Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

the other side,

Manager Li stood in the courtyard, watching Han Tieshan and his group walk away, his face turning pale and then red.

He initially thought Han Tieshan was just being stubborn, that he'd only talk the talk and then it would pass.

I never expected this person would actually dare to abandon the project and leave.

Moreover, he was even rebuked by Han Tieshan in front of so many people.

Where does he put his face as the person in charge?

The air around them was eerily still; everyone kept their heads down, afraid to utter a sound, yet secretly glancing at him out of the corner of their eyes.

Feeling all sorts of stares, Manager Li suddenly felt a surge of anger rush to his head.

He glanced around sharply and shouted, "What are you looking at! Have you got nothing better to do?! Want to leave too?!"

This shout startled everyone, who scattered like birds and beasts, returning to their workstations to bury themselves in their tasks, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Even after Manager Li finished venting his anger, his rage had not subsided.

He glared at Shen Chu again.

The meaning in his eyes was complex, containing anger, resentment, and perhaps even a hint of regret.

But he didn't say anything more. He flicked his sleeves, his face ashen, and strode toward the backyard.

Only after Manager Li's figure disappeared did Sun Ping cautiously approach Shen Chu: "Shen Chu, you've really messed up this time!"

Shen Chu frowned but remained silent.

Seeing Shen Chu's confusion, Sun Ping sighed, "Han Tieshan has run away, and this is no small matter! His men are all skilled craftsmen. With him gone, half of our forging workshop's work will have to stop. Do you know that in seven days, the Zhao family in the north of the city needs to deliver three hundred fine iron longswords? That's a three thousand tael silver order. If we can't deliver..."

He trailed off, his voice laced with helplessness: "Besides, although Manager Li spoke up for you today, look at the look in his eyes just now. He's definitely already holding you responsible. If we can't deliver the goods and the higher-ups hold us accountable, Manager Li will be the first to take the blame! You'll be finished!"

After Sun Ping finished speaking, he sighed heavily, patted Shen Chu on the shoulder, shook his head, and walked away.

......

The next day, news of Han Tieshan's resignation spread throughout the courtyard.

As soon as Shen Chu entered the courtyard, she felt all sorts of gazes directed at her.

But he didn't seem to care at all. He went to his stove and began to forge iron at a leisurely pace again.

Sun Ping witnessed this scene and couldn't help but nod.

This kid is a good prospect. Anyone else in this situation would have lost all interest in working.

Although Shen Chu is very talented, if the higher-ups were to hold him accountable, anyone would choose Han Tieshan over a seasoned, experienced swordsmith.

He then thought of how Shen Chu had followed him tirelessly and without complaint all these days.

This kid is reliable and hardworking. Once he's trained well, he'll be a great help to me.

It's a pity that Sun Ping himself was just an ordinary swordsmith; in this compound, face wasn't worth much.

If he could forge a low-grade weapon, even just the lowest grade, Steward Li could take it to report to his superiors.

This proves that there are still people in the hospital who can keep things in order, and that things won't fall apart just because Han Tieshan ran away.

pity……

Sun Ping looked at the iron billet that was gradually taking shape in his hand and shook his head.

This thing, at best, is just a sturdy ordinary iron knife; it has absolutely nothing to do with the word "grade."

Just as he was lost in thought, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and handed him a shiny piece of iron.

"Master Sun, could you please help me with this?"

Sun Ping was taken aback and turned his head to look. He saw that Shen Chu was standing next to him at some point, looking at him with a smile.

"You're quite carefree..."

Sun Ping muttered something, then took the piece of iron. As soon as he touched it, his pupils suddenly contracted!

The feel of this iron...

He quickly held the iron sample up to his eyes for a closer look, and saw that the cross-section faintly shimmered with a bluish-black luster.

He picked up the hammer again and tapped it.

It produces a clear, resonant sound when struck, like a chime.

This indicates that the iron material has a fine and dense texture!

"This...this is..." Sun Ping's voice was filled with shock.

He suddenly looked up, his eyes wide as he stared at Shen Chu: "Where did you get this piece of material from?"

Shen Chu looked bewildered and scratched the back of his head: "Master Sun, this is the piece I hammered using the method you taught me. It's that... technique of heating the iron to seven-tenths of its maximum temperature and then alternately hammering it with three light blows and one heavy blow. But I feel like this piece is a little different from the ones I hammered before. It seems to be a bit darker in color, so I wanted to ask you to take a look and see if there's anything wrong with it."

Sun Ping's mouth gaped open, unable to close it for a long time: "What did you say? This... this is something you smashed?"

Shen Chu nodded seriously: "Yes, it was smashed on the stove over there."

Sun Ping took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and said in a deep voice, "Smash one more for me to see."

"Okay."

Without saying a word, Shen Chu turned around and went back to her stove.

Sun Ping followed and stood aside, his eyes fixed on Shen Chu's every move.

Shen Chu skillfully placed the iron material into the furnace fire and heated it until it was red-hot. After taking it out, he placed it on the anvil, picked up the forging hammer, and began to hammer it.

His movements weren't particularly flashy, even somewhat immature, but each strike was steady and solid, with a clear rhythm.

Three light blows followed by one heavy blow, three light blows followed by one heavy blow, the sound of the hammer is crisp and rhythmic.

Sun Ping became increasingly alarmed as he looked at it.

This kid was indeed using his own technique, but the control of the force and heat had a hint of that of a master craftsman!

Shen Chu smashed several pieces of material in succession, turned off the fire, wiped his sweat, and placed the finished products one by one on the table.

Sun Ping stepped forward and examined each piece one by one.

The first few pieces were ordinary iron materials, of acceptable quality, but nothing special. It wasn't until he picked up the last piece that...

It has that bluish-black luster again, a fine and dense texture, and a crisp sound when tapped!

Shen Chu scratched his head sheepishly and said with an embarrassed smile, "Master Sun, I'm so sorry, I've made another one like this. Did I mess up the heat and waste a piece of material?"

Sun Ping did not answer immediately.

He held the special piece of material up to the sunlight and examined it repeatedly. He then picked up several ordinary pieces of material next to it and compared them, remaining silent for a long time.

He then put down the fabric, turned to look at Shen Chu, his voice trembling slightly.

"Go, start a fire for me."

"what?"

Shen Chu was taken aback.

"I said, start a fire for me."

Sun Ping repeated it, his tone tinged with fervor.

"I'm going to start forging the sword!"

Shen Chu didn't say much, and then quickly went to stoke the fire.