Guan Yu's Younger Sister
As the dim dawn light began to push back the thick fog over Xu Province's city walls,
I quietly opened my eyes. The overwhelming, violent echoes of creation from last night in the evolved level 3 Subspace Forge still prickled through my veins like electricity.
"Hoo."
I cast my gaze toward the long, massive object I'd carefully laid beside my bedding. Even wrapped in layers of thick cloth, the chilling, ferocious killing intent radiating from it pressed down heavily on the air in the side room.
I cradled the heavy lump of metal in my arms and stepped out through the sturdy iron door into the reception area. Brushing aside the leather curtain, a cool draft from the forge that had lingered all night seeped in.
I gently placed the Green Dragon Crescent Blade on the oak table in the center of the reception room and picked up the broom leaning in the corner. The streets were deathly still, the sun not yet fully risen. I flung open the front doors of the workshop and began meticulously sweeping away the fine dust that had settled on the black floor tiles.
Swish, swish. The crisp friction of broom bristles against the tiles was the only sound filling the forge. There was one ironclad rule I'd learned the hard way in the modern world: any great work starts in a perfectly controlled, pristine environment. A craftsman's space is a mirror of his mind. I couldn't tolerate even a speck of dust rolling around. I swept and scrubbed until the floor gleamed like a mirror, then wrung out a damp cloth and polished the weapon racks and the oak table's grain with care.
The cleaned workshop felt far heavier, more solid, and overwhelmingly immaculate than when we'd first opened its doors yesterday. At last, the eastern sky brightened fully, and the first rays of morning sun streamed through the open front doors, stretching long across the oak table.
I set down the damp cloth and approached the table. Slowly, very carefully, I unwrapped the cloth shrouding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Shhhrk— The rough fabric slid to the floor, and at last, the legendary blade reborn as C-grade fully revealed its terrifying, radiant form beneath the morning sun.
It was my own creation, hammered by my hands, yet even now, the unreal perfection sent chills down my spine.
When Guan Yu had first handed me this weapon yesterday, the blade's edge had fatal flaws—gaps from countless battles that scattered impacts. But the lump of metal on the table now was different. The crudely joined irons at the dragon's mouth had fused in hellish heat and pressure into a flawless, seamless steel monster without a single gap.
Most overwhelming was the blade's surface. It didn't cheaply reflect the sunlight like ordinary steel. Due to the iron's extreme density, it absorbed the light like a bottomless void, exuding a deep, chilling blackness. Just gazing at it felt like my optic nerves were being sliced by the distant killing intent. Imagining Guan Yu charging the battlefield with this in hand made the hairs on my neck stand on end.
I stood there, entranced by my creation, when—
Thud, thud, thud! From outside, heavy, ponderous footsteps approached, like a massive bear and elephant shaking the earth together.
"Hey!! Young smith! You open yet!!"
A booming, savage roar that tore at the eardrums. The unmistakable beastly bellow belonged to Zhang Fei Yide.
"You're early."
Before I could turn to the entrance, Zhang Fei's hulking frame blocked out the morning sun as he strode in. In one hand, he casually dangled a jar of liquor.
"Kahaha! As promised, I brought a full jar of my finest brew! You must've slaved over that iron lump all night—here, wet your throat first thing in the morning!"
Following Zhang Fei came Guan Yu Yunzhang, stroking his long beard on his red date-like face, entering with his signature calm, weighty steps.
But behind their massive builds, an unexpected shadow carefully crossed the threshold.
'Huh?' My eyes locked on the figure peeking from behind Guan Yu's broad shoulders. A petite, slender frame utterly out of place amid blood-soaked battlefields or smoky forges. She wore a neat pale jade silk skirt, her long black hair neatly braided. A woman following her brother with quick little steps.
Unlike Mi So-jeo's cold, sharp nobility, hers was pure, simple beauty that subtly captivated. Especially her large, clear eyes beneath long lashes—sparkling transparently, untouched by this harsh era's storms.
As I stared at her in puzzlement, Guan Yu cleared his throat gruffly.
"Forgive the early disturbance. The girl behind is my younger sister, come from our hometown Hedong to bring news of our parents' well-being."
Guan Yu's sister. Now I saw the resemblance—his strong features softened into gentle curves on her face. The steadfast, kind woman who must have quietly supported her warrior brothers, guarding the home.
"An honored guest graces our humble forge. Please, come in and sit."
I swallowed the strange emotion surging inside and bowed politely to welcome her. Guan Yu's sister blushed faintly at my greeting, bowing her small, graceful head in return.
"I'll join my brothers for a moment. I thought a forge would be full of charcoal dust, yet how pristine and serene it is—not a speck in sight."
Her voice rang clear and pure, like wind chimes in a spring breeze. My heart skipped a beat unbidden; I quickly averted my eyes.
"Kahaha! Brother's little sister sings your praises! Anyway, what about that heavy iron lump for my brother? Dawn's broken as promised—show us the goods!"
Zhang Fei set down his massive jar with a thud and bellowed. I quietly stepped aside, gesturing to the oak table bathed in the long morning rays.
"As promised, it's right here."
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's eyes snapped to the table. In that instant, the air in the forge froze like a lie.
"……!"
Guan Yu's half-lidded phoenix eyes flew wide. His Mount Tai-calm, red face surged with shock and awe like crashing waves. As if entranced, he approached the table slowly, agonizingly slowly, and grasped the heavy hilt of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade with trembling hands, its inky killing intent pulsing.
Shrring—! As he lifted it from the table, the blade's friction with the air tore through the forge with a chilling resonance. It was no mere lump of metal.
"This… is truly my crescent blade?"
Guan Yu's deep voice quivered. One hand gripped the hilt tight; the other caressed the blade's surface.
