As the door opened, the middle aged man stepped out and immediately paused. His eyes landed on the waiting Ling Ye and for a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face. His eyes widened slightly, as if caught off guard by Ling Ye's presence, but just as quickly he had regained his composure.
The relaxed, almost lazy demeanor he had carried moments ago vanished, replaced by a more serious and attentive expression, Ling Ye noticed the change clearly, yet, he said nothing.
Instead, he offered a faint, polite smile and brought his hands together in a respectful fist salute.
"Greetings," Ling Ye said calmly. "Are you the owner of this blacksmith shop, Senior Jiao Man?"
The middle aged man studied him for a brief second before nodding firmly.
"Indeed, I am Jiao Man," he replied. His voice was steady, carrying a quiet authority. "Young man, what business do you have with me?"
Hearing this, Ling Ye's expression brightened slightly. A small chuckle escaped him as he nodded, "Yes, Senior Jiao Man, I do have business with you."
He stepped forward, closing the distance until he stood before the wooden counter, facing Jiao Man directly.
"I was recommended by Old Man Zhao, the owner of the inn," Ling Ye continued. "He told me that when it comes to weapons, you are the most skilled in Green Path Village."
His tone remained respectful, yet confident, "So, I came here to seek your help."
"Oh." Jiao Man let out a short exclamation, clearly surprised. A hint of confusion crossed his face, as if he hadn't expected someone to recommend him so highly.
Ling Ye noticed the reaction but remained silent, patiently waiting, then, Jiao Man's expression shifted.
His surprise quickly turned into delight, "Good! Yes, good!" he said loudly, nodding with clear satisfaction. A broad smile spread across his face as he stepped closer to the counter, his earlier seriousness now mixed with visible excitement.
"I am the best blacksmith in Green Path Village when it comes to weapons," he continued proudly. "I can forge anything, from swords to gauntlets. Though I mostly deal in swords and spears, I still keep a few other weapons on hand."
He straightened slightly, his voice gaining confidence, "And if you're looking for something unique, I can craft it for you personally. I will use all my skill to meet your needs."
Despite his serious expression, his tone carried unmistakable enthusiasm, almost childlike in its passion and seeing this, Ling Ye couldn't help but chuckle lightly.
"Ah… unfortunately, I'm not here to buy a weapon," Ling Ye said, his tone polite but relaxed. "I'm actually looking for someone to restore a sword."
He met Jiao Man's gaze, "So, Senior Jiao Man… would you be willing to take a look at it?" and the moment Ling Ye mentioned restoring a sword instead of buying one, Jiao Man's expression dimmed slightly.
For just a brief instant, disappointment flickered across his face, but he quickly recovered, straightening himself and nodding with renewed focus.
"Of course," he said, his tone returning to a professional calm. "Restoring swords is one of my specialties. Please, show me the Sword."
Ling Ye nodded and without hesitation, he reached to his waist, unfastened the old sword, and placed it carefully on the wooden counter.
Jiao Man lowered his gaze and at first, he said nothing and took another glanced briefly at Ling Ye, as if confirming something, before returning his full attention to the sword and then, there is silence.
His expression changed and what began as simple inspection turned into something else entirely, there is surprise and disbelief.
Jiao Man slowly reached out and picked up the sword, holding it with both hands. His fingers traced along the blade, feeling its surface, its weight… its condition.
His brows furrowed.
Once, then twice, he had examined it two times, but even then, he did it a third time, as if hoping he had made a mistake, but each time the result is the same.
Finally, he placed the sword back onto the counter, with his expression growing heavy and he looked up at Ling Ye.
"…This sword…" he began, hesitating for a moment, "…is beyond repair."
Silence fell between them and Ling Ye did not reacted much and simply waited.
Jiao Man, however, seemed slightly uneasy under that silence. He scratched the back of his head, choosing his words more carefully this time.
"The damage isn't just on the surface," he explained. "The rust has already spread deep into the Sword blade itself, into its very core."
He tapped the sword lightly.
"Even if I tried to restore it, there is very little I could actually do and the cost…" he paused, shaking his head, "…would not be worth it and I would personally not recommended it."
His tone turned more serious, "You would be better off buying a new sword."
"This one..." he glanced down at it again, "...can no longer serve as a proper weapon. At best, it will remain a dull blade… incapable of truly cutting anything, the best I can do is make it not so useless, only being a little bit useable."
The words settled heavily in the air and hearing Jiao Man's conclusion of the Sword, the blacksmith let out a deep sigh, as if he had already given up on the sword.
