Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Each hammer blow sends out dazzling sparks.

"Mother!" Master Xu called out in a panic as he recognized the figure, his voice filled with deep anxiety, "At your age, why don't you rest properly?"

His words were filled with undisguised concern for his mother.

Xu Qing followed her in, and upon hearing this address, his gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at the white-haired old woman.

Who else could be the swordsmith whom Master Xu respectfully calls "Mother"? It is clearly the one who forged the Broken Rainbow Sword in the original story.

"So what if I'm old? My hands are still there, and I can still swing the hammer." The old woman's hands didn't stop moving, but her voice was full of energy.

But faced with her son's earnest gaze and genuine worry, she finally sighed and slowly put down the heavy hammer in her hand.

The hammering stopped.

She then turned her gaze to the unfamiliar young man behind her son, her tone inquisitive: "Who is this?"

Master Xu hurriedly explained, “Mother, this is Xu Qing, Mr. Xu. He is a friend of the Grand Master and also a highly skilled swordsmith. He has come to our Mechanical City as a guest at the invitation of the Grand Master.” He paused, his tone serious, “Don’t underestimate Mr. Xu just because he is young.”

"Oh?"

A glint flashed in the old woman's cloudy but still sharp eyes. She knew her son was proud and arrogant, and a young man whom he admired so much must be extraordinary.

"Xu Qing greets the old lady." Meeting the old lady's gaze, Xu Qing cupped his hands and bowed.

He is a person who respects the elderly and cares for the young.

Since I am now acquainted with Master Xu, I should naturally be more polite to Master Xu's mother.

"Don't be so polite," the old woman said with a smile. "Since you're also a swordsmith, why don't you take a look at this sword blank I've prepared?"

She clearly wanted to test Xu Qing's abilities.

So here's the question: Does Xu Qing really know how to forge swords?

The swords he forged were all made with the help of the system; it seemed that he himself knew nothing.

But that's not actually the case.

After all, the profession he chose in the system was swordsmith.

The system merely provided him with an exceptionally unique sword-forging environment and, after each upgrade, instilled a vast amount of sword-forging knowledge into his mind. However, mastering the techniques and internalizing this knowledge was still up to Xu Qing himself.

Those swords were all forged by him through countless trials and tribulations within the system space.

Even without the system furnace, he could forge a good sword using an ordinary furnace and a hammer, though it would be very time-consuming and laborious.

Chapter 26 New Sword-Forging Methods, Reciprocity

Xu Qing remained calm and showed no fear whatsoever.

He immediately stepped forward and carefully examined the sword blank that the old woman had hammered. After a moment, he sincerely praised, "The old lady's technique is superb, and her skill is masterful!"

Upon a cursory inspection, Xu Qing discovered that although it was only a rough draft, its shape and texture were already nearly perfect. With just a little more forging and polishing, it would surely become an excellent sword. Its forging patterns were even and its impurities were minimal, demonstrating the skill of the craftsman.

"Is there any room for improvement?" The old woman asked Xu Qing again, her eyes burning with curiosity.

Xu Qing quickly replied humbly, "This junior is merely a novice, how dare I presume to offer guidance in front of a renowned swordsmith like the old lady?"

He knew that his current level of swordsmithing was only level two. Even if he had been lucky enough to forge a few famous swords, the gap between him and a master like Master Xu's mother was like heaven and earth.

The Xu family can be considered the pinnacle of swordsmithing in the present day.

Xu Fuzi himself goes without saying; the famous sword "Shuihan" in the original work was created by him and is ranked seventh in the sword manual.

Although the "Shark Tooth" sword forged by his father was not included in the sword manual, it was called the "Demon Sword". Its bizarre shape was used to defeat famous swords in the world, and even the "Yuanhong" sword, which was ranked second in the sword manual, was defeated by it.

The old woman's masterpiece before them was none other than the renowned "Dragon-Slaying Sword," Remnant Rainbow, the predecessor of Abyss Rainbow. Regardless of the sword's ultimate fate, its future ranking as the second-best sword in the manual was already proof of the Xu family's skill.

