Craftsmanship
"Run! Head west! into the woods!"
That hoarse roar, tinged with a Longxi accent, resounded like thunder beside the deathly silent prison cart! It was the old man with the missing arm! A final, dying ferocity erupted from his cloudy eyes as he used all his strength to shove aside a Qin soldier who was panicking and approaching the prison cart to check on the officer's sudden death!
Chaos erupted like a powder keg that had been lit, exploding instantly!
"Rebellion! Rebellion!"
"Stop them!"
Kill! Leave no one alive!
Terrified shouts, the piercing clang of weapons being drawn, and the desperate screams of prisoners instantly shattered the deathly silence of the mountain path! Ignited by the fear of death and the sudden chaos, the prisoners, like cornered beasts, unleashed their survival instincts! They rammed into each other with their bodies, bit with their teeth, and smashed with their heavy iron chains! Though unarmed and weak, driven by their will to survive, they temporarily disrupted the hastily formed Qin soldiers' lines!
Xiao Yuxuan's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would explode! He had no time to think! His survival instinct was ignited by the old man's roar! He stomped his foot on the cold floor of the prison cart, his body shooting like an arrow, using the last bit of strength he had squeezed out after being drained by the "Dragon-Slaying Pill," and desperately lunged towards the dark, gnarled forest to the west that the old man had pointed to!
The wind howled in his ears! The icy air felt like countless knives scraping against his lungs! Every heavy breath carried the pungent smell of blood and a tearing pain! The burns on his back, the old wounds under his ribs, the few evil energies within his body that, though forcibly restrained by the Xuanweizi bone needles, still raged wildly… all the pain was forcibly suppressed at this moment by immense fear and the will to survive! Only one word remained in his mind—run!
Behind them, the Qin soldiers roared in exasperation:
"Catch that plague!"
"Don't let him get away! Fire the arrows!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh—!"
The icy arrows tore through the air, whistling with death, and slammed into the frozen ground at Xiao Yuxuan's feet, grazed his shoulder, and even snapped off a dead branch beside him! Each dull thud of the arrow hitting the ground felt like a heavy hammer blow to his nerves!
He dared not look back, only desperately keeping his body low, stumbling and staggering through the jagged rocks and withered bushes! Thorns tore at his tattered clothes and skin, leaving streaks of blood, but he was completely oblivious! The burning, murderous fire and sharp, warlike spirit within him seemed to be stirred by this desperate escape, surging wildly within the confines of his body, bringing waves of scorching pain, yet strangely stimulating his numb nerves, keeping him in a near-morbid state of lucidity!
He charged into the dense forest! The thick, withered branches and leaves instantly blocked out most of the sunlight, temporarily obscuring the Qin soldiers' vision and arrows. But Xiao Yuxuan dared not linger! Like a frightened wild beast, driven by instinct, he stumbled and scrambled through the dim, decaying woods! He had long lost his way, knowing only that he had to get away! Away from that deadly mountain path! Away from the roars of the Qin soldiers!
He ran for an unknown amount of time; his legs felt like they were filled with heavy lead, each lift exhausting all his willpower. His lungs felt like broken bellows, each expansion accompanied by tearing pain and the pungent smell of blood. His vision blurred, and stars seemed to dance before his eyes. The restrictions left by Xuanweizi were crumbling in the frantic escape; the clash of those evil energies grew increasingly intense, and each excruciating pain in his internal organs nearly brought him to his knees!
Finally, on a steep downhill slope, his foot slipped and he landed on a wet, moss-covered rock!
"Thump!"
His body completely lost control, and like a rolling stone, he crashed heavily into a thick pile of dead leaves at the bottom of the slope, reeking of decay! The immense impact made his vision go completely black, and a sweet taste rose in his throat as another small mouthful of foul-smelling blood, tinged with sulfur, surged up! He clenched his teeth and swallowed the blood back down, his body curled up in the cold, damp dead leaves, trembling violently, like a young animal abandoned in the freezing cold.
Consciousness sank and floated in boundless pain and exhaustion. The shouts of the pursuers seemed to gradually fade into the distance, replaced by the sound of the wind in the forest and a monotonous "clang...clang..." sound, as if from the depths of the earth. The sound was heavy and regular, with a strange penetrating power, like the slow beating of some huge metal heart.
Xiao Yuxuan struggled to open his heavy eyelids. His vision was blurry, and he could only barely make out that he was at the bottom of an extremely secluded mountain valley. All around him were steep rock walls covered in withered vines and moss, forming a natural barrier. And just a short distance directly in front of him, embedded in a massive rock face that seemed almost integrated with the mountainside, was an incredibly thick bronze door, covered in the patina of time!
