In the end, Cha Ming bought the dagger he had been admiring. He was currently lacking such a dagger, which was useful for things like gathering herbs and cutting ropes and bonds. Soul-alloy weapons were much sharper than their steel counterparts, albeit quite brittle. Such a dagger was useless in actual combat.
After purchasing the weapon, Cha Ming cheerfully walked over to the next stall, where Gong Lan was admiring a defensive brooch shaped like a blooming red lotus. The lotus was a full two inches in diameter and contained nine ruby-red petals. These petals were made from a glassy material. Each of the curved petals was engraved with a protective rune. It was the first time Cha Ming had ever seen such an item.
“Forty-five hundred spirit stones is way too much for such a trinket! Are you trying to rob me?” Gong Lan fumed, lashing out at the attendant with her incisive tongue.
“Miss,” the attendant calmly replied, “this exquisite lotus brooch was crafted by Hong Lai, the nineteenth-ranked weapon artisan in this city. You would struggle to find something so beautiful given its form and function, and that’s why it commands a fifty-percent premium above other lesser works.
“If you don’t like this specific brooch, could I possibly interest you in this jade lily hairclip? It contains very similar enchanted properties compared to the lotus brooch. However, the price tag is only twenty percent higher than list price.” The lady clearly had no intent to negotiate.
“May I take a look at that red lotus brooch?” Cha Ming said as he appeared behind Gong Lan. The attendant handed the brooch to him, and he observed it for a while before shaking his head. “I wouldn’t buy this one, Gong Lan. While it seems very pretty, it’s a flawed product. I would only pay 75% of the market price myself, but only because it truly is very beautiful.”
The attendant seemed quite incensed, no doubt wondering how dare a country bumpkin besmirch her products. Cha Ming and Gong Lan moved to leave.
“Stop!” the attendant shouted, drawing the attention of nearby shoppers. This included some customers who had just looked over to the stall due to Cha Ming’s comments about a flawed product. Reputation was everything in Fairweather.
“Young bumpkin, you can’t besmirch Hong Lai’s work at will. I demand either an explanation for your criticism of his work or an apology!”
The competition in Fairweather City was extremely fickle compared to that in other cities. Fashion was subjective, after all, and an unjust accusation might quickly lead to a ruined reputation and subsequent closure.
“Are you sure that you want to be having this conversation?” Cha Ming asked. “I really don’t want to disparage such a beautiful work further. The reason that I haven’t made a big deal about it is that, while it is a failed product, it still has much of its functionality intact.”
Criticizing another’s work was a very unprofessional practice and should only be conducted in extreme cases of negligence or willful misconduct. Judging by the artisan’s current standing, it was likely a small, albeit noticeable, error.
“Hong Lai only crafts beautiful products of the highest quality,” the attending lady insisted. “I’ll have to ask you to either elaborate on your complaint or apologize.” While it was a risky move, she might be fired if she didn’t respond to the accusation.
“Very well.” Cha Ming picked up the red lotus brooch, which glittered in his palm. “I am no expert on jewelry or weapon crafting, so I can’t comment on the materials. Indeed, to my untrained eye, it seems like this decorative brooch was carefully shaped with soul alloy before being cut with glittering facets. Further, the vivid red color and sparkles make me think that this charming flower was infused with ruby dust during the molding process.
“Therefore, my complaint has nothing to do with the materials or forging of the brooch but rather the engravings. While this defensive spirit weapon is only a consumable, it is surely at least a fifth-grade spirit weapon. Therefore, it should be worth at least half as much as a non-consumable fifth-grade spirit weapon.
“The reason that I take issue with the engravings is that each engraving, while beautiful, does not follow convention for calligraphy when writing or engraving runic characters. This flaw diminishes the effectiveness of each runic character by one ninth. Unfortunately, this is only something that can be verified after the item is used, and it is difficult to spot. Only a sixth-grade or higher talisman artist could spot this mistake, and only if he was trained in proper runic calligraphy.”
