The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Masters, I don’t think I will use the 300 jun of Hyderabad ores for now, so I’ll leave it with you two. Also, I don’t have sufficient manpower and I believe that the Hyderabad ores will be coveted by many in the future. May I know if we were to reach an agreement, can the two masters remain behind to assist me?”

  Wang Chong asked sincerely.

  “Coveted?!”

  Wang Chong’s words seemed to have struck a chord in the Sindhi monks. Arloja’s body jolted and his eyebrows flew up. His dark, lean body suddenly exuded an astonishing might, causing Shen Hai and Meng Long to retreat uncontrollably in shock.

  “I would like to see who would dare to covet our Hyderabad ores. Gongzi, rest easy, leave the Hyderabad ores with us. We will keep them safe!”

  The both of them spoke authoritatively. The Hyderabad ores affect the livelihood of tens of million of people in Sindhu, and everyone was depending on the profit from the Hyderabad ores for rations to solve their famine.

  Thus, the ones who were dispatched for this mission were the elites among the monks.

  How could the duo dare to carry 90000 gold taels worth of ores here and promote it if they didn’t possess superior skills?

  The circumstances Wang Chong spoke of was something similar to a taboo to them. The pair would never allow such a situation to occur.

  “The cultivation of the two monks are astounding!”

  Feeling the aura released by the duo, Wang Chong was shocked.

  Even though Wang Chong already knew that the foreign monks from Sindhu all possessed superior cultivation, he didn’t expect the pair to be this strong.

  It seemed like even Shen Hai and Meng Long were far from a match against them.

  But this was for the best. Not only did he manage to monopolize the Hyderabad ores, he even gained the assistance of two top-notch experts. This was excellent news for him.

  “Masters, I will thank you two then. I will be leaving this with you!”

  Wang Chong bowed respectfully. Then, he pulled Wei Hao, who was staring at the gold with a look of pity, out of the White Agate Jewelry Shop.

  …

  The sword duel gamble at Bluebottle Pavilion had ended, but the storm raised by the affair was far from over for many people.

  Just when Wang Chong was returning back to the Wang Family Residence, in the capital’s Cheng Clan’s courtyard, a bunch of people surrounded half of a metal mountain which was as tall as a human and stared at it intently.

  The half of the ‘metal mountain’ was no other than the one which Wang Chong stacked up outside the Bluebottle Pavilion. After being cut into two, Wang Chong felt that it was too heavy and inconvenient to carry along with him, thus he dumped it on the spot as though trash.

  But to the crowd who witnessed the shocking strength of the Wootz steel today, that lump of metal was a priceless treasure. Thus, after Wang Chong left, the capital’s Cheng Clan immediately claimed a half of it, whereas the other half was taken by someone else.

  “Are you all done analyzing it?”

  A large crowd had gathered around the half of the metal mountain. Not only were the elders, young and old swordsmiths of the Cheng Clan were here, even the clan head had been alarmed by the matter as well.

  So many swordsmithing clans were involved in the matter, and even the powerful weapon merchants of the Western Regions had participated in the event as well, but the unimpressive young man still won.

  The sharpness of the sword was too astounding. Even with the centuries of swordsmithing history behind the Cheng Clan, they dared not claim to be capable of shattering so many top-notch swords with a single slash.

  However, what that they were unable to accept was that metal mountain!

  They could accept the other party being able to cut through so many top-notch swords. With the Cheng Clan’s abilities, as long as they devote their souls into it, they might be capable of achieving the same feat as well.

  But shattering a human height tall metal mountain was a different matter. This meant that the other party had reached the pinnacle, a pinnacle which no one else would be able to surpass.

  In this era, no clan was capable of such feat, and this included the Cheng, Zhang, Lu, and Huang Clan.

  This represented a swordsmithing technology that far surpassed that of this era.

  The technology which the various prestigious swordsmithing clans possessed created a giant gap which no other ordinary swordsmiths could catch up to without decades or even centuries of effort!

