Was the sword broken or not?

Chapter 90 Was the Sword Broken or Not? (Keep it up!)

People come and go inside Sihailou.

A woman wearing a tight-fitting workout outfit, with long, straight legs, stood downstairs.

Yan Xiaolou stood on the street, looking up at the world-renowned chamber of commerce, but did not go in immediately.

After leaving the fish shop, she went to three more craft shops in the city.

The results were all similar.

Disassemble the sword and reforge it.

However, it takes years to master a weapon to the point of being completely at your fingertips.

Reforging weapons now would be tantamount to surrendering.

But it won't work if I don't change the sword.

Yan Xiaolou pushed the sword guard with his thumb.

The sword only drew half an inch from its sheath before it became stuck.

Under normal circumstances, she might not have cared, but with the Hundred Sects' seats up for grabs right before her eyes, and the competition in the Soaring Group allowing no room for error, if her sword was even half an inch slower, she might fall first.

I was struggling with this problem until last night. It was only with the help of my mentor that I managed to get an appointment with Master Yan of Sihailou through the American department.

Master Yan is considered the best in sword forging in Qiwu Kingdom, and no one dares to refute his claim. Even elders from ordinary sects have to submit a formal invitation in advance if they want to see him.

Yan Xiaolou didn't know what benefits the sect had promised, but it was certainly substantial.

She straightened her clothes and stepped into the Sihai Tower.

After lingering for a moment on the "Legend of Fuyao" list, which records the young geniuses of the world, Yan Xiaolou went upstairs.

The waiter guarding the stairs took the token, examined both sides, and his attitude became serious: "Miss Yan, please follow me upstairs. Master Yan is already waiting."

Yan Xiaolou followed them up to a room on the fourth floor.

There were no weapons in the room, but there were a dozen wooden boxes against the wall and a black stone platform in the center.

Master Yan sat behind the stage, his hair already white, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. In front of him were three pieces of iron of different colors, and he was slowly grinding the edges with a fine file.

After Yan Xiaolou entered, he did not immediately look up, but said, "Put the token on the left, the sword on the right, and explain why you came here."

The impolite tone actually calmed Yan Xiaolou down a bit.

People who actually get things done usually don't like to talk nice things.

Yan Xiaolou placed the sword on the right side of the stone platform and explained, "Since the beginning of summer, the blade has occasionally become stiff. At first, it only got stuck when I was turning my qi, but it has become more and more frequent in the past few days. The blade has not chipped, and there are no cracks on the spine. I have consulted several craftsmen, and they all said that it needs to be reforged."

The strict teacher stopped filing: "How many years has it been used?"

"Seven years."

"Was it submerged in water, exposed to yin energy, or subjected to prolonged fighting at high temperatures?"

"No, none of them."

"Have you changed the scabbard recently?"

"No, not at all."

"oh?"

The strict teacher became interested and reached out to take the sword.

He first weighed the sword in his hand, then held it horizontally to his ear, tapping his knuckles from the guard all the way to the tip.

"Ding, ding, ding."

The sound varied in pitch, and the sword-testing apprentice standing nearby immediately picked up a pen and wrote down seven different timbres on the paper.

After the strict teacher finished tapping the sword once, he changed to a small copper mallet and walked along the spine of the sword again. This time he listened more carefully and tapped the sword three times in two places.

"Note: The flow of fire in the spine is not smooth."

The apprentice immediately picked up his pen.

Next comes the pattern making, another skill that other craftsmen cannot see.

You get what you pay for, and Yan Xiaolou felt it was worth it.

The strict teacher looked at it for a long time before placing the sword back on the stone platform.

"The internal injury to the sword spine has dissipated in the shadows, which is why it's not visible from the outside."

"Can it be repaired?"

"Yes, we can disassemble the spine of the sword and reforge it. However, the original firing process cannot be maintained, and the sword will be half an ounce heavier than before. You will be able to get used to it after a month."

"Is it necessary to cast it?"

Yan Xiaolou pressed his fingers on the scabbard.

The strict teacher said in a harsh tone, "You came to Sihai Tower to hear the truth, or to hear something that pleases you?"

Yan Xiaolou withdrew his hand: "Please have a strict teacher recast it."

