Chapter 174 Missing, Go Eat Shit

"What?" Chen Ao rubbed his ears. "Excess copper? Xingguo Workshop's furnace has such capabilities? Lou Cangyu, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand casting techniques." He then asked urgently, "How much excess?"

"I'm not making this up." Lou Cangyu, standing before Wushuang, couldn't allow anyone to question him. His temper flared, and he disregarded everything else. "The mixed copper sword was melted down ahead of schedule. Guan Ye examined the extracted liquid; there must have been several hundred catties extra. Guan Ye warned everyone not to make a fuss, and the manager, Pei Bi, is very worried." Seeing that Shen Ao still seemed doubtful, Lou Cangyu hurriedly added, "Pei Bi is on good terms with my family and treats me like family. He never hides anything from me. Something big must have happened in the neighborhood."

Shen Ao chuckled a few times, then turned to Cui Jin and said awkwardly, "This Lou Cangyu... is truly an interesting person."

“Youthful spirit.” Cui Jin picked up his teacup and took a sip. “It’s a good thing that you say what you think.” Cui Jin gestured for Lou Cangyu to come closer. Lou Cangyu glanced at Wushuang, then approached Cui Jin with some hesitation. Cui Jin looked Lou Cangyu’s youthful and spirited face over and over. “Although there aren’t many people on Canglang Island, there are many hidden talents among them. You were chosen to be a swordsman and even adopted by Pei Yuan. It seems you must have great abilities to have won Pei Yuan’s favor. Pei Yuan must trust you a lot.”

A few words of praise made Lou Cangyu blush with pride, and he even straightened his back a little. "That's natural."

Cui Jin smiled and casually said, "Since that's the case, there's something I still can't figure out, and I'd like to ask you for your guidance."

"Cangyu wouldn't dare." Lou Cangyu's face turned pale. "Grand Preceptor, please ask whatever you have to say. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

Cui Jin gestured as if touching a sword, "Meteor Sword, a meteor from outer space, how was it forged in Xingguo Workshop?"

Upon hearing this, Lou Cangyu felt a dull thud in his head. He couldn't help but turn to look at Wushuang, and with a sly chuckle, he shook his head and said, "The Imperial Advisor is asking you a question, why are you looking at Wushuang? Does Wushuang know something?"

Lou Cangyu composed herself, lowering her eyes to avoid meeting Cui Jin's single gaze. "I'm just a swordsman... melting meteorites... I... I truly didn't know, the Pei family's secret technique... and I wouldn't reveal it to outsiders..."

“You’re not an outsider.” Shen Ao was afraid things weren’t serious enough. “Pei Yuan treats you like a son, and you didn’t even know that?”

Lou Cangyu looked up hurriedly, "The matter of adopting a son only happened after we left the island... On Canglang Island, I was just a swordsman... I really didn't know."

"Heavenly Furnace Molten Stone, didn't you see it?" Cui Jin asked coldly again.

Lou Cangyu shook his head violently, "I didn't see it, that day...that day..." Lou Cangyu couldn't help but look at Wushuang again, "I overslept that day, and only found out when I woke up...the meteorite had melted, I really didn't see it."

"Oh." Shen Ao said meaningfully, "What did the people who saw it say? You didn't see it, but someone else did. Didn't anyone tell you?"

Lou Cangyu swallowed hard. He had heard about Jiang Muyun's tragic sacrifice at the furnace and regretted that he hadn't seen it. Cui Jinchen and Ao, in a coordinated manner, began to probe about the meteorite. Lou Cangyu couldn't speak, yet he couldn't... remain silent.

“What others say… cannot be entirely trusted…” Lou Cangyu said with difficulty. “We must see for ourselves. If it is not seen with my own eyes, Cangyu… dares not speak nonsense.”

"Could it really be that living people are sacrificed to the furnace?" Shen Ao's forehead wrinkled into a flower shape. "No way."

Lou Cangyu swayed involuntarily. "It's all hearsay, it's unbelievable, it can't be believed. Living people sacrificed in the furnace... I didn't see it."

"You didn't see it, but you've heard about it?" Cui Jin suddenly pressed.

"I..." Lou Cangyu's palms were already soaked with sweat. "I really...don't know..."

"Hahahaha." Shen Ao laughed at the right moment, "Grand Preceptor Cui, look how scared we've made Cang Yu."

