nonsense

Wu Qi's drawing of the cannon unicorn was very simple. Four movable legs supported two half-eggs. The lower half-egg was slightly larger because it was used to burn the halberd and mount the cannon. The upper half-egg was slightly smaller and was used to mount some levers to control the movement of the cannon unicorn and the firing of the cannon. It was just big enough for one person to sit on.

However, the materials can vary greatly.

The half-egg at the bottom, Wu Qi called it—Born of Fire.

Like the Northern Kun, it was made of iron and copper. Wu Qi made a mold, poured molten iron into the mold, and the resulting "Bath of Fire" was about the same size as Wu Qi had imagined. However, he still needed to think carefully about where to burn the halberds and where to install the cannons inside the "Bath of Fire".

Wu Qi referred to the half-egg on top as a protective charm.

As the name suggests, the "protector" exists to protect the person inside the cannon. Wu Qi considered for a long time what it should be made of. If it were made of copper or iron, the person inside the cannon would not be able to see ahead and would have difficulty controlling the cannon. However, glass is too fragile. If the enemy fires a cannon at it, the glass will shatter and the person will be gone.

Therefore, Wu Qi wanted to create something that was as transparent as glass and as hard as iron.

This was an idea she had had for a long time, but it had never been realized. Because of this, she stayed in the Moonfall Camp for almost half a month.

Wu Qi's injuries had almost healed, but Wen Ru was still worried, so she delivered the prepared meals to the Moonfall Camp every day for them to collect. It was lunchtime. Yi Shen saw her engrossed in her studies and didn't disturb her. He closed the door and brought in the meals Wen Ru had brought.

It hadn't even been half an hour from start to finish.

Yi Shen opened the door, glanced at Wu Qi inside, closed the door, put down the food box, and without saying a word, picked up Wu Qi and placed her on the table, making her sit down.

Wu Qi hurriedly said, "Hey, hey, hey! Yi Shen! What are you doing!"

Yi Shen knelt down on one knee, lifted her skirt, and saw a thin, long wound on the outside of her calf, about three inches long. Although it was not as serious as the wound below her collarbone, it was still oozing blood.

The "Burning in Fire" was about the height of a person and was made entirely of bronze and iron. There were several other "Burning in Fire" models in the room. While Wu Qi was deep in thought, he did not notice a piece of iron with a raised edge. He did not feel anything when he passed by the raised edge of the iron piece, but later he felt a slight pain.

Yi Shen stared at the wound and said in a hoarse voice, "I haven't been gone for even half an hour."

Since Wu Qi was injured last time, Yi Shen has stayed by her side. Who knew that before her old wounds had healed, she was injured again.

They grew up together, inseparable, spending every day together. In the cold winter, he would always catch her before she fell. He had protected her for over a decade, and she never had a single wound. Yet, less than a quarter of an hour after he left, she had a cut on her leg.

"Two quarters of an hour! That's too long! There's actually such a long time in the world, and I haven't seen Yi Shen for two quarters of an hour! It's unbearable, unbearable!! Young Master Yi, do you know, even after you've been gone for two quarters of an hour, I miss you so much—"

Wu Qi drawled out his words, determined to see the expression on Yi Shen's face clearly. He had originally intended to coax Yi Shen and make him forget about his injury, but unexpectedly, the man simply raised his eyes and stared straight at him.

"What are you thinking about?" Yi Shen asked.

"I think of you 1,800 times if I'm away from you for just 45 minutes!"

Wu Qi took out a pocket watch from somewhere, held it up with a string wrapped around his finger, and waved it in front of Yi Shen.

Ordinary pocket watches are made of iron, copper, or gold, and the chains are usually made of silver.

The pocket watch in Wu Qi's hand was different from others.

The watch features a crystal dial, a white jade case, and hands made from obsidian personally selected by Wu Qi. She put in a lot of effort and stayed up many nights to hide the watch movement inside the white jade. Even the chain was a colorful rope that Wu Qi secretly braided while teaching at Ci Zi Pavilion.

She shook the unusual pocket watch and deliberately exclaimed loudly, "Oh my! Where did this pocket watch come from? How could it be such a perfect match for our Young Master Yi?! It must be fate!"

"Since we're so destined to meet, let's give it to Yi Shen."

Wu Qi smiled as she got off the table, squatted down, and tilted her head slightly to look Yi Shen in the eye. She straightened up and hung the colorful rope on Yi Shen's ear, causing her pocket watch to dangle and sway slightly.

She said, "Young Master Yi, remember to cherish this relationship!"

Yi Shen took off his pocket watch and looked at her quietly.

Wu Qi tried to comfort and coax him, but seeing that the injury was not going to pass, she made a snap decision and leaned in to hug Yi Shen.

"Yeah, I'm injured! It hurts so much, that damn cannon blade! It's made of iron! I'm doomed! I'm going to die, what am I going to do! Yi Shen, you're going to be a widower!"

Something must have touched Yi Shen. His body, which had been stiff, relaxed, and he gently patted Wu Qi's waist, saying, "Nonsense."

The two embraced for a while, and finally Yi Shen sighed softly.

Yi Shen was a tall man, usually aloof and taciturn, but when you actually hugged him, you felt his broad and warm back, like an unforgettable dream mountain, surrounded by a cool fragrance, the scent of red plum blossoms lingering.

I felt safe and comfortable in his arms.

“Yi Shen,” Wu Qi said.

"What's wrong?"

Wu Qi took a deep breath and said in a muffled voice, "My legs really hurt..."