The attendant could not refute him, as she did not know that much about the occupations. Therefore, if he was qualified to make these comments, she had no choice but to accept the judgment.
“Might I ask if you are a sixth-grade talisman artist?” she asked begrudgingly.
“Yes, that is the case.”
Everyone nearby was astonished that such a young man was such an accomplished talisman artist.
Chapter 12: An Introduction to Weapon Crafting
The jewelry shop’s attendant was in an awkward position. If she could not protect the reputation of her goods, she needed to secure some official proof to present to the store’s manager and avoid blame.
“Sir, if you’ll please present your qualification jade, I will apologize and remove this product from our stock for inspection and verification.”
This was standard practice in any city. The professions were self-regulated, therefore anyone making a complaint would need standing. Otherwise, someone who wanted to make a complaint had to seek the assistance of a qualified individual.
“I… don’t have a qualification jade,” Cha Ming replied shyly.
This response shocked the attendant. How could someone be so daring to make such an accusation without a qualifying document? This sort of behavior was extremely frowned upon by all professionals, who mandated the registration of each of their members. Someone like Cha Ming, who dared to disparage the work of a registered professional, could easily be sued for unqualified slander.
“Then I’m afraid that I will be requiring your apology or the backing of someone qualified to make such an accusation,” the attendant replied coldly. Her expression had lost every ounce of respect that she had previously displayed when she was under the impression that Cha Ming was a qualified expert.
“That won’t be necessary!” the voice of a young man sounded out from the crowd.
The crowd parted to reveal a well-dressed individual. His frame was small and skinny. However, the presence he exuded caused Cha Ming to shudder. He could feel it—this man was strong! Not just in terms of qi condensation; the man’s presence was oppressive, both in terms of physical body strength and spiritual force.
Without explaining anything, the man picked up the brooch and briefly inspected it. He then nodded and dropped a pouch full of spirit stones on the attendant’s booth. “My apologies, this pouch contains five thousand spirit stones. I’ll be buying my failed product from your stall. Such things are unworthy of making it to market, and I’m ashamed to have put my name to it.”
This man was clearly Hong Lai, the famous artisan who had crafted the brooch. He didn’t seem flustered or angry at being exposed, however. If anything, he seemed genuinely grateful. The man turned to Cha Ming’s group, smiling.
“Might I ask if you are both available for supper tonight? I would like to compensate you for your bad experience. In addition, I’ll craft a complimentary custom gift for the both of you. How does that sound?”
This… is a little overboard, no? I basically slapped him in the face, but now he wants to buy me supper and compensate me? Seeing his befuddled expression, the young man laughed.
“My friend, judging by your clothes, you are new to the city. This is an old tradition that has been around for hundreds of years, so you’ll need to indulge me. In return, since you were able to spot the flaws in my work, you’ll need to compensate me in a different way. I’ll be asking for your guidance on how to improve the final design.”
Now Cha Ming understood the man’s intentions. He o
nly sought to improve his work! In fact, he could tell from this brief interaction that this man did not pursue popularity but perfection; his ranking was a mere consequence of this pursuit.
“Then I’ll be asking you to take care of us,” said Cha Ming while clasping his hands and bowing. Gong Lan followed suit.
And so, three people and one fox traveled to a nearby restaurant. This was, coincidentally, the most famous and expensive restaurant in the city, Phoenix Cry Pavilion.
A short while later, Cha Ming, Gong Lan, and Hong Lai were sitting at a medium-sized table. It was covered with a mauve tablecloth carefully embroidered in green and red floral patterns. A beautiful woman wearing a form-fitting black dress came in through a sliding door, which was expertly carved with depictions of various spirit beasts. The woman politely bowed to Hong Lai.
“Master Hong, what will you and your guests be having today?” she asked. Her red lipstick accentuated her beautiful smile. The pay at such an establishment was based on commission, so the waitresses would do everything in their power to impress their guests and cause them to loosen their belt pouches.
