Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao was somewhat speechless; was that not obvious?

Yang Furen said calmly, ”I know what you’re thinking, but how many years has Sword Qi Mountain been around? How many swordsmiths have emerged? How many swords have each swordsmith forged in their lifetime? And how many have been given away? These things are hard to quantify. This old man would have to check the records for a long time, and even so, I might still miss some. Why bother with such trivial matters?”

Chen Chao was silent.

After watching the sword selection, Yang Furen summarized with an emotional sigh, ”Every time I see a sword cultivator taking a sword down the mountain, I feel reluctant. As a swordsmith, forging a sword, especially one they are very proud of, is like raising a daughter. You hope one day she finds a suitable husband, but at the same time, you fear she will leave and you’ll never see her again. If you ever have a daughter, you’ll understand this conflicting sentiment.”

Chen Chao responded with a smile.

Afterwards, the two of them walked around many parts of Sword Qi Mountain. Chen Chao patiently carried the green bamboo on his shoulder, while Yang Furen did not mention whether he would agree to reforge Chen Chao’s broken saber. Chen Chao also refrained from asking, allowing Yang Furen to lead him around. After all, this deal, whether successful or not, would not result in a falling out. Unlike many other sects in the foreign lands, Sword Qi Mountain remained neutral, avoiding excessive enmity or closeness with any particular faction.

After wandering for half a day, they returned to the pavilion deep in the bamboo grove on the mountainside. Yang Furen raised his head to look at the countless green bamboo in front of him without speaking.

Chen Chao just carried the bamboo, reminiscing about the sounds of the bamboo. He had to admit, he had become somewhat enamored with those sounds, like a jar of aged alcohol that seemed unremarkable at first but grew increasingly flavorful over time.

”You have quite the patience. That old fellow Xiao Hezheng couldn’t compare to you.”

In the end, it was still Yang Furen who broke the silence first. But the moment he opened his mouth, he knew that he had likely lost the initiative.

Chen Chao smiled, ”When you’re out and about, especially when seeking favors, it’s best to speak as little as possible to avoid incurring dislike.”

Yang Furen sighed, ”You should know that this matter is very troublesome.”

Chen Chao said in surprise, ”If even Mountain Lord finds it troublesome, who in this world would dare to say it isn’t?”

Yang Furen shook his head and said with a smile, ”Don’t flatter this old man. I’ve known Xiao Hezheng for a long time. Actually, helping you isn’t impossible. Although Sword Qi Mountain only forges flying swords and you use a saber, this old man can do this for you in a personal capacity. This can be considered repaying Xiao Hezheng’s favor of saving my life.

Life-saving favor, how important were these three words?

It was only then that Chen Chao realized what kind of favor it was when the Great General agreed to help him back then. Chen Chao felt a renewed sense of respect and admiration for the general. This senior martial artist had truly held nothing back from him.

Chen Chao said with vicissitudes of emotion, ”This junior wasn’t aware of this.”

Yang Furen shook his head calmly and said, ”He wouldn’t tell you, nor would he even mention it in the letter. That’s just his nature. He’s never asked me for anything in all the years he’s been alive. This old man thought it would stay that way, that this old man would owe him this debt until we both were in the grave. But I didn’t expect that in the end, he asked for something. This old man can finally feel relieved. But this matter really is troublesome. This old man still doesn’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that he asked.”

At this moment, Chen Chao finally spoke some heartfelt words, ”It’s not that this junior insists on coming to Sword Qi Mountain to make things difficult for Mountain Lord. But the truth is, this junior’s saber is no ordinary weapon. I’m afraid that only the swordsmiths of Sword Qi Mountain have the ability to reforge it, which is why this junior had no choice but to come. If there were any other way, why would this junior trouble Mountain Lord?”

Yang Furen nodded his head and said with a smile, ”That’s honest of you. Whether it’s a sword or any other weapon like an axe or a hook, as long as my Sword Qi Mountain forges it, it’s bound to be of the highest quality. But we only forge flying swords.”

Chen Chao solemnly said, ”That’s why this junior is asking for Mountain Lord’s help. This junior will remember Sword Qi Mountain’s kindness for the rest of my life.”

”Draw your saber from its sheathe, let this old man take a look.”

Yang Furen looked at Chen Chao, who did not hesitate to pat the scabbard. The broken saber slid out and landed in front of Yang Furen. He then extended his hand, flicking his finger against the blade. As expected, the blade trembled slightly. Then, Yang Furen ran his finger along the edge of the broken blade, and soon, tiny droplets of blood appeared on his fingertip.

Yang Furen sighed, ”Indeed, just as this old man thought. Your saber is no less remarkable than a Hundred Year Sword of Sword Qi Mountain. If it were an ordinary broken saber, this old man can handle its repair, and it wouldn’t be so troublesome. But your saber is extraordinary, and this old man doesn’t have any solution. That’s what makes this so troublesome.”

Chen Chao had heard the old blacksmith at the workshop below the mountain explain the process of repairing flying swords. Now, he understood somewhat. Initially, he thought that if Yang Furen agreed to help, the matter would likely succeed. But now, hearing Yang Furen’s implied meaning, it seemed even he did not have a solution.

Was it not said that Yang Furen was the most amazing swordsmith in the world?

”This old man is naturally the number one swordsmith in the world. What is there to doubt about this matter?”

