A Peasant’s Guide to Sorcerery 8: Interlude: Zhang

A Peasant’s Guide to Sorcerery 8: Interlude: Zhang

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Commissioned by Ichypa

Wordcount: 2500

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“Son, what should you do when you find someone who needs help?”

“Help them!”

“And, what will you do after you help them?”

“Hm, I don’t know!”

“A decent answer, but not the best. The best answer is to tell them you need nothing in return, besides their friendship! A truly honorable man, the sort of man you should be, is one that helps others and befriends those they help… and you know how to treat your friends, correct?”

“No, I don’t, father! Can you tell me?”

“Another decent answer, but not the best, but still good enough! Listen well, Zhang… you treat your friends properly by letting them take care of you, while taking care of them too!”

“Ah, so my friends can help me… but not the people I’ve helped, because they’re not my friends!”

“Right. Helping people is something that you should just do because it’s right. But, just like how you’d always stand firm and strong against people who fight you, you should help your friends because they’re you’re friends and they will do the same.”

“I think I understand, father, thank you!”

“Good, good. Remember these things as well as you can, but read my notes and your books when I’m gone.”

“Yes, father! I’ll make sure that you and all our ancestors will be cared for too! I’ll clean the shrine whenever I’m at the farm at sunset!”

“Thank you, my son. I hope that I’ve left you enough to have a wife and child… but if isn’t you must do your best to give it to your child in the future, do you understand?”

“Yes, father!”

…

I woke up from my dream about my father and smiled at the memory.

I’m sure that my father would be very happy with how well I was doing now that I had a great friend like Ying!

After I saved her, she started doing her best to be my friend, and everything changed! All my fruits were being sold for a lot more money. I had a servant who was nice and blushed really easily whenever I asked her for things properly. And, Ying was doing her best to see me married and doing all the things I didn’t understand!

Everything about the city was a little confusing, but that was my fault. I should have bought and read more books about the city. If I had, I’m sure that I would know what do instead of leaving it all to Ying, but I didn’t regret things for too long. It was better to act instead of regretting, so I needed to act.

Ying was doing loads of things to help me because we were friends now, so I needed to help her too. I made her stronger, faster, and tougher, because she was an Aspirant and I didn’t want her hurt again, but I’m sure that wasn’t enough help from me. She got me a loyal servant who explained lots of things to me, and who helped me with everything that I needed, and was now looking for a wife for me.

So, I needed to help her for the extra help that she was giving me.

As I got up from bed, I wondered what I could do for her, until an idea came to mind as the sun began to shine through my room’s window.

A memory from the Scroll came to mind as I looked at the sun.

Of course!

A good wielder of a sword, once accustomed with their newly forged body, should be granted a powerful weapon learn!

Ying had a great and impressive weapon, but I could tell that it wasn’t the best for her new form.

So, I could help her by making her a great weapon!

I looked outside again at that thought.

It will be a few hours until breakfast, because everyone in the Fei’yen house spent lots of time sleeping, so I could get my present done before breakfast and give the gift to her at breakfast!

It was a great idea, since it made me feel good and went according to what the Scroll told me to do, I had not reason to doubt it!

So, I stretched out my senses in search of the materials that I would need.

Slowly, carefully, I looked through the entire city, below it, past the forests that surrounded it, and then in the mountains.

Soon enough, I found what I was looking for and willed for it to come.

Since the Scroll told me to not cause any earthquakes unless I wanted to, especially near cities where the stones could break from too much shaking, I made sure it went through the ground.

When it was where I wanted I reached out of my window and had it go through the ground and took it.

I didn’t know what it was called, but I could feel the power that the Scroll told me to look for. It felt old, strong, and shined so bright that it was almost pure white instead of a deep green color. According to the Scroll, this material was in the center of mountains, rich with life, usually guarded by strong spirits of great beasts, in a place between the land of spirits and reality, but it was no issue for me to just pluck it out of its hiding place.

I trained for a long time and had plenty of power, after all!

Now that I had the proper ingredient, I just needed to make everything else from memory!

Strong steel and wood came forth, while I shaped the sacred crystal into many veins that would flow through the sword. It will be able to channel the power of people from deep within themselves, allow their arts to be used with greater ease, and even make it so that they can meditate while practicing with a sword as it’ll bring their spirit closer to what lies beyond. Not only that, but in battle it should be able to carve through the swords and armor of others with ease, and its edge can blunt or sharp as the user likes… and with enough power it be a medium for immense blades composed entirely of spirit!

It was the perfect gift for a person that used a sword like Ying, especially since I could tell that she’d grown used to her body!

It was a great repayment for all her help so far and the best gift I could give her as a friend!

I hoped that she would like it.

…

I entered the room where I would eat breakfast with Ying with a smile and her gift in my hands.

My friend froze upon looking at me.

“Lord Zhang, what is that?”

“A sword for you! I made it!”

Proudly, I held the pure-white blade towards my friend, which the result of three hours of work from sunrise. Its power was very potent, so a few of the Fei’yen servants in the room started to breathe very quickly with a lot of difficulty. I made them go to sleep, while crossing the distance between me and my friend. I placed the sword in her hand and looked at it with pride, like I would a good year’s harvest. I did everything perfectly and even consulted the Scroll! It said that I crafted a sword that could kill immortals!

