Chapter 101 Tempering A-Jiu is a Little Different
“Let’s talk about annealing.” Guan Ye withdrew her gaze and held up the newly forged prototype sword in her hand. “This sword is forged from a mixture of black iron and diamond sand, so we can’t simply copy the forging method of the black iron sword. Once the prototype sword is formed, we need to wait a while to slowly lower the sword temperature.”
"Why is that?" Some people still didn't quite understand.
Guan Ye smiled and said, "Because the material of this sword is different from the single black iron sword of the past, it is forged by mixing black iron and diamond sand. Diamond sand has a higher melting point than black iron. Although the two are fused together and become one, they are not completely balanced in the molten iron. In order for the finished product to have the best of both and to combine the advantages of black iron and diamond sand, it is necessary to keep it warm and cool it slowly."
“No wonder.” Huangpu Ying nodded repeatedly. “You just tested the temperature with your palm until you were sure the temperature was the same from the handle to the tip before putting it in cold water to cool it down.”
"I see." The group exchanged glances, their expressions of sudden understanding deepening, and their admiration for Guan Ye grew even stronger.
"Heavy iron weapons are primarily for slashing and killing; diamond sand is sharp and adept at stabbing. Master Guan's method combines the best of both worlds, achieving both flexibility and strength, and even reducing the weight by more than half compared to previous black iron swords. Such innovation can be considered a military achievement." Mu Chenbi spoke up at the right time, startling all the blacksmiths into standing up straight and bowing to Guan Ye.
Guan Ye blushed and quickly returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying, "No, no, it's all thanks to everyone."
"Ah Jiu," Huangpu Yingzhong and Mu Chenbi called out, "If you can talk, then say more. These words are praising Master Guan, and we all feel good hearing them. Even if we can't go to the battlefield to fight, following Master Guan in Xingguo Ward, can't we still achieve unparalleled feats?"
"That's an exaggeration." Some laughed, while others listened in stunned silence. "An unparalleled achievement? Just for us?"
"It's definitely possible." Mu Chenbi smiled at Guan Ye and tapped his shoulder.
Guan Ye glared back and scolded, "A-Jiu, you talk too much. Do you want to hear more?"
Mu Chenbi wasn't annoyed. He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, just like the others, and said, "Ajiu knows her mistake. Master Guan, please continue."
"Let's talk about tempering," Guan Ye said. "Black iron, after being forged for a long time, becomes refined steel. Refined steel is an excellent material for swords, but there is a problem: refined steel is brittle, and brittleness is a major taboo for weapons. But there are ways to resolve this..." Seeing that Mu Chenbi was listening intently, Guan Ye deliberately slowed down her speech, keeping him in suspense, and secretly found it amusing to see Mu Chenbi's eager look.
"Keep the cooled steel in a warm fire." Guan Ye gestured to show everyone, "After at least three to five days, cool it down using the quenching method, and the brittleness of the steel will be resolved."
“That makes sense.” Huangpu Ying thought of something. “Miss Wushuang from the inner workshop forged a fine steel sword before, the one that Lingbo Terrace and Xingguo Workshop swordsmen competed with. It was forged from fine steel. Miss Wushuang also placed the rudimentary sword in a gentle fire for several days. I see, that makes sense.”
When the topic of testing swords before the emperor was brought up, a sudden commotion arose among the crowd. Huangpu Ying realized that he might have said something he shouldn't have, and his rough face suddenly changed color.
Guan Ye remained silent for a moment, then calmly said, "Miss Wushuang is proficient in casting techniques. It's not surprising that she knows the method of tempering. As long as good items can be cast, it doesn't matter which workshop they come from."
With just a few words, Guan Ye displayed the demeanor of a master craftsman. Huangpu Ying, feeling embarrassed, nodded vigorously at Guan Ye. This old master craftsman from the inner workshop was now completely in awe of Guan Ye.
“Master Guan, there’s something I’m not sure if I should ask.” In a corner, a foundry worker from the inner workshop couldn’t help but speak up.
Huangpu Ying got angry and yelled at the corner, "Since you know you shouldn't ask, then swallow it back."
“Master Huangpu, let him speak.” Guan Ye nodded slightly towards the corner. “I, Guan Ye, will speak without reservation.”
