Heavenly Forge (3)

Neung Je-gang left the Martial Alliance and turned his steps west. To go to Kunlun in Cheonghae Province, he had to pass through Shaanxi Province and Gansu Province.

Xi’an, the provincial capital of Shaanxi Province.

Neung Je-gang headed toward the Heavenly Forge. It was the place where he had obtained the Mindless Sword.

Because of that thought, he had deliberately avoided getting a sword anywhere else.

As before, he occasionally saw old men on the street trying to sell weapons. Neung Je-gang slowly walked around the shops and looked through them, then moved toward the main estate of the Heavenly Forge.

It seemed that useful items would be fastest to find there after all.

“The Heavenly Forge……. I simply cannot believe this place is a smithy.”

It had to be called a vast manor. There was not a single hammering sound, something that should never be absent from a smithy.

The manor gate was wide open. There did not seem to be anyone guarding the gate either.

Neung Je-gang went inside.

“Incredible.”

In the wide courtyard of the manor, where a training ground should have stood if this were a martial household, the things packed densely into it were all weapons. However, he was also somewhat disappointed. Most of them were rusted and faded, as though they had been left neglected at random.

“Are they saying they sell these? They could not have earned the reputation of the Heavenly Forge by selling things like this, could they?”

As Neung Je-gang looked around, he found a person passing by while holding a ledger and checking the abandoned weapons one by one.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes? What is the matter?”

“I came to look at a sword. Are these the things you sell?”

“Ah, you came to buy an item. Then you came to the wrong place. You need to go to the east gate side of the manor for the place that sells items.”

“Is that so? Then these are……?”

Neung Je-gang looked around.

“Haha! This is where we leave sample goods sent in by the workshops that supply items to our Heavenly Forge. We leave them alone and observe how long they last when they have received no maintenance at all. They have to pass here before they can make a contract with us.”

“Ah, so that is why they have been left like this.”

Only then did Neung Je-gang resolve his curiosity, and he went toward the east gate as the man had told him.

There was likewise no one guarding the east gate. Neung Je-gang entered. He found various items displayed there. But unexpectedly, there were too few items here too.

Neung Je-gang looked around here and there, then went to where the swords were displayed.

“Welcome.”

The place that sold items was certainly different starting from the attitude with which it received people.

Neung Je-gang examined the displayed swords one by one. However, there was nothing that particularly pleased him.

Of course, as befitted the Heavenly Forge’s reputation, it was certain that they were well made. Their sound was good, and their balance was almost perfect.

But they did not suit Neung Je-gang’s hand. For some reason, the awkward feeling was strong.

“Do they not please you?”

When Neung Je-gang kept tilting his head, the seller finally stepped forward and asked.

“They feel strangely uncomfortable.”

“Did you perhaps have a sword you used before?”

Neung Je-gang nodded while looking at another sword.

“Was that sword perhaps different from other swords?”

“That is right. But how did you……?”

“Haha! There are occasionally customers like you. Among those who try to buy a new one because they lost their sword or it broke, there are people who cannot forget the feel of their previous sword. In such cases, nine times out of ten, most of them were people who had used an abnormal sword.”

It was certainly not strange to call the Mindless Sword an abnormal sword, considering its shape.

“Ah, then in the end, I have no choice but to get used to a new sword?”

“If you show us the sword you used before, we can make an identical one for you.”

The words sounded good, but Neung Je-gang had no time to wait. And by what method was he supposed to show them the shattered Mindless Sword?

“The sword was completely broken, so I threw it away. I also have no time.”

“Then you have no choice but to get used to a new sword.”

“But why are there so few swords?”

“That is something many people ask as well. However, it is not that there are few. Rather, one should say there are many. The swords here are famous swords that have received perfect verification from among hundreds and thousands of swords.”

“Famous swords?”

“That is correct. They are swords that fall short nowhere in balance, sharpness, hardness, and the like.”

“Well, they do not really look that way to me…….”

What Neung Je-gang wanted was not a sleek sword. He wanted something practical. If being hard and sharp made something a famous sword, then what in the world would not be a famous sword?

“If they are famous swords, they must be expensive.”

“They are somewhat so.”

“How much?”

“The one you are holding now is fifty nyang.”

“In silver?”

“Surely not. In gold, of course.”

Fifty nyang of gold was five times the cost he had spent when buying the Mindless Sword. No matter how he looked at it, it did not seem to have that much value, but it was damned expensive.

