Chapter 62: Chapter 62
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“Do you really intend not to even visit Yeon’s wedding?”
The next morning in front of the Jang Merchant Group, Jang Un, who had come out to see him off, spoke like that. Jang Geon, who was saddling Jojo, answered as he pulled the strap.
“If I go to a place where all the relatives are gathered, we won’t see a pleasant sight.”
Jang Un nodded his head. His words were correct. His younger sister Jang Yeon herself would be glad, but their mother Lady Yang and the family elders would not welcome Jang Geon’s appearance.
“Just pass on my regards.”
“…Right. I will pass on the word that you are living well, and that your martial arts seem to have grown even stronger.”
Jang Geon smirked and climbed onto the saddle. Then he looked around at Jang Un’s family, who had come out to see him off, and Jeok-sein, who had brought the medal and silver coins early in the morning. The two siblings looked subdued, and Lady Yeom also seemed reluctant to part. And Jeok-sein appeared to have another worry on her mind.
But when her eyes met Jang Geon’s, she smiled and nodded to him. Jang Geon, who didn’t particularly want to get further entangled with the Martial Alliance, asked no further. He simply nodded back and turned his eyes to the siblings. The older brother Jang Sang looked up at him and spoke.
“You’ll come back to play again later, right?”
“You’ll come, right?”
Jang Yeong, who was beside him, copied her brother’s words. Jang Geon smiled at the sight of the children.
“Right, later.”
Answering as he put on his bamboo hat, Jang Geon caught the brim of the hat and bowed slightly once more to Lady Yeom, Jang Un, and Jeok-sein. Then he gave Jojo’s reins a couple of light tugs. Jojo, who had been loafing around eating and resting for a few days, snorted lazily as if it were a hassle and began walking leisurely.
Jang Geon thus left behind Jang Un’s family and Jeok-sein, who were seeing him off, and moved away from the Jang Merchant Group. Watching him for a moment, Jang Un’s family went back inside the merchant group to start another busy day. Only Jeok-sein remained, watching Jang Geon recede into the distance. Agonizing over whether she should tell him that Gyeon U-yeong had died, she finally let out a sigh only after he had completely faded away, and turned around to return to the Alliance.
Leaving Jang Un’s merchant group, Jang Geon did not leave New Sichuan immediately.
He had plenty of money on hand, including the pocket money given by Jang Un and Lady Yeom last night, the Martial Alliance reward money, and the reward given by Chief Merchant Ju Wol of the Ju Merchant Group yesterday. Normally he would have gone into some tavern to hole up and kill time, but right now he had to replace his sword first. This was because his blade had turned into a mess while fighting the Imperial Army captain.
Riding Jojo, Jang Geon reached the artisan street of New Sichuan, dismounted from the saddle, and pulled the reins. It was unsuitable for riding because of the heavy foot traffic.
“…Is this pure gold?”
Walking while leading Jojo, Jang Geon examined the Martial Alliance medal that Jeok-sein had given him earlier this morning. On the golden six-pointed star-shaped medal, the characters for Martial World were engraved in black text. Looking it over, Jang Geon roughly stuffed it into Jojo’s saddlebag. He thought he could sell it off later if he was strapped for cash.
He soon stopped in front of a blacksmith shop that forged swords and blades. From inside, the sound of hammering clanking since morning caught his footsteps. Looking at it, it was neither too big compared to other blacksmith shops nearby nor too small, which suited Jang Geon’s taste.
Stationing Jojo, as he approached, a young man who was sweeping greeted him.
“Welcome. What are you looking for?”
Scanning inside the shop, there were many weapons hanging here and there, and besides those, farm implements could also be seen not infrequently. Glancing beyond the door behind the young man, he saw the red glow of a furnace and two people sweating profusely before it. An old man with white hair and a middle-aged man who resembled him. Looking at them and then at the young man before him, he too resembled the other two.
“Hahaha. They are my father and grandfather.”
“All three generations are blacksmiths?”
“No, I can’t even hammer properly yet. I’m not a blacksmith.”
However, contrary to his words, his somewhat proud expression seemed to show great pride in the work. Jang Geon nodded and continued speaking.
“I’d like to look at a sword.”
“A custom order?”
“No, one that’s already made.”
The young man nodded and brought out a few swords from one side. When Jang Geon looked at them, they were decent enough blades. But after looking over the swords for a moment, Jang Geon set them down and pulled out a pouch from his breast pocket. Inside was the reward Chief Merchant Ju Wol had handed him.
“I’d like to see one matched to this amount.”
The young man took the pouch casually, only to be startled out of his wits. This was because a yellowish glow was visible between the silver-shining coins.