"Alright." The man straightened up and said loudly, "You just said that black iron is made into steel, and refined steel is excellent. You also said that Xingguo Workshop's swords combine the best of black iron and diamond sand, achieving a balance of strength and flexibility. Then why... when the swords were tested before the emperor at Lingbo Terrace, were Xingguo Workshop's swords broken by refined steel? Doesn't that prove that Xingguo Workshop's swords are inferior to the refined steel swords forged by Miss Wushuang?" Seeing the courtyard fall into silence and no one respond for a long time, the man didn't care about anything else and simply spoke his mind. "Let me ask you one more question. Were the swords used by the swordsmen of Xingguo Workshop... forged by you, Master Guan?"
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Though the question shouldn't have been asked at this time and place, it was nonetheless reasonable. No matter how powerful the Xingguo Workshop's sword was described, it was an undeniable fact that it had been severed by Wushuang. The blacksmiths stood quietly, waiting for Guan Ye's response.
Mu Chenbi opened his mouth to argue, but Guan Ye stopped him with a look. "The method of fusing materials was indeed my idea. Fine steel swords are good, but the swords from Xingguo Workshop are also fine. When two swords clash, it's not necessary to determine a winner. Each sword has its own strengths. As long as they are used in the right place, they can both be national weapons."
Guan Ye didn't seem to answer the question. The person in the corner opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after thinking that Guan Ye's words made some sense, he clasped his hands and nodded to Guan Ye, no longer pressing for an answer.
"Do the masters know for whom these swords you've been rushing to make lately were forged?" Mu Chenbi asked.
"I heard that the Crown Prince's Black Hawk Guards are all going to be replaced with our swords."
Mu Chenbi gripped the sword at his waist tightly. "That settles it then. If the swords from Xingguo Warehouse aren't good, how could they catch the Crown Prince's eye? The Eagle Guards are the Emperor and Crown Prince's personal guards, bearing heavy responsibilities. What they can use must be good."
"Yes," the crowd echoed. "The Crown Prince loves and understands swords. With the Crown Prince personally selecting them, they are sure to be a powerful weapon for the nation."
Guan Ye looked at Mu Chenbi, bit her lip and said, "Whether it is a national treasure or not, we will only know after using it. The road ahead is long and arduous. We cannot be arrogant. We must continue to improve our skills."
Huangpu Ying estimated that it was about time, and called everyone back to their respective tasks. Guan Ye put down her sword and noticed that Mu Chenbi was staring at her intently. She couldn't help but touch her cheek with her fingertip. "Is there... something dirty on my face?"
Mu Chenbi walked closer to her, looked down and examined her closely, saying, "You didn't have any before, your fingers were covered in charcoal ash. But now, you've dirtied your face by touching it yourself."
Guan Ye took out a handkerchief and was about to wipe her face when she suddenly realized what she was doing and handed the handkerchief back to Mu Chenbi, saying, "Here you go."
Mu Chenbi lowered his eyes and looked at Guan Ye. What Guan Ye was holding was the silk handkerchief he had used to bandage her wound in the Ghost Market. The handkerchief was stained with blood that day, but today it was spotless and neatly folded, showing that she cherished it and was reluctant to use it again.
Mu Chenbi remained silent, took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the soot off Guan Ye's face. Suddenly, he used the handkerchief to wipe the soot off Guan Ye's face. Guan Ye felt as if she was being pricked by needles and took a few steps back, dodging Mu Chenbi's action.
"Look." Mu Chenbi unfolded the silk handkerchief and pointed to the grayish-black stains on it. "Isn't it dirty?" He then stuffed the handkerchief into Guan Ye's palm. "Wash it clean before giving it to me."
The silk handkerchief was as smooth as water; it would slip and fall to the ground if you let go of it even slightly. The moment the handkerchief slipped from her fingers, Guan Ye suddenly clenched her fingers, carefully folded it in her palm, and put the handkerchief back into her sleeve.
"Guan Ye?!" A familiar voice rang out from outside the foundry, "...A-Jiu? Is that you, A-Jiu?"