The gate, towering several meters high, was ancient in style, its surface devoid of any carvings, bearing only countless deep and shallow marks of impact and fire, telling tales of its long and arduous history. The gate remained tightly shut, as if it had never been opened since time immemorial. The monotonous, heavy "clang...clang..." sound emanated faintly from the depths of this massive bronze gate, like a call from the very core of the earth.
Where is this...?
Xiao Yuxuan was filled with astonishment and uncertainty. How could there be such a huge and ancient bronze door in this deep mountain forest? And what was that sound?
Just as he struggled to prop himself up and get closer to observe, an irresistible wave of dizziness and excruciating pain suddenly struck! The conflict of evil energy within his body finally shattered the last trace of restriction left by Xuanweizi! The sharp, metallic aura pierced his heart like a thousand arrows, the burning, scorching fire seared his internal organs, the foul poison permeated his entire body, and the terror stirred his mind! He groaned and once again collapsed heavily onto the cold, withered leaves, his consciousness sinking rapidly into boundless darkness like a kite with a broken string.
...
Icy cold. Bone-chillingly cold.
Consciousness, like a fragment sunk in the deep sea, was enveloped by a strange, warm current mixed with a strong herbal bitterness and a faint sulfurous smell, and struggled to rise to the surface.
"Uh..." A very faint groan escaped from Xiao Yuxuan's chapped lips.
He struggled to open his heavy eyelids. His vision cleared. The first thing he saw was a bronze oil lamp hanging from a low stone beam. The flame was small, but unusually steady, emitting a warm, dim yellow light that illuminated the small room. The air was filled with the strong smell of medicine, the smell of burning pine resin, the acrid smell of quenched metal, and a hint of... the smell of thick ink and dusty bamboo slips.
He lay on a simple wooden plank bed, beneath which lay a thick layer of dry straw, and covered with a worn, faded coarse linen quilt. Though rough, it was exceptionally clean, insulating him from the chill of the underground. The bloodstains and filth on his body had been cleaned away, and his tattered clothes had been replaced with coarse linen garments of the same material. The wounds on his ribs and back had been carefully cleaned, covered with a thick layer of cool, dark green ointment, and neatly bandaged with clean strips of linen.
The pain remained, but the excruciating, soul-crushing conflict of evil energy was temporarily suppressed by a gentle, peaceful, and strangely resilient force, like a raging river held back by a sturdy dam; though still surging and roaring, it no longer ravaged his body. Was it Xuanweizi? No, this power felt completely different, more profound, more…restrained.
"Awake?" A deep, hoarse voice, like sandpaper rubbing against cast iron, sounded from beside the bed.
Xiao Yuxuan suddenly turned his head!
Beside the bed, on a rough wooden stool, sat a figure. It was Ji Di, the Mohist! He was still wearing the faded, oil-stained, and soot-covered indigo-dyed robe, his face bearing the weariness of a long journey and all-night labor. His eyes were sunken, but they shone with a calm yet sharp light, like bronze refined a thousand times. In his hand, he held an oil-stained coarse cloth, carefully wiping a bronze component with an extremely complex and intricate structure, his movements steady and focused. At his feet lay several unfinished items: several crossbow bolts gleaming with a cold, eerie light, several bronze armor plates polished exceptionally smooth, and… a very familiar, fist-sized bronze jar riddled with tiny holes—the prototype of the "Fire Cabinet"!
“Mr. Ji…” Xiao Yuxuan’s voice was hoarse and dry, filled with disbelief and astonishment. How could he be here? Did Ji Zhai save him? That crossbow bolt that killed “Scarface”…this mysterious bronze gate…could this…be the Mo family’s stronghold?!
Ji Zhai didn't answer immediately. He simply stopped wiping, raised his calm, deep eyes, and scrutinized Xiao Yuxuan. His gaze seemed to penetrate flesh and blood, revealing the surging, conflicting evil energy and the weakened soul within him.
“That old Taoist priest Xuanweizi’s ‘Reverse Scale Needle’ is indeed domineering.” Ji Zhai’s voice remained calm and even, yet it carried a penetrating power that seemed to see through everything. “Forcibly locking away the malevolent and filthy energy in your body is like building a dam to hold back a flood. As long as the dam stands, the water is calm; when the dam collapses, the floodwaters surge. Your body is already riddled with holes, like a lamp running out of oil.” He put down the bronze component in his hand, picked up a rough pottery bowl from the low table beside the bed, which was half-filled with a dark brown liquid that emitted a strong, bitter medicinal smell. “Drink it. It’s made from ‘Earth Vein Vine’. It’s to strengthen your foundation and temporarily suppress the evil fire in your body.”
Xiao Yuxuan struggled to sit up, but was stopped by a look from Ji Zhai. He had no choice but to take small, difficult sips of the extremely bitter medicine from Ji Zhai's hand. The medicine went down his throat like a warm stream flowing into his cold internal organs, bringing a strange sense of comfort, temporarily suppressing the burning heat, and allowing his nerves, which were tense from the excruciating pain, to relax slightly.
