"Master, isn't this all because of you?"
Beside him, the eldest disciple, already capable of managing things on his own, exclaimed anxiously, "The moment you saw this blade, you were enthralled. You took us with you to forge day and night, and it just so happened that we finished it three days early, coinciding with the Lantern Festival, when the town's blessing energy is at its peak..."
The second disciple beside him also cried out urgently, "Master, I think we should stop the fire for a bit and go to the altar to bow our heads and get a bit of that blessing..."
They had followed the old master the longest and understood best the intricacies of sword forging. They knew that their master was meticulous and would not allow his disciples to interrupt during the forging. But this was a reminder they could no longer avoid.
