Chapter 44 The bewildered Xingguofang dared to burn living people.

Wu Shuang looked at Mu Lexiu's fair and handsome face. Mu Lexiu felt flustered by her gaze. He tried to look away but couldn't avoid her bright eyes. He could only force himself to meet her gaze. His palms were sweaty as he put his hands behind his back.

Wushuang suppressed a laugh, her pupils swirling like vortexes. "The meteorite is an object from outer space. I heard from Steward Shen that the Jin Kingdom has had this stone for many years. This morning, various workshops tried to melt it, and even Tianhu Workshop studied it quite deeply, but still failed to melt it."

Mu Lexiu had never imagined that he would one day become interested in casting techniques. Wushuang's voice was like a silver bell, and the dry words she spoke were made exceptionally vivid, making people eager to find out more. "Xingguo Fang has a Heavenly Furnace. The Heavenly Furnace can melt anything, so it's not surprising that it can melt meteorite."

Wushuang's face radiated confidence. When she wielded her sword, she seemed to roam the world freely; when debating swords, she stood proudly in the imperial court, striking fear into the hearts of her opponents and inspiring admiration in all who heard her. "The essence of the Heavenly Furnace lies in its ability to gather fire and heat. This is why ordinary black iron requires dozens of days to forge, while the Heavenly Furnace can complete it in just a few days. It's not only the Heavenly Furnace that can gather fire; refined coal and blast furnaces can also raise the furnace temperature. Sand furnaces can also gather heat better than ordinary clay furnaces... The color of the fire indicates its temperature. Dark red is the most common, followed by orange-red, bright yellow, and blue... until it reaches the extreme of white flames. The inner workshop's sand furnaces can already produce a bright yellow fire temperature. The Heavenly Furnace, built of Yunnan red bricks, can it really produce white smoke?"

"If the Heavenly Furnace can't be used, then how are meteorites melted?" Mu Lexiu asked urgently.

Wushuang pondered for a moment, seemingly not intending to tell Mu Lexiu, but seeing Mu Lexiu's impatient appearance, she found it quite amusing. "A sword with blood on its blade is a flesh and blood sword. Ancient records state that in ancient times, iron ore would not melt even after being burned for a long time. In such cases, the blacksmith would sacrifice himself in the furnace, using his own flesh and blood to help it melt and fuse with the molten iron to form an object. This is the origin of the flesh and blood sword."

"The Blood and Flesh Sword." Mu Lexiu's scalp tingled and he retreated repeatedly. "Xingguofang has such audacity to dare to use... a furnace for burning living people as sacrifices!"

Before he could finish speaking, Wushuang's slender fingers touched his lips, and she made a soft "shh" sound. "Your Highness, please don't talk nonsense. I'm just... guessing."

“His Majesty loves his people like his own children. You should know that the Meteor Sword he cherishes so much has actually led to the deaths of people…” Chen Ao shook his head repeatedly. “His Majesty also loves this sword very much. I heard that he carries it with him every day and loves it dearly. If this is true, Xingguo Ward’s disregard for human life is not only serious, but it may also have the intention to kill the emperor.”

"They all said it was just a guess." Seeing Mu Lexiu looking like he'd lost his soul, she snapped her fingers in front of him. "The Empress, are you scared?"

"No." Mu Lexiu perked up. "It concerns Father's safety. Whether it's flesh and blood or not, we still need to investigate thoroughly."

“If it were truly flesh and blood that melted the meteorite, then Xingguo Ward would be nothing to fear.” Shen Ao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the sun with a calculating expression. “If they had no other choice, why would they have gone all in? They’ve simply run out of ideas. The word ‘controlling the blade’ will not fall on the Pei family. Xingguo Ward can be forced out once, and it can be forced out a second time. At that time, the inner ward will still be the inner ward.”

“I have never been involved in the inner workshops, and I have no interest in weapon forging. My uncle has said so much to me…” Mu Lexiu stepped aside, his eyes showing a hint of struggle.

Her peerless eyes darted around, and she asked in surprise, "Are there any men of the Great Jin who don't like weapons?"

Mu Lexiu's face flushed red, and he bit his lip angrily, saying, "Everyone has their own ambitions, what's so strange about not liking it?"

"Can you really ignore the Emperor's safety?"

"How can you not care about Father's safety?" Wushuang's words were harsh, but her eyes were clear and innocent. Mu Lexiu opened his eyes in anger, but there was nothing he could do.

Wushuang glanced at Chen Ao and said, "Your Highness, as the Crown Prince, knows that the Imperial Workshop's castings are nothing but rubbish. If Your Highness were to oversee the work and revitalize the Imperial Workshop, wouldn't it be wonderful to present superior products to your father, the Emperor? If you could also expose Xingguo Workshop for using evil magic to deceive the Emperor, it would be even better."

“That’s right!” Chen Ao clapped his hands repeatedly. “Your Highness has a pure heart and will certainly not sit idly by.”

