Su Qin and Shi Chang lived in the valley of Qilian Snow Mountain for nearly three months, from the germination of spring to the flight of grass and warblers. The weather in the mountains is lower than outside, and the vegetation is nearly a month late. Rao is like this, it has gradually come to the hot and dry season.

Shi Chang's good craftsmanship supports the daily use of several people. In the process of forging swords, it is inevitable that a lot of leftovers will be produced, and Shi Chang made them into various practical tools, such as buckles, spoons, shovels, etc., and so on.

Chunwei and Jizhou then carried the meat, milk, rice and noodles and other food exchanged for the tools into the valley in bundles and bags. Su Qin and the others were accustomed to eating vegetarian food, and for several months in the mountains, they ate meat and drank milk every day, almost to the point of nausea when they saw livestock.

In this way, day after day, it was spent plainly, and the old man Shi Chang became thinner day by day, and he looked haggard.

Su Qin was very anxious for him, and persuaded Old Man Shi to stop, but he didn't listen, Su Qin regretted that he didn't resolutely stop Shi Chang at the beginning, and if he continued like this, it would be a matter of time before Old Man Shi was physically exhausted.

On this day, Shu Zhi and Yan Ning went to the Guishuang tribe to play, and the old man Shi was alone and forged until the night, Su Qin finally persuaded him to go back to the tent to rest, but when Su Qin woke up in the second half of the night, he found that the old man was not in the tent.

Su Qin hurriedly went to look for it, and sure enough, he found Shi Chang next to the blast furnace, and he had passed out on the ground. Seeing this, Su Qin hurriedly stepped forward to help the old man, pinched the acupoint again, massaged his chest again, and kept shouting to wake him up.

Shi Chang woke up after a while, he looked at Su Qin weakly, and said weakly: "Quickly bring that sword, I'll take a look." ”

Su Qin persuaded him: "You have been boiling like this, you should rest first, and then talk about it in two or three hours." ”

Old Man Shi didn't do it, he had to ask Su Qin to get it immediately, and he couldn't delay for a moment. Su Qin couldn't cry or laugh, feeling that he had reached the point of going mad.

In desperation, he turned around to look for it, and next to a whetstone, he saw the sword, in the hazy moonlight, he saw it shining with a faint green light, Su Qin couldn't help but be deeply attracted by it: this sword was like a demure beauty, containing endless grace.

Su Qin originally knew that it would be a rare treasure, but he didn't expect that in Shi Chang's hands, a legend was born.

Su Qin held the sword in his hands with respect, and handed the sword to Shi Chang. Old Man Shi seemed to see his own children, took it, flicked the sword body, and the sword made a crisp jingle sound. He touched the blade of the sword again and nodded in satisfaction.

Shi Chang cherished the sword for a long time before he raised his head and said to Su Qin: "The sword has been completed, but it doesn't have a name yet, you are a scholar, can you give it a nice name?" ”

Su Qin modestly asked Old Man Shi to choose a name, but Shi Chang insisted on asking Su Qin to choose a name, Su Qin thought for a while, and said: "This sword comes from black bluestone, let's take a 'green' character, it has a cold nature, and then take a 'frost' word, how about calling it 'Qingshuang'?" ”

When Shi Chang heard the name of "Qingshuang", he nodded deeply and responded: "Qingshuang Sword, this name is very appropriate, it is both vulgar and elegant, and we forged it in the place where the Guishuang people live. So that's a fitting name. ”

Su Qin was very happy to receive the approval of Old Man Shi. He saw that Shi Chang was too tired, so he persuaded him to go back to the tent to rest.

Old Man Shi waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, let me finish speaking." ”

He sat up straight with difficulty, and said to Su Qin, "Do you remember when I said I was going to surprise you? It is this Qingshuang sword, you are proficient in swordsmanship, and we are so fateful, I am about to give it to you. ”

When Su Qin heard this, his head shook like a rattle, and he hurriedly said: "That's unacceptable, the Qingshuang Sword is a treasure that your old man exchanged for his life, I can't afford it, it's better for you to keep it for yourself." ”

Seeing that Su Qin didn't accept it, Shi Chang was a little anxious, and said: "Since ancient times, the sword has been matched with a swordsman, I am a craftsman, what is the use of keeping it?" Moreover, you have improved the yang power in your body with the help of the purple marble, and you just use the negativity of the Qingshuang Sword to adjust it, so that you can calm down your breath and abstain from dryness and floating. What do you kid and I have to share with each other! ”

Su Qin shook his head again, it was not that he didn't love the Qingshuang Sword, but because this sword was too valuable and deserved it.

Su Qin continued: "It's not for me to meet your old man, what kindness does my Su Qin have to your old man, how dare you accept this great gift?" ”

Old Man Shi was even more anxious, he was short of breath, and said unceremoniously: "If you don't accept the Qingshuang Sword, you just won't give me Shi Chang's face." I didn't expect that we would get along for a whole cold and summer, and you would still be separated from me. ……”

As he spoke, he coughed violently and a mouthful of blood gushed out of his throat as he spoke. The old man spat blood on the Qingshuang Sword in one gulp, only to see the blood crystalline condensed into red blood beads, which were crystal clear in the moonlight.

Old Man Shi criticized Su Qin and said: "You have repeatedly disobeyed my old man's wishes, do you want me to be buried in this Qilian Snow Mountain!" ”

Su Qin hurriedly apologized and said, "Don't dare, don't dare." He saw that Old Man Shi was sincere, and if he refused again, it would not only make him sad, but also delay his recovery, so he knelt on the ground respectfully, and took the Qingshuang Sword from Shi Chang's hand with both hands, and Old Man Shi smiled contentedly.

Su Qin helped Old Man Shi to the tent to rest. On the way back to the tent, Shi Chang added: "The Qingshuang Sword has been completed, but it still lacks a scabbard and decorations, and we will ask someone to sew another one with animal skins another day, it will be perfect."

The Qingshuang Sword is the result of Shi Chang's top craftsman's painstaking efforts, and in his eyes, it will always need to be constantly updated. The more beloved things are, the more they want to make them more perfect, and who can overcome this common problem?

The Qingshuang Sword was declared completely completed, and Shi Chang really slept steadily, and this sleep was enough for two days and two nights. Su Qin saw that he was sleeping very deeply, and he couldn't bear to call him up, so he waited beside him.

Shu Zhi and Yan Ning came back the next day, and when they saw that Old Man Shi was sleeping and had no work to do, they felt very bored, so they took some practical iron tools made by Old Man Shi and went to the Guishuang tribe again.

After Shi Chang woke up, it was already the early morning of the third day, and the summer sun clearly shone into the tent early in the morning, and the tent was transparent, refreshing, and pleasant.

When Su Qin saw Shi Chang wake up, he hurriedly brought rice porridge, beef and dough cakes and invited him to eat. Old man Shi rested well, and most of his spirit recovered, seeing that Su Qin was very tired because he was serving by his side, the old man said in his heart: "This kid is a person who knows how to be grateful, and it is not in vain that I gave him the Qingshuang Sword." ”

After Shi Chang had breakfast, Su Qin himself dealt with a few bites casually, and he and Old Man Shi agreed: as soon as Shu Zhi and Yan Ning returned, the four of them would dismantle the tents and return them to Chun Wei and Jizhou, and after that, they would leave the Guishuang tribe and return to the east.

But after waiting for a long time, there was still no trace of those two people.