Chapter 48 The Qi Family Saber Appears Out of Nowhere

Zhao Dashi and Liu Chenxu went to Zhao the Blacksmith’s home to fetch him and bring over all the necessary iron-smelting tools. Only Liu Chenyi and Yu Qingwan remained in the courtyard.

With nothing pressing at hand, Li Chen organized the materials in the yard, preparing to begin smelting iron shortly.

On this trip to Pingyang County City, besides grain, vegetables, and animal bones, he had purchased a large quantity of bowstrings, bow staves, and arrowheads.

These were essential components for making weapons. He had to stockpile as much as possible.

At the same time, following his ideas for improving iron-smelting techniques, he had bought a pile of corresponding materials.

Although Liu Chenyi was young, she was exceptionally sensible. She placed Little Tiger in his nest and, together with his young maid wife, helped Li Chen sort the supplies.

“My lord, how is my crossbow skill now?”

His young maid wife wiped the sweat from Li Chen’s forehead with a cloth and asked softly.

“Very good. Your accuracy has improved.”

Li Chen nodded with a smile.

The praise was somewhat insincere, but affection compelled him to encourage her.

She bit her lip and said quietly, “Actually, Sister Xiuer shoots more accurately than I do. Out of three arrows, I can only hit the bullseye once, but she hits it every time.”

“Mm.”

Li Chen continued working and nodded.

“And also, Sister Xiuer not only shoots well, she’s very strong too, not weaker than a grown man.”

“Mm.”

“And… she… she’s pretty as well, and very capable at work, and she can read… and she eats very little!”

His young maid wife racked her brain to list Xu Xiuer’s virtues.

Li Chen stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. “What are you trying to say?”

“Ah… I… I was just chatting casually…”

Under his gaze, she grew flustered and fidgeted.

“Go make dinner. I’m hungry.”

How could Li Chen not understand her intentions?

She was acting as a matchmaker for Xu Xiuer.

To be honest, he was not that rigid, especially in this ancient feudal dynasty. Taking several wives meant nothing to him. He could afford to support them.

But in troubled times, every additional attachment meant another layer of concern. At critical moments, certain people might influence his decisions.

Women would only slow the speed at which he could draw his blade.

For now, he did not wish to consider such matters. He would think about it in the future.

“Oh, alright, my lord.”

His young maid wife turned to cook, somewhat deflated.

Her first attempt at matchmaking had failed, and she felt disappointed in herself.

“Next time, I must organize my words better and not speak in such a disorderly way!”

She quietly encouraged herself.

Soon after, Zhao Dashi and the others returned. They had actually brought over the entire blacksmith furnace, along with the bellows and even several pieces of pig iron.

“Chen’er, I heard you want to smelt iron? Good, good! Within five kilometers around here, there’s a shortage of blacksmiths. When villagers need a kitchen knife, hoe, or iron pot, they have to wait ten days or half a month. We simply can’t keep up. If you’re interested, we can work together!”

Zhao the Blacksmith laughed heartily.

At forty-five years old, he was in his prime. He strode with powerful steps, his voice like a ringing bell, his body full of muscle.

Because he was registered as a craftsman and blacksmiths were scarce in the area, he had not been conscripted into the army.

“Uncle Zhao, I once learned some forging skills from a refugee by chance. It seems somewhat different from yours. I’ll try it first, and you can guide me from the side, alright?”

Li Chen looked up and smiled.

The iron produced in this era contained too many impurities, resulting in inferior weapons. He had no choice but to improve the method.

However, iron production, especially weapons, was strictly regulated.

He was not registered as a craftsman, so he could not freely smelt iron.

But if Zhao the Blacksmith did it, the matter became simple.

As for forging weapons, although the law was severe, in chaotic times, as long as no one reported it and officials did not pursue it, and they acted cautiously, it would be fine.

“Of course, no problem. You start, I’ll watch.”

Zhao the Blacksmith smiled, though inwardly astonished. This Chen’er knew hunting, salt refining, and now iron forging? He was becoming almost omnipotent.

Under everyone’s curious gaze, Li Chen skillfully set up the furnace and placed a ceramic crucible on top.