Her words were like magic, making it impossible for Mu Lexiu to refuse. Mu Lexiu hated the pungent smell of charcoal, but today he seemed unable to smell anything else. Standing in the foundry, he felt like he was in Shiya Pavilion that day, when she curled her lips in a hint of disdain for him, and he had no choice but to prove himself.

"Wushuang, who exactly are you?" Mu Lexiu asked through gritted teeth.

"Just a swordsman." Wushuang picked up his sword as if holding a flower branch, his movements calm and composed. With just a few words, Mu Lexiu had no more questions to ask.

“Miss Wushuang said that there is no suitable sword in the entire inner workshop.” Chen Ao interjected at the right time, “I wonder what kind of sword Miss Wushuang wants? I will do my best to provide it.”

What iron quartz ore does the inner workshop produce?

Shen Ao closed his eyes in thought. To save trouble, the workshop had only used black iron for more than ten years. The blacksmiths were very skilled at it, and the army was also used to it. Wushuang's sudden question really stumped him. Shen Ao suddenly opened his eyes, slapped his thigh and said, "Yes! Kunwu Stone, have you ever heard of it, Miss?"

Kunwu Stone? Mu Lexiu glanced at Wushuang. He was well-read but had never seen any record of this object. Seeing that Wushuang remained silent for a long time, Mu Lexiu chuckled and straightened his back as if he had gained the upper hand again.

"Rongdu still has Kunwu Stone?" Wushuang looked incredulous. "Kunwu Stone comes from the Western Regions. The weapons in the inner workshop are all made of black iron. Kunwu Stone? Where did you get it?"

Shen Ao knew nothing about ironwork, and only learned about Kunwu Stone from Mu Chenbi. That night, Mu Chenbi studied Kunwu Stone for a long time, yawning at least a hundred times. She had to call out the shrew in Hedong before she could go home. Only then did she have some impression of the stone. "It was obtained by the Crown Prince. This stone is really troublesome. Even the inner workshop doesn't dare to try it easily, so it's still stored in the storeroom. If Miss Wushuang thinks it's acceptable, I'll have someone fetch it?"

"There's no rush." ​​Wushuang looked at Mu Lexiu's surprised eyes. "Let's stop here for today. There's plenty of time in the future."

"Young lady, you've just arrived in Rongdu. Would you like someone to take you around? Rongdu is bustling and you could spend several days exploring without ever seeing the same thing twice. The food on West Street is also top-notch..." Shen Ao flattered her like he was coaxing an ancestor.

"No need." Wushuang turned and left. "I don't like crowds or making friends. If anyone wants to see me in the future, they'll have to ask for my permission first."

"Understood, understood." Shen Ao clasped his hands and bowed. After she walked away, he slowly straightened up. Seeing Mu Lexiu's contemptuous look, he chuckled to ease the awkwardness. "Great minds are hard to find, so it's only right. Your Highness, did you see that? She even knows about Kunwu Stone. Kunwu Stone, anything the Crown Prince can bring back must be extraordinary."

"This person's origins are unknown. I'm just kindly reminding my uncle to be more careful." Without Wushuang, Mu Lexiu suddenly felt the surrounding smell was pungent, and he couldn't stay there for even a moment longer.

"Your Highness seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with her, so I assumed you two got along well..."

Mu Lexiu turned around angrily and strode out of the foundry. "I think this person is suspicious. Now that she's in the inner workshop, I'm afraid she'll cause trouble. I hope she won't implicate you and me."

"Oh." Shen Ao couldn't hide his joy and cupped his hands towards Mu Lexiu's back. The way they came? He didn't ask about the way they came from, nor did he explore the way they would return. Or perhaps, the way they came from was a mystery, and the way they would return was an illusion. What difference would it make whether he knew or not?

Three days later, the ghost market

Today is the fifteenth, which is also the day for goods to be delivered at the Ghost Market. Deals that are usually agreed upon on the first or fifteenth of each month are usually delivered. For the two hundred catties of diamond sand, Pei Bi specially arranged a large cart and a sword slave for Guan Ye. When leaving the market, he also instructed A Jiu to make sure that the diamond sand was brought back safely. In his voice, he vaguely had doubts about the Ghost Market.

The ghost market was unusually lively today. Even half a mile from the Immortal Cave, the roadside was full of waiting carts. The drivers, with grass roots in their mouths and smoking pipes, were so bored that they gathered a few people to play a game of hide-and-seek, which attracted the attention of the sword slaves who had come with them. They wished they could join in.

"That man has a black chess piece hidden in his hand, I saw it!" Little Sword Slave shouted. "If you guess correctly, you get five coins. Money in Rongdu is too easy to earn."

"Guan Ye, you and A Jiu get the goods. We'll wait for you over there." Someone was already eager to try.

Ah Jiu glanced at it coldly and said in a hoarse voice, "Hidden hooks are mostly scams to swindle money. The Ghost Market is full of all sorts of scoundrels. We're new here, so let's not get involved."

