Chapter 17
Chapter 6.2 – Ice and Snow G.o.ddess’s Sigh
The black clothed elder said helplessly, "I’ve already aged. Even though skills become more exquisite with experience, my body’s strength has already deteriorated. I no longer have the energy to gather good materials. What good works can I produce? Speaking of which, my most satisfying handiwork in this lifetime of mine is the knife that I had given to you. It was a knife that had been fused with magic. It’s a pity I can only produce that kind of knife once in my lifetime. Since you’re here, you might as well come and have a good look. I won’t mind if you give your fat disciple one of the knives I have in stock." After saying that, he turned and walked into the room behind the desk.
Zha Ji and Nian Bing walked around the desk and followed the black clothed elder into the backroom. After entering through the door, Nian Bing felt light headed again. The Ice and Snow G.o.ddess’s stone seemed become more and more restless. Nian Bing was unable to bear the cold even though he trained in ice magic. Due to this, Nian Bing subconsciously rubbed the gem beside his chest.
Zha Ji complimented, "Such a strong killing intent, as expected from the world’s best G.o.dly blacksmith."
The black clothed elder walked to the cabinet at the side of the room and opened it. "I’m left with only these seven knives. You can pick any of these knives. I’ll charge you a hundred for it."
There were seven knives hanging inside the cabinet, all unsheathed They all had different styles. A dim glow radiated from the oil lamp into the area underneath it, which gave off a cold aura. The seven knives radiated subtle blue light aura around their edges. They appeared to be really old, but were in fact flawless under a discerning eye. Nian Bing focused greatly on the knife that was on the far left when the cabinet opened. This knife looked the least outstanding among the seven and was the shortest. Under the light of the lamp, it didn’t radiate any light. The length of the knife was thirty six centimeters long and its handle measured twelve centimeters. It was entirely black and the flow of its body was streamlined and extremely elegant. The blade itself was straight, but the tip of the blade curved up a little. The blade was five centimeters wide and the back of the knife looked thick. The reason why Nian Bing was really attracted to it was because of the feeling that it gave off; a feeling as though this knife should be his. The Ice and Snow G.o.ddess’s stone shook violently as if calling out to something.
Nian Bing walked, as though he was in a trance, toward the cabinet. Just as Zha Ji wanted to stop him, the black clothed elder said, "It’s his knife. Let him choose it himself. En, this child’s knife attribute is actually not bad. He has already made his choice." Saying that, he suddenly gasped, as he saw Nian Bing reaching out to grasp the knife on the far left.
Zha Ji was clear that all seven knives had their pros and cons. Under the condition that the prices for all of them were the same, the key point was choosing the knife. As he saw that his disciple had actually picked the least outstanding knife, he scolded him in his heart. He turned and looked at the black clothed elder. He thought that this old friend would currently be sn.i.g.g.e.ring at his misfortune, but when he saw the black clothed elder’s expression, he was stunned. The black clothed elder had his eyes wide open as he looked at Nian Bing’s hand. His lips were quivering, as though he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to.
Nian Bing wasn’t tall so he held the tip of the blade and flicked it to bring the hardly impressive short knife down. When the knife was in his hand, he suddenly felt a cool very soothing feeling, but in contrast, his internal magic power seemed to surge violently. He held the handle of the knife and
"Teacher, I want this knife." Nian Bing brandished the short knife, an act which brought out a faint blue light ray that chilled the temperature of the room by several degrees.
Zha Ji looked at the light radiating from the knife and thought back to the previous expression the black clothed elder had. He laughed and said, "You fat boy, it seems that you have hit the mark by a fluke. Little Broken Knife, we want that knife."
The black clothed elder looked at Nian Bing in astonishment. He suddenly moved in a flash. He was as fast like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Nian Bing and reached out his hand to grab the short knife.
Nian Bing was startled, instinctively turning the knife in his left hand and striking towards the black clothed elder. It gave off an ice cold feeling, but the left hand wasn’t the right hand that had been trained for a long time. He felt his hand lighten as the knife fell into the black clothed elder’s hand. Nian Bing blankly asked, "Elder, what are you doing?"
Zha Ji walked to Nian Bing’s side and held onto his shoulder. "Little Broken Knife, it can’t be that you can’t bear to part with it, right? Just what is this knife?"
