The Human Emperor
Page 58“Look, look! It’s starting!”
“Haha, to think that the one who taunted the Four Great Swordsmithing Clans was just a young man!”
“After waiting for so long, that sword is finally going to be unveiled! I wonder what kind of sword is worth ten thousand gold taels!”
“It’s not ten thousand gold taels, it is 19200 gold taels! He is going to pay the sum to everyone else if he were to lose!”
“Heavens! Isn’t he going to be bankrupt then?”
“Of course! Do you think that one will get away unscathed after provoking the capital’s Four Great Swordsmithing Clans?”
“That poor fellow!”
…
Outside the pavilion, a sea of people had gathered and there was a huge commotion outside. After seven days of hunger marketing, the curiosity for the sword in the Bluebottle Pavilion had reached its peak.
Exactly what kind of sword could it be, to not allow anyone to view or touch it?
What kind of treasured sword could it be, for the owner to dare to price it at 19200 gold taels?
And now, the truth was about to be revealed.
“Everyone, are you ready?”
Hearing the commotion outside, Wang Chong turned around and looked at everyone in the pavilion:
“If anyone wishes to buy it, it’s worth 19200 gold taels now. This is your final chance!”
Hong!
The reply that Wang Chong received was a burst of laughter. Even the Cheng Clan’s Elder Cheng Youqing couldn’t help but chuckle. From the very start, no one had bought the sword when it was priced at 600 gold taels. Now that it had reached an astronomical sum of 19200 gold taels, it was ridiculous to think that anyone would buy it.
Otherwise, wouldn’t the person be too foolish!
“Youngster, you have a good sense of humor. However, I think you should just unveil your sword!”
“Indeed! Let everyone see the sword that you claim to be worth 19200 gold taels!”
Someone chirped in, and the people in the pavilion burst into laughter once more.
“Don’t spout nonsense, what do you mean by 19200 gold taels? It will be doubled by today!”
“Right! Right! It is currently 38400 gold taels! If anyone dares to spout nonsense, I will fight with him!”
“Lad, there are so many people here. Surely you won’t think of escaping, will you?”
“Hehe, do you think he’ll be able to escape?!”
…
Ridicule, derision, and laughter resounded in the Bluebottle Pavilion. The gazes all those all around revealed their disdain and scorn for the young man.
They were staring at Wang Chong with a look of contemplation.
“Wang Chong, is it really alright?”
Hearing the ridicules from all direction, Wei Hao’s face turned pale once more.
“Don’t worry!”
Wang Chong patted Wei Hao’s shoulder and said without any hesitation at all. For some reason, feeling the firm will within Wang Chong’s heart, Wei Hao suddenly felt assured.
“Alright! Since no one is interested, let’s start the sword duel gamble then!”
Wang Chong lifted his head to take a look.
“Wait a moment!”
Suddenly, a voice interjected. Wang Chong lifted his head and saw a familiar figure walking out from the crowds.
“Huang Jiao!”
Wang Chong and Wei Hao’s eyelids twitched. They immediately recognized the person. He was the one who had led the pack to wreck havoc at the Bluebottle Pavilion on the first day, saying that Wang Chong was simply attracting attention and scattering the crowd.
“Hehe, lad. It’s true that you are the one who initiated the sword duel gamble. However, there should be rules to it too!”
Huang Jiao sneered coldly. He didn’t have a good impression of Wang Chong and as such, his words were impolite.
“What do you want to say?”
Wang Chong replied impassively.
“With so many swords here, do we just randomly pit them against one another? The swords that everyone has taken out are all their prized possession, and every one of them is incredibly sharp. Even if one were to win the face-off, it would cause some scars and damage to the sword. If so, there isn’t any point to winning at all.”
“Thus, I have an idea. Why don’t we first report how sharp how our weapons are, and how deep can it cut into a metal? This way, those whose weapons aren’t sufficient sharp can back down from the challenge. This way, not only can they prevent any damage toward their weapon, the weapons of others would be spared as well. What do you all think?”
Huang Jiao said gleefully.
“Good idea! It’s a good idea!”
Huang Jiao’s suggestion immediately gained the approval of many.
“We’ll report first then! The sword of our Li Clan is forged through continuous refinement and hammering. Not only is it tough, it is extremely sharp as well. It can cut through 4.5 centimeters of raw metal!”
A forty-year-old man who had the words ‘Qingtan City Li Clan’ weaved on the cloth covering his chest stood out. Pointing to the sword they presented that was hanging on the pavilion, he said gleefully.
“Hmph, you dare to take out such a weapon as well? Our Blue Fields: Zheng Clan had been researching the art of swordsmithing for generations, and our swords can cut through 5.1 centimeters of raw metal!”
The moment the man from Li Clan just spoke, a member of another swordsmithing clan immediately stood forward with a proud expression.
“There’s no need for you two to bicker! The Son of Bloodshed of our Impenetrable Metal Sword Workshop is crafted from using the Heavy Metal of the deep ocean. It can easily cut through your swords of your caliber as though a lump of rotten metal!”
The various weapon shops and workshops also stood forward. Soon, the Bluebottle Pavilion descended into an intense debate, and even the merchants from the Western Regions who weren’t adept at speaking the Han language joined in as well.
Wang Chong had heard their words. Even though they’re debate had gotten heated up, to conclude, none of their swords was sharp enough to cut through five cun of metal.