  The Cheng Clan couldn’t accept such a result. As such, their first reaction was ‘disbelief’ and ‘impossible’. They believed that Wang Chong had definitely tampered with the metal mountain.

  Thus, after the duel gamble, the Cheng Clan Elder Cheng Youqing quickly snatched half of the metal mountain and shipped it back to the Cheng Clan Residence.

  “Clan head, we’ve examined it for awhile, and the cut on the metal mountain is smooth like a mirror. Given how smooth the surface is, it is clearly from a single cut and it’s impossible for this cut to be artificially made any other way.”

  A white-bearded thin Cheng Clan Elder said with red eyes. He had examined every nook and cranny intently, but he couldn’t discover any flaws.

  As a swordsmith with dozens of years of experience, he had developed an eye for metal. He could almost be certain that no one had done anything to the metal mountain beforehand.

  “Not only so, I have looked into the mountain clearly and there is no difference between the cut at the top and the bottom. There aren’t any signs of the blade slowing or dulling as well. In other words, if this metal mountain was tall enough, it could have gone further!”

  Another Cheng Clan Elder responded. His back was slightly hunched and his coarse face was filled with wrinkles. As the oldest elder in the Cheng Clan, he held the most say in this matter.

  Sssss!

  Everyone gasped a breath of cold air. Due to the heavy responsibilities they had in the family, very few of them went for the sword duel gamble earlier, so they didn’t witness the sword for themselves.

  But the metal mountain itself was enough to leave them shocked. To both the young and old swordsmiths, they had immersed themselves in forging swords for their entire life. It was difficult for them to imagine what kind of sword could reach this level of caliber.

  When they recalled the rumors that there was no damage to the sword whatsoever even after all that it had done, the whole incident felt even more incredulous!

  For master swordsmiths who immersed themselves in smithing for their entire lives, this was almost a supernatural incident to them. It was something completely beyond their understanding.

  The entire courtyard fell silent.

  After the two elders spoke their analysis on the matter, the Cheng Clan’s elites fell into silence. Cheng Youqing and Clan Head Cheng Hong’s complexion turned even more awful.

  The Cheng Clan’s ambition had always been to surpass the other families and become the most incredible swordsmithing clan in the Central Plains. All along, the Cheng Clan had thought that their greatest threat and competitors were from the Zhang, Huang, or Lu Clan.

  But no one could have ever thought that the one who would emerge victorious eventually would be some young lad of unknown background.

  “Bring the ancestor’s sword over!”

  Clan Head Cheng Hong suddenly spoke.

  “Clan head!”

  Upon hearing his words, everyone’s faces immediately lost their color. Even Elder Cheng Youqing panicked and hurriedly persuaded him otherwise:

  “Clan head, you mustn’t! You can’t ruin the ancestor’s heirloom sword just because of this matter!”

  In the Cheng Clan, there was only a single treasured sword passed down to generations of clan head. That was the sword which the founder of the Cheng Clan had created, and it had served as the symbol of authority in the clan. Even though it was said to be a personal possession of the clan heads, generations after generations of cl
an heads had left it on the ancestor’s shrine, praying to it day after day, not daring to retrieve it at all, needless to say, wield it.

  This was the very core of the clan. Even if it was to cut a single block of wood, the Cheng Clan wouldn’t dare to take it out to use it. Otherwise, if even a mark were to be left on it, even if it was just the size of a needle, it would be a massive sin.

  “I said, bring me the ancestor’s sword!”

  Clan Head Cheng Hong lifted his hands and said once more. His tone was different from before, and it was clear he was ordering them in his capacity as the clan head.

  In the clan, no one dared to disobey the orders of the clan head!

  Soon, a Cheng Clan member brought a three chi long, ancient sword which carried the strong scent of incense.

  (1 chi -> 33.3cm)

  Upon seeing the ancient sword, the Cheng Clan members immediately lowered their head in reverence

  Qiang!

  The moment he drew the sword, a cold air surged into the air as though a rising dragon. In an instant, the temperature of the entire courtyard fell rapidly. The eerie and cold gleam of the sword diffused as though a wave, causing everyone to retreat backward.

