Chapter 94 I'm impressed, she can light up the entire imperial city.

The foundry staff suddenly split into two groups: the Xingguo workshop staff stood on the left, and the inner workshop masters stood on the right, leaving a large space in the middle for Guan Ye to use.

Guan Ye pondered for a moment, then raised her head and said, "Some people outside say that Xingguo Ward only has one furnace to rely on. Besides lighting up half of Rongdu's sky, what else can it do? Well, today I, Guan Ye, will not rely on the furnace, but only on my own two hands, and see what I can make."

"Great!" Feng Shisan clapped his hands in approval, but seeing no one respond, he scratched his head and turned back.

"Quite the boast," the tall man roared. "Then we'll keep our eyes peeled and wait and see."

Guan Ye nodded to Ajiu. Ajiu seemed to have been waiting for this moment. She handed the sword in her hand to Lou Cangyu, then called Xiao Ma and Ji Fang and went to the backyard.

Feng Shisan stood there dumbfounded. "Why didn't you take me with you?"

Lou Cangyu held his sword with both hands and laughed, saying, "Keeping you around is very useful; you have to keep an eye on them, don't you?"

A moment later, Ajiu, carrying straw, and Xiao Ma and Ji Fang, carrying a sack of unknown contents, placed it in front of Guan Ye with a huff and puff. The two looked at Guan Ye, giving her a "it's up to you now" look, then dusted off the dirt in their hands and turned away arrogantly.

Ah Jiu put down the bundles of straw and was about to untie the burlap sack tied with ribbons for Guan Ye when he saw Guan Ye shake her head at him. Ah Jiu smiled knowingly, his dark eyes shining brightly again.

"What is that girl surnamed Guan going to do?" someone asked the tall man.

The tall man was considered an elder among the inner workshop's foundries. Seeing the object before him, he already had a rough idea of ​​what it was. He didn't answer the questions from others, but stared intently at Guan Ye, his eyes becoming more serious.

“Master of the Workshop…” Pei Bi also saw through the trick, approached Pei Yuan, and lowered his voice, “Guan Ye must be done using ancient methods.”

Pei Yuan stroked his beard and stared intently, his body towering and unmoving. "The Casting Classic encompasses everything, so it's not surprising that it knows ancient methods. You and I can just watch."

Guan Ye weighed the sack, which was full to the brim, and then, with a burst of energy, lifted it up, startling the blacksmiths in the inner workshop. Guan Ye smiled, drew a short sword from her sleeve, and with a hiss, cut the sack open, sending red clay cascading to the ground.

"She's going to build a kiln!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

Before she could react, Ajiu had already gone to the well to fetch water. Guan Ye was half-squatting on the ground, using the cool well water to mix mud. Suddenly remembering something, she looked at Ajiu and raised an eyebrow, saying, "I have an oil paper package in my arms. Can you take it out for me?"

Ah Jiu glanced at her, her dark eyes darting around, and suppressed a laugh as she said, "With so many people watching, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Guan Ye blushed and was about to speak when A Jiu swiftly snatched the oil paper bag from her arms. The speed of the movement was so fast that the people around her didn't even have time to react. "Is that it?" A Jiu whispered slyly.

"Open it up and pour the contents into the red clay." Guan Ye buried her head and stopped looking at him.

Unwrapping the oil paper package, there was a pinch of grayish-white salt inside. Ah Jiu mixed it into the red clay, and Guan Ye patiently kneaded it. In the blink of an eye, the salt had completely dissolved.

The tall man's expression grew increasingly serious, and he couldn't help but take a few more steps forward, wishing he could see Guan Ye's movements more clearly.

"What did A-Jiu pour in?" Ji Fang asked.

“It’s salt,” Lou Cangyu said calmly. “The straw is used for shaping, and the salt is used to solidify the clay. The combination of the two can make the kiln more robust.”

