Chapter 23 Her flesh and blood, her life, all belong to her.
—Is Canglang Island really that scary?
“The Jin Kingdom has been cracking down on weapons workshops for many years. Anyone from Jin Kingdom avoids weapons workshops like the plague, fearing that they might get involved and cause trouble. Song Mian comes from an official family, so of course he knows that the aftermath of the Blood Crossbow Case is still ongoing. That’s why he would rather jump into the sea than go to the island. He knows that Hu Xian is smuggling people for Xingguo Warehouse. If he goes to the island, he might face a major disaster and it will be difficult for him to recover in the future.” As Ajiu spoke, she carefully looked at Guan Ye’s determined face. “Guan Ye, you’ve really been different these past few days.”
Ah Jiu deliberately showed her half of the sword blade, "Aren't you afraid that I'll report you in the future?"
Guan Ye showed no panic at being threatened, and seemed to care nothing about what A Jiu said. After testing the temperature of the ink, Guan Ye took out a plain ribbon from her bosom and tied it around her forehead. She then opened her clothes and knelt in front of the casting box. A Jiu was startled by her actions and her knees buckled, and she knelt down as well.
Guan Ye magically produced another plain ribbon and handed it to A Jiu, softly saying "Yes." A Jiu had no choice but to grit her teeth and tie it around her forehead as well. Together with Guan Ye, they kowtowed three times towards the casting box.
“My father said that when the sword ancestor Ou Yezi forged swords, he would fast for three days, bathe and burn incense to show reverence and ask the sword spirit for protection to forge a treasure. We are pressed for time, so let’s kowtow to Jiang Muyun a few times and ask her to protect us.”
Seeing her serious and earnest expression, A-Jiu was so bewildered that he actually hummed in agreement. Standing up behind Guan Ye, the girl actually reached out to pull at the white ribbon on his forehead. A-Jiu didn't have time to think and turned his head away, saying, "Can you take back something you've given away?"
"I stole this from Aunt Lou." Guan Ye tore it off and put it in her bosom. "Lou Shitou and Lou Cangyu used this to wear as mourning clothes for their father. What, you want to keep it?"
Ajiu's lips moved, wanting to curse, but she was speechless.
Guan Ye bypassed A Jiu, picked up a few handy items by the moonlight, and glared at him, saying, "Help me start a fire, use the best silver charcoal!"
At this moment, Guan Ye's usually peaceful gaze turned resolute, her submissiveness vanished, and she exuded an irresistible power. She picked up the casting box and walked towards the iron furnace, glancing at A Jiu, who was gathering firewood, out of the corner of her eye, as if questioning whether he could do this task well.
The charcoal fire ignited, illuminating A-Jiu's cold face. The girl in the firelight was single-minded, her eyes frozen in a daze. Her every move was unlike her usual reserved demeanor. Calmly, she took out the nearly congealed five-colored blood plasma and buried her in the charcoal pile that A-Jiu had lit.
Ah Jiu knew that blacksmithing wasn't difficult, but to forge a superior product required a blacksmith with skills beyond those of ordinary blacksmiths. The characteristics of different materials, their melting points, hardness, the temperature of the firing process, and the quenching time all affected the quality of the finished product. A slight difference could make a world of difference.
Skills can be learned through hard work, but talent cannot be acquired. A blacksmith may memorize all the stones in the world and burn thousands of pounds of material every day, but none of this can compare to the feeling for fire and materials. This feeling allows the blacksmith to start the furnace at the most appropriate time and forge the best weapons when the iron is at its purest.
In an instant, the five-colored blood plasma had turned red. The red color was sometimes strong and sometimes weak. Before Ajiu could see it clearly, Guan Ye held the clamp in her left hand and swiftly picked out the paste and placed it on the prepared anvil. She raised the small hammer in her right hand and patiently hammered it.
"—Help me fetch a basin of well water." Guan Yecheng instructed Ajiu, "There's ice in the cellar of the side room that Steward Pei prepared for the beginning of summer. Add it to the water."
Ah Jiu got up and did as she said. He didn't know what trick Guan Ye had fallen into, why he suddenly became so obedient to her. What if she told you to die right now?
"Go!" Guan Ye urged.
