Heavens Renowned Talent, Cheol Woon-bi (3)

Lost in training, one often forgets the passage of time.

Yu Seol hadn’t returned for two days.

There was nothing strange about it. It was expected to some extent.

Yu Jinsan headed to the blacksmith shop early in the morning that day as well. It was to observe what they were doing.

He sat down a bit far away and watched the old man with the hammer.

‘Did he stay up all night? That friend has great determination.’

It was Cheol Woon-bi, the head of the Cheol family.

He was moving exactly the same as last night, without any errors.

Bang! Tang!

The way his body moved and his perfect mental strength as a blacksmith made it seem like he was a warrior who had reached the state of becoming one with the sword.

The rough exhales from his mouth were like a tiger breathing, and the movement of the hammer on the metal felt like a warrior wielding his weapon with precision.

‘No matter what, the appearance of someone who stands at the peak of a profession is the best.’

Yu Jinsan began to lose track of time as he shared this moment with him.

How long has it been?

Looking at his focused face, it felt like he would gain some insight.

After a while, he was just staring at him in wonder, and at one point, his thoughts changed because of the small crowd of people arriving.

And then came this familiar voice.

“This…”

He looked to the side and saw a girl with pigtails holding out a dumpling.

“…?”

It was the child who called herself Cheol Ah-ryun.

Ah-ryun blushed as he accepted it.

“San, take this.”

“You eat it. Why do you keep bringing me snacks? And…”

Yu Jinsan couldn’t even finish his words because Ah-ryun ran off before he could.

Yu Jinsan could only sigh as he watched her leave.

“And to think, such a small child dares to call an adult by name. But well, it does taste good.”

A child he couldn’t understand.

Yu Jinsan clutched the dumpling and looked around.

All the blacksmiths in the Cheol family stopped their work and watched the family head with concentration.

How could they miss such an important event that happens only once in their lifetime?

No one dared to come too close or even utter a word near Cheol Woon-bi.

“It’s understandable. Even I feel like I’m gaining insight from watching him, let alone them.”

Because the surroundings fell silent, Yu Jinsan sat comfortably and lost himself in thought.

His thoughts lingered on what had happened so far.

And the memory of meeting Monk Won Gang in the Repentance Cave.

‘Did he say Mount Emei? A place where children with exceptional talent were raised to be assassins.’

It was a place where the next generation of Blue Dragon Troops would be raised.

Although the attempt to kidnap his granddaughter failed, Yu Seol might have been living a dark life there by now.

Maybe that’s why, for some reason, he felt bad for those kids.

And one more thing.

‘If those children were freed, it would surely infuriate the Murim Alliance Leader. That could also be a form of revenge.’

Moreover, wasn’t the Murim Alliance Leader a longtime member of the Emei Sect?

He thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to head over there and do some research.

The problem was that Sichuan Province was quite far away.

And so, he decided to stop by there in case the routes overlapped with his future plans or if he got the chance.

He was about to forget about time, standing still as he organized his thoughts.

And that was when this familiar voice came again.

The voice of a child filled with sadness.

“San…”

A presence was getting closer.

He could even tell who it was without looking, as there was just one person who called him by that name.

“Why are you here again?”

“C-can you give me a hand for a second?”

Ah-ryun approached him strangely and asked him to hold out his hand, and he, not thinking much of it and looking at the blacksmith stand, extended his hand.

He felt something wrap around his arm.

When he glanced over, he saw a tree trunk bracelet there.

“What is this?”

“G-gift…”

As if she had done what she needed to, she got up and ran away.

And Yu Jinsan, who was looking indifferently at the child walking away, cleared his throat and noticed the bracelet identical to his on her wrist.

‘Is she…?’

Yu Jinsan touched his forehead with his right hand, as if it hurt.

He shook his head and continued to wait for the heirloom to be finished.

Another day passed.

And another, with the child continuing to trouble him.

And on the sixth day…

“F-Father!”

“H-Hyung, finally!”

“Woahhh!”

Cheers rang out all over the place.

The spear was finished in just six days.

The Cheol family members moved around and hugged each other as if it were a celebration.

Yu Jinsan, watching from the side, felt warmth rise within him.

‘Sharing joy is the same in every family.’

After the task was done, Cheol Woon-bi’s eyes searched for the client.

His red eyes and exhausted look didn’t seem to belong to a living person.

It could be because he hadn’t rested even once in the last 6 days.

No matter how well-trained the body was in martial arts, it was impossible to even attempt it without an indomitable will.

“I have something to speak with the client about, so everyone, please step aside.”

“Yes.”

The family members gathered there all stepped back, and Yu Jinsan approached with one spear in hand.

“The requested weapon is done. Please take a look.”

Both hands of Cheol Woon-bi were burned. Yu Jinsan admired the effort he had put into making the spear.

The moment Yu Jinsan gripped the spear, he couldn’t help but exclaim. It felt almost weightless.

The slight tremor he felt in his hands showed how great it was.

“As expected of the best artisan in the world.”

The feel of the handle fitting comfortably in both his hands was so nice.