“Do either of you drink?” Hong Lai asked both his guests. They shook their heads in response. “A pity. The Phoenix Cry Pavilion has an exquisite wine called Fireblood wine. It’s not actually made with blood. It’s a clever mixture of herbs and fruit, fermented to create a wine that makes your blood boil from its spicy flavor.
“Speaking of which,” he said, turning to the waitress, “please bring me a bottle of wine for myself, and your best tea for these two guests. And, er…” He looked toward Huxian.
“He’ll take water,” said Cha Ming. “He likes to eat roast meat, but he’s never developed an appetite for any kind of drink. With respect to meat, I’m afraid to say that he prefers quantity over quality and is effectively a bottomless pit. No need to worry about that, however. I’ll get him a snack later.”
“Nonsense! I insist that he eat his fill here. Now then, any dietary restrictions?” Hong Lai asked.
“I’m a vegetarian, but she seems to be carnivorous,” said Cha Ming. Gong Lan scrunched her face together, pouting, but she didn’t correct him.
“Right, if you would be so kind, miss, please bring us a feast as they’ve specified, and I’ll just eat whatever they’re having. And make sure that you bring out a roast pheasant!” Hong Lai said, sending off the beautiful waitress.
“Thankfully you youngsters aren’t the only picky eaters in the city. It’s become a hobby of sorts, especially amongst renowned artisans. This city is all about fashion, you see, and that involves standing out and being different in various aspects. Now, I know you are both foreigners, but where are you both from exactly?” Hong Lai asked curiously.
Gong Lan was the first to reply. “I live in Green Leaf City with my brother, but I was born in Clearwood.”
“Clearwood, eh? Rough crowd over there. Quite the gambling industry. I haven’t been there myself, but my esteemed master has been there in the past. How about yourself, young friend?” He sounded more curious about Cha Ming’s background.
“I’ve lived in Green Leaf City for the past half year while attending Green Leaf Academy. That is where I learned to craft talismans. My teacher is Elder Ling.”
“Elder Ling… I’m not in the field, so I can’t say I’ve heard of him. Perhaps I should ask my cousin. He’s also a talisman artist, though he’s only a fifth-grade artist. Like any craft, the difficulty mounts exponentially.”
“Right,” Cha Ming replied. “It applies to all crafts and arts. A fifth-grade artist is quite something. Does he have a master in the city?”
“No, he doesn’t. Unfortunately, there aren’t many talisman artists in this city. My cousin is the highest-ranking talisman artist in the city. He travels to the capital city every year for instruction, and sometimes he’ll make a lucky breakthrough. Still, his progress hasn’t been very good compared to his cultivation. He’s at the seventh level of qi condensation!”
“Oh? What is your rank as a spiritual blacksmith?” Cha Ming asked.
“Regrettably, I’m only seventh grade. It’s very difficult to train as a spiritual blacksmith, you know. Not only do I need to train my qi, but I also need to train my soul and my body. Fortunately, the requirements for soul cultivation are not very harsh. Therefore, I’m at the seventh level of both qi condensation and body refinement,” the man said proudly.
Cha Ming was impressed. Although the man was only in his midtwenties, he had pursued not only body cultivation, qi cultivation, and weaponsmithing, but he had also pursued the pinnacle of arts. Dividing one’s attention was extremely taxing. The only reason that Cha Ming had found it easy was because he had obtained so many fortuitous encounters in the last six months in addition to his slightly elevated talent and peak soul force. Comprehension abilities were extremely dependent on soul force, so Cha Ming was particularly blessed in this aspect.
Their food arrived a short while later. Each dish was a work of art and extremely delicious. Cha Ming especially enjoyed the mushroom dish, which contained a combination of softer mushrooms and chewy mushrooms. With each bite he took, Cha Ming felt a warm sensation course through him that seemed to replenish his qi, body, and soul.