The strict teacher didn't say anything more and told the apprentice to start the furnace.

The furnace door in the back room on the fourth floor was opened, and the apprentice added two pieces of red coal, the heat hitting his face.

The strict teacher personally removed the hilt and handguard from the sword and placed the bare sword into the furnace.

The fire closed in from both sides, quickly engulfing the sword.

Yan Xiaolou stood three steps away, watching the sword gradually turn red, feeling a pang of heartache.

For seven years, the sword stayed with her, and she even carefully wrapped the cloth around the hilt.

Now that it's actually in the furnace, it's no different from a reincarnation for the sword.

But since they had already agreed, they couldn't very well snatch the sword back now; at least, Yan Xiaolou's personality wouldn't allow that.

The strict teacher stood guard over the fire, his expression remaining unchanged.

Once the blade was thoroughly heated, he reached out and took the long tongs, preparing to send the sword into the quenching tank beside him.

As soon as the clamps were firmly in place, his face suddenly darkened.

"wrong!"

With a pull of the long pincers, the fiery red sword was drawn out of the furnace, the heat wave forcing the apprentice to take two steps back.

Yan Xiaolou rushed forward, "What's wrong?"

The strict teacher did not answer, but instead held his sword horizontally under the candlelight.

The entire sword was burning red-hot, except for a patch of earth-colored material in the middle of the spine. The color wasn't dark, but it couldn't absorb the fire at all.

The strict teacher stared at it for a few moments: "There's something else in this sword..."

"Other ingredients?"

"Don't ask yet."

The strict master returned the sword to the furnace, told the apprentice to change the charcoal, and had someone bring a scraper.

For the next half day, Yan Xiaolou didn't hear another word.

The strict teacher took the sword out of the furnace three times, and with each step, a new line was added to the record on the table.

The apprentices ran up and down the stairs, but the lunches they brought were left to cool completely, and no one touched them.

Yan Xiaolou sat down and got up again, got up and sat down again.

Waiting for someone is the most agonizing time.

At that moment, the image of the fish shop and the young manager sitting in front of the counter popped into her mind again.

The man didn't even draw his sword; he said it wasn't broken just by looking through the scabbard.

At the time, she thought the words were just a perfunctory remark, but now the strict teacher has been busy for half a day and still hasn't given a conclusion.

Could it be that the person was right?

Yan Xiaolou shook his head, dismissing this untimely thought.

As the hour of Shen (3-5 PM) was about to pass, the strict teacher finally put down his tools.

After sitting back down on the stone platform, he picked up the tea that had cooled down and took a sip: "I was mistaken before."

Yan Xiaolou immediately stood up straight.

The strict teacher pushed the sword in front of her: "The blade is made of red-fired iron, but there is some yellow iron mixed in with the spine of the sword. The amount is small and it is well hidden."

Yan Xiaolou was somewhat confused: "These two types of iron can't be mixed?"

"It can be mixed with other materials, and it can also make the spine of the sword more stable. Your sword has been used for seven years without a single chip, all thanks to it, but..."

The strict teacher picked up a charcoal pencil, wrote the character "fire" on the paper, and then added the character "scholar" below it.

"But this year is the year of fire, and it is currently the height of summer. Red-fired iron is inherently fire-based. With the timing of the year, the season, and the material of the sword all combined, the fire element has become excessive."

He used a charcoal pencil to highlight the character for "earth" below. "When fire is strong, it generates earth. Yellow iron absorbs a large amount of earth energy. All this excess earth energy is pressed into the spine of the sword, which is why you feel discomfort when wielding it."

Yan Xiaolou was stunned: "So, the sword isn't broken?"

"It's not broken."

The strict teacher answered decisively, "I made a mistake in my initial judgment. If we were to disassemble and recast it, it would destroy the original proportions."

O

The room fell silent.

Yan Xiaolou looked at the sword on the stone platform, and after a long while, he reached out and his fingers landed on the scabbard, but he did not take it away immediately.

It's not broken!?

In other words, what that person from Yujiapu said was really true?

The master craftsman of Sihai Tower used various methods and even spent half a day examining the sword in the furnace before finally recognizing it as Huang Chen Tie (yellow ore).

But the man didn't even draw his sword?