"Where...where is this?" After finishing his medicine, Xiao Yuxuan gasped for breath and asked hoarsely.
“Jiangyuan.” Ji Zhai uttered two words, his voice deep and resonant, carrying an undeniable sense of belonging. He gestured around, “The Mohists, though not adept at offense and defense, still need a foothold. This place is a corner of ‘defense’.”
Only then did Xiao Yuxuan have a chance to carefully examine his surroundings. It was a stone chamber carved into the belly of a massive mountain, its walls and ceiling made of rough, unpolished rock, covered with signs of human intervention. The space wasn't large, but it was unusually high and spacious, like the core of a giant honeycomb. Simple wooden racks were fixed to the stone walls, neatly stacked with various tools, unfinished bronze components, bundles of arrow shafts, stacked armor plates, and even some animal hide drawings with intricate lines. In a corner, a huge stone hearth emitted a faint red glow from the embers, and a large earthenware pot sat atop it, bubbling a dark green medicinal broth that emitted a strong aroma. Beside the hearth, piles of strangely shaped ores and refined metal ingots were stacked.
Most striking is a huge square opening carved into one wall of the stone chamber. Through this opening, a much larger and more breathtaking underground space can be seen!
It was a colossal workshop, hollowed out like a mountain hollowed out by a giant! Countless enormous bronze gears, meshing linkages, hanging ropes, and wooden tracks erected high above formed a vast and intricate mechanical forest! Huge waterwheels slowly turned, propelled by the surging of the dark underground river, driving dozens of massive bronze forging hammers below through a complex gear system! These hammers, heavy as mountains, each strike produced a dull, thunderous boom, slamming heavily onto the massive, red-hot metal blanks below, sending sparks flying everywhere! The sparks, like a crimson rain, danced and fell in the dim space, illuminating the countless busy figures below!
Hundreds of figures moved like worker ants through the vast mechanical forest and the blazing forge! Most wore indigo-dyed linen shorts similar to Ji Zhai's, their movements swift and precise. Some were bare-chested, their muscular upper bodies glistening with sweat on their bronze skin, glistening in the firelight as if coated with oil, as they vigorously swung massive bronze hammers, striking the red-hot metal in coordination with the falling mechanical forging hammers; others stood on high wooden platforms, manipulating complex levers and ropes, directing the meshing of massive gears and the transmission of connecting rods; still others gathered around massive stone anvils, using delicate tools to quench, polish, and assemble various oddly shaped bronze components—massive crossbow bases, sharp doorstop blades, and even… the perforated bronze body of the "Fire Cabinet"!
"Clang... clang... boom... boom..."
The deafening clang of metal, the grinding of gears, the roar of rushing water, the crackling of flames, and the low, short commands of the Mohists... all these sounds mingled together, forming a massive, heavy, metallic, and scorching torrent of sound that filled the entire underground space! The air was hot and murky, thick with metallic dust, coal smoke, the smell of sweat, and the steam rising from the quenching process.
This is "Craftsman's Fortress"! The core workshop of the Mohist school, hidden deep in the mountains, pulsating like the heart of a giant beast! A contradictory place that brings the ideals of "non-aggression" and the techniques of "defense" to their extreme, yet is filled with the most primitive metal power! Here, every piece of ore is smelted, every piece of metal is forged, and ultimately, they are transformed into weapons of protection or destruction!
The immense visual and auditory impact sent a jolt through Xiao Yuxuan's mind! He instinctively clenched his fists. Was this the power of the Mohist school? Was this the foundation of their "defense"? Were those cold, hard hammers forging a bulwark to protect the city, or... a weapon to incinerate and kill living beings? Ji Zhai's bewilderment—"Are the weapons of Mohism a shield to stop war, or do they encourage the hand that wields weapons?"—became incredibly sharp and concrete at this moment!
Just then, a figure strode through the huge square hole and entered the stone chamber.
The newcomer was also dressed in indigo short-sleeved khaki, with a lithe build, a youthful face etched with the marks of time, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's. He held several pieces of bronze armor, freshly quenched and still warm to the touch at the edges. Seeing Xiao Yuxuan awaken, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, before he respectfully performed a traditional Mohist salute to Ji Zhai: "Master Ju (a respectful title for the Mohist leader), the bronze hinges of the 'Suspended Gate' have been repaired and tested without error. The spare blades for the 'Knife Chariot' have also been forged into thirty pieces and are being sharpened."
Ji Zhai nodded slightly, took the armor plate, and gently ran his fingers along the sharp edge, feeling the cold metallic touch and the texture left by quenching. "Very good. Tell the blacksmith that the sulfur ratio for 'Thunderclap' needs to be tested again. The explosive power last time was acceptable, but the smoke and poison were too heavy, harming both the enemy and the user, which violates the principle of 'universal love'."