"Cangyu, you know about him too." Ji Fang's eyes showed admiration, but then he suddenly remembered that the Lou family had also been blacksmiths in the past. Fearing that he would touch on Lou Cangyu's pain, he quickly shut his mouth and said no more.

Ajiu stood the straw upright, and Guanye applied the mixed red clay to the straw, starting from the bottom to build it up. Her movements were skilled and quick, and in less than half an incense stick's time, the red clay kiln, which was more than a foot high, was already built. Guanye held the broken sword and dug a three-inch square ventilation hole at the bottom of the kiln. She then picked up a coarse cloth and carefully wiped the sword blade clean.

Guan Ye took out a flint, lit it, and threw it onto the straw in the kiln. Flames rose, and those in the know understood that this was a kiln for baking.

"Wait!" shouted a craftsman from the inner workshop. "Drying in the kiln takes several hours. Are you expecting everyone to wait here?"

"Otherwise what?" Feng Shisan was engrossed in his reading when he was suddenly startled. "Should we serve you tea, fruit, wine, or something so you can eat while we wait?"

Before the workshop master could retort, Guan Yecheng said calmly, "It doesn't need to take that long, Ajiu." Guan Ye gently called to him, "Bring us the treasure we found."

"Yes, ma'am." Ajiu was completely happy to be ordered around by her.

"There's more?" The masters looked at each other, their faces no longer showing any disdain for the Guan family girl.

Before long, Ah Jiu had brought over the spiral blower. No one in the inner workshop had ever seen such an object before, and no one dared to speculate wildly amidst the whispers. They were just waiting to see what extraordinary treasure it was.

Guan Ye skillfully manipulated the spiral blower, connecting it to the ventilation opening of the new kiln. As she cranked the blower, the flames in the red clay kiln burned brighter and brighter, and the damp red clay gradually dried.

The workshop craftsmen were stunned by what they saw, and the once noisy foundry instantly fell silent.

"This thing..." the tall man exclaimed, "I've never heard of it before, I've never seen it before, it can actually gather fire and heat so well!"

"The art of forging is profound and extensive. There are many things you haven't seen yet." Ajiu recalled the Meteor Sword that Guan Ye forged in front of her on Canglang Island. That was the first time Ajiu had seen Guan Ye forge a sword. The furnace fire was lit, and Guan Ye's sword shone brightly. At that time, Ajiu thought that there was nothing that Guan Ye could not do. She was the most resilient reed in the world, capable of entangled the most stubborn rock.

In less than an hour, the red clay kiln was dried out. Jian Nu carried over charcoal stones, and Guan Ye picked them up one by one and put them into the kiln. She then turned on the spiral fan to ignite the charcoal fire. The fire shot out from the top of the kiln. Guan Ye tested the temperature by circling the fire in her palm. When she estimated that it was about right, she poured the iron ore she had taken from the warehouse into the kiln.

Melting ordinary iron ore takes a considerable amount of time. Guan Ye whispered a few words to Pei Bi, who nodded and called for someone to bring some lime powder. Guan Ye grabbed a handful and sprinkled it into the kiln, then straightened up and watched the rolling flames inside.

“Lime powder.” Little Ma clicked his tongue in sudden realization. “How clever Guan Ye is.”

Hearing this, Feng Shisan tilted his head suspiciously and asked, "What? You haven't studied it, yet you can figure it out?"

Xiao Ma was confident. "You don't necessarily need to understand casting techniques or read the 'Casting Classic' to know the use of lime powder. Lime helps dissolve substances, and Guan Ye uses it to help melt iron ore. Originally, it wasn't necessary, but..." Xiao Ma glanced at the wall of foundries in the inner workshop getting closer and closer, "So many people are waiting anxiously. Do you really expect me to serve them wine and food? Let's finish this quickly."

"Oh." Feng Shisan sighed sadly, "Starting tomorrow, Xiao Ma, you will teach me."

"What will I teach you?"

