Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 98: Sword Immortal

After leaving Juntian Prefecture’s capital, Ji Yuan walked a short distance and already began to see farmland and trees outside of the city. The sound of birdsong in the greenery gradually overshadowed the noise in the city.

As opposed to the busy waterways of Chunhui Prefecture, the scale of the farmland outside Juntian Prefecture’s capital were quite spectacular, even if Ji Yuan could only see it blurrily.

The name Yuanzi River always reminded Ji Yuan of Yuanzipu in Chunhui Prefecture, and the unforgettable taste of Qianrichun. From time to time, he took out the wine bottle and took a sip as he walked, and soon arrived at the bank of the Yuanzi River.

The river was a clear stream. In the distance, some houses were built by the river. It wasn’t a large settlement, with only about twenty households, making it difficult for Ji Yuan to judge whether this was a proper village or something else.

After walking at a normal pace for about a quarter of an hour, Ji Yuan approached the residential area. He could now clearly hear the sounds of forging from the blacksmith shop.

There was only one blacksmith on the bank of the Yuanzi River and next to the city. Ji Yuan didn’t need to ask for directions; he just followed the sounds.

“Ding, ding, ding…”

“Clang… clang… clang…”

The sounds of forging were relatively intense. It definitely sounded like there was more than one blacksmith. A quick look at the size of the blacksmith shop revealed that there were already four forges. The charcoal fire and heated metal created even more heat during these dog days of summer.¹

Ji Yuan finally came to his senses, and realized that the surrounding houses were actually the homes of these craftsmen.

While thinking about some trivial matters, and what he should say to them later, he saw a muscular blacksmith lying shirtless on a reclining chair, in the outermost room filled with farm tools and knives, fanning himself. Ji Yuan quickly walked forward and tried to ask him.

“Master craftsman, may I ask if you forge swords?”

The master blacksmith fanned himself and looked up at Ji Yuan. He saw a gentleman in a long blue robe. His gaze briefly focused on the stick-like object on his back.

“If your sword is broken, our Yan family’s shop can help you repair it. We guarantee that it will be ready to use after repair, and will be no worse than the original quality. If you want to forge a new sword, that is not possible. We can’t do that.”

“Oh… What if I would like you to make a scabbard?”

The craftsman sat up from the reclining chair and put the fan aside.

“That’s fine. We can make wooden or leather sheaths. If it is more convenient for you, we can also make iron sheaths. If you can afford it, we could also make scabbards out of copper or silver. What kind of scabbard do you need, sir?”

“I just need a wooden scabbard. No elaborate carving required, just simple and durable.”

The craftsman stood up.

“Okay, I’ll take you to another place to measure the width, length, and weight of the blade, and then choose the wood.”

Ji Yuan nodded and followed him. Together, he and the craftsman arrived at another room, with open entrances at both the front and the back. Through the open doors, Ji Yuan could see the busy scene in the smithy in the back.

Two shirtless master blacksmiths sat in the room drinking water and taking a rest. Although they looked to be over 60 years old, they had quite a lot of musculature.

“Sir, please take out your sword, and let me have a look.”

Ji Yuan glanced at the two old craftsmen, untied the longsword wrapped in cloth, and placed it on the table inside the room. Then, he removed the green cloth, revealing the full appearance of the Green Vine Sword.

Although the blade of the Green Vine Sword was no longer rusted, it was still not perfectly clear. The overall rust-free, it is still not transparent. The blade emanated a simple, restrained feeling of cold, and the hilt was even more bizarre. Not only did it lack a guard, but it was actually composed of a green vine, yet that green vine was perfectly entwined and integrated with the sword.

The craftsman couldn’t help but stretch out a hand to touch the green vine hilt. However, before his fingers could touch it, he felt a tingling numbness, and suddenly had an odd feeling. He didn’t dare touch the blade.

Suppressing the absurd panic in his heart, the craftsman continued to reach out and touched the hilt of the sword. Fortunately, nothing happened. The hilt felt like tender green vine, flexible and cool.

The two old master blacksmiths who were resting nearby stood up and came over to look at the sword, curious.

“Sir… What is the name of your sword?”

Ji Yuan gave a seemingly casual smile and spoke in a calm voice.

“This sword does have some history. It was forged in this Yan family’s shop about eighty years ago…”

Having said these words, Ji Yuan paused for a moment, his smile becoming mysterious. In order let his words be heard by as many of the craftsmen in the room around him as he could, he spoke again with a hint of mystical power in his voice.

“Sword name, Qingying!”

For a moment, the noisy sounds of blacksmithing in the Yan family’s shop all stopped.

