, looking embarrassed, rummaged in his money pouch.
“I meant to pay the fee upfront.” He placed a money pouch in Bu Eunseol’s outstretched hands. “This should suffice.”
“…” Looking down at the pouch in his palm, Bu Eunseol coldly turned away. “Then I’ll get to work.”
“Alright. I’m counting on you.” Smiling faintly, Yeo Hwajin left the forge.
Once he was gone, Bu Eunseol opened the pouch. It contained roughly forty taels of silver. Enough for a family of four to live comfortably for two months, but to Bu Eunseol, who had earned hundreds of thousands of taels as a mercenary, it was pocket change.
“If I hadn’t mastered the Art of Deceptive Enlightenment, I would’ve been in trouble.”
Bu Eunseol touched the calluses on his hand. Using the secret techniques of Art of Deceptive Enlightenment, he had crafted calluses to avoid suspicion as a blacksmith.
“Made from human flesh, no one could tell the difference.” The calluses on his palm were made from those of an actual blacksmith.
Thus, even the sharpest-eyed master couldn’t detect any discrepancy.
“Hm.” Recalling Yeo Hwajin’s strike, Bu Eunseol remembered Shim Wol’s words.
‘The Ten Demon Warriors can never defeat the masters.’ Recalling the sharp aura that had radiated from behind, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“Two years. At least one more year was needed.” The prowess of the masters, who had trained in divine techniques at the Martial Alliance for seven years, clearly surpassed the Ten Demon Warriors.
Having seen Yeo Hwajin in person, Bu Eunseol realized the gap was at least one to two years.
“If I subtract five days for examining the sword, I have just over ten days left.”
A fiery heat rose in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
In those ten days, he would have to surpass a gap of over a year.
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