"Learn to read, read books." Feng Shisan said each word firmly and forcefully, "I want to learn, I want to be like Guan Ye, even if I'm not good enough, I can't lose to you."

"Okay," Xiao Ma readily agreed.

“Look at you all,” Ji Fang said, resting his chin on his hand. “Guan Ye… is so impressive. If one day I, Ji Fang, could also display her skills in front of so many people, making their eyes pop out, I wonder… if I’ll ever have that day.”

Guan Ye observed the quenching temperature, occasionally increasing the speed of his hand to pull the blower, while adding charcoal stones into the kiln with his other hand. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, just like the most experienced foundry master sitting in the workshop.

In less than an hour, Guan Ye picked up the iron tongs and took out the heated iron stone. On the other side, A Jiu had already prepared the cool well water. The well water was clear and even had a hint of ice. Guan Ye smiled secretly, and their eyes met. Their pupils reflected the image of each other that night on Canglang Island.

Guan Ye used a hammer to knock away the carbon ash covering the iron stone, revealing the black iron stone that had been fired. Seeing that the iron stone had indeed been fired in the hand-made red clay kiln, the crowd gasped in surprise again.

Guan Ye placed the iron stone on the anvil and hammered it forcefully while it was still hot. Her technique was nimble, and each hammer blow landed perfectly. In just over ten blows, the basic shape of the blade appeared. She skillfully picked it up again and put it back into the kiln to fire until it turned red. Then she put it back on the anvil and continued to hammer it. After repeating this several times, the blade became clearer and clearer. Before the onlookers could even blink, the red-hot rudimentary sword had already fallen into the ice water, hissing and emitting scorching white smoke.

Guan Ye raised her hand, and A Jiu presented her with a fine, polished black stone. Guan Ye ran her fingertips over it, feeling the warmth of A Jiu's touch, and her heart warmed again.

The white steam from the icy water slowly dissipated. Guan Ye picked up the sword blade, stood up, and presented it to the master craftsman in the inner workshop. "Next, it's time to sharpen the sword."

"Wait a minute," the tall man called out to Guan Ye.

"What's wrong!" Feng Shisan pounced like a leopard, blocking Guan Ye's path. "The stuff is right in front of you, and you're still not satisfied?"

"No." The tall man waved his hands repeatedly, his rough face turning a deep purplish-red. "What I mean is, we are completely convinced of everything that just happened, and Miss Guan doesn't need to worry about the rest."

"—Miss Guan?" Lou Cangyu walked forward leisurely, carrying his twin swords. "I seem to remember... it wasn't Miss Guan."

"Who is this?" The workshop craftsmen exchanged glances.

“Him?” Ji Fang chimed in, pointing at Lou Cangyu, and said in a high-pitched voice, “He is the adopted son of my shop owner, the second young master of the Pei family, Pei Cangyu.”

"Young Master Pei!" Everyone in the inner quarters bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Young Master Pei."

Lou Cangyu's handsome face flushed red as he peeked at Pei Yuan's expression. Seeing that Pei Yuan was not displeased, he breathed a sigh of relief, awkwardly clasped his hands in return, and glared angrily at Ji Fang.

"Master Guan!" The tall man roared, and led the way by bowing to Guan Ye with clasped hands. "I am Huangfu Ying. From now on, my brothers and I will be at Master Guan's beck and call."

"Master Guan! From now on, we belong to Xingguofang!"

Guan Ye's ears were ringing from the repeated calls of "Master Guan." She dropped the sword she was holding and turned to look at Pei Yuan and Pei Bi. Pei Yuan nodded slightly, his red hair as red as if it had been tempered by fire. Pei Bi tried his best to remain calm, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner excitement. He didn't know if Guan Ye's skills were truly all from Young Master Pei's tutelage. A thought ignited in his mind: the Heavenly Furnace could light up half of Rongdu's sky, and Guan Ye could light up the entire imperial city.