“I can tell from your expression that you’ve never had food like this before,” said Hong Lai. Cha Ming shook his head, prompting Hong Lai to continue his explanation. “This type of food is called spirit food. Spirit food can only be prepared by spiritual chefs, which are very rare due to the requirements of their occupation. This is because they require triple affinity to water, wood, and fire. Most people would rather pursue alchemy or medicine. It takes someone who is truly in love with food to pursue this path.
“The chef at the Phoenix Cry Pavilion has pursued the culinary arts to the extreme, mixing in precious herbs, roots, and spirit-animal flesh to produce something both tasty and extremely nutritious. You likely felt like your cultivation was improving with every bite. That’s because spirit food is much like a mild medicinal pill. Properly prepared spirit food comes from all-natural sources with minimal processing, and therefore their nutritional effect is weaker, but there is no chance of side effects. Plus, the taste is amazing. By the way, try this steamed taro dish,” Hong Lai said, pointing to a white-and-purple dish. “It’s amazing.” Hong Lai helped himself to a generous portion, which was lightly sprinkled with what looked like onions and an unknown blue herb.
The food was so effective that Cha Ming felt the boundary holding back his qi lake weaken. Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a meal. It would be terrible etiquette to break through while eating dinner with someone.
After they finished their meal, Cha Ming and Hong Lai got to the heart of the matter—how to improve the runic engravings on the red lotus brooch. While Cha Ming was not familiar with the Shield Guard inscription, such a grouping of characters was well within his capabilities. He estimated that such an inscription could also be painted as a fourth-grade talisman. With Cha Ming’s capabilities, his chances of success were one in two. He used gold elemental essence to paint the character two times. He didn’t retract any spent ink, however. Only magic treasures could accomplish this, and revealing such an expensive treasure was tantamount to suicide in the cultivation world. No matter how genial Hong Lai seemed, he might be tempted by the appeal of a valuable treasure.
After two attempts, the base talisman succeeded. Hong Lai nodded approvingly.
“Yes, this is most definitely the basic form of the inscription rune. However, as I was carving the character, I naturally wanted to beautify it. That is why I carved it as it is now. I didn’t notice anything wrong until you pointed it out, but now I can truly feel that the runes have each lost some of their functionality over the original I had carved into the prototype.”
Cha Ming nodded. “Yes, your representation of the runic character is very beautiful, if judged by calligraphy’s standards. However, there are certain conventions to runic calligraphy.”
/> Cha Ming spent a good hour explaining a few standard conventions that would beautify characters yet not reduce their functionality. He also painted a much more beautiful representation of the runic character so that Hong Lai could use it for reference, which made him ecstatic. Having a simple diagram was very different from having an actual drawn character, where he could sense the thickness of the energy lines and essence.
During their conversation, Cha Ming learned many things about weaponsmithing. Spiritual blacksmiths were required to triple-cultivate body, qi, and soul. In addition, they needed to cultivate both fire and metal, a destructive combination. The combination was useful for their body cultivation, but more importantly, it facilitated the use of their primary crafting tools.
Blacksmiths needed to control fire to melt and purify the metals they used in their creation. Precise temperature control was necessary for melting, tempering, and quenching weapons. Fortunately, their creations could be reformed in the case of failure, unlike an alchemist’s ingredients, where medicinal herbs could be burnt to ashes by excessive temperatures. This was why alchemy had such stringent requirements on innate soul force.
The control over metal was also a requirement, largely due to the need to condense their very own spiritual hammer. This spiritual hammer had to be imbued with rare metals and other materials, and a spiritual weapon could not be created without a hammer of the appropriate grade. This hammer was not restricted to a large smithing hammer; it could change shapes, becoming larger or smaller as required. In addition, it could be fashioned with a sharp end to inscribe runes onto weapons. These runes did not require any elemental essence while crafting but had to be energized with the appropriate elemental essence after the fact.
Blood Moon Page 12