(cun = 3.33cm|5 cun = 17cm)
Even though their sword could only cut through five cun of raw metal, they were still gleeful over their accomplishment, and their noses were about to reach the heavens boasting about it.
Upon reaching this conclusion, Wang Chong smiled in disdain. These prestigious family had remained unchallenged for far too long. When they finally see the Wootz steel sword, they will finally understand what’s a true top-notch sword.
“There’s no need for you to quarrel over it. There’s no need to go through so much trouble!”
Wang Chong’s words suddenly sounded by everyone’s ears. After which, he patted Wei Hao’s shoulder to gesture to him. Understanding Wang Chong’s intentions, he suddenly leapt forward toward the railing along the third floor of Bluebottle Pavilion and leapt upward, grabbing the Wootz steel sword.
Keng!
The clear sound of a sword’s call rang as though a bell. A gleam flashed through the sky, and before anyone could make sense of what was happening, Wei Hao, along with the sword, fell directly toward the metal mountain before the Bluebottle Pavilion.
Boom! A giant tremor and dust flew into the sky.
This gesture was so sudden that the crowd outside the Bluebottle Pavilion abruptly fell silent upon noticing it.
Keng keng keng!
Amidst the cloud dust, the sound of metal echoed one after another as though raindrops behind Wei Hao. More than twenty of the swords which had been hung on the pavilion for the sword duel gamble were broken, and the tip of the swords fell from the sky and stabbed into the ground below.
Boom! Amidst the cloud of dust, the metal mountain which was almost as tall as a human was split into two, each side collapsing toward opposite directions. At the center, where it was cut, the surface was clear as a mirror.
Weng!
Upon seeing the sight, the crowd outside the Bluebottle Pavilion, as though gone dumb, fell completely silent.
Then, the quarreling crowd within the Bluebottle Pavilion noticed the sight as well. All of them were standing by the railings with their mouth wide open, unable to find a single word to say.
Pa dah!
The jade thumb ring with a ruby gemstone embedded on top, which Mosaide was fiddling with, fell to the ground, but he was completely oblivious to it.
Silence!
Complete silence!
At this moment, regardless of whether it was in the Bluebottle Pavilion or outside the Bluebottle Pavilion, there wasn’t a single sound to be heard. Everyone’s mind had gone blank, and the absurd sight before them left them completely dumbfounded. Wang Chong had used the most unexpected method to create the greatest shock to everyone here!
Boom!
After a short moment of silence, everyone finally recovered. Then, a thunderous commotion that sounded as though a mountain splitting apart roared.
“Heavens! What did that fellow just do?”
“He split apart a metal mountain! How many cun is it? Fifty? Or is it a hundred? How can there be such an incredible sword in the world?”
“Not just the metal mountain, look at the swords hanging by Bluebottle Pavilion. They are all top-notch swords! Every single one of them is godly weapons that could easily slice apart human hair, yet he cut through dozens of them in a single go!”
…
The abrupt sight that unfolded before everyone else left them in a frenzy.
For these seven days, everyone had been expecting to see Wang Chong make a mockery out of himself. They even ridiculed him as a fool privately. No one had thought that Wang Chong could win this sword duel gamble, because the most advanced technologies were wielded in the hands of the few swordsmithing clans.
But to the disbelief of everyone else, Wang Chong turned out to be the ultimate victor of this sword duel gamble!
Weng!
In the Bluebottle Pavilion, all of the famous weapon merchants stared at Wang Chong. They were even more shocked than the crowd outside. The jaws of the elders of the Cheng, Li, Huang, and Lu Clan almost touched the ground.
“How could this be?”
The members of the Four Great Swordsmithing Clans couldn’t accept the abrupt change in the situation. Before the duel gamble, the Four Great Swordsmithing Clan had mocked Wang Chong for intentionally trying to attract attention, and they regarded this affair as an ideal opportunity for them to showcase their best weapons.
But no one would have thought that their swords would be sliced apart by Wang Chong’s instead!
“My saber! Impossible! ——”
Suddenly, an astonished cry sounded. From the Bluebottle Pavilion, the manager from the White Tiger Weapon Shop leapt down and landed on the ground. He picked up the broken edge of his saber and yelled in agony.
His face paled and he looked as though he was on the verge of tears.
This was the White Tiger Weapon Shop’s best weapon! To think it would be split into two just like that!
This was inconceivable!
“No… Impossible! How can a fifteen-year-old kid like him possess such incredible swordsmithing technology!”
“… Furthermore, for that sword to be that sharp!”
Zhang Cong and Zhang Jian were stunned by the sight before them.
Of everyone inside, only they knew Wang Chong’s background the best. That was also the reason why they were the most shocked.
The lineage of Duke Jiu had never dealt in swordsmithing, and even if they were beaten to death, they would have never believed that Wang Chong would be able to craft such an incredible sword.
In that instant, the both of them suddenly realized that they had underestimated Wang Chong, and it was a gross underestimation at that!
“We won’t be able to obtain the Hyderabad ores!”
At that moment, the thought flashed through the minds of the duo.
Dumbfounded, the two of them stared blankly at the sight before them.
Noses were about to reach the heavens boasting about it:
Sounds like a Pinocchio reference but it simply meant that their heads were so lifted up (aka looking down on the others) that it was facing the heavens.