Then he took out an ink stick and ground it along the inner lining of the crucible, coating it evenly with ink powder.

This not only improved heat resistance but also extended the crucible’s lifespan.

Zhao the Blacksmith watched for a long time before finally asking, “Chen’er, what exactly are you doing?”

“Applying an ink powder layer makes the pot more heat-resistant.”

Li Chen explained briefly.

“What? That works?”

Zhao the Blacksmith’s eyes widened.

Next, Li Chen weighed various materials, then layered crushed scrap iron prepared by Zhao Dashi, followed by charcoal, then borax, and finally sealed it with a lid.

“What’s that?” Zhao the Blacksmith asked, pointing at the borax. “You can use that for smelting iron?”

“It’s called borax. I’m not entirely sure what it does. That refugee said it helps the scrap iron melt faster.”

Li Chen answered half truthfully.

After finishing preparations, he ignited the fire and had Zhao Dashi, Liu Chenxu, and Hou Xiaobai operate the bellows continuously, without rest, even during meals.

Throughout the process, Zhao the Blacksmith took a few bites of food before rushing back to glance at the furnace, astonishment filling his eyes.

Guide Li Chen? He had never seen such a smelting method, let alone melting down broken weapons for reuse. Would this method truly work?

Li Chen offered no explanations. He merely had Zhao the Blacksmith watch the furnace while the others rotated bellows duty. Meanwhile, he trained Zhao Dashi and the others in crossbow techniques, drawing heavy bows, close combat, assassination skills, and three-man tactical formations.

They trained until drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. If they had known these were the most advanced special forces training methods of later generations, along with modern streamlined lethal techniques, they would not have complained no matter how hard it was.

Zhao the Blacksmith watched, his brows twitching. Though he did not understand, instinct told him that what Li Chen taught looked less like hunting skills and more like battlefield tactics.

Yet even military techniques did not appear as fierce as what Li Chen demonstrated. It was intimidating to behold.

During the process, Li Chen opened the lid twice, using preheated willow sticks to skim off slag, reducing sulfur content. Finally, he tossed in crushed walnut shells to increase carbon content.

The series of operations left Zhao the Blacksmith stunned. Iron could be smelted this way?

Would it produce nothing but slag?

All his doubts vanished the moment the molten iron was poured and solidified.

The iron ingot was as pure as a fourteen-year-old maiden.

What followed pushed Zhao the Blacksmith’s disbelief to its limits.

Li Chen used a folding-forging method, layering and hammering repeatedly. With each fold, he sprinkled a mixture of quartz sand and bone powder. After ten layers, he buried it in heated plant ash for slow cooling.

Even the quenching process was complex. He quenched it first in tung oil mixed with pine resin, then in well water mixed with saltpeter, and finally buried it in heated coarse salt for about fifteen minutes.

After an entire day of labor, by the time the evening sun bathed everything in golden light, a long saber was complete.

In the sunset glow, Zhao the Blacksmith examined it. The blade was longer than ordinary sabers by about 0.15 meters, narrower by about 0.02 meters, with a greater curve. He had never seen such a strange shape, yet it possessed breathtaking beauty.

The blade displayed pine-needle patterns. Under the light, it resembled waves of pine forest.

Zhao the Blacksmith flicked the blade with his middle finger.

“Clang.”

The saber emitted a long, resonant sound like a dragon’s roar, lingering endlessly. He stood stunned for a long moment.

He had never encountered a blade that rang so long from a simple flick. It indicated unmatched toughness, strength, and hardness.

“Try it.”

Li Chen smiled faintly.

Zhao the Blacksmith took a deep breath and swung the saber at a wooden stick lying on the ground.

The stick, as thick as a child’s arm, was severed instantly without resistance.

Li Chen then took a broken blade and struck it against the new saber.

“Clang.”

The broken blade snapped in two, while the new saber remained flawless, without even a hairline nick.

Everyone present gasped in shock. “Heavens above, this is truly a peerless divine weapon!”

Li Chen gently stroked the blade and smiled. “This blade is called the Qi Family Saber.”

The Qi Family Saber was the pinnacle of cold weapons in the feudal era, its reputation even surpassing that of the finest bows.