Ji Yuan just looked at the strong figures at the back of the the forge, then took a closer look at the expressions of the two older men in the room.

“Uh… haha… What a good name, what a good name… Maybe it was created by a master craftsman from our grandfathers’ generation.”

The middle-aged craftsman smiled awkwardly and took out a ruler to begin measuring the sword. Meanwhile, the two old masters sat back down; however, they couldn’t help but cast frequent glances at the sword over and over again. The sound of blacksmithing in the background had long stopped. Ji Yuan could hear some subtle sounds of discussion.

“Master craftsman, have you never heard of this sword’s name?”

Ji Yuan asked with a smile.

“I’ve never heard of it, but you mentioned that it was cast here, sir, and perhaps you are right. Take a look, the tools made by our shop are strong and durable. They would still look good after 80 years…”

Listening to the middle-aged craftsman gradually recovering from his embarrassment and now speaking fluidly, Ji Yuan felt that they had maybe misunderstood something once more. It seemed that, unless he revealed something, nothing would change. Perhaps a white lie would be better.

“Oh, indeed. I suppose eighty years is too long. You all have forgotten that this was once the weapon of Zuo Li…”

As soon as the words Zuo Li were mentioned, Ji Yuan could clearly feel the middle-aged craftsman’s hand that held the ruler tremble slightly. However, he had not finished speaking.

“But even if you forget, it won’t forget, right?”

The “it” that Ji Yuan was referring to was actually the longsword on the table. In the instant that his words fell…

“Buzz…”

The longsword on the table suddenly vibrated, causing a slight hum to sound out.

“Crack… craaack… crack…”

The wooden ruler in the middle-aged craftsman’s hand shattered into pieces from the sharp blade. The craftsman hurriedly withdrew his hand in terror.

“Everyone, I’m not the enemy of the Zuo family, nor am I gathering information for anyone. It is just that Zuo Li has done me a favor, and I am someone who repays kindness. I wish to know if there are any descendants of the Zuo family still alive, so that I can do my best to help.”

One of the old craftsman stood up and looked at the Green Vine Sword on the table. He suppressed the shock in his heart and spoke decisively.

“Since you have obtained the longsword Qingying, you must also have obtained the secret book of Sword Immortal Zuo. Why are you still looking for the descendants of the Zuo family? The Zuo family has implicated our Yan family enough. Either way, we don’t know whether they have all died out. It would be best if they were dead and had nothing to do with us anymore!”

“That’s right. It can be seen that Sir’s martial arts skills are unfathomable. The move you just made is beyond our comprehension.² We don’t dare hide anything from you, the Zuo family was almost definitely wiped out!”

The middle-aged craftsman echoed his words.

“That’s right, the Zuo family must have died out a long time ago!”

“Yes, they must have all died!”

“It has nothing to do with our Yan family’s shop anyway!”

“Right…”

…

A group of blacksmiths and apprentices who had gathered together at some unknown point were shouting outside the house. Everyone was filled with righteous indignation. It seemed that they were all members of the Yan family, and the atmosphere was quite tense.

Ji Yuan was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed out loud.

“Hahahahahaha…”

He looked around at the people surrounding him, and a clear and righteous voice sounded.

“No wonder the Zuo family was so close with your Yan family back then. It’s been decades, and you are still protecting the Zuo family bloodline. How admirable!”

When Ji Yuan finished this seemingly inexplicable sentence, he solemnly bowed to all the Yan family blacksmiths around him. Many people were stunned, surprised, and a little uneasy.

“Don’t worry, I’m not someone chasing fame and fortune, and I certainly don’t want to take anything from the Zuo family…”

As he spoke with a smile, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but feel amused. He didn’t expect that there would actually be a time when he would need to use the guise of an immortal cultivator that he had frequently been mistaken as. With this concept in place, Ji Yuan continued to speak.

“Mortal martial arts don’t mean much to me. I’m looking for the descendants of the Zuo family simply to give Zuo Li an explanation that is decades late.”

When these words were spoken, inciting some speculation and suspicion, the Green Vine Sword on the table floated up and circled around Ji Yuan like a living being. Finally, the tip of the sword pointed downward and it floated in front of Ji Yuan.

“Hum…”

Not only did the sword let out a long sound, but it also shone brilliantly. The sound fluctuated up and down, as if the sword were displaying its emotions.

The others were either shocked or clutching at their trouser legs. Everyone held their breath, speechless. They only had one thought in common in their minds:

‘Sword! Immortal! ’

1. Dog Days refers to hot, humid summer days, comes from the rising of the Dog Star Sirius. Similar idiom in Chinese and English. ↩︎
2. They are mistaking the Green Vine Sword’s movement for JY controlling it ↩︎