Chapter 478: The Necessary Material

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Suddenly, Huan Hou’s voice was heard.

“There is sufficient time for conversation.”

It meant that when to take the Gan Jiang couple to ascend could be adjusted and decided at his own discretion.

Thereupon, Gan Jiang shifted his gaze and smiled gently.

“Hoho. Is that so? Thank you for such consideration.”

Huan Hou shook his head and replied.

“No, not at all… Rather, this one is the grateful party. Though it’s too late, I would like to offer my thanks using this occasion.”

At those words, the gazes of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye grew deep.

They seemed to have immediately understood what that meant.

Cheol Ryu-heun and Cho-hui across from them were the same.

Thank you.

That soon meant his death from ages past.

In other words, thanks to the ancient text that Gan Jiang had crafted, Bai Chu had succeeded in his revenge through sacrifice; and it meant that he himself, who had fallen corrupt in his mortal life, had truly practiced remorse and self-reproach after ascending to heaven.

Gan Jiang responded with a silent smile in place of words.

He then began telling the story of how he came to remain as a soul within the Gan Jiang.

“As you know, I… Made many famous swords of that era. But because of that talent, life became unhappy. It was the same for Ou Yezi. There was no desire to compete fiercely using each other’s works, but the surrounding environment kept encouraging it. But… Since we both served different countries and different kings from the start, it was somewhat predictable. Then one day…”

* * *

One day, a royal command was issued to Gan Jiang.

-I hear the Zhanlu Sword, Juque Sword, Shengxie Sword, Yuchang Sword, and Chungou Sword crafted by Ou Yezi of that nation are excellent enough to be compared to your works. At this rate, I’m worried about being caught up to. Therefore, I command… Please craft a famous sword that is so remarkable that everything you’ve made so far cannot even compare. Not one sword, but two…

But that was not as easy as words made it sound.

To surpass the quality of existing famous swords, differentiated materials were absolutely necessary.

Then, fortunately, he discovered a mysterious iron material he had never encountered before.

Gan Jiang tried hard to make a new sword by mixing it with top-grade materials, but no matter how much effort he put in, it wouldn’t properly melt together.

He tried putting it into the cauldron of boiling red-hot molten iron and taking it out hundreds of times, but it was no use.

Gan Jiang naturally became anxious at the lack of progress.

To make matters worse, at that time, the royal command had been urgently pressed upon him. If he failed to complete the work within the deadline, not only his life but even his wife Mo Ye’s life would be in danger.

As his worries deepened day by day.

Mo Ye left a note saying that she would die whether this happened or that, so she was sacrificing her own life, and in the middle of the night, she threw herself into the crucible.

The next day, when Gan Jiang learned of her death, he was so shocked and grief-stricken that he couldn’t even speak.

But… Amazingly, thanks to Mo Ye’s sacrifice, the mysterious iron material merged with the existing top-grade materials as one.

It was a miracle brought by the death of his beloved wife Mo Ye.

What was born thus was the pair of male-female twin swords named after the couple… The Gan Jiang and the Mo Ye Sword.

After presenting the two swords to the king, Gan Jiang fell into deep doubt from then on and decided to quit his life as a swordsmith.

However, that too did not go as he wished.

Because another royal command came flying.

-I’m temporarily returning the Gan Jiang and Mo Ye Sword to you, so craft the finest scabbards befitting their stature. Afterward, I shall grant you a great reward.

Gan Jiang screamed in anguish.

Reward?

What good was such a thing?

His only wife, his beloved, was dead.

-My lord, I’m sorry I can’t have children. Instead… I will stay by your side until my black hair turns white, giving you a love that will never change. I love you. And thank you so much, I’m so happy that you proposed to me when I had nothing.

Thus, he spent his days immersed in memories of Mo Ye, making various excuses to the king to postpone the scabbard crafting day after day.

Then around that time, Ou Yezi, his friend from the same school and a famous swordsmith from another country who rivaled him, secretly visited his residence.

“Jiang. I’m sorry. When I heard the sad news about your wife not long ago… I don’t know how much my heart ached.”

“Ha, you’re quite foolish too. What if someone sees you…”

“Actually… The reason I’ve come at such risk is to seek your advice on crafting famous swords.”

At Ou Yezi’s words, Gan Jiang immediately understood the situation.

“Hmph… It seems the king is pressuring you again because of the pair of swords I made.”

“Don’t even get me started. He was so worked up pressuring me…”

-Recently, the fame of the Gan Jiang and Mo Ye Sword has risen incomparably! You too must make swords like those again! We cannot lose!

Having told that much, Ou Yezi’s expression darkened.

“None of this is your fault at all. It’s just the endless greed of people that brought this about… And is this the only thing? Wars between nations are also an extension of such desire. Tsk, tsk…”

“‘If you gain the people, you gain the nation; if you lose the people, you lose the nation’… Do the king of this nation and the king of that nation not know this truth? Were we not the people? So does that mean it’s fine to kill or lose us carelessly? Hmph… How lamentable!”

“Those who stand at the peak of power seem to forget, as time passes, how to understand the hearts of those below them. Isn’t history from before our time already clearly proving that?”

