Chapter Nineteen: The Golden Blacksmith!

“Young master, you have such a discerning eye! I’m not exaggerating—our smithy may be small, but the iron tools we forge are sturdy and durable, and our prices are fair. Take this kitchen knife, for example—just twenty copper coins! Take it home, and whether you’re slicing meat or chopping bones, you can use it for three to five years and the edge won’t dull.”

“No, I’m not looking to buy a kitchen knife.”

“Oh? Then what might the young master wish to purchase? We have every kind of farming implement here, and if you buy in bulk, I can offer an even better price!”

Seeing a new customer arrive, Master Jin set aside his hammer and came out to greet him warmly.

Li Zhao studied him for a moment, then cupped his hands and bowed. “May I have your name, sir?”

“I’m flattered. My name is Jin Ruifeng, but everyone calls me Blacksmith Jin. What can I do for you, young master?”

“I would like to trouble Master Jin to forge a few weapons for me.”

“Weapons?” Blacksmith Jin was visibly surprised. Customers looking for weapons usually went to the large armories in the city—no one ever visited his humble shop for such things. Besides, this youth looked to be only fourteen or fifteen; what did he need weapons for?

“Young master, ours is just a small smithy. We mostly make kitchen knives and farm tools. If you’re after weapons, you’d best try one of the big weapon shops in town.”

“I’m well aware that you mostly make farm tools, but I can tell at a glance that your craftsmanship is far from ordinary. Even your kitchen knives are sharper than most swords, and you use the ‘wrapped steel’ method. If I’m not mistaken, you must be a master weaponsmith by trade.”

As Li Zhao spoke, he flicked the edge of the kitchen knife with his finger, producing a clear, resonant note that lingered in the air.

The ‘wrapped steel technique’ was a sophisticated method that emerged during the Sui and Tang dynasties: a blade core of refined steel for toughness, with a layer of wrought iron wrapped around it to give the edge hardness, finished with expert tempering. Weapons forged this way were incredibly sharp, able to pierce heavy armor yet resilient enough not to snap in combat.

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“Young master, you have a remarkable eye. To tell the truth, our Jin family ancestors were once master smiths in the imperial workshops of the previous dynasty, forging weapons for the Emperor himself. Our skill is first-rate, and we’ve produced many a legendary blade.

After the fall of the Sui, our family drifted among the common folk but continued forging weapons; the craft was passed down from generation to generation, only to grow more refined. Yet business has declined with each passing era. Now, in my time, it’s like a rope through tofu—can’t even be brought up. Nowadays, customers prefer flashy trinkets, and true quality weapons no longer sell!”

A hint of helplessness colored Blacksmith Jin’s tone. The weapons he forged far surpassed those sold in the city, but their unadorned appearance meant they hardly sold—a whole year might pass without a single weapon finding a buyer!

He couldn’t bring himself to make those gaudy, hollow baubles either. Left with no choice, he turned to crafting farm tools just to scrape by.

Now, at last, a discerning customer had arrived—earnest and polite, no less. By all reason and sentiment, he ought to accept the commission.

“Young master, what sort of weapons do you desire? My humble shop has no ready stock, but describe the style you want, and I can forge it for you.”

“Master Jin, I’d like several pieces crafted. Can you manage these?” As he spoke, Li Zhao produced four sheets of paper from his breast, each carefully drawn and annotated with precise measurements.

Blacksmith Jin took them, and was immediately stunned. The first drawing depicted a most peculiar dagger: a blade one foot two inches long, two inches wide, half a fen thick, shaped like a short sword with edges on both sides and four deep blood grooves; a six-inch handle with a guard at the front and a counterweight at the rear—a fearsome and imposing design.

Blacksmith Jin had spent most of his life at the forge, but he had never seen a dagger of this kind.

Strange, exceedingly strange!

To be fair, it wasn’t for lack of experience—rather, the dagger Li Zhao wanted was simply not of this era. It should have existed over a thousand years in the future and bore a famous name: the Bayi Military Dagger.

Though odd in appearance, the Bayi Military Dagger was a weapon of slaughter, boasting three major advantages:

First, its blade was thick and solid, able to withstand blows from other weapons without breaking—a model of resilience and durability.

Second, its four blood grooves allowed blood to spurt freely from wounds, so that even a non-lethal strike could quickly prove fatal. For this, it was nicknamed the “King of Bleeders.”

Third, the counterweight at the hilt could serve as a hammer; in close combat, a blow to the head could be deadly.

Armed with such a weapon, one would hold a clear advantage in close-quarters battle.

