The Sword's Spirit Across Three Lifetimes

For seven days, she wept blood. Then she offered herself to the furnace, melting her soul into the sword. From then on, the sword “Longing Through the Ages” passed through a thousand years, waiting for him to be reborn and turn back to recognize the blade that held all the longing of her life. Yun Zhao gripped her hammer. Starting with mending pots and repairing plows, she could hammer all sorts of things into shape: rough farm tools, sharp kitchen knives, even decorative swords commissioned by wealthy households. The forge burned red-hot, and iron filings spattered her hands, but she never dared furrow her brow. There was always a Korean gentleman wrapped in an old cloak hanging around the blacksmith's shop to bask in the heat. He didn't say much, but whenever local ruffians gave her trouble, he was always there to stand in front of her.