Chapter 39: Mysterious Iron Treasure Sword (Part 2)

  Xiao Ziyang had just sat down when the girl by the table immediately poured him a cup of tea and brought over a fruit platter. After asking if he needed anything else, she stood behind him.

  Xiao Ziyang turned his head to look around and found that there were two other guests sitting in the hall, one of whom was also drinking tea. The other stood with his head bowed, carefully examining a three-foot-long brocade box on the table; due to the distance being too far, Xiao Ziyang could not see what was inside the box.

  After a moment, the fellow came in carrying a brocade box nearly two feet long.

  The fellow gently placed the brocade box on the table, opened it and said: "Please take a look, sir."

  Xiao Ziyang reached into the brocade box and pulled out a short knife sheathed in its scabbard.

  "This short knife is one foot five inches long, with a shark skin scabbard and a handle made of extremely hard black wood, intricately carved and wrapped in red duck skin with silkworm silk thread."

  The red duck is a rare waterbird that lives in the swamp all year round, its skin is not only thin and light, but also has excellent elasticity and is very durable.

  However, it is used here because this skin has a peculiar property. It is extremely easy to absorb water, and the absorbed water is also extremely easy to evaporate. A piece of red duck skin as big as a palm can absorb a cup of water without leaving a single drop, and if you spread it out flat again, without even taking a moment, this piece of skin will dry up like it never got wet before.

  Wrapping this skin on the handle of a knife will prevent your palm from sweating and slipping when using the knife.

  The snow silkworm's silk is extremely sturdy and unlike ordinary silkworms, it is not smooth to the touch. It has a rough texture that feels cool to the hand, allowing for a more stable grip on the sword hilt.

  Xiao Ziyang drew his sword from its scabbard. At first glance, the blade seemed to be a uniform black color. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that the blade emitted a faint, deep blue glow; the smooth surface of the blade was densely covered with fine, intricate patterns, indicating that this sword had been forged with great care and precision.

  Xiao Ziyang shifted his gaze, using the corner of his eye to observe the blade. In the dark blue light, there were actually fine golden sparks flashing. This was a phenomenon that occurred when the proportion of xuan iron in the blade exceeded a certain level; and after countless times of forging, the distribution of xuan iron was very even.

  The fellow saw Xiao Ziyang's action and was slightly startled, saying: "I didn't expect the guest officer to be a master of the trade."

  Xiao Ziyang raised his head and smiled, "I'm not a master of the craft, I just heard it from somewhere that there's something called 'Huang Jin' in the Xuan Tie sword, and I've also heard of a way to distinguish it. Today is actually my first time using it."

  "You're too modest, sir. Just by looking at the scabbard before you drew your sword, I can tell that you are a master swordsman from the way you hold the hilt."

  Xiao Ziyang smiled slightly and stopped talking. He had traveled extensively, but most of what he knew was hearsay; he understood the phenomena but not their underlying reasons, and speaking too much might reveal his ignorance.

  Xiao Ziyang looked at it for a while, and then let out a soft sigh. He put the knife back in its scabbard and returned it to the brocade box.

  "Good sword, indeed a good sword, the person who forged this sword must be a top-notch master."

  The fellow gave Xiao Ziyang a strange look, reached out and took the treasure knife out of the brocade box again, drew it out of its scabbard, and pointed to a mark on the blade: "Sir, this knife is one of the four great workshops of the Ministry of Works, made by Zhao Lianshan, the master craftsman of Shenbing Camp. You see, this is his mark, which is famous throughout the land. How can you not recognize it?"

  Xiao Ziyang smiled and said: "The knowledge of appraising sabers I have was all taught by others, I had never used it before, so it's not strange that I don't recognize Zhao Dazhang's mark."

  Xiao Ziyang changed the subject and said, "This knife is indeed a good one, but I can't afford it. Does your store have any long knives priced around 1,000 silver taels that I can buy? I don't require the knife to be extremely sharp, just sturdy enough not to damage the blade during intense fighting, and the heavier the better."

  Xiao Ziyang said he couldn't afford the Xuan Tie treasured sword, but his companion's face didn't show any disappointment or disdain. He calmly put the sword back in its brocade box. When Xiao Ziyang mentioned his requirements for a sword, the shopkeeper's eyes suddenly lit up: "Sir, we have a thick-backed sword that meets your needs, it's just that this sword is too heavy, I don't know if you..."

  "How many?"

  "After drawing out of its scabbard, it weighs seventy-two catties and eight taels."

  "How can there be such a heavy sword? Could it be the great general's own sword?"

  "No, it's a thick-backed knife made of Wootz steel."

  "Bring it over and let me take a look."

  "Yes, wait a moment." The shop assistant carried the brocade box towards the side door they had come in from earlier.

  A porter came in, carrying a large wooden box, and put it on the table with a dull thud, attracting the attention of the other two customers.

  The buddy opened the wooden box, and Xiao Ziyang took out the thick-backed knife with one hand. He examined it carefully, and this knife also had a shark skin scabbard, with the handle wrapped in red duck skin and snow silkworm thread. The materials used were slightly inferior to that of the Xuan Tie treasure knife, but the workmanship was equally exquisite.

  Xiao Ziyang drew his sword from its scabbard. This was a thick-backed knife made of Wootz steel, forged through over a hundred folds and hammering, with extremely dense patterns on the blade, superior material, and generous use of resources. The blade was very tough. He felt it was just right in his hand, neither too heavy nor too light.

  The fellow saw Xiao Ziyang pick up the seventy-two catty heavy back knife as if it were a wooden stick, holding it effortlessly in one hand, and was extremely surprised, but then he became happy. Because he knew that this knife would finally have a buyer.

  Xiao Ziyang raised his head and asked: "How much is this knife worth?"

  "Seven hundred silver coins," said the shop assistant, looking at Xiao Ziyang's expression. Seeing Xiao Ziyang frowning slightly, he quickly added, "Seven hundred silver coins is already the lowest price set by the boss, any lower would be a loss."

  "It's not that I'm being stingy, this knife is made with top-notch materials and its craftsmanship is on par with the Xuan Tie treasured sword. To say it's worth seven hundred taels is an understatement - even seventeen hundred taels would be a fair price. I have no idea why it was sold so cheaply."

  "This sword is flawed because it's too heavy, weighing 72 catties, making it hard for anyone to wield; although Wu steel is a good material for forging knives, its appearance is somewhat lacking, so those customers who buy swords as decorations don't appreciate it. This sword has been collecting dust in our store since it was forged over ten years ago!"

  "Why bother tempering him then?" Xiao Ziyang asked in surprise.

  "It's said that this sword was tailor-made for a martial artist born with divine power, who had mastered the top-notch external skill of 'Da Li Fu Mo Shen Tong' to its extreme. However, just as the sword was completed and before it could be delivered, the martial artist lost his life in a duel...”

  "I see. That's it then," said Xiao Ziyang, taking out a tael of silver from his bosom that emitted a faint purple glow and handing it over.

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