Cui Jin chuckled dryly a few times, flicked his sleeves to brush them aside, and said to Lou Cangyu, "Sit down and talk."

Lou Cangyu was still in shock and hesitated for a moment before taking his seat with trembling eyes. He looked at Wushuang with darting eyes, afraid that he might do something wrong and embarrass her.

The sun was dazzling. As they stepped out of the main hall, Shen Ao raised his sleeve to shield himself from the sun. He then saw Cui Jin looking up at the sun with his single eye gleaming. Shen Ao reluctantly lowered his sleeve, gesturing for Cui Jin to go first.

In the main hall, seeing that Wushuang had not gotten up for a long time, Lou Cangyu walked in with his sword, and stared at Wushuang's face for a while, wondering if he had said or done something wrong.

“You’ve said too much,” Wushuang finally said.

Lou Cangyu felt a huge weight lifted from her heart. "Then I'll... talk less and do more from now on, okay?"

“Those two are cunning foxes. If you’re not careful, they’ll find something to use against you, and you might cause harm without anyone even knowing.” Wushuang slowly stood up, not giving Lou Cangyu a second glance.

Lou Cangyu played with the newly acquired steel sword in his hand. "As long as it doesn't harm the two of us, it's fine. As for the others?" Lou Cangyu showed a completely indifferent expression. "If they do harm us, so be it. It's their bad luck."

There was an extra amount of brass in the mixed copper sword... Wushuang knew that all the iron in the weapon was rationed, and extra brass was definitely not a good thing. That's why Guan Ye hadn't reported it yet. This matter was no small thing. Someone had actually managed to get it out of Lou Cangyu's mouth. Hundreds of pounds of brass... Hundreds of pounds... Wushuang felt a chill run down his spine and dared not think any further.

Xingguofang

Today is New Year's Eve, which should be the busiest time in the neighborhood, but Xingguo Ward hasn't been this quiet since Canglang Island came to Rongdu. Lou Cangyu is gone, and Xiao Ma... is missing too. Ji Fang wanted to ask several times, but swallowed the words back. What would be the point of asking? Would he bring Xiao Ma back only to be hacked to pieces in the ancestral hall like Lou Cangyu? It's better that he's gone; at least he has somewhere to go. But... Ji Fang suddenly felt a little nervous. What if Xiao Ma wasn't gone? Could he have been captured by enemies, or perhaps murdered for money?

Xiao Ma was an outsider who came to the island and had only known everyone for a few years. Let's just say Xiao Ma was ungrateful and left. But Lou Cangyu was a native of Canglang, and he and Ji Fang had been friends since childhood. How could he just abandon everyone like that? The more Ji Fang thought about it, the angrier he became, and the angrier he got, the more annoyed he felt. He should have just let it go by not stabbing Lou Cangyu in the back, but instead he cut his own hand instead. Stupid, so incredibly stupid. If he could do it all over again, he would definitely stab Lou Cangyu to death.

Thinking of his sorrow, Ji Fang turned to look for Feng Shisan, only to find him engrossed in sharpening his sword. Ji Fang immediately said, "Young Master Shisan, please don't leave."

Feng Shisan paused, his large, copper-bell-shaped eyes widening in surprise, before he blankly lowered his head to continue sharpening his sword.

Feng Shisan didn't ask about Xiao Ma's whereabouts. It seemed he had already expected Xiao Ma to leave one day. In the mine on Canglang Island, there were three tinderboxes in Xiao Ma's bag. If he didn't intend to leave, who would steal and collect tinderboxes? Lou Cangyu lost the sword test, and everyone thought that Xingguofang would be expelled back to Canglang Island. Xiao Ma said that he would never go back.

Feng Shisan just couldn't understand. Xiao Ma hadn't even gone to the yamen to beat the drum yet, so how could he explain his family's grievances? Just let it go like that? Was he supposed to wait for him to beat the drum for him? He didn't even know what Xiao Ma's family's grievances were... Guan Ye must know. For a while, Xiao Ma and Guan Ye were very close, the two of them were whispering and doing something, so much so that people thought they were having an affair... Feng Shisan, Feng Shisan, the stupidest one is yourself. Some people do great things, some people plan for the future, some people find a way out, but you, you just drift along aimlessly, waiting to die. You can't even keep an eye on the brothers in Xingguo Ward, yet you dream of guarding the imperial city gates like your father? Go eat shit.

