Chapter 76: Retainer (2/3) — Seeking Recommendations

“You want to forge a blade?”

On the far side of Black Ravine, Dian Wei looked at Cao Ji in puzzlement.

When Cao Ji had pulled him aside and solemnly told him that he wanted to make a sword and needed Dian Wei’s help, Dian Wei had not been surprised. He had already heard that Cao Ji was a blacksmith. But he did not believe Cao Ji was a master craftsman.

There was an essential difference between a smith and a master craftsman.

Smiths could be found everywhere; master craftsmen were rare indeed. Under Cao Cao, talent could be said to abound, and the Office of Metalworks gathered nearly all the famed artisans of Yu, Yan, and Qing Provinces. Yet among so many craftsmen, not one could truly be called a master. Cao Ji was little known; at best, he was merely an excellent smith. A master craftsman not only needed superb blade-forging skill, but also imagination beyond the ordinary and secret methods unknown to others. Weapons made by such hands could often be called divine arms and precious blades.

Dian Wei did not think Cao Ji possessed such ability.

And it was only natural that he would think so. If Cao Ji truly had the skill of a master craftsman, he would already have been courted by Liu Biao. Even the Jiangxia Huang clan would not have dared to move against him so easily.

Cao Ji hesitated and stammered for a moment before speaking softly. “To tell the truth, Brother Dian, my family has forged blades for three generations, and we possess a secret inherited method. But because our family has no foundation to stand on, we have never dared reveal it lightly. Brother Dian, you should know that if word of my family’s secret method were to spread, it would surely draw covetous eyes, and perhaps envy, even theft of the method itself. It would be no way to survive.”

Dian Wei’s eyes narrowed at once.

Since ancient times, the art of forging blades had been wrapped in mystery and legend.

The tales of Ou Yezi, Gan Jiang, and Mo Ye had all served the same purpose: that great masters inherited their craft through secret methods.

But what exactly was this secret method?

No one knew.

For instance, with Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, some said their blades had to be tempered with blood. Later, rumors even arose that the use of living boy and girl sacrifices was required before a divine weapon could be cast.

If Cao Ji truly possessed such an ancestral method...

Dian Wei could not help drawing in a sharp breath. After pondering for a long while, he gave a slight nod. “If your secret method is true, what sort of blade can it make?”

“One that can cut through three laces as easily as turning over one’s hand.”

“Only three laces?”

“Thirty blades!”

“Hm?”

“I mean, within three months, I can forge thirty divine blades that cut through three laces.”

Cao Ji was an expert. In sheer smithing technique, he had already reached the pinnacle. Now he also had Cao Peng’s wrought-steel method and double-quench technique, and with the help of the Cao family’s unique bellows design, he could raise the furnace temperature by roughly three hundred degrees above that of an ordinary smelting furnace.

With those alone, Cao Ji was confident he could forge steel blades capable of cutting through three laces.

Cutting through three laces was not exactly the stuff of legends, but it was still a blade worth a fortune. In the Han army, a ring-pommel saber that could cut through one lace already counted as a fine blade. Much less one that could cut through three laces—and be produced in quantity?

Dian Wei could not help but marvel inwardly.

“If brother truly can forge thirty blades of such quality, name whatever you need, and I will do everything in my power to help.”

Cao Ji nodded. “I only need Brother Dian to prepare a secluded place for me, along with trustworthy men to assist. As for the materials, I will tell you later, and trouble you to gather them. The rest... I can handle myself. What does Brother Dian think?”

“It is settled, then!”

By the end of the Later Han, steelmaking had advanced greatly.

From the bronze wares of the Warring States period, a complete system of iron forging had gradually taken shape. Among these, the most famous were the refined steel method and the repeatedly forged steel method.

Yet whether refined steel or repeatedly forged steel, both were laborious, time-consuming techniques.

A good blade could take one to two years to complete. Thus, although ring-pommel sabers had become more common in the Later Han, they were by no means widespread. In the army, polearms such as spears and halberds still dominated; saber-and-shield troops, constrained by blade-forging limitations, could not take the leading role.

Dian Wei knew well how hard fine blades were to find.

If Cao Ji could truly forge thirty good blades of three-lace quality in three months, he would certainly be able to secure a firm foothold under Cao Cao.