  The Cheng Clan’s family heirloom, the Ice Abyss. It was forged by the founder of the Cheng Clan and it was incomparably sharp. It was the first top-notch sword forged by the Cheng Clan.

  Qiang!

  Gripping the handle of the ‘Ice Abyss’, Cheng Hong gritted his teeth and slashed downward…

  Chapter 64: Center of Attention

  The ‘Ice Abyss’ slashed onto the human tall ‘metal mountain’, splitting it apart as though mud. But halfway through, a screeching sound echoed, and the ‘Ice Abyss’ was unable to go any further…

  Everyone’s faces darkened. Clan Head Cheng Hong was also astonished by the sight. With a flick of his wrist, he swiftly extracted the Ice Abyss from the metal mountain. Although he had reacted swiftly to the situation, the slash still inflicted scars upon the perfect blade of the ‘Ice Abyss’.

  The cuts were small and they wouldn’t affect the performance of the ‘Ice Abyss’ in the least, but the crowd couldn’t help but feel their hearts ache.

  It was a family heirloom passed down within the Cheng Clan for several centuries. Even the slightest scratch was unacceptable.

  “Clan head…”

  Cheng Youqing couldn’t help but speak. This was the result when pitting a sword against something beyond its capabilities. If he were to forcefully push the sword down the metal mountain, the damage to the blade would only increase.

  The culprit, Cheng Hong, held the sword with a single hand as he stared at the wounds on the blade. He had a blank look on his face, as if deaf, traumatized by the matter.

  “Half! It can only cut halfway through! …The Ice Abyss was crafted by the founder of our Cheng Clan, and he spent an entire decade to forge this blade. After completion, it was able to slice through any resilient armour. It took ten whole years to forge this single sword! How could there be another sword that could rival the one crafted by our founding ancestor?”

  “It’s impossible. I don’t believe it! … Investigate! Investigate it thoroughly! I must know who that Wang Chong is!”

  Clan Head Cheng Hong’s voice resounded throughout the entire residence.

  …

  At the same time, a group had gathered in the courtyard of the Zhang Clan Residence. Layer after layer of people circled the area such that even a fly couldn’t get through. But, unlike the Cheng Clan, there was only a dark, unimpressive, finger-sized piece of metal on the stone table.

  “What do you all think?”

  The head of the Zhang Clan was in his forties. Gowned in white, he had a gentle, scholar-like appearance. Rather than a swordsmith, he seemed like a teacher instead.

  The matter at Bluebottle Pavilion had caught many off guard and the Zhang Clan was no exception.

  Until now, the other clans were still in a daze, unable to understand what had happened. But the Zhang Clan was different. From the very start, they knew Wang Chong’s identity. They also knew his sword was forged from the Hyderabad ore.

  “It’s hard to believe that a sword forged with this ore could be that sharp. It seems like 300 gold taels for a jun isn’t expensive at all.”

  “… It’s just that, I am truly curious how that gongzi of the Wang Clan would know of such an inconspicuous matter. He seems to be just fifteen, and he doesn’t look like the knowledgeable sort. Furthermore, the two Sindhi monks were stingy and they didn’t allow anyone to touch their ores. Even our Zhang Clan was only given such a small amount and are unable to discover the true secrets of the ore. How did a kid like him know of them?”

  The Grand Elder of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Qi, spoke as he stroked his beard.

  Complete silence. Even Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian didn’t have an answer to his question. The conclusion in the Bluebottle Pavilion had also left the two of them shocked.

  “Actually… Even until now, I find it hard to believe that the Hyderabad ores could be that sharp!”

  Zhang Jian replied honestly.

  Zhang Jian had to admit that there was something special to that child of the Wang Clan.

  Zhang Jian was unable to tell what it was, but every time he saw Wang Chong, he was unable to treat him as a kid.

  “Actually, it’s not difficult to confirm this.”

