Chapter 122
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: The Reluctant Blacksmith
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Jin Jo-un smiled at the surprised Dan Ak-seon and said,
"This is the cloud iron I obtained to restore the Won Gong treasured sword. It's yours now."
"But this is..."
Knowing the effort Jin Jo-un had poured into it, Dan Ak-seon couldn't easily accept it.
Jin Jo-un cupped his fist towards Dan Ak-seon.
"The Hengshan Sect will not forget the grace we've received from Physician Dan."
His extremely respectful attitude and gaze warmed Dan Ak-seon's heart.
"I will also remember the efforts of the Beggar's Sect."
Jin Jo-un didn't forget to express his gratitude to I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun as well.
Just before they parted ways after exchanging farewells.
Jin Jo-un handed him something.
"What is this?"
"A letter of introduction."
"A letter of introduction?"
At Dan Ak-seon's question, Jin Jo-un gave a strange smile.
"There aren't many master smiths who can smelt cloud iron. Besides, the one I know is exceptionally lazy and eccentric. If you go without a letter of introduction, you'll likely be turned away at the door."
Dan Ak-seon was genuinely moved.
And so, Dan Ak-seon descended Mount Heng with the joint petition, the cloud iron, and the letter of introduction.
When he arrived at the designated spot, he saw four figures sitting still in a tight formation. They were soaked to the bone, like drowned rats, as if it had rained all night.
Despite this, they remained in their spots, motionless as statues.
"Why are you all sitting like that?"
At Dan Ak-seon's words, Ga Du-dal mumbled with half-lidded eyes.
"Have to stay still... Mustn't... do... anything..."
Beom Gye-wi lifted his head, his face weary.
"Physician Dan. Doing nothing is truly hard work."
Cho Ak-ryang was the same.
He looked as if he had aged ten years.
The only person there who seemed fine was Han Seol-hwa.
"Every time we try to do something, something happens."
"Huh?"
"From now on, it's better if we all stick together."
Beom Gye-wi nodded.
"Don't ever leave just the four of us behind again."
What on earth had happened?
All four of them looked so exhausted that he couldn't bring himself to ask.
"How did it go? Did you get it sorted out?"
In response to Beom Gye-wi's question, Dan Ak-seon smiled and tapped the joint petition tucked inside his clothes.
Cho Ak-ryang nodded.
"So, are we heading to the Diancang Sect now?"
"There's a place we need to stop by first."
"…?"
"I need to meet the master smith who can handle the cloud iron."
"Cloud iron? You mean the stuff that falls from the sky?"
"Yes. The Sect Leader of Hengshan gave it to me as a gift."
Dan Ak-seon briefly explained what happened at the Hengshan Sect. Beom Gye-wi nodded in satisfaction.
"Much better than those Shaolin monks who just paid lip service."
Cho Ak-ryang asked Dan Ak-seon again.
"What do you plan to make with the cloud iron?"
"Hmm... I was thinking of having them make needles."
After pondering for a moment, Cho Ak-ryang shared his thoughts.
"Cloud iron is a unique material, but can it surpass the Immortal Reverence Needles or the Demonic Spirit Needles?"
"I couldn't think of anything else at the moment."
As if he had been waiting, Beom Gye-wi stepped forward.
"Perfect. Let's take this chance to make a weapon for our Physician Dan."
Cho Ak-ryang nodded in agreement.
"Not a bad idea."
"A weapon?"
At Dan Ak-seon's question, Beom Gye-wi chattered excitedly.
"Yes, Physician Dan. A martial artist should have their own signature weapon."
"Not something the guy who loses his own signature weapon should be saying."
Beom Gye-wi's face turned red at Cho Ak-ryang's jab.
"You threw it, Brother Cho!"
"You were the one who carelessly hid it somewhere."
The two glared at each other as if they were about to start a fight. Just then, Ga Du-dal, who had been standing there like a spare part, spoke up.
"Excellent. Even if you searched the entire martial world, there are only a few people who possess a signature weapon made of cloud iron. I'm sure many will covet it."