She hadn't felt pain when she gave Yi Shen the pocket watch, but now she could really feel the pain. Yi Shen then lifted her up and sat her down on the table, took out the medicine he always kept in the room, and applied the medicine and bandaged her up.

The two ate lunch together, and Yi Shen packed up the food box and carried her to the bed.

Wu Qi casually took out a blueprint from under his pillow, sat on the bed, pointed to the upper part of "Bath in Fire," and said to Yi Shen, "Didn't I tell you before that I need something as transparent as glass and as hard as iron? Actually, it's mainly used here. People sitting inside can see the outside world through this part, but this part also needs to be as hard as iron to protect the person inside the cannon scale."

“I’ve been thinking about this since I was a child, for almost ten years now. Back then, I even gave this thing a name: ‘crystal wall’!”

Yi Shen sat to the side and said, "You once said that."

At that time, she must have just chosen a name. Holding the blueprints, she excitedly approached him and said, "Brother Weichong, do you know what something that is as transparent as glass and as hard as iron is called?"

He steadied the strings and said, "I don't know."

She said triumphantly, "Crystal wall!"

“Crystal” means bright; “wall” can refer to the surroundings, such as a wall. She named this thing that did not yet exist in the world “Crystal Wall”.

What I thought about as a child is now what I'm striving for with all my might. Trees grow yellow leaves, but they will turn green again next year, and Wu Qi remains as clear-headed and unrestrained as he was as a child.

Yi Shen leaned down and kissed her, saying, "Take a nap first."

Let's take a nap together!

Wu Qi folded the drawings and stuffed them under her pillow. Suddenly, she saw a fledgling swallow fly over the window and land by her window.

Unless there is an urgent matter, the person who left the Purple Pavilion would never use the swallow chicks to deliver messages.

The two exchanged a glance. Yi Shen turned a gear on the Purple Swallow Chick, and the adjacent gear moved as well. The iron beak opened, revealing the scroll of paper inside.

Expand.

The scroll read: "Langyue Tower, Zhou Liuhu, come quickly."

Unsigned, but only those in the Ci Zi Pavilion could use the name "Purple Swallow Chick." Wu Qi took the scroll, examined it, recognized the handwriting, and said solemnly, "Written by Ying Chang. Something happened to Zhou Liuhu."

Langyue Tower was opened by Yi Wo, and few people caused trouble there. Previously, other restaurants were dissatisfied with Langyue Tower and would cause trouble there every few days. Everyone was happy to watch the show. However, the show lasted less than half a month before the group of troublemakers came to apologize. Yi Wo resolved these matters without ever showing his face.

After Wei Luanhua delivered the money to the Yi residence, people in the court also experienced Yi Wo's methods and dared not act recklessly at Langyue Tower.

Nowadays, there aren't many people who dare to cause trouble at Langyue Tower.

If I had to name one, Wei Luanhua would be one.

Wu Qi thought to himself, "If it really is Wei Luanhua, then Zhou Liu... his life is nearing its end."

She lifted the carriage curtain and saw that the once bustling streets were now quiet to the point of desolation. There were no vendors hawking their wares or people joking around. Although it had been a sunny day that morning, the sky had now turned overcast, as if a torrential downpour was about to block people's way.

Soldiers stood guard outside Langyue Tower, wearing iron armor and red collars, with swords at their waists.

These were General Wei's soldiers.

As Wu Qi got out of the carriage, Song Yinxing and Lin Kuo had just arrived. Song Yinxing said, "Ying Chang sent me a message using the Purple Swallow Chick. I think Zhou Liuhu must have encountered some trouble at Langyue Tower. She came to the capital alone, unfamiliar with the place, and bumped into..." She glanced at the soldiers at the door, "Wei Si, Wei Luanhua."

Lin Kuo said, "General Wei has not yet left the capital, so proceed with caution."

The group encountered no obstacles and stepped into Langyue Tower. There, they saw crowds standing on both sides. Zhou Liuhu was being forced to kneel on the ground by two people, with a white cloth stuffed in his mouth. He was not exactly in a sorry state, but he was no less unrestrained than he had been on the day the results of the Dragon Gate Examination were announced.

Without needing anyone else to say anything, just by looking at Zhou Liuhu's clothes, Wu Qi knew how she had angered Wei Si.

Zhou Liuhu was wearing Luanhua clothes today, and Wei Si hated it most when others wore Luanhua color. He would kill one person if he saw one, and two if he saw two, without any mercy. No one, whether a noble family's son or a high-ranking official in the court, dared to wear Luanhua color.

Wei Si, also known as Wei Luanhua, was arrogant and domineering, treating human life like dirt and people like pigs and dogs. Therefore, people who had never met Wei Si imagined his face in their minds, and they all thought he was arrogant and had a fierce appearance. Even in the official portrait albums that were secretly circulated in the streets, Wei Si was depicted as a Yama, the King of Hell.

However, if one were to meet him in person, one would know that his arrogant demeanor only accounts for three-tenths of his appearance, while his sickly appearance accounts for seven-tenths, and his stature is similar to that of Yi Shen.

“Ying Chang”.

Wei Si tapped his fingertips on the table, glanced at Wu Qi and his group without looking up, and asked, "Did you call them here?"

Strangely enough, although Wei Si looked sickly, he didn't sound sickly when he spoke; he spoke slowly and with a hint of self-satisfaction.

Wu Yin had no need to lie to Wei Si, because the fact that he could ask meant he knew the answer. So, she stood still and said, "Yes."

Wei Sidao: "Was it you who sent Shi Xun to find Lord Li Xi?"

Wu Yin replied, "Yes."

"Yingchang, do you think that just because this group of people has arrived, the person kneeling on the ground won't have to die?"