Chapter 123
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Breakthrough
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Ga Du-dal's eyes glinted with confidence.
"If you want to find someone most knowledgeable about local rumors and information, I'd say the inn staff are the best, hands down. Second would be the courtesans at the brothels."
People always loosen their tongues over food and drink.
"No one's perfect. Everyone has something they want or need."
With no better options, the group followed Ga Du-dal's suggestion.
As they went around the local inns making inquiries, they learned something unexpected. The master of the forge was held in extremely high regard by the people.
The moment Mukbi's name was mentioned, the inn staff clammed up.
This was partly due to their reclusive nature, but more than anything, it spoke to the status the Muk Family Forge held within the village.
Following a family creed passed down through generations, the Muk Family Forge sold farming tools at very low prices. Moreover, they repaired broken tools for free.
Naturally, most of the villagers, who made their living from rice farming, deeply respected and followed him.
That's why they had a hard time getting the inn staff to talk.
They had to declare their lack of ill intent and order several expensive dishes. When even that wasn't enough, they had to slip them a piece of silver as a "tip for their trouble" before the tight-lipped staff finally opened up.
"How can this be?"
The information they gathered from the inn staff.
Ga Du-dal, who had been trying to find Mukbi's weakness based on this information, showed his bewilderment.
There wasn't a single vulnerability to exploit.
The wealth he had accumulated over generations was so great that even the most prominent local merchant guilds would defer to him when seeking business funds. His connections were also formidable.
He was said to have close ties not only with local officials but also with high-ranking figures in the central government.
He was even close enough to be on brotherly terms with a Grand Secretary of the fifth rank, a leader in the cabinet.
Though only of the fifth rank, the position of Grand Secretary was a crucial one, responsible for advising the emperor and mediating conflicts between major administrative bodies.
He was one of the core power players in the central government.
His character was impeccable, and his family life was harmonious; there was simply no fault to be found.
Given the circumstances, they couldn't see any way to persuade him, let alone find a weakness.
You need someone to want for something before you can even propose a deal.
"He sounds like a good person."
At Dan Ak-seon's words, Beom Gye-wi smacked his lips in disappointment.
"Tsk. He's a good guy, so we can't even force him to do it."
Cho Ak-ryang sighed.
"To think that even the letter of introduction from the Hengshan Sect Leader is useless."
Ga Du-dal also looked dejected.
"If only we had some plausible reason..."
As they were grasping at straws, the inn staff said something that made their eyes widen.
"Come to think of it, there's a family tradition in the master's Muk family, passed down for generations."
"A family tradition?"
"It's a bit of an old story, but..."
The inn staff trailed off for a moment before continuing.
"They say the current master of the forge is given a task."
He must create a work that surpasses or at least equals the achievements of the previous master.
"I once saw the master looking very discouraged because of that. The previous master's skills were truly exceptional."
The previous master was called the Iron Ghost because his skill with metal was said to be demonic.
When he died, it was said that famous figures from both the government and the martial world came from all over the country to pay their respects.
Cho Ak-ryang's eyes gleamed.
"Perhaps that's the reason he decided to retire."
The frustration of not being able to surpass his predecessor's outstanding abilities must have been immense.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, we might have found a way."
At Dan Ak-seon's thanks, the inn staff smiled brightly.
"It's nothing. I suffered from my wrist for a long time. Compared to that, this is nothing."
Dan Ak-seon's inability to ignore someone in pain had shone through at a critical moment.
After the inn staff left, Ga Du-dal sighed.
"But will this even matter? Didn't he treat the meteoric iron like a mere rock?"
"We'll have to think about that now."
At Cho Ak-ryang's words, Han Seol-hwa silently nodded.
In their current situation, this was the only clue they had to persuade him.
"Alright!"
Beom Gye-wi suddenly shot to his feet.
"Just trust me!"
Beom Gye-wi grinned at the puzzled gazes of the group.
"I've got a great idea."
Seeing Beom Gye-wi's confidence, Han Seol-hwa felt even more uneasy.
"I thought I told you. Don't do anything."
"Don't worry. You can leave it to me this time."
"You'd be helping more by staying put."
"Hmph! You don't know what you're talking about."
Beom Gye-wi gave a meaningful look.
"If he's a true blacksmith, he won't be able to refuse me."
"What on earth is that confidence based on?"
"You'll see. I can do something you could never do, witch, not even in a million years."
The moment he finished speaking, Beom Gye-wi shot out of the inn.
"Will he be alright?"
Dan Ak-seon watched the spot where Beom Gye-wi had disappeared with worried eyes.
Cho Ak-ryang sighed and stood up.
"I'll go check on him."
"No. I'll go."
Han Seol-hwa, her eyes cold, vanished, leaving a faint afterimage.
"She went after him, so it should be fine, right?"
Cho Ak-ryang gave the relieved Dan Ak-seon a pitying look.
"Do you really think so?"
"Huh?"
"Sigh, never mind. Let's just hope nothing happens."
He desperately wanted to follow as well, but someone had to stay behind and protect Dan Ak-seon.
Cho Ak-ryang shook his head with a troubled expression.
* * *
After leaving the inn, Beom Gye-wi went straight to the Muk Family Forge.
He ignored the protests of the forge's men and forced his way into the inner hall.
There, he came face to face with a bewildered Mukbi.
"I believe I already refused your request."
Beom Gye-wi cut straight to the chase with the clearly annoyed Mukbi.