Perhaps seeing through Chen Chao’s thoughts, Yang Furen furrowed his brows as he said, ”This old man has forged countless famous swords in my lifetime. Who knows how many sword immortals’ companion swords came from this old man’s hands? If you brought a sword instead of a saber, and if this old man couldn’t repair it, then you can take the position of Sword Qi Mountain Lord.”

When it came to such matters, Yang Furen was naturally the most proud, not allowing anyone to question him.

Chen Chao continued, ”Mountain Lord, your next sentence isn’t going to be that it’s a pity this junior uses a saber instead of a sword, right?”

Yang Furen remained silent, just patting the broken saber and returning it to Chen Chao’s sheath with a frown. ”You sure know how to pose a challenge for this old man. How troublesome.”

Chen Chao smiled bitterly, ”Is there really no other way?”

Yang Furen looked at him and instead asked, ”What did you bring with you when you came up the mountain?”

Chen Chao was taken aback, then immediately said, ”This junior heard before that Sword Qi Mountain was searching for the antlers of that demon king. So this junior happened to get involved and obtained a pair of snow-white deer antlers. However, just before entering the mountain, this junior heard that those were merely used to forge sword handles. It was a moment of reflection. But besides that, this junior also has many demon beads and quite a bit of skygold currency.”

”That old man you dealt with at the foot of the mountain hasn’t fired up the forge to forge swords for many years. It was only recently that he was inspired to forge a flying sword. He even had a name for it, ’First Deer,’ and he wanted to use the deer antlers as the sword handle. However, he isn’t very fond of martial artists like you. Otherwise, when you brought the deer antlers, he might not greet you with a smile, but at least he won’t speak so harshly.”

Yang Furen spoke of the affairs on the mountain with indifference.

Chen Chao smiled, ”Although there was some misunderstanding, this junior is still willing to gift the white deer antlers to Sword Qi Mountain.”

Yang Furen nodded his head and did not say anything, seeming to be lost in thought.

Chen Chao continued to carry the green bamboo, waiting, appearing somewhat comical.

After a long while, Yang Furen sighed, ”Fine, wait here for a moment. This old man will go think of a solution.”

With that, Yang Furen turned and left. Only then did Chen Chao put down the green bamboo from his shoulder and sit down in the pavilion to rest with his eyes closed.

……

……

Yang Furen returned to the mountain, arriving at a great hall located atop a high peak near the Sword Pool. Surrounding the hall were numerous stone swords. This place was typically reserved for an important sword sacrificial ceremony, and barely any swordsmiths were willing to come here for discussions. After all, these people dedicated their entire lives to forging swords and cared for nothing else. However, at this moment, many esteemed swordsmiths from the mountain had gathered, waiting for Yang Furen, who had previously gone down the mountain to meet with Chen Chao.

When Yang Furen reappeared, the crowd saluted and called out, ”Mountain Lord.” The elderly man who had first made things difficult for Chen Chao at the mountain gate spoke up bluntly, ”Mountain Lord, are you truly going to take on this task? If this gets out, won’t our Sword Qi Mountain become a laughingstock?”

Yang Furen looked at the elderly man and smiled, ”Why do you say that?”

The elderly man snorted coldly, ”Everyone knows that Sword Qi Mountain is number one in the world at forging swords, but we’ve never forged a saber for anyone. As for reforging, even less so.”

Yang Furen smiled and looked at everyone, asking, ”Does everyone think the same?”

The swordsmiths mostly remained silent in response to Yang Furen’s question, but soon someone spoke up, ”Mountain Lord, whether or not we reforge the broken saber for that martial artist isn’t the main issue. The real issue is that this martial artist’s identity is special. Sword Qi Mountain stands above worldly affairs. If we truly do this for him, what will the other great sects in the foreign lands think? Is Sword Qi Mountain going to make enemies of them?”

Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement. This was a common concern among the swordsmiths.

Yang Furen smiled and said, ”What do you mean by ’above worldly affairs’? As long as we live in this world, there’s no such thing as being above it all.” ”As for whether we might offend the foreign lands, doesn’t anyone consider whether we might offend the Great Liang Dynasty instead? ”In the past, you can say that you don’t care. But now, that Emperor has proven that he might be a formidable cultivator who’s no weaker than the likes of the Temple Master. And the person here on the mountain is the current favorite of that Emperor.”

Hearing this, many of the swordsmiths frowned, their expressions turning uneasy. For years, they had largely disregarded the Great Liang Dynasty until two events last winter.

The Great Liang Emperor had journeyed north and fought the Demon Emperor to a draw, then returned to the Divine Capital unscathed despite an ambush by foreign cultivators.

It was said that even the Temple Master himself had gone to see the Emperor personally.

Furthermore, with the Great Liang Dynasty becoming increasingly powerful, there were some matters that must be considered at this moment.

”Mountain Lord, Sword Qi Mountain has existed for many years and has remained safe because of our caution. This decision of yours could potentially bring disaster upon us.”

A swordsmith spoke up, his voice full of worry. They cared little for the politics of the world and simply wished to spend their lives peacefully forging the finest flying swords in the world. At the same time, the flying swords left their names in history, they could also enter the annals of history along with the flying swords.

Yang Furen shook his head and sighed.

”We know that Mountain Lord feels indebted to Xiao Hezheng and wishes to repay that debt, but this matter must be carefully considered. We must not drag Sword Qi Mountain into an abyss from which there is no return!”

As these words were spoken, the numerous swordsmiths chorused, ”Please think thrice, Mountain Lord!”

Yang Furen looked at them and did not speak.