Neung Je-gang quietly set the sword back in place and turned away. He thought it would be better to just buy some random sword somewhere and carry it.

When Neung Je-gang’s figure completely disappeared from sight, the man who had been selling swords took on a regretful expression.

“Damn it! Did I call out too much?”

Another person approached him and patted him on the shoulder.

“You were far too greedy. Calling ten times the price, really. If you had called about ten nyang, I think he would have bought it. He smelled like money. I mean, that much would have been enough.”

“Damn it! I thought I was finally going to land a big one after so long.”

“At a glance, he looked like someone who knew a little something about swords. You think it works to just blindly say it is a famous sword?”

“That is how I could call it expensive, no?”

“Tsk, tsk! You are still far from becoming a proper seller. You must not be greedy.”

It seemed Neung Je-gang’s choice to turn away had been an outstanding one.

Neung Je-gang came out of the Heavenly Forge and walked slowly while looking over the small smithies.

“Should I look over the things made by retired smiths, like before?”

If he was lucky, he might be able to obtain something useful like the Mindless Sword.

He slowly walked down the street and saw one very gaunt old man sitting out in front of a certain smithy. Unlike the other smithies, there were no people looking around, and there were no retired smiths loitering in front of it either.

Neung Je-gang walked there. Suddenly, he heard people whispering behind his back.

“What is it?”

When Neung Je-gang turned his head and looked at the people, they hurriedly turned their heads away. It seemed there was something there, but he could not know what it was. In any case, he approached the old man and asked politely.

“Do you have a usable sword?”

The old man glanced at Neung Je-gang once and tossed out a single word.

“Go.”

“Yes?”

Neung Je-gang thought he had heard wrong. He was saying he would buy a sword, yet the old man suddenly told him to go.

“If my sword is handled wrongly, you die. So if you do not want to die, get lost.”

At the old man’s words, Neung Je-gang felt a strange competitive spirit rise in him. If he would die from handling it wrongly, those words ultimately meant that the old man’s sword was a cursed sword.

“Did you make a cursed sword?”

This time, the old man showed a startled expression.

“A cursed sword? You could call it a cursed sword. At any rate, everyone who had that sword died. So do not die from needless curiosity and just leave.”

“When you say that, it makes me even more curious instead.”

Neung Je-gang spoke to the old man with a calm expression.

“The dead men always said that to me as they bought the sword too.”

At the old man’s words, Neung Je-gang’s expression stiffened slightly. He realized that it was not merely one or two dead.

“How many died?”

“You are too curious. If you die too, it will exactly fill twenty. Do you still want to buy the sword?”

If so, that meant nineteen people had died because of the sword.

“Do you know why they die?”

When Neung Je-gang threw out another question, the old man once again slowly looked Neung Je-gang up and down. Then he abruptly asked.

“Do you think you are strong?”

It was a difficult question. Anyone in the martial world who possessed pride would have no choice but to answer yes.

However, it was also a question that could not help but change depending on where one placed the standard for strength and weakness. Was the martial world not a place where a strong person could become weak depending on the opponent?

“For the time being, I think so, but…….”

As though Neung Je-gang’s answer displeased him, the old man frowned.

“Just go. The fellows who boasted that they were strong all turned into corpses before leaving Xi’an.”

That meant the cursed sword’s effect appeared immediately.

“The result afterward is mine to bear anyway, so please just show me the sword.”

The longer Neung Je-gang and the old man’s conversation became, the more the number of people gathering around them increased. Among them was also the man who had sold swords at the Heavenly Forge.

When Neung Je-gang realized that they had all come to watch him turn into a corpse after buying the sword, he was dumbfounded for a while.

“If you want to die that badly, it cannot be helped. Follow me inside.”

In the end, the old man, who had lost to Neung Je-gang when he did not back down, stood up and went into the smithy. Neung Je-gang walked after him and glanced over, seeing that the number of people gathering was gradually increasing.

‘What is this now?’

His mouth tasted bitter because it felt as though he had become a spectacle.

The old man went into the smithy, then brought over a sword case that had been placed haphazardly and set it down in front of Neung Je-gang with a thump.

“Is this that cursed sword?”

“Yes.”

“But is it all right to leave something like this just anywhere?”

“No one steals it. Because they know they will die if they take it.”

“Then how did the dead men die? Did they go mad and cut off their own necks with their own hands?”