Which was the Scroll being silly with its praises.

Immortals can’t die.

If my sword can kill it, then whatever it is definitely isn’t an immortal.

That’s what immortality meant!

“W-what exactly is it made of, Lord Zhang?” Ying stuttered cutely when she spoke. She looked at my gift with wide eyes and trembled with excitement as she held it in her hand. The moment she touched the sword’s hilt, it began taking on her color, becoming pure white and making her its owner. Her eyes widened as it did and she dropped it… but since it was attuned to her it just floated instead of falling! It will always safely return to her, which I thought was pretty useful for any sword! “A mystic sword of this quality and might… where did you get the materials for it? How much did you spend!?”

My dear friend’s questions confused me, and the redness rapidly tinging her cheeks made me worry if she as getting feverish, so I did my best to answer.

“I took the sacred core of the mountain nearby! It wasn’t very hard. I just found it and plucked it. As for the metal and the wood, I just made those because I could!”

“Lord Zhang… this feels and acts like I’m holding a piece of Imperial Jade infused with purified souls of Demons—

“Oh, that’s what it is, yes! I found the best one in the region and took it straight from the mountain! I didn’t take any Demons, though… unless they came with the gem! Don’t worry, I refined it properly!”

“… And t-this metal feels like Star Steel…

“It’s not, but I think it’s kind of the same! The Scroll said that Star Steel is the best, but with enough heat and shaping, it can be better… so that’s what I did! I hope that you like it, Lady Ying!”

“… I have no clue what this wood is, but it feels… perfect?”

“Ah, I don’t know what kind of wood it is either. The scrolls just said to use the best I can, so I did the best I can! The scabbard and hilt should be able to heal you a bit when they’re with you or you’re holding it, thought!”

Ying looked lost at the gift for a long time, her mouth opening and closing, while amazement filled her eyes at what I gave her. When she looked at me again, the reddish tint on her face deepened some more and made me worry about her health. She was heating up according to my senses, but she didn’t seem sick with anything. It was very confusing, but I was still glad that she was happy with my gift.

“I… I… thank you for your gift, Lord Zhang. May I ask what I did to deserve such a wonderful weapon?”

At those words, I had to smile because I knew the answer.

“Because you’re my friend who’s been helping me out a lot, so I thought that I should help you a lot! That sword will protect you, make you stronger with training, and help you fight anyone and anything! It’s the best gift for my friend!” I crossed my arms and smiled. This was something that I could be proud of. I gave a great gift to my friend that they could use every day and pass down their family forever! My father would be cross with me if I didn’t gloat a little with such a great gift! “Nothing but the very best for my friend, especially since you’ve given me the best, Lady Ying!”

Lady Ying seemed… disappointed at my words, but brightened up and smiled after a moment.

“Thank you very much, Lord Zhang. I am grateful for this gift and I will keep it with me always. Now… let us eat together.”

I nodded and joined Lady Ying, while Fa Bai entered the room.

For a moment, she looked shocked at the unconscious servants around us, before her eyes widened at the sight of Lady Ying’s gift. I didn’t know eyes could widen to such a degree, and I was surprised as my cute servant pointed at the gift and then at me.

“L-Lord Zhang, why have you proposed to Lady Ying!?”

At that statement, I was confused.

“Propose? As in proposing marriage? That is a sword. Not a treasure.” A man offered a woman a great treasure in exchange for marriage. A treasure was knowledge in the form of a family’s secrets in a scroll, jewelry, or land. “It is a weapon that will keep my friend alive.”

“It costs the same as a treasure, Lord Zhang!”

I shook my head seriously at my servant’s words.

“Even if it cost me everything, I would give it to Lady Ying, because she is my friend and I want her to be whole and hale always!” I glanced Lady Ying’s way. She had a strange look on her face as I worked. She was staring clenched at the sword I gave her on her lap. Her lips were quivering between a smile and a frustrated scowl, and her gaze kept hardening and softening at the same time. She opened her mouth and closed it many times, like she wanted to say something, but kept stopping herself again and again. My servant covered her face with a hand and I did my best to clear the matter up. “It’s a sword for a wielder of a sword! It’s not a proposal. Lady Ying is my friend, so I would properly ask her if she wanted to marry me, before I proposed to her! I would never make her have to refuse me with gifts in hand!”

I spoke the truth, the right way which I was taught to live, with all the conviction that I could muster.

Ying continued to war with herself with her feelings, becoming so chaotic I couldn’t tell what she felt… while Fa Bai stalked over to me, reached out, and pinched and pulled my cheeks.

“Just. Because. It’s. Right. Doesn’t. Mean. You’re. Doing. Things. Properly!” My cute servant pinched my cheeks and tried to pull at them, but I refined my body and trained everyday, so she didn’t do much despite exerting her strength to the fullest. Her face was also red from my proclamation and I could faintly tell that she was embarrassed. Did I fail at something again? But no one was yelling or telling me that I was wrong, so why was my servant being so cross with me. “Lord Zhang, we’re doubling your lessons every day! If your progress isn’t as I desire, I will be there every time you’re present with a woman… because you can’t treat women as you do and expect nothing more than friendship!”

Fa Bai’s words confused me greatly.

Friends took care of each other, gave each other gifts, and looked out for each other when things are dangerous.

That’s just the right thing to do.

How was doing any of that romantic at all?