Chapter 44: Tie Nan (Revised)

Upon hearing the commotion, Cao Huobao hurried over to investigate. His face, usually aglow with vitality, darkened at once.

"Lin Chi, come out here! I see you—where do you think you’re running off to, eh?" Master Cao’s voice thundered like a starving wolf's growl.

Lin Chi, who had been quietly edging away behind the crowd, was caught red-handed in his attempt to slip away. Scratching his head in embarrassment, he recalled yesterday’s exuberant practice that had left their martial arena in ruins.

"Master Cao, please don’t be angry. I’ll find a way to restore the arena," Lin Chi conceded, resigned to pay the price for his reckless enthusiasm.

"You said it yourself. Within three days, you must repair it. Fail, and I’ll keep you here at the provincial office for half a year’s labor before you can return!" Cao Huobao’s scheming was so loud it could be heard all the way in Hezhou—who knew what kind of youth Lin Chi would become in half a year.

Helpless, Lin Chi spent lavishly to hire a host of laborers: masons, carpenters, all summoned to restore the martial arena. Meanwhile, he retreated to a quiet corner to practice his blade technique. He took up a heavy saber and drilled the basic forms: sweeping, chopping, parrying, slicing, grazing, resisting, slashing, thrusting—over and over, until his brocade garments were soaked through. He stripped off his shirt, revealing a taut, muscular frame, and continued his arduous training, stopping only when someone called for him.

"Young Master Lin, the third manager of the Four Seas Trading Guild, Wu Wei, has arrived. He’s delivered your goods," a colleague informed him. Thanks to Lin Chi’s hard-won victory over the military men of Yingzhou Guard, most of his peers now admired him greatly.

Lin Chi thanked him and set off toward the entrance. Cao Bianjiao was still practicing his stance; as Lin Chi passed by, he grabbed him, intending to have him lead the way to the renowned craftsman later.

Wu Wei, the third manager, had personally delivered the goods. He was ushered inside by the guards of the Jing’an Bureau and was sipping tea when Lin Chi arrived. Wu Wei quickly rose and greeted him with a fist salute.

"Young Master Lin, I’ve brought you the precious materials you requested. Please, take a look."

"Thank you, Manager Wu, for making the trip yourself," Lin Chi replied politely, returning the gesture.

The delivered chest was opened, and a flash of gold gleamed—the gold essence shone even without sunlight. The ancient thunder-copper was not black, but a dark golden hue, streaked with threads of lightning. A block weighing over twenty pounds was no bigger than a fist, while the forty-odd pounds of gold essence was the size of a soup bowl.

Lin Chi nodded with satisfaction and immediately handed Wu Wei a prepared banknote. Wu Wei took it, carefully counted the amount, and, upon confirming its correctness, tucked it away and saluted Lin Chi.

"If you ever need anything, or wish to sell something, just come directly to me—or send word. I’ll keep it ready for you," Wu Wei said.

"Thank you, Manager Wu. We’ll speak again," replied Lin Chi, who was seeking a stable outlet for fencing stolen goods—every underworld figure had several such contacts.

He took the book Wu Wei handed him, glanced through it, and watched the group depart. Lin Chi was impatient to see his blade reborn.

Cao Bianjiao led Lin Chi to a small courtyard, where the heat could be felt from a distance.

"You can go in yourself. Master Iron is inside—I've already spoken to him yesterday. I won’t go in; it’s unbearably hot," Cao Bianjiao said, and promptly fled.

Lin Chi, carrying two boxes, knocked on the door. It was opened by a man built like an eight-foot iron tower, towering a full head above Lin Chi. At fifteen, Lin Chi was only five feet three inches tall (about 175 centimeters, and still growing). Looking up, Lin Chi addressed him, "Brother, I am Lin Chi, here to forge a blade. Is Master Iron available?"

"Come in, Master just lay down for a nap. I’ll wake him," the iron tower replied in a deep, resonant voice.

"No need, let Master Iron sleep. I'll wait in the courtyard—no need to disturb him," Lin Chi insisted, wary of the temperament that skilled craftsmen often possessed.

The iron giant said nothing and went about his business. Lin Chi set down his boxes and, bored, began practicing his stance in the courtyard.

He stood for a full hour, working hard without noticing the passage of time.

"Hey, lad—are you the Lin Chi that Bianjiao mentioned? I am Iron Nan," came a voice, aged but robust.

"Greetings, Master Iron, I am indeed Lin Chi," Lin Chi saluted respectfully.

"Bring your materials over. I heard you bought a piece of ancient thunder-copper—let me take a look," Iron Nan said, his energy restored after his nap.

Lin Chi opened the two boxes before Iron Nan.

"This gold essence looks fine, bright in color and with a clear, lingering sound. This ancient copper is hard to forge—let’s try heating it first." Iron Nan spoke with the authority of a professional. Lin Chi simply handed over the prepared banknote.

"Master Iron, please accept this payment. Bianjiao has already explained everything," Lin Chi said sincerely.

Iron Nan examined the banknote—one thousand gold coins. He was astonished, as he usually received only a hundred coins per job. This youth was truly generous.

"Master Iron, these two blades are very important to me. Please take extra care—I must trouble you," Lin Chi intended to have his short blade reforged as well.

"Having taken the commission, I’ll give it my all. Rest assured—you may even need to help me," Iron Nan replied, slipping the banknote into his pocket.

Lin Chi picked up the gold essence and followed Iron Nan into the smelting room, where the apprentice had already prepared the furnace. The iron tower was there as well.

"Da Yong, fetch a gourd from my cabinet," Iron Nan called out.

The iron giant answered; it turned out he was Iron Nan’s son, Iron Yong.

"Lin, tell me what kind of blade you want," Iron Nan turned to ask.

"Master Iron, just follow this style. Could you forge the two broken blades into it as well?" Lin Chi’s primary concern was this.

"No problem. We’ll forge it as you wish," Iron Nan replied, carefully examining the long and short broken blades.

He opened the furnace, tossing in the gold essence, ancient thunder-copper, and Lin Chi’s broken blades and short blade. Then he went next door to fetch a pitch-black object and added it to the mix. Judging by his effort, it was quite heavy.

"For you, I’ll add a piece of my treasured Meteor Steel. You’ll love it, and it’s worth every coin you paid," Iron Nan declared, unwilling to take Lin Chi’s money without giving something in return.

"Later, I’ll need you to take over from my son and swing the sledgehammer. Just follow my lead with the small hammer," Iron Nan instructed.

Lin Chi hefted the sledgehammer, estimating it at two or three hundred pounds. With his physique, it was no problem. He stripped off his shirt to show his readiness.

Iron Yong returned with the gourd and handed it to Iron Nan.

Iron Nan’s rough hands gripped the tongs, lifting the three materials, and poured a handful of red powder from the gourd, sprinkling it evenly over them. The powder melted instantly upon contact with the heat, turning into liquid.

The liquid coated the materials tightly. Each required different firing times; Iron Nan left the Meteor Steel on the anvil and returned the other two to the furnace for tempering.