Beom Gye-wi shot Ga Du-dal a disapproving look.
"Do you think everyone in the world is a thief like you?"
"Ha! Do you think the saying 'seeing a treasure gives rise to desire' came from nowhere? It's human nature to covet treasure upon seeing it. I'm just..."
"Just?"
"A little more honest about my instincts."
"Something to be proud of!"
A moment later, they put their heads together and began to discuss.
It was a meeting to decide what kind of weapon to make from the cloud iron.
After a long exchange of various opinions, they decided on a staff.
"A sharp, bladed weapon doesn't suit Physician Dan."
Cho Ak-ryang was once again impressed by Beom Gye-wi's sharpness.
In truth, if Dan Ak-seon's martial arts reached the level they hoped for, the weapon itself wouldn't be that important.
A true master could be the best under heaven even with a rotting tree branch.
A short while later, Dan Ak-seon's group set sail on the Xiang River.
It was to meet the master smith introduced by Jin Jo-un.
***
Ten days after leaving the Southern Peak Temple.
Dan Ak-seon's party arrived in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province.
"Wow! So that's the Pavilion of Prince Teng."
Dan Ak-seon couldn't take his eyes off the magnificent wooden pagoda situated by the vast, yellow Gan River.
As if he'd been waiting for this moment, Ga Du-dal began to speak.
"It's not called one of the Four Great Towers of Jiangnan for nothing. See that plaque that says 'Heroic Prefecture, Fierce as Fog'? In the original preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng, it's followed by 'Brilliant Talents, Racing like Stars.' It means that great prefectures and counties are spread out like a dense fog, and outstanding individuals are as numerous and brilliant as the stars in the night sky."
"Nonsense."
Finding Ga Du-dal's display unbearable, Beom Gye-wi interjected.
"I've never seen a proper martial artist from Nanchang!"
Cho Ak-ryang smiled and added to that.
"It's because of the temperament of the people here. They are strongly individualistic and rather insular. So they live mainly by rice farming rather than trade. That's why there are so many ironworks."
"Ah! I see. It's because they need a lot of farming tools."
Cho Ak-ryang nodded at Dan Ak-seon's words.
"Exactly. Plus, this region is known for producing particularly good iron."
They soon entered a bustling street.
Suddenly, Dan Ak-seon looked up at Han Seol-hwa. She wore the most relaxed expression he had seen on her in a while.
When their eyes met, Han Seol-hwa smiled quietly.
"It's a relief not to have any beggars around."
Only then did Dan Ak-seon understand the source of her ease.
For the past few days, Han Seol-hwa had been in a bad mood every day because of the stench from the two beggars.
"Still, I'm a little sad to see them go."
I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun promised to meet again later at the Diancang Sect.
They had to return to the Beggar's Sect headquarters to handle an urgent matter. He hadn't heard the details, but it seemed to be related to their withdrawal from the Martial Alliance.
Finding the ironworks was not as difficult as they had thought.
Following the sound of hammering steel, they found a gate that seemed to be the entrance, above which hung a plaque with 'Mokga Ironworks' written in a simple, forceful script.
Clang, clang!
As they opened the gate and stepped inside, a deafening metallic clangor assaulted their ears.
The scale was much grander than it had appeared from the outside.
There were six furnaces, large and small, and in front of them, three or four blacksmiths were hammering away without rest.
Moreover, more than ten workers bustled around the furnaces, assisting them.
At least eighty people.
Perhaps due to the sweltering heat, everyone except those near the furnaces was shirtless. The sight of dozens of muscular men, bare-chested and hammering away, was truly a spectacle.
"What brings you here?"
One of the hammering smiths, a man with a rugged face, noticed Dan Ak-seon's group and approached them.
"We're here to see a man named Mok Bi. I was told he is the master of this place."
The man, looking Dan Ak-seon up and down, answered bluntly.
"The Master can't see just anyone."
"Ah! I have a letter of introduction."
Dan Ak-seon quickly took out the letter he had received from Jin Jo-un and held it out.
