The Magical Blacksmith - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Admit Defeat

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Yeah! It’s restored!” Han Ling’er’s face flushed out of excitement. She quickly chanted the incantations for her flying sword and the flying sword flew back to the blacksmith like a bolt of lightning. 

It swirled around her as if it was dancing happily.

Dugu Ce looked furious and embarrassed. He said that Zhang Zhi failed to restore the sword but when Flying Swan Sword flew off his hand, it was equivalent to a big slap in his face.

“No! Impossible!” Even though what happened before his eyes was the fact, Dugu Ce refused to believe a mortal like Zhang Zhi could restore a flying sword.

“You lost and it’s the fact. What now? Are you trying to back off with your bet? Let me tell you something, it’s too late to regret now.” Zhang Zhi chuckled as he returned Dugu Ce’s words right back at him. 

He then shifted his attention away from Dugu Ce and looked at Han Ling’er. As beautiful as a deity, the deity was happy because her flying sword was restored, it was a feast for Zhang Zhi’s eyes.

However, Dugu Ce took Zhang Zhi’s shift of attention as a sign of insult, which further infuriated him. He put his hand on his sword and wanted to kill the mortal who insulted him several times.

After all, the worst that could happen was him being grounded by the sect to ponder on his mistake. Zhang Zhi was just a mortal, the punishment would not be severe.

Dugu Ce’s killing intentions startled Han Ling’er, she raised her beautiful brows curiously. At the moment Dugu Ce drew his sword, Han Ling’er said loudly, “Go!”

Flying Swan Sword transformed into a blur as it flew towards Dugu Ce, hitting the sword off his hand.

“Junior sister, you!” Dugu Ce felt extremely embarrassed when his junior sister stopped him from killing Zhang Zhi.

Han Ling’er had always been a kind and soft girl but she looked at Dugu Ce with a cold and stiff look. “Senior brother, Zhang Zhi restored my flying sword, why are you trying to kill him?”

“I…” Dugu Ce was out of words. Truth be told, he never had a grudge with Zhang Zhi, it was just that the embarrassment he faced was intolerable, which drove him mad. However, he could not simply tell his junior sister that he was being jealous and embarrassed, hence the decision to kill Zhang Zhi.

It was then an idea popped into his mind. Dugu Ce said righteously, “Junior sister, Zhang Zhi is a mortal without any cultivation, yet he was able to fix the formation carving in the flying sword. It means he’s not just any mortal, he could have hidden his power! I suspected that he might be a spy sent here by the northern domain, he must harbor ill intentions! I’m trying to test him with the sword!”

“Really?” Han Ling’er widened her eyes, she looked at Dugu Ce and then Zhang Zhi. She was confused, she was still young and inexperienced, therefore she was unable to tell who was right.

“Of course! We should report to the sect immediately and bring this suspicious blacksmith back for a trial!” Dugu Ce added gas to the fire when he saw the hesitance in Han Ling’er.

“Junior sister, go contact the experts of the sect, I’ll hold him down!”

Zhang Zhi quietly looked at Dugu Ce and listened to the ridiculous accusation, he knew the sword from Dugu Ce was not a test, it was a lethal one that was aiming for his life.

Even though Zhang Zhi looked calm and nonchalant, the flame of rage in his heart was burning high. He knew the spirit realm was harsher than the mortal realm, therefore he originally treated the bet as a joke. Little did he know that Dugu Ce wanted to shift the blame on him and kill him with such an excuse.

‘Okay, since you are doing this to me, don’t blame me if I started to bite back!’

“Immortals, I have something in my mind that I don’t know whether I should voice it.” Zhang Zhi did not want to argue with Dugu Ce and gave the man more excuse to elevate the accusation, therefore he decided to find a breakthrough on the kinder Han Ling’er.

“Junior sister, don’t listen to his bewitching words, report to the sect immediately and tell them we’ve apprehended a spy from the northern domain!” Dugu Ce was counting on his junior sister to leave him and once she left, he would be able to kill Zhang Zhi with an excuse of Zhang Zhi trying to flee. 

With that, Dugu Ce could beautifully shift the blame.

Han Ling’er frowned. Her instinct told her Zhang Zhi did not look or feel like a spy from the northern domain, she said, “Zhang Zhi, what are you trying to say?”