“It was not that. They all died at someone else’s hand.”

“Someone else?”

“You certainly talk a lot. If you are curious, draw it. Then you will know.”

“Hehe, I shall.”

If they had not gone mad and killed themselves, then he did not think he needed to worry too much.

Click.

The sword case opened slightly.

Ziiing.

At that moment, Neung Je-gang felt as though he had heard some sound ringing from inside the sword case.

“What is it?”

The sword case opened completely, and Neung Je-gang saw one sword inside a scabbard. Its outward appearance was simply no different from other swords.

However, for some reason, a ringing in his ears that kept grating on his nerves continued to be heard.

Neung Je-gang reached out and grasped the sword. At that instant, as if it were a lie, the ringing in his ears completely disappeared. Neung Je-gang found the sensation strange and let go of it.

Ziiing.

The ringing in his ears sounded again.

Neung Je-gang grasped the sword in his hand again and lifted it. Once again, the ringing in his ears disappeared.

“Do you hear a sound?”

“What sound?”

“The sound coming from the sword.”

“Oh dear, this is serious. To think you have even gone mad the moment you grabbed the sword.”

“I have not gone mad. But do you truly not hear it?”

“I have sold that sword more than once or twice, but this is the first time I have heard anyone say there is a sound coming from it.”

At the old man’s words, Neung Je-gang tilted his head and slowly drew the sword from the scabbard.

And he came to know clearly why the old man had acknowledged that sword as a cursed sword. The killing intent possessed by the sword itself was felt so strongly that it made Neung Je-gang’s knees go numb.

The old man edged backward hesitantly.

“What is wrong?”

“You know now, do you not? Why that thing is called a cursed sword. When you are holding it, you cannot feel it, but the people around you feel as though the one holding that sword is trying to kill them.”

“Ah……!”

“That is how everyone who died until now died. Because a person suddenly passing by felt killing intent and swung a weapon. In the end, except for me, who made the sword, they all ended up dying because of that sword’s killing intent.”

“I understand. So that is what it is.”

“Do you still intend to buy that sword?”

“Yes, I will buy it. How much is it?”

“If you still must buy it, one nyang of silver will do.”

“Are you not selling it too cheaply?”

“I have already earned as much money as I need from that sword.”

“I understand.”

Neung Je-gang put his hand into his robe, took out one nyang of silver, and held it out to the old man.

“Now this sword has become mine.”

“Yes.”

After hearing the old man’s answer, Neung Je-gang looked around and approached an anvil that had been left neglected in one part of the smithy, then placed the sword on it.

“What are you trying to do?”

“I must wash away the killing intent.”

“How?”

“Would it not do if I broke it? A man-killing sword like this is better off gone.”

Neung Je-gang gripped the sword with one hand and looked for a hammer. But he could not see a hammer. A smithy had no hammer? What in the world was this…….

“Do you not have a hammer?”

“How long has it been since I retired? Would I still have a hammer? I sold it long ago.”

The old man answered as though it were only natural.

With no other choice, Neung Je-gang searched for something to use instead of a hammer, then suddenly remembered what was inside his robe.

“Pungroe should be fine.”

Was it not an iron cudgel? It was perfect as a hammer substitute.

Neung Je-gang took out Pungroe, raised it high, and struck down.

Clang, whiiiiing!

The sword did not break. Its elasticity was remarkable, and after bending as though it would break, it returned to its original form. Considering that Pungroe was something that would not receive even a single scratch from sword aura, this sword could also be called extraordinary.

“It is indeed an extraordinary sword. If one considers the sword itself, there truly is no flaw to find. It seems your skill as a master smith is tremendous. To think you made such an outstanding sword.”

“In my younger days, I was indeed a recognized expert. But do you truly intend to break it?”

“Why? Is it a waste?”

“That too, and…….”

It was probably because of the craftsman’s heart. It was only natural for one to have attachment to one’s work. Even if it was a sword like this that could not control its killing intent.

“Cut off your attachment. It is mine now anyway.”

This time, Neung Je-gang injected internal power into Pungroe.

“It seems it would be best for you to take cover. I do not know where it may fly when it breaks.”

Perhaps because the old man did not want to die either, he hurriedly went out of the smithy.

Wooooong.

After confirming that the old man had gone out, Neung Je-gang operated his protective sword aura and protected his body. He did not want to become the sword’s twentieth victim.