"Wait here."
Taking the letter, the man disappeared over a small wall that led deeper into the compound.
A moment later, a person appeared through a moon gate.
He seemed to be in his mid-forties.
He was a man with such a corpulent frame that it was hard to believe he was a master smith.
Not to mention his belly, which jiggled so much it would be impossible to wrap one's arms around, sweat poured from his triple chin like rain.
"You were looking for me?"
Dan Ak-seon was momentarily taken aback but quickly explained why he had come.
"Cloud iron? Ah, you mean the thing the Hengshan Sect Leader said he'd be sending over soon."
He sighed, his expression clearly annoyed.
"As I told him then, I no longer make weapons. I'm planning to retire after passing on all my skills."
"You're retiring?"
"Aye. I don't want to live and die like my father did."
He said, wiping away the sweat that dripped down his face.
"A man who'd spent his whole life hammering iron suddenly drank some wine one day, something he never usually did. Just one cup. No more, no less, just that much. And then he went to bed early."
A faint sadness surfaced in the man's eyes as he continued.
"That was the last of my father. He never woke up again; he passed away just like that."
"Oh, dear..."
"That's life for us. Facing the heat of the forge and hammering steel our whole lives, it's no wonder our bodies don't hold up. That's why I'm quitting. So, take the cloud iron somewhere else."
"Is there anywhere else that can properly handle cloud iron?"
"Well..."
The man's voice trailed off vaguely, and then he spoke bluntly, as if it were none of his business.
"Isn't there a saying you martial artists always use? The Central Plains are vast, and masters and eccentrics are as numerous as grains of sand on a riverbank. If you look, you'll surely find someone, won't you?"
"But I'm not a martial artist."
The man glanced over Dan Ak-seon's group and snorted.
"You certainly don't look like officials from the Six Doors."
The Six Doors was a slang term for government officials.
Besides them, the only people who sought out weapons were martial artists.
"It's true. I'm a physician."
"A physician?"
The man stared at Dan Ak-seon with eyes full of disbelief.
Dan Ak-seon looked far too young for him to readily believe it.
Nodding, Dan Ak-seon looked up at the man.
"Then how about this? I'll examine your health. If we can identify and treat any ailments in advance, you won't have to suffer the same misfortune as your father."
"Aside from being a little overweight, I'm perfectly healthy. That's why I'm quitting. I want to live like a human being before my body breaks down."
"Then may I at least check your pulse?"
The man frowned.
"Such a suspicious young physician. Here, have a look."
The man reluctantly rolled up his sleeve and extended his hand. As Dan Ak-seon held his wrist and took his pulse, he was startled.
"How can this be?"
Even to Dan Ak-seon's surprise, the man before him was exceedingly healthy.
He had expected someone so overweight to surely have some health issues, but contrary to his expectations, the man's heart was strong and the flow of his ki was smooth.
"What is it?"
Unable to watch any longer, Ga Du-dal asked, and Dan Ak-seon made a baffled expression.
"I've never seen anyone like this. He's in truly, perfectly good health."
At those words, the man chuckled and nodded.
"Well, at least the young physician doesn't lie. Now, you should be on your way. I won't see you out."
Left speechless, Dan Ak-seon blinked in bewilderment.
He had hit an unexpected snag.
The rest of the group was just as flustered. Ga Du-dal, the most skilled negotiator among them, stepped forward.
"I've heard that working with cloud iron is the dream of every master smith..."
The man frowned in annoyance.
"That may be so for ordinary smiths. But to me, it's not that special. It's just grueling work that requires me to toil for a month without sleep."
Dan Ak-seon sighed.
"I understand. I'm sorry for making an unreasonable request."
"It's fine. Just don't come back and bother me again."
As the group left the ironworks, Ga Du-dal spoke.
"Let's head to an inn for now."
"Are you talking about food again?"
Ga Du-dal grinned at Beom Gye-wi's jab.
"It's not about the food."
"Then what?"
"We need to find a way to win over this Mok Bi fellow."