Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

Sun Ping carefully selected the best piece of dark blue-green material from the two pieces Shen Chu had thrown out, and stuffed the other one into his pocket.

He then placed the iron into the furnace, and once the temperature was right, he took it out and began hammering it with his forging hammer.

The fight lasted for more than an hour.

Sun Ping was completely focused, sweat pouring down his forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

His technique was more focused and meticulous than usual, with every hammer blow imbued with his full effort. Shen Chu watched intently from the side, occasionally helping to add coal and pass water.

As the final hammer blow fell, Sun Ping immersed the forged dagger into cold water.

With a hiss, white steam rose up!

After it had cooled down, Sun Ping took out the dagger, wiped it dry with a cloth, and examined it in his hand.

The blade gleamed with a cold light, and the edge subtly revealed a texture quite different from ordinary ironware.

Shen Chu leaned closer to examine the short knife, her voice filled with curiosity: "Master Sun, why does this short knife look different from the others? It feels... it seems quite powerful?"

Sun Ping could no longer hold back and burst into laughter, his voice tinged with a sob.

He wiped the sweat and tears from his face, turned around, and handed the dagger to Shen Chu, his voice hoarse but unable to hide his excitement:

"Of course it's different! This isn't an ordinary knife; it's a low-grade short sword! I've been forging blacksmiths for decades, and today I've finally forged a low-grade weapon!"

As he finished speaking, his eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his cheeks. He hurriedly raised his hand to wipe them away, but the more he wiped, the more tears flowed. So he simply stopped wiping and let the tears flow freely, laughing like a child.

Shen Chu then realized what was happening and quickly cupped his hands in congratulations, saying, "Congratulations, Master Sun! Congratulations, Master Sun!"

However, the moment he looked down, his gaze had already caught a small number box floating above the dagger:

[Low-grade short sword: (100/100)]

......

Manager Li sat in his room, oblivious to the tea the servants brought him, which kept getting hot and cold. He was just staring blankly at the delivery list on the table.

Three hundred fine iron longswords, with a seven-day deadline.

He had already secretly gone to the warehouse to take inventory. With the existing skilled workers working at full capacity, they could at most produce a little over two hundred games in seven days—and that's a conservative estimate.

With Han Tieshan and his gang gone, the gap was a full hundred guns, which simply couldn't be filled.

He only had two paths before him.

The first rule is to stubbornly refuse to contact Han Tieshan, and then fail to deliver the goods on time.

But the Zhao family is not easy to talk to. Not only will they demand three thousand taels of silver in compensation, but the Li family's reputation will also be ruined. If the higher-ups blame him, his job as manager will probably be over!

Secondly, swallow your pride and go and invite Han Tieshan back.

Since Han Tieshan dared to leave so decisively, he must have calculated that Han Tieshan would back down. At that time, Han Tieshan would definitely make demands, such as raising wages and benefits, and perhaps even delegating power.

Just thinking about Han Tieshan's smug face made Manager Li grit his teeth.

He didn't want to choose either of the two paths.

But time waits for no one; if we delay any longer, there will be no chance to make amends.

Manager Li closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Well, sometimes you have to give up your pride.

He slowly stood up, preparing to go to where Han Tieshan was staying.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by Shen Chu's voice: "Manager Li, I have something to report."

Upon hearing that it was Shen Chu, Manager Li felt a surge of anger rising within him.

If it weren't for the trouble this kid caused, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

He suppressed his anger, sat back in his chair, and said coldly, "Come in."

Shen Chu pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully.

Manager Li glanced at him, his tone indifferent: "What are you doing here? If you're here to plead for me, there's no need. I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now. Go back to your workstation and get back to your job. Work as an apprentice for a few more years, hone your basic skills, and then..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Chu suddenly produced a short sword from behind him, presented it with both hands, and said loudly, "Manager Li, this is a low-grade short sword that Master Sun Ping just forged himself!"

Manager Li's words came to an abrupt halt, the second half of which was stuck in his throat.

"What did you say?! A low-grade dagger?!"

He suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the gleaming short knife in Shen Chu's hand, his face filled with disbelief!

Shen Chu held the knife in both hands and nodded: "Yes, Steward Li, this knife was forged by Master Sun himself in front of me just now, it's absolutely true."

Manager Li strode up to Shen Chu, grabbed the short knife, and examined it several times.

The cold glint of the blade reflected in his pupils, and his breathing grew heavier.

"How is this possible... Old Sun has been forging iron for decades and has never produced a weapon with a grade. How could this happen today..." Steward Li muttered to himself, then suddenly looked up and stared at Shen Chu.

"Tell me the whole story!"

Shen Chu then recounted everything that had just happened in detail:

I recounted how I followed Master Sun's instructions to forge iron, how I produced several different pieces of material to consult Master Sun, and how Master Sun used one of those pieces to forge this low-grade short sword.

After listening, Steward Li remained silent for a long while, his gaze shifting back and forth between Shen Chu and the short sword.

He suddenly turned around, grabbed the dagger, and strode out, shouting, "Come with me!"

Shen Chu quickly followed.

The two walked through the corridor one after the other and arrived at the knife-forging courtyard.

It was almost lunchtime, but Sun Ping hadn't finished work yet. He was sitting at his workstation, carefully wiping the dark green iron material with a cloth, a smile on his face that seemed to indicate he hadn't finished.

"Old Sun!"

Manager Li called out from afar.

Sun Ping looked up and saw that it was Steward Li and Shen Chu coming together. He wasn't surprised, and smiled as he stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "Steward Li has arrived."

Manager Li strode forward, placed the dagger on the table, and began to speak to Sun Ping in a low voice.

The two of them huddled together and whispered for a while, their voices rising and falling, occasionally punctuated by gasps of surprise.

Shen Chu tactfully stepped back a few paces, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

But he could sense that Manager Li would occasionally turn his head to glance at him while talking to Sun Ping.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two finally ended their conversation.

Manager Li turned around and walked towards Shen Chu.

Shen Chu quickly stood up straight.

To his surprise, the gloom and anger on Manager Li's face had vanished, replaced by a broad smile and a much gentler tone.

"Little Shen, Master Sun told me that you were a big help in making this low-grade short sword."