At Ou Yezi’s words, Gan Jiang nodded and let out a sigh.

“Yes… That’s right. Anyway, you must cater to that king’s whims to survive. I shall help you. Having already lost my beloved, I cannot lose you too.”

“Thank you. And… I’m sorry for making such a shameless request.”

“Ah, come now, what are such words between us… By the way, is it alright if you’re away for many days?”

“Of course, don’t worry. I told them in advance that I would need time to obtain special iron materials, so I’ve bought at least two or three months of leeway.”

“That’s fortunate then. By the way, do you have rare materials needed for sword crafting?”

“I moved secretly in advance to procure them. In case something like this happened. Also, having heard the sad news about you earlier… Hmm, I keep bringing this up, so I feel embarrassed.”

“Sigh… There you go again. Never say such things again. Since you heard about what happened to me and moved with vigilance, it’s actually fortunate. Come, then shall we start tonight?”

“Yes, if that’s alright with you.”

“Good, let’s get right to it. If I work together with a friend, perhaps the sorrow in my heart will fade somewhat.”

At his friend’s demeanor, Ou Yezi choked up and shed tears.

“Sob… Truly, your heart must be beyond words right now… Sob.”

Along with him, the tears Gan Jiang had been desperately holding back burst out again.

Thus, the two leaned against each other’s bodies and wept for quite a long time.

* * *

Gan Jiang recalled the old days and continued the story.

“But that night, something amazing happened. None other than the sword named after my wife emitted a peculiar light and spoke to me. Darling… It said. From that day on, through continuous research, I learned. The method of embedding a soul into a sword…”

Cheol Ryu-heun, who had been listening quietly, nodded.

“So that’s how it happened.”

“Of course, Ou Yezi also witnessed the strange phenomenon at that time. From then on, the two of us put our heads together. Then we discovered that the essence enabling spiritual transfer to a weapon was voluntary sacrifice of life and mental power condensed through exceptional conviction. After that, Ou Yezi returned to his country with the iron material we smelted together and completed the finishing of the Longyuan Sword, Tai’e Sword, and Gongbu Sword.”

“Now I understand.”

Cheol Ryu-heun suddenly recalled the conversation they had in the Shiwan Mountains.

-There is one thing no one knows. A secret history related to the masterpieces that Ou Yezi crafted in his lifetime… The Longyuan Sword, Tai’e Sword, and Gongbu Sword.

-So they weren’t solely his works.

-That’s right. At that time, I helped with the crafting. Also… Ou Yezi’s booklet was the same. Its fundamental essence was something I created. The booklet you saw in the past, that is.

He finally came to understand the full story.

Amidst that, Mo Ye added in a calm manner.

“At that time… After completing the scabbard, he stabbed his own heart. While harboring feelings that thought only of me. The spiritual power of the mind gathered around that conviction transformed into the divine energy of a divine weapon. It was the same heart when I threw myself into the crucible… After that day, passing through many hands amid the complex turmoil of war, we ended up separated, but that same power of the heart was connected by an invisible thread. That’s why we were able to reunite like this, resolve the resentment of long years, and ascend to heaven…”

Thereupon, Cho-hui gently clasped the hand of Cheol Ryu-heun standing beside her and spoke.

“Yes, I understand what that’s like. Because I was the same. Being of the exact same heart throughout… I was able to feel Bai Chu’s spiritual energy.”

At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun lightly shook their interlaced hands and said in a disinterested tone.

“Traitor. If you’re envious, you lose.”

His words directed at Huan Hou seemed to be boasting of a lover’s love that had remained unchanged even after death.

“Ha. Fine, I’ll admit I lost.”

In Huan Hou’s two pupils as he replied with a smirk, a warm light momentarily rose and then quickly vanished.

Amidst that, Gan Jiang spoke meaningful words.

“Now, setting that aside… I shall give you the answer you wanted.”

At those words, Cheol Ryu-heun once again recalled the conversation before coming here.

-I have one question.

-Speak.

-A long time has passed since then. In that case… Have you also been researching other essences?

-Of course.

-Then… I have one more question. Is it possible to merge the Gan Jiang and Mo Ye Sword as well? Just as that Heaven Emperor Society Lord melted the Longyuan Sword, Tai’e Sword, and Gongbu Sword together…

-Certainly.

-Thank you. You’ve given me the answer I wanted.

Having quickly cleared his thoughts, Cheol Ryu-heun posed his question.

“To merge the Gan Jiang and Mo Ye Sword, it seems a new material will be needed. What kind of iron material is it?”

Though his voice was dry and matter-of-fact, there seemed to be a confidence that he would search every corner of this land and find it without fail.

Thereupon, Gan Jiang spoke meaningfully again.

“There’s no need to go far. And you’ve already seen it several times. That material…”

“What do you mean?”

Just as Cheol Ryu-heun muttered thus, something flashed through his mind.

‘Ah! Could it be…’

At that moment, Gan Jiang’s voice struck his eardrums.

“Ju Yu-gang of Wuyang County… The sword he possesses is none other than my dear friend Ou Yezi’s Zhanlu Sword. That is the core material.”