Guan Ye turned around at the sound of the voice. Wasn't it Song Mian? Then she saw that Song Mian had taken off his greasy coarse clothes and changed into a dark blue short-sleeved outfit. At first glance, she might not have recognized him immediately. Song Mian sat casually on the cart, holding a whip and driving the oxcart. Although his movements were still a little clumsy, his eyes were full of confidence. This kind of work was obviously a piece of cake for him.
"Song... Er." Guan Ye deliberately raised her voice, "You're not frying oil cakes anymore, you've switched to driving a cart?"
Song Mian awkwardly jumped out of the car, patted his new clothes, and twirled in front of Guan Ye, asking, "How is it?"
Guan Ye clicked her tongue and nodded, "Clothes make the man, you look much more energetic in your new clothes." Then she looked at his face more closely and pointed, laughing, "You've gained weight in the few days I haven't seen you."
Song Mian pinched the fat on his cheek: "Boss Wanqi eats meat and fish at every meal. He can't eat it all, so he takes me with him. He's eaten more meat these past few days than I have in the past few years. How can I not get fat?" Song Mian lowered his voice as he spoke, "Boss Wanqi also gave me a place to stay, in the third alley of the East Market. Guan Ye, thank you."
"Thank yourself." Guan Ye said without changing her expression. "If you keep frying dough cakes, no one else can help you."
Song Mian chuckled and, seeing Mu Chenbi standing to the side, walked straight up to him, looked him up and down, and exclaimed, "Ajiu, it's been a while, you look really impressive!"
Guan Ye hurriedly stepped between the two of them, "It has been a while since we last bought fried cakes. It's just that Ajiu doesn't like sweets."
Seeing that this person knew Guan Ye and seemed to have met A Jiu before, Mu Chenbi, who had been impersonating A Jiu for half a day, couldn't afford to give himself away now. He could only nod to Song Mian and say, "I don't usually go to the market... You... you've changed your profession since you stopped frying oil cakes?"
When he got to the point of being proud, Song Mian got excited again and pointed at the oxcart with his whip. "Boss Wanqi is so busy that he doesn't have time to rest. As he instructed, from now on, I will be in charge of delivering the iron materials from Xingguo Warehouse."
“Still… Boss Wanqi…” Guan Ye pouted, but Song Mian wasn’t wrong. He provided her with food and drink and paid her wages, so wasn’t he her Boss Wanqi?
Mu Chenbi raised his eyebrows, "Boss Wanqi... is Wanqixi."
"Ah Jiu, you recognize him too?" Song Mian was both surprised and delighted. "I forgot you're a swordsman, so it's not surprising that you've seen my boss, Wanqi."
Mu Chenbi nodded. "He used to run a business in the Ghost Market. Guan Ye and I did business with him."
Seeing the two standing proudly on the foundry, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, their every word perfectly in sync, Song Mian suddenly realized something. During their days on the ship, Guan Ye had been so thin and frail that it was impossible to tell if she was male or female. Now, she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, not only taller but also with striking, clear eyes. Standing side-by-side with A Jiu, they looked like a perfect couple. Song Mian sighed inwardly, thinking how insightful A Jiu was, and how he himself had been so blind to have jumped into the sea… that seawater… it was truly bone-chillingly cold.
Song Mian looked around and could only see blacksmiths and sword slaves forging iron and tending fires; there were no other familiar faces. Song Mian rubbed his hands together and asked, "Where are the others?"
The others… Guan Ye shuddered. Song Mian was still unaware that his fellow passengers had perished at sea and was still eagerly awaiting their reunion… The others, there were no others left.
Song Mian looked at Mu Chenbi and, seeing him standing still, nudged him with his elbow. "Ajiu, I'm asking you a question. Where is the others?"
Mu Chenbi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he said stiffly, "They...they went out early this morning with the sect leader and haven't come back yet."
"So you went out." Song Mian laughed. "I came at an inopportune time today. Ajiu, please tell everyone that once I get my wages, I'll treat everyone to a good meal at the West Street Tavern."
"Okay," Mu Chenbi agreed.
The response was crisp and decisive. Hearing this, Song Mian looked at Mu Chenbi again and said, "Ajiu, you seem a little different from before."
"What's different?" Mu Chenbi and Guan Ye asked in unison.
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