"You want to create a work that surpasses your father's?"
"......!"
At those words, Mukbi's eyes widened.
"I'll help you."
Seeing Beom Gye-wi's confident demeanor, Mukbi fell into thought for a moment.
A moment later.
"Ah!"
A soft gasp escaped Mukbi's lips as he stared intently at Beom Gye-wi's face.
Ignoring him, Beom Gye-wi continued.
"You've been given a great opportunity. A fateful chance your father never had."
"A fateful chance?"
"Yes. Me."
Beom Gye-wi continued, his voice overflowing with confidence.
"I once met a blacksmith. Claimed he was the best in the Central Plains. He grabbed my leg and begged me for help."
Beom Gye-wi strode over and grabbed a large blade hanging on the wall.
*Sizzle.*
As Beom Gye-wi channeled his internal energy, the blade instantly turned red-hot. Soon after, it melted into molten steel and dripped to the floor.
"Just like he asked, I melted ten-thousand-year cold iron for him."
Seeing is more effective than a hundred words.
Seeing the undisguised astonishment on Mukbi's face, Beom Gye-wi grinned.
"With this, you can more than surpass your father's legacy. Whether it's cold iron or meteoric iron, I'll melt it all for you."
At his words, Mukbi finally came to his senses.
"It is indeed amazing, but..."
"......?"
"That's not enough to surpass my father."
"Why not? Just bring the materials. I told you I'd melt them all. That blacksmith back then said so himself. That if I just helped him, he'd become the true number one blacksmith in the Central Plains."
Mukbi sighed, looking troubled.
"And didn't you melt it for him?"
"Huh?"
"That number one blacksmith in the Central Plains... was my father."
"What? That guy was your father?"
Mukbi nodded with a bitter smile.
"Yes, I'm very grateful for that, but it's precisely for that reason I cannot surpass my father."
"Why is that?"
"Because I have seen the Falling Dragon."
"Falling Dragon? What's that?"
"It is the sword my father forged from the ten-thousand-year cold iron you melted for him."
Mukbi's shoulders slumped in despair.
"I cannot create a work more brilliant than that."
"Just how amazing is it?"
"One could dare to call it the greatest famed sword in the Central Plains."
After thinking for a moment, Beom Gye-wi smiled brightly and asked.
"Who has it?"
"The Sunshot Sword Saint, Nak Yeong-eum, leader of the Diancang Sect."
"Alright. In that case, I'll solve that problem for you too."
Mukbi, who was puzzled, turned pale at Beom Gye-wi's next words.
"I'll go and smash it to pieces."
"What?"
"No. Should I just bring it here and melt it down?"
Once it's melted into a puddle of steel, there won't even be any evidence left.
"You don't need to surpass it, right? If that sword disappears, you just have to make something similar..."
Mukbi, aghast, shouted.
"I cannot allow you to destroy my father's final work!"
"Ah, then what do you want me to do!"
Beom Gye-wi yelled in frustration.
Given his personality, it was a miracle he had been this patient.
"Aish! Aren't you ashamed of being born with balls? What kind of man has no guts? Just give it a try. Make something. If it doesn't work out, try again. Who knows? You might get lucky with one of them. You know how they say you should have lots of kids? Because you never know which one will turn out to be the filial son."
Beom Gye-wi picked up another iron staff that was displayed on a rack.
In an instant, the iron staff glowed red-hot.
"Why can't you seize the opportunity right in front of you? Do you think chances like this come along every day?"
As the heated staff was waved before his eyes, Mukbi couldn't think straight.
Just as Mukbi was flustered by Beom Gye-wi's stubborn persuasion.
"I knew this would happen."
*Thud.*
Someone who had entered the room grabbed one end of Beom Gye-wi's iron staff.
It was Han Seol-hwa.
"Nice work."
*Hiss.*
The iron staff, which had been glowing red-hot and looked ready to melt, was instantly covered in white frost.
Beom Gye-wi glared at Han Seol-hwa.
"I had him almost convinced. Why are you interfering?"
"Is that what they call 'persuasion' these days? Sounds more like a threat to me."
The two glared at each other and simultaneously channeled their internal energy.
The part Beom Gye-wi held glowed red, while the part Han Seol-hwa held froze over in white.
For a moment.
Unable to withstand their combined energies, the iron staff began to twist.
Then, in an instant.
*CRACK!*
The iron staff shattered into pieces and clattered to the floor.
The repeated, harsh cycles of heat and cold.
It had expanded and contracted over and over until it finally reached its limit.
"This witch..."
"This idiot..."
It was then.
"W-Wait a moment, please!"
Mukbi, his eyes wide, jumped between the two. He bent down and picked up a piece of the shattered staff from the floor.
After examining it closely, he looked up at Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa.
"Just now, I saw your two energies fuse in the middle. How is that possible?"
"......?"
"......?"
Mukbi pressed the two bewildered people again.
"It was only for an instant, but the extreme energies of heat and cold mixed and transformed into something completely different."
Seeing their still-clueless expressions, Mukbi slapped his chest in frustration.
"I'm telling you, I saw it clearly with my own two eyes."
He held out the piece of the iron staff he was holding.
"This is the proof. See? Only this part is intact."
At Mukbi's words, Beom Gye-wi and Han Seol-hwa looked at each other.
"If you can just teach me that principle, I will accept your request immediately."
Mukbi smiled brightly, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"If I can figure out that principle, I can surpass my father."