No, Feng Shisan racked his brains. Last time he made a bet with Guan Ye and lost, he said he would treat everyone to drinks at Shiyage. Right, what the hell? It's the New Year, we have to drink and eat meat, get them all drunk, make a huge scene, and when they sober up, they'll realize that these past few days have just been a dream. Maybe Xiao Ma and Lou Cangyu... will be back.

“Ji Fang.” Feng Shisan slammed his sword hilt on the ground. “Tonight, at Shiyage, it’s my treat.”

Ji Fang blinked, trying to figure out what was wrong. "Thirteenth Young Master, I didn't expect you to be such a clever fellow."

"Me, a monkey?" Feng Shisan thought he'd misheard. "Inviting you for drinks makes me sound like a monkey?"

Ji Fang perked up, determined to have a serious talk with Feng Shisan. "I remember your bet with Guan Ye. If you lost, you had to treat everyone to Shiya Pavilion. There were quite a few people there back then: the two of us, Guan Ye Ajiu, and Xiao Ma Cangyu. Xiao Ma even said he'd bring some friends... that's about the total." Ji Fang gestured with his fingers. "Now, Cangyu's gone, and I don't know where Xiao Ma is. Guan Ye Ajiu has a palace banquet tonight. All things considered, it's just the two of us left." Ji Fang shrugged. "Isn't that a bargain for you?"

Feng Shisan scratched his head, "It's not that I wanted the two of them, but we just couldn't get them together. Give me an answer whether you're going or not. After today, there won't be another chance."

"Pah, pah, pah!" Ji Fang spat. "It's the New Year, and you're saying such unlucky things. May you have this day every year, and may every year have this morning. What do you mean... there won't be a next time after today? Go away, go away, I'll go, okay?"

Feng Shisan finally felt a bit more comfortable, stretched, and said, "After we finish our New Year's Eve dinner at the neighborhood, let's go to Shiyage. Don't skimp on the food, eat and drink to your heart's content, you hear me?"

"We heard you, we're not deaf." Guan Ye stepped in front of Feng Shisan. "Eat and drink as much as you want, we won't skimp on your money."

Feng Shisan was stunned to see Guan Ye and Ajiu suddenly appear. "You two...don't you have a date? Shi Yage...are you going too?"

"Why don't you go?" Guan Ye tugged at A Jiu's sleeve. "Shi Ya Ge is famous. A Jiu and I have never been there before. The palace banquet starts early. Anyway, you'll have to wait until after the New Year's Eve dinner to go. I reckon it's about the same time. Tonight, Shi Ya Ge is waiting for you to eat."

Feng Shisan's rough face flushed red, and he couldn't help but reach for the silver in his pocket. "The palace banquet had fine wine and meat, and you still want... mine?"

"It's certainly a treat for Thirteenth Young Master," Ji Fang said, deliberately raising his voice. "Should I... invite a few more people?"

"No, no, no." Feng Shisan covered Ji Fang's mouth. "It's just the few of us, that's enough."

Guan Ye and A Jiu exchanged a smile. Seeing that A Jiu was holding a bundle, Ji Fang asked curiously, "What's this?"

Ajiu handed the bundle to Ji Fang, saying, "This is what Guan Ye bought for your A Yuan. When you return to the island, bring it to A Yuan, as well as Aunt Lou and Da Shitou."

Ji Fang hurriedly unwrapped the bundle and saw several brand-new, bright clothes inside. He quickly rubbed his palms against his own clothes before daring to touch them. "This... is it for A-Yuan? Such beautiful fabric..."

Feng Shisan peeked over and said, "Tsk tsk, look at Guan Ye. As her older brother, why didn't you think about getting her anything? All you can think about is... drinking my wine."

Ji Fang looked at it again and again, carefully tying the bundle tightly, his dark eyes filled with gratitude. "Guan Ye, you are so kind." After saying that, he looked back at the towering furnace of Xingguo Ward and sighed softly, "I just don't know if the ward master will let me go back to the island."

“We’ll go back someday,” Guan Ye said confidently. “We can go back to Canglang Island and then come back to Rongdu. Our feet aren’t chained, so we can come and go as we please.”

Ji Fang chuckled softly, his fair face also displaying a refined and elegant demeanor.