"Yes!" The young Mozi accepted the order, his gaze sweeping over the weak Xiao Yuxuan on the bed, a hint of inquiry and barely perceptible wariness in his eyes, before turning and quickly leaving.
"Suspended Gate"... "Knife Chariot"... "Thunderclap"...
Each of these names represents the most deadly and fearsome weapon in the Mohist defensive techniques! Right now, within this roaring, fiery fortress, they are being continuously manufactured! Xiao Yuxuan's heart sank. He looked at Ji Zhai's serene profile, the image of General Bai committing suicide by the Wei River, the silent smoke and smoldering fire at the mouth of Eagle's Sorrow Valley, the cold pronouncements of the military judge, and the blood-stained "Stop the War" sword… all these images surged back, violently colliding with the scene of destruction and forging before him!
“Mr. Ji…” Xiao Yuxuan’s voice was dry and strained, filled with an uncontrollable confusion and indignation, “You said… ‘non-aggression’… ‘universal love’… but this…” His gaze swept over the massive workshop of killing weapons inside and outside the stone chamber, over the rudimentary “Fire Cabinet” at Ji Zhai’s feet, “…aren’t these… ‘aggressive’? Eagle Sorrow Gorge… that poisonous smoke and raging fire… also… came from the Mohist school…”
As Xiao Yuxuan finished speaking, Ji Zhai's movements of wiping the bronze components paused almost imperceptibly. The dim light illuminated his wrinkled and greasy profile, and a complex glint seemed to flash in his calm, ancient eyes. He didn't answer immediately, but slowly put down the components and coarse cloth, his movements carrying an indescribable heaviness.
He stood up, walked to the huge square opening, turned his back to Xiao Yuxuan, and silently watched the massive workshop outside, which roared and operated like a furnace from hell. The deafening sound of forging hammers, the splashing of scorching fire, the silent and focused figures of the Mohists... everything flowed before his eyes.
After a long silence, Ji Zhai's hoarse, deep voice finally broke through the roar of the workshop, carrying a desolate quality steeped in iron and blood:
“‘Non-aggression’…does not mean non-defense.”
"The way of defense lies in 'defense'! Defend against the sharp arrows of powerful enemies, protect the women and children behind you, and safeguard the people of a city from slaughter! Without such defensive measures, how can we talk about 'universal love'? On the day the city falls, everything will be destroyed, and the old, young, women and children will all be reduced to dust! I have personally witnessed such horrific scenes... more than once!"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with an overwhelming sense of grief and anger! It was as if the tragic scene of the city falling, people dying, and rivers of blood was being replayed before his eyes!
“However…” Ji Zhai’s voice lowered again, like a weary sigh, “The stronger the defense, the fiercer the attack! The sharper the spear, the thicker the shield! The Mohists poured their hearts and souls into building the fortified walls of the city, while the enemy racked their brains to forge the heavy weapons to breach it! This endless chain of attack and defense… is like the ceaseless forging hammer deep within these forges… cycling endlessly, without beginning or end… throwing more and more lives… more and more flesh and blood… into this furnace… turning to dust…”
He slowly turned around, and for the first time, a profound pain and confusion were clearly reflected in the depths of his calm eyes. He looked at Xiao Yuxuan, his gaze seemingly piercing through his body, seeing the mountains of corpses and seas of blood on the banks of the Wei River, and the bronze dagger from which Bai Yu had committed suicide.
"You ask me whether the fire of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge is 'offense' or 'defense'?" Ji Zhai's lips curled into an extremely bitter smile. "This old man... doesn't know either! That 'Fire-Hidden Cabinet' was originally meant to burn enemy siege equipment and block the enemy from below the city walls during city defense! Yet it was used to burn mountains and cut off roads, actively killing... The ferocity and ferocity of this weapon have far exceeded the realm of 'defense'! Using it will result in the devastation of life and the ravages of flame! This... is my fault! A disgrace to the Mohists!"
This heavy self-reproach struck Xiao Yuxuan's heart like a boulder! Looking at the weary, aged, and deeply conflicted leader of the Mohist school before him, he truly felt for the first time the immense chasm between the cold ideal of "non-aggression" and the cruel reality! Ji Zhai's confusion was also his own confusion. General Bai's question of "stopping war" became even heavier and more unsolvable in the depths of the roaring earth fire of the craftsmen's wall.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the stone chamber! The young Mohist who had left earlier returned, his face grave. He quickly walked to Ji Zhai's side and said in a low, urgent voice:
"Master! There's unusual activity on the 'Earth Listening Device' (a Mo family city-guarding listening device buried underground, capable of detecting distant troop movements)! Five miles to the southwest! A large army! Heavy hooves, clanging armor... It's... it's the Qin army! They're heading towards Jiangyuan Pass! They're moving very fast!"
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