"I saw it all!" Little Sword Slave was so anxious he wanted to jump off the chariot. "It's a black chess piece. It's a fool not to make money."

"Do you have money?" Guan Ye asked, her voice a soul-searching question.

The little swordsman was speechless for a moment, then stammered, "If you guess the black piece, you get five coins for nothing, and that's money."

The entrance to the Immortal's Cave was already ahead. Ajiu jumped off the carriage and reached out to help Guan Ye. The driver, Jiannu, immediately turned the horse around and, chuckling, headed straight for the group of people playing with the hidden hook.

"The 'hidden hook' trick is just to confuse people. You can see that it's a black flag, but it will be replaced in the blink of an eye. It's designed to swindle quick money from traveling merchants." Seeing that they had disappeared, Ajiu didn't bother to interfere anymore. "They have to suffer losses to learn their lesson."

"You're so cunning, you must have suffered a lot of losses?" Guan Ye chuckled.

Ah Jiu pinched her nose and pulled her hand close to her side. "So this time, you absolutely cannot leave my side."

Upon entering the ghost market again, the two were already familiar with the place. Guan Ye led the old woman rowing the boat directly towards Wan Qixi's location. Her father said that although the ghost market was eerie, all the stall owners were trustworthy. On the first and fifteenth of the month, even if the goods were fake, they would deliver the goods in full, and you would never be left empty-handed.

—Fake goods? Wouldn't that be like buying something worthless and losing money?

"Fool." Dad chuckled. "If he dares to sell you counterfeit goods, you can just turn his stall upside down."

But it's still your own money that's being lost.

Dad squinted and sipped his wine: But we've also gained momentum, haven't we?

Guan Ye's heart pounded as she thought Wan Qixi had lied to her. That was a deposit of twenty taels, which she probably wouldn't even be enough to repay if she sold it to Xingguo Warehouse. But wait, Guan Ye's eyes suddenly lit up. Wan Qixi had said that someone else had asked him about buying three hundred catties, which was a deposit of thirty taels. That person must also be picking up the goods today. If Wan Qixi dared to cheat, not only she and Ajiu, but others would also deal with him.

The wooden boat had arrived when Wan Qixi, a man from the Western Regions, was fast asleep on a sack filled with diamond powder, snoring loudly. Guan Ye didn't wake him, but took out a cloth bag containing silver coins and waved it near his ear. The clinking of the silver ingots was tempting. Wan Qixi's short eyelashes, stuck together with eye boogers, were pulled out with yellow strands, revealing his murky pupils. He winked at Guan Ye.

Guan Ye put down the cloth bag and pointed to the sack under him. "Two hundred catties, all in there?"

Wan Qixi laughed so hard he spat out his saliva, "The other day you handled it, the size of a fingernail weighed more than two ounces. Small things, each with its own energy. I thought you were an expert, but you're nothing special."

"There are five hundred catties here?" Guan Ye kicked the sack, looked around at the empty stone surface, and besides the people, there was only this sack. "There's no scale, how are we going to divide two hundred catties?"

Wan Qixi raised his eyebrows and said, "I've heard that a person with great skills can use their hands as a scale. It seems that your skills are mediocre, and you can't distinguish the diamond sand."

Ajiu, carrying an empty bag, leaped onto the stone surface and nodded to Guan Ye. Wanqixi looked Ajiu up and down, who was wearing a fang mask. He rubbed his dazed eyes with his dirty hands. Perhaps he had been in the ghost market for too long; his eyes would go blind sooner or later.

Wan Qixi untied the hemp rope, scooped up a handful of diamond powder and showed it to Guan Ye, fiddling with it as he said, "I, Wan Qixi, never do anything fancy. Every single one is like this, absolutely no fakes. If even one is not genuine, you can turn my business upside down."

Ajiu shook open the empty bag, pointed to the bottom, and gestured for Wanqixi to pour in the diamond powder. Wanqixi poured in a handful, then paused and said, "A sack isn't a weight. If you pour in too much, whose share is it?"

Ah Jiu sneered, "I thought you were an expert, but it seems you're nothing special. Who was it that said a truly capable person's hand is their scale? Today I'll show you something, and since I've taken more of your goods, I'll make you pay double."

Wan Qixi perked up and beckoned to gather the nearby vendors. Even the passing passenger boats joined in the fun. "Everyone, be my witnesses," he said. "I didn't force anyone to buy or sell. He said to use your hands as a scale, and if you take more than you need, he'll give you double the amount."

More and more wooden boats surrounded the area, and the waterway was blocked in no time. Not far away, Luo Yichen, with his keen eyes, recognized Guan Ye wearing a fox mask at a glance. "Isn't that... the girl who mistook you for someone else?"

Mu Chenbi stepped onto the bow of the boat, and through the shadows of the other boats, he saw the girl who had removed her mask again. So many people had gathered at the Western Regions' stall; were they going to bully a woman?