"The weight… perfectly shifted not to the center, but to the tip for utter destruction. And look at this steel's grain! The dense wave patterns of master blades hammered thousands of times cover this entire massive edge!"
Guan Yu couldn't tear his eyes from the tip, lost in rapture. A war god's eye for weapons unmatched in the realm—he instinctively felt the hellish evolution this iron had undergone overnight.
Zhang Fei, watching beside him, gaped in stunned silence. The beastly man who'd laughed uproariously at his own spear's repair yesterday dared not speak before this overwhelming monster in Guan Yu's hands.
"Young smith."
After savoring the perfect balance by swinging it gently in the air, Guan Yu set it down and turned to me. His gaze had transcended shock into reverence for my very being.
"This is no repair. You didn't fix my weapon—you reforged it into a divine relic from the heavens. In my life traversing battlefields, I've seen countless master blades, but never one so perfectly embodying a warrior's killing intent and steel's essence."
Guan Yu straightened rigidly and bowed deeply to me, hands clasped in utmost respect. The haughtiest pride of the Three Kingdoms bent his head to a mere blacksmith.
"See, brother! I told you—this guy's skill could slap the Luoyang imperial smiths silly!"
Zhang Fei recovered, slapping Guan Yu's shoulder with roaring laughter. But Guan Yu's face wasn't purely joyful. Deep furrows creased his brow, mixing distress and heavy responsibility.
"Young smith. Yesterday, when you refused payment for this superb work, I thought it mere bravado or generosity. But…."
Guan Yu glanced bitterly at the blade in his hand and shook his head.
"How can I accept such an absurd weapon without paying a wen? My warrior's pride and honor forbid it. Silver, gold—whatever it takes, I'll repay even if my bones shatter. Name a fair price for your labor."
Guan Yu's unyielding righteousness. He'd deemed my proposed 'favor in crisis' too vague for what he'd received. I smiled inwardly but kept my face stern and resolute as yesterday.
"Lord Guan Yu. As I said yesterday, dissecting a war god's weapon and reassembling it with my hands granted knowledge beyond silver's measure."
I stepped toward the table, meeting his eyes squarely.
"A few more taels now means no more to me than a few loads of charcoal to melt iron. But if it aids a hero like you to advance in righteousness with that blade, that's payment enough."
My low voice pierced the forge's air clearly. Guan Yu stared piercingly, wordless.
"Um…."
Guan Yu's sister, quietly behind him, stepped forward timidly. In her white hands, a small, exquisitely embroidered silk pouch.
"I hesitate to intrude, but…."
Her clear, refined voice drew our eyes—mine, Guan Yu's, Zhang Fei's. Blushing under her brothers' gazes, she met mine steadily and continued.
"Seeing my brother incur such debt, I can't just stand by silently as his sister. If it's a favor beyond money, I dare not repay with coin."
She clasped her hands demurely and offered shyly yet firmly,
"They say you toil day and night amid the furnace's blaze, handling rough iron. I have no great talents, but some skill in sewing and tailoring. If you'll allow… I'd sew you durable workman's garb to withstand the heat—with my own hands. Would you accept?"
"……!"
My heart plummeted, then rocketed wildly.
Guan Yu's sister. The earnest goodwill from that graceful, beautiful face. And above all, those 'lovely words' from her lips tore roughly into my chest.
Normally I'd control the moment with a cold, arrogant smile, but I stood dumbfounded, mouth agape like a fool, staring. Her jade-like face poured forth a heart softer and warmer than silk. I was utterly, hopelessly smitten—no other words fit.
As I flushed, lost in her pretty eyes—
"Kahahahaha!!"
Zhang Fei doubled over, rolling on the reception floor in mad laughter.
"Aigoo! This is gold! The scary lone wolf who stared down my brother over iron without flinching—frozen solid before our little sister's skirt!"
Zhang Fei guffawed over, hoisted the jar from the floor, and slammed it on the oak table.
"Hey, young smith! A man's life can't be just hammering iron! Fine day like this—crack open my brew and let's drink!"
As Zhang Fei roughly yanked at the jar's stopper, Guan Yu cleared his throat sternly, reining him in.
"Yide! How dare you start a drinking party in another's forge at dawn? Mind your manners—put that down!"
"Aw, brother! Got a great weapon, forged a great bond—without booze, it's just water!"
Zhang Fei grumbled but yielded to Guan Yu's roar, slyly withdrawing his hand. Grinning, he thrust the jar into my chest.
"Kahaha! Brother! This guy's got guts and killer skills—a real catch! Later, set up a cozy drink with him and our sister! Or years from now, when you have a daughter, betroth her to this guy as son-in-law!"
At Zhang Fei's blatant teasing, Guan Yu's sister yelped "Oppa!" her face beet-red as she bowed her head. I coughed awkwardly, clutching the heavy jar in fluster.
Guan Yu neither raged nor denied the nonsense. He slowly stroked his beard, silently eyeing me, his sister, and the blade in turn with deep, profound gaze. His silence was neither yes nor no—but for rigid Guan Yu not to shut down the jest outright was a massive, unspoken opening beyond my dreams.
"Come, Yide. We've troubled the smith enough."
Guan Yu wrapped the blade securely in cloth, slung it on his back, and turned resolutely. Zhang Fei chuckled, clapped my shoulder roughly, and followed.
"I'll return soon to take your measurements for the clothes."
She bowed small and demure to me. Just before leaving the forge, she glanced back with a shy, enigmatic smile. My heart thundered madly again.
The forge emptied as the two giants and one fairy departed, but my hands held the weighty jar—and in my chest, an unknown ember hotter than the steel furnace blazed fiercely.
"I'm done for."