According to Xu Qing's system assessment, this family's swordsmith level is at least level three, and possibly even level four, capable of forging "legacy" famous swords.

He is certainly not qualified to give any advice.

But since we've come this far, we need to have something to say in order to appear professional.

After a moment's thought, Xu Qing found a starting point.

"Commander Xu, may I ask if your place is usually forged entirely by hand with hammers?" he asked, turning to Master Xu.

“Exactly. Is there something wrong with this method?” Master Xu raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I just feel that while this method is indeed refined through countless trials, it is also very time-consuming and laborious," Xu Qing explained. "The Mohist school's mechanical arts are unparalleled in the world. Since they can use ingenious creations to replace manual labor with countless mechanisms, why not design some mechanical devices in the forging process to relieve the pain of wielding a hammer by man?"

He proposed the concept of a "powered hammer".

Although this tool had a prototype in ancient times, such as during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and was mainly used for rough processing, while fine processing still required hand hammering, it was undoubtedly a forward-thinking idea in the pre-Qin era.

The Mohists were highly skilled in mechanical engineering, especially in utilizing water power; for example, the core of the mechanical city's power source was the flowing water.

If this can be used to drive the forging hammer, and a sophisticated mechanism can be used to control the frequency and force of the hammer drops, efficiency can be greatly improved.

As for Master Xu, with just a little guidance, he would easily come to this conclusion.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Master Xu's eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if he had been enlightened.

“Driven by water power... using the force of flowing water to drive the heavy hammer... and then using mechanisms to control the rhythm of the blows…” he muttered to himself. As the leader of the Mohist school, he was well-versed in the principles of mechanisms and waterways and grasped the key point in an instant.

He was even eager to discuss the design of the "water-powered forging hammer" with Master Ban, but considering that there were still guests present, he restrained himself and looked at Xu Qing with genuine gentleness and approval.

Master Xu then gently persuaded his mother to leave.

After all, his mother was getting old, and he didn't want her to trouble herself with the stove anymore.

Xu Qing observed the sword-forging process alone in the pool, waiting for Master Xu to return.

Before long, Master Xu returned, looking apologetic: "I apologize for my mother's matter, Master Xu."

"Commander Xu's filial piety is truly touching," Xu Qing replied sincerely.

Master Xu sighed softly, as if filled with endless emotion: "My mother has always had a persistent obsession. It is because of this that she often sneaks into the workshop to forge swords despite her advanced age."

"Oh?" Xu Qing asked, his face showing a questioning expression.

Perhaps Xu Qing's advice resonated with him, or perhaps it touched upon his own feelings, for Master Xu didn't hesitate to say a few more words: "My father was obsessed with forging swords. In his quest for a divine weapon, he followed the example of the ancient swords Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, even sacrificing his own life for the sword... On the day the sword was completed, all his life essence was exhausted, and he passed away suddenly. He used his life to create a demonic sword..."

Mentioning his father, Master Xu's tone somber, "My father died while forging a sword, and my mother made a grand vow to forge a divine weapon that surpassed that demonic sword... Unfortunately..."

He shook his head, his unfinished words filled with regret.

Clearly, his mother has not yet achieved her wish.

……

During his stay at the Mo family's residence, Xu Qing spent most of his time immersed in Master Xu's sword-forging pool.

He generously shared all the forging methods he knew that would be passed down to future generations.

For example, the sandwich steel method uses steel of different materials to forge a composite, combining rigidity and flexibility.

The clay tempering method involves covering the blade with special clay and then quenching it, creating a perfect combination of a tough blade and a sharp edge.

The oil quenching method is an improvement upon the prevailing but extremely risky water quenching method. While water quenching can easily produce superb weapons, its rapid cooling makes the sword body prone to deformation and cracking. Using oil, especially more stable mineral oils such as petroleum derivatives, to replace volatile and flammable animal and vegetable oils for quenching can significantly improve thermal stability and cooling uniformity, greatly reducing the scrap rate.