If only the technology of this era permitted it—one could even add arsenic (the main ingredient in arsenic trioxide, an extremely deadly poison) during forging. A mere scratch would be enough to send an enemy to their grave. Though the Tang Dynasty lacked such methods, soaking the finished dagger in arsenic water could also increase its lethality.

...

The second sheet depicted a type of throwing dart: three inches and seven tenths long, weighing three taels and two qian, with a triangular, piercing head and small wooden tail fins for stable flight. He needed thirty-two of these.

The third drawing was a complete climbing kit: grappling hooks, ropes, pulleys, iron locks, small steel spikes, a tiny hammer—more than twenty or thirty different items.

With such a set and Li Zhao’s skills, scaling rooftops and leaping across buildings would be as easy as walking.

The fourth drawing was even stranger: an assortment of oddly shaped parts, some metal, some wood, some horn, some sinew—what use could they possibly serve?

In all his half a lifetime of smithing, Blacksmith Jin had never seen such oddities. He felt completely at a loss.

That said, business at his little smithy had always been poor—sometimes he couldn’t even earn enough for three meals a day. Now a major commission had come his way; there was no reason to refuse. Strange as these items were, his skills were up to the task.

There was, however, the matter of the young master’s status—did he actually have the right to bear weapons? If he crafted weapons for the wrong person and it led to trouble, the authorities would certainly hold him accountable.

“Master Jin, you needn’t worry. Here is my fish tally for your inspection.”

Li Zhao took out a bronze fish-shaped token, engraved with his name, family, date of birth, and other details—in other words, a kind of high-level identification.

According to Tang law:

Princes of the blood and dukes, as well as officials of the third rank and above, wore purple robes and carried gold fish pouches containing a gold fish tally.

Nobles and officials of the fifth rank and above wore crimson robes and silver fish pouches with a silver fish tally inside.

Idle members of the royal clan and officials below the sixth rank wore blue robes with blue fish pouches and a bronze fish tally.

Li Zhao, though without official post, was a scion of the royal family, and thus possessed a bronze fish tally, conferring privileges such as exemption from taxes and labor, the right to bear a sword, and the right not to bow to officials below the fourth rank.

“Oh my, forgive my ignorance! So the young master is of the imperial clan—I beg your pardon for any offense my words may have caused!” Blacksmith Jin now realized that his guest was of noble blood and hurriedly bowed deeply, his manner exceedingly respectful.

Li Zhao might be a mere idle noble, with neither office nor title, and had recently been on the verge of starvation, but in the eyes of the common folk, he was a personage far above their station.

“Since the young master has deemed me worthy, I shall give this commission my utmost skill. But may I ask what materials you wish to use? My shop has only ordinary wrought iron. If you want fine steel or refined iron, you’ll need to purchase them from town.”

“For most of these, fine steel or refined iron will suffice. As for the dagger, I have a special material—see if it will do.” With that, Li Zhao produced an ingot of iron from his breast—the very one he’d won at the gambling house.

“This is… Heavens, could it be?”

Blacksmith Jin took the ingot, examining it carefully, feeling its weight, his expression growing more and more excited, as if he’d found a priceless treasure. He set it on the anvil and struck it hard with a kitchen cleaver.

With a resounding clang, the cleaver bounced back; a notch the size of a bean appeared on its edge, but the ingot itself was unmarked—not even a scratch!

“Haha, that’s it! A treasure worth more than gold! Young master, how did you come by such a thing?”

“I stumbled upon it by chance. Do you recognize it, Master Jin?”

“If I’m not mistaken, this is the famous Persian pattern-welded steel!”

“What, Persian pattern-welded steel?”

“That’s right.” Blacksmith Jin nodded, then explained:

“In ancient Persia, they produce a most extraordinary steel. Blades forged from it can cut gold and jade, are incredibly sharp, and the blade surface is covered with swirling patterns, like clouds and flowing water—truly a marvel. Thus, it is called pattern-welded steel.

“Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Persian merchants have brought this steel to China, causing a sensation as it became the material of choice for forging weapons. Combined with Chinese smiths’ superior techniques, it has produced many legendary blades.

“However, the yield of this steel is very low, and even less makes its way to China, so its price is astronomical. In today’s Chang’an market, one ounce of pattern-welded steel is worth three ounces of gold.

“This ingot is about three jin in weight, equivalent to nine jin of gold—that is, one hundred forty-four ounces. (A Tang dynasty jin is sixteen ounces.)

“One ounce of gold exchanges for ten ounces of silver, and one ounce of silver is worth one string of copper coins.

“In other words, this piece of pattern-welded steel is worth one thousand four hundred forty strings of copper coins—a true fortune for the average person, enough to buy a house, land, even take wives and concubines.”