“To… to match this amount?”
“Don’t you have one?”
“…Please wait a moment.”
After deliberating, the young man returned the pouch and entered through the door in the back. A moment later, the sound of hammering stopped, and the old man came out leading the way. Once the old man came out, the sound of hammering resumed. Glancing over, Jang Geon saw the young man hammering in the old man’s place.
“So, you wish to see an expensive fellow?”
Jang Geon nodded and offered the pouch again. The old man accepted it and checked the amount.
“Hmm. With this amount, you could custom-order a new one.”
“I intend to leave New Sichuan by today.”
“Is that so? Well, waiting isn’t all that great anyway. Then give me that sword of yours.”
“Sword?”
“The one at your waist.”
He was asking for the sword currently worn. At the sight of him boldly asking a martial artist for his primary weapon, Jang Geon tilted his head slightly, but obediently unbuckled the scabbard and handed it over to the old man. The old man didn’t seem to have learned martial arts, nor was any dangerous intent felt from him. The old man took the sword and slowly drew it, speaking.
“In an item frequently used by a person, traces are bound to remain in one way or another. That goes for martial artists as well, and fitting a weapon that best suits the hand according to those traces is what a truly skilled blacksmith does. I have handled iron for over half a century and lived off that single skill. If you had plenty of time, I would prepare one tailored just for you, but since you say you have no time, I’ll just give you the one among what we have that fits best.”
The old man talked unreservedly compared to his solemn face, taking out Jang Geon’s sword to inspect it.
“Oh dear. You used it roughly. Most of these scars were incurred recently…”
Inspecting the sword this way and that, the old man’s expression hardened slightly.
“…This person was someone of immense skill. How did such a person come to ruin the blade like this?”
Jang Geon twitched his eyebrow and smiled slightly at the sight of the old man guessing his skill just from looking at the sword. Even most martial artists couldn’t be certain of an opponent’s skill before directly clashing swords. Had this old man attained enlightenment in something through endlessly handling iron?
“I had a bout with an ignorant fellow.”
The old man nodded his head, then set down the sword and spoke.
“Wait a moment. I’ll go upstairs for a brief moment.”
Without even waiting for Jang Geon’s answer, he hurried up the stairs beside him. Jang Geon smiled again at that sight and looked around the inside of the blacksmith shop. Before long, the old man came down carrying a sword whose scabbard and hilt were both ornate.
“Here, take a grip of this one.”
Jang Geon was slightly fed up with the gaudiness of the sword; leaving aside the gems and gold trim thickly attached to the scabbard, the five-colored tassels dangling from the hilt were outright terrible. It was a gaudiness meant for rituals or events. Jang Geon decided to give it a grip out of respect for the old man’s face.
“Oh.”
However, from the moment he touched the scabbard and hilt, he felt he liked something about it. It was a feeling of neatly wrapping and clinging into his hand. Even when he slowly drew the blade, that feeling was the same. The darkly blue-shining blade flowed with a strange magic beyond simply being sharp.
However, Jang Geon quickly sheathed the sword and offered it back to the old man. The old man, who was slightly expectant, wore a puzzled face.
“Why? Is it not to your liking?”
“The decorations seem too loud.”
“And the sword? Is the sword itself not to your liking?”
“That part is to my liking, but…”
“Then that’s fine. Wait just a moment.”
Without even listening to Jang Geon’s answer, the old man passed into the forge at the back of the shop. Jang Geon smiled faintly and tilted his head, then decided to wait while casually looking around the forge as the old man suggested. This was because he liked the sword itself that much.
“Father, what are you doing?”
“Don’t mind me and keep doing that.”
“Ah, yes. Deok-mun, keep striking.”
“Yes.”
Such sounds could be heard from the forge. Looking at the hoe before his eyes, Jang Geon listened to the clanging hammer sounds and conversation. A family business passed down through generations. To him, it was somehow a unfamiliar sight. In his present life, he had become a wandering martial artist defying his family’s wishes, and in his past life, he hadn’t even known his father’s face.
The white-forged edge on the darkish hoe reflected half of Jang Geon’s face. Perhaps because he had met his brother Jang Un, various vague thoughts blossomed in Jang Geon’s mind. The Patriarch who had said it didn’t matter as long as he raised the family’s glory even while knowing his secret, and Madam Yang who could not accept him as her own son. The continuing thoughts moved past even further into the past, beyond his new life, arriving before the face of a woman. Young yet laden with fatigue, but smiling without a trace of such things toward her only son. Mother.
“Oho. To run into you here.”
