"What... Is this true?" Tang Jian's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
While it was uncommon for swordsmiths to suffer backlash injuries during the forging of magical swords, it was not rare either. Whether it was during the melting, forging, or enchantment stages, there were always risks involved.
For instance, if the material proportions were incorrect during melting, it could cause the molten liquid to explode, injuring the swordsmith.
As for suffering backlash during the enchantment stage, it was often due to the swordsmith forcibly inscribing runes that were far beyond their control.
Master Chen Guang was only at the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage. His injury was likely due to this reason.
"If it were an ordinary time, such an accident wouldn't be a big deal. Master Chen Guang could just rest and recover. But it had to happen at this moment, sigh..." A worried look appeared on Xiao Dingdang's face as she lamented.
"This moment... What moment?" Tang Jian asked, puzzled.
"More than two months ago, the Sun family forced Miss to marry Sun Yang, the young master of the Sun family, under the pretext of repaying a debt. After Miss refused, they initiated a sword-forging challenge against our Yan Sword Shop in the name of the Sun Sword Shop. The challenge is in seven days," Xiao Dingdang said slowly.
Upon hearing about the Sun Sword Shop, Tang Jian immediately thought of the sword shop where he first sold his short sword.
"If we win, we can avoid the debt, but if we lose, Miss has to marry into the Sun family, right?" Tang Jian asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Not only that, if we lose, the Yan Sword Shop will also be merged into the Sun family as part of the dowry," Xiao Dingdang said with a bitter expression, filled with worry.
"This is obviously a trick by the Sun family to gain an advantage. Did Miss... agree?" Even though he already knew the answer, Tang Jian couldn't help but ask.
"If the Sun family forcibly demands repayment, Miss would have to sell the entire sword shop and both trading companies to repay the debt. At that time, the entire Yan family's ancestral business would be completely ruined. Miss had no choice but to agree," Xiao Dingdang sighed and said.
"So, Master Chen Guang's retreat to attempt forging a high-grade magical sword was for this sword-forging challenge?" Tang Jian asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Yes... Sigh, but it failed. Now, it's questionable whether he'll be able to participate in the challenge," Xiao Dingdang said worriedly.
Upon hearing this, Tang Jian nodded slightly and fell into deep thought.
Seeing his expression, Xiao Dingdang couldn't help but chuckle bitterly and say, "Why am I telling you all this? You've only been here as an apprentice for so long. You can't help with anything, and it's just adding to your worries."
Tang Jian smiled and shook his head, not explaining much.
"Tang Jian, you've been away for so long this time. Did you go on a long journey?" Xiao Dingdang glanced at the package on his back and asked.
"Yeah, I went to a faraway place and collected some things," Tang Jian said vaguely.
"You must be tired after such a long journey. Get some rest," Xiao Dingdang seemed uninterested in asking further and just said casually.
They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.
Tang Jian arrived at the door of the auxiliary hall where he lived, unlocked it, and went inside.
The furnishings in the room had not moved, and the fire pit he had made before was still buried under the charcoal, without any signs of being disturbed.
He felt slightly relieved, unpacked his bag and placed it on the table, then sat down, supporting his forehead with one hand, lost in thought.
The Sun family's move against the Yan family was too coincidental, happening shortly after the Yan family had changed its leader and lost a large batch of goods.
They were facing difficulties both internally and externally, and it smelled of conspiracy.
Perhaps the sudden death of Yan Zi's father and the attack on the Yan family's merchant team were also somewhat related to the Sun family...
"Misfortunes never come singly..." Tang Jian couldn't help but sigh.
Furthermore, the swordsmith from the Sun family didn't seem to be someone to underestimate.
Otherwise, why would Master Chen Guang be so eager to forge a high-grade magical sword?
Now that Master Chen Guang was injured, the Yan family was likely facing a dire situation this time.
Thinking back to when he first met Yan Zi, with her white dress and gentle smile, Tang Jian couldn't help but feel a twinge of reluctance in his heart.
"High-grade magical sword... Maybe I should try it..."
He muttered to himself, and a glint of light appeared in his eyes.
Night had fallen.
On the small tower in the backyard of the sword workshop, Chen Guang, his face pale, draped in a snowy white cloak, leaned against the railing and gazed at the full moon in the sky, a trace of worry flickering in his eyes.
"Master, you should rest early..." Yao Bin, standing behind him, said with a hint of concern on his face.
Upon hearing this, Chen Guang slowly withdrew his gaze.
The corner of his eye seemed to catch a glimpse of a flickering light in the Xieshan Main Hall of the front yard.
He paused briefly but dismissed it, shifting his gaze back into the room.
He looked at his disciple who had been following him for five years, his eyes flickering slightly, and sighed softly in his heart.
His natural abilities were, ultimately, lacking. Even now, he could only barely forge low-grade magical swords, and the success rate was pitifully low.
Although Chen Guang didn't say anything explicitly, Yao Bin saw a hint of disappointment deep in his eyes, causing his heart to tighten slightly and a sense of sadness to well up within him.
At this moment, in a side hall adjacent to the Xieshan Main Hall, the sound of continuous hammering could be heard.
Tang Jian was gripping a black forging hammer wrapped in a layer of crimson light, constantly pounding on the anvil, splattering large patches of crimson sparks. A long, sword-shaped embryo was gradually taking form.
After about half a quarter of an hour, a "sizzling" sound was heard.
From a wooden bucket beside the anvil, filled with crimson liquid, steam rose in plumes.
Tang Jian held a three-foot-long dark red sword embryo and slowly lifted it out of the bucket.
The liquid adhering to the sword embryo rapidly evaporated into steam and disappeared.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, sat back at the round table, placed the sword embryo across his knees, picked up a brand-new soul-opening carving knife from the table, and began to carve on the sword embryo.
As his movements changed, the crimson crystal embedded in the handle of the carving knife quickly dimmed, while correspondingly, a rather complex flame pattern gradually emerged on the dark red sword embryo.
This pattern was known as the "Flame Charm," a higher-ranked charm that was two levels higher than the "Ignition Charm" Tang Jian had carved before, naturally making it several times more complex and difficult to carve.
Tang Jian's expression was focused, his gaze tightly fixed on the place where he was carving, his movements steady to the extreme, with almost no extraneous tremors.
However, at this moment, the half-carved flame pattern suddenly brightened, becoming incredibly hot.
A "bang" sounded.
The charm on the sword embryo suddenly exploded. The sound was not loud, but the force that surged out was extremely strong.
Tang Jian thought, "This is bad," and immediately a layer of crimson light illuminated his body.
Just as his protective aura was released, the tremendous force struck, flipping his body and sending him flying backward, crashing heavily onto the pile of charcoal.
The sword embryo fell to the ground with a crisp sound, snapping apart.