This life belongs to her. Ah Jiu turned and rushed straight to the side room, not daring to think any further.
With the well water mixed with ice placed aside, Ajiu looked again and saw that the slurry under Guanye's hammer had turned from red to dark and was already taking the shape of a sword. She skillfully picked it up again and put it into the charcoal fire to heat it until it turned red again. Then she placed it on the anvil and hammered it continuously. After repeating this process many times, the shape gradually became clear after forging. A sword of unparalleled beauty was about to appear in the world. Ajiu stepped forward in a daze. He could not believe that the meteorite would be forged in Guanye's hands. He would be the first witness besides Guanye to this divine weapon that was destined to be pursued by the world.
"Ah Jiu," Guan Ye continued hammering and forging, "what kind of meteor sword do you envision?"
"You're asking me?" Ajiu suddenly thought she had misheard.
“I haven’t seen many weapons. You’re a swordsman, so what do you imagine she to look like?” Guan Ye wiped the sweat from her brow.
"The Yue Jue Shu records that the King of Yue invited the master sword appraiser Xue Zhu to appraise precious swords. Xue Zhu said that the Hao Cao sword lacked luster, and the Ju Que sword was of coarse and flat texture. The King of Yue then gave him the Chun Jun sword. Xue Zhu sighed that this sword was made of rare iron, with tin emerging from broken mountains, copper emerging from dried-up water, iron forged by the Thunder God, rain poured down, dragons held the furnace, and heaven and earth filled the furnace. It was forged by Ou Yezi, who vomited blood and sweat to carry the mandate of heaven and earth. After the sword was completed, Ou Yezi also died from exhaustion." Ajiu lowered her eyelashes and sighed, "I have always wondered what kind of sword Xue Zhu appraised among the countless swords. It was as cold as moonlight, as bright as overflowing water, as sharp as a peacock spreading its feathers, and as powerful as a phoenix rising from the ashes."
Guan Ye smiled, revealing a shallow dimple, and picked up the red-hot sword to examine it closely. "If one day you obtained this sword, would you trade it for a thousand fine horses and a city with a thousand households?"
"The Meteor Sword is unparalleled in the world; it cannot be exchanged for a thousand horses, a thousand households, or a thousand pieces of gold."
As soon as Ajiu finished speaking, there was a hissing sound as the nascent sword, glowing red-hot, was submerged in the icy water. Guan Ye picked up a fine, shiny stone, wiped it clean with her sleeve, scooped up a handful of well water to moisten the stone's surface, and looked up to see Ajiu, who no longer possessed her usual arrogance. Her dark eyes reflected her flushed face, and she didn't blink. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
“You’re very different when you’re forging iron.” Ajiu’s words were straightforward.
"How is it different?" Guan Ye poked him with her finger. "Are you still looking?"
“You don’t seem like the sword slave you usually are.” Ajiu let her poke his forehead without flinching. “You were born to be a blacksmith.”
As the white smoke from the burning ice dissipated, Guan Ye picked up the fledgling sword, lovingly stroking every inch with her fingertips. The sword was over three feet long and about two fingers wide, its entire body shimmering with a chilling silver light. Even though Guan Ye held it so casually, it possessed the power of a thousand troops.
"This is nothing," Guan Ye said mockingly when she saw A Jiu staring intently. "Let me sharpen my sword and see if it's the one you're looking for."
As she spoke, Guan Ye removed her tongs and took up her sword. She pressed the blade against the damp, shiny stone. One sound pierced the soul, two sounds shattered bones, three sounds ripped through the air, four sounds made ghosts and gods weep, five sounds were a decisive strike, six sounds were like a meteor piercing armor, and seven sounds echoed through the heavens.
Guan Ye held her sword to the sky, the moonlight spilling across it, stirring up streaks of light. The crimson color seemed to leap out, as if the sword contained a spirit, possessing the power to devour the heavens and the earth, causing all who saw it to tremble with fear.
“Meteor...Sword.” A-Jiu walked toward Guan Ye as if possessed, his dark eyes seemingly shrouded in mist. The moment he reached out his hand, he suddenly closed his eyes tightly, as if trying his best to control the desire in his heart. Finally, he rationally lowered his hand, his passionate gaze suddenly dimmed, and his cheeks trembled slightly. “Meteor Sword.”