“Someone is suspecting me to be a spy from the northern domain and the reason behind this accusation is because this ‘someone’ thinks that I am hiding my true power on purpose. If I can prove myself to be a mortal without any cultivation yet possess the skills to restore the flying sword, does it mean I’m innocent?” 

Zhang Zhi sounded humble and kind but he referred to Dugu Ce as ‘someone’ as a sign to show his contempt and pride.

“Hmph! What a joke! How can you restore the formation if you don’t have any cultivation?” Dugu Ce originally thought Zhang Zhi was trying to take advantage of his junior sister’s kindness, he did not expect Zhang Zhi wanted to prove that a mortal could restore a formation just to prove his innocence.

The carving of a formation must be done using spiritual power, a mortal could never achieve it without any cultivation, therefore after some thoughts, Dugu Ce said confidently, “Fine then, if you can prove that a mortal can restore a formation, I’ll spare you!”

Zhang Zhi fixed his gaze at Han Ling’er throughout the question, he did not even take Dugu Ce seriously, he simply treated the man as a barking dog.

Han Ling’er thought for a while before nodding. “Okay then, I’m sorry you have to go through this.”

She was truly grateful for Zhang Zhi’s help but she failed to convince her senior brother otherwise, plus she was also curious how Zhang Zhi restored the formation in her flying sword, hence the little apology at the end.

Zhang Zhi saw a hint of kindness in Han Ling’er, not all cultivators were heartless, vicious bastards. A moment later, he said, “It’s actually quite easy to prove my innocence. My lady, if you can carefully sense the formation inside Flying Swan Sword, you will understand what I am saying.”

Dugu Ce showed a ridiculing grin. A formation was a formation, it did not have a mouth to plead for Zhang Zhi.

Han Ling’er was rather dubious but she closed her eyes and used her spiritual power to carefully sense the formation inside the flying sword.

A while later, Han Ling’er opened up her googly big eyes and said excitingly, “I believe you are innocent now.”

“Junior sister, he is trying to take advantage of your kindness!” Dugu Ce’s grin froze.

He believed his junior sister was trying to help Zhang Zhi, so he grabbed the flying sword and sensed the formation himself.

Han Ling’er did not stop him but she gave him a resentful glance. Dugu Ce infused his spiritual power into the sword and after a careful check, he frowned. “How is this possible? The original formation was broken, why is it working now?”

The internal formation of the flying sword was unchanged, it was still formation from the start. Zhang Zhi never tampered with the formation at all because he did not have any cultivation but the forging skill from the system was godly. 

Through normal forging, the broken formation inside the flying sword was also fixed, so it was not necessary to carve it again.

“Why is it impossible? I said it before, the reason why the formation isn’t working was because the earth essence was separated. I used my forging skills to re-infuse the earth essence into the other materials, so the formation could work again.”

A little pause later, he added, “The best restoration skill is not simply adding stuff inside but to maintain the original form and structure of the flying sword. Only with that can one maintain its value.”

Zhang Zhi sounded confident and it deeply moved Han Ling’er. Flying Swan Sword belonged to her late mother, so it meant a lot to her. If the flying sword’s structure, material, or even the internal formation was changed because of the restoration, it would erase the memories of her mother and the value of Flying Swan Sword would be diminished.

Zhang Zhi’s miraculous skills perfectly restored the sword to its former glory without tampering with the structure, that alone was moving enough.

“Thank you, Zhang Zhi.” Han Ling’er’s eyes were teary as she cupped her fists at Zhang Zhi.

Dugu Ce reacted sourly to the situation, so sour that his face was almost distorted. He was completely defeated by Zhang Zhi, and just when he was about to say something, he sensed a cold glare from Han Ling’er. “Senior brother, as an inner disciple of Lingtai Sect, please behave.”

Han Ling’er sounded vague but the warning between the lines was obvious.

Dugu Ce was stunned. His junior sister had never said something this strong to him, it gave him chills.

“I…” Dugu Ce tried to defend himself but he could not find the right words. In the end, he glared at Zhang Zhi and wanted to leave the blacksmith.

“Hold up.” Zhang Zhi quickly held Dugu Ce back.

