Yulong’s Sword

It was true that I wanted a real sword, and I had even thought about buying one with the silver coins I had received as a reward from the county magistrate. But I had a feeling it would be bad if people found out that a servant boy working at a textile wholesaler owned a real sword.

So, as before, I kept practicing Meisen Swordsmanship with a wooden stick. Still, compared to when I first started, I thought my movements had become far more convincing. I could move about sixty percent the way I imagined.

On the other hand, the cultivation of qi through Meimei Gong was not producing results. Meimei Gong was a type of practice called moving cultivation, in which one cultivated qi while moving the body slowly. Apparently this was called refining qi. The movements resembled a slowly moving form of Tai Chi.

“What exactly is qi?”

Since I had never felt it before, I did not know what kind of thing qi was. However, as I continued for one month, then two, I began to feel something warm inside my body.

The first time I felt it, I jumped up with joy. After that, I began to sense qi reliably, and that seemed to correspond to the First Tier of the Qi Refining Stage. Even after that, I continued practicing Meimei Gong, and eventually I became able to control qi and circulate it inside my body.

“That means I’ve cleared the Second Tier of the Qi Refining Stage. Why is it this fast?”

Yulong had been doing qi refinement for about two years, yet he was still only at the Second Tier of the Qi Refining Stage, the same as me. Compared to that, my progress seemed fast. Was it the difference in talent? I did not think I had any special talent, but perhaps Meimei Gong itself was simply excellent.

However, the Meimei Gong in the secret manual only described the refinement method up to the Fifth Tier. After that, I would probably have to look for another method.

I continued with Meimei Gong and advanced my qi level to the Third Tier. In the Third Tier, one sent qi into the muscles and strengthened part of one’s muscular power. Apparently one became able to exert about twice one’s normal strength.

Thanks to that, the movements of Meisen Swordsmanship became comparable to those of an adult. I thought I could defeat bandits of that level. Of course, that assumed I had a real sword as my weapon; with a wooden stick, it would still probably be difficult.

About a year after I entered the Chian Trading Company, Yulong suddenly called for me.

“Did you need something?”

“Go to the blacksmith and pick up the sword I ordered.”

After asking for the exact location, I received a claim ticket and a wrapping cloth for the sword from the steward, Li Fang.

“The sword you’re picking up was made for fifty gold coins. I would really rather have an adult go pick it up, but Yulong-sama ordered that you would do. Be careful.”

Fang, a fairly capable steward, seemed opposed to having a child like me go collect such an expensive sword. But the sheltered young master had apparently chosen me. I had no idea what Yulong was thinking.

I left the shop and headed for the blacksmith. It had been a long time since I had gone through the town. I felt tempted to make a detour, but suppressed the urge and continued toward the blacksmith. The blacksmith’s shop was about eight hundred meters west of the store.

When I went inside, I saw weapons of all sizes lined up on display. I was drawn toward the place where the swords were arranged and stared at them.

“Brat, swords are too soon for you. What do you want?”

A man who seemed to be the master said that while looking at me. That was right. I had to finish Yulong’s errand.

“I’m Kou from the Chian Trading Company. I came to pick up the sword Yulong-sama ordered.”

“Ah, an order from the Chian Trading Company. I am Yun Zaoshi.”

So he really was the master. When I showed him the claim ticket, the master went into the back and returned carrying a single sword. It was a sword covered in ornate decorations. I could not tell how sharp it was, but at a glance I could tell it was expensive.

The master looked dissatisfied. Apparently he himself did not like swords covered in such gaudy decoration.

“Make sure it’s the right one.”

“Even if you say that, I wasn’t told what kind of sword was ordered…”

“Look at the claim ticket. It says: a sharp sword, with a scabbard and hilt decorated with a dragon design in gold, and a red jewel set into them.”

The same thing was written on the claim ticket. In terms of appearance, it matched the order. But whether it was sharp or not was something I could not tell just by looking.

“Want to do a test cut?”

The master said that with a wry smile.

“Is it really okay if I test it?”

“If you don’t test it, you won’t know how sharp it is, right? A straw bundle is fine, yes?”

The master brought over a straw bundle and fixed it into a special stand. The stand appeared to have been made for securing straw bundles. Was it really okay for me to do a test cut?

Wondering that, I drew the sword. I placed the scabbard on a nearby stand so I would not scratch it. The master was looking at me with a mocking expression. Even though he was the one who had suggested it, he seemed to be thinking, Can this kid really do a test cut?

Yulong’s sword was a one-handed sword. Its weight was a little heavier than what I considered ideal. Since it had been matched to Yulong’s strength, it probably felt heavy to me because I was younger. Still, it was not so heavy that I could not swing it. When I tried a practice swing, it made a faint sound as it sliced through the air.

The master’s expression changed when he saw that.

“Boy, have you been learning the sword?”

“I only practice a little. It’s nothing impressive.”

I stepped close to the straw bundle and cut diagonally downward in a kesagake slash. The straw bundle split cleanly in two, and the upper half that had been cut away flew into the air. As expected of a sword worth fifty gold coins.

When I checked the blade, there were no chips or anything of the sort. The master picked up the fallen straw bundle and examined the cut surface.

“The cross-section is clean. With this, it could even cut through a man’s neck.”

I gave a wry smile. Though since I was still a child, a wry smile did not really suit me.

“Please don’t say such frightening things. But yes, the sharpness certainly seems excellent.”

As I returned the sword to its scabbard and wrapped it in the cloth, I heard the master mutter under his breath.

“Who is this brat? That’s not the skill of a child.”

Pretending I had not heard him, I left the claim ticket, thanked him, and left the blacksmith’s shop.

After walking a little way back toward the store, I noticed that I was being followed. A child had come out carrying something that looked important, so they had probably decided I was easy prey.

Between there and the store was a place where there were few passersby. It was an area with many vacant lots, where many poor people had settled. Even if I took a longer route, there would still be lonely places. I steeled myself and decided to go on. Just in case, I undid the wrapping cloth around the sword so I could draw it at once.

When the flow of people finally disappeared, a large man jumped out in front of me.

“Brat, stop.”