Through the blade, the bloodstain, like a serpent's tail, drew Guan Ye's gaze. Guan Ye's eyes followed the mark slowly along the blade, and she seemed to see Jiang Muyun again. He gazed deeply into Guan Ye's eyes, those eyes clear and resolute, yet filled with a lingering attachment to the world, as if trying to tell Guan Ye something silently, or perhaps urging her to find the answer.
"Guan Ye? Guan Ye!" Ajiu shook Guan Ye's wrist. "Guan Ye."
Guan Ye snapped out of her daze. "This sword... A-Jiu..." Guan Ye said, handing it to A-Jiu. "Take a look."
Ajiu struggled to push away the Meteor Sword she offered him. He dared not touch it, fearing that once he grasped it, he would never be able to let go. This was the Meteor Sword, a divine object bestowed by heaven, destined to be the Emperor's sword. How could he possibly wield the Emperor's sword? Ajiu scoffed and turned away, refusing to look again.
Guan Ye respectfully placed the forged Meteor Sword into its box. "The sword is complete. When the shop owner sees it tomorrow, he will have his master finish the rest."
"Guan Ye, who exactly are you?" Ajiu asked in a low voice.
“Just now someone said he was going to report me.” Guan Ye flicked her hand and was about to leave. “You don’t even know who I am, what makes you think you can report me?”
"You've already laid bare your secrets in front of me, and you expect me to keep guessing?" Ajiu retorted, "After the Blood Crossbow Incident, there were almost no blacksmiths left in the world. Your craftsmanship is definitely not something taught by an ordinary master. Guan Ye, could you be a descendant of Tianhu Workshop?"
Guan Ye stopped. "You even know about the Blood Crossbow Case, Tianhufang? And who are you, Ajiu? You're the only one who knows that Hu Xian's ship is heading this way? You want to report me? It seems I should expose you first."
"Hahahaha." Ajiu laughed heartily, "I have no background, just a little Ajiu without even a surname, nothing worth you exposing."
"Tianhufang, don't you dare get me into trouble." Guan Ye took a step forward, pointed at A Jiu, and deliberately lowered her voice, her tone both threatening and pleading. Her eyes secretly observed him, and in the blink of an eye, like the night breeze, she soothed A Jiu's heart. Before A Jiu could take a few more glances, Guan Ye had already turned around gracefully, raised her arm, and said, "I'm sleepy, I'm too lazy to talk to you anymore."
“We’re all in the same boat.” Ajiu watched her go, speaking slowly and deliberately, “I won’t tell anyone.” Ajiu kept the last part to herself.
The deep alley was deathly silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the night wind. Guan Ye stepped out of the alley, her keen ears suddenly hearing footsteps on the broken branches on the ground. "Who's there?" Guan Ye stopped and subconsciously turned around to look for A Jiu. "A Jiu? You're following me again."
The old trees in the courtyard cast dappled shadows under the moonlight. A figure slowly peeked out, fiddling with his fingers helplessly, and reluctantly poked his head out, revealing a pair of extremely bright black eyes.
"Lou Shitou?" Guan Ye breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing here? How long have you been hiding?"
"I...I..." Lou Shitou lowered his head, not daring to look at Guan Ye, "I came to see...to see her."
"Her?" Guan Ye realized, looking at the kind and simple-minded big man in front of her, a touch of emotion stirring within her. "You knew she was here?"
Lou Shitou's eyes drooped, looking very aggrieved. "We made a promise."
Guan Ye felt a chill run down her spine, her hair standing on end. Even a simple "it was a promise" could scare a living person half to death. Lou Shitou looked at her with a sorrowful expression, and Guan Ye felt a pang of sympathy. She pulled him closer to examine him closely and whispered, "Then...did you see her?"
Lou Shitou licked his dry, cracked lips and nodded, "She's gone."
“She will always be there.” Guan Ye covered Lou Shitou’s cold hand and pressed it against his chest. “As long as we remember her, she will always be there.”
Lou Shitou craned his neck, still wanting to look for something, but Guan Ye pulled him through the swaying shadows of the trees, preventing him from looking any further.
A note from the author:
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