The internal power injected into Pungroe seemed ready to writhe and burst out. He aimed at the very center of the sword and, this time as well, struck Pungroe down strongly.

Claaang, pat!

No matter how well made the sword was, it could not endure a blow infused with Neung Je-gang’s internal power. The sword remained cut in half. The other half of the sword flew off and lodged in the wood of the ceiling.

He let go of the hand that had been holding the sword.

No sound could be heard at all. The killing intent he had felt from the sword had also vanished as if washed clean.

Perhaps the old man who had gone outside heard the sound, because he poked his head through the gap in the door.

“Is it done?”

“It broke. Please come in.”

Neung Je-gang dusted off his hands and turned away without lingering, heading outside. He had come to obtain a sword and experienced something unusual, but getting rid of a sword that had caused people to die could be called a great relief.

After confirming the broken sword, the old man chased after Neung Je-gang and grabbed him.

“What is wrong?”

“You came to obtain a sword, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then follow me.”

The old man walked out of the smithy ahead of Neung Je-gang with shambling steps. Outside the smithy, people were still gathered, waiting for Neung Je-gang to come out with the sword.

“My sword broke. So stop wasting your effort and get lost.”

When the old man shouted at them and Neung Je-gang appeared empty-handed, the waiting people chattered for a while, then eventually gave up and scattered.

“What kind of spectacle is a person dying……. Hmph! Wicked bastards.”

After spitting out those few words, the old man again walked off somewhere with shambling steps.

“Where are you going?”

“Stop talking and follow me. I will tell you where there is a good sword.”

“There is no need for you to go that far…….”

“I am doing this as repayment for getting rid of that troublesome thing for me, so there is no need to decline. And it is a gift I am giving in place of my own wrongdoing, since I knew I could just get rid of the sword, yet left it alone while people kept dying.”

With no other choice, Neung Je-gang followed behind the old man. There was no need to decline when he said he would gift him a good sword.

“Wait here.”

After walking for quite a while, the old man slipped into a certain smithy. And then there was no news.

Neung Je-gang had to stand blankly on the street and only feel time pass.

When he was thinking of simply leaving, the smithy door opened, and the old man held out his hand and called him.

“Come in.”

Neung Je-gang entered the smithy. There, another old man of a similar age to the first old man was sitting on a chair.

And in front of him was another sword case.

“This fellow is my friend. Though he is not as good as me, he was also a master smith recognized in his younger days. What I want to show you is precisely this sword.”

Click.

The sword case opened, and one sword likewise came out. However, its shape was somehow extremely similar to the sword that had just been broken by his hand.

“This and that one from before were made at almost the same time. I made the handle. This friend did not want to sell this, but after hearing what you did, he gladly said he would sell the sword.”

Neung Je-gang took out the sword and examined it. It was certainly a sword of a similar level to the swords he had seen at the Heavenly Forge. That meant it was an extremely well-made sword.

“It is good.”

Neung Je-gang set the sword down and looked at the old men.

“You said you would sell it?”

“Yes, it is not mine, so I cannot give it away as I please.”

“I understand. Then how much will you sell it for?”

If they said something about fifty nyang of gold here too, he intended to simply turn away again.

“Do you have about five nyang in gold?”

“Five nyang?”

Neung Je-gang asked again because the unexpectedly low price made him wonder if he had heard wrong.

“You do not have it? Well, there is no way someone would be carrying that kind of money around. Then even four nyang……. Or maybe three nyang…….”

The old man watched his friend’s expression and reduced the price one nyang at a time.

Jingle.

Neung Je-gang took out one pouch from his robe and set it down in front of the old man.

“It is ten nyang in gold. Please make me a scabbard as well.”

Whisk.

The old man’s hand was faster than lightning.

“What is there to make or anything? There is already a scabbard fitted to that sword. Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and bring out the scabbard.”

The old man pushed his friend’s back.

However, the old man who was said to be his friend lifted and held out a scabbard that had been standing beside the chair he had been sitting on. Its plain, unostentatious shape suited Neung Je-gang’s taste as well.

“Then……. Please live happily.”

Neung Je-gang greeted the two old men and came outside. In the end, he had obtained a new sword by spending as much money as he had prepared in advance to buy a sword. Unlike the Mindless Sword, it had no special traits, so he did not even give it a name.

At any rate, now that he had obtained a sword, only the trip to Kunlun remained.