“Someone from Lingtai Sect is forgetting something.” Zhang Zhi knew getting on an inner disciple’s bad side was bad business for him but he almost died at Dugu Ce’s hand, he ought to take revenge for himself.

Dugu Ce remembered the bet he had with Zhang Zhi, which froze his steps. He turned around and glared at Zhang Zhi hatefully. “Are you sure about it?” 

The threats in between the lines were obvious.

Before Zhang Zhi could say anything, Han Ling’er said, “Senior brother, accept your defeat and keep your promise.”

Han Ling’er believed her senior brother was getting ahead of himself, it would be great if the lesson could teach him how to behave, hence her decision in siding with Zhang Zhi.

“Junior sister, you!” Dugu Ce clenched his fists tightly, his eyes were wide open.

“Okay, let me make things easier for you. If you think shouting Zhang Zhi is handsome, Zhang Zhi’s skills are awesome is difficult, I can…” 

Zhang Zhi intentionally paused and feigned a thinking pose. He looked at Dugu Ce with a ridiculing gaze, “… let you go if you call me three times ‘Daddy’.”

“Go f*ck yourself!” Dugu Ce had always been mindful of his manners ever since he started cultivating, he never really cursed before but he broke that long streak in front of Zhang Zhi.

He wanted to draw his sword and kill the blacksmith but Han Ling’er swiftly got in front of him and stood still, she scolded him, “Senior brother, you are belittling yourself here.”

Dugu Ce looked as ugly as a monster, which was a sign of his internal struggle with his pride. In the end, he decided to compromise because he dared not act irresponsibly in front of his master’s only daughter.

He clenched his teeth, walked to the entrance, and shouted, “Zhang Zhi is handsome, Zhang Zhi’s skills are awesome!”

Three times later, his face was as red as an apple. The curious gaze from the crowd was intolerable, so he drew his sword and transformed to white light, flying up into the sky.

“Lingtai Sect’s inner disciple is really something, he looks so grand!”

“Speaking of which, what is the connection between the Lingtai Sect and this blacksmith? Even the inner disciple praised it!”

“I think the blacksmith’s skills really astonished him, otherwise he wouldn’t come out here and praise him loudly three times.”

…

As the talks about Dugu Ce continued among the crowd, an illusory giant hand formed in the sky and slapped the flying light like slapping a fly.

Dugu Ce was smashed out of the sky and slammed on the ground. A thunderous voice followed, “No flying in Lingtai Town!”

Zhang Zhi sighed emotionally at the scene. 

“I guess this is what they say karma bites you in the back, the old sayings really don’t lie.”

Han Ling’er was worried about her senior brother after the elder in Lingtai Town smashed him out of the sky. She wanted to check up on him, so she said to Zhang Zhi, “Zhang Zhi, I’ll be taking my leave.”

Zhang Zhi was quite fond of Han Ling’ers manners, so he voiced his reminder, “Hold up. Flying Swan Sword’s restoration won’t last forever since there’s still earth essence inside. Sometime later, the earth essence will separate itself from the iron again, so if you want to fix it once and for all, you need to refine it.”

Han Ling’er nodded and asked, “Then can you help me refine it?”

Zhang Zhi’s astounding restoration skills gained Han Ling’er’s trust.

He chuckled and pointed at the signage outside.

“I’m having a lousy mood today, so I am not accepting any other business except for restoration.”

Han Ling’er was surprised by the answer. She heard of true masters having a weird temper and after meeting one today, she found it to be true. She smiled and said, “Then Zhang Zhi, when will you feel better?”

“In a few days.” Zhang Zhi put his hands behind his back and looked all mysterious. Having a lousy mood was just an excuse because he had no idea how to do refinement at the moment.

Han Ling’er thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll come again in a few days.”

She then took a piece of jade slip from her sleeve and gave it to Zhang Zhi.

“I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Han Ling’er, if you run into any trouble and need my help, break it and I’ll be here.”

“And don’t forget to feel better, Master Zhang!”

Han Ling’er smiled and then transformed into an aromatic wind, disappearing from the blacksmith.

Zhang Zhi was in deep thought as he felt the smoothness of the jade slip in his hand.