As it is clear that in his eyes, the Sword is beyond saving, but Ling Ye did not share that view, with a faint smile appeared on his face, "Then… please do what you can," he said calmly.
Jiao Man blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting that answer and for a moment, he simply stared at Ling Ye before slowly nodding, "…Very well."
He picked up the sword once more, his expression turning serious again.
"The work will take time," he continued. "This Sword needs more than simple maintenance. You can come back tomorrow."
He paused briefly before adding, "As for the cost… the down payment will be one hundred fifty Green Dragon Coins. The total cost will be three hundred."
Ling Ye listened without hesitation, as the price is reasonable and without a word, he reached into his inner pocket and took out his money pouch. From it, he retrieved two Blue Dragon Coins and placed them on the counter.
Jiao Man's eyes flickered slightly at the sight of the coins and nodded, accepting them silently, "Then… come back tomorrow."
Ling Ye returned the nod with a faint smile, "Until tomorrow."
With that, he left the sword in Jiao Man's care and turned to leave the blacksmith shop and stepping outside, Ling Ye paused.
For a moment, he simply stood there, unsure of what to do next, his gaze lifted toward the sky and after a brief silence, he made his decision. He would return to the inn and speak with Bai Da.
Ling Ye made his way back to the inn and the walk itself was uneventful, as nothing had changed while he was in the Blacksmith Store.
The villagers were still busy with their daily lives, moving from place to place with quiet purpose. Most of them didn't spare Ling Ye a second glance, too occupied with their own tasks to pay attention to a passing stranger.
After about ten minutes, he arrived at the inn. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and just as before, Old Zhao was seated behind the counter.
Seeing this, Ling Ye smiled faintly and approached.
Hearing his footsteps, Old Zhao quickly stood up. His eyes instinctively swept over Ling Ye, and when he noticed that the sword previously hanging at his waist was gone, a hint of understanding appeared on his face.
"Has sir taken care of his business with Jiao Man?" he asked.
Ling Ye nodded.
"I have," he replied calmly. "Thank you for the recommendation."
Old Zhao waved his hand with a modest smile, "It's nothing, nothing."
With that, Ling Ye gave a small nod and turned away, heading toward Bai Da's room and stopped in front of the door and knocked twice, but with no response coming from Bai Da. So after waiting a moment, he knocked again.
Still nothing and then he did knock a third time, still nothing. It seemed Bai Da wasn't inside and Ling Ye paused for a moment, then let out a quiet breath and turned back toward the counter.
"Old Zhao," he said, "when you bring Bai Da his food later, could you tell him that I have something to discuss with him?"
This time, Old Zhao didn't stand up. He simply nodded from where he sat, but Ling Ye had already turned away, not waiting for a response.
He walked back to his own room, opened the door, and stepped inside and with a quiet motion, he closed it behind him and locked it.
Ling Ye returned to his chair and sat down quietly.
With his sheathed dagger taken out of his robe and placed within easy reach, he felt slightly more at ease. Leaning back, he gazed out the window, watching the slow movement of the world outside.
Time passed, with nothing happened. The stillness soon turned into boredom, and the calm atmosphere, combined with his lingering fatigue, began to weigh on him and before long, sleep overtook him.
He didn't resist and sitting in the chair, Ling Ye slowly drifted into a light, peaceful sleep, but that peace did not last.
"Knock. Knock. Knock." A loud, sudden knocking shattered the silence.
Ling Ye's eyes snapped open, his brows furrowed slightly, clearly displeased at being woken so abruptly. For a brief moment, he hoped it might already be time for dinner, but a quick glance outside told him otherwise.
The sun is still high, It is still day.
Letting out a quiet breath, Ling Ye stood up, hoping it is perhaps Bai Da. As he moved toward the door, he picked up his sheathed dagger and slipped it back into his robe, hiding it carefully.
Only then did he open the door and immediately he knew it isn't Bai Da, as standing before him were two unfamiliar figures.
A young man stood in front, dressed neatly, carrying himself with confidence. Behind him, one step back, stood an older man, with him being silent and observant.
The young man smiled broadly upon seeing Ling Ye and extended his hand slightly in greeting.
"Greetings," he said. "My name is Qing Daheng, son of the current Family head of the Qing Family."
Qing Daheng eyes sharpened just a little as he continued speaking, "I've heard that you come from the Ling Clan." He paused briefly and then asked with full of curiosity, "Is that true?"