All this running around these past few days, and my master even owes me a favor, only to have it all prove the answer I already knew. What does that even mean?

Yan Xiaolou took a few deep breaths to clear her mind and asked the most crucial question: "How can I get rid of this earthy smell?"

There are two paths.

The strict teacher raised a finger. "Firstly, we need to have a water-elemental scabbard custom-made so that the water vapor can gradually carry away the remaining fire. However, this will take half a month, and since water and fire clash, there is a chance that the sword spine will be damaged."

Then, he raised his second finger as well, "Secondly, when the first frost of the year falls, the summer fire will subside, and the earthy smell in the yellow iron will naturally subside."

After pondering for a long time, Yan Xiaolou replied, "I need to go back and discuss this with my master."

Even the strict teacher did not dissuade him.

Yan Xiaolou sheathed his sword and bowed, saying, "Thank you, sir."

When we stepped out of Sihai Tower, the sun had already dipped behind the roof ridge.

Yan Xiaolou hurried on his way after leaving the city gate.

With her peak Yuan Qi pressed into her legs, she left the field ridges on both sides of the official road behind her.

She kept thinking about that shop the whole way.

Two hours later, they rushed back to Zhefeng Pavilion.

The lanterns inside the gate had already been lit. The gatekeeper had just called out "Senior Sister" when Yan Xiaolou swept past him and headed straight for the backyard.

The lights were still on in Wei Lianshan's house.

She didn't even knock on the door; she just pushed it open with one hand.

With a "bang," the door slammed against the wall.

Wei Lianshan was looking at the seating list when he looked up and frowned: "How reckless! What kind of behavior is this? If the door is broken, fix it yourself."

Yan Xiaolou placed the sword on the table: "Master, the sword isn't broken."

"Oh? What did the strict teacher say?"

Yan Xiaolou recounted the whole story.

Wei Lianshan was still sitting, but when he heard the strict teacher admit his mistake, he put down the list in his hand.

"Are you sure the strict teacher was referring to Huang Chen Tie (a type of iron ingot)?"

"The sword inspection records are all here."

Yan Xiaolou handed over the records given to him by Sihailou.

After reading the record, Wei Lianshan did not speak immediately.

Yan Xiaolou held back until now before revealing the main reason for her return: "Master, I feel that the manager of the fish shop is not simple."

"Fish Shop?"

"That day, he said the sword wasn't broken even through its scabbard, and his handling of the situation is consistent with what the strict teacher said today."

Wei Lianshan looked up. "You didn't draw your sword?"

"no."

"Have you inquired about the origin of the sword materials?"

"no."

"Is that so?"

This time, Wei Lianshan's brows furrowed deeply.

"The Yu family shop has been under my clan's name for many years. I know the details of Yu Fu and Yu Huai better than you do."

"Those two are skilled craftsmen. They occasionally repair weapons and their work is no worse than that of the artisans in the West Market. That's why I asked you to go to the Yu family to inquire."

"When did those two from the Ke Yu family become able to see through the sword sheath and surpass the master of the Sihai Tower in skill?"

'

Wei Lianshan, realizing the crucial point, asked, "Was it Yu Fu or Yu Huai who received the sword that day?"

"No, it's a young man with black hair and gray clothes."

"Outsiders? Then we need to be careful."

Wei Lianshan paused at this point.

After a moment's thought, he added, "The Hundred Sects Seating Ceremony will be held soon. These past few days, the people entering the city have been a mixed bag, some genuinely here to compete, and others taking the opportunity to scout ahead."

He looked at Yan Xiaolou: "You are the most promising disciple of our sect. Whether Zhefeng Hall can protect the West Market's assets depends largely on you. Don't speculate about these strange things lately."

Yan Xiaolou said, "Then we won't investigate?"

"Who said we wouldn't investigate?"

Wei Lianshan got up and took out a thin booklet from the cabinet next to him.

"The Yu family shop owes a month's guarantee money. The accounting apprentice should have gone to verify it. You can go instead."

Yan Xiaolou took the booklet and turned to the page about the fish shop.

Wei Lianshan said, "Use the pretext of collecting payment to check out the shop, find out where that person came from, try to find out if you can, and if you can't, come back. Remember to be polite."

"understood."

Yan Xiaolou turned and went out the door.