"I have always admired doctors who dedicate themselves to saving lives! I would like to offer a toast to Brother Han!" Qin Mu said, raising his wine cup.
"The Five Precepts of a Physician! I dare not forget them, and I really cannot drink any more wine." Han Chen shook his head and refused.
"The Five Precepts of a Physician?" Cheng Huaimo looked up at the two of them curiously.
"The fourth of the Five Precepts for Physicians is: Those who save lives must not indulge in pleasures such as mountain climbing, drinking wine, or leaving home even for a short time. Although I do not run a clinic, I dare not forget this!" Han Chen said solemnly.
"What does this mean! Doctors aren't even allowed to drink and go out?" Yuchi Baolin asked, his eyes wide.
"It's not that we can't go out for fun, it's just that we need to make arrangements and inform people in advance, and drinking alcohol may affect the diagnosis and treatment," Han Chen explained.
"It's alright. Even if I get a hangover from this wine, I won't have a headache. Besides, with Brother Han's skills, a little bit of alcohol is nothing to him."
"The medicinal wine of Inspector Qin is indeed unique; it has broadened my horizons."
"I'm glad you like it, Brother Han. Actually, it's not a secret. Any strong liquor from Ruguilou can be used to make it! Other liquors might not be as effective."
"Junior Brother Li once said that Inspector Qin is exceptionally generous, and seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved! Thank you!"
"Junior Brother Li? Could you be referring to Brother Li Chunfeng?" Qin Mu asked, taken aback.
“Exactly! I am also a beneficiary of the scriptures,” Han Chen said with a smile again.
Upon seeing Han Chen's smile, Qin Mu was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Luckily, this guy is a man, otherwise he would be another scourge to the country."
Xiangli Yanran glanced at Han Chen, then at Qin Mu, before lowering her head to attack a stack of egg tarts. As for Princess Changning, her gaze was mostly fixed on Qin Mu.
Cheng Huaimo and Yuchi Baolin need no introduction; both of them are thick-skinned and don't care at all about appearances, or rather, men. Otherwise, they wouldn't have become such close friends.
This was also what made Han Chen feel comfortable; no one from the Six Doors looked at him strangely, unlike the people outside who seemed ready to devour him.
After a satisfying meal, though they hadn't drunk much, they enjoyed themselves immensely. Afterward, they took a stroll in the courtyard to digest their food.
"Huaidao! What are you doing? Why are you making such a big pile of iron blocks?" Yuchi Baolin walked to the corner of the wall and the furnace, pointing to the pile of iron blocks on the ground and asking.
The stove was still burning with charcoal, and some iron blocks on it were already glowing red-hot.
"This is refined iron! Can't you tell?"
"What are you doing with all that refined iron? If you just want to train, you don't need to get so much, do you? Or are you planning to make something?" Yu Chi Baolin asked curiously.
“You’re absolutely right. I have a theory that I’d like to prove,” Qin Mu said.
"What are you trying to prove?" The others also gathered around, always interested in Qin Mu's ingenious ideas.
"In the past, when you forged weapons, you hammered them out one by one from fine iron, right?" Qin Mu asked.
“Of course. How can a good weapon be made without going through countless trials and tribulations? Only a master can forge Dao patterns on a weapon through countless trials and tribulations, turning it into a masterpiece,” Yuchi Baolin said with certainty.
"I was thinking, what if we could melt down refined iron after it has been forged through a thousand hammerings and cast it into shape using a mold?"
"Is this okay?" Yuchi Baolin asked blankly.
"Why not? I'm just hammering the weapon into shape, turning it into a mold for casting. That way, when hammering, I don't need to consider the shape, and I can use a much larger piece of refined iron! That way, the speed will definitely be much faster." Qin Mu explained, picking up a large iron ingot.
Yu Chi Baolin scratched his head in frustration, then picked up the iron ingot again, examining the forging patterns on it. He was certain that it was exactly the shape of a weapon, even though the ingot itself didn't resemble a weapon at all. Judging by the size of this ingot, it was enough to forge five Embroidered Spring Blades.
“Have you tried it? I think it’s definitely not going to work. The patterns left by forging are very special, how can you make them with a mold!” Yu Chi Baolin shook his head with certainty.
"How do we know if it will work if we haven't even tried? Dao patterns can be engraved inside the mold!" Qin Mu raised an eyebrow. We can't jeopardize the fundamental principles of nature, but surely we can't completely abandon any attempt at these handcrafted techniques?
“Impossible. The forging patterns are layered upon layered. My father said that this is a kind of feel that belongs to a master craftsman. It’s hard to explain. Before it’s finished, even the forger himself doesn’t know what the weapon is like.” Yu Chi Baolin shook his head violently, expressing strong distrust of Qin Mu’s idea that broke his traditional concepts.
"It wouldn't hurt to give it a try. The patterns can also be constructed inside the mold using special methods," Qin Mu said after thinking for a moment. He had considered this problem. Those patterns could be pre-arranged in the mold using something like mithril, like creating capillaries in a weapon. In this way, the successfully forged weapon would have patterns. As for whether it would be effective, he didn't know.
"Is that so?" Yu Chi Baolin still looked at Qin Mu with a skeptical gaze.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's give it a try! Once it's made, we'll know if it works or not," Cheng Huaimo urged.
"The problem is I don't know how to arrange the patterns. Weapons are not like other things; you can't see inside them," Qin Mu said, reaching out with both hands.
"Haha! I knew this was impossible!" Yuchi Baolin slapped his thigh and laughed.
"Why are you so happy? It's just because I don't have a master to provide a template. If we use the same method as making puppets and armor to create Dao patterns, I think it should still be feasible."
"Even if that doesn't work, we can make ordinary weapons. That should make things much easier, right?" Qin Mu asked.
“Using a group of apprentices to forge refined iron, and only needing one skilled craftsman to make the molds, is indeed convenient and quick! If the requirements are more stringent, it's not impossible to have ordinary people do the forging.” Cheng Huaimo said thoughtfully. He was a good friend of Yuchi Baolin and knew a little about forging.
“Yes! Since armor can be engraved, weapons can too. Fine gold wire can be drawn, so there’s no need to worry about it melting, and it can be closely connected to the weapon.” Yuchi Baolin gestured and muttered to himself.
"The mold is right there, why don't you give it a try?" Qin Mu gently patted Yuchi Baolin and pointed to the thing on the ground.
Without saying a word, Yuchi Baolin walked to the bellows and started pulling it hard.
Qin Mu was naturally eager to have someone do the hard labor, and he reminded Yuchi Baolin because he knew Yuchi Baolin wouldn't be able to resist. As for the molds, they were also very simple for him. With the stability of his hands now, making a few with plaster was quite easy.
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