Cheol Woon-bi explained to Yu Jinsan, who continued to admire it.

“I named the weapon Dragon Slayer Spear because it amplifies the flow of qi, and the spear qi alone will be able to counteract other spear qi.”

As Yu Jinsan twisted the spear, the blade turned red, emitting a sharp cry.

Chiiii!

As soon as internal qi was infused, a gentle red haze began to burn.

There was no doubt that this was a treasured weapon, as confirmed by the red hue it emitted.

“It is truly the greatest.”

Cheol Woon-bi nodded, his face beaming with pride.

He continued, presenting another spear.

“I named this spear Dragon Flower Spear because each time you swing it, petals of death scatter around.”

While the Dragon Slayer Spear conveyed strong and sincere intentions, the Dragon Flower Spear felt delicate and beautiful.

One peculiarity was that it lacked a blade.

‘The true value of a weapon isn’t determined by its sharpness.’

Even without a blade, there would be no issue, for there was nothing that couldn’t be cut using qi. It was simply a choice that took into account the personality of his granddaughter.

Yu Jinsan was about to take the spear and examine it when a voice called out from behind.

“I want to try it too!”

Just then, his granddaughter, who had been away on a training trip, returned.

The voice seemed to come from right behind him, yet it originated from about 30 miles away.

The blacksmiths were shocked and stepped back as someone approached at the speed of the wind.

Yu Jinsan handed the spear to the child, who had arrived in an instant.

“You’ve come at the right time. Your spear is finished. Take a look.”

Yu Seol looked around.

Did he want her to choose her spear? It seemed that was the case.

The child pondered for a moment and then stretched out both hands simultaneously.

“Give me both.”

He intended to hand over just the Dragon Flower Spear, but his granddaughter snatched both.

What does it matter? If necessary, he could always take one back later.

“Do they feel good in your hand?”

“Yes, they’re perfect.”

The curve that extended from the tip of the spear to the handle at just the right length didn’t feel excessive.

Yu Seol, who held the two weapons, felt as though she could conquer the world.

As she walked into the open courtyard, twirling the spears, everyone was captivated.

“Right, give a demonstration.”

Showing a wonderful movement was the best thing one could do for an artisan.

All of them had been in the forge for too long, so they looked at Yu Seol with excited eyes.

Did she feel embarrassed because so many people looked at her? Yu Seol adopted a lower stance and had this awkward smile.

“Starting?”

“Yes.”

Yu Seol, with the Dragon Slayer Spear in her left hand behind her, slowly pulled out the Dragon Flower Spear in her right.

Although the movement was slow, it felt majestic.

A moment later, when someone gulped, the silence broke, and the first movement began.

The Dragon Flower Spear, filled with spear qi, was turned once, scattering light in all directions.

Wheeik!

Flower petals bloomed at the tip of the spear, accompanied by lively sounds.

Everyone who watched was captivated by the sight of thousands of flower petals blooming and moving.

“Wow…”

“This cannot be…”

Everyone was spellbound by the beautiful scene. But the true strength of the Dragon Flower Spear wasn’t visible at all.

Only Cheol Woon-bi and Yu Jinsan noticed it.

If one were mesmerized by its beauty, they would already be dead.

Pang!!

In a split second, the Dragon Flower Spear moved and began to emit a red air torrent.

Swish!

It was entirely different from what Yu Jinsan had shown. This full-fledged sword dance began, which delighted everyone.

The movements of Yu Seol, who performed the double spear technique without pause, seemed like a dance of the heavens.

Wheik! Wheik!

As the two spears moved alternately and emitted qi, several people were moved to tears.

“…it looks like a butterfly in a red flower field.”

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful sight in my life.”

The person who was the most emotional was Cheol Woon-bi, the creator of the weapon.

Clenching his hand and shaking.

After a while, the demonstration ended, and all the blacksmiths applauded.

“Woahhh!!!”

“That was amazing!”

“So nice. My father’s masterpiece has found its rightful owner!”

A faint smile appeared on the face of Cheol Woon-bi.

He approached Yu Seol with stumbling steps.

“I don’t know the reason, but the Scaled Dragon and Fire Dragon seem to be communicating with each other. And so, two spears together will bring forth greater strength.”

Yu Seol closed her eyes as if she couldn’t understand.

“How, though?”

“Try putting the spear handles together.”

Yu Seol tilted her head and looked at the handles of the two spears. Didn’t the jagged end of one spear fit perfectly with the hole in the other spear?

The moment she decided to bring them close, the two handles were pulled together.

Clack!

When they were connected, this long spear was completed.

Since it had blades on both the left and right, it seemed like, if handled correctly, it would be the deadliest weapon.

“…woah.”

Yu Seol couldn’t even close her mouth at the sight of this new weapon.

One problem was that the spear was so long that it was difficult for her to use it now. The total length was twice her height.

But time will tell.

“Thank you~.”

Yu Seol held the Twin Dragon Spear and bowed her head to Cheol Woon-bi.

His expression was prouder than that of anyone else in the world.

And after a while.

The body of Cheol Woon-bi began to falter.