Jang Geon, who had been tracing the distant past with dim eyes, turned his head at the out-of-the-blue words. Standing there with hands behind his back was a man dressed in clean martial attire, tall as a lanky pole. He was looking at Jang Geon with a peculiar smile. Jang Geon furrowed his brows. First off, he was someone whose face he knew. Seeing Jang Geon’s expression, he asked with a reluctant tone.
“…Don’t you remember me?”
“Hold on. It feels like I’ll remember soon.”
The tall man chuckled in disbelief for a moment. And Jang Geon was able to recall his name.
“Je Un-seong?”
Je Un-seong greeted him with a slight bow while keeping his hands behind his back.
“Glad to meet you again, Jang Geon. Have you been well since then?”
He was the martial artist of the Je Clan who had gotten entangled with Jang Geon the day before yesterday over a woman. And recalling his name, Jang Geon ended up recalling that woman he had cast far away over the hills of the past as well.
“Fuck.”
“…W-what? All of a sudden?”
Je Un-seong was flustered by the out-of-the-blue profanity. Jang Geon looked around the surroundings. There was no one else present. It was only Je Un-seong.
“…I don’t know if you know, but our Je Clan has a manor here in New Sichuan. It’s not as if I came looking for you on purpose.”
“You came to this blacksmith shop?”
Je Un-seong nodded.
“Right. The craftsmanship here is quite good, so I entrusted a sword personally. Why are you here?”
Just then, the blacksmith old man walked out.
“Now, how is this?”
When Jang Geon looked, it was a clean appearance where the scabbard had been changed from that flashy sword earlier, and the colorful decorations and tassels on the hilt had all been stripped off. Jang Geon received it and pulled the handle to draw it out. The decorations were gone, but the blade remained the same. The absence of tassels meaning there was nothing cumbersome suited Jang Geon’s taste.
“It’s fine.”
“Right?”
Jang Geon nodded, sheathed the sword, and cupped his fists lightly to the old man.
“I will use it well.”
“Hehehe. It’s been quite a while since I made that upon receiving an order, but the order was canceled around the time it was finished. I’m glad it finally found an owner now.”
Receiving the sword and offering greetings, Jang Geon immediately turned around and left the blacksmith shop. Seeing him leave just like that, Je Un-seong was flustered.
“W-wait! Hey! Dear me, I will come next time!”
Saying so to the old blacksmith, Je Un-seong followed after Jang Geon and addressed him.
“Hey, isn’t meeting like this fate after all? Why don’t we go somewhere and have a drink?”
“How long has it even been since day broke…”
“What does time matter when like-minded martial artists meet and share a drink?”
Jang Geon looked at him with an expression of absurdity.
“Last time we were in a relationship where we drew swords and fought each other.”
“That was because a spy from the Yeon Clan was squeezed between us back then, wasn’t it? In this vast Jianghu Martial World, grudges and debts are always complex matters. If you’re fine with it, I feel like we could become friends.”
However, Jang Geon looked at him silently with a sullen face. Je Un-seong, who had blurted out anything in hopes of holding him back, realized upon seeing that face that he could not turn Jang Geon’s mind. So, forcing a smile, he cupped his fists.
“My word. It seems I made a mistake out of gladness. Sorry for bothering you. Have a safe journey.”
Jang Geon lightly cupped his fists in return and turned around. As he led the way pulling the reins with light tugs, Jojo followed lazily behind. Watching him, Je Un-seong smacked his lips and entered the blacksmith shop again.
Having thus obtained a new sword and shaken off Je Un-seong, Jang Geon pulled Jojo’s reins and left the artisan street. And he proceeded toward increasingly deserted areas. Entering a dim alley despite it being broad daylight, Jojo wondered what this guy was up to and tugged at the reins with its head.
Jang Geon stopped and gently stroked the back of the horse’s neck.
“Because someone is following.”
As Jang Geon spoke and turned around, someone stealthily revealed himself from the entrance of the alley. He was wiping his nose with his hand and grinning broadly.
“Hehe, as expected of Brother Jang. Sharp senses you have.”
Hearing that voice, Jang Geon tilted his head up inside the alley and looked at the sky. A deep blue winter sky was trapped between the buildings of the narrow alley. Looking at that narrow sky, he let out a light sigh and spoke.
“What is it this time, Yang Goeng?”
“Hehe, don’t you remember what I said? We need to do another big job. This time it’s a real big job. Brother Jang will be enticed too.”
Yang Goeng approached with a smile that was somehow strangely servile yet sly. Still, seeing that face repeatedly, it seemed affection was building up, so Jang Geon smirked as well.