"Measuring three feet, three inches, and three fen in length, one fen, two li, and three hao in width, thin as a cicada's wing, and light as a feather, this is the renowned Cicada Wing Sword of the Zhao family in Yunfeng City."
Chen Feng, with a forging hammer in hand, intently examined the glowing red sword blank in front of him, treating each hammer strike with extreme caution.
Each Cicada Wing Sword costs ten crystal stones to manufacture, but the retail price is a whopping hundred crystal stones. It's one of the most acclaimed intermediate ninth rank swords in Yunfeng City. Once available, it often sells out within half a day.
Moreover, this specific Cicada Wing Sword was custom-made for the young master of the Zhao family. Its material and craftsmanship are incomparable to any ordinary Cicada Wing Sword.
Chen Feng must be meticulous and cautious. For, if he were to ruin this Cicada Wing Sword, the compensation might not be as simple as just a hundred crystal stones.
"Little Chen, your control over the force is improving, almost effortless, it seems," Master Sun, resting at the side, propped his hat and chuckled.
Chen Feng gave a modest laugh, "Nonsense, Sun Uncle. Compared to your twenty years of experience, I am way behind."
"Hehe... Each crafted Cicada Wing Sword rewards a crystal stone. Little Chen, you could earn ten stones in a month if you forge ten swords. I think, in no time, you can go home and get married," a fellow blacksmith jested.
"Have a capable son then, join the Shenwu Sect, and this life would be fulfilled!" someone dreamily added.
"Why wouldn’t he? If he has a son who could join the Shenwu Sect, one of the top sects in our Youzhou Prefecture, even Lord Zhao would look at him differently," Master Sun teased.
Shenwu Sect...
Chen Feng stroked a stone token hidden under his clothes, clenched his fist secretly.
"Miss Liu, this is the foundry of the Cicada Wing Sword." The young master Zhao Tian led a beautiful young lady into the room, introducing her.
The two chatting masters immediately hushed, hurriedly preparing for the next forge. The Zhao family's foundry is managed strictly. Blacksmiths are not allowed to slack off, otherwise, a crystal stone's value would be deducted for each offense.
Lifting his head, Chen Feng recognized the woman as Miss Liu Yingxue of the Liu family in the city, acclaimed as one of the three most beautiful women in Yunfeng City. Both the Zhao family's Cicada Wing Sword and Liu family's Bright Spirit Pill are quite renowned in Yunfeng City.
"So, the renowned Cicada Wing Sword was actually crafted by these blacksmiths." Liu Yingxue looked curiously, then laughed gently.
"Hehe," Zhao Tian found himself mesmerized by Liu Yingxue's bright smile, so he chuckled, "Is my Cicada Wing Sword ready?"
"Young Master, it's just been finished," Chen Feng carefully took out a Cicada Wing Sword and placed it aside.
"Miss Liu, this is the Cicada Wing Sword that I specially ordered for the Shenwu Sect examination," Zhao Tian was quite proud of himself, wanted to show off his freshly forged weapon.
"Be careful, Young Master!" Chen Feng quickly warned, the sword was just taken out of the furnace and was still piping hot.
"What? I'm a third level Qi Condensation cultivator, could a sword hurt me?" Dismissive of Chen Feng's warning, Zhao Tian reached out for the sword.
However, as soon as he picked up the sword, Zhao Tian screamed in pain and dropped it to the ground where it broke into two halves. The forging of the Cicada Wing Sword requires the most pure Earth Flame, which is extremely hot.
"My hand!" Zhao Tian's hands trembled as he looked at his charred palms, heartbroken and in agony. Pointing at Chen Feng, he accused, "You, you dare to harm me!"
"Eldest young master!" The supervisor of the forge workshop rushed over. Seeing the young master's blackened palm, he was terrified as the Shenwu Sect entrance exam was only three days away. How could the young master participate in the exam with an injured right hand?
"You blind fool, beat him up!" The supervisor was shaking with fear. This was a responsibility he couldn't bear by any means, and without a second thought, he placed the blame squarely on Chen Feng.
"Daring to harm the young master, you are looking for trouble!"
Immediately, several guards jumped out from the side and pushed Chen Feng to the ground, giving him a thorough beating.
Everyone else in the forge workshop fell silent, fear evident on their faces. They promptly lowered their heads, pretending not to see.
"You, you…" Zhao Tian was boiling with rage, this damned fool knew the sword had just been forged and yet he didn't warn him. The fool deserves this punishment.
Seeing the young master's anger, the guards exchanged looks, and their beatings on Chen Feng became even more brutal, "Even if you lose your life, nothing can compensate for the young master's loss!"
Chen Feng took a punch to his stomach, his eyes bulging wide. Blood spurted from his mouth, reflecting the power of the guards, who were all at the fourth level of Qi Condensation. How could Chen Feng withstand such an attack?
"Young Master Zhao, quickly crush the Icy Heart Pill and apply it externally," said Liu Yingxue. "It can heal the wounds perfectly. Hurry, or it will be too late." Seeing the state Chen Feng was in, she couldn't bear to look directly.
"Alright, Miss Liu, my apologies for this!" Upon hearing that there was a solution, Zhao Tian hastily complied.
Seeing their Young Master leaving, the other guards hurriedly followed.
"You're lucky!" In the end, the leader of the guards spat at Chen Feng viciously. Not seeing Zhao Tian notice this, he felt somewhat regretful.
"You! This is all your fault!" The steward shouted, trembling with anger. "If anything goes wrong, you'll take the full responsibility!"
"Young Master! Young Master!" The steward, restless, hastened after Zhao Tian, hoping to compensate for his previous mistakes and avoid heavy punishment.
"Are you okay?" Liu Yingxue helped Chen Feng up. She knew that all this had nothing to do with this blacksmith. "Here is a Hemostatic Pill that can alleviate external injuries."
"Thank you, Miss." Chen Feng took a deep breath and thanked her.
Liu Yingxue simply nodded. With no one in charge at the forge, she felt it was inappropriate to stay.
After everyone was gone, Master Sun dared to help Chen Feng to a chair.
"Alas, Little Brother Chen, the Zhao family is incredibly ruthless. This time you've stirred up such trouble. This...this..." Master Sun said.
He looked around and saw that people were not paying attention to this place. He bent down and whispered, "In my opinion, you should flee. Young Master Zhao will not let you off easily."
Chen Feng nodded gratefully. In the smithy, this middle-aged man was the one who cared for him the most. "Uncle Sun, I'll go rest for a bit."
"Yes, yes. Didn’t Miss Liu give you a pill? Hurry up and take it to heal your wounds." Master Sun urged. As long as the injury is mitigated, the odds of escape will be greater.
A pill!
"You, a man on your deathbed, won't need to waste a pill. It would be better for my son. With it, he'll surely have a higher chance of entering the God Martial Sect.", the guard at the door of the forge, watching Chen Feng's retreating figure, there was a flash of cold light in his eyes.