The next morning was a clear blue one.
Sun Yunso finished all chores for once.
His training, as well as his house’s works.
Even the fields had already been ploughed, and he just stood in the centre of the courtyard with both arms crossed on his chest.
He had nothing—absolutely nothing to do.
He sighed out.
“I didn’t know that such a feeling existed.
So boring.”
He looked at the field, completed.
He looked at the house, already cleaned, checking buckets, to his surprise they were full.
“If I continue like this I am going to die by being bored.”
Sun Yunso shrugged his shoulders and then he wandered around the property randomly, in hopes to see something that would attract his attention.
His boredom increased with each step.
Then he saw a work room, it would have not mattered if there had not been loud noise from it.
He stopped walking and went towards it, just to have a closer look.
Drawn by curiosity, Yunso quietly made his way toward the old forge, the rhythmic sound grew louder with every step.
He slowly and quietly made his way to the door and took a peek inside.
The furnace burned with a brilliant orange glow, filling the room with warmth as sparks danced through the air.
Standing before the anvil was a lone figure, completely absorbed in his work.
The hammer rose and fell.
As the glowing steel yielded to each deliberate blow, Yunso’s eyes locked onto the man’s back, and suddenly, he knew who it was.
“…Master?”
His eyes widened in surprise.
It was Su Qing.
Yunso had always thought of his master as really good with a sword.
But a swordsmith?
That was something he had never expected.
Question after question flooded his mind.
‘Since when could the Master forge swords?
Has he always known how?
Why has he never told me?’
Yunso had a million questions, but he just couldn’t seem to ask them.
So he stood there, quietly watching, as his mind ran wild with thoughts.
As Su Qing worked, every swing of the hammer was smooth and every movement seemed to flow effortlessly.
It was as if he wasn’t forcing the steel into shape, but rather guiding it with a gentle touch.
Yunso found himself becoming completely absorbed in the scene, his eyes fixed on the way Su Qing’s hands moved with precision and control.
Without even realizing it, he slowly raised one of his own hands, mimicking the movement of the hammer as if drawn into the rhythm of Su Qing’s work.
The sound of the hammer ringing out against the steel was almost hypnotic, and Yunso felt himself becoming more and more captivated by the unfolding scene, his fascination growing with each passing moment.
Su Qing stopped what he was doing and put the hammer down, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
He then reached for a cup of water to take a drink, and as he did, his gaze wandered over to the entrance of the workshop.
A shadow stretched across the floor.
He couldn’t make out the person’s face, but the tiny frame was a dead giveaway – he knew exactly who he was looking at.
Without turning around, he spoke.
“Do you need something, Yunso?”
Sun Yunso jolted.
“…!”
‘Master knew I was here?’
He finally decided to stop hiding and walked into the workshop, looking a bit awkward and trying to smile.
“N-Nothing much…I just wanted to watch you work.”
Su Qing glanced at him briefly, and then a faint smile crossed his face.
“Is that so?”
He gestured toward the empty space beside him.
“Then come.”
Yunso’s eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly got up to sit next to his master.
The warm air from the furnace enveloped him, a stark contrast to the cool atmosphere outside.
Su Qing reached for a pair of long tongs, his hands closing around them with a firm grip.
He then picked up the glowing blade, fresh out of the forge, its steel burning with a brilliant orange hue.
For a moment, he just held it there, the heat emanating from it seeming to dance in the air.
He gently took Yunso’s hand.
“Master?”
“Hold this.”
Yunso gently wrapped his hands around the tongs, and Su Qing placed a hand over his, helping to balance the weight so it wouldn’t be too much for him to handle.
“Steady.”
Together…Master and disciple slowly lowered the glowing blade into the cooling trough.
Steam erupted into the air.
The sound echoed throughout the workshop as white mist rose around them.
Yunso’s eyes sparkled.
“Amazing.”
Su Qing looked at the wonder on the boy’s face and couldn’t help but smile.
“Do you want me to teach you?”
Yunso’s head shot up.
Without a second’s hesitation he nodded enthusiastically.
Su Qing chuckled softly.
“Very well.
From today onward you’ll learn that a sword is forged long before it’s ever drawn.”
As time went by, Sun Yunso slowly but surely got better at working with metal, thanks to Su Qing’s calm and patient teaching.
He was getting better with his hammer swings, more steady and strong.
The boy who used to fumble with tongs was turning into a skilled young sword maker.
His days started with sword practice in the morning, then he’d work in the fields and around the house in the afternoon.
Every evening, the sound of clanging steel filled the workshop, a familiar rhythm that marked his progress.
Those simple days quietly slipped by.
Without either of them realizing it the bond between master and disciple had begun to change.
It no longer felt like a relationship built solely on teaching.
It felt like a father raising his son.
They just knew, without having to say a thing.
The warmth of their everyday life said enough.
For a time peace was all they knew.
Until the day everything changed.
The warmth of the forge, the laughter at the dinner table and the quiet life they had built together…
It all disappeared in a single night.
Twelve figures descended upon the small home.
None of them spoke their names nor showed their faces.
The peaceful home was reduced to ruin.
“Master!”
Sun Yunso’s desperate voice echoed through the chaos.
He tried to run, to reach Su Qing.
But searing pain exploded across his face.
“AAAGH!”
A blade carved across his eyes.
Warm blood poured down his cheeks and darkness swallowed his vision.
He stumbled to the ground, clutching his face as tears and blood mixed together.
“Master!
Master!!”
His trembling hands searched desperately through the dirt.
He couldn’t see or fight.
There was nothing he could have done.
A dull sound echoed through the ruined home.
Thud.
Silence followed.
Yunso’s breathing stopped.
Heavy footsteps approached.
A cold voice broke the silence.
“Su Qing, the Phantom Blade, has been put to death.”
Another voice answered.
“Good, let’s leave and the bounty is ours.”
As they walked away, the sound of their footsteps slowly disappeared into the distance, one by one.
Only silence remained and the cries of a twelve-year-old boy who had just lost the only family he had ever known.