In the dim and damp cabin, a woman in white endured the pain and stood up, leaning on a nearby pillar.
“I was forcibly brought here. My name is Gongshu Lan. Who is in charge of this? I want to see him.”
Although the woman was pale, she was very calm. When her eyes, as clear as still water, were fixed on someone, few people would be willing to refuse her request.
Gongshu?
A noble surname in the Northern Abyss Kingdom.
The captain gripped the hilt of his sword, looked her up and down, and found her demeanor particularly elegant. Unable to make up his mind, he sent someone to report to her first.
Not long after, the messenger returned, saying that the general had summoned him.
The captain escorted the man to the deck and then stepped aside to await further orders, leaving only the lightly dressed Gongshu Lan standing in the wind.
She had an arrow wound on her shoulder, the blood of which had dried into a brownish-black mass. Although it had been treated, the wound looked somewhat festering due to the harsh conditions in the cabin.
The night was dark, and a fire was lit on the ship. Two tall figures stood under the mast. The mountains were eerily quiet in the night, and the narrow moon illuminated their indistinct outlines, but their details were not clearly visible.
Gongshu Lan swallowed hard, feeling inexplicably nervous.
"I am Gongshu Lan, Gongshu Jiruo's cousin. I wonder which country the hijackers are from?"
"Gongshu Jiruo's cousin? Then why are you on a cargo ship from the Southern Chen Kingdom?"
Yuwen Sheng leaned lazily against the ship's railing, the night wind blowing his scarlet cloak behind him. Beneath a fierce Nuo mask, his eyes were sharp and pointed, like a beast eyeing its prey.
Gongshu Lan felt that the other person's voice was very young, and the deep, magnetic voice carried a warm smile, but it created an eerie sense of incongruity with the heavy smell of blood blowing in the wind.
It's rare to see someone remain calm under Yuwen Sheng's imposing aura.
But Gongshu Lan did it; she reacted quickly: "Are you General Yuwen of Ye?"
Her voice had an unusual fluctuation.
It's not hard to guess. Rumor has it that Yuwen Sheng always wears a mask of a malevolent god when he goes into battle. He is capricious and kills people without hesitation.
It was this vicious and brutal image that intimidated the seven kingdoms, ensuring that the weakest kingdom, Ye, survives to this day.
Yuwen Sheng disliked people who thought themselves clever, especially those who were prisoners and didn't know their own limitations.
“Wei Yao, take her back. If she still can’t answer, any more words you utter will be considered your incompetence.”
Wei Yao looked helpless: "Yes."
Gongshu Lan never expected that even after she revealed her identity, there would still be someone in the Seven Kingdoms who dared to disrespect her cousin. She wanted to say something, but Wei Yao waved her hand.
The captain immediately stepped forward, covered her mouth, and dragged her away.
"We seized a large warship from the Southern Chen dynasty, as well as a shipload of machinery they commissioned from the Mohists at a high price. They must be furious this time." Wei Yao's emotions were still surging.
But Yuwen Sheng had already calmed down. Ye Kingdom's industry, agriculture, and even military were all at the bottom of the seven kingdoms. Even if they were lucky enough to obtain this batch of equipment, it would only be a drop in the ocean.
"How is Little Black Mouse doing lately? She should have run into the spy from Julu Kingdom who infiltrated Fuxian County, right?"
"According to the people monitoring her, the Sang family's house was burned down, and she is currently rebuilding the house. She has not been in contact with any suspicious people."
The house burned down?
"Before I return to Fuxian, continue to observe, and also give the stolen blueprints from Julu Kingdom to Gongshu Lan. If she has half the abilities of her cousin, keep them for now; if they're useless..."
Wei Yao understood the general's meaning, but... "I've heard that Gongshu Jiruo dotes on this younger sister very much. Perhaps we can offer a suggestion as a starting point."
Wei the fox smiled slyly.
"Then this trip will have another unexpected surprise."
——
Fuxian County, Rongxi Cave
A short, dark-skinned man tiptoed into a hole. After crawling out of a narrow tunnel, he saw the people who had been waiting inside the cave.
"Sima." He knelt down in fear and bowed.
The man pulled down his hat, revealing a gloomy expression on his handsome face.
"You didn't infiltrate the camp?"
"Yes, all of us craftsmen were admitted, but... but the others were all killed by Yuwen Sheng."
“Yuwen Sheng didn’t suspect you? After all, the characteristics of the Scorpionfish are so obvious. If he didn’t kill you, he should have given you an important position.”
“I… a short, dark-skinned boy suddenly appeared in the camp. He was strong, skilled in weapon assembly, and even knew how to draw and design. He stole everyone’s attention as soon as he appeared, so even though I was in the camp, I didn’t attract the attention of Yuwen Sheng and the others.”
Mo Ye narrowed his eyes: "What's his name?"
"Sang Xuanqing".
"It's her again." Mo Ye's eyes deepened with a sense of danger.
Sang Xuanqing is now surrounded by hidden sentries, all of whom are Yuwen Sheng's men. He can no longer approach them casually, but he has said that their matter will not end like this.
So it turns out she's been acting all along. Well, how could someone from the Mo family not be skilled in woodworking?
"Your chess piece is now useless. Since we can't get the mechanism box back, let's just destroy it." Mo Ye stroked the inlaid jade bead at his waist.
Pfft—
A thin needle pierced the forehead of the kneeling Scorpionfish, and the next second the Scorpionfish fell backward to the ground.
Mo Ye summoned his attendants, whispered a few words to them, and soon these subordinates dispersed to assign tasks.
Mo Ye then pulled off his cloak, took out a set of commoner's clothes and put them on, took out a bottle of medicine and smeared it on his face.
——
Zheng Quchi was unaware that all the undercurrents were converging on her, as she was focused on building her new house.
Now that so many people had come to help, she no longer hesitated and began to make arrangements boldly.
She taught them a method of stacking earthen bricks in an alternating pattern.
The process of making mud bricks involves first mixing loess with straw and water to form mud, then treading it repeatedly to fully integrate it, fermenting it into cooked mud, and finally using molds she made to remove the clay.
"How about making the earthen wall more solid?" the young worker asked curiously.
"It is simpler to operate in terms of technology, and it is more durable, airtight and sand-proof."
With more people, this repetitive task became relatively easier, and soon the required number of Zheng Quchi were gathered.
She placed one wet clod of soil after another around the ruins where the charcoal had not yet burned out, drying them. The weather was dry, but the temperature was not high enough, so she had to rely on external force. Once one side was dry, she would flip it over so that all four sides could be heated evenly and dry quickly.
She controlled the charcoal ash, preventing it from going out or reigniting, until her adobe bricks finally took shape.
"These adobe bricks aren't very stable. Won't the wall collapse if we just build it up like this?" someone wondered.
"Of course, it still needs to be glued."
The bricklayer said, "The best material is a mixture of sand, lime, and loess, called 'three-in-one soil'."
"Yes, but we need to add one more thing to make the adhesion even stronger."
"What is it?" They all opened their eyes wide, eager to know.
Zheng Quchi said, "Glutinous rice."
"Sticky rice?"
Of course, cement would be even better.
However, mass production of cement in this era requires considerable effort.
Although the materials required are very simple, just a mixture of limestone, clay, coal ash or iron powder, etc., and then fired.
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