Of course, whether or not oil can be found is up to Master Xu himself.

In addition, he also shared some of his thoughts on new steelmaking methods with Master Xu.

Master Xu still mastered the "blooming steelmaking process" from the Spring and Autumn Period, which uses charcoal to reduce iron ore at low temperature to obtain sponge-like "blooming iron", and then repeatedly heats, folds, forges, and carburizes it into steel.

Xu Qing offered a more advanced approach.

The frying process involves placing pig iron in a high-temperature environment and stirring it with forced air to decarburize and produce steel, which is more efficient.

The hundred-refinement steel process involves repeatedly folding and forging wrought steel to achieve extreme purification and superior performance.

The casting process involves pouring molten pig iron over wrought iron to efficiently carburize and produce steel.

Although these are still "primitive methods," they are definitely more advanced than the steelmaking methods of this era.

Master Xu had already been impressed by Xu Qing because of the "Wind Howling Sword" and considered him a kindred spirit. Now, having heard of these many unheard-of and exquisite crafts, regardless of their difficulty in achieving them, the breadth of knowledge and the depth of insight alone were enough for him to regard Xu Qing as a rare confidant.

Time passed, and Xu Qing had been lingering in the Mo Family's Mechanical City for several days.

Meanwhile, the reply from the Six-Fingered Black Knight, the leader of the Mohist school, finally arrived.

In the letter, he gladly accepted Gao Jianli into the Mohist school, and his words showed his high regard for this man who was skilled in both music and swordsmanship.

Gao Jianli's anxiety finally subsided. From then on, this artist who expressed his aspirations through his zither was able to retreat into a truly secluded place, no longer needing to worry about being hunted down by the authorities.

The Mo Family's Mechanical City is hidden deep in the mountains, with flowing water as its veins and gears as its bones, resembling a pure land that is far removed from the chaos of the world.

Xu Qing, who shared a deep mutual respect with Master Xu, received exceptional courtesy in the city.

The furnace fire burned continuously by the sword-casting pool, and the hammers clanged loudly as the two men discussed new forging methods or debated the art of quenching.

On this day, Xu Qing suddenly made a request to Master Xu: "I wonder if you could give me some broken swords?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Master Xu's gaunt face, but he did not hesitate: "This mere broken artifact, if Master Xu needs it, I will gladly offer it to you."

After all, he had already learned the secret techniques of steelmaking and oil quenching from Xu Qing, and this gift was a reciprocal gesture.

However, he still harbored doubts, believing that those broken blades and shattered edges were nothing more than discarded items from failed forging.

If Xu Qing truly had doubts about the Xu family's sword-making techniques, why not ask him directly? Since he considered Xu Qing a confidant, he would surely tell him everything he knew. Why would he need to use a broken sword to peek into the secrets?

Little did he know that what Xu Qing sought was never the art of forging.

In Master Xu's eyes, the broken sword was a useless thing, only meant to serve as a warning to him and make him understand the failure of the sword-making process.

In Xu Qing's eyes, however, they are treasures in dire need of rebirth.

The Mohist school was a prominent school of thought in the world, with disciples spread across the seven kingdoms. The materials they collected for forging swords were either meteorite iron from outer space or cold copper from the deep sea, all of which were rare treasures.

The Xu family has been forging swords for a century, and the minerals they use are selected from the rarest of thousands.

These abandoned remains, bearing the fruits of the Xu family's labor, may be worthless to others, but to Xu Qing, who possesses the mysterious ability to forge metal, each broken blade is a potential divine weapon that can be reborn from the ashes.

For Xu Qing, rare and precious materials were exactly what he needed to forge a famous sword.

Chapter 27 Farewell to the Mo Family, Reunion with Jing Ni!

Time flies, and more than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The time Xu Qing spent with the Mo family was the most peaceful period he had experienced since his transmigration.