The black clothed elder gently caressed the body of the knife and sighed, "I would never have thought that your fat disciple would choose this knife. This knife is the worst in quality among the seven knives."
Zha Ji frowned, "The knife had radiated light. How can it be lousy? If you don’t want to part with it, then forget it. I won’t force your hand."
The black clothed elder unhappily said, "Do you really think that I can’t bear to part with it? I have never gone back on my words since I, Hua Tian, reached the peak of being the G.o.dly blacksmith. Since I had said to let you choose whichever you want, what you pick is yours. This knife is really the worst amongst the seven knives. It also wasn’t crafted by me. The reason it radiated light must be because of your disciple. If I haven’t guessed wrongly, your disciple should be training in ice magic. If not, the knife would not have emitted any light at all. Old Devil! I never thought that you would actually cultivate a magician as your successor."
Zha Ji laughed and said, "It’s fated. If it’s lacking, so be it. You had said that Nian Bing is still too young, so we can just change it in the future anyway."
The black clothed elder replied, "I haven’t finished what I wanted to say. Even though the knife is the lousiest among the seven knives, it can be also be said that it’s the best amongst the seven. Even I can’t clearly understand the nature of this knife. I initially bought this icy knife from a scholar who was in dire straits and had spent only a gold coin on it. This knife was made from special materials. It is very tough and durable, but the most peculiar thing about it is that it has an icy nature. If it comes in contact with ice magic or ice energy, it will emit light. However, do you know why I said that it is the lousiest? It is because it doesn’t have a soul."
"Doesn’t have a soul?" Zha Ji and Nian Bing asked simultaneously with their eyes filled with curiosity.
The black clothed elder, Hua Tian, replied, "That’s right! This knife doesn’t have a soul. Little Fatty, do you know how old I am today?"
Nian Bing was initially waiting for the black clothed elder to explain, only to hear him change the topic. He subconsciously replied, "You? You should be slightly older than my teacher."
Hua Tian broke into laughter, "Little Fatty, you are really generous. If it were others, I’m afraid they would say I’m at least ten years older than your teacher. Actually, I’m younger than your teacher by three years. I have trained in Dou Qi since a young age. Under normal circ.u.mstances, I should have aged slower than others, but I have aged twenty years more than my actual age. Why is that the case? It is because as I crafted weapons, I had put in my spirit as the blood essence of the weapon, which had in turn caused a detrimental impact on my soul, and so, I turned out like this. This ice knife doesn’t have the blood essence in it that gives it a soul. A knife without a soul could never become the best quality knife, no matter how great the materials used in crafting it are. Thus, even if the materials are the best, the quality will still be the lousiest."
Zha Ji replied, "With your skills, you should be able to modify it. Won’t adding some spirit to it make it the highest quality knife?"
Hua Tian bitterly smiled, " If you thought about that, how could I not have? I have already tried several times. I even used the Nine Heaven Rebelling Flames, but was still unable to smelt down the knife. How can I modify it that way? Even with my knowledge of metals, I still can’t figure out what it is made of so I just kept it. If it doesn’t have a soul, it shouldn’t matter as you’re only using it as a kitchen knife. The knife is able to cut metals as though they were mud so it is useful for cutting vegetables, but you have to be careful not to cut through the chopping board." As he said that, he returned the knife back to Nian Bing.
When Nian Bing took the knife, he felt it become completely fused with his body again. "Senior, is there really no way to give it a soul?"
Hua Tian replied, "There are ways, but that is only if we can find a gemstone, that is spiritually nurtured, to be placed in the hole of the knife’s handle. The gem can act as the soul of the knife, so it isn’t impossible, and the effect will be even greater. However, if the gemstone is of a low quality and placed in the knife, it will only worsen the knife instead."
Nian Bing’s heart was moved. The Ice and Snow G.o.ddess’s stone, wasn’t it also rhombus in shape? The size also looked as though it would fit the hole of the knife’s handle. After thinking for a moment, he took the Ice and Snow G.o.ddess’s stone out and asked, "Senior, do you think this gemstone is suitable?" The entire room was lit up in a blue glow. The ice knife made a soft ‘Ting’ sound, as though it was alive, and vibrated in Nian Bing’s hand. Even though the Ice and Snow G.o.ddess’s stone had glowed in the past, it usually wasn’t as intense as today’s. Both the gemstone and the knife simultaneously glowed brilliantly as though they were crying out to each other.