  The clan head shifted his sight to the piece of ore on the table:

  “Don’t we have a piece here? Even though it isn’t enough to forge a sword, it should be more than enough for a dagger. By then, we’ll know the answer when we try it out for ourselves.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  Honestly speaking, using this limited amount of ore to forge a small dagger and bring out the full potential of the ore wasn’t a walk in the park.

  In fact, no other clan was capable of such a feat

  However, the Zhang Clan was different. As the previous leader of the swordsmithing industry, the clan possessed technologies that far surpassed others.“

  “Grand Elder, I’ll be passing this to you then. Before daybreak, I want to see a complete dagger.”

  The clan head said.

  “Un!”

  Agreeing to the request, the Grand Elder took the piece of Hyderabad ore from the table and walked back to his residence as if this was an insignificant matter.

  The forge operated throughout the night until dawn. In the span of a night, a dagger of around four cun long and a pinky finger thick appeared before everyone on the stone table.

  However, upon looking at the dagger, Zhang Jian, Zhang Cong, and all of the other Zhang Clan members who had witnessed the Wootz steel sword for themselves were shocked.

  “Grand Elder, are you sure that this weapon is forged using the Hyderabad ore?”

  Zhang Jian stared at the dark dagger on the table suspiciously.

  They had seen Wang Chong’s Wootz steel sword, and clearly remembered the enchanting patterns which resembled flowing water on the blade. This was something unique to it, something that couldn’t be seen on any other swords.

  But the dagger which the Grand Elder forged didn’t have such patterns at all.

  “Un, I don’t know whether the Hyderabad ore you speak of refers to the same one I am thinking of, but I have forged this dagger using the material provided by the clan. It’s a weapon forged to the greatest extent of my abilities.”

  “I have used all of the smithing techniques of the clan that can be used on this dagger.”

  The Grand Elder sounded fatigued, and it seemed like he had devoted the entire night into forging the dagger.

  Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian glanced one one another, unable to say a single word.

  This was completely different from the sword which Wang Chong had displayed. It was impossible to tell that they were made from the same material.

  “There’s no need to argue over this matter. I have no doubts about the Grand Elder’s smithing sk
ills.”

  The clan head stepped forward, grabbed the dagger, and commanded:

  “Fetch a sword.”

  Soon, a clan member brought a sword which was on the same level as the sword the one they sent to the Bluebottle Pavilion for the sword duel gamble.

  Klang!

  As the two weapons crossed one another, an ear-piercing shrill sounded in the air. The dagger cut deep into the sword but the sword didn’t split in two.

  Those present here were all elites of the Zhang Clan. With a single look, it was clear that the dagger forged by the Grand Elder was superior to the high-quality sword in the clan head’s right hand. However, it was still far from matching Wang Chong’s sword, which was capable of cutting through over a dozen of top-notch swords with a single slice.

  Even the Grand Elder was speechless by the result. He wasn’t present at the Bluebottle Pavilion’s sword duel gamble, but he had heard a lot about it from the clan members.

  Clearly, the weapon he had forged was still far from matching the uniquely patterned ‘Number One Sword in the World’.

  “Clan head, if the news from the Bluebottle Pavilion is true and the material is the same, Wang Chong’s sword was forged using the Hyderabad ore, we can confirm that the reason why the sword is so sharp isn’t just because of the Hyderabad ore. It must be matched with an incredible smithing technique.”

  “And this technique far surpasses the ones of our Zhang Clan!”

  Even though the Grand Elder was tired, at this moment, he abruptly opened his eyes and they flashed with a gleam, causing others to avoid his gaze:

  “I suggest we should maintain an amiable relationship with Wang Chong. If we can obtain that swordsmithing method from him, we would be able to surpass the other clans, becoming the number one swordsmithing clan in the Central Plains!”

  The Grand Elder’s words determined the direction of the Zhang Clan.

  …

  This night was a difficult one for those involved of the sword duel gamble; the Four Great Swordsmithing Clans, the Zhang, Huang, Cheng, and Lu Clan stayed up through the night until dawn.

  A similar sight could also be seen in the Imperial Army.