Sometimes Dian Wei even felt fortunate. In the battle at Wan City, he seemed to have turned calamity into blessing. Not only had he met people like Cao Peng, Deng Ji, and Wei Yan, he had also gained a master blade-forger like Cao Ji. Dian Wei was honest and straightforward, but that did not mean he lacked shrewdness. In fact, the reason he had been able to hold his place in Cao Cao’s camp was Cao Cao’s trust. But if one day Cao Cao no longer trusted him...

In the end, Dian Wei had no power of his own.

So he went about picking fights everywhere and making enemies on all sides, all to tell Cao Cao: I am a lone minister; I am loyal only to you.

Deep in his heart, however, Dian Wei still hoped to build a force of his own.

Perhaps this Cao family...

Dian Wei fell into thought.

“Captain Dian, Captain Dian... trouble, serious trouble!”

A warrior came running up in haste.

Dian Wei did not know the man, but he knew he was one of Man Chong’s subordinates.

“What is the panic?”

“For some reason, Lord Xiahou and Young Master Cao have come to blows over there. They’ve started fighting!”

“What?”

Dian Wei and Cao Ji were both greatly alarmed, and without another word they rushed over.

“Old Wang, what in the world happened?”

At that moment, Cao Peng and Xiahou Lan stood in the center of the field, already ringed by onlookers. Even Deng Juye, Aunt Hong, Lady Zhang, and Cao Nan had come out as well.

Wang Meng stood to the side with a helpless look.

Dian Wei strode up and seized his arm, demanding an explanation in a loud voice.

“I don’t really know either. I only heard that Xiahou drank too much and started arguing with Ah Fu. Then somehow the two of them got worked up, and they even made a wager. Xiahou said that if he couldn’t subdue Ah Fu within three moves, he’d become Ah Fu’s household retainer. Ah Fu said that if he couldn’t deal with Xiahou, then he’d give Xiahou a great fortune. Tiger Head and the others couldn’t talk them out of it no matter what. Look, they’re about to start!”

Since a wager was involved, Dian Wei could not interfere.

If it were an official matter, he could step forward and stop them. But now it was clearly a private grudge.

Xiahou Lan’s stake was no small matter. He was, after all, a proper military captain and commander of a company. To actually say that if he lost he would become Cao Peng’s servant and slave—that was to stake his very future. If Dian Wei stepped in now, it would do no good to Xiahou Lan or to Cao Peng.

In this age of chaos, what people prized most was the spirit of a hero.

Even Dian Wei could not stop such a contest.

Still, how had Xiahou, of all people, ended up clashing with Ah Fu?

On the other side, Lady Zhang was clearly flustered, calling again and again for Cao Peng to come down.

Cao Peng slowly took off his outer clothing and loosened his limbs. Although he had been traveling and laboring these past days, he had not neglected his training. On the contrary, after several bouts of bloodshed, his martial skill had improved greatly from before. In particular, his Taiji boxing had become, through repeated killing, even more rounded and supple while gaining an added edge of fierceness, seeming far more advanced than it had been before.

Vaguely, Cao Peng could guess at Xiahou Lan’s state of mind.

Likely he had simply been suppressed for too long, and the result was a kind of pent-up gloom...

Taking a deep breath, Cao Peng adopted the opening stance of Taiji boxing.

Inside, he was still a little tense. Truthfully, he had sparred with others before, but never with a genuine expert like Xiahou Lan. Still, he had seen Dian Wei, seen Wei Yan, and even as early as the end of last year he had experienced Wen Pin’s skill.

His eye was sharp enough, but he had not yet truly tested himself in actual combat.

His exchanges with Wang Mai and Deng Fan had been nothing more than games.

It was inevitable that he would feel nervous facing, for the first time, a man who had already reached the level of refined-bone mastery.

But Cao Peng would not retreat, nor would he bow his head and admit defeat merely because Xiahou Lan was skilled. An old martial teacher from his previous life had once said that a warrior must be fierce and bold, carrying within him a breath of righteous vigor, unafraid even of ghosts and gods. That breath must never be allowed to disperse; otherwise, no matter how good one’s skill, it would be useless. As the saying goes: when two roads are narrow, the brave wins. That is the very breath, the very nature of a warrior.

Thus did the Grand Historian say: with martial power, the knight-errant defies the law.

There was reason in that...

Cao Peng’s expression remained calm as he said with a smile, “Xiahou, I’ve given you your chance. If you can really beat me, I’ll guarantee you a great fortune. What do you say?”

By then, Xiahou Lan had also come back to his senses.

Regret suddenly rose in his heart, but he had already ridden the tiger and could not dismount.

“Ah Fu, crush him!”

“That’s right, crush him. Afterward, let him lead your horse.”

Wang Mai and Deng Fan were openly and unmistakably cheering Cao Peng on.

Xiahou Lan could not help regretting his actions. Cao Peng was only a child, while he himself was a proper military captain. Even if he won, so what?

Chances were no one would even cheer for him.

A careless glance over the crowd made Xiahou Lan’s massive frame give a jolt.

He saw Dian Wei, and the dark, brooding look on Dian Wei’s face.

It was over...

Xiahou Lan groaned inwardly, and his hesitation deepened.

He naturally knew how fond Dian Wei was of Cao Peng. Today, by provoking trouble on his own, he might as well have slapped Dian Wei across the face. With Dian Wei’s temper, how could he possibly receive a kind look?

The conflict in his heart grew ever stronger.

As he heard Cao Peng’s calm words, Xiahou Lan’s breathing became visibly unsteady.

To hell with it!

He gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and lunged at Cao Peng, while shrill cries came from Lady Zhang and Cao Nan at his ears.

But Cao Peng was unhurried. Facing Xiahou Lan’s fists and kicks, he shifted diagonally with crooked steps, then turned his body and set his foot in a rotating palm movement, slipping neatly past Xiahou Lan. He appeared at Xiahou Lan’s side, his stance light and hollow, both hands reaching out to rest gently on Xiahou Lan’s shoulder and arm. With a soft laugh, he said, “Xiahou, your mind is in disarray!”

His hollow stance stamped down, and bone power erupted.

The strength accumulated through sixty days of stance training showed its extraordinary force in that instant.

In martial arts of later generations, there is the concept of hidden and overt force. This hidden force does not rely on muscular strength, but on the power of the bones to issue force. Cao Peng had not yet reached the level of bone refinement, but he had already cultivated this bone power. Though it could not be called overwhelming, it was more than enough to put Xiahou Lan at a disadvantage.

To outsiders, it looked as though Cao Peng had merely pushed Xiahou Lan.

But in truth, by means of those two seemingly casual pressing palms, hidden force surged outward. Xiahou Lan’s mind had already been in turmoil, and with that single push he was sent stumbling forward, nearly falling headlong to the ground. At the same time, Cao Peng’s hidden force, without anyone realizing it, bruised the muscles in Xiahou Lan’s shoulder and arm. Xiahou Lan relied chiefly on muscular strength, and the muscles in his shoulder and arm were the very core of that power. Yet he did not realize that he had already fallen into Cao Peng’s trap. Once he steadied himself, a wave of laughter rose around him, and Xiahou Lan’s face flushed red. Cao Peng’s words felt like needles piercing his heart, throwing his spirit into even greater confusion.

“Xiahou, my strength can’t compare with yours, but you are no match for me.”

“Shut up!”

Xiahou Lan roared in anger and lunged again at Cao Peng.

This time, however, Cao Peng’s expression grew grave. He shifted his steps and turned his body, feet treading on yin and yang. Like an autumn ape darting and flashing, he spun once on the spot, following Xiahou Lan’s attack. With a casual-looking sweep of his hand, palms closing into an empty hold, he struck Xiahou Lan’s arm with a smack.

“I told you, you may not be my match!”

Cao Peng said with a smile, one hand lightly shaking behind his back, a trace of disdain appearing on his face.

Xiahou Lan became even angrier.

There will be another update this afternoon. Please vote with your recommendation tickets.

Also, I recommend my brother Fentian Liudao’s work, Eternal Imperishability.

In a world of three thousand realms, it endures forever.

For the sake of a single vow, Lin Chen stands alone against an empire.

Though he died a